Forging Forward

 Photo 1: Wind Vane Designed & Made by Alex RoweHereford has one of the few blacksmithing colleges in the country which includes the Hereford School of Farriery and artist blacksmithing. We have accommodated two student blacksmiths while we've been in Hereford: first, there was Tom Robinson (2008...

Monmouth - A delightful market town

Photo 1: Monnow BridgeA few days ago we visited Monmouth, just over the Welsh border. We were on a shopping mission but this small town (pop: ~10,000) is well worth a visit for its many places of interest. Monmouth is accessible by bus though not by train; the railway closed down in 1959. In the past,...

Hay Bluff

 It was Mary's birthday recently and we had a drive out to Hay Bluff, one of our favourite local beauty spots. From the car park, you can walk up the zigzag path to the summit (2221 ft) - a pleasure we had to forego this time because Mary was a little tired. Alternatively, you can reach Hay Bluff...

Reminder for the Big Butterfly Count

Just a reminder the Big Butterfly Count has started and you can send in any sightings up to 6th August. We have noticed an increase in numbers and species in the garden over the last week. Photo 1 was taken by Mary on the 21st July using a Pixel 4a phone - a Green-veined White feeding on marjoram....

Broadly Speaking Again or We've Bean Here Before

Last year (2022), I tried late-sowing my broad beans in August in an attempt to avoid blackfly infestation. That trial was only partially successful insomuch as I avoided the blackfly plague but had very few beans to harvest. Clearly, an August sowing of Luz de Otano beans was too late, even with the...

View from the Rear Window - June 2023

 "In early June the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different" - John Steinbeck"It was June and the world smelled of roses" - Maud Hart LovelaceJune was definitely on the warm side and the roses were glorious (Photo 1, front right). Indeed, the UK Met Office provisionally...