Yes, I saw some of the videos of Pontypridd, and Crickhowell. I've been to Tenbury Wells (my brother lives in Shropshire), and a very pleasant little town it appears to be...
...when it's not under water...
We got off lightly here, but the path outside the Vestry door was inches deep in water yesterday morning - a drain grid having been blocked by leaves. Fortunately (a) my Shoes are fairly waterproof, and (b) my Walking-Stick was useful in clearing the leaves.
A very satisfactory gurgling noise resulted, as the water drained away quickly. If only the poor souls whose homes have been flooded could experience such a happy outcome...
There has been some flooding locally, including shutting the main roads in places, and not only in the usual spots, as well as inundating a couple of villages.
We have an annoying puddle just outside the gate of St Quacks, which can make getting into church interesting, especially with the children. (Dragonlet 2 is still quite small.)
I am 'enjoying' half term this week. Thankfully their grandparents have them a couple of afternoons so I don't have to put up with Dragonlet 1 all the time.
Thanks for all the well-wishes - it really wasn't too bad a journey at all. The cross-Pond bit was actually a bit quicker than expected - Storm Dennis had its advantages!
I managed to get a bit of sleep on all three flights*, which helped, but the tramping around in between was tiring, especially as I had D's ashes in a small flight bag in my hand-luggage (the lady at the undertakers had told me not to let them or their paperwork out of my sight), and they're far heavier than you'd think. I swear that by the time I got to Edinburgh he'd put on weight ...
I've discovered that they can be scattered in the graveyard at St. Magnus, so he'll spend eternity with the best view in the world.
* This may explain why I'm still not dozing off at 20 past 8 in the evening - usually I've lost the battle with eastward jet-lag by about 3 in the afternoon.
Glad to hear you're all safe - it does seem to have been a very nasty storm. It's been cold, blustery and intermittently wet since I got to Embra, but maybe not as bad as I was bracing myself for.
Glad they can be scattered there. Very enlightened of Orkney Council. In these parts if people ask me if they can scatter ashes in the cemetery, I have to say only if the council doesn’t know, since cemeteries seem to be the one place they can not be scattered. I assume this is so that the council can charge to have a small hole dug and have them interred. I have no idea how many secret scatterings have taken place!
I'm profoundly thankful that the house is halfway up a hill. I estimate that half the fields around here are under water and the run-off from fields onto roads makes for interesting journeys. The ancient 4x4 has come into its own to get to shops, etc. If it gets any worse I may need to fit bigger tyres ...
The rain eased today in South Wales but it is due to return on Wednesday. In the meantime the rain that fell over the weekend is still making its way downstream and that will only make the flooding worse. Middle son, his partner and their boys live up the Rhondda Fach and there have been a couple of landslips thereabouts. At the moment they can’t get into Pontypridd (flooded) or over the mountain to Aberdare.
Welcome back Piglet, sorry about the weather. I’m sure the people will make up for it.
Thank you for all the welcomes - I'm going to have a lazy sort of day today. I'm only up at the moment because my sister needed me to let in a couple of blokes to fix a bit of her new kitchen that wasn't right (there was something stopping the dishwasher door from opening properly, but it's sorted now).
I may well toddle back to bed for a wee while - I managed to stay awake until normal bed-time last night (but slept like a log when I got there), but I don't think it would hurt to put a few more zzz in the bank ...
Welcome back, Piglet, glad the journey was okay.
Just picked younger son up from his school trip to Germany but we ended up having to bring his best friend back too as his mother thought the trip ended tomorrow! The house has now gone from dead quiet to two people shouting together at the computer games. Good job I decided not to do any marking today, just write an essay...
Glad the journey went well, Piglet. And good for St. Magnus - scattering ashes seems a lovely thing to do.
I feel for all those inundated in Wales and the west. There are advantages in living up in the hillier parts of Cheshire! (No,not where the footballers live!)
Glad you made it to your sisters safely @pigletStorm. Dennis must have been a bit useful if it got you there a bit quicker .
Enjoy to snooze and enjoy the start of your new life
I’ve made the most of dry weather to dig up the daffs that I planted outside my front garden where the space is now being cleared for a cycle path. Although cycling is Good Thing I am apprehensive about the work being done as they have a tendency to cut through cables but also at the thought of stepping out from the garden into the path of a cyclist. The daffs will temporarily go into a large pot while I wait to see what space will be left for this guerrilla gardening,
I was in Edinburgh yesterday, taking my godson to see the Tyrannosaurus exhibition at the National Museum.
Our Megabus Gold bus was replaced by an ordinary bus (No Wifi ! No Sockets ! No coffee!) on the way down, possibly because of weather restrictions on high sided vehicles. I'm glad they swapped rather than cancelling, because I'd already paid for the non-refundable museum tickets, but the journey down was rather trying.
Fortunately we had a Gold bus for the return journey. And the Tyrannosaurus exhibition was splendid.
Further zzzz have been banked, with the help of Truffle Teddy (if he is suffering from jet-lag, he seems very cheerful about it ). The kitchen blokes were only here for a few minutes, so I went back to bed once they'd gone, and the next thing I knew, it was one in the afternoon. That should have sorted most of the sleep deficit.
I've had a couple of baked eggs on toast for lunch and watched a very heavy shower pass over - the sort that makes it so dark you think it must be either early evening or early December - I don't think Dennis is quite finished yet!
There's another 'orrible black cloud blowing in. I'll check with our tame meteorologist who keeps rainfall and sunshine stats for Newport: I think we have had rain every day for a fortnight now, which is quite something even in soggy South Wales.
Welcome back, Piglet. I'm glad the journey is behind you and you can now make some firm(er) plans for your future. I know it isn't the future you wanted, but I pray that it will be better than you fear.
Still up for a mini-meet in July? I will be in Edinburgh (travelling with Himself who is attending the IAO Festival) and at a bit of a loose end - it would be great to catch up IRL, and I'm not an axe-murderer, honest!
Welcome back, Piglet. Glad to see you have caught up on some sleep.
All the best for job hunting and all the other things you need to sort out.
On a different note, I got drenched in the 200 yards walk home from the bus stop this afternoon. The heaviest rain I have been out in. Change of trousers needed.
I feel so much for those whose homes have been flooded, including some in our town. Dykes which have not been cleared seem to be getting the blame, as we are at least 3 miles from the river.
There's another 'orrible black cloud blowing in. I'll check with our tame meteorologist who keeps rainfall and sunshine stats for Newport: I think we have had rain every day for a fortnight now, which is quite something even in soggy South Wales.
The last totally rain-free day was Feb. 6th, although there were only very small amounts on 10th and 11th.
My son was foolish enough to give his son three names: William, then his grandfathers’ names, Edward and Thomas, in that order. Look at the initials.
their surname isn't "Kipper", is it ?
My son's name is Hamish, and his initials are H.A.M
yes, that was deliberate. I remember being impressed with a friend called Ian whose initials were also IAN so was trying to do the same.
I had hoped to call our son Cameron, with similar initials (CAM) but once my wife found out that one of the meanings of the name was "bent nose", she refused it.
My internet has spent meant most of the morning down so I’ve struggled to get my daily work tasks done. But I’ve just about managed to accesss the website and emails now and have downloaded some essays to mark which I can do offline.
But it does mean I’ve actually done some housework...
A Mr Davies of my acquaintance had the first and middle initials G. O. He was the headmaster of a school, and all his pronouncements were pinned on the school noticeboard with his initials at the bottom.
Who would dare disobey?
This morning when I left the house I found the head and entrails of a large rodent on the front path......one of the few things that give me the creeps are rats so I am now on heightened alert in case this means one is trying to get into the house.....not really what I need with all the worry about Little Beaky......
Sometimes I wish I was wired differently!
Further zzzz have been banked, with the help of Truffle Teddy (if he is suffering from jet-lag, he seems very cheerful about it ).
I love hearing about your Teddies. Why is he called Truffle Teddy?
When he adopted us, he came with a little box of chocolate truffles. He was reduced in price, I think because it was January and he had the previous year (2005) embroidered on his foot.
I need a teddy in my life. I'm still waiting for one to find me.
Everyone needs a teddy in their life!
Go to a charity shop - there are always teddies there looking for humans to adopt. Also, at this time of year there are some bargain bears who didn't find a human on Valentine's Day.
I still seem to be catching up on sleep - I didn't wake until after 11 this morning. I suppose I must need it ...
I've made SOUP for supper which is merrily bubbling on the stove, but I'm not sure it'll be one of my better efforts: the veggies got a bit more heat than they should have before the stock went in. I doubt that I'll ever get used to cooking on gas; I'm beginning to think having an electric stove is going to be a "red line" when I'm looking for a flat.
There are quite a few electric only flats out there as the block builders didn't want the trouble of installing and maintaining gas piping. At least you're in a part of the country that still understands storage heating, even if the tarrifs aren't great.
I have great respect for Eanswyth, after initially dissing her, when I was told to bend my head as we entered the church where her bones lay, as I didn't do that in my church. All I had been told about her was that she made water flow uphill and it was still doing it when the head teacher was a girl. Actually, she said it was still doing it when I was a girl, but she was out of date. What the blessed young woman did (and look at her dates) was survey an aqueduct which carried water a couple of miles to the convent so the nuns didn't have to keep trekking down and up a cliff to get brackish water from a stream. I actually saw the remnants of a wooden leat which had carried it across a small valley en route as child wandering illegally across the golf course, but didn't realise what I was seeing. The Town Dyke, as it had become, supplied water until the beginning of the last century, when the water was adopted by a company and piped everywhere from the same source.
Having done that, she nursed the patients suffering from the yellow plague which attacked the Western world about the time of the Synod of Whitby, and like that brave doctor in China, caught the disease and died from it. She was only young.
I didn’t have any dolls as a child, just teddies. My brother and I had about four each and they had many adventures. Our first teddies were given to us by our Auntie on the day we were born. We called them both ‘Oldie’. My Oldie is still with me but we lost track of my brother’s Oldie.
In November my brother’s daughter got back in touch with him after twenty years. (A long and wonderful story).
I went to visit her recently. Lo and behold, Oldie was there! I cried.
Here they are, mine is the top photo. My Mum repaired him about fifteen years ago. The clothes were all made by my Mum - our teds had a huge wardrobe of clothes.
@MrsBeaky I spotted two (live) rats scurrying into the garden below our building on the way home this evening.
Has it been very wet in your neck of the woods? Here a lot of rainfall brings the rats out because their usual underground hidey holes get flooded out.
Sounds like the one you saw ran into a ravenous cat, which is probably a good thing from your point of view. 🐱
I had various dolls and stuffed animals as a child. The dolls usually got put in the toy box shortly after arrival; the stuffed animals were loved until they were worn out.
As an adult, I've loved many animals, especially my dog -- I've never had any desire for human babies.
I still have most of my extensive childhood menagerie. Apart from a couple of delicate ones they have now also become part of a shared collection with those of the Dragonlets.
I had my childhood teddy until I did a massive clear-out (prodded by my niece) before putting Château Piglet on the market. I was sad to lose him, but he was falling to bits.
@la vie en rouge yes it has been hideously wet here so hopefully this was a one off....
It has been interesting as I have had to go in and out a few times today and each time a bit more of the dead rodent had disappeared until finally nothing was left.
Saved me having to clear it up but I'd love to know what ate it!
I had my childhood teddy until I did a massive clear-out (prodded by my niece) before putting Château Piglet on the market. I was sad to lose him, but he was falling to bits.
We were brought up in South Africa and most journeys were long. My brother and I played with our teddies in the back of the car - they had their own language ‘teddy talk’.
Comments
...when it's not under water...
We got off lightly here, but the path outside the Vestry door was inches deep in water yesterday morning - a drain grid having been blocked by leaves. Fortunately (a) my Shoes are fairly waterproof, and (b) my Walking-Stick was useful in clearing the leaves.
A very satisfactory gurgling noise resulted, as the water drained away quickly. If only the poor souls whose homes have been flooded could experience such a happy outcome...
We have an annoying puddle just outside the gate of St Quacks, which can make getting into church interesting, especially with the children. (Dragonlet 2 is still quite small.)
I am 'enjoying' half term this week. Thankfully their grandparents have them a couple of afternoons so I don't have to put up with Dragonlet 1 all the time.
Thanks for all the well-wishes - it really wasn't too bad a journey at all. The cross-Pond bit was actually a bit quicker than expected - Storm Dennis had its advantages!
I managed to get a bit of sleep on all three flights*, which helped, but the tramping around in between was tiring, especially as I had D's ashes in a small flight bag in my hand-luggage (the lady at the undertakers had told me not to let them or their paperwork out of my sight), and they're far heavier than you'd think. I swear that by the time I got to Edinburgh he'd put on weight ...
I've discovered that they can be scattered in the graveyard at St. Magnus, so he'll spend eternity with the best view in the world.
* This may explain why I'm still not dozing off at 20 past 8 in the evening - usually I've lost the battle with eastward jet-lag by about 3 in the afternoon.
Glad to hear you're all safe - it does seem to have been a very nasty storm. It's been cold, blustery and intermittently wet since I got to Embra, but maybe not as bad as I was bracing myself for.
But North America misses you.
I'm profoundly thankful that the house is halfway up a hill. I estimate that half the fields around here are under water and the run-off from fields onto roads makes for interesting journeys. The ancient 4x4 has come into its own to get to shops, etc. If it gets any worse I may need to fit bigger tyres ...
Having transported ashes by train (long story) I can attest to how heavy they can be!
Welcome back Piglet, sorry about the weather. I’m sure the people will make up for it.
I may well toddle back to bed for a wee while - I managed to stay awake until normal bed-time last night (but slept like a log when I got there), but I don't think it would hurt to put a few more zzz in the bank ...
Just picked younger son up from his school trip to Germany but we ended up having to bring his best friend back too as his mother thought the trip ended tomorrow! The house has now gone from dead quiet to two people shouting together at the computer games. Good job I decided not to do any marking today, just write an essay...
I feel for all those inundated in Wales and the west. There are advantages in living up in the hillier parts of Cheshire! (No,not where the footballers live!)
Today got off to a bad start as I dropped my phone in the loo. When will I learn not to keep it in my back pocket? 😤🙄
So now it’s in a warm place and off for 24 hours.
I wouldn’t mind, but this is the second time I’ve done it in three months. I’d better sew up those pockets!
Enjoy to snooze and enjoy the start of your new life
I’ve made the most of dry weather to dig up the daffs that I planted outside my front garden where the space is now being cleared for a cycle path. Although cycling is Good Thing I am apprehensive about the work being done as they have a tendency to cut through cables but also at the thought of stepping out from the garden into the path of a cyclist. The daffs will temporarily go into a large pot while I wait to see what space will be left for this guerrilla gardening,
I was in Edinburgh yesterday, taking my godson to see the Tyrannosaurus exhibition at the National Museum.
Our Megabus Gold bus was replaced by an ordinary bus (No Wifi ! No Sockets ! No coffee!) on the way down, possibly because of weather restrictions on high sided vehicles. I'm glad they swapped rather than cancelling, because I'd already paid for the non-refundable museum tickets, but the journey down was rather trying.
Fortunately we had a Gold bus for the return journey. And the Tyrannosaurus exhibition was splendid.
We are currently introducing Dragonlet 1 to the joys of Morph!
I've had a couple of baked eggs on toast for lunch and watched a very heavy shower pass over - the sort that makes it so dark you think it must be either early evening or early December - I don't think Dennis is quite finished yet!
*A Kentish saint, c614-c640, abbess of one of the first monastic communities for women in this part of Bor Island.
Still up for a mini-meet in July? I will be in Edinburgh (travelling with Himself who is attending the IAO Festival) and at a bit of a loose end - it would be great to catch up IRL, and I'm not an axe-murderer, honest!
All the best for job hunting and all the other things you need to sort out.
On a different note, I got drenched in the 200 yards walk home from the bus stop this afternoon. The heaviest rain I have been out in. Change of trousers needed.
I feel so much for those whose homes have been flooded, including some in our town. Dykes which have not been cleared seem to be getting the blame, as we are at least 3 miles from the river.
Everybody but me is out chez Jemima this evening, so I have commanded the tv remote to watch Two Popes. So far, so brilliant.
I love hearing about your Teddies. Why is he called Truffle Teddy?
I need a teddy in my life. I'm still waiting for one to find me.
their surname isn't "Kipper", is it ?
My son's name is Hamish, and his initials are H.A.M
yes, that was deliberate. I remember being impressed with a friend called Ian whose initials were also IAN so was trying to do the same.
I had hoped to call our son Cameron, with similar initials (CAM) but once my wife found out that one of the meanings of the name was "bent nose", she refused it.
And welcome home, @Piglet
But it does mean I’ve actually done some housework...
Who would dare disobey?
Sometimes I wish I was wired differently!
Maybe, but it would be up to them to prove he didn't write, and sign, the CommandmentsNotices...
Fingers crossed 🤞
Thanks for that - haven't heard those limericks since I was at skool myself...
Everyone needs a teddy in their life!
Go to a charity shop - there are always teddies there looking for humans to adopt. Also, at this time of year there are some bargain bears who didn't find a human on Valentine's Day.
I still seem to be catching up on sleep - I didn't wake until after 11 this morning. I suppose I must need it ...
I've made SOUP for supper which is merrily bubbling on the stove, but I'm not sure it'll be one of my better efforts: the veggies got a bit more heat than they should have before the stock went in. I doubt that I'll ever get used to cooking on gas; I'm beginning to think having an electric stove is going to be a "red line" when I'm looking for a flat.
Personally, I think it's wise not to rely entirely on mains electricity, especially these days with Alphabetical Storms virtually every weekend.
A visit to a camping/caravanning supply emporium may come up with some ideas for temporary alternatives...
Having done that, she nursed the patients suffering from the yellow plague which attacked the Western world about the time of the Synod of Whitby, and like that brave doctor in China, caught the disease and died from it. She was only young.
In November my brother’s daughter got back in touch with him after twenty years. (A long and wonderful story).
I went to visit her recently. Lo and behold, Oldie was there! I cried.
Here they are, mine is the top photo. My Mum repaired him about fifteen years ago. The clothes were all made by my Mum - our teds had a huge wardrobe of clothes.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vmHsGcbZBGTn94Ry7
Has it been very wet in your neck of the woods? Here a lot of rainfall brings the rats out because their usual underground hidey holes get flooded out.
Sounds like the one you saw ran into a ravenous cat, which is probably a good thing from your point of view. 🐱
As an adult, I've loved many animals, especially my dog
It has been interesting as I have had to go in and out a few times today and each time a bit more of the dead rodent had disappeared until finally nothing was left.
Saved me having to clear it up but I'd love to know what ate it!
🧸 🧸