Castle on the hill, mountain, overlooking The Gower peninsular...

Made a load of notes this morning, keep forgetting what I want to say!  Too tired, too many headaches, again, too many pain killers and just too much in my head to remember stuff!!
 
Now, when I was in the back of the garden the other weekend now already, as I peered through, trying to see Pippa on the upper, well lower from up the there[!!!] I felt like Lucy in Narnia, looking back for the lamp post so she could find her way home!  Did I tell you that at the time??

Today, or yesterday on TV a guy was talking about bad substances in some alcohol found in stores, ripping people off, money wise, but also health wise, and one of the vodkas had chloroform in its contents!!  Which can effect kidneys liver etc, I remembered the month and year I bought some strong cough medicine which contained chloroform, it worked!

This week got book number 29 out for Peter Maddocks... 29! Can't believe it, another one on its way now!  All on the PublishedByMe site over there  -> -> ->


Apparently those brambles in our garden are actually blackberries!  Wonderful, one of my favourite fruits!  I'll always remember the pallet of them I bought on the day my Mom passed away, yes, blackberries in March!!!  They were imported from 'somewhere', and tasted absolutely revolting!
Yesterday we went to the big car boot sale market, to see a guy with a stall there, who wasn't there last Sunday, and again not there!  Couldn't believe the amount of people there, on a week day!  Been getting a bit empty on a Sunday but only one stall covered over, yes, the one I wanted!  Anyway, there were even stalls outside, massive!  After we left the market we popped into the auction rooms next door, they hold an auction every other week, lots of art there, I am sorry, they called it the art section, I thought it was absolute rubbish!!  And it seriously was!!  Its not that I'm just picky, but really, if those paintings and print they had there sold I would be shocked!  They had tonnes of furniture, I, of course, would fall in love with one particular piece, it was an Art Deco dressing table, oh it really was beautiful, stylised mirror, the curve of the table, the shape of the sides, it curved round gently, I pulled on the handle at the top of the side part and the whole side came out magically, revealing four or five shelves as deep as the table, so once pulled out, you see everything there, perfect for us ladies!  And this was the same of course for the other side of the dressing table, then there were 3 regular drawers at the front, and a small narrow curved drawer for jewellery beneath the mirror...  So I guess you can tell I loved this!

Goodness knows what price it went for, Franco thought about 50quid probably, you might be thinking the same, but I google'd similar items once back to the house, and some sell for hundreds of pounds! 

The rest of the goods at the auction were whatever, but something really awful hit me walking around there, on the tables, were boxes of bits, each with its own Lot number, per box, and I suddenly saw each box for what it really was, people had died and they're loved and now forgotten collections were in boxes and being roughly handled, turned through, picked and scoffed at, by total strangers, and in these boxes were peoples lives... and let me tell you, broken down like this in Lots, they looked so sad, men, mostly were picking up, looking in, rifling through, looking for that one thing, maybe, that would make it worth their while bidding on it, because whatever else might be in the box was nothing to anyone but their previous owner...

Then I imagines my Mom's things we had taken to an auction, and I could see them, like this, strangers with their hands in my Mom's things... it made me very sad.  If my sons are reading this, if you end up with boxes of my things, sometime, please don't take them to an auction... Don't care what you do with it, but not there, to be handled by uncaring strangers...

I've had a headache for the past two days, I think now, its either because we need a thunder storm to break the humidity or the Italian nougat cake I made the other day, had to whip up the egg whites, and realised I don't have an electric whipper thing any more so had to try to do it by hand, bad idea, think I did my neck in!

Fingers crossed I won't wake up with it still in the morning!

TTFN
Marian

Yesterday here in Briton Ferry, the Olympic flame came to town! Lucky for us, not every town will have this opportunity to see it!  Talking the other week I commented on the fact that I hadn't seen the Olympic flame yet... Then was told that the last time it was here, I wasn't!  And not just not in England, not anywhere yet!!

We waited a while, they were 'running' late, excuse the pun!  Lots of trucks and buses, and police all came past first, whooping the crowd into a frenzy!

We were sat on a wall of a house near the main junction in town, so wasn't too bad... Anyway, seen it now!  Probably never will again!

Bit like a strange excitement I have about the Queens Diamond Jubilee... We will never see this again, a Diamond Jubilee!  Whoever is alive now, will never witness a King or Queens 60th anniversary on the throne!  Charles won't make 60 years.... and nor will Wills, he is 30 already, and if he comes to the throne in, what 20 or 30 years? So this is a big deal...  Yes yes, I know being strange...

There was a car parked up a private driveway yesterday, I was a litter wary of it, incase someone jumped out!  Didn't even get too close, but this morning it was till there... so I got braver, going by the contents its a builders car, ladder bucket etc etc, but very strange it's still there, thinking it may have been abandoned...

Still the most wonderful weather, washed all the covers on the sofa today, all eleven of them, two separate washes and back on the sofa a couple of hours ago already!  We went down to the beach about 6pm I think took Pip for a walk among the dunes, still people in the sea...

I have prepared a tonne of boxes to take to the dump tomorrow, fed up with them, could build a house with them... Ummmm there's an idea!

I sat out in the sun earlier while my hair dried, starting reading The Magic by Rhonda Byrne...

Looks like its going to be an amazing book, I have already read and appreciated the Secret and the Power...

TTFN
Marian

My cousing Chrissie and her husband David, part of my new Long Lost Family!

We're down at Bournemouth for the day here... wonderful weather, couldn't have been better!

There in the distance... Zoom in folks some of those quirky beach huts that cost a fortune these days!

The pier!

And check out this massive walking man!  Don't ask me where we were, we were on our way home, it was about 9pm and this huge chap was... just there!  Will try and find out for you!  He was made of metal and we went flying past him!

The bridge back to Welsh Wales!  The sun was setting, a beautiful end, to a great day...

TTFN
Marian

This a Blog of trees!  Full of trees, at last today, after 3 months, I have finally made it to the end of the garden here!  I was waiting for the blue bells to go, well die back a little, I didn't want to squish them!  Got back from town this morning, and I donned my wellington boots, one gardening glove, [don't ask!] made my way to the furthest point I had gone before, quite a few times to take photos of the blue bells!  Then it was onwards and upwards!

Top photo of course is the wall! I at last reached it, but it was too tall for me, must have been well over six foot as I reached my camera up to take a photo over the top of it, but couldn't quite make it! Just great photo of the top of the wall!  And very nice it was too!

Next photo is the other side of the big tree with the blue bells now fading fast around its lower bows... the ground was a bit dodgy here, the dying blue bells all laid flat and like a skid pan to walk on, then it was uphill all the way...

Above is looking down again from near the top, looks like nothing is below doesn't it?  Bit strange that, but by here it really is well above town, the house just on the other side of the wall is called Seaview...

Still trying to make my way upwards, I had to keep changing direction, I had a really long stick, that I was using as a walking stick, or balance stick, and then I had a short stubby stick, that really looked pointless but now and again when I needed it it was quite handy being so low to the ground!

It was all ivy above, with loads of interlocking threads and strands, broken stuff, metal, glass, all sorts!  Bits of wood, not trees!  All sorts, and a pathway, that didn't seem to have been made by humans, it was very narrow and now boot prints, badger maybe? of foxes?

And the smell, beautiful wonderful smell of mulch!  the plants and undergrowth, just smell lovely to me!

I must admit I was getting worried as I climbed further up, going up is usually easier than going down for me at least!!!  And these tendrils of roots and brambles were going to trip me up!  But, as it happened, I got to the top, took a few pics and wandered up and down the length of the wall a bit, then started down, and found I went down faster than up!  I got my feel trapped several times and only kept my balance with the two sticks I had with me!

The photo above has Pippa in it!  Zoooooooom in!  Its a bit like one of those 'Where's Wally' questions about it!  She is almost centre, she has her back to the camera but her heard turned round to me!  Franco had left her up at the top patio bit, and she didn't know where to look, for him in the house, or me lost in the jungle!  arh, my baby!

And this last photo has a piece of word there that I didn't expect to see!  Do you?  Answers on a post card please....

TTFN
Marian

Photo of Pippa, little angel asleep in the cushions!

This morning, another trip to the doctors, the only people I know are people from the job centre and the doctors, that sounds bad doesn't it!  In town later I recognised someone, another bloke from the JC, now that's two people I have seen in town I know, both from there!

Any I digress, the doctors, I have to have another blood test in three months time, and if the result comes back the same I will be officially marked as having CKD, Chronic Kidney Disease! And I will continue to be monitored, he said I could stay at stage 3 for the next 20 years, or get worse.  Anyway, there we have it!  I have a check list, take regular exercise, check!  Keep my weight down, check!  Don't smoke, check! Avoid excess salt, check! and al final, avoid excess alcohol, check!  So nothing more I can actually do...

And so moving swiftly on...  We got the train to Abertawe, [Swansea], about a ten minute journey, you know it was cheaper for a return ticket there than a single bus ticket back to Briton Ferry from Neath which takes about 3 minutes!!!

Anyway, we went to visit a friend of Franco's in the market there, Franco managed to get me to pass my favourite coffee shop brand, which meant I had a tall café latté with bread pudding in the market, and very nice too, not as nice as a friend of mine I must add, and must text him to let him know I still think his is the best!

Lots of empty shops, La Senza gone now, couldn't believe it! We were there a couple of hours I think, then back on the train to Neath, we had a stroll around the town and were on our way for a hot chocolate in a local supermarket when we were pulled off the street and into the old town hall!  A lady [promoter] asked us if we wanted to take part in a food tasting!!  So in we went and we were each seated at different tables with different ladies, who took details, went for a tray of food, brought them back then us tasters had to give our opinion on the taste!  Which we liked best, how the flavours were etc, about 6 or 7 dishes, and a drink!  It didn't take long, about 10 or 15 minutes maximum I think, they said they would be having another taste day on Monday, it would be patés, so we might be back on Monday!!!

We carried on and had chocolaté, and that was us done, and me done in!

Beautiful day today, the house was warm when we came in, wish Pip had opened the windows for us!

TTFN
Marian

Don't ask about the photo above, it is what it is, a bumble bee dog photo I could not resist purloin from deep within the www!

Todays weather was so wonderful this morning, walking Pippa around 8am, the breeze was warm, the trees now almost fully green, the deep smell of the May flowers wafting around, I stood in the wood just breathing in the smell of undergrowth and life... I always missed the smell of forests living in Spain, that mulchy plant smell, now instead I do miss the early morning smells of walking into town of cigar smoke, brandy and disinfectant!  Wouldn't want to wear it, as I know I have said before, bottle it maybe? the smell is just so Spanish!

We had a little rain about an hour or so, but its moved on now and back to blue sky and powderpuff clouds, picked some bay from Franco's Mom's garden will pot that out later, from little cuttings a mighty tree might grow!  We had lunch at her home today, also with her grandson and great grand daughter, she is a little angel... so cute!

Yesterday going into town a man was running to the curb, and it looked like he was being chased by a crisp packet!  It caught up with him as he reached the road side, he turned and looked down.... expecting a dog maybe, the movement having caught his eye... he looked so startled!  Then! Just a crisp packet, which beat him across the road no doubt!

I also have a new Blog, yes another one!  There on the right is the link, its all about ART, and I won't be talking much there, just a whisper now and again, as you would in a gallery, if you don't want to be asked to leave!  I will be 'borrowing' pieces of art to hang in my own personal gallery, its things I like, they will be varied, and sometimes a strange eclectic mix, but that's me isn't it!!

Holiday here tomorrow, seems strange now having a holiday not on the actual day of the real holiday!!!  Was on Tuesday last week, May Day, there is a fair down in the town so we will walk to that, camera in hand, so bare with.....

TTFN
Marian

How easily I am distracted... I uploaded these photos about an hour ago, and obviously left the page and just remembered they were here... Only my post was gone and so was the tab!  Found again okay though, its been far too long since I have posted, I have been busy with editing and publishing, and promoting... that's my only excuse really!

A few visits to the doctors, nearly on first name turns already,  and I am now getting letters reminding me I haven't had this or that done in years, ladies you'll know what I mean, so one of those I must get done!!  A test saved my life back in 1989 and I wouldn't be here without having had it done...  Living in Spain the last few years I was a bit lax in keeping up to date!

Yesterday I had another EKG done at the local hospital, and a very nice hospital it is too, Neath Port Talbot, it looks quite new still and the interior looks like a ship or ferry, everyone is really friendly, asking we were lost or needed help, that was my lost face I had on it seems!

A huge restaurant and a separate coffee bar, three shops run by the WRVS, is that right way round?  And even a bric a brac stall was open by the time we left!

The EKG went as per the norm, the machine was an older version than Malaga, but the test was more thorough and she checked out my heart in different places than before.

I had been feeling very strange, lonely, walking around Neath, a stranger in a strange place if you know what I mean, but the other day I bumped into someone I knew!  We said hello in passing!  Wha hey, the first person that I know, that I have seen in town.... Who was it??? Oh a man who works in the job centre!! Ha!

The three photos here are the garden, the blue bells still hanging on in up there, smelling sweet, and the huge tree, is it maple?  I have zoomed in above, but I am sure it is English, or should that be Welsh maple!

The weather this week has been strange, today is okay,  neither here nor there really, bit of rain yesterday and clothes dried on the line on Wednesday in just a couple of hours!

Long Lost Family on ITV these past few weeks has been good, self abuse though I think its called, I cry nearly all the way through, tears of happiness, tears of wishing...

I can't wait to meet the family who found me, hopefully this month, I will get to meet a cousin while they are on their holidays on the south coast!!!

I am trying at this moment to up load a book onto kindle, and its doing my head in, been trying on and off all day.. so back to it now!

TTFN amigos
Marian