Sunshine, Frost & Dark Early

It's been a lovely sunny weekend here in the west. Note that I didn't say the 'wet west' for a change. I can't help but remember it was nice like this exactly a year ago and then the snow arrived. Still, I should know by now that past patterns are no predictor of the weather in Britain.

It may have been sunny, but there's a definite chill in the air. Today it peaked around 12 degrees but as I write (early in the evening) it's dropped to 5 and we may well see our first frost of the year.

Visitors to Fron Dirion

We had visitors this weekend, which was lovely. Forum member Kate & Her Ducks along with her partner. He's in trouble for buying a bargain sleeping bag off the net, arctic quality so you can sleep in minus 20. Happily (for him) he was allowed to stay in the house and not forced onto the hillside to test it out.

Log Cutting

Just before they arrived, I was assembling a Log Saw Horse I bought off Amazon. However, I hit problems and it was left until they headed home this afternoon. Now I have to say I'm very pleased with it. It has serrated blades that help hold a log in position whilst it's being sawn, adjustable width to cope with various sized logs and a staggered centre bar, which is good as you reach the end. It will cope with 150 Kg apparently but since I can't lift that weight, it doesn't really matter!

There is only one thing wrong with it – the installation assembly instructions. They help, but not a lot. It took me something like three attempts, assembling and re-assembling before I finally got it right.

Anyway, a few hours of Sunday afternoon was spent sawing branches into logs that will hopefully be keeping us warm next winter. Whilst I was playing Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Val was out armed with a bulb planter and a bag of daffodil bulbs. OK, I know they're flower things and I'm usually a bit disparaging about flowers, but they are lovely in the spring and we're in Wales so almost compulsory.

Summertime to Wintertime

I've got to admit to not liking this time of year. Each day is shorter and since the clocks changed, it's dark by 5pm. Now I know some people object to the idea of us moving onto European time and effectively 5pm becoming 6pm in winter but I think it would be a good idea.

Few of us get chance to get out onto the plot before work, it's usually just a desperate rush to get to work on time. So we finish work and can grab an hour on the plot but when it's dark that's not possible.

So it forces us into just gardening on the weekend unless we're shiftworkers. Even home-workers like me tend to be stuck in the day. I know I'm self-employed and should be able to master my own time, but it doesn't work like that. Fingers crossed they decide to move onto Euro time next year.