Hobbies & Pastimes Archives - A Simple Life of Luxury https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/category/hobbies-pastimes/ Tales from a down-shifted family - Making the most of modest means in West Wales Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:37 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/cropped-favicon-160x160.jpg Hobbies & Pastimes Archives - A Simple Life of Luxury https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/category/hobbies-pastimes/ 32 32 2696646 Bees, Bikes, Burgers, Beers and Buttocks https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/07/bees-bikes-burgers-beers-and-buttocks/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/07/bees-bikes-burgers-beers-and-buttocks/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:31 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48946 The amazing summer weather continues. We haven’t seen a drop of rain for almost three weeks now, and every day has been either hot or very hot. The sea is lovely, the grass is yellow and the trails are dusty. We’re recycling bath water each day to give the struggling garden plants a drink and,...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/07/bees-bikes-burgers-beers-and-buttocks/feed/ 1 48946 Freebies – Free Bees https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/07/freebies-free-bees/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/07/freebies-free-bees/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:59:42 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48857 We lost a few colonies of bees over the winter. Not only did we lose two small colonies at home, but the bees in our out-apiary at Laura’s house also succumbed. We never had particularly high hopes for them as they were already struggling and then got blown over several times during the autumn and...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/07/freebies-free-bees/feed/ 1 48857 Garden Colours https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/garden-colours-3/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/garden-colours-3/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:08:29 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48730 The garden has suddenly sprung into colour.

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/garden-colours-3/feed/ 1 48730 The Pond Overfloweth https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/the-pond-overflowth/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/the-pond-overflowth/#comments Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:07:30 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48642 It’s lovely having a small wildlife pond tucked away amongst the plants in the garden. It’s nothing grand, certainly not one of those landscaped affairs with waterfalls, lighting systems and ornamental fish, but it punches well above its weight when it comes to attracting wildlife. With nettles and weeds behind it, and plenty of slightly...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/the-pond-overflowth/feed/ 1 48642 A Long Weekend in West Wales https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/a-long-weekend-in-west-wales/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/a-long-weekend-in-west-wales/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:58:00 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48620 West Wales isn’t a bad place to spend a long weekend at home. Both Anna and I were off on Friday, so after an early-ish run around the dunes for me, we headed into town for brunch. We decided to try somewhere new and ended up at Kwizinn, which serves Caribbean-inspired food. It was excellent...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/a-long-weekend-in-west-wales/feed/ 1 48620 A New Bonsai and a Weekend in the Garden https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/05/a-new-bonsai-and-a-weekend-in-the-garden/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/05/a-new-bonsai-and-a-weekend-in-the-garden/#respond Wed, 27 May 2026 13:22:00 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48556 It was Bank Holiday weekend last wekeend, the weather was glorious, and so we did what many people probably did over the long weekend — headed to the local garden centre to buy some bedding plants for the patio pots. Of course, it’s never quite as simple as that. The local Greenacres Nursery here in...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/05/a-new-bonsai-and-a-weekend-in-the-garden/feed/ 0 48556 The National Memorial Arboretum and the Shropshire Hills https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/03/the-national-memorial-arboretum-and-the-shropshire-hills/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/03/the-national-memorial-arboretum-and-the-shropshire-hills/#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:33:14 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48063 We had a busy weekend last week, with a trip to the National Memorial Arboretum near Lichfield and a night nestled in the Shropshire Hills, courtesy of my uncle Paul and Anne-Helen. A Visit to the National Memorial Arboretum Anna had been invited to play the Last Post at the unveiling of a new memorial...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/03/the-national-memorial-arboretum-and-the-shropshire-hills/feed/ 2 48063 The Garden Chores Begin https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/03/the-garden-chores-begin/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/03/the-garden-chores-begin/#comments Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:09:11 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=47961 The mild weather and lengthening days mean that the grass has started to grow already. The daffodils are out earlier than usual, and on the odd occasion that the sun comes out, things are looking decidedly Spring like. The bees are flying, the rhubarb is ready for harvesting and buds are breaking on the trees....

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/03/the-garden-chores-begin/feed/ 1 47961 Surf, Sun, Sand and Snow at Ynyslas https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/01/surf-sun-sand-and-snow-at-ynyslas/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/01/surf-sun-sand-and-snow-at-ynyslas/#respond Mon, 19 Jan 2026 13:13:50 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=47823 Just a few photos from around Ynyslas over the past week or so. Snow in the hills, sun in the sky, sand on the beach and surf on the beach. The surf was good again on Saturday morning, and I managed to get out for a morning session without feeling too cold.

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/01/surf-sun-sand-and-snow-at-ynyslas/feed/ 0 47823 Because Why Wouldn’t You Add Off-Road Mods to a Robot Mower? https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/12/because-why-wouldnt-you-add-off-road-mods-to-a-robot-mower/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/12/because-why-wouldnt-you-add-off-road-mods-to-a-robot-mower/#comments Sat, 13 Dec 2025 13:39:09 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=47522 Our robot lawn mowers might be in winter hibernation mode, but the off-season is the perfect time for… upgrades. On a recent trip to Bristol, my Dad deployed his 3D printer (aka the family’s unofficial R&D department) to produce a pair of traction rings for the wheels on our Mammotion Yuka Mini. Now, the stock...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/12/because-why-wouldnt-you-add-off-road-mods-to-a-robot-mower/feed/ 1 47522