Tales from a down-shifted family
- Making the most of modest means
The Memories section of Facebook is awash with big events for me in June. There are happy memories of becoming European Triathlon Champion and not such happy memories of a massive heart attack. Anna decided to celebrate the fact that I’d survived the latter, and that I was still here by buying me a present....
It seems as though my somewhat experimental preemptive artificial swarm technique has, at least to a certain extent, worked. With only one colony surviving the winter we wanted to ‘make increase’ this year. The fact that this colony had taken up residence in a hive next to the bedroom window also meant that there weren’t...
Having had a nice new ceiling fitted to the conservatory, which has made it more habitable, it was time for an interior design makeover. The fact that it was usually far too hot in the summer and far too cold in the winter meant that we hadn’t been sitting out there so it had become...
I’ve not long got back from an exhausting couple of days at the ‘Cereals Event’ in Nottinghamshire where I was manning the Biomass Connect stand. I know I don’t often post about work-related things, but as this was a little different and I had some photos I thought I would. It was tiring thanks to...
Rhys and I headed up to North Wales to scramble up Bryant’s Gulley earlier in the week. After 4 weeks of bone dry, sunny weather there was some rain the night before. Not loads but the guidebook starts by saying: The route is ideal on a warm spring or summer’s day after a prolonged period...
The weather has been fairly unusual across the UK these last few weeks. No rain and wall-to-wall sunshine is quite strange at any time of year for the UK. Ynyslas has been no exception in this regard. The weather station here has had notifications such as this for days. It hasn’t rained at all since...
We haven’t fed the birds here for a while. But, seeing as the garden was becoming more wildlife friendly with the introduction of a pond, I thought it would be nice to do so. The addition of a pond actually meant moving the water feature and reinstating the pump. The birds have loved this during...
Despite my sore finger and the strong winds, I did manage to do some beekeeping at the weekend. We’d bought a new poly hive so I constructed that. It wasn’t much of a project really and only took about 5 minutes so instead I set to cleaning out a whole load of old brood frames...
Anna and I had a pleasant afternoon at Ynyshir Hall on Sunday afternoon. We weren’t there for some more Michelin-starred dining though – we can’t afford that very often, especially now that Ynyshir is probably the most exclusive restaurant in the UK! Instead, we were there for the Cardiganshire Horticultural Society Plant Fair. The plant...
I think I’ve mentioned in passing that I have a finger infection. Who’d have thought that a simple, small area of infection could cause so much agro! I’m not even sure where it came from, possibly gardening, but the middle finger on my right hand was a little sore early last week. I didn’t think...
Fitness / Technology / Triathlon
Fixing the Altimeter on my Garmin Forerunner 910XT
Monday, March 17th, 2014
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Surf Ski, Kayaking and Canoeing
Bringing Two Surf Skis Back from the Dead (Maybe)
Tuesday, June 16th, 2026
