A Simple Life of Luxury

Tales from a down-shifted family
- Making the most of modest means

Category: Other Sites

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Cycling / Lifestyle / Other Sites / Wales

A Bed for Saddle Sightseers

Anna and I were at our most social on Wednesday evening. Unusual for us I know, but a couple of cyclists who are cycling around Wales were in the Aberystwyth area looking for a bed for the night. We, therefore, offered to put them up. Their names are Connor and Lisa and they weren’t complete...

Flapjacks 0

Other Sites

Mmm, Flapjacks

Yet more treats dropping through the letterbox thanks to Graze…. A Flapjack box this time. Get your 1st, 5th and 10th boxes free by using this code ANNAC3QTB at https://www.graze.com/uk

Garden Picture in Picture 1

Family / Other Sites / Photography

Picture in Picture of the Past in the Present

I came across a cool little idea yesterday on a website called ‘Dear Photograph‘. It’s a simple idea where you take a photograph of a photograph. The photograph comes from the past but you overlay it in the same position in the present so that you end up with a photograph of the past in...

Grey Herons 0

Nature / Other Sites / Wales

Springwatch Webcams at Ynyshir

Springwatch starts tonight on the BBC. As mentioned elsewhere in this blog, this year (and for the next couple of years at least) they are coming live from Ynyshir RSPB Nature reserve in the Dyfi Valley, just up the road from us here in West Wales. It’s the perfect place for them with stunning scenery,...

Skylark 0

Nature / Other Sites

Skylarks

I spotted a couple of Skylarks in the garden this morning. We see quite a few around here and on sunny days in the summer can hear them singing constantly whilst in their distinction display flight. It’s good to see them because, although they are the UK’s commonest lark, in recent times the Skylark population...

Planets in the Night Sky 0

Astronomy / Other Sites / Technology

Planets in the Night Sky

I’ve always wanted to know more about the various objects we can see in the night sky. I know a few of them but I’m certainly no expert, I just have never got around to really studying the sky and learning what everything is. [Edit April 4th 2015 – I’m actually getting a bit better...

Blue Tit 0

Other Sites / Photography

Winter Garden Birds

As well as feeding the birds in this cold weather, the lack of internet access has meant that i’ve actually had some time to sit there and watch them as well. It may be cold and wintry out there but there are still plenty of birds around. In about an hour we saw the follwoing...

Ahem! - Nice Crank 2

Community / Other Sites

Who wants to see me nude?

I wonder if with a title like that this post gets more views than normal? Well, not being one to disappoint, you can if you want by buying the Coast 2 Coast 2011 Calendar. I posed for the photos a while back and then produced the calendar for them which has now been printed. As...

UK Snow Map 3

Family / Other Sites / Weather

Winter Firsts

Well, we had our first sprinkling of snow for the winter last night. Only a tiny bit here and temperatures were down to -1.2ºC on the weather station. Morgan was unimpressed, but Anna and I are always excited by a bit of snow. There could be a bit more on the way as well. If...

Open Water Swimming 6

Fitness / Lifestyle / Other Sites / Wales

Open Water Swimming

I’ve always been a fairly good swimmer and enjoy swim sessions in the pool, but driving back and forth to Aberystwyth to get to the pool is a bit of a pain. I’ve therefore ordered myself a wetsuit and cap so that I can do some open-water swim training here in Borth and Ynyslas. I’m...