For a change the bank holiday weekend was sunny rather than rainy. Sadly, we weren’t able to take advantage of the sunny weekend because Mr C was suffering with food poisoning.

Thankfully, on bank holiday Monday Mr C felt much better and we were able to enjoy a mini adventure to one of our favourite places, Hodnet Hall. We enjoyed mackerel pate for lunch and then a short walk to the walled garden before returning to the car to pick up some essential supplies from Sainsbury’s on our way home.

Sadhguru

Just as I was about to leave the school the fire alarm sounded. The school was evacuated and the roll call taken which meant I was delayed until the all clear had been given.

I walked home the long way round in glorious sunshine.

On the way to Chester we realised that the museum that Mr C intended to visit is closed on Wednesdays. After being delayed by roadworks and diversions and very slow service at the Grosvenor garden centre just outside Chester we decided not to visit the city. Instead Mr C took us on Welsh mystery tour where we spotted the Inn with my name. Mr C parked the car and insisted I took a photo.

Eventually the mystery tour led us to Denbigh and signposts to the castle. We navigated the extremely narrow roads to the castle to find that it too was closed on Wednesdays.

Maybe we should rule out Wednesdays for future days out!

In 1785 Morgan David Morgan agreed to rent this cottage from the Plas Taliaris estate for about £9 a year.

The family were self-sufficient, keeping a pig and growing vegetables, so they could have food available all year – even if money was scarce.

The walls of their cottage were mad of ‘clom’ – a mixture of clay, stone and straw. Friends and family often helped with building work. The thick walls helped keep the house warm in winter and cool in summer.

The chimney is made from woven branches of hazel just like a basket, and its surface is covered with daub – a mixture of clay and dung.*

*information from a signboard next to the house and pigsty

Henry David Thoreau

My Parisian Popsy arrived a couple of days ago and I couldn’t resist wearing her to host a birthday dinner. My England dress would have been more appropriate, the main course was roast beef!

Heloise Print Detail from Popsy website

Buddha

Recently we have been visiting my mum after I have ‘been to school’ but today that proved difficult. Just over a week ago I noticed that our hot water cylinder had developed a leak. British Gas assessed the situation and confirmed that we needed a new water cylinder but before it could be replaced it needed to be built. Today was the day for it to be fitted and because we knew the work would take several hours we expected the engineers to arrive fairly early in the morning.

Lunch time arrived, the engineers had not.

After lunch I left for my afternoon of volunteering at my local school, helping children with their reading. I wasn’t needed for the whole afternoon so I phoned home to check on the engineer situation, they had only just arrived! Not wanting to disturb the work in progress by shuffling cars and vans around I chose to walk ‘the long route’ home and visit mum tomorrow instead.

Several hours later normal service had resumed, we had water, hot water and heating again.