Well after such a long dry few months we finally have the rain I have been wishing for. Yippie!! I should be shouting! Now I don't want anyone to think that I only use this blog to have a good ol' moan about things, but now we finally have water, it is not really worth having. It is red with the dust from the fields, undrinkable, makes the clothes dirtier than when they went in to the washing machine, and if you fancy a bath, well you get dirtier getting out of the bugger, than you were on going in.
Anyway, it aint all bad. We got our wood in now ready for the winter, just need to be put into the barn and chopped so it will be ready for when the snow comes.
Had a lovely evening tonight with the wife and children. Started off with the children coming home from school with the weather being a typical November day, wet, grey, cold and windy. Got some fire wood in ready to burn, the children had their tea and played for a while. I started the fire with ready cut wood, which was nice as by the time I have usually cut the wood in to small enough blocks, I am that hot, that the last thing I want then is a fire.
The fire was lit for about a hour, then my wife and the two youngest of our children sat in the candle light with a crystal each and had a lovely meditation session. Then a little later, when the children were all in bed asleep, we both had a glass of Port and listened to the wild wind and the lashing rain outside.
Exactly what I think living on the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere should be about on a cold November evening!.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Stock Piling Water in the fields
I know it has been a while since I have posted, but to be quite honest, not a great deal has been happening. Just the one problem that we keep on having, our Spring is now dry! It is so simple to just turn on a tap and get water. Even the dirty red water we usually get would be a Gods send at the moment. We have red water all the time due to the red soil here in Herefordshire. We also have flowing through our taps here, grass, cow shit, sheep shit, bits of frog skin, live fresh water shrimps and much much more that I am not to certain of to be quite honest.
Now a 5 litre bottle of water is only about £1.20, so you would think it should not be too much of a problem. But when you think that we use water for washing, clothes washing, drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, drinks bottles for the kids for school lunch, heating and flushing toilets, you can see that having no water, not even dirty water, is a bit of a nightmare.
Other years it has been hard enough when the water from the spring has froze in the well and the pipes, but this has been going on now for the last 2 months. Would not really mind, if the water was not being taken by a third party for other uses!!!
Well it has almost come to that time of year again, when wood is being collected and general organisation is being put in place ready for the snow. Just the other day, the Fieldfares flew in from where ever they come from, which is a sure sign that snow is on it's way, which means that we will still have no water in the well, but will be stock piling water in the fields as water. The only time when you don't need water, but cant get anything else you need either.
Now a 5 litre bottle of water is only about £1.20, so you would think it should not be too much of a problem. But when you think that we use water for washing, clothes washing, drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, drinks bottles for the kids for school lunch, heating and flushing toilets, you can see that having no water, not even dirty water, is a bit of a nightmare.
Other years it has been hard enough when the water from the spring has froze in the well and the pipes, but this has been going on now for the last 2 months. Would not really mind, if the water was not being taken by a third party for other uses!!!
Well it has almost come to that time of year again, when wood is being collected and general organisation is being put in place ready for the snow. Just the other day, the Fieldfares flew in from where ever they come from, which is a sure sign that snow is on it's way, which means that we will still have no water in the well, but will be stock piling water in the fields as water. The only time when you don't need water, but cant get anything else you need either.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Can't have it all ways
I worked nights last night, and with a bit of luck these will now be my regular shifts, I much prefer night to working days.
When it started to get light this morning around 7am, I looked out through the windows on to the stunning grounds that surround the home where I work and it looked stunning. There was just a little fog on the lawns and the sky was blue, blue with a nip in the air too. As we no longer get the summers we used to have, I always seem a little disappointed when October is upon us. There is no chance of hot days at this time of the year and only the harsh winter in front of us to dread.
I had forgotten about the cold crisp mornings that Autumn and Winter can bring and how much I love them too. I much prefer Spring though, as everything comes back to life, with the green buds starting to grow on the trees and the birds getting ready to build their nests and the slight hope of a good Summer too.
Spring is the only season that does not lie! You get exactly what you expect with Spring, April showers, cold crisp mornings and the days eventually start to get a little longer. All the other season lie, Summer gives you no Sun, Autumn soon becomes Winter and because of this Winter is far too long a season.
Anyway, back to the point. When I finished my shift I still had about a hour to wait to be picked up so I took a very slow walk through the grounds to the gate. I saw 3 or 4 rabbits, some still quite small for the time of the year a few skittish squirrels, a few brown trout in the stream and a kingfisher just to top it all off. Very good for the soul is a walk in the countryside after a night shift. Far better than the 3mile hike I used to had to make after my night shifts when I used to work in Oakdale back in Wales through the villages and main roads with lorries, police cars and even at that time of the morning Ice Cream Vans too, seem a 100 years ago and a 1000 miles away now.
One thing I will say for working night is though, while you get to see the wildlife at the start of the day, that is about all you see of that day, as sleeping is a must, and something I have tried to do without in the past and soon found that it just does not work. So the lovely Autumnal day that had blue skies and the chill in the air turned into a grey, wet and windy day by the time I got up at 1.30pm.
Can't have it all ways though!
When it started to get light this morning around 7am, I looked out through the windows on to the stunning grounds that surround the home where I work and it looked stunning. There was just a little fog on the lawns and the sky was blue, blue with a nip in the air too. As we no longer get the summers we used to have, I always seem a little disappointed when October is upon us. There is no chance of hot days at this time of the year and only the harsh winter in front of us to dread.
I had forgotten about the cold crisp mornings that Autumn and Winter can bring and how much I love them too. I much prefer Spring though, as everything comes back to life, with the green buds starting to grow on the trees and the birds getting ready to build their nests and the slight hope of a good Summer too.
Spring is the only season that does not lie! You get exactly what you expect with Spring, April showers, cold crisp mornings and the days eventually start to get a little longer. All the other season lie, Summer gives you no Sun, Autumn soon becomes Winter and because of this Winter is far too long a season.
Anyway, back to the point. When I finished my shift I still had about a hour to wait to be picked up so I took a very slow walk through the grounds to the gate. I saw 3 or 4 rabbits, some still quite small for the time of the year a few skittish squirrels, a few brown trout in the stream and a kingfisher just to top it all off. Very good for the soul is a walk in the countryside after a night shift. Far better than the 3mile hike I used to had to make after my night shifts when I used to work in Oakdale back in Wales through the villages and main roads with lorries, police cars and even at that time of the morning Ice Cream Vans too, seem a 100 years ago and a 1000 miles away now.
One thing I will say for working night is though, while you get to see the wildlife at the start of the day, that is about all you see of that day, as sleeping is a must, and something I have tried to do without in the past and soon found that it just does not work. So the lovely Autumnal day that had blue skies and the chill in the air turned into a grey, wet and windy day by the time I got up at 1.30pm.
Can't have it all ways though!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Skip Autumn
It seems like winter has arrived here on the top of the Golden Valley once again and true to form skipped Autumn.
Though there is hardly any water in our spring and what is coming through is red from the soil. We are cleaner getting in the bath than when we get out sometimes it seems. The winds have really picked up, and the temperature has really dropped. So the wood is getting collected for the fire and the coats are on all day while indoors, electric blankets have been of now for a while.
With the water in the spring being so low, it might be OK if we have a fair amount of snow this year, it almost seems like we are trying to stock pile it in the fields ready to through down the well. That is after the pipes have defrosted.
The berries on the trees are heavy this year and ripe a little earlier than last year too, which makes for some good picking before the tree rats get a chance to take all of them. Though a fat tree rat is a tasty meal in it's self, I have wasted far too much time scaring them with my awful air rifle only to be laughed at as soon as they stop running.
When we first moved here, it was quite a novelty to be stranded. Stuck in doors with no way of getting out and no chance of anyone getting to us, not even the tractors were out during the first Winters snow. I think it is fair to say that the novelty wore off very quickly when the telephone wires came down, the spring froze, the electricity got cut off for days and you have no way of keeping warm other than to collect snow and try to boil it in a fire pit in a barn and use empty pop bottles as hot water bottles. Yep, that soon got tired!.
Last year we bought a log burning stove which allows you to burn wood, and when I say wood I mean stick. The fire box is so small that logs are just impossible. I remember Ray Mears saying that when lighting a log fire the wood heats you 3 times, collecting it, chopping it and then burning it. He was bloody right too. Although we cannot really cook on the stove, it does however keep the house a little warmer for us.
Well all we can do now is wait and see what will happen.
I am sure we will be fine!
Though there is hardly any water in our spring and what is coming through is red from the soil. We are cleaner getting in the bath than when we get out sometimes it seems. The winds have really picked up, and the temperature has really dropped. So the wood is getting collected for the fire and the coats are on all day while indoors, electric blankets have been of now for a while.
With the water in the spring being so low, it might be OK if we have a fair amount of snow this year, it almost seems like we are trying to stock pile it in the fields ready to through down the well. That is after the pipes have defrosted.
The berries on the trees are heavy this year and ripe a little earlier than last year too, which makes for some good picking before the tree rats get a chance to take all of them. Though a fat tree rat is a tasty meal in it's self, I have wasted far too much time scaring them with my awful air rifle only to be laughed at as soon as they stop running.
When we first moved here, it was quite a novelty to be stranded. Stuck in doors with no way of getting out and no chance of anyone getting to us, not even the tractors were out during the first Winters snow. I think it is fair to say that the novelty wore off very quickly when the telephone wires came down, the spring froze, the electricity got cut off for days and you have no way of keeping warm other than to collect snow and try to boil it in a fire pit in a barn and use empty pop bottles as hot water bottles. Yep, that soon got tired!.
Last year we bought a log burning stove which allows you to burn wood, and when I say wood I mean stick. The fire box is so small that logs are just impossible. I remember Ray Mears saying that when lighting a log fire the wood heats you 3 times, collecting it, chopping it and then burning it. He was bloody right too. Although we cannot really cook on the stove, it does however keep the house a little warmer for us.
Well all we can do now is wait and see what will happen.
I am sure we will be fine!
Trying too hard maybe????
Well it seems that the online forum has been another waste of time. I have set up a few Community based websites and other things since we moved here, and there just never seems to be any interest from the residents.
The forum is well hit upon by visitors, linked well and advertised on facebook and twitter quite a few times a day when I get the most hits on the forum, but it just does not seem to work.
I have spent ages trying to get as much information on to the forum as possible by picking up local community magazines, searching the internet for news and / or events, but it just seems that nobody is in the slightest bit interested in posing on the forum.
I have however noticed that the posts I am posting are being read, but not a single post from any of the residents from the Golden Valley whatsoever.
When I lived in Wales, after setting up a community website for the village I lived in it was just short of a month until I had over 5000 hits to the website, emails offering news for the site, people asking to advertise on the site, the local nightly newspaper setting up a meeting with me to help advertise the website, the residents could not have helped more. It eventually led to me creating first a weekly newspaper and then a monthly community magazine delivered to over 15000 homes all with a start up of £0.00.
Seems I might have been wrong about the "Community Feeling" of the Valleys of South Wales after all.
The forum is well hit upon by visitors, linked well and advertised on facebook and twitter quite a few times a day when I get the most hits on the forum, but it just does not seem to work.
I have spent ages trying to get as much information on to the forum as possible by picking up local community magazines, searching the internet for news and / or events, but it just seems that nobody is in the slightest bit interested in posing on the forum.
I have however noticed that the posts I am posting are being read, but not a single post from any of the residents from the Golden Valley whatsoever.
When I lived in Wales, after setting up a community website for the village I lived in it was just short of a month until I had over 5000 hits to the website, emails offering news for the site, people asking to advertise on the site, the local nightly newspaper setting up a meeting with me to help advertise the website, the residents could not have helped more. It eventually led to me creating first a weekly newspaper and then a monthly community magazine delivered to over 15000 homes all with a start up of £0.00.
Seems I might have been wrong about the "Community Feeling" of the Valleys of South Wales after all.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Golden Valley Online
I have just set up a new forum for the Online community for the residents of the Golden Valley.
Here is the link.
http://goldenvalley.createaforum.com/index.php
Hope you like it and get to use it some time!
Here is the link.
http://goldenvalley.createaforum.com/index.php
Hope you like it and get to use it some time!
Windy "On Top"
It is always quite windy here "On Top" but we now have the tail end of Hurricane Katia blowing at us. We did have a 15ft trampoline in the garden this time last year, but in the beginning of the year, the wind picked it up and threw it about 400 yards away into the field above it and it folded in half. That was in March.
Now this past few days have been even worse than the March winds. The place is a wreck here, though I must say, it is a damn site better than the U.S. had, so I now feel a little like I have over reacted by saying the place is a wreck, but you know what I mean!
I was supposed to have been collecting Sloe berries ready for an order I have, but it has been just too windy to get out there, and too dangerous. The bird table is shot to bits, zinc sheets have been picked up and thrown about like sheets of paper and the large tree in the garden has had a good pruning too.
When the weather is as bad as this so early in the Autumn, it really does make me worry what the winter has in store for us here "On Top".
Just hope that if we do have any snow this year, it is during my time off in December, as I dont think we would get out very far if not!
Now this past few days have been even worse than the March winds. The place is a wreck here, though I must say, it is a damn site better than the U.S. had, so I now feel a little like I have over reacted by saying the place is a wreck, but you know what I mean!
I was supposed to have been collecting Sloe berries ready for an order I have, but it has been just too windy to get out there, and too dangerous. The bird table is shot to bits, zinc sheets have been picked up and thrown about like sheets of paper and the large tree in the garden has had a good pruning too.
When the weather is as bad as this so early in the Autumn, it really does make me worry what the winter has in store for us here "On Top".
Just hope that if we do have any snow this year, it is during my time off in December, as I dont think we would get out very far if not!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)