Yesterday was a good day. It started with a very long lie-in - we surfaced around 10.30, over four hours later than our normal time. I managed to startle Carwyn the postman when he delivered to us, as I was still sitting there in my nightie when he turned up, rather than as normal either zooming round with the hoover or struggling with the Telegraph crossword, both activites usually undertaken fully clothed. Anyway, after some brunch, we toddled off into the day. We went to the Crychan Forest, north east of Llandovery. Our starting point was Esgair Fwyog car park and we were the only people there. The forest is full of old drovers routes and forest trails and is perfect for riding, biking and walking. I really would have enjoyed riding through it, as you could have gone miles without going anywhere a road. Another horse friendly feature was small enclosed corrals near the picnic areas, so your mount could be safely waiting while you had a barbecue. We had a long walk, and by the end which was uphill steeply on the way back, I was puffing like an old steam train, and quite tired and stiff. But it was a good feeling and I loved the forest and want to go back there. Some photos attached. What was also nice was there was no litter, no graffiti, no vandalism, no burnt out cars, broken glass, used condoms or fly-tipping. Bliss. The informative boards even had leaflet holders that contained dry, user-friendly leaflets with maps. Wow. I can recommend heartily.

After coming home, read the paper, had a gin and Andrew cooked some squid which was gorgeous. Served with a big mound of garlicky home made tsatsiki, which the woofs were delighted to finish. To follow, a coconut rice pudding. Andrew tried to get me to taste it, and I did try, but there is something about rice pudding - the smell, the texture, I just can't do it. Enjoyed some pleasantly mindless TV over the remains of our Sancerre (which was gorgeous) and an early night for all.

Today is St. David's Day, Dydd Dewi Sant, when we commemorate the patron saint of Wales. It brings happy memories of wearing my Welsh costume to school as a little girl, with a daffodil pinned on the front, and later in secondary school, all the boys would come in wearing leeks, with rivalry as whose was the biggest. Then they would start eating them, and soon the classrooms would reek of chewed, raw leeks. Delightful! There are some moves afoot to make St. David's Day a national holiday in Wales - I think this would be a good idea. When I was a child we were given a half day in school. My costume was very warm and comfortable. There was a red flannel skirt, a black and white striped flannel tunic, a white pinny, a very warm woollen shawl and on top a black straw flattened cockle pickers bonnet, as opposed to the more common black flower pot hat. With it would be a pair of woolly tights and my usual Start-rite school shoes. Assembly would be longer than usual, and the classrooms would be decorated with Welsh dragons, daffodils, leeks and maps of Wales.

One of those busy but fairly peaceful weeks that seems to fly by and leaves you on Friday night wondering where it went. On Wednesday we went down to Swansea to see visiting cousin Jonathan who is recuperating at his parents house. A slightly stormy journey down as once past Fforestfach, Andrew seemed to suffer a strange amnesia leading to marital disharmony at several road junctions and some unexpected sidetracks through Cockett. Anyway, it's traditional for married couples to bicker about navigation in the car. We arrived safely, saw Jonathan and had a lovely time with him, although sadly too short, as we needed to get back for the dogs. Thursday Andrew had running club, which is going well. Other than that, a peaceful round of domestic duties, greyhound wrangling ( a constant pleasure) and assorted craft related activities. Things are taking shape for a greyhound Fun Day in Pontardawe on Easter Monday. This week one of the guys from GRW ordered the rosettes after I worked out how many we'd need.

The only other thing to mention is that the iron has an unfortunate habit of blowing the fuses in the house. When it happened the first time I just thought we had a power cut, but the second time I realised the connection straight away. Of course there is a very good argument for saying that I should take the hint and cease to iron, as clearly the activity is not good for the house's electrical system. On the other hand, there is something very satisfying about a crisply ironed and laundered tea towel hanging up in the kitchen.

On Friday, Andrew had a half day. It was a beautiful day, sunny and mild, so we went for a gorgeous walk along the Wye from Erwood. We had the walk to ourselves apart from the ducks on the river. There were celandines peeping through and lambs in the field - starting to feel like spring is on its way. Some pics attached. We toddled home and had a gin and a curry. The computer has been playing up and on Friday night the internet both via Explorer and Firefox became unusable.

Saturday, Andrew took the woofs out and then we had some bacon sandwiches (home made bread). Had a shower and then trundled off to do some food shopping. Because there are no proper supermarkets round here, this means doing a run round Aldi, a run round Somerfield and then stopping off at the butcher on the way back. Half the world seemed to be doing the same thing. At the butcher, picked up a nice belly pork cut which Andrew will be roasting for a long time this afternoon. Again, it was fabulously mild - I was able to go out with just a top on, no jacket. Andrew made a delicious butternut squash lasagne with Perl Las cheese - scrumptious.Then he was heroically taking off all the computer programmes and reinstalling everything.

Today a quiet day with another walk on the Wye, this time a bit further down than Erwood. Parts of the walk are an old railway line and it was very pleasant. We saw some canoeists on the river, but again it was very quiet and peaceful. Andrew has just gone for a run and the dogs are sulking cos they didn't go with him. Now just off to put on the oven to warm up for the pork joint.

Quite an eventful end to the week. Greyhound Exec on Wednesday night down at County Hall in Swansea. A long drive and it is always late when I return as we don't leave Swansea until 10. However, the drive is usually very beautiful and I can practically guarantee that once past Llandeilo I'll have the road to myself. The route I take from Swansea is up through Fforestfach, down to the M4, west on M4 to Pont Abraham, pause to wave at Liz, then on to Crosshands and Llandeilo (quicker than going via Ammanford)and thence onto Llandovery, Llanwrtyd Wells, Beulah, Garth, Cilmery and then home. I've considered taking the Heads of the Valleys route, but am not convinced it would be quicker. Reader suggestions and ideas always welcome. Anyway, the moon was nearly full, it wasn't too icy and there was something so beautiful seeing the hills shining, still with their cover of snow, and the shapes of the trees. The absence of street lights in Powys does lend itself to a rather romantic approach when you're doing this sort of drive, although I'd be the first to welcome them back for all sorts of other reasons. One of the things we'll be doing is an Easter Monday greyhound walk in Pontardawe by the Tawe, with an Easter egg hunt and an Easter costume parade. Lots of rosettes and hopefully lots of fun too.

Friday morning I had an appointment with the nurse in the surgery. Every time I go there I am struck anew by the pleasurable contrast with the practice in Cardiff, and find myself wondering how and why a national service does vary so much. Although no GP surgery is ever a pleasant place the one in Builth is spotlessly clean, neat, has friendly efficient staff and so far I have always been seen promptly. The nurse was lovely, most impressive, being both highly professional and very approachable. Top marks. The GP I was assigned to in the practice is apparently retiring in the spring, and his replacement is female, although I have yet to meet her, and in the best of all possible worlds would prefer not to.

Andrew came home on Friday afternoon and we set off for Cardiff after loading up the car. got some fish and chips to eat, hastily changed and then scampered down the Bay to see The Marriage of Figaro. Setting was nice, in a 1920 milieu, with attractive costumes. Singing was fine but the direction was terribly slow and rather quiet. We has stall seats very near the front but I would be concerned about hearing detail if I was sitting further back. If Mozart is going to work, it really has to sparkle and this just plodded. Poor Andrew was looking more and more miserable and fed up, so by the interval we decided to call it a night and walked out. I think life is simply too short to sit through things if you don't like them. Not helped by Welsh speaking friends either side of us who kept leaning over us to whisper "Enjoyo?" at each other at every possible moment. We called in Sainsburys on the way home and bought a ready chilled bottle of wine and some breakfast ingredients, then came home to an ecstatic welcome from the woofs, who were slightly confused to be back in their Cardiff domain. Had a peaceful night on the bunk beds in the spare room, then had breakfast with woofs. Andy normally likes to play with yogurt pots and this is a well established custom with us. However he was rather dismayed as I had treated myself the previous night to a raspberry yogurt from Losely which come in glass jars and accordingly are much less amenable to greyhound nibbles.

Then had a tremendously exciting text from friends who we were going to meet later in the morning. A Valentine's day proposal!!! Accepted!!!! How wonderful. So off we went to Tredegar House for a nice walk with the happy couple and their lovely greyhound, Paco. He gets on especially well with Andy and it was great to see the two dudes hanging out and having fun, scoping out squirrels, having peeing contests and generally being boys. After a lovely walk, we headed home via the farm shop at Berryhill which is en route, and stocked up on some veg, some gorgeous looking steak, local honey, eggs (they keep chickens there and it is nice to see them out in the field, having fun)and some home made sausages. Anna and Bec stocked up too then we all went our separate ways. I popped into Inkspot for a craft fix then it was time to go back home. Cardiff was teeming with people for the match and it was nice to see how many ways you can wear a Wales shirt. Home, unpacked and a quiet afternoon and evening, with Andrew cooking a sumptuous Valentine supper of the aged steak (thick, tender and mind bogglingly tasty)with potatoes boulangere with a Perl Las topping, followed by a chocolate and raspberry pudding that he made. To drink, a really nice Crozes Hermitage. Bliss. Greyhounds contentedly snoring and an early night for all.

Quiet day today. Andrew went running and took hounds with him, which they loved. I've spent the afternoon doing some ATCs and have made some bread to eat with some home made soup later. Generally feeling peaceful, happy and romantic. Some pics attached, taken over at Tredegar.

Saturday afternoon already. Last night we enjoyed Nigella's maple chicken where you marinade it in apple juice, maple syrup and various other goodies including lots of garlic before baking it in the oven and then devouring the stickily adorable results. The recipe suggests also using ribs and we've often done those too as a mix with chicken. Everyone who's ever eaten it has loved it, usually resorting to animal greed and spectacular displays of Henry VIII style gnawing and hurling of animal bones. Sometimes it's good to let out your inner Tudor tyrant. Nominally healthy green salad served with, then downhill all the way health wise with a delicious pudding of golden syrup roly poly pudding served with double cream (again a Nigella recipe). Devoured contentedly then a happy evening spent watching "A River Runs Through It", one of my favourite films. Robert Redford as director has actually made two corkers - this and "Ordinary People" which I think is genius too.

River features a very young Brad Pitt - the story is wonderful, the scenery is gorgeous and every time I watch it I swear to visit Montana. Robert Redford provides the unseen narration, and as usual I am in floods of tears by the end. Interestingly my opinion of the film has shifted with successive watchings. Brenda Blethyn as the mother of the family is magnificent. For years I never really liked Brad Pitt's performance, finding it just too light. Watching it last night though, although it was flawed, I think he did capture the essential nature of the character, while the other brother,the narrator, just seemed so lumpy by comparison. The biggest change has been my view of the father's character - with each viewing I warm to him more, and like the underplaying. I think that's often a mark of a good film (or a book or play actually) that you can get different things out of it at different times.

Earlier in the week, I caught up with Nosferatu the Vampyre, the version made by Werner Herzog, not the original Expressionist version, although of course Herzog pays tribute to the original with many similar shots. As a teenager watching it, I fell madly in love with Klaus Kinski and still find him curiously attractive in the film, in a bruised and wounded way. Far from being an all powerful vamp, as we are now used to seeing in so many productions, he seems old and hunched and strangely vulnerable in many ways. I do also think that he has a gloriously sexy voice - that gorgeous broken accent as he says "Listen to the children of the night make their music" while the wolves howl. Ah, bliss. How I long for a push-up nightie and a four poster at moments like that. Isabelle Adjani's performance hasn't stood up quite so well. She's still astonishingly beautiful but because English is not her language, she seems curiously wooden while speaking. Fortunately she is more than able to earn her keep simply drifting around in gorgeous lacy dresses, looking pre-Raphaelite and scared.

Today we went for a walk with the woofs from Erwood, a small village near Builth on the Wye. Had a slightly sticky start by taking a wrong side path leading to a mudfest and a sticky moment on a stile (most undignified) but generally good. Magnificent views of the river, snowy hills, eccentric fishing huts and grazing sheep. Happy greyhounds and happy people. Returned home to homemade bread bacon sandwiches and a snuggle on the sofa with the paper. Just had a shower and am now pottering about as it starts to get dark. Just been accosted by a greyhound requesting a cuddle so am happy to oblige.

Snow continues. It eased yesterday and Andrew was able to drive to work this morning on fairly clear roads. Then it started again and has been gently falling all day. His running club was cancelled tonight, and more is forecast for tomorrow and possibly the weekend. We are continuing to put lots of extra food out for the birds and they seem to be appreciating it. Had an interesting conversation on Facebook with a friend earlier today on what we would do if Prime Minister. Here in no particular order are my top 20 of laws I would enact - bear in mind that some of them may be a teensy bit impractical. I welcome thoughts, comments and suggestions on others. You'll notice shooting seems to feature a lot.

1. Ban caravans travelling on roads, except for when on a transporter.
2. Shoot people who fly post or spray graffiti tags. It is criminal vandalism of the worst sort.
3. Cease the revolting practice of flooding death sites with mawkish bunches of flowers and soft toys. Hideous.
4. Move all soap operas to a dedicated "soap" channel. Anyone wishing to watch it should pay a large annual fine payable to a mental health charity.
5. Middle lane hogs and tailgaters to have their licence suspended for six months.
6. A "stupidity" tax on all "sleb" magazines of at least £10 per issue sold, again to be used for subsidising mental health services.
7. Improve chicken welfare radically.
8. Combovers (a la Arthur Scargill) to be banned, along with cardigans with zips for men.
9. Improve pig welfare by stopping the import of ANY pig meat into the UK that does not meet our welfare standards which would be uplifted radically as well.
10. Reform of the Sunday trading laws - any shop should be able to open when they choose - three days a week or seven at hours to suit them, not outmoded ideas of antiquated politicians.
11. Reform the Common Agricultural Policy - actually, scrap the CAP. Farmers should make their own choices about what to grow. No tariffs or bars to developing countries so they can trade fairly with us.
12. Scrap S4C - why does the taxpayer subsidise nonsense like Pobol y bloody cwm?
13. Installing a proper fibre optic broadband system into the UK.
14. Get rid of WAG once and for all. It is nothing but a superannuated council chamber, with no proper powers and spectacularly lacklustre politicians.
15. Improve the lot of greyhounds - this could have twenty recommendations to itself.
16. Abolish the Royal Family after the death of the present Queen. A charitable foundation could be set up so that anyone wishing to contribute to their upkeep could continue to do so voluntarily.
17. Disestablish the Church of England and remove all ties between Government and ANY kind of organised religion. No state money should support any faith school and all faith schools should be inspected to the same standards and expectations as secular ones. Individual parents would be free to support and subsidise faith schools if they chose, but not expect the rest of us to subsidise them.
18. Shoot corrupt politicians, in either House, national or local.
19. Major reform of the NHS and local government.
20. Remove VAT from sanitary protection products.

There, that will do to begin with. I welcome comments, ideas and views.

Not surprisingly this is all about snow. It started snowing yesterday. Andrew was able to get home carefully, but it was apparent that it would be difficult today. Sure enough, it snowed all night and this morning we awoke to a beautiful white world. Andrew has been working from home with his laptop. A few vehicles, mainly 4 x 4s have been up the road, but mainly it has been all quiet, although I was hugely impressed by the post being delivered.

Andy and Booty have been loving to play in it, and I went out earlier with Andrew to make snow angels and take some pictures of the river. Our next door neighbour was valiantly cleaning his path, but it is now snowing heavily again, so I suspect it was a futile effort. Done some baking this morning, made some mini meatloaves and a cherry and almond traybake, both now cooling in the utility room. Andrew walked into Builth and got a paper and some more bird food. I have never seen so many birds in one place. There are four male blackbirds, three robins, a thrush, masses of tits and the nuthatch visited earlier. As well as the normal peanuts and fatballs, we've added mealworms, black sunflower seeds, bread, cheese and raisins. It must be desperate for them.

I attach some pictures of us playing in the snow and the river. My Facebook page will also have a new album.

A peaceful Saturday, with no clock watching or appointments. Andrew had a long lie in this morning. This afternoon, we went for a bimble around, as we are still finding our way around the area. The sky was beautiful in a wintry way, very low and grey with red bits, and the temperature has been falling this afternoon. Apparently the UK is due for heavy snow from tomorrow night onwards. Tomorrow Andrew is running in the Welsh cross country championships just down the road at the Royal Welsh Showground. This will be the first time he has run wearing his new club vest and he is nervous. I'm hoping he won't have to run in a blizzard. This evening, he will be eating plenty of carbs to stoke up, and he usually foregoes alcohol the night before the race. More wine for me then.

Was looking at Twitter earlier and LA posted about a fabulous photography website. I went there to have a look and it is wonderful, with lots of pics of LA in training and another set of amazing pics of triathletes. Check out www.elizabethkreutz.com - on the index go to Lance's Comeback and take a look at the pictures. Amazing.

We called in the local Co-op on the way home - the nearest thing we have to a supermarket. Got some free range chicken for this evening and was having a look at the pork labelling, following the programme earlier in the week. Fair play, the fresh pork was very well labelled and they even had a good offer on outdoor reared British sausages which was good news. Some of the processed hams and so on were less transparent. There is obviously a way to go on this issue. Now off to cosy up with a gin and the paper.

Well, I am beginning to get into my stride on Twitter. My "tweets" (how cute) are coming thick and fast. They won't win any prizes for being earth shattering but they draw a picture of my life. I am slowly picking up more people to follow too, which is good and very interesting. Naturally, my first stop was Lance Armstrong but I have subsequently added George Hincapie and Floyd Landis. Floyd was busted out of the Tour a couple of years back after doing one of those amazing rides that only the Tour produces where you watch levels of suffering that ought to be illegal under the Geneva Convention. He made up an awesome amount of time and shortly after, tested positive for testosterone at absurdly high levels. So out he went, various appeals (lost) later and he has served his ban and is coming back into the pro sport. So this year is shaping up to be most interesting, bikewise. I may add more people as I think of them. I am open to suggestions, and of course if you tweet, please let me know - alternatively you may want to "follow" my tweets (if you were really desperate for news!).

This evening, we watched a programme taped from last night - featuring Jamie Oliver on pork production. Basically, it was an expose of the appalling lack of welfare in the rest of Europe, a plea for us to buy British but an exploration of how labelling makes that difficult and some encouragement to eat a wider variety of pork cuts. Along the way, we saw pigs being born, being castrated (currently done without anaesthetic), AI for pigs (both harvesting and insertion), being killed and a variety of living regimes. The recent furore over carcinogens in Irish pork revealed the difficulty in singling out British meat. Generally, we buy only British pork for us and I look for "outdoor reared" and the red tractor sign in shops or better still buy at the farmers market from the producer. However, we do occasionally buy Continental cooked meats such as Parma ham or German salami, and I regularly buy cheap processed ham for the dogs. We buy very little processed food these days but will review as we go. Fortunately our local butcher does excellent home cured bacon from local farms, and we get Porkinsons sausages (outdoor reared) or again ones from the farmers market. It was however quite depressing viewing at times to see intelligent inquisitive animals confined in horrible stalls without being able to turn round or see daylight or express any natural behaviour. Jamie made the point that the public sector in the UK should be leading the way in buying and supporting British pork and bacon. He highlighted the Treasury and the Met police. I would be very interested to know what DEFRA does and also the Welsh Assembly. I wish local Councils would do more on this issue. think of the number of staff canteens and restaurants that local Councils operate.

Afterwards, continued stitching a snowdrop sampler I am working on. Off to bed shortly. I am still feeling tired and under the weather after having this cold although I am much better than earlier in the week.

Not a huge amount to report this evening. I am no longer responsible for the EU snot lake, which is good. Not so good - I look like I'm about to audition for a zombie film. Picture white face, shadows under red rimmed eyes, bulbous nose with sore nostrils and a general look of the undead. Just be grateful there's no picture.

Booty decided to contribute to my convalescence by giving me some work to do. She thoughtfully brought in an incredible amount of mud and assorted other organic matter and has spread it liberally through the house. A particularly impressive finishing touch was to hop onto the bed. I had turned back the duvet to air the bed as I do every morning before making it, so the sheet was an inviting canvas for a selection of muddy pawprints and deposits of what can only be described as organic material or possibly humus. You'll probably agree that this was a particularly special thing to do, and ensured that I didn't spend too much time on the sofa feeling sorry for myself. Instead I spent a long time stripping beds, hoovering and mopping, while feeling sorry for myself.

Just watched CSI Vegas and off to bed shortly.

Not a lot of what you might call "hard" news. It's been a fairly quiet week. Unfortunately, I've succumbed to Andrew's cold - am just feeling so miserable at the moment. Not as miserable as Jonathan - see link to his blog on the sidebar - he's gone down with adult chickenpox - horrible. As he points out, when you have cancer, they give you lovely morphine so you sail through it in a delightful haze, but no morphine for the insane itching. You keep reading that heroin is widely available at cheap rates, someone could make a killing making a sort of heroin-lite for just these sorts of occasions. It would probably be cheaper than Lemsip. To make matters worse, he also says he has an ingrowing toenail - I'm afraid I actually laughed at that although I am sympathetic really. There's a kind of mad inevitability about that type of thing - one sort of illness often seems to lead to another, unrelated, non life threatening, but the sort of thing that is painful and annoying on a daily basis. So is the dignity of man compromised.

On a marginally more positive note, I joined Twitter today. I wanted to keep up with Lance Armstrong's progress down under and had read that he was on it, along with millions of other people. Unfortunately, my posts are considerably less glamourous than Lance's, but I'm sure I'll get into my stride, particularly when I'm feeling a bit better. Lance would probably be very cross with both Jonathan and myself, saying we were letting the side down, and that pain is part of life, and is character building. I just feel terribly British about this and quite like feeling sorry for myself at the moment,and will now go and make myself a hot drink before bed.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Regular readers and anyone who knows me (or indeed us) knows we both love cooking. Tonight is a salutary tale to remind you all that disasters happen to all of us. My plan (and it was a good one) was to cook some pork chops and serve them on a bed of basmati rice, with a sauce of tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and a few spices. I made up the sauce around the chops which were browning merrily in the pan. I added onion and garlic, chopped in my new little mini-chopper (what a genius invention, and a brilliant Christmas present), chopped mushrooms and simmered. All good so far. Then I added some Worcestershire sauce, some tomato puree, a tin of chopped tomatoes and the seasoning. This included a teaspoon of dark brown sugar, white pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper. It smelled good after simmering for a while so I served it up and we sat down to eat. Well - we tried. Andrew gave up before me but I didn't last very long. I had added far too much cayenne paper, confusing it with paprika which is quite mild and sweet. Accordingly, my eyes have watered all evening, I've blown my nose about eight times, my tongue is still tingling and my stomach feels as though a chemical experiment is taking place in there. Needless to say, leftovers were not fed to the woofs. The bin is now glowing gently in the darkened utility room. Tomorrow I am going to make something reassuringly bland. I am dithering between macaroni cheese and home made pizza.

Over the weekend, things have been quite quiet as Andrew has had a cold. Thankfully, he seems to have escaped the terrible viruses that are circulating at the moment, but he needed his rest. On Sunday afternoon, I went down to see the newly 18 year old daughter of my friend Liz. It seems like only yesterday that Liz was pregnant with her. For her birthday, I made her a special scrapbook of photos of her going back to when she was a baby, plus a photo collage. She loved it, and I was thrilled to bits. Her grandparents, Liz's parents were there, which was a nice bonus - I've known them all my life, and of course they were very interested in the photos especially as they were in several. All in all, a very happy afternoon.

Today has been quiet with snow this afternoon, cold temperatures and lots of mud. Housework seems to be a losing battle at the moment. No sooner have I cleaned the floor then muddy little footprints seem to appear. Ho hum.

Well, the weather has turned, and how! The temperature has risen, the wind has got up and the rain - well, it's making up for lost time. No more ice. Welcome back to mud, glorious mud. Watching the river is fascinating. The flow has picked up enormously and it's racing down, a torrent of muddy brown water from the hills.

Another visit from the physio yesterday. We've reached the painful conclusion that I need to do some serious work on my flexibility - so I have a long list of exercises to work on. It'll be good to see some results though.

I write this, in my pyjamas and dressing gown, in a state of thaw. We've had a lovely but cold day today. We met up with some friends who also have a greyhound, another black boy called Paco, who looks strikingly like Andy. Our friends live in Cardiff so we decided to meet approximately halfway, along the A470, at Garwnant, a Forestry Commission area within the Brecon Beacons National Park, adjacent to the Llwynonn reservoir.

We had a wonderful walk and Paco and Andy in particular got on famously. I have to say though the weather was bitterly cold. To our astonishment, the reservoir was frozen completely, with no visible signs of water anywhere. The views were wonderful, and we scrambled down off the main track to a path by the side of the lake. We seemed to have the place virtually to ourselves and it was gorgeous. We had a slight problem getting back on to the main track - there was a stile but no dog gate, so we had a difficult and rather undignified game of "Pass the Greyhound" to get them over the stile. Eventually stopped and had a coffee and some chocolate traybake that I made yesterday, which was very welcome in the cold air.

Then it was off to Cardiff to visit the house to pick up some photo albums and photo CDs for Sarah's scrapbook. We went over to a friend's house who has been laid low by the flu that has been going around. As she lives by herself, she has not been able to walk her greyhounds much. I'd been intending to accompany Andrew as we took her greys over to Tredegar, but unfortunately my heel had by now gone into a major sulk after its first proper walk in ages. So I waited in the house while Andrew did the good deed. Then it was time to bundle our two back into the car and back up north on the A470, admiring the wonderful moon that was visible for most of the journey. Now we're thawing out and I suspect an early night is due, as we're both very tired as are the dogs.

Hello all, and a happy new year to all my readers. We are enjoying some of the coldest weather I can recall for a long time, with temperatures yesterday at -6 and today I woke up to find the river had FROZEN in large places. I felt very sorry for the heron. Outside it is snowing, very lightly and inside I am cursing the poor insulation, draughty windows and generally dodgy heating in the bungalow. At least bed will be toasty as we've got the winter weight duvet on the bed, and are frequently joined by greyhounds seeking a bit of warmth, who themselves act as giant hot water bottles. They don't generally leak and they arguably smell nicer, but have more boney bits.

For the new year, Rita and Roger joined us and we had a very pleasant few days, although incredibly cold. On Friday we went over to the Felin Fach Griffin to celebrate Rita's birthday - I strongly recommend. We booked via Toptable - a very useful website for restaurant booking and reviews. On arrival at our table, nicely positioned by the Aga, so very toasty, glasses of bubbly were waiting for us, courtesy of the website - what a lovely touch! Had a truly gorgeous meal, with excellent service, fantastic wine and very reasonable prices considering the superb quality. Definately one to revisit.

Today's been quiet, allowing us to have a rest and catch up. Snow has been gently falling in the garden and all the little birds are fluffed up against the cold.

Finally, one last thing. Following the success of my Christmas card offer I am repeating the offer on my other blog. If you would like a handmade birthday card this year, please email me with your address and the relevant date (and age, if appropriate) and I will oblige. Enough notice for postage and creativity much appreciated. I'd love to see what continents my cards can visit this year.

Picture attached of fave auntie Hilary opening one of her Christmas presents on Sunday. I travelled down to Swansea to see her and it was great to catch up. As I left, she gave me a precious gift - her home made mince pies (with home made mincemeat) and some of her homemade sausage rolls. She makes these with sausagemeat from her butcher, who makes it himself, and the quality is excellent. Andrew and I usually end up fighting over them!

A quick praise for the local GP surgery. I decided to register, as I needed to renew a prescription. To my amazement, the surgery has a clear, helpful well laid out website. When I got there, the building was clean, bright and welcoming with smiling,helpful receptionists. They have an open surgery system. After completing my forms, I saw a GP and was out in minutes. Wow! No fuss, no bother, no grumpy dragons on reception, no phoning for hours to get an appointment three weeks next Tuesday - just wow. Why can't this be the norm? Anyway, it just adds to the growing list of reasons of why I'm glad we moved to the country.

Afterwards, we popped into Hay and Brecon Farmers (rapidly becoming my favourite store) for some supplies. Picked up some dog kibble, and industrial sized bottles of fabric conditioner and washing tablets at ludicrously low prices. Andrew got himself a new pair of boots, and again commented on how cheap they were. Anyway, got to the checkout, paid and the guy cheerfully picked up some of the boxes and carried them out to the car for us, without being asked. Would this happen in Cardiff? I think not. So, reason no. 73 joins the list.

Have been pottering in the kitchen this afternoon as Andrew's parents arrive tomorrow for a new year stay. Have made some roasted vegetable soup for lunch tomorrow and played around with a bread recipe, that involves greek yoghurt, maple syrup, oats and pumpkin seeds. Watch this space to see how it turns out. I love experimenting with different mixes of flours and recipes. Andrew has also been making a lamb and date tagine for tomorrow evening, so the kitchen smelled wonderful. While we were cooking, two happily hopeful hounds were perched by the kitchen door with that expectant look on their faces.... aaah.

Gosh, it's already Saturday. I hope you all had a wonderful, peaceful Christmas, as did we. Thanks to all for the bumper array of cards this year. Christmas Day passed quietly and happily for us. The woofs have been enjoying the turkey, and Andrew has boiled up the carcass to make large quantities of stock, which is now in the freezer, ready to enrich our risottoes in the months ahead. Boxing Day passed quietly too, with nibbles and books to read. Went down the Cardiff house today. The journey this morning was enriched by the spectacular views through the Brecon Beacons. Frosted tops on the peaks, frozen waterfalls and low winter sunlight that blazed over the hills. Gorgeous. On the way back, we were horrified by the traffic queues that had built up around the Cyfartha Retail Park in Merthyr. Fortunately we were heading north so were able to sail past the long miserable queues. What kind of lunatic would want to go shopping so soon after Christmas? On the way back we listened to the CD by the Killers, that I bought for Andrew for Christmas. Really great.

I must say I love these days between Christmas and the New Year. There is an agreeable sense of all normal rules being suspended, with time for pottering, and meals at odd hours, and visits to relatives, and new books to read. In our family home, it was always like this, with long daytime walks with dogs, and evenings spent in front of the fire with books to read and glasses of enjoyable drinks, and a pleasant absence of clockwatching. So much of our normal life is governed by time - appointments, routine, a sense of rush and busyness - it is a precious gift to enjoy a few days that are pleasantly without these, especially as the run up to Christmas is a time which is always busy if not frantic. I like the sense of relaxed companionship with Andrew, with the dogs snoozing gently. As I write this, Booty is napping behind me, her legs stretched out contentedly and Andy is on the sofa with Andrew.

I attach some festive photographs. Tomorrow I am travelling down to Swansea to visit favourite auntie and possibly to visit friend Liz on the way back. Finally, I must say that I loved the new Wallace and Gromit film and Doctor Who was great.

It's Christmas Eve!! We are all excited and hope you are too. Andrew went to work this morning, so I got busy doing lots of last minute cleaning and tidying, so the bungalow looks nice (well, as good as it ever will, with the hideous decor). Listened to lots of cheesy Christmas music as I worked. Andrew came home lunchtime, and went for a run. He did an experiment by taking Andy with him for the first two miles, slinging him back in the house before continuing on his way. Andy was panting when he returned, but seemed very happy. Appears to be a successful experiment. Listened to 9 lessons and carols from Kings on the radio, and the turkey is now cooking happily, smelling wonderful. When we last went down to Cardiff, I cut huge bunches of fresh herbs from the garden, and have stored them in the fridge. Some of the rosemary and sage has gone in the bird.

Now I'm drinking a glass of gin, and will be having a few nibbles in a bit, followed by some linguine with lobster. We will be following tradition and watching Muppet Christmas Carol (and singing along, badly) later on, with a glass of champagne. So, wherever you are and however many greyhounds you are blessed with, may you and your loved ones have a happy, peaceful Christmas, filled with joy. I'd also like to thank all those readers who have taken the trouble to pass on their Christmas wishes - it's appreciated very much.

Now the difficulty will be tonight - somehow it's impossible to get to sleep on Christmas Eve.

An exciting start to the morning. Readers may recall my success a little while back with my cranberry buns - made with a Chelsea bun dough and a filling of fresh cranberries and pecans. Inspired by these, I made some more CBD this morning (bless my little breadmaker) and have just filled it with home-made mincemeat, recently given to us by Penny, a greyhound friend. The buns are now in the oven, smelling gorgeous as they bake. When they are cooled I will ice them, and they'll then be ready to eat. Andrew won't like them, as he is not a mincemeat fan, so I will make him some festive cake tomorrow before he comes home from work. Probably a sponge, with a buttercream icing. While I was just sorting out the buns, the doorbell rang and I went and signed for a mystery case of wine. Earlier, the bell went while I was in the shower, but fortunately the courier was able to leave the parcel on the doorstep. I had ordered a pair of pyjamas in the Lands End sale (you definately need them on these cold nights up here) and treated myself to a fleece top - bright red with snowflakes. This is no time for taste and restraint.

Just been listening to Womans Hour, featuring the wonderful Mary Berry, queen of Aga cooking and cake baking. I bought one of her cake books years ago, via the Book People in work, and it was a fantastic investment. The book has become more and more splodged, splattered and flour-dusted - always the sign of a well-used and loved cookbook. Her recipes are simple, reliable (unlike some celebrity chefs I could name!) and clear. Over the years, I have had great success with her traybakes, her sponges and she even provided the recipe for our wedding cake - a wonderful chocolate confection. Now it's time to brave the threatening pile of ironing - I could swear I just saw movement in there!

My thanks to Jan for the pointer to some festive blog layouts. What a great idea. Took Andrew to work this morning and stopped by the butcher on the way back to pick up the turkey. How exciting. What was also good is that instead of wrestling with a big bird in a carrier bag or a parcel, they gave it to me in a large, sturdy cardboard holder with handles, a bit like the bottle holders you get from the supermarket. Also collected the Christmas edition of the Radio Times. Like many people this is the only time I buy it, and it seems as much a part of the festive season as sprouts and the tree. Had a look at it, and so far the obvious must sees are Wallace and Gromit (hoorah!) in their new adventure as well as a re-run of Curse of The Were-rabbit. Also of course Doctor Who. Otherwise, not a huge amount that is grabbing me, except of course the season finale of CSI Miami tomorrow night, featuring what the RT amusingly calls the Sunglasses of Justice on H. It really is the most stylish year-round pantomime - gloriously over the top. I msut admit the current season has some very whizbang computer things that I yearn for and I'm not normally much of a gadget queen. So,unless the house is burning down tomorrow night I will be glued to the sofa and not answering the phone to anyone.

Yesterday, we went down to see Aunty Floss, my much loved great-aunt. When I was little,we'd usually go and see her on Christmas Eve and I have particular memories of this being the first time we would be allowed to eat Christmas cake during the holidays. Aunty Floss is a great baker and slicing into a huge, rich fruit cake with royal icing on it, served on delicate china plates would be the curtain raiser, so to speak, on the feasting to come. Although my mother would make and ice her own cake, this would not be cut into until at least the afternoon of Christmas Day, and would usually sit on top of the piano in the dining room tempting me and my brother before that. Anyway, this year we were sandwiched in between her hectic round of engagements, with a pantomime the day before in Pontardawe and another visitor expected after we left her in the afternoon. She's then off on a fortnight's holiday in sunny Porthcawl. What I can't get over is the way that she describes the holiday hotel she goes to, which is full of senior citizens, all of whom seem to be busy dating and flirting. The last time she went a gentleman caller to one of her friends came unstuck, as another of his squeezes (unknown to him) was also staying at the hotel and a tricky situation ensued. It actually sounds very much like being back at school. What also made me nearly choke on my lunch was when she was describing another friend (aged 88) who announced to the man on their first date "I'm not ready for sex yet" and apparently this drove him away. So, all in all, it was fabulous to see her. As we drove back up the A40, it seemed incredibly Christmassy somehow. The afternoon was damp and misty, and just occasionally you'd see glowing yellow lights from farms and houses as we drove through the countryside, all browns and purples in the low light. It just made you think of woodsmoke and fires and comforting pots of tea. Lovely.

This week has flown by. Time is definately elastic. Christmas preparations are now virtually complete. This year, we've decided to brine the turkey before cooking it, a la Nigella, so I'm collecting the bird on Monday from the butcher and then dunking it into a bucket full of good things before roasting it on Christmas Eve. Always tricky to do a big meal in an oven that you don't feel completely bonded with - and I LOATHE the blasted hob, which is one of those funny solid ones, that doesn't glow, takes forever to heat up, and even more eternity to cool down. Grrr. Can't wait till we get our own house up here. Anyway, the stove will not prevent a goodly range of delicious festive baking. Yesterday we went to the farmer's market, and stocked up on a range of goodies, mainly meat, eggs and vegetables. Delicious free range pork and local Welsh Black beef, handmade sausages and crisp green leeks - what could be nicer?

The bungalow is looking quite festive with a range of lights, pretty candles, lots of cards and various decorations. Sadly, there's simply no room for a tree - this is the first Christmas I've EVER not had a tree, and it seems really odd. I miss that gorgeous smell, the resiny feel of the needles, the satisfaction of decorating it with baubles that each have their own history. For instance, I still have some I bought on a pre-Christmas trip to Brittany in the winter of 1991, and some others which are even older and go back to my living in Swansea in a flat in Mt. Pleasant.

It's been a while since I included any gratuitous shots of the dogs - so pray indulge me. Sensitive viewers should immediately go elsewhere......

As I write this, there are seven long tailed tits on the bird feeder in front of the window, munching seeds with a small gang of blue tits waiting for their opportunity to move in. Great.

Lots to say. Important news first. Went down to Cardiff last night and stayed at the house, in preparation for my annual oncology checkup this morning, the most important day of the year. Difficult to describe the range of emotions, especially as Jonathan's blog (see sidebar) had been much on my mind recently with different aspects of cancer. The checkup incurs a range of feelings, from straightforward terror ranging to anticipation, eagerness and even a kind of resignation at some points. Anyway, as usual, I slept appallingly last night - this always happens in the run up to the date - although I did have the excuse that Booty had jumped on my bunk and had nailed down the duvet, ensuring a draught about my extremities. As always, I choose the earliest available appointment in the morning - partly cos I want to get it over with, and partly to avoid delays due to late running. Anyway, I turned up on time (I have never been late for a medical appt in my life) and the waiting room filled and filled and filled with more and more anxious women. The tension was palpable. Nobody comes to an oncology clinic without good reason and we all looked more and more miserable. No doctors for three quarters of an hour, then they began seeing people. Ho hum. What's particularly miserable also is that you have to access the clinic via the antenatal services - everywhere you look there are hugely pregnant women, shops selling balloons, posters about baby care and midwives and then there's us - there's not even a sign to the clinic, almost as though they want to keep us quiet. The award for sensitivity should go to the person who planned the layout. Anyway, as usual, once you get into the clinic, the staff are wonderful - so warm, so reassuring and very helpful. When my time came, met with a very young doctor, who hadn't yet got the physical skills of some of her colleagues (both nursing and medical) but was very thorough. Back in a year, all being well, when I will, if all appendages remain tightly crossed, then "graduate" from oncology checkups and return to "normality", although in the privileged position of being able to ring the clinic for an emergency appointment if I ever notice symptoms. This has been drilled into us repeatedly, but once one of the doctors explained that not everyone who notices symptoms comes in even though they have a good idea of what they mean - especially because, I guess. The thought of going through it a second time may just be too much for some people - I used to be very gung-ho about it, but over time I have become much more understanding of this position.

After we came out, I felt the usual mixture of emotions; elation, relief, exhaustion and a combination of wanting to burst into tears and do star jumps round the car park. Instead I waddled across to the car, found my phone and began texting the good news to the usual suspects. Back to the house, via a sustaining and completely unhealthy breakfast at Greggs (which I shared with the woofs) and then a parting of marital ways as I disappeared for a dental hygienist appt and Andrew met the first of the scheduled estate agents. When I returned, all agents had been seen, and we went over to Culverhouse Cross to do a quick canter round Markles and Sparkles food hall for some Christmas goodies, some for freezer. Also took the opportunity to stock up on knickers and socks - in this respect, I am an entirely typical British woman. Then back to the house again, loaded up the car and thence to vet for Booty's repeat prescription for her Previcox and another look at her eye, as she appears to have scraped it on one of her squirrel chasing missions. Vet has issued eyedrops and a selection of festive dog chews. Then finally back to the A470 and the long journey north to our new home. As we drove, the most beautiful stars were visible - lovely. Now just about to catch up with last night's CSI Miami and then it will be time for bed - I am so exhausted that I will sleep like a log tonight.

We think we've selected an agent so we just need to sort out the stupid bleepety bleep HIP issue and then the house should be on the market just after Christmas.

Finally, this is the 201st blog post - 200 posts seems like quite a milestone. I'd love to hear what your favourite post is and what you like about the blog. Do you want to see more photos? Do you like the way all the craft stuff has been hived off to Silver nutmeg? Would you like to see more whizbang features, with feeds, links etc? Tell me your thoughts.

Update on the pudding. Well, it looked good to start with. When you put the spoon in, there was a golden and yummy coconut crust (that bit worked) then underneath was a moist, sweet custard, rather like the stuff you have in bread and butter pudding, with that slightly jelly-like consistency. No sign of any crust layer on the bottom. I ate a bowlful after our pasta and was slightly bemused - edible, but definately not one I think I'll repeat in a hurry. Andrew was completely put off by the look of the custard, even though he loves things with coconut. The finale of this tale is that while I was hoovering this morning, a certain well known greyhound who will remain nameless got into the utility room and decided to help themselves to the remainder of the pudding. At least somebody liked it. Now just off to make some cous-cous for when Andrew returns from running club later. It is bitterly cold out there tonight, but the full moon looks wonderful.

A busy weekend. On Saturday, Penny and I were volunteering on a GRW stall down in Pontardawe, at their Winter Festival, organised by the Round Table. We heard about it through Arena Pontardawe, with whom we partner for the May dog show and fun day. The lady who organises it is lovely, and one of those Renaissance women who just take your breath away. She is a very accomplished professional artist, and also a well known teacher. As well, she is passionate about horses, in particular those beautiful Spanish Andalucian ones, and she has some which she trains, rides and schools, not for the faint hearted, as they are very high spirited. On top of that, she is active in a number of Welsh equestrian organisations, which is how Penny got to know her, and now she's involved in the Arena project. You can see more about it at their website at www.arenapontardawe.com Just to make me feel even more inadequate, she's gorgeously glamourous and blonde, and also incredibly nice.

Anyway, there we were on our little stall but of course we had to get there first. This meant leaving home at around 7.15, driving down to Glynneath to meet another Greyhound person to pick up some merchandise and doing a handover in the McDonalds car park. When we got there, to our amazement, it was heaving with people and police as the Welsh Rally was passing through, and every rally fan in the land seemed to be in the car park having a coffee. Then down to Pontardawe via the Heads of the Valleys road, which was looking magnificently wintry. When we left home, it was -8, and down in tropical Ponty it was a balmy 10 C. Set up the stall with Andrew, as Penny was still doing morning stables. Andrew then left me to it, drove all the way up to Cardiff to visit the house, did some Christmas shopping in Cardiff, got some groceries and then drove all the way back to Ponty to pick me up. He thinks he did about 200 miles in total. What a star. So it was then back home, watching the car temp gauge fall steadily as we climbed higher and higher, till back home we were back down to -2 on arrival.

Sunday we spent very quietly as we were both tired, as were the dogs. Andrew decided to put up some Christmas lights, and they look wonderful. I like the house to be visible from space at this time of year, none of that mimsy tasteful nonsense for me. I'm busy with a variety of Christmas crafty things at the moment, mainly cross-stitch. Watched Dawn on QVC this afternoon, my regular Tuesday afternoon treat, and picked up Andrew around 5.

One of the things I bought at the fair was a little cook book put together by the ladies of St Peters Church, and today I have been trying out a couple of the recipes. One was for a chocolate fudge made with cream cheese, and the other was the reason I bought the book, a dish called Impossible Pie! With a challenge like that who could resist? I've just taken it out of the oven, and it looks puffed and golden with a coconut crust, so we'll be eating it later and I'll report back. What made the recipe slightly harder was the quantities were given in cups, which is how most American recipes are, so I needed to do some conversions as I prepped it. Andrew has just returned from his run, so now it's time for our pasta and spinach with pine nuts.

We've had our first snow, and the weather is still freezing. Most of the back garden and a lot of the front is frozen solid, with frost that does not disappear during the day. When Andrew was driving to work yesterday, the temperature was -6. Brrrr. This morning, Carwyn the postman was saying we are due to get more bad weather at the end of the week.

My plans have been disrupted somewhat. For some weeks, I've been struggling with a very painful problem in my right foot/heel. I even stopped walking the woofs with Andrew for a while. It was starting to get a lot better, and in my impatience, we went for a lovely walk on Sunday (as reported in previous post). Anyway, Monday was payback time, and I was in agony. My plans to go to the Winter Fair were scuppered, especially as outside was like a skating rink. Fortunately, had my first appointment today with the physiotherapist. After a great deal of stretching, prodding, squeezing, bending and extensive note-taking, it appears I have plantar fasciitis. Nothing uncommon about it, nothing exciting. Anyway, we've got a multi-pronged plan of attack with exercises, stretches, ice, heel inserts and a rethink on shoes/boots. Also, I'm banned from dog walking for three weeks. Top marks to the physio for being very professional, reassuring and able to answer all my questions. The trouble with being a cancer patient is that you have to get into the habit of asking lots of questions, and that hasn't left me. More excitingly, his partner is also a keen cross-stitcher and knitter, and regularly takes part in a local Stitch and Bitch session over in Hay-on-Wye. Hopeful that we can get together at some point.

Card requests are coming in, more of a trickle than a flood at the moment - don't forget, if you'd like one, please email me, especially if you are overseas.

Another very cold weekend. Yesterday was cold and foggy. We went over to Erwood where there is a craft centre to scope out some possible Christmas presents, but were not successful. Took a rather meandering route home which was beautiful and wild, with the hedges still thick with hoarfrost, looking quite spooky in the mist.

This morning, we went over to the Elan Valley through Newbridge-on-Wye, in a bitterly cold but sparkling morning. Walked alongside Caban Coch Reservoir, which we seemed to have to ourselves, apart from a lone mountain biker who was incredibly wearing shorts!! We were wrapped up in fleeces, hats, scarves and vests. Saw some gorse in bloom and was reminded of the saying "Kissing's in season when gorse is in bloom", and suited the action to the word. Got back to the car and ambled home. Saw icicles and red kites. Up here of course it is their stronghold, and I am already getting used to seeing them as a normal part of the bird life. I attach some photos of the walk - I think they make the move to mid Wales self-explanatory. Out very shortly to a matinee performance of Brideshead Revisited. It hasn't had the best reviews but will be interesting to see what they've done with it.

Off to Brecon this morning with Andrew, who had to travel there for work. Took the opportunity to do a quick shop in Morrisons - to stock up on things like buttermilk and coffee. While Andrew was in his meeting I had a waddle round. Brecon is a nice town. What makes a delightful change from Cardiff is the ludicrously low parking charges - £1 for two hours - hurrah. Visited the post office, which for some reason was hidden inside the local Co-op. Of course, Thursday is pensions day, so it was a long queue full of elderly people. Anyway, I posted a parcel and got some Christmas stamps. Also visited a local butcher where I got some duck breasts, some diced lamb (which I'll do in a Moroccan style with some couscous) and some enormous bones for the woofs. They've been contentedly munching all afternoon, although sadly eating bones has terrible consequences in that it leads to severe flatulence for some reason. Andrew, sensibly will be running tonight so should avoid the worst of it. Just been fiddling about on Facebook and now off to do some chopping for a stir-fry later when Andrew returns from his run.

DON'T FORGET THE FREE CHRISTMAS CARD OFFER - JUST EMAIL ME.

I've written before about the Stat Counter on the blog, and its many amazing features, especially if you have any form of anoraky tendancies (which I do). One of the fascinating tools is a global map which tells you in some detail the locations of my readers. Shown above is the table for the past week, and I love the variety of countries represented. Who would guess someone from the Republic of Korea would be reading my blog? Anyway a warm welcome to you all. As we're coming up to Christmas, here's a thought.

If you're one of my readers, send me an email with your address, and I'll send you a home-made Christmas card. My other blog over at http://silvernutmeg.blogspot.com/ is where I tend to showcase crafty bits, so unless you pop in over there, you might not know I enjoy card-making, as well as fiddling about with a whole plethora of other crafty bits. If you live outside the UK, then get those emails in fast so I can post in good time. My email address is silvernutmeg@btinternet.com . Right, let the card-fest begin.....

The weather has turned very cold here. There was frost in the garden this morning which I tried to photograph at about 9. I also attach a photo of our anniversary gnome. He is photo-voltaic, so his hat and lantern glow automatically when it gets dark. I like knowing he is out there. Also out there are many, many squirrels, masses of long tailed tits and a squadron of blue and coal tits. Our robin is also usually hopping around. At the front, the heron frequently glides past. The owl is audible most evenings and early mornings. The bird food we are putting out (both fat balls and peanuts) is essential now and it's good to see it being tackled with so much enthusiasm.

I've begun Christmas shopping, mostly throught the internet, which is proving less tiring than tramping round shops. I did a lot of present wrapping on Sunday afternoon while Andrew was out for a run, and was assisted/hampered (depending on your point of view) by a greyhound who was determined to sniff and if possible nibble everything to ensure it was wrapped securely. Eventually, we had to have words. His perspective (which does have some merit, admittedly) is that if a parcel can withstand him, it will be safe in the hands of the Post Office.

To be fair, our regular postie is lovely - really cheerful and friendly, reliable as clockwork and doesn't seem fazed by the woofs at all. Now just about to go and enjoy some CSI action - last week was a vintage episode of Horatio machismo - a classic.

The weekend. On Thursday night, Andrew went to his first meet of the local running club. A successful six miler, and he reported a really friendly, welcoming bunch. So much so that they invited us to their social evening at the Greyhound on Saturday night. Nice to be able to walk there and meet a good bunch of friendly people. The organiser came over for a chat and she and Andrew were talking about preferred length of run. Very casually, she said she liked doing marathons, and had recently done the Snowdon one, at which her eyes lit up, and she enthused over it, mentioning there were a "few" hills. Hmmm. We are not worthy. I was awestruck. Rather like the film "Local Hero" it also turns out that half the running club wear a variety of different local hats. One works at the estate agent we rented the bungalow from, another sells us our morning paper and my cross stitch magazine, the list goes on.

Sunday was a long day as it was the AGM for GRW. We got up early, fast walk with woofs, then into the car and down to Cardiff house. Sorted out post that had arrived, including some nice ATCs for me and woofs had a good sniff. Picked up friend Paula and then trundled up to Ponty for the AGM at the Commercial Hotel. Last year, it was freezing, so I wrapped up warm, but this year they actually had the heating on, hurrah! Good turn out and great to see lots of lovely hounds. Sadly the guest speaker wasn't able to attend at the last minute. Felt very emotional seeing Sandra stand down as Chair, although Penny is lovely and I'm sure she will do a good job. It was my first public outing for my reading glasses - I'm still mastering the art of peering over them so i can see anything more than two foot away! After the AGM, we held an Exec meeting, and then we travelled back down to Cardiff. Woofs delighted to see us, loaded them in the car, and then back up here. Roads quiet and empty and beautiful views of mountains at dusk on the way back up. Andrew had been super-organised on Saturday and had pre-cooked a beef casserole with Pumpkin Ale, so he reheated that and did some potato boulangere while I had a large gin and looked at the paper, being exhausted after all the travelling and the AGM. Early night and a very quiet day - I must admit I actually nodded off while doing the crossword. Now made an attempt at the minutes, and will hopefully complete by tomorrow. The heron was on the river this morning, opposite the window, fishing - I really enjoyed watching him for a while.

Well, I found the camera, and tried to upload the photos, then the battery was flat! So after charging here we are. A few pics of the move attached and one of the dogs making themselves at home on the sofa.

A busy weekend, with appalling weather on Sunday, including torrential rain and an impressive thunderstorm. Saturday was our 11th wedding anniversary. We exchanged cards, and Andrew bought me a cyclamen and a garden gnome with an illuminated lantern. He's now sitting very proudly under the bird table in the back garden.

On Saturday evening, we visited our nearest cinema at Wyeside Arts Centre to see the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. It's a tiny, friendly little place, with the civilised habit of allowing customers to take drinks from the bar into the screening, so Andrew enjoyed a pint of Guinness while watching the film. Because it's so small, nearly everyone in the audience seemed to know each other - they even had the old custom of selling icecream at the front during the interval before the big film. What to say about the film? Clearly the influence of the Bourne films has been felt - there's a rather frenetic quality about it. Daniel Craig is excellent, and very fit in both senses of the word. Judi Dench is glorious as M, and their dialogue really crackles - much more sparky and engaging than his dialogue with the rather wooden female eyecandy who appears on the posters. A smaller role for another British actress is a little better - not only does she get to shag Daniel Craig (well, it'd be rude not to) but he then supplies her with a party dress - my kind of guy. I'd read about the Prada dress in question and although it was attractive, it didn't have the "Wow" factor i'd hoped for.

Afterwards, we came home for an Indian takeaway . On Sunday, we decided to do a supermarket run over to Hereford. The Tesco there is awful - one of the most soul destroying shops I can remember. It was freezing cold, dark and gloomy and crowded with other miserable shoppers. Although we can buy our fresh meat, fish, veg, eggs and cheese here, we'll still need to do some sort of supermarket sweep for stuff like baked beans. We may need to think about either Merthyr or Brecon.

We've put up the bird food in the back garden, and we have a great range of birds here. There are masses of long tailed tits, blue tits and coal tits, as well as our friendly resident robin. We've seen a heron on the river, heard an owl this morning when we took the dogs out in the dark and yesterday I saw a bullfinch in the trees at the end of the garden. As I'm writing this, one of the local squirrels is hurtling around the garden. Attempted photo attached - I need to think about and practice taking shots of birds through glass.

Well, a busy few days. BT turned off our broadband at the Cardiff house much sooner than we expected. Apologies for the gap in service. Anyway, on the 30th fave auntie came up from Swansea. Went to our annual craft-fest at the CIA on the Friday, and made the effort to get there early. Definately better as we could get round very well. Both bought lots of wonderful goodies - very happy with our spoils. Then home to the woofs and a relaxing afternoon on the sofa, examining our booty with glee. Chinese and a bottle of wine in the evening. Fab. Saturday we took Hil to Ikea - as usual, a good opportunity to stock up. Bought some candles and wrapping paper, and an extra fleece for the woofs. Hil returned to Swansea late on Saturday afternoon.

After that, the great pack began. Move went on Tuesday as moves always do, and even though it is now Friday, am still slightly out of kilter and will probably take a few more days to get properly settled. The dogs were clearly disturbed by the move and have been quite clingy but also very good. They are now settling in slowly too.

So, our new home. What to say? It is smaller and colder than Cardiff. On the way up here, we were impressed by the number of hills that already had snow on them. Outside flows the river and yesterday morning there was a man fly-fishing opposite the house for ages. Around us is beautiful countryside, although we are outside the boundaries of the National Park. From the bungalow windows, I can see the steeply sided valley, covered in trees and a field of sheep.

So far, we've been focused on the house and packing and cleaning. But by this morning, we were ready to get some supplies. There's a few market stalls on Friday morning, so we were able to get fresh fruit and veg there. Also found a fresh fish caravan, where we bought some lovely bream fillets that we had this evening, cooked with thyme and garlic, and servedwith chickpeas. Another useful find was the WI Market - lovely home made pies, cakes, shortbread and treats. Fab. In the main high street of the town, there are not one but two excellent butchers, each able to display the source of this week's beef and pork. Bought a variety of meat and have ordered a free range bronze turkey for Christmas. Hurrah! Most of the meat appears to be very local, and with high quality stock such as Welsh Black beef. One of the butchers also produces their own sausages and bacon so we've bought some to try. The town also has a Co-op store, for basic and emergency groceries.

We've also done some time testing for next week when Andrew starts his new job. Basically, it looks as though if we get up at six, we've got time to take the woofs for a walk by the river, return home, have breakfast and then for Andrew to arrive at work in good time for his official start time. We tested the times this morning and it was beautiful walking in the early dawn by the river. Fortunately Andrew knows me well enough by now not to expect scintillating conversation at that time of the morning.

One of the other things I've noticed is the different dress code. We were out and about today and Andrew was wearing his hoody. Several people in shops asked if he was from away. Dress code for men here is fleece, tweed, wellies and either a flat cap or a battered baseball cap. Generally accessorised by either a LandRover with Ifor Williams trailer, sheepdog
or 4x4, both liberally spattered with layers of caked on grime.

Went this afternoon to Hay and Brecon Farmers, a useful farm supply shop practically next door and it was a cornucopia of rustic clothing, along with various sheep tags, fencing, nails, sheep paint (tarting up the girlfriend, according to the old jokes....) assorted cow remedies and boxes of Persil so big you'd need a 4x4 to get them home. Andrew is constructing a wondrous fence in the garden to ensure safe canine play (hence the visit to the shop for fence supplies) - but once that's done, he'll be going back for some wellies. Strangely, he's not keen on the flat cap. I'll work on that I think. Any other ideas or suggestions for country living very welcome. I am course primed to avoid anyone playing a banjo. Photos have been taken, but can't find my camera (temporarily) - that's the thing in a new house, usual storage places are altered. Will post pics when available and downloaded.