Shopping and the Big Freeze

Our first shopping expedition of the year was successful yesterday, albeit somewhat stressful because of the snowy conditions. We had to travel the first one and a half miles down our unsalted lane in first gear until we reached the relatively clear B4337 to Llanwnnen. The A470 into Lampeter was quite good but what a mess on the pavements in town - very pleased to have worn our wellies for this trip! Having restocked for ourselves and the animals we came cautiously home, heaved a big sigh of relief and felt much happier with life - big mistake! This morning we awoke to find that the coldest night of the year had done it's worst and that the mains water was frozen again (see Feb 09). Trying to keep 5 water tanks topped up for the horses is bad enough when constantly having to clear them of ice, but no water available is a real hassle. So tomorrow will hopefully bring 2 men and a machine to re-lay part of the water pipe in a deeper trench!

Still three weeks of January left and more snow and frost forecast - very pretty but the novelty has worn off!

Happy New Year!

Oops - more snow! 2010 started off well on Friday with frost but a cheerful sunny morning, however by about 4pm the snow was settling and carried on into the evening. Not a great depth but not in a hurry to thaw, and the roads treacherously icy. As the forecast is for more cold weather for the rest of the week it looks as though we shall be teetering over frozen fields carrying hay etc for some time to come - ah, the joys of horse-keeping in winter!

Best wishes for 2010 to all our readers!

Too Much Of A Good Thing!

There are people all over the world who would be glad to receive even a fraction of the rain that has fallen here during November and now into December - if only we could send them some it would be wonderful! To be fair December 1st started well with a crisp frost and fantastic colours in the sky, but that soon changed and we were back to rain/wind/hail once more. So the fields are still water-logged, the horses blame us for the weather, and we are getting through a lot of towels drying off the dogs several times a day. Never mind, the shortest day is approaching, quickly followed by Christmas and the nice clean page of a New Year - let's be optimistic for the weather in 2010!

Wild November

Far too much rain and wind so far this month - plus some fog & frost for good measure! Today started well, feeding the horses was quite enjoyable under sun and blue sky (ignoring the water-logged ground) but whilst admiring a perfect rainbow the heavens suddenly opened and we were soon very wet indeed! However, putting our trust in the forecast, we later went off to Aberaeron for lunch and were rewarded with a very pleasant drive. As usual the town makes me think of Toytown with so many colourfully painted houses, especially around the harbour, even on a grey day there is an air of cheerfullness as well as a reminder of a more leisurely age.

We had a good look at the new harbour wall with its impressive defences against the sea - the size and number of the rocks/boulders that have been put in place is truly amazing - then had a well earned & enjoyable lunch at The Harbourmaster before returning home refreshed.

Seasonal changes & Welsh Cobs still for sale!

The first autumn frost appeared last Saturday morning, so it was time to dig out the sweatshirts once more to ward off the chill! We took advantage of the lovely sunny day to drive out to the reservoir of Lyn Brianne through the beautiful Cothi Valley - a drive admittedly much easier for passengers to enjoy than drivers owing to the narrowness of the road - we had a pleasant walk by the lake with our two wildly excited dogs and then ambled home by a different route, very relaxing!

Trees are changing colour and leaves drifting down at the slightest breeze these days, the horses are beginning to look rather woolly as their winter coats grow in, the first load of hay has been ordered, we are definitely getting into a winter mind-set.

More photos of Nantgwinau Cadno Coch who has been advertised on several sites recently with surprisingly little interest in such a handsome chap - too much competition perhaps with over 1000 entries in the Builth Cob Sales last weekend. Still it would be nice to have someone come and take a look at least! We also still have the yearling colt Nantgwinau Cadog - see previous post - all reasonable offers considered for either of them.