Misty Morning.

The early morning mist soon lifted leaving the garden in a golden glow but with all the cobwebs highlighted by the remaining dew.

A mile along the road I was back in the mist then at Shirwell the mist was just above the hedges on either side of the road. More ground level mist on the way to town and by the time I got to school it had all cleared. Lots of fun art activities going on in my classroom today. I can't wait until Medusa and Poseidon's heads are assembled. Hope the snakes don't keep falling off.

We had a long staff meeting after school but there was still enough time for me to spend an hour weeding in the garden before the sun left our valley.

Only 6 more early mornings before the school holidays start although I still have to go in for a non-pupil day on the first Monday of the holiday.

Little Boxes Everywhere.

We had heavy rain in the night which continued on and off through the day. Driving up the hill in the morning there was steam coming off the road and the low clouds were reaching down in tendril towards the valleys.

During the day it dried up enough to so that the children could go out to play though we did have some heavy downpours. My afternoon was spent on PPA time glued to my lap top working on a million entries for the on-line tracker. I think I've ticked all the necessary boxes but I shall put off starting checking each of the end of term reports until tomorrow. There are apparently 51 boxes I have to check on each one!! Right now all my stress is directed towards tomorrow morning when I shall be having a lesson observation followed by an hour's performance management meeting. I've chosen to teach a literacy lesson continuing the work we have been doing based on the story of Perseus and Medusa. Once that is over and I've checked all the reports I can focus on planning a fun Arts' Week with the children spending all our time on art projects big and small.

A Bit Blowy.

It was grey and very windy today but at least it didn't rain. All round the garden coloured petals lie like scattered confetti. As I look through the window I can see the trees swaying with their branches being shaken by the wind. This evening I made another 10L of elder flower champagne which is brewing gently in a bucket ready to be bottled tomorrow. Then I hope to have a try at the cordial as the citric acid arrived in the post today. After that I shall reward the elder tree by cutting most of it down because it is hanging over the driveway. I shall save any branches for the fire as it is supposed to burn well and the name is said to derive from the Saxon word for kindling.

Anyone for champagne ?

Woke this morning to torrential rain. Looking out of the window and seeing all the water rushing down the drive had me rushing into waterproofs and outside to limit the damage. Simply putting some wood and soil across part of the road higher up diverted 95% of the water onto the field. All I had to do then was clear the small ditch in the yard and rake the gravel back up the drive to fill in the holes that were beginning to form. The rain had stopped by then so I was able to plant out the sweet pea and beetroot seedlings in the veg plot. That's as much as I can fit in my tiny plot. The beans don't look too good but everything else is growing well and in the conservatory the first green tomatoes are beginning to appear.

There were a few dryish spells and during one of those I loaded up the car with old plastic chairs and moss covered body boards and took them down to the dump. On the way back from the dump I called in at the supermarket and bought a new plastic bucket to make my elderflower champagne in. I'll bottle the first 10L tomorrow and start another batch so hopefully I'll have 20L if I can avoid the exploding bottle scenario that happened last time I made elderflower champagne. I'm also going to try and make some elderflower cordial but I had to buy the citric acid on-line as I couldn't get any in Ilfracombe. I also made a tray of flapjacks and a large pot of warming chicken soup.  

Finally, our new toy. Peter part exchanged our ttemperamental heavy duty chainsaw for this much lighter and easier to handle model. Gone are the days when Peter would be out cutting down trees for other people and now we only need to use a chainsaw occasionally so this smaller one should be more suitable.

Too Wet To Garden.

The drive home tonight was very romantic with low clouds sitting down on the tops of the hills. At school we had the fine wetness that you get inside clouds. Not vertically dropping rain or the all pervading damp of mist but a fine soft spray going in all directions. I wasn't tempted to head into the garden when I got home but opted for some early blogging combined with a little jigsaw puzzle solving while I waited for the photos to appear. All my newly sown seeds have germinated and I'll have to be meticulous with my labels as the spicy salads all look exactly the same at the moment.
Then I think it'll be an early night as it was a tiring day in school especially as trying to instill the mystery of doubles and halves into the heads of some of my class of 7 year olds seems to be the equivalent of teaching them quantum mechanics. Some of them do understand and think it's rather funny that I ask them 'what is 3x2?' straight after we have worked out half of 6 and written it up as a division sum but to others its still a mystery. For a change we have been 'saying tables' formally rather than counting in 2s and later 2 of my girls sat down in their free time and wrote out the 2x tables right up to 58x2 so I must be doing something right.

Back Once More.

No matter how much surge protection we have on our system if lightning strikes the phone lines and sends a blast down the wire our pcs get damaged. This was the case on Monday when we were subjected to a series of thunderstorms in the middle of the day. We were virtually trapped in our classroom by the torrential rain until lunchtime forced those children having school dinners to make a dash across the playground. All except my boggest boy who stood in the rain without a jumper or coat deliberately getting soaked. In contrast the tiniest child in my class was hovering in the doorway reluctant to go out. I was just insisting that she would have to make a dash for it when a simultaneous flash of lightning and rumble of thunder which shook the hut made me pull her back into the classroom to wait a little longer. Earlier I had been attempting to teach with the storm raging overhead but had given up and instead we had a calm(ish) discussion about what causes thunder. Even so a couple of the children were crying, they were the ones who cry whenever there is a loud noise, (sensitive souls). As the children started returning to the classroom I escaped wearing a wide brimmed rain hat and a plastic bin bag to keep me dry on my way to the staffroom. The resultant damage at home was to the network hub/switch something or other and both our network cards got fried. Luckily everything else was OK but it took till last night to get the system up and running. In between the occasional shower this week it has been sunny and very hot. The longer days have tempted me to stay working in the garden until 9.00 so the veg plot is nearly ready.
None of my (very old) seeds germinated so I went and bought seeds and a butternut squash plant. When I went to buy the seeds it was hard to decide what to get as the limited amount of space means that I won't be growing large quantities and seeds are quite expensive. I had to decide if I should buy a tray of 6 plants ready to plant or for just a little more buy seeds that will be enough for at least 3 or 4 years. I ended up buying seeds of sugar snap peas, french beans, sprouting broccoli and kailaan, mizuna, red mustard & pak choi which came in a multi-pack for some interesting salads. I've got a number of different tomato plants and 2 cucumber plants as well as the squash plant. I'm also hoping for some standard vegetables at the village plant sale.

Out in the fields the farmers have been cutting silage, ploughing some fields and of course muck spreading which makes the countryside look more patchwork like than ever.

Hopefully we should have a dry weekend and I can spend yet mote time grubbing about in the dirt.

Rain.

It has been a very wet day today though there was some bright sun at lunchtime. The roads aren't flooded -yet, but will be soon if this rain keeps up. We had a couple of sports specialists who are promoting their after school sports club which will be run in school twice a week (for a small fee), come and take each class for a taster lesson. That would have been a break for me if I hadn't been dealing with a howling little darling who was in a right strop because I had confiscated her hair clip which she had been jabbing into another child. Those sort of tears certainly don't melt my heart. We're still busy on our castle theme in class. Last week we borrowed some bricks from another class and the children built many wonderful castles. The one above was built by a big group who decided to work together. Sadly now the bricks have been returned and we are left with lego which does not lend itself to such flights of fantasy. After school I put up the backing paper all along one of the cloakroom walls preparatory to making a big castle display with lots of the children's work. Hopefully I'll be able to get the work up tomorrow as I don't like looking at blank walls.

Glad To Be Back.

Had fun going through all the photos on my camera but first the biggest news is that we have water again. Nearly 2 weeks without any water at all was getting a little tiring. I had to bring home drinking water each day and we used water from the handy stream behind the house to fill the toilet cisterns. At least we had those options but I was relieved when Peter finally pinpointed the problem down to a fault in the electrical system in the outbuildings. He has re-run some wiring but the whole system needs to be re-wired professionally as there are all sorts of fuse boxes, defunct sockets and underground cables involved. Well done Peter. Every day the sun rises 5 minutes earlier so when it is not grey and rainy I get to enjoy the sunrise on my way to school.
I did stop at the pet carrier and take a picture of this mini sales venture. Roadside stalls like this are not a common sight around here but I would rather buy direct from a farmer/smallholder than pay for all the middlemen to take a profit. On the radio last week I heard that the average hill farmer's year's profit was £11,500. No wonder so many are going out of business.

This ornamental feature which now graces all 3 of our chimney pots has put an end to the days of the jackdaws sneaking up and us running outside waving an airgun at them and taking potshots to deter them from nesting in the chimneys.

The cages were put on last Saturday which was a really stormy day. We had thought that the builder (we have neither the roof ladders nor the head for heights to go up ourselves), would postpone his visit but he turned up nonetheless forcing us to leap out of bed where we had been having a lie-in listening to the wind howling through the trees. He did admit to having a few scary moments perched on top of the roof but it was his choice as we would have waited for a calmer day.

Skip on a few days, the weather has been a lot warmer and one morning I was treated to the sight of a great cloud bank sitting over the river valley and covering the town.

The cloud/fog lay there like a fluffy duvet with feathers leaking out of the edges. Not so pretty of course once I drove into it.

Back to last Saturday, we couldn't resist the stormy weather so we wrapped up well, packed a flask of coffee and headed off for a stroll at Barricane beach.

It would have been more spectacular if the tide had been in with the waves crashing against the cliffs but it was good to walk on the beach and blow the cobwebs out of our heads. We found a sheltered spot in the rocks to perch and enjoy a hot cup of coffee. I would do that any day rather than go to the poshest of restaurants.

Today we had some very mild weather so I abandoned my timetable and took my class out to skip for half an hour in the warm sun. We've had so many wet playtimes recently and you never know when we'll see the sun again. Some of my class came up with the most ingenious methods of skipping together including 3 of them all skipping in a line at the same time with 2 skipping ropes linked together. The boys are happy to skip because they see boxers and footballers skipping as part of their fitness regimes though I don't think much of the current fad of WWF(E) which some of my more active boys are into.

That's all for tonight, back tomorrow.

Brrr !

Yesterday's view at Morte Point.

It was rather cold this morning, -9C which for here is mighty cold. Maybe we are seeing the impact of global warming which for the UK could mean that things get a lot colder as the Gulf Stream with its warming effect moves away from our waters.

A normal day at school which dragged on a little as we had somebody come to do a workshop on teaching basic gymnastics after school. It is good to brush up on such things but the enthusiasm wanes at the end of a school day. I tried to join in with the practical work but I could feel my knee and spine protesting so I stuck to watching instead.

I saw an odd sight on the way home tonight. At the point where a tiny lane turns off the back road, to Upcott, was a small table with a pet carrier on top. Attached to this was a sign on a piece of paper but it was too dark to see what it said. I wish I had stopped because now I am intrigued. Was this a roadside stall (sometimes seen but not often), with produce inside the pet carrier to keep it safe from the many crows and buzzards around or was there something live in the carrier? I doubt it but if it is still there tomorrow I'll have to stop to satisfy my curiosity.

The weather man is predicting overnight rain as well as low temperatures so my micra is now at the top of the hill in case of ice.

Poor Little Duck.

Late yesterday evening there was a commotion coming from the conservatory. When I went to investigate there was that fat cat Patch with a poor duck clutched in his jaws. He had carried it in through a small high window and only reluctantly (aided by a good shaking) let go of the terrified call duck. I threw Patch out, with a good telling off and went back to check on the duck. There was blood on it from a neck wound so I gave it some bread and water and left it in a box for the night. This morning it was looking quite lively so I took it out to the stream where it could make its way back to the lake and rejoin the other 9 call ducks that live there. Hopefully it will make a full recovery . There are quite a few mallard and wild geese on the lake now as well. I know there are many people who dislike cats because they kill small creatures but that is one good reason to have cats when you live in the country. Our cats keep the mice and other small creatures out of the house and many is the dead rat I've found in the front yard. And yes, I'm a cat person and simply like their company.

The weather has turned cold again. It was trying to snow this evening but I've taken a chance and not driven back up the hill. Worst comes to the worst Peter can give me a lift in the morning.

Strange Journey.

My journey home was much the same as the journey into work; dark, lashing rain and foggy clouds across the road. It makes it so much harder to spot the enormous pot holes that have appeared after the last bout of cold weather. On the way home, by the time I got up to Shirwell the fog was thicker but there were other strange things happening. First I was held up at the back of a small convoy that had 2 cars driving very slowly at the front with their hazard lights flashing. I couldn't make out if one was towing the other, if the poor visibility was scaring them or if there was something out in the road. Suddenly the convoy increased speed, but on the other side of the road was a vehicle parked with its hazard lights flashing and then 20 yards on another. Finally just as I got to my turn off there was a police warning sign on the main road. It may well have been that the road was flooded right across or else there may have been an accident. The fog was now so bad that I couldn't see the road surface ahead to check for flooding. A couple of small floods caught me unawares but I slowed right down at the point that has caught me out several times (how can I be so daft as to strand my car twice in the same spot?) and sure enough the water was across the road. I kept to the higher side and got through without any problem, (that's when I miss my old Landrover ). And once home the news was full of the dreadful flooding in Australia.

I'd left school early to go to the dentist. It was a good visit (as dentists' visits go), small filling replaced, no needles and no pain. The other aches and pains in my jaw/cheekbones are either sinuses or due to my receding gums so I've booked a visit to the hygienist and changed my mouthwash. A dash round Tescos yielded double reduced fruit treats, blueberries, mango, cherries and cherry tomatoes and some king prawns which will do nicely for supper.

Sunny Sunday.

We had plenty of sunshine today but had to put our plans for a walk by the sea on hold as Peter's foot is playing up and he needs to rest it before work tomorrow. While we had a lie in listening to the Archers (shocking events), a pair of sparrows were investigating the hole in the wall by our bedroom window. I think all the birds were enjoying this welcome sunny spell as there were sounds of bird song all through the valley. I got on with more garden jobs including brushing up leaves on the front patio (boring) and weeding and leaf clearing up by the scree garden, somehow much more satisfying.
Last night we had some heavy hail showers and piles of hail lay in the shady parts of the garden. The Link Road was closed at the Barnstaple end this morning due to the black ice and had to closed again in the afternoon as more people spun off the road up by Tiverton. The week's forecast is for warmer and wetter weather.

A Pleasant Pheasant.

Pitch black again this morning on the way to work. The sky was just beginning to lighten and show a hint of dark blue as I arrived at school. The day flew by and soon it was time to tidy the classroom and head back home. I'm not the only one at work feeling so very tired and wishing the holidays had been longer. The next thing we will have to contented with is the 'flu which seems to be on the increase once more, (11 people died this week!) I can't have a flu jab from my doctor as they only do at risk groups (I used to be able to persuade my GP that working with germy children put me at risk but she stopped giving me a free jab 2 years ago.) Last year the nearest place you could pay to have a jab was Exeter 60 miles away but I've heard that the pharmacist at our local Sainsbury's does them so I'll try for that. This latest 'flu is making people ill for up to 8 weeks so it would be well worth trying to avoid that. A view from school towards the junior school with my classroom/hut on the right.

At work a colleague offered me some pheasant (shot yesterday) which I eagerly accepted as I had planned to make a hearty soup/stew in the slow cooker anyway and the pheasant would be perfect for that. I didn't even have to skin the bird as it came already skinned and jointed. I've added parsnips, carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic along with a good dash of red wine. That will be something to look forward to tomorrow evening. Tonight we've left both our cars at the top of the hill as the forecast is for possible snow (on high ground- which is us), from midnight right through to 6.00. The long term forecast is for rain, then more snow possible the following week-end. So on a positive note this is a good time to be working full-time as outdoor jobs are not much fun at this time of year and if I was indoors I would be using up our expensive heating oil. This way I'm earning money and keeping warm at the same time.

Snow Again.

We woke this morning to a dusting of snow once more. The road was fine so I took the Micra up to the top with all our rubbish from the last 6 weeks. The dustmen only come once a fortnight and the last 2 times it was snowy and we didn't feel like carrying the bags half a mile up the hill. Now with all the extra rubbish from the holiday I'm hoping that the dustmen will not be held up by the snow. My day has mainly consisted of housework, general tidying up, hoovering up the last remnants of the tree, putting the decorations back in the loft and taking the second table out of the kitchen. Apart from the snow outside the window there is no sign of the holiday, sad but peaceful.

We had a brief spell of fat snowflakes drifting out of the sky but the forecast is for rain. I can rest easy knowing that the Micra is at the top of the hill and I can get a lift up with Peter as we both return to work in the morning. Now all that is left to do is to watch a short video about Irish dancing and learn a couple of steps to teach to my class tomorrow. This dancing lark is a bit of a case of the blind leading the blind but we all have fun. At least when we move on to English Country dancing I should be able to drag up memories of dancing at school and more recent barn dances with The Oggle Band.

A Minor Flood.

It still remains cold and snowy. The outside temperature has climbed to a balmy 0C after being -9C yesterday afternoon. The day has not been as restful as I had hoped. Due to a misaligned kitchen tap (which has to be left running to avoid freezing up) I came downstairs to find water across the kitchen floor and in the under-sink cupboard. That cupboard was a bit in need of a sort out anyway but the water made it 10x worse. A big clean up operation (by self) followed, including scrubbing things in the icy stream and now I'm determined to spend the evening relaxing.
The cold conditions outside have caused ice crystals to grow from the surface of the snow. Very pretty but hard to photograph.

Paul has finally put some salt down to make a clear walking path up the hill and has driven his Discovery down to his house. Our vehicles remain right at the top of the drive. We haven't walked up the hill today so don't know how much of the snow drifts remain on the drive up to the road. Perhaps an expedition up the road tomorrow to check out conditions.

Escape From Colditz.

I made a break for freedom today. The persistent low temperatures have kept us trapped by the snow and ice and there are no signs of a thaw yet. We are just unused to these sorts of conditions. It looked like my only way out would be to walk (6 miles). On my way up the hill I met Paul who gaily informed me that I would be able to drive my little micra on the road but when I saw the covering of ice I knew that wouldn't be a possibility. Walking seemed like a much safer option to me.
It was only another mile of ice before the road became clear and easy to walk on. I was wearing my new walking boots, a bit of a risk as this was the first time I'd worn them so I did put plasters on my heels just in case and they were fine.

It took me about an hour to walk the 3 miles to the main road during which time I was passed by 4 vehicles all going in the opposite direction. As I got to the main road a landrover came up behind me so I stuck my thumb out for a lift. Nearly got myself run over by another car on the main road but when I jumped in the landrover I recognised the driver and his passenger- Rob & Laura. They were the owners of our Rav (before Alice) and they had given me a lift in similar snowy conditions about 4 years ago (in the Rav). Small world! Another 15 minutes to drive the final 3 miles into town. Excellent.

Town was busy, busy, busy. There was no post at the Post Office because as I had already found out the postman was leaving it (and Paul & Sarah's post) inside the micra at the top of the drive. Then I went to my old dentist to find out what sort of insurance scheme they have as they only do private work (my NHS dentist is not very good) . Not a good deal really, you pay £13 a month for which you get you check-ups and hygienist's visits but you still have to pay 90% of any treatment. I had 4 1/2 hours in town to buy the last few presents etc before Peter picked me up on his way home. We called in at the Co-op to stock up on veg and other groceries. Most of that is now sitting in my car waiting for the boys to bring it down tomorrow on the sled. We finished off the evening with a 'kebab feast' which Peter had promised the boys. Highly unhealthy but a great treat and we had lots of salad with it.

The Sons Return.

This morning there was much checking of train delays and many emails & phone calls. First I checked the train delays, fine according to the information on the web. The Peter phoned to say he was at work and the word was out that the Tarka Line (Exeter to Barnstaple) was closed. I managed to get hold of Romas and advised him to delay until tomorrow. More phone calls to Linas and by mid-morning they were running one train every 2 1/2 hours so the boys decided to return to plan A. Latest update puts Linas at Exeter waiting for Romas as the trains from Stoke have been delayed. Have spoken to Peter who is waiting for an update on their arrival in Barnstaple. The weather has been the big news today with airports closed and many roads affected by snow and ice. The police have been advising people in the South-West not to drive unless absolutely necessary so I heeded their advice and had a day in our valley. After doing some hand washing of socks etc I walked over to our neighbours' to deliver a card and a present for Jack. Stayed for a coffee & a chat, admired the tree which Jack and Paul had decorated before heading back through the powdery snow.
The sun didn't come out until the afternoon so I made a second trip out to take photos.

The lack of perspective always flattens out hills but this road is really steep, 1st gear only. Good cardio-vascular exercise getting to the top of this.

Some views from next door when it wasn't quite so sunny.

My afternoon has been spent getting the bedrooms ready and more tidying up. As I cleared one of those 'piles' that appear by magic on any surface, I stopped to read the magazine sent out by the Co-op (a supermarket chain that is part of a group of businesses run on co-operative and ethical lines and owned by the members). I became a member when my local Somerfields store was bought up by the Co-op. I had a vague idea that it was run differently to the big multi-national chains such as the country dominating Tescos and Sainsbury's but wasn't aware of their ethical policies or support for UK and overseas aid/projects. I shall now be making the Co-op my first choice of supermarket and urge anyone else who has the option to do so as well. The prices are just as good and they have up to 75% reductions on fresh produce towards the end of the day.

Christmas Cake.

The snow is still with us but with little sun it was more on the gloomy side today. I've been rather busy as Christmas approaches with breakneck speed. I baked a Christmas cake today, tut tut the traditionalists would say. They made their cakes weeks ago , spent more weeks lovingly feeding them with brandy and then covered them with a layer of pristine white icing tastefully decorated with hand made icing flowers. Hopefully my cake will taste good, I soaked the fruit in whiskey (almost the last bottle of spirits in the cupboard and I didn't think Creme de menthe would do.) I had almost everything the recipe called for except glace cherries and the bottle of powdered nutmeg wasn't labelled but it smelt right. Perhaps a bit more whiskey poured over it now it is baked. The family are not that keen on icing so it won't matter if the cake doesn't have any.
The chickens have a big feeder of corn inside their hen house (shed) but I do feed the wild birds in this kind of weather. No sooner was the corn on the ground than a pair of robins were there helping themselves.

The powdery snow is easy to walk but soon compresses to treacherous ice. As Peter still has a week of walking up and down the hill in the dark I cleared, swept and salted a path all the way to Paul's bit of the drive. A slip and a fall could easily set off a flare up of Peter's arthritis and leave him in a lot of pain for several weeks.
I had planned to do the boys' bedrooms but instead put up decorations in the sitting room instead. I may be quite un-houseproud in terms of daily cleaning but even I could not put up decorations without a general clean-up. At least now the sitting room is ready for guests. I just need the lights and a tree. I'll get the boys to cut down some of the leylandii in the yard for my 'modern' Christmas tree. That has the advantage of not only being free but not having needles to drop. And they have to be cut back anyway.