Mountain Trail Running

The storm came up so very quick

It couldn't have been much quicker.

I should have brought my hat along,

I should have brought my slicker.

My hair is wet, me feet are wet,

I couldn't be much wetter.

I fell into the river once

But this is even better.

Spring Rain by Marchette Chute

Balcon sud, La Flegre - Plan Praz (2000 m)

A few weeks ago I participated, for the third time, in the Cross du mont Blanc. And it rained, and rained and rained.  Good excuse for why I finished 20 minutes slower than last time!!  But then last time I finished 20 minutes slower than the first time, and it was a glorious sunny day...

The day before, Richard ran the KM vertical, which is pretty much what it claims to be - a (just over) 1 KM distance for 1 KM accent.  Now that's pretty steep!  

nr Plan Praz

As ever, our and everyone else's sporting efforts were supported by Papy Bob, who got approximately 4 hours sleep all weekend.  It's thanks to him and a whole team of other volunteers that these races can take place.  For me it's pay it back time so I've signed up as a volunteer for the up coming Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, and will be working in my s.i.l's team.  I've wanted to do this for a while but either the kids were to small or Richard was himself participating, so when my m.i.l decided this she didn't fancy helping out the organization this year, I jumped in to take her place.

PAPY BOB - who else!

 These photo's were sent to me by our good friend and wonderful photographer Pierre Raphoz.  Pop over an enjoy some of  his beautiful photographs.

Yarn Along - Socks, scarfs and shawlettes

Nothing like a change of scenery to kick that second sock syndrome into touch.  Didn't manage to finish it during our holiday but on arriving home I was definitely on the home straight.  And besides I needed You Tube' to guide me step by step through the Kitchener Stitch, yet again!

my knitting spot for the week

I have taken note of all the advice on Yarn Along and will in future, turn the heel of the first sock, put it aside and start the second.

One of the highlights of my holiday, was visiting a real yarn store, Jane's of Fishguard.  I know - I lead a sheltered life.  But there's more, I got to visit it without the kids or husband, who opted to stay playing footie on the beach.  I've started my christmas knitting with the Debbie Bliss Rialto Lace, it' so lovely to touch but the going is pretty slow.  I'm fairly new to lace knitting so it demands peace and quite which are in short supply around here at the moment.

Tino has yet again asked for a hand knit!! A sweater with a fire engine on it.  So whilst waiting for the yarn to arrive to make this, I cast on a Hitchhiker for myself.  I'm using 4 mm needles, which is one size up from what the pattern suggests, but I just couldn't resist this wonderfully colorful yarn.

Adriafil Knitcol 100% virgin wool Superwash

Just finished reading Travels with Farley, but I thought I'd mention it all the same.  I enormously enjoyed Claire Mowat's memoir of her life with Farley Mowat - a famous Canadian writer, who I must admit I'd never heard of before this book - which details their love affair with the Magdalen Islands.  I'm pitching for this windswept corner of Canada as our next holiday destination.  Richi wants northern Norway and the arctic circle (like 7 months of winter in the alps is not enough for him), and the kids are still obsessed with going to New York - thank you Melman, Marty, Gloria & Alex!!
On my kindle, my new good friend, who'd of though it?, I recently bought You Can Heal Your Life.  Only a few pages in, and despite thinking some of the ideas are a bit 'out there' for me, I think this is going to be one memorable read.

Linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along, what are your knitting and reading this week?

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

'Stones, the sea and the weather have moulded the look of Pembrokeshire.  Man has merely scratched it's surface.'

(Vyvan Rees, South West Wales, 1965)

from 'The Pembrokshire Coast Path, (John Cleare)

I didn' appreciate growing up in this place until many years after I had left it.  Now every time I return, it's always a little harder to leave it again!  Pictures from our recent trip to Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Newport

Newport beach, early evening.

St Brynach's Church,  Cym-yr-Eglwys

The church was almost completely destroyed by a storm in 1859, in which 113 ships were also lost!

View from the summit of Carn Ingli (Angel Mountain) where the legend of
Mistress Martha Morgan was born.

Llys Y Fran Reservoir.

A very old dwelling, originally probably housed a fishermans family.  Couldn't help but remark the absence of window on the side of the cottage that over looked the sea! 

Yes, absence truly does make the heart grow fonder!

Dad

Always New

I thought I knew all about roses-but every time they appear-I see as a bright bud encloses-a beauty unnoticed last year... They never repeat a performance-No season is ever the same...I thought I had seen all the colour, the crimson, the gold and the flame-but here is a rose peeping in at the door. I swear that I never saw this one before.

m.i.l & Tino

We were only away just over a week, but what a difference a few days make!  My m.i.l's climbing roses bloomed, one month later than last year.  And after much nail bitting about the lack of activity in the gardern, mother nature has once again demonstrated that she's most definitely knows what she's doing, and won't be rushed by anyone, least of all, an impatient welsh woman!

 Richard's uncle has been busy doing up his grandfathers old Masey Ferguson (1940ish) tractor.  Don't you just love those yellow walls!  Unfortunately it doesn't run, even stagger, anymore.  He's pretty confident that he'll get it running in time to give rides at  the village party, fingers crossed!  Plan B is Bibi the donkey - at age 17, he doesn't run anymore either!

... Bored we become with what science supplies-but Nature is always an endless surprise.

(Always New, from The Patience Strong Omnibus - A Personal Selection from Fifty Years of Verse)

Yarn Along - Bubble Rap

I swore I'd never buy one, but I have!   

I don't even know why I was so 'anti' in the first place?

I think I perceived it as an imminent threat to the printed word!  It's not really.  It doesn't have the touchy-feely-odeur appeal of a 'real' book.  

But I must admit, this Kindle thing is pretty cool - but a wee bit fragile.  Hence the need for 'bubble rap'.
We recently discovered that Rémi probably has a mild form Dyslexia, which makes reading a bit of an ordeal.  A friend of mine who is in international development and who specializes in education and technology, told me that new, unpublished studies, are revealing that dyslexic children read more efficiently from a screen than a printed page!  And another mum, who's son is also experiencing some difficulties, pointed out that, to a dyslexic child the mere volume of pages of even the smallest of books presents a big challenge.  But when reading from screen they only perceive one page at a time - thus the task of reading a whole book seems instantly more manageable.  He seems to like it, but it's new and has novelty value at the moment...

As I bought the Kindle from Amazon, at the same time I ordered myself  The Homemade Pantry - 101 Foods you can stop buying and start making.  This is a cookery book you can really read, filled with funny anecdotes from Alana's gastronomic journey through life, oh, and great recipes too.

Veggi burgers - W. I. P

See the three eggs, they're from my girls!  They finally started laying the morning after the summer solstice!! How bizarre is that?  I'm so proud of them, they're such a pair of cuties!

Veggi burgers - F.O

Usually I'm quite immune to marketing, I have my shopping list and I don't deviate, but these bottles of belgian beer got me hook, line and sinker.  Just look at the 'papa smurf' label!  The beer itself was pretty tasty but a tad strong for a monday evening!

{Joining in with Ginny for this weeks Yarn Along}

The heat is on...

Finally!!!!

early evening knitting and and chilled wine sipping spot.

After a 7 month winter, a cold wet spring, which according to Sarah Raven (The great vegetable Plot)  -'is ideal for garlic, as water during the leafy grow period produces plump cloves', summer has sent a calling card announcing her imminent arrival.  Lets hope she plans on staying a while.
For the past week we've been getting hot days and rainy nights, just what the Dr ordered for gardens and humans alike.

Summer in general is pretty short around these parts so we been eating 'al fresco' as much as possible

breakfast brothers

Picnic lunches with little friends

BBQ's with big cousins

Birthday's with CAKE

I've gone from trying to remember where I planted the spinach to frantically picking the leaves before Mr Fussy (Tino) calibrates them and deems them too big for his consumption.  The mint and oregano are battling it out for superiority in the herb patch and my hanging basket strawberries are ripening nicely way out of reach of Tricoti and Tricota.  We've had them over a month now and only three eggs - one of which they ate.   I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt as I think they are just a bit young.  Richard on the other hand thinks they are duds and wants to eat them.  I called his bluff, telling him I'll be more than happy to roast them just as soon as he's 'butched' them - he'll never do it.

The girls cooling off with a bit of juicy watermelon - although it's not as if they ever work up a sweat!

Sandbox science

Make a mini sand volcano and bury a glass jar in the middle.  Half fill with clear vinegar.  Add several drops of food dye - or failing this try paint (which doesn't work as well), sprinkle in a little glitter (then hide the box from 4 yr olds other wise your house, car, chickens, etc will finish up all spangly).  Add a good squirt of washing-up liquid and gently stir with a metal spoon.  Add a heaped teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and watch........

'The foam that pours out of the jar is formed by a simple chemical reaction.  When the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda mix, they make lots of tiny bubbles of gas.  The bubbles churn up the washing-up liquid, making lots of foam' (The Usborne Big Book of Science things to make and do)

This is also how we clean our loo.  1/4 cup vinegar, let sit for a few minutes, 1/4 cup bicarbonate of soda and a wee squirt of washing-up liquid (optional).  The food color and glitter are also optional but if you want the kids to clean the toilet for you, ya gotta make it fun!  

After all this heavy scientific learning, jump up onto the sandbox roof and pretend to shoot people!
I wish they wouldn't play with guns (It wasn't me that bought them) but even when they don't have any they use finger guns or find sticks in just the right shape!  They will grow out of this, right?