Bodnant Garden and Steam Trains

Last week I went to Wales. My parents had hired a cottage at Beddgelert in Snowdonia and asked if me and Orinoco wanted to join them for a few days. Orinoco was busy with work so I went on my own. It was quite a long drive down from Scotland but the look on Mum's face was worth it.
On Tuesday we decided to go to the NT garden at Bodnant. We started off with a coffee in the pavilion when I persuaded Mum to have a wheelchair so that she would be able to see more of the garden (Mum had a stroke a year ago and finds it difficult to walk on slopes and cannot walk far even on the flat). I am so glad we did. To get to the entrance we had to go down a long sweeping slope under the road, then a very steep path past the gift shops to the entrance. Mum and Dad are both NT members, so I was expecting to pay the entrance fee, but the nice lady said the "pusher" gets in free! The gardens are wonderful but apart from the top level they are anything but level!
There is one part of the garden called "the Dell", we went down a very steep slope with me digging my heels in and clutching onto the handles so Mum wouldnt go flying! Coming up was great fun - Dad reckons it was a 1:3 hill! I pushed Mum and Dad pushed me!

It was an exhausting day but Mum enjoyed it so much.





The next day was a wee bit wet, so we decided to go for a trip on the Ffestiniog railway as at least we could see the scenery and stay dry.

The following day we decided to go on the Welsh Highland Railway. This currently runs from Caernarfon to Rhyd Ddu, but next Easter it will run all the way to Porthmadog where the Ffestiniog railway runs from. This runs through Beddgelert and in the morning Dad and I walked up to the station to see how works were progressing.

In Caenarfon we had 2 hours to spend, so we took a gentle walk round the bottom of the castle but the wind was very strong nearly knocking us over. We caught the train back, and I had a Welsh beer on the train back - very nice.
On Friday morning I set off early back to Scotland and got home late afternoon in time to take the junior golf.
A lovely wee break and worth the drive.
Wx

Strulch

What is Strulch?

Strulch ® is a light and easy to use garden mulch made from wheat straw for organic gardening. A patented process is used to ‘preserve’ the straw so that it lasts for up to two years and gives an earthy brown colour.

Strulch has a neutral pH and can be used throughout the garden on borders, raised beds, around cultivated fruit and on vegetable plots.

• Spend less time weeding

Strulch reduces weed growth by up to 95%

• Save water

  Strulch helps retain moisture around plants

• Improve your soil

Strulch enriches soil and its structure

• Use all around the garden

  Strulch is suitable around flowers, shrubs, fruit and vegetables

• Save time and money

  Strulch, the mineralised straw garden mulch, lasts up to two years,spreading the cost, saving water and fertiliser, making your plants grow healthier and stronger and giving you more time to relax.

Well, that is what it says on the tin! Does it do it? I will have to see as this is the first time I have used it. It does smell nice and is easy to use though.
To me the advantage is having something that will improve my soil as well as supressing weeds etc as the main area I have put it needs a lot of nutrients put back in the soil.

Wx

Busy Weekend

WOW what a busy weekend I have had.
Yesterday was our golf club's Ladies Open. I was part of the organising committee, so I tee'd off at 8.30am so that I could enjoy my golf before facing the rest of the day. There was a fair bit of dew on the ground, so we knew that we would not have the advantage that the rest of the field would get later with the ball running on and on. My golf was not exactly the best that I have played, but I did do a stonker of a drive on the "longest drive" hole - just a few yards in front of the green and it remained on the fairway - something unusual for this particular hole! Well, my drive held all day and I won a bottle of bubbly for that. Then on one of our long par 3's I landed my drive just about a yard from the hole and I put it in for a "magic 2" which won me some more dosh!

Luckily we had no hiccups during the day, and the weather was fantastic - very very very sunny and hot.

Today I decided that I needed to spend time in the garden as I had bags and bags of Strulch to put down but I needed to weed and tidy up the beds first. Bed #1 has a dry stone wall around 2 sides and the lawn around the other 2. On the lawn sides I had once put lots and lots of stones to try and keep the weeds down, but this didnt work and looked untidy. I used some of them to build up the bottom part of the wall so that the soil does not overflow onto the pavement. I then turned over the soil and removed lots more weeds. I then mulched with 3 bags of Strulch. Earlier in the year I removed 3 potentillas from the bed and now just want to leave it for a while to renourish the soil.

After lunch I then weeded and de-rocked another bed and Strulch'd it. Last year my neighbours and I felled 2 trees between our houses. We had to leave 6ft stumps as the fence had been built round the trees. Well they were re-growing, so I had to remove all the new growth - hopefully one day the re-growth will stop. I then continued my weeding of another bed and my retaining wall garden.

This was all followed by a body exfoliation, shower and feet up watching the box!

Going to work for a break tomorrow!

Wx

Nice Manager, compost and worms

Well what a difference.

I had to go to the garage yesterday as the car had not had a service book, so when they serviced it (first service) they didnt have anything to stamp. I took the new service book in and the manager got it stamped for me. Then he gave me a luggage cover for when the 3rd row seats are down, and when he put that in for me he noticed I had not got a carpet to cover the luggage space when the seats were down. So he went and got me one. What a nice man, and he did appear very genuine. Restored my faith in car salesmen!

Now to the garden.
I got a new compost bin on Tuesday, I had several of the "dalek" style ones, but they are very difficult to turn the compost in. Then came an offer thru the door for a big one under Waste Aware Scotland. I took them up on the offer and hey presto a few weeks later it was delivered. It took a bit of putting together, but once constructed it fits in well and looks "weathered" and not plasticey at all. I put the contents of 2 of the "daleks" in it, and it isnt even half full! Fabby.



Worms.
I have now sited my wormery on my new decking outside my back door. Warm, but not in full sun so the worms should like it. And I believe they do. They seem to be very active. The other night I noticed a dark stain under the tap at the bottom of the sump. I got a bucket and opened the tap...... and got a bucket full of lovely worm juice to feed my plants on.

No pix today, maybe I will get some for my next blog.

Wx

added piccie of compost bin

Car Salesmen....

So, last week I popped into Arnold Clark to look at used cars. I knew what I wanted and had done some research. Immediately a salesman came over to me and showed me a couple of cars of the type I wanted, he then mentioned an older version and I immediately said that I knew that a certain feature had been improved since that one. SO he knew that I was not playing at buying the car.
I decided on one of the ones he showed me, and played at moving the seats around (a 7 seater, and I just had to try the back seats to check that even I could manage to get in).

Then to the nitty gritty. What would I get for my car as trade in, how to transfer the number plate, (private reg) need a towbar etc etc. I got a reasonable trade in, and if I signed that day the manager would throw in a towbar (not literally!). Looked at the finance offered which was better than quotes I got elsewhere. So, handed over my pink credit card for the deposit - ouch! He gave me the documentation and said he would need certain documents so they could transfer the number plates over. Now, we live an hour from civilization, so it isnt as if we can just pop round. Well, I was playing golf the following day (wed) and my pal said she could get the docs in by 9am on thurs - great. Done.
Friday, got a text message asking for a cover note. Phoned in and asked what it was about. Apparantly a cover note is needed for them to get the plates transferred. Asked if a fax would be ok - yes came the answer. On to insurance company, increased my insurance and put the new car on from this tuesday just gone. Received the fax copy and emailed it to the garage. Phone call came - wont accept a fax! But the docs would take up to 5 days to come thru the post! My salesman said I would have to wait then. Hrmmphhhh

Another salesman phoned. He gave me a work round for getting a free 7 day insurance from the manufacturer which would be printed at the garage - problem sorted. Tow bar to be fitted Tuesday afternoon, so told that it could be then when I pick it up.

Monday. Phoned up to see how it was going. Saleman phoned back and said "what are you phoning me for?" in a very terse way. Well, err I would like to know when I get my car? Dont know, could be friday. What is happening, why the delay. "if you didnt want your personalised plate you could have had the car by now" (big lie as the car didnt get the tow bar fitted until this morning (wed)!

Tuesday. Insurance docs arrive. Help!!!!! my insurance is now for my new car (the one I havent got yet) so the car I am driving around in is uninsured! Phone call to insurers - beg, plead etc etc and they cover me until Friday but tell me to find out when I get the new car and that a further change will cost me! Go for coffee before my head explodes. Phone the garage before 12. Can the salesman return my call? No reply. Got on to the head office via email and lodge a complaint. Oh boy, what a quick turn round of emails.

Wed. Wait for phone call. None. Phoned and asked to speak to the salesman - day off!! Can I speak to the other one who helped with insurance? On the phone, will phone back! I explain that I am still waiting for a call back. Takes number again. Phone rings! He explains what is happening with the number plates, no, they dont post them as I was led to believe, the drivers go to the dvla for 15:30 in the afternoon, but he wouldnt expect mine to be back before Friday (Poo - going to be in Inverness then!). At least I understand what the process is now - that's what I wanted.

Got home. Ansafone message from manager. Phoned him back. Wow - he hates receiving complaints and was really pleased when I explained what I had expected, the treatment I had received by my salesman and the information from the second salesman. He said when they take the docs to the dvla they get given a chitty to say when to come back - mine said 26th! So WHY didnt they tell me that? Anyway, he had tried to phone the dvla to find out if they are open on Monday as it is a bank holiday for some (not me!). So he said that he would phone me on Monday to let me know which day. He was very apologetic about his salesman and he will reimburse me for any extra insurance costs plus he will make sure I have plenty of fuel. If I have any queries just call him. What a difference.

Phoned the insurance and they have given me a free change to cover both cars Mon/Tue depending on which I am driving!

I shall be so glad when I get my car - I just hope that the troubles have not taken the edge off the excitement.

Anyway, off to Inverness tomorrow to see the Scottish Community Drama Association's Festival of One Act Plays Scottish Final. 9 plays over 3 nights.

Bye for now.
Wx

LIPS update

I just realised today that I had not updated my blog since February when I was off to Portugal golfing with the girls.
the holiday was fantastic. It was unseasonably windy, but still warm - much better than the cold, wet and windy weather we left behind.
Our hotel was very nice. There was a lovely outdoor pool, but unheated - brrrrrrr. NO - even the brave Wizzard did not venture in (well I did pop in my toe!). There was also a very chlorinated indoor pool - very tiny!

The day we got there was a "free" day - no golf. So my pal Olive and I wandered around the town of Villamoura and spent a lot of time around the harbour. We ended up in a very nice par overlooking the marina just as the sun went down.

The next day was our first golfing day on Pinhal and also my birthday. When I entered the breakfast room the rest of my party burst into song! HOW EMBARRASING! I had to wear the birthday hat all day long. this was very difficult cos I have a big head! The girls bought me a frog head cover and a dozen balls with my face on them!

We went out for an indian meal in the evening (well Portugal did have close links with Goa in the past!) which was my choice - wonderful.

Next day we had another "free day" so Olive and I had booked a massage at the sister hotel. Well, what a laugh. First of all you can tell from the picture that I am not a small woman! Well, we got given toweling robes, paper slippers and a paper thong! O-K-A-Y! The toweling robe was probably a size 12 - no way was it going to do up. We had to walk through the pool area to the massage rooms - there was me hugging towels to my very exposed front. Olive and I nearly wet ourselves laughing. We shared a massage room which was very different. We had these very tiny portugese girls doing the massaging, but boy did they have some strength in them! After the massage we sat on beanbags (still in the gaping robe) and had a cup of tea/glass of water.
That evening we found a Portugese restaurant just at the back of our hotel -that is where we ate from then on. We had the most delicious sardines with a lovely salad - delicious.
Two of the "old birds" as we affectionately called them introduced Olive and me to white port. Chilled. Fabby.
On our next day off - another golf course in between. Olive and I went to see her friends who were in the process of building a house - we got the tour of the house, huge pool, outside kitchen/bar and a garage for 40 cars underneath the house.

In all we played 3 golf courses - Pinhal, Laguna and Millenium.

We all agreed that it was a great holiday especially as we did not have to drive anywhere as we had airport transfers and transfers to the golf courses.

where to next year......

LIPS 2008

Not long now before I go on my ladies golfing trip to Portugal. We are staying in Vilamoura and playing on 3 courses - The Millenium, Laguna and Pinhal.

I have been watching the 10 day weather forecast for Faro, and it looks good so far. Our only concern is getting to Edinburgh airport! It will be great to get the sun on my skin again.

Last year we went to Spain for our innaugural trip, the first day of golf coincided with one of the Ladies birthdays, so we made her wear a hat in the shape of a birthday cake with candles on all day! Thing is, it will be my birthday on our first game of golf this time!

I will post pix on my return - after I have censored them of course!

BTW LIPS 2008 = Ladies In Portugal Spring 2008!! I've even bought us all badges!

Wx

Laser Eye Surgery - an update

I cannot believe how long has passed since I posted the 24 hour update - life has been so busy that the time has just flown by.
I went for my 1 month checkup just before Christmas and was told that my sight was 20:20 but my left eye still had some improving to make! I notice that some days it is my left eye and some days (not as often) it is my right eye that is weaker. This is totally expected as the scarring round the cornea cut is still healing.
My sight is much better than it ever was with contact lenses, so I have no regrets, or complaints. I keep lubricating my eyes with eye drops daily - doing what I am told for once!!
What is really great is being able to get up in the morning and see, to have a shower and see, to be able to go out in the rain and see. Fantastic.
When I sent to Stobo between Christmas and New Year I still had to wear goggles in the pool, I am looking forward to the time when I can swim without them. Some opticians say after a week you can swim without goggles, but mine would rather that I didnt.

I am going to Portugal in a few weeks - it will be brilliant not to have to take all the gubbins with me - more room for wine in my bag on the way home!