I do 35

August 19th, 2023

It was 35 years ago today,

THG said I do, yay yay,

Still together as a team, fair play,

What a wonderful day, wonderful day.

glorious morning

August 16th, 2023

Another glorious morning on the Isle. Not a cloud in the sky. All is calm. I am packed and will shortly venture out to the bookshop in Michael Street. Probs pick up some milk en route back an’ all. Swing by Fenella Beach one last time on this trip.

Breakfast was toast made with a fine Noa Bakehouse sourdough. Sourdough’s real purpose in life is toast. Slathered with butter and spread thickly with Bonne Maman orange marmalade. Cup of tea.

My bag has all the clothes I bought with me. Everything just fits nicely. Not everyone in the travelling party is in the same boat, so to speak. We are on the same steam packet this pm but THG made some purchayses during her stay that mean the zip on the already tightly packed duffel bag will no longer close. Well…

Everyone on the Isle of Man calls the ferry the boat and the ferry terminal is the sea terminal. Ordinarily we arrive an hour or so before sailing and sit in a queue of cars awaiting boarding. 

As foot passengers we will arrive at the terminal building quite early this afternoon for check in as we are meeting Richard and Wendy for a spot of lunch at Noa Bakehouse which you may know  is just over the road. Hopefully the good staff of iomspco will let us on earlyish as it will be far nicer to sit in the comfort of the Premium Lounge onboard than slumming it in the departure area. Free drinks etc.

Farewell Elan Vannin. We shall return. We leave you with the sea as smooth as the proverbial millpond and the sun shining benevolently upon the good people of Man.

The lounge is a little warm. The deck windswept but not cold. Not a safe place for a hat which was been removed for preservation.

Out on deck the English coast is clearly visible on the port side and similarly the mountains of Wales can be seen across the starboard bow. When I were a lad working the Manx Electric Railway you would often be able to clearly see Winscale Nucelar Power Station on the run between Laxey and Ramsey. They changed the name to Sellafield decades ago because of the poor safety reputation associated with Winscale. Still Winscale to me.

cut short

August 15th, 2023

This holiday is being cut short. Lunch at the Boatyard on Thursday put off until another visit. Plan B is Noa Bakehouse before we get on the boat tomorrow pm.

Why Tref, why? I hear you say. Well if you take a look at the weather forecast for the Isle of Man over the next few days you will note the following wind speeds:

Today 9mph gusting to 12mph

Wednesday 3mph gusting to 5mph

Thursday 18mph gusting to 25mph

Friday 24mph gusting to 35mph

We were booked to come back on Friday but the shipping forecast is saying winds veering to force 7. Force seven means mal de mer for passengers without sea legs (I’d be ok obvs) so we are taking the sensible approach.

Back in Peel after a day out exploring the delights of Douglas, few and far between, I treated meself to a Davidson’s ice cream from the parlour on the prom. Best ice cream going. You may not know but when Norman Wisdom died Davidsons gave everyone free ice cream in his memory. NW had been an investor in the business and helped get it off the ground.

The second hand bookshop was closed. I’ll have to pop back tomorrow morning. Last chance texaco. Gonna buy some more first day covers.

So currently chillaxin after a v pleasant lunch with Mike at 1886 Restaurant. We had planned to have a quiet night in but all plans are subject to change so now we are off out, again. Painting Peel town a very lovely pastel pink, or yellow, or mauve, or any colour you like really.

At least tomorrow’s sailing is at 3.15pm cf 7.15am on Friday. Makes for a more relaxed pack in the morning. We’ve booked into the Doubletree in Liverpeul tomorrow night to finish off the trip. If yer in the area gimme a call.

All quiet in Peel

August 13th, 2023

All is quiet in Peel. I don’t think the residents of The Grove are early risers on a Sunday. I’m pretty sure it is Sunday though I haven’t looked. The grass badly needs cutting. Considering that the house has been in continuous occupation by one sibling or another this is a job that has been put off for far too long 🙂

Not much furniture left in the hoose. In the living room there is an old settee that would otherwise been taken to the tip, two camping chairs and a camping table. Outside the gulls are their usual vociferous selves. 

THG and I will shortly set off on a perambulation. There is no particular rush. Pondering having breakfast at The Harbour Lights caff which notionally opens at ten. I did consider saying nominally opens at ten as it can be a bit erratic and sometimes feels as if it opens when the staff decide to get there. Maybe I’m being unfair.  I note they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Must be more a lifestyle business than one seeking to make the most of the tourism industry. Maybe they can’t get the staff which wouldn’t come as a surprise.

In perambulating THG and I often go our separate ways and meet up for a coffee at the breakwater caff. It is a popular Peel destination and a gold mine for the owner. There are always people sat outside. I guess this is very much a seasonal thing. We mostly come in the spring and summer. It is from the breakwater that I had my one and only sighting of a basking shark. I visit there frequently in the hope of seeing another.

Stay tuned…

Tref and THG go to the Isle of Man

August 12th, 2023

Tref and THG go to the Isle of Man. The latest episode soon to be available on all platforms. The Warner Bros advance is about to be spent. No point in doing the Isle of Man on the cheap. 

Having said that we are foot passengers for the first time since I used to use the boat to travel to and from the mainland when going to university. Taking the car would have cost around seven hundred quid versus around three hundred when leaving the car at the Crowne Plaza and hoofing it.

It’s not a biggie really. My very kind and generous sister Sue (I know she reads these posts 🙂) is picking us from the Sea Terminal in Doolish and will whisk us to our pad in Peel for the start of phase three of the holiday. It’s only phase 2 for THG as she didn’t come to the Eisteddfod. 

This is quite understandable considering the not very luxurious accommodation on offer together with the fact that her Welsh vocab  extends only as far as ‘faint o’r gloch yw hi?” and ‘alla chi basio’r bara brith os gwelwch yn dda’. My Welsh pals would have thought her not much of a conversationalist. Someone might even have given her a watch so she could look up the time herself. Also man/THG cannot live on bara brith alone 🙂 There’s also Welsh cakes obvs.

As the steam packet ploughs steadily through the Irish Sea, its course set for Douglas they are showing the England women v Columbia game on the telly. It’s a bit too far away to watch comfortably and I’m not really interested anyway. Of more interest is the Mighty Wales rematch with England at fortress Twickenham later today. I understand that Wales are putting out a completely different team to the one that wallopped the old foe in Cardiff last week. Even up the game a bit probs 🙂

It is a grey day out. It rained on us as we walked from the car to the ferry terminal. Force 4 to 5 wind forecast after we leave port and sea legs required. It is a little known fact that on such occasions the solution to fighting sea sickness is to sing sea shanties, loudly and rumbustiously. The clear absence of such merriment in the premium lounge suggests either an ignorance of this old sailor’s remedy or a solid complement of sea legs. What shall we do with a drunken sailor anyone?

The boat is exhibiting not inconsiderable lateral movement. This is because, as the masthead pennants tell me, the wind is blowing directly across the bows. The sea does not look to be inordinately rough. In fact it is quite pleasant out on deck once you have managed the climb. Letting go of the taffrail is not an option. There were some interesting facts to report from the deck. Out of fourteen people present, only five of them were sporting shorts. nine wore long trousers

My other observation concerns the number of oil rigs in the Irish Sea. Didn’t know there were so many. I suspect they are gas not oil but same difference. The Irish Sea is quite small really. No wonder the Vikings used to dart all over it, experienced rowers one and all. I wonder how they would have got one in a modern day regatta. Leaving their axes and swords behind to lighten the load could have made them unbeatable. Would have been quite an interesting sight. Eight fierce looking viking warriors in singlets and shorts being controlled by one short guy with a megaphone at the back.

Some pretty spectacular waves bashing against the lounge widows. I wonder if they copped it on deck. In the meantime the ladies, who initially went one down are now two one up. I could only tell the score because I took a pic with my phone at 10x zoom and then zoomed in on the photo. The telly behind me ain’t so far away but I’m facing the wrong way. It’s only football anyway.

Thassitfornow.

Welcome to Peel. We never tire of coming here. As you drive down into the city the castle appears centre stage in the distance. We have a fantastic house here. Lots of very memorable summer holidays.

man walks dog

August 11th, 2023

Man walks dog. I’ve been half meaning to go through that gate. There is a stream at the bottom, past the trees. Probs won’t get there. Currently sat in the car swigging away at the carton of Tropicana original orange juice with bits.

Slightly annoyed that I forgot to plug the fridge in yesterday after moving it back inside the tent. Two sausages and three bits of bacon are at risk 😉 I wasn’t intending to cook this morning anyway as I’m decamping back to the Wirral and was going to avail myself of the use of the burger van that is parked up near the showers.

Bloke has now let the dog off the lead. Fair play.

I’m pretty impressed with the tent. V cosy. It’s a Berghaus Cairngorm 3. Plenty of separation between inner and flysheet so no issues of water ingress when you touch the sides as one is wont to do. I’ve even worked out the optimal technique for getting in and out  during the night.

Although people are awake inside their caravans it is pretty quiet. As I walked to the portaloo I could hear someone play the penny whistle or flute or similar. Fortunately I can’t hear it from the tent. Not really what you want to hear at 8am in a field.

Bit the bullet and began to pack up the tent. Not that much to do really. The dishes will wait until I get home 🙂The tent itself was not going to dry anytime soon so that just went in the back of the Defender and as I write is draped over some bushes at our AirBnB in Bebington.

As I packed, the ‘peace’ of the morning was somewhat interrupted by a bloke in a nearby caravan sticking his hungover head out of the window and retching unceremoniously. I left him to it. I also avoided looking his way but tbh it is extremely unlikely that eye contact would have been made.

I set the navigation computer controls to East and meandered through the back lanes, often single track, of the Pen Llyn peninsula. The wonder of Waze.

Three detours were made. As I passed Trefor I turned off the main road and drove down into the village. Seemed the right thing to do seeing as they named the place after me. Didn’t stop. Not much to it. Maybe they didn’t name the place after me 🙂

Then I turned off to swing by Dinas Dinlle. Not been there since I was a kid. We used to go to the beach there when we lived in Waunfawr many moons ago. I thought you could drive along the coast to Caernarfon but it turned out to be a dead end once you got past the airport. Yes Caernarfon has an airport.

Finally I drove over the bridge to Sir Fon to stop at the the viewing point on the Menai. A totes brilliant view that I never tire of seeing and, as you know, am happy to make a detour to see it.

Pic is of Cymdeithas Yr Iaith Joy Formidable gig last night. Got in at 12.50. It was very wet out but the tent was cosy fair play.

sitting outside tent

August 10th, 2023

Have woken up this morning to a beautiful sunny day. Perfect for sitting outside the tent catching up with the world.  My phone is telling me it’s detected moisture in the charging port. Inside the tent is very humid. My specs for example steam up.

So I’m sat outside on my laptop whilst the phone sits on the car dash performing its duties as a hotspot. That, combined with the sun’s rays should drive out the pesky moisture.

A better night’s kip last night. This was partly occasioned by the fact that my neighbours weren’t partying and partly because the Bangor University reunion began at 2pm. It finished when I departed the Maes at around 10pm. Discovered this morning en route to the portaloo that I’d put my pyjama bots on back to front. Ya gorra laugh ‘aven’t you. The only difference is that the pockets face the wrong way. Who uses their pyjama bot pockets anyway?

Yesterday was a wonderful day. We sat for a couple of hours in Ty Gwerin, staking our place to see Sian James’s concert. I’ve never heard her play before. I knew her at University forty years ago. She was absolutely brilliant. It isn’t just her voice. Her harp and piano playing was amazing. Almost an element of jazz entering into the Welsh folk culture.

All in all it was a great day out and wonderful to see some friends I’d not seen for forty years. Not headed to the Maes today. Rhys and Eirian are picking me up around 11ish if it is the will of Allah. We are headed to Nefyn and tonight the Cymdeithas Yr Iaith gig with Joy Formidable. Check em out. This, I understand, is JF’s one and only Welsh gig of the year.

The Manx flag is flapping splendidly in the light morning breeze. I’m not in a major rush. At some point I’ll get going with breakfast and then take a shower. The showers aren’t bad fair play albeit a bit of a hike. No dishwashing facilities though. I guess this is a field after all.

The one element of disquiet in this field is (are?) the massed ranks of caravans. The Welsh are big caravanners. Each to their own and they almost certainly have a far more comfortable time of it than us humble tenters. Tent just feels right to me. I could have brought a campervan apart from the fact that they are all hired out and it made more sense to come in the Defender anyway. It’s a long old trip to Bodeuan.

Big field Bodeuan

August 9th, 2023

9 am Wednesday. Sat in the big field in the locality of Bodeuan. It genuinely is called Big Field. Well actually Cae Mawr. Same thing. I’m surrounded by caravans. Not totes my thing. I am in a tent. I do have an electric hookup which is powering the coolbox, and now my phone. 

It will in time power the teppanyaki grill when it comes to breakfast. However I am in no hurry for this. I am slightly annoyed that I forgot to bring matches so will have to pop up to the pop-up shop to source some. Either that or rely on the generosity of nearby caravaners, some of who have already started cooking.

I only need the gas ring to boil the kettle and in reality could do without if it comes to the crunch. I have plenty of cold milk which is my breakfast tipple of choice when cooking a fry up.

I sense that three nights in the tent will be enough. It’s a three man tent but really just right for one person. The toilet facilities are pretty basic. Portaloos you find at festivals. Not surprising really. The Eisteddfod is a festival.

Yesterday afternoon I sat in the Babell Len for a while. They have poetry competitions running all week. Englynion. Pretty amazing fair play. I sat there with a big smile on my face.I don’t often get to immerse myself in the Welsh language and mine could do with a lot of improvement having lived outside Wales for most of my life. I mentioned to Nest that I struggled to follow some of it and was to some extent relieved when she said she did too.

This afternoon is the Bangor University reunion session. When I say session I really mean session. Whilst the official timing is 2pm to 3.30 the drinking carries on until close of play apaz. Suspect I won’t stay the pace. We shall see.

More anon. Breakfast to cook.

Front room of cottage

August 7th, 2023

Front room of cottage. Next to TV. THG is watching the Women’s footie but I am facing away and can’t see the action. I have a call starting in ten minutes and was kicked out of the dining room to make way for a yoga class.

Having recovered from  sleeping on an airbed for two nights when moving Hannah and George into their new home I now find the bed in the cottage to be quite bouncy. Every time I turn over THG gets bounced up in the air. Well almost. Sfunny how you get used to your own bed and mattress innit.

This morning we are going to the local Aldi to purchayse provisions. If you’ve never been to an Aldi you will be amazed at how difficult it is to spend money. You can go to Waitrose and buy the same stuff as in Aldi and find that you’ve only spent a bit more. However Waitrose also dangle other higher cost items in front of you which seem to have an uncanny knack of  finding their way into the trolley. ‘Shrugs shoulders’.

My biggest decision this morning is what to have for tonight’s tea. I have been given free rein by THG. This is not a decision to be taken lightly.

So this morning we have been around the value supermarket houses on the Wirral. We started off at Aldi in Bebington. They didn’t have any white wine vinegar and their pan au chocs looked pretty dismal. Also I needed a 4 pack of Carling lager to replace the ones I consumed from the fridge where I only found out afterwards that they wanted £2 each for them. Aldi sold 18 cans for £12 which I’m sure is a good deal but no way did I want to get left with 14 cans of Carling.

Next up we went to the Coop in Bromborough where we bought 4 cans for a fiver. The Coop however didn’t have any wine vinegar either. There is an excellent deli/butchers in Bromborough called Muffs. The presence of such an establishment in Bromborough is somewhat a surprise but there it is and we bought bacon, sore sedges and some lamb kebabs and chicken for tea tonight. No wine vinegar. Forgot to look.

Moving on to The Asda. In Bromborough Asda always has the word “The” in front of it. Not sure this is a global thing. Anyway The Asda didn’t have any wine vinegar either although it did have the pan au choc and a bit of fish for THG.

Finally we stopped off at a brand new Lidl in Bromborough. Lidi did have the vinegar together with everything else that had been on our list, except for the bacon and sausages. They almost certainly do have bacon and sausages but not the kind of quality I’d be interested in.

Bring on click and collect I say.

Pleasant enough afternoon. Managed to squeeze in the monthly finance meeting and then set off for a cuppa with THG and her blood and blister. After that we went for a stroll on the front at Parkgate. Got me binoculars out but not that much to see really. Most of the birds must have been chillin’ in amongst the reeds.

Bebington

August 6th, 2023

Sat in the front room of the cottage in Bebington listening to Miles Davis, ‘Round Midnight. Genius.

The cupboard is bareish. We are doing a big shop tomorrow morning. This isn’t to say we have no food in but it is mostly ‘store cupboard essentials’ Pasta, oil, vinegar. Stuff like that. 

Not that we need anything to eat ce soir. We had a long lunch of tapas at the Bluebell Inn with Barbara and Geroge. V pleasant. Ended up catching a train back to Bebington at around five pm. That’s how long the lunch was.

I had some peanuts with a couple of beers at the Rose and Crown upon our return. Magnifico. The pub not the peanuts.

The speakers on the macbook pro are v good fair play. Perfectly adequate.

It’s a quiet night in here. We are both doing our own thing in the front room. All is quiet. After thirty five years of marriage we don’t have to talk to each other all the time. I will say however that normally we enjoy a nice level of conversation. THG is one of the few people who consistently laughs at my jokes. Maybe the only one 🙂

Breakfast in Bebington

August 6th, 2023

Breakfast in Bebington. A groundbreaking novella not modelled on anything written by Truman Capote. The patio doors are open. The rain has stopped. The deluge. Forty days and forty nights. Unprecedented(?) 

After the rain the planet comes back to life. People emerge from their shelters,  blinking eyes in unfamiliar sunlight. A dove appears in the garden picking up twigs, presumably to repair its nest.

Last night Wales, Ireland and Scotland won their respective world cup warm up matches and we royally dined out in The Refreshment Rooms. I had chicken liver pate followed by ham, egg and chips. The pate was very nice, fair play. Home made. It came in a small ramekin covered with a layer of fat. Could have done with less fat and more pate. I managed. Simple fare.

Today we are off to Chester on the train. Merseyrail. Meeting Barbara and George for lunch. Tapas. I daresay we may stroll to the Rose and Crown this evening. Sample the best that Bebington has to offer. If you are in the area, swing by.

Wirral

August 5th, 2023

We are off on our travels again today. The Wirral, The Eisteddfod and The Isle of Man. It is chucking it down here but fortunately I don’t have to pitch the tent until Tuesday afternoon. The forecast for Nefyn on Tuesday morning is also wet! If it really comes to the crunch I can kip in the Defender 🙂

We don’t need to set off before lunchtime as we can’t get in to the AirBnB until after three and are already mostly packed so no rush for anything this morning. We are even plugging the cool box in to a 12v socket en route. How organised is that?

Arrived at the AirBnB at 3pm. Uneventful journey ably assisted by Waze which took us around what seemed to be huge congestion on the M60/62 near Manchester, fair play. I have Waze on even when I know where I am going, purely for this eventuality.

Lovely cottage and an internet connected telly that has the Amazon Prime app. Logged on to watch the rugby. Mustn’t forget to remove the TV from my account when we leave.

Headed to the Refreshment Rooms in Rock Ferry tonight with cousin Jeff and Glenys. Booked it last time we were over when we went in there for a cawfee. Have to book well in advance, apaz. Rock Ferry is a dump but you can tell from the size of the houses lining the riverfront that it was once v posh. Had a gated community with guards to keep out the hoi polloi. Riff raff. Undesirables. You know the type 🙂

The riverfront at Rock Ferry is what you would call post industrial. Relics of Liverpool’s past as one of the world’s great ports. We won’t go into what trade it was built on. 

The White Star Line was based here. The offices have distinctive red and white bands in the brickwork and the sinking of the Titanic was announced to the assembled masses from a first floor window. Long time ago now.

We do love coming over to Liverpool. Drop me a line if you are here and fancy a cawfee, or an elderflower cordial or simlar. You would have to give me some notice re the latter. It is extremely unlikely we have any in.

The biggest question of the day is when to crack open a tinnie. They have left us some lager in the fridge.The only issue is that it is Carling which is one of my least favourite lagers in the whole world. Honestly I can’t understand how anyone drinks the stuff. I’ll probs wait until the Mighty Wales come on for their game against Angleterre. Just getting ready for the Rugby World Cup in France, as you may have noticed. 

You may not have noticed of course. You might be one of those people who switch languages without even realising you’ve done it. Bit like me, clearly.

Back in Lincoln the members of the Shed Appreciation Society are congregating to watch the match in the Prince of Wales. I understand that they do serve Carling there but also Peroni which makes it ok.

Thassitfornowcyalater

Pleasant game of golf

August 4th, 2023

Pleasant game of golf with Jezzer and Ajax yesterday afternoon. Dropped the clubs and cars off at home and met in the Strugglers for a couple of beers before heading to the Castle View curry house round the corner. It was rammed and I’m glad I had the foresight to book. There have been after effects!

This morning it is yet another relaxing start. Got a few errands to run and packing to get on with. Specifically I need to pick my Macbook up from the menders and stop off to buy some steak for tonight’s tea. Expecting my car back today as well but don’t know what time that will be.

I feel that my approach to today will be low stress and casual. Seems like a plan.

After breakfast each day I have a cup of tea and then move operations to the shed. I do this whether I am working or not. It is my space. Peaceful. Right now I’m sat reading and listening to the birds. All moments in life need savouring. Enjoy it while you can.

In keeping with my approach to the day I had a relaxing bath after dinner. Still had some radox bubble bath left. This is unusual for when we are visited by offspring some of them are known to take baths as they only have showers in their london flats. The little darlings normally use up all the bubble bath. Result.

I have a book to finish off. May nod off doing that.

The small trolley table

August 2nd, 2023

Goodness me it poureth down in Lincoln. This was foretold. By the good folk at the Meteorological Office. Wherever that is. Near a field of cows somewhere deep in the country. Unless it’s been sold off to foreign investors. You wouldn’t have thought they would sell such a strategic national resource to the Americans. Or the Chinese. The cows are how they decide whether it is going to rain or not.

I quite like it when it rains steadily. Apart from the fact that one of our gutters needs repairing. It’s very relaxant especially when sat in the conservatoire waiting for my tea to brew. Tea to brew, brew to tea, just like that.

Just noticed a snail trail on the mat by the conservatory door. Hmm. Should track it down. Can’t have gone far. Not sure I can be bothered right now. Later.

Still the rain falls. It is set for the morning. Good job the cricket finished on Monday.

The small trolley table in front of me is painted white and grey and has wine and spirit labels pasted to the flat surfaces. Alva Finest Brandy, Walkers Fine Old Cognac, Grand Seal Port, Lemon Gin, Caveau Cognac amongst others. 

These are facsimiles of originals we have that were collected by THG’s dad during his years as a Customs and Excise officer. It is a treasure trove of brands that you never hear about these days. I scanned them all in. No way we would want to stick the originals down.

THG’s dad Keith was a solid chap. He was chairman of his local allotment holders’  committee and at one time ran two separate plots. Sunday dinners at the Websters often involved fresh vegetables from the allotment and their back garden was always a riot of colour during the summer months. He is the source of THG’s horticultural expertise. 

I have no idea how she got to be so good at University Challenge 🙂 Just naturally brainy 😀One of the reasons I married her although I only found out about the University Challenge bit many years into our relationship.

The interior of the shed is brightly lit. Raises the spirits on a dingy wet day. I prefer to have the doors wide open but right now it is jumper weather. Sometimes I’ll stick some classical music on in the shed in the morning. Haven’t today but there is yet time.

Righto that’s the day started. Off to see what the rest of it brings…

two themed day

August 1st, 2023

Two themed day today. Bit of work stuff this morning. Have been writing a very interesting article (obvs) on CLI Authentication and will finish that off. Then this pm I’ve said I will clear the garage out.

Clearing the garage is no small task really. In theory it involves emptying the garage, chucking a few bits and then replacing everything more tidily. Not sure an afternoon is enough but we shall see. Today is the only day the weather will allow me to do it. It’s golf on Thursday, the other non rainy day in the forecast. Also I don’t have my car right now as it is getting a slight scrape to the paintwork addressed so if I need to nip down to B&Q or similar I won’t be able to.

The slight scrape occurred whilst reversing into an impossibly small gateway at our rented cottage in the Isle of Man. Won’t do that again in a hurry, probs, maybs. Off to the IoM again a week on Saturday as foot passengers. The Steam Packet wanted silly money to take the car on Saturday sailing. That’s what you get when dealing with a monopoly. As it happens my dear sister Sue will already be over with her car and can pick us up from the ferry terminal.

We will be travelling light, for once. There is already a kitchen sink in the house in Peel. I quite like the idea. Footloose and fancy free, ish. Not really done that since I was a student. September will be similar except we are taking the Defender to France, with the kitchen sink no doubt, because we can.

Outside the shed it feels autumnal. Plenty of red apples on the tree, runner bean crop in full flow. The blackberry picking has been very successful. They’ve just started to come through and all the rain we have had has resulted in large juicy berries. We will be picking most nights this week, Thursday apart when I’ll be playing golf. The freezer will need filling to get us through the winter. 

Nothing quite like THG’s blackberry and apple crumble with Ambrosia Devon custard. Hot crumble, cold custard. Custard is a dish best served cold. A pudding that brings light to the darkest winter months.

As I clear out the garage I will be picking out my camping gear for next week’s expedition to the Eisteddfod in Pen Llyn. I have booked a caravan pitch with electric hookup at the Cae Mawr campsite. My small Berghaus tent might look a bit incongruous amongst the monstrosities that are caravans but it will do me. We have no spare campervans and in any case it makes a lot more sense to drive over in a luxury Land Rover than in a fifty year old campervan.

The electric hookup will keep my coolbox running, power the phone charger and the teppanyaki grill that I will be using to cook breakfast. Seems right really. My tent is a three man tent which really means it is perfect for one person. The inner is lined in black so that the early sunrise doesn’t wake you up at the wrong time, ie before 9am 🙂Truth be told I am an early riser. 

It’s three pm and I’ve downed tools where the garage is concerned. Much progress made but still more to do. It’s already a lot tidier. I need to stick some more brackets on the walls so that I can hang stuff up out of the way. For example we have three or four spare golf bags and clubs. These do get used very occasionally when the lads are home on holiday so they do want keeping. There’s also a camp bed. Again not often used and so wants sticking out of the way somewhere.

My camping gear is starting to come together. RAB 4 seasons down sleeping back dug out of the cupboard. Essential for the unpredictable wilds of Pwllheli. I figured I might take a flagpole with me as well. Put up my Manx flag (salutes).