Powis Castle

Right now I'm in the sitting room drinking tea and trying to keep warm by the wood stove. I've been lighting a fire every evening but it still barely touches the cold. I think my toque is helping more than the fire. Marijka is off to have a bath to warm up. Space heaters are blasting in our bedrooms so they'll be warm when we're ready to go to bed. We've had a wonderful few days but she returns to London tomorrow. I'll miss her!

Yesterday we visited Powis Castle (or Powys) near Welshpool, about 40 minutes away from the cottage. It was the first time either of us have visited a non-ruinous castle. We were quite impressed and I think a bit dumbstruck by the sights. Murals on the ceilings, portraits on the walls, intricate carvings, soaring ceilings, sculptures, canopy beds, heavy tapestries, a rosary that Mary Queen of Scots gave to somebody, a chunk of a hitching post that some army guy tied his horse to, and original furnishings that I'd be afraid to touch even if they weren't plastered with little signs reading, "Touching Causes Damage".

We arrived relatively late in the day so we made a rather hurried visit through the interior, then tried to get around the garden to snap decent shots of the exterior in the quickly-fading light. On our way back to the castle we detoured through the old orchard and snagged an apple or two for a snack on the ride home (probably a hanging offence but we weren't concerned).

The first view of Powis Castle through the gateway.

I love the knocker on the front door!

The hedge that made me think of Len.
The Latin name tags on all the plants made me think of Glenda.
You two would have been in heaven here.

Powis Castle as viewed from the gardens.

Marijka and me.
Freezing, windblown, hungry, and loving the beauty and history of God's world!

A Welsh Love Spoon

My brother, David, is engaged to be married to Keri at the end of February. While reading about the UK before I moved here, I discovered the tradition of the Welsh Love Spoon and David got a kick out of the idea.

I was at a little deli in Caersws yesterday and I was thrilled with a little discovery - a Chocolate Welsh Love Spoon! David, I had to buy one and send a photo for you. I'm sure if guys back in the day had made their spoons out of chocolate rather than wood, they would have had much better luck with the ladies.

Chocolate Love Spoon

Let it snow!

During my last few years in high school and shortly after graduation, I helped out in the church youth group in Parksville. One of the girls in the youth group is now teaching at a school in London! She arrived in England a few weeks before me - I wasn't sure about her schedule, so I decided to get in touch and see if she was interested in visiting Wales while I'm housesitting. Turns out that she has some free time before she starts teaching full time next week! Marijka arrived yesterday and leaves on Saturday. It's wonderful to have somebody to visit with and I've had a great time catching up with her.

After she arrived yesterday I took her to Dolforwyn Castle, the place I visited last Sunday. The weather was far from what I enjoyed last Sunday! Windy, overcast, light rain, and extremely cold! We stocked up on groceries and then stopped at a butcher's shop in Caersws to pick up some lamb (we decided we had to enjoy some Welsh lamb while we're here!). This was Marijka's first trip outside London and she loved the scenery - reminds her a lot of the landscape she enjoyed during the year she spent in New Zealand. She couldn't believe the ordeal of opening and closing the three gates between the main road and the cottage... I'm getting used to it, but it still feels a bit strange that it takes almost 10 minutes to go down the driveway.

We're not sure yet what we'll do while she's here - I have a few ideas so we'll figure things out after our pancake breakfast. We found Canadian Maple Syrup at the store last night so we decided to splurge on a little bottle. I love how the label image and brand name are so stereotypically Canadian!


I spent my childhood in Victoria and it doesn't snow often there. On the rare days that some of the white stuff fell, my parents decided that playing in the snow was more important than sitting in class. Academics were very important to them, but they also valued making memories together as a family. Although I only went to public school for less than two years, I still remember the call coming out over the intercom for me and my sister to go to the principal's office. I remember walking in and my parents were there with our snowsuits saying, "C'mon girls - it's snowing! Let's go tobogganing!"

I have the best parents ever.

I love snow! I love watching it fall and walking or playing in it. Just ask my brother, Jonathan, and my cousins, Caleb and Lucas... I build a sweet toboggan run.

Last night I looked out the window and yelled, "It's snowing!"


Big, wet flakes were falling and I knew they wouldn't last, but it was a taste of home and it felt like Christmas. I know it's still October, but trust me, I'm ready to start the Christmas baking now that I've seen a few white flakes! Marijka agreed that the evening called for a crackling fire, tea, yummy dessert, a pile of blankets, and a movie... the perfect response to blustery weather.

This morning we woke up to an icing sugar dusting of snow. I know it'll melt soon, same as back home, but I'm enjoying the beauty while it lasts.

What time change? Church, Lunch and Dolforwyn Castle

I pulled up to Newtown Evangelical Church and the parking lot was empty.

"Either the time change happened this weekend and I missed it or I have completely lost track of what day of the week this is."

I decided to top up the gas tank and use it as an excuse to ask the cashier. Turns out the time change happened last night so I was actually an hour early for church. I had been planning to check out the ruins of Dolforwyn Castle after church so I decided to visit the site before the service. I drove through the hills for a while and figured I must have taken a wrong turn so I returned to the church and hoped that somebody there would be able to give directions. (Turns out I just read the symbols on the signs incorrectly and the castle was easy to find.)

The church service was really nice - the first time I was able to attend church in the UK (finally!). It was a typical evangelical service but they added half an hour for public prayer - moving through prayers in connection to what had been taught during the sermon, to prayers for the immediate concerns of the church family, and then on to the broader country and world. I love the personal connection at smaller churches. The pastor used a beautiful nearby walk in a sermon example so I got directions from him after the service... always looking for good leads! A man named Rob chatted with me after the service and invited me and an older couple to return to his family's home for lunch. The couple who sat next to me during the service, Mark and Hala, came up to see if I had lunch plans and since I already had an invitation they said they'd love to have me over next Sunday.

I helped with lunch prep and I loved visiting with Rob's wife Jill - she had lots of freckles and looks ten years younger than her actual age... reminded me of my mom. They have four kids under the age of seven and I loved the choas of having kids around! The seven-year-old girl told a story during lunch and I just about turned inside out - the first time I've really heard a child over here speak at length and the accent is to die for! I told Rob why I couldn't stop grinning and he laughed and said, "You do realize that you're the one with the accent, right?"

Yay! My first castle!

Not much left of the castle, but I was excited anyway. I figure since I'm living in Wales, I should visit the ruins of a classic Welsh castle (built around 1275).

Leaf-strewn path to the castle.
Lots of maple leaves... ahhh... home...

Part of a warning sign near the entrance.

I find the squinty eyes on the warning to be awfully funny... reminds me of Homestar Runner for some reason. I figured there must be some area where you get to go inside a room if letting your eyes adjust to the darkness was an issue. Apparently they're referring to the difference between being in sunshine and shadow. (There were also warnings for tripping, falling, etc. - quite a hazardous site!)

The fences are for protection around ledges and the well. Thankfully the place just has warning signs about being careful and not defacing the site so you can climb around and explore the whole area. Each room or area has a large plaque explaining what the room was used for so the exploration makes more sense.

Um, yeah, you can put me on sentry duty anytime!

"It is dangerous to climb on the stonework."
Yeah... I'm tough that way... pushing the boundaries and being dangerous and stuff.

As I walked around the ruins I kept thinking about the men who created these walls over 700 years ago. Each of them had lives, probably had families, and were working to protect their land. I'm sure it never occured to them that 700 years later a team would spend years uncovering their handiwork and tourists and locals would wander the site, enjoying the peaceful scenery.

My favourite photo from the day.

Welsh Roofing Methods

Yet another tramp up the hill today. I never get bored of the view.

Shingles to repair the cottage and barn roofs.

Not sure how many people will care about this; I found it interesting so I'm giving some details for those who might be curious. The roofing material here is made out of slate "shingles" and they last about 100 years. I've been told that some of the older buildings need modern roofing materials as the trusses can no longer bear the weight of the slate. Each shingle has a hole drilled into it and the traditional way to attach them to the roof is to use a wooden peg, but people who care more about longevity than traditional methods use nails. Underneath the shingles is a waterproof layer (not sure what they used when these places where originally built) and the slate is used to protect the waterproofing.

Eery Sheep and Random Stuff

The massive stove/oven at the cottage.

Frieda, in response to your question, this is what I cook on. Yet another little adventure. There are two elements for cooking on top - I opened the lid on one of them for this shot. The burner on the left is hotter than the one on the right. The two oven openings on the right are the ones that are used - the one on top is hotter. The heat control is around the left side mounted next to the wall. It's a dial with no heat levels indicated... I just know that low is to the right and high is to the left. It's a major guessing game and all the way to the highest setting barely keeps water boiling. It's interesting.

In response to your other questions, I don't know what heats this place... oil maybe? It kicks in twice a day but I'm usually freezing. I actually look forward to washing dishes because it warms me up. I drive about 20 kms for a decent grocery store, but it's still pretty small. There are towns about 12 kms away with little corner stores, but the prices are higher and selection is limited.

Sheep staring at me eerily.

At the risk of sounding completely insane, I'm going to admit that it's really intimidating to walk down the driveway or across fields when a ton of sheep turn and stare at me. It's a really bizarre experience. When they all have their heads down and they're just chewing grass they seem so innocent, but when they turn with those big, black eyes and there are 30 sheep staring at me... weird. Even though I know they're tremendously stupid, at that moment they seem threatening. I was walking down the driveway yesterday thinking about this as they all stared at me and then one of them let out a loud, low, "BAAAAA" and I burst out laughing. They seem to take themselves so seriously but they sound completely ridiculous.

Another walk up the hill.

When I was walking up the hill today I was able to watch a guy ride an ATV and work with two border collies to herd the sheep in the fields below. I find the process beautiful and fascinating - the energy of the dogs is astounding and from my vantage point it was just an organized swirl of white specs moving together.

The guy eventually rode up the hill in search of a few sheep and he stopped near me and asked, "You alright?" Ah yes, the phrase meant as a friendly greeting over here but it makes me slightly confused and a little defensive as I wonder what's so wrong about my appearance that people think I'm in distress. In Canada, the question, "You alright?" is asked when you see someone pulled over at the side of the road with the hood up, you ask that when someone looks pale and ill, or it's asked when you think someone is lost. How did it somehow morph into a friendly greeting over here?

Mud and Wellies. A beautiful combination.

My Dad and I were chatting on Skype yesterday and he asked about the mud over here. Yes, they make good mud. Mix it with the contributions from the sheep and it's a prime mixture just waiting for me to slip and fall on my face. There are a ton of springs here so even if it hasn't been raining, it's still muddy, mostly in the areas near gates. Not as good as sand between my toes, but it's still fun.

(Just Googled "wellies" and found the best site! How about a pair with VW vans? Or some random circles? Or pink with polka dots? So fun! Or for the truly pretentious, personalized with Swarovski crystals? Wow... they take their wellies seriously over here.)

Qimmiq, a handsome, stubborn devil.

Enjoying the Simplicity

I'm enjoying the nothingness of this little vacation.

I have to think to remember what day of the week it is and I have to look at a calendar to know the date. I haven't had a car for three days so I've enjoyed the simplicity of just staying home. I feel like a total slacker with so few responsibilities and nobody expecting me to do much of anything. I know it won't last long so I'm enjoying it. I don't think this would be a healthy way for anyone to live long-term, but for a few weeks of vacationing, it works quite well! Once I get the car back then I want to do some exploring in the area, but for now I'm just listening to the sound of the creek.

Pudge.

This is the cat who lives in the barn and only expects to be fed once each day. Purrs like mad and swirls around my feet so it's tough to shoot any decent photos.

The back door handle.

For some reason I take great delight in the way these doors open and close and latch. It's just fun and old and unlike anything back home. The two front doors have bolts to lock them but this one has an old-school key... the kind where you can squint and look through the lock.

Full moon through my window.

Last Wednesday when I went to bed I was amazed by how bright it was in the house with all the lights out. I went to my window and looked up to see an almost full moon. The amount of light was incredible!

A quirky view of Qimmiq.

This afternoon I was freezing and didn't want to go outside but decided a walk would eventually warm me up... which it did. I hiked to the top of the hill behind the cottage and accidentally took the photo above when Qimmiq tugged on the leash as I turned on the camera. I really like how it turned out!

Me and my buddy, Qimmiq.

It's a bit strange to be all alone here. Sometimes it's ridiculously quiet, but I actually don't mind it. I enjoy the sounds I do hear - usually just the creek, the sheep, and the occasional train down the hill. One of my favourite moments today was when I was walking up the hill and I could hear the sound of the wind in a tree behind me but I couldn't feel anything. The wind had been blowing all day but at that moment it felt totally calm. I turned around and watched a huge tree swirl as the wind shrieked and tore leaves off - the sound and sight were there but I had yet to feel anything. I watched the wind blow through the next couple of trees and then I was suddenly hit with a swirl of leaves and howling wind. It only lasted a minute and was gone.

Made me smile and think of Aslan.

Dinner Time

Phone conversation I just had with a neighbour:

"Hi, Alison. Are you able to take me to pick up the car from the mechanic now?"

"Are you sure he's still there?"

"Yeah, I spoke with him yesterday and he said he'd be there until dinner time today."

"That's lunch time, love."

"Oops."

I knew that. Honest I did. But I forgot. I called Carl and he had just left the shop so I'll pick the car up on Monday now. At least I got a good laugh out of my mistake.
I may be able to understand what people are saying, but I still don't know what they mean half the time.

Mostly Just a Bunch of Photos

I took Qimmiq for a walk in the hills above the cottage this afternoon and took along my camera. I wandered around the cottage afterwards since it's a beautiful day and perfect for taking photos. The cord to upload photos from my DSLR was forgotten in Canada so I'm getting to know my point and shoot quite well! I'm also learning to tolerate the annoyance of the slow process speed as slipping it in my pocket is quite convenient!




Lindsay, I thought of you today when I saw the sight above.

Baa, ram, ewe, baa, ram, ewe.
To your breed, your fleece, your clan be true.
Sheep be true,
Baa, ram ewe.

Yes, I'm crazy. I like it this way. Keeps me from getting bored.
Don't deny it... I know you're crazy too.

The Adventures Won't Stop!

So, yeah, um, remember that cute little car I was having so much fun driving? The one where every time I drive it I end up trying to get in on the wrong side? Yeah, well, something is really wrong with it. Hopefully it's easy to fix... it's at the mechanic's right now. It's not my fault.

It's been chugging and seemingly running out of fuel since the first time I drove it (Bernie drove it first... blame him!). When I tried to fill it up I discovered it was already full. Managed to limp it over to the mechanic's and he'll take a look at it tomorrow.

Between breakdowns, my day today included walking a total of four miles... one of them in the pouring rain and two of them with Qimmiq (my hands are now rough and worn from holding/pulling on the leash for an hour). All four miles were walked along these crazy country roads where they think the ideal situation is to grow your hedges right up against the edges of the road and drive like a maniac around every corner. Qimmiq learned the words, "Up" and "Stay" real quick as we jumped up the banks of grass when cars came in opposite directions at the same time... they definitely didn't plan for pedestrians out here.

As an aside, for a country that is supposed to be so polite and well-mannered, what's with pedestrians not having the right of way?

Oh - and I went to the grocery store the other day and discovered that they sell hotdog wieners in some kind of liquid in jars. I need to check the ingredients next time... looked like alien food.

Qimmiq Vocalizing

I've mentioned Qimmiq and his vocalizing and I promised my little bro I'd post a video. No, Jonathan hasn't asked for it... David is the one begging for it.

Here you go buddy.

Nasty Critters

For those who thought the cottage was too good to be true... it is... in a way. I've heard critters scampering through the walls in almost every room. Haven't seen any yet and hopefully it'll stay that way.

The Cottage and the 2CV

"Tyddyn Y Pwll", the name of the cottage.

Step outside the front door of the cottage and this is what you see.

Step inside the front door and this is what you see.
The window above the kitchen sink looks out at a small yard with a big apple tree, and beyond the fence I can see fields with sheep grazing.

My bedroom window.

My new little friend, the 2CV, an old French car.

Partway down the driveway, past the first two gates (yes, you have to jump out and open and close them before and after the car), and you drive under this little overpass of sorts. It's about six feet across - I can spread my arms and almost touch the sides.
I love it!

Partway down the driveway.
Why are cows and sheep so stupid that they wait until the last second and then jump in front of the car instead of just standing still and letting me pass by?

Driving this car feels like I'm driving in a cartoon.

It sways crazily on corners, the horn sounds like the Road Runner, the windshield wipers only have one speed option, the steering wheel is built like it was intended for a bus, and... just look at it!
So fun!

The gear shift is on the dash - push in, down and to the left for reverse; pull out towards you and turn a bit to the left for first; push in and slightly to the right for second; pull straight out for third; push in and turn slightly to the right for fourth. A bit of an adventure... reminds me of learning to drive standard on our old '72 VW van.

I'm okay on the main roads, but in town my jaw clenches and my brain goes a mile a minute to keep me in the correct lane, enter on the correct side of a parking lot entrance, use a round-about properly, reenter traffic in the correct direction... YIKES! Definitely not ready to chat with passengers or listen to music... not that there's a stereo in the car for music.