A Simple Life of Luxury https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/ Tales from a down-shifted family - Making the most of modest means in West Wales Tue, 30 Jun 2026 15:43:13 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/cropped-favicon-160x160.jpg A Simple Life of Luxury https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/ 32 32 2696646 Prepped and Ready to Go – Bring on the summer! https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/prepped-and-ready-to-go-bring-on-the-summer/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/prepped-and-ready-to-go-bring-on-the-summer/#respond Tue, 30 Jun 2026 15:43:08 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48766 The last few weeks have largely been about getting things in order for the summer ahead. That has meant a mix of early starts, time outside in the sun and wind, and a steady run of practical jobs: washing kit down, moving gear around, clearing shelves, and trying to get everything back into a sensible...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/prepped-and-ready-to-go-bring-on-the-summer/feed/ 0 48766 Garden Colours https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/garden-colours-3/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/garden-colours-3/#respond 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/ 0 48730 The Surf Skis Live to Paddle Another Day https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/the-surf-skis-live-to-paddle-another-day/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/the-surf-skis-live-to-paddle-another-day/#respond Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:06:40 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48727 It’s been a case of ‘so far, so good’ with the surf skis. I’ve had them both on the water for a few short paddles, as well as a paddle to Aberdyfi and back last night. They both seem to be watertight, and the repairs have held up well. Time will tell how long they’ll...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/the-surf-skis-live-to-paddle-another-day/feed/ 0 48727 Bringing Two Surf Skis Back from the Dead (Maybe) https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/bringing-two-surf-skis-back-from-the-dead-maybe/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/bringing-two-surf-skis-back-from-the-dead-maybe/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2026 18:53:00 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48674 For the last few years I’ve been the proud owner of not one, but two damaged surf skis: a Knysna Genius BLU and a Think Evo II. I essentially snapped the tail off the former back in 2019 and it’s been sitting under my lean-to ever since. No longer seaworthy, it was eventually superseded by...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/06/bringing-two-surf-skis-back-from-the-dead-maybe/feed/ 1 48674 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 Bagging Nuttalls in the Sunshine https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/05/bagging-nuttalls-in-the-sunshine/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/05/bagging-nuttalls-in-the-sunshine/#comments Sun, 31 May 2026 14:59:01 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48571 With the settled weather due to break at the weekend, I decided to make the most of it and head into the hills to bag a few more Nuttalls. Most of the local ones are already ticked off now, so it meant a longer drive, but the Black Mountains and Bannau Brycheiniog still had plenty...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/05/bagging-nuttalls-in-the-sunshine/feed/ 4 48571 Costa Rica Coast to Coast Video https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/05/costa-rica-coast-to-coast-video/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/05/costa-rica-coast-to-coast-video/#respond Fri, 29 May 2026 07:35:00 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48565 Finally had chance to edit some video from Costa Rica. Enjoy.

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/05/costa-rica-coast-to-coast-video/feed/ 0 48565 Costa Rica Coast to Coast – Winding Down and Coming Home https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/05/costa-rica-coast-to-coast-winding-down-and-coming-home/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/05/costa-rica-coast-to-coast-winding-down-and-coming-home/#comments Thu, 28 May 2026 11:40:51 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=48537 Leaving the Caribbean Having finished our coast-to-coast journey on Monday lunchtime, we were now on the Caribbean coast winding down. In hindsight, I probably should have treated the next few days as part of the holiday and made the most of them. Instead, something in my brain decided that the main event was over and...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2026/05/costa-rica-coast-to-coast-winding-down-and-coming-home/feed/ 1 48537 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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