So, how was your Bank Holiday? Was it wet? Muddy? Humid? Dark? Ours was.

Last Thursday evening, I went over to a friend's house to dog sit while she was out in the evening. One of her greyhounds (Jim, a delightful gentleman) is a bit elderly and likes the chance to go out quite frequently. While there, I settled in and did some cross stitch, while listening to Radio 2. On Thursday nights Bob Harris does Country and I always enjoy the show. Friend is also an accomplished quilter, so her living room and conservatory are festooned in very pretty handmade patchwork quilts - her greyhounds really do recline in luxury.

On Saturday I went to a card making workshop in Inkspot - enjoyable as usual. Popped in to the new Marks and Spencer Simply Food on the way home. Much as had been reported to me, nice stock, but the shop is freezing cold, and quite dark with black decor and enviro - friendly lighting - the sort that's useless.

A peaceful weekend, with some work on refining our monthly budget. On Monday, yesterday, we took the dogs to a new piece of Forestry Commission land near Rudry that links up with some of our other regular walks. Damp and misty but very enjoyable. This morning, to Cosmeston, again damp but good. Both walks characterised by an abundance of autumnal colours - bracken changing and masses of berries, including sloe, hawthorn, rose hips, blackberries and elderberries. It really does feel that summer is over. I ordered some autumn/winter stuff today from Lands End - it feels right to be looking at fleeces and coats. I suspect we'll soon have the heating on again.

We've discovered that Booty has corns - which partially explains some of her limping problems. In dogs, only greyhounds and lurchers get them apparently, which would explain why our vet hadn't picked up on them previously. We've now got some Hoof cream (yes I know she is not a horse) for her, and are ordering some custom made boots from the USA - Therapaws. Boots for our Booty.

A most interesting weekend, with an assortment of visitors, both human and otherwise. Friday morning, we woke early to find a heron in the garden, and watched it flap in a leisurely way to the roof of a neighbours house to gain a better vantage point for our pond. Took Andrew to the station, walked the woofs at Hamadryad and called in at Tesco on the way home for some shopping for the weekend. Cleaning and cooking then Andrew's parents arrived at tea time. Did spatchcocked chickens marinaded with lemon and rosemary (from the garden), followed by a peach and berry crisp, and some Welsh cheeses. After dinner we had coffee and digestifs in the sitting room and let out the dogs for their customary late night ablutions. Lots of excited sniffs and squeaks. Andrew investigated to find a hedgehog in the undergrowth -wonderful. Brought the dogs back so they could leave it in peace.

Saturday we walked to the West Usk lighthouse along the sea wall path, wet and blustery. Came home, thawed out, showered and then visited the new Waitrose up at Pontprennau. Spanking new shop, beautifully laid out, with gorgeous stock. I was particularly impressed by the range of flours and bought some to try with my bread maker. Also had an enticing selection of wines. Andrew cooked when we got home, and did a slow pot roast of a haunch of venison, cooked with red wine, herbs and mushrooms, followed by chocolate mousse. All went very well.

Sunday morning I did a late and relaxing brunch of pancakes, blueberry and maple syrup and crispy bacon. Then it was over to Tredegar House where we had tickets for a tour of hidden Tredegar - bits of the house that are not seen when you do the main tour of the rooms. Most interesting, including cellars, attics, nursery rooms and all sorts of staircases. Bits of the house are medieval, so all sorts of funny shapes, windows and levels. Then out to the stables, which are magnificent, the orangery and then back to the Brewhouse for a cream tea (included in the price of the tour). Photo attached of Rita and Roger over tea.

Returned home, and relaxed over a cuppa. Rita and Roger departed later and we were relaxing with the Sunday paper when Andrew called me to come quickly and look out the window. A sparrowhawk was perched on the garden bench eating one of our regular sparrows, amidst a pathetic pile of fluffy feathers. Andrew tried to take a picture - attached - it hasn't come out brilliantly but you can see the bird if you look carefully on the arm of the bench. It really does seem to have been a weekend for wildlife.

As promised in my last post, I went to a card making workshop at Inkspot on Saturday afternoon. As usual, enjoyed thoroughly. On Sunday, went over to Busy Bees for a workshop on making a log cabin chicken. I don't usually post much on this blog about my craft related activities, as that is what Silver Nutmeg is for but I am so chuffed with the little chap - I think he's gorgeous. He doesn't yet have a name, and I am open to suggestions. Have a look at the picture and tell me what you think. He's made from two log cabin blocks - the workshop was a double bonus as not only did I learn the chicken but also how to make the block and even better, a shortcut to making two at a time. I've often seen log cabin quilts and the block is a joy to do - suspect will be doing more in future. There were six of us in the class, with a lovely tutor called Sue from the shop - haven't learned with her before, but she is excellent. One rather endearing characteristic was her referral to her class as "Girls", as in "Now girls, this is how we attach the next piece" and so on. Given that all of us were most definately middle aged and upwards this was lovely. She also confessed to being a secret Fig Roll addict.

Returned home with my new friend and placed him in a prominent position in the living room, so I can gaze at him lovingly. Both greyhounds have been warned that if they touch him, they can consider themselves as lucky to get away with being turned into a greyhound fricassee. Andrew is normally supportive in general of quilting but is completely bemused by the chicken, finds it vaguely funny and occasionally stares at it as if he can't quite believe it's sharing his home.

On Wednesday we went to the St. Mellons Show, over at Tredegar House. We were woken in the night on Tuesday by the heaviness of the rain, and at 7.30 on Weds it was still bucketing down. Waited a bit, and went over at around 10.30, wearing my winter coat and boots. By the time we returned home, I had mud in my hair, down my neck, on my face and my legs were a solid encrustation. Andrew also. However we did have a very nice time, looking at sheep, pigs, rabbits, a few dogs, assorted show ponies and cobs, jumping and a farrier display. The appalling weather had obviously affected numbers of visitors and exhibitors but as is traditional at these events, every one tried to make the best of it. Watched lots of vehicles stuck in the mud, even 4 x 4s.

I took the dogs over there again this morning, and the mud was spectacularly squelchy - we ended up nearly as mucky as yesterday. The dogs were fascinated by all the smells - their favourite was some straw from the pig tent, which both of them were burrowing into in an ecstasy of sniffing.

I also attach a gratuitous greyhound shot (it's been a while), some love in a mist from the garden and one of our Japanese anemones which has just started flowering.

A while since my last post and mixed news to report. Had a fairly quiet weekend. Made the most of a dry spot and had a BBQ out the garden on Saturday night. Went extremely well. Although the weather is generally atrocious at the moment, the garden is a lush green jungle, and is looking good. The pond is fuller than I have ever seen it. A friend I was talking to on the phone last night made me laugh. She was describing how she went out to her garden to harvest some potatoes for her supper, and as she was pulling them out,the hole was filling up with water. I imagined a paddy field of rice, rather than a Carmarthenshire farm garden.

This coming weekend, I am looking forward to my chicken workshop. I received the list of requirements in the post yesterday e.g. fabric, buttons, felt etc... On Saturday, I may also be going to a craft workshop at Inkspot.

I mentioned the news was mixed. Was talking to another friend on the phone and it turns out that she is dealing with a recurrence of her cancer after fifteen years. She's at the unfortunate stage where dealing with the medication and its side effects is temporarily worse than the original illness. We discussed this a bit- one of the other difficulties is dealing with how other people treat you. She doesn't want to be treated any differently, or spoken about in hushed reverent tones as though she were already dead - unfortunately this often happens. We also talked a bit about how it feels when cancer recurs. For me, this is the hard issue to deal with, even only four years on from my original diagnosis. How do you maintain normal life and relationships while also juggling the waiting - I don't always manage this very well - sometimes you have a paranoia about every little ache, twinge and cough. It really is a hypochondriac's charter. The one good thing about talking to her last night was that for much of the conversation we both knew what it was like - this is enormously powerful as a shared experience and is one of the few things in life I think where even the most skilled and empathetic friend or listener cannot totally understand. Even a clutz like me was able to get my head round at least some of what she's going through at the moment. Fortunately, she hasn't lost her sense of humour, which was wonderfully anarchic anyway and was also sharing a funny story about a greyhound she is fostering (Charlie, who probably deserves his own blog, as he is such a character). Charlie decided to do a midnight raid on a fruit bowl and was accumulating a stock of clementines - not to eat, just to collect. Because of that tip tap tip tap of little grey hound feet on the floor as they trot around, she was kept awake at 2 in the morning, and said she felt like simply throwing the entire fruit bowl and its contents at him... I sympathise as we've got our own strange kleptomaniac here although I am very relieved that he doesn't do so at night, generally.

Last night was particularly eventful for us. We had an early night as A had an early train this morning to London. All peacefully asleep when some neighbours decided (at 11.30 p.m.) to have a huge firework party with the loudest and brightest they could find. Booty was terrified by the noise and was shaking - she leapt onto our bed and hid between us - I ended up cuddling her as much as I could. Andy hid behind the sofa and was also very unhappy. Neither of us could sleep for ages and the lights were so bright that flashes were visible even through our blackout curtain linings. Eventually stopped around midnight - is this really appropriate for a week night, this late, so loud? I love fireworks myself but do think there has to be a balance between the pleasure of the individual and the respect for neighbours. It would be much easier to sympathise too if they weren't so damn loud. Apart from terrifying the dogs, most people at this time of year sleep with a window open, and the sheer volume sounded like a re-enactment of the Blitz. As a consequence of all this, we were all very sleepy this morning. Took Andrew to the station at 6.20 and was in the park by around 6.45. Had it to ourselves apart from lots of ducks, cormorants on the river and the usual wonderful array of flowers, butterflies and swallows.