Monday 31 October 2011

Old Parr

It's strange how one blog can suddenly ignite another. Delores over at http://mybabyjohn.blogspot.com/ has recently posted a blog on 'Scary' -' the first person to live to 150 has already been born'  ............. and he lived within walking distance from where we live. His name was Thomas Parr. He was born in 1483 and died in 1635
http://www.wardsbookofdays.com/15november.htm
Katherine Milton was 18 and to do penance, Thomas Parr had to stand naked, covered in a white sheet  for one day in Wollaston Church

The cottage in which he spent almost all his life is owned and been restored by our neighbour friend Jennie.
I'll take you for a walk from our house up to it.


Take the narrow path up along the edge of the dingle past the earthworks of the old mill


Up the single track road towards Winnington


Take the left hand turn down Gypsy Lane


And there's Old Parr's cottage



Jennie welcomes us in for a cup of tea.


Jennie's Rooster - Old Parr

What fantastic things would you do with your life, if you lived until you were150?




Thursday 27 October 2011

Mist Over Molly


 We've had rain and Moel-y shrouded in mist for most of the day.


Grey swirling water in the brook down at the mill .......... ccccold


Wet leaves and puddles


But doesn't everything look fresher and brighter when it all stops for a while. I love the garden after the rain.


Early closing - it'll be darker still earlier  after Saturday

What's your weather been like today?






Saturday 22 October 2011

Movers and Shakers



I have a big box of old photos stashed away that never quite got sorted. Do you hoard old photos? The digital camera has saved a planet of trees and space but isn't nearly as interesting as rummaging through all those yellowed old snaps you'd almost forgotten, don't you think?  The above photograph was taken during the mid-eighties of a 4 x 4 demo. The JCB digger is clearing a track up the hill ready for the action. Do you like the shadow of the Man-in-Charge - cool isn't he!
I'm connecting with Shadow Shot Sunday on this one.


There she blows.
Happy SSS

Monday 17 October 2011

What's in a name



When you start the blogging game the first thing you've got to think about is what do you call yourself? Not many people use their true identity - be who you like, do what you like, you're in cyber land.  In all honesty though, what I write and what interests me is the unvarnished truth and I am who I am. The names have just been changed to protect the guilty. I used to call my blog site Molly Golver until some unmentionables copied chunks of my work and posted them along with some of the comments on their own crumby site. Not amused.
We are surrounded by hills - the one across the valley is called 'Moel y Golfa' (spoken in a broad Mid-Walian accent comes out as 'Molly Golver') and that seemed as good a reason as any.  Oh well, plenty more to choose from as they say so 'Some Other Mountain' will do


Moel y Golfa is actually an extinct volcannic area. It has an altitude of 1324 feet and is the highest of a group of three - Moel y Golfa, Middletown Hill and Breidden Hill. Called 'The Marylins' - I don't know why that is but can't help thinking maybe 'Marylin Monroe' but I could be way off track there. I looked up the words Moel y Golfa. Moel is Welsh for a bare hill and Golfa means a tree or a branch. As you look across from west to east just outside Welshpool on the A458, the summit does appear rocky, but as you look across from our house at the foot of the Long Mountain the tapestry of Autumn in the trees is breathtaking. 




There is a Romany Monument built right at the top of the 'Moel y'. During construction, a lorry was comandeered to hoik the huge stone to the top. Owing to the slippery steepness of the gradient the lorry laboured and got stuck. The problem was overcome by borrowing cutting down two telegraph poles near by and using them for a sledge. There was also a wager in the Breidden Hotel at Middletown as to who could carry the heaviest load of concrete on his shoulders as far as he could up the mountain - probably a hundred weight something. The competition was won by a man called John and he was rewarded with a liquid lunch of all the ale he could sup.
Why did you call your blog site what you did?

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Willow Manor Ball


All this glamour! All these amazing people.
Guess who's just called to take me to the ball.
Oh no it's after 12.
Fairy Godmother don't turn me back into a pumpkin,

Saturday 8 October 2011

Reflections and Shadows


Low sun and long shadows of the front garden gate.
After doing two hours penance this morning, clearing up more brash at the Mill (safety glasses firmly in place I might add) I spent the afternoon  digging  the front borders and planting bulbs, and primroses and pansies. Not much to show for my efforts but come the Spring ........


A quick trip into Welshpool for a few odds and ends and a time-out walk along the canal. I like my time-outs.


The sky was starting to grey over, but at least it was still dry. Not many folks around this time of the day.
Everywhere looks docile and sleepy.


Including the swans.
A little while back, someone was out walking their dog along the tow path. The dog yapped and yelped like they do sometimes. The male swan attacked it and dragged it into the water and the poor little mite was drowned. Beautiful as they are they can be lethal too.


And the ducks. Most of them were curled up on the embankment. What would these three be saying in duck language d'you think? '.....Cam on, 'urry up, chop chop ....'



'........Ready, Steady ........Goooooooo'
Linking with Tracy over at Hey Harriet
Happy Shadow Shot Sunday

Sunday 2 October 2011

Empty Benches



I started to draft this one on Friday, ready for Shadow Shot Sunday like I sometimes do. Saturday morning was gorgeous weather wise so up bright and early and helping Other Half clear some brash down at the Mill.  An errant falling branch whipped across my face. A couple of hours later, was in dire agony and a trip to the local A&E. I had apparently scarred my corneal quite badly. No lasting damage though, thank goodness,  but a bit of a sore week ahead she said. Came out of the hospital, went to start the car - not a dickey bird, dead as a dodo again. We waited a couple of hours and then tried the ignition again. Nothing! Rang the  Road Rescue. Sunny weather, busy Saturday - they said they'd be with us in three hours, but in all fairness it was not quite as long as that. Car still wouldn't start. After about an hour of the Man that Can poking about it still wouldn't and didn't start and we were unceremoniously towed home about 7 pm. But in all fairness, I couldn't get over how how kind and helpful the people around us were. If any of you happen to read this, thank you so much for all your kindness.
Happy Shadow Shot Sunday