An odd week. Since my last post on Monday morning, my condition worsened through the day and it quickly became apparent I had caught Andrew's bug. As I write this, I am still sneezing, coughing and sore throated, but much better than I was earlier in the week. Fortunately, Andrew made a full and speedy recovery, and has been in work all week and running too.

Monday was an eventful day for another important reason. During the afternoon, I received a telephone call asking us to foster a greyhound bitch who had been picked up on the weekend. After a quick confirmatory call to my beloved, this was agreed and Andrew went down to pick her up near Llanelli on Monday evening. When she arrived, she was a very pretty little bitch, the colour of the darkest chocolate (not quite black). She has a scar on her right nostril that looks like she had a fight with a barbed wire fence and lost, and a number of sores and calluses that suggest she was a kennel dog and had been sleeping on hard surfaces. She was almost certainly abandoned because she is stiff in her hips and this would have affected her working performance, likely caused by overwork. She is underweight but not badly so. When she arrived, she was rather smelly and scruffy.

She has the most delightful temperament - being friendly, curious, confident and remarkably laid back considering her recent past. She has beautiful brown eyes and a little grey round her muzzle. Monday evening was rather hairy as Andy and Booty (the latter especially) had to adjust to an interloper in "their" space. There was a great deal of posturing and a little bit of growling, but eventually we all went to bed quite peacefully. On Tuesday I took her to the vet where she promptly made friends with everyone she could find. Came away with wormer and flea treatment and today took her for her vaccination (round one) and her microchipping. She had her bath on Tuesday evening and like most dogs I' ve known was not very enthusiastic. However, she emerged cleaner, more fragrant and fluffier. As the days have gone on, relations have become more relaxed and cordial between her and our two which is good to see. She has been enjoying her food and has been mostly clean in the house, bar two very minor accidents.

As the week has progressed, she has made herself more and more at home, gradually getting the hang of the sofa and the spare bed where she can relax in comfort. For several afternoons this week, she and Booty have sunbathed together in the garden, which has been lovely to see. We've made an appointment for her spaying, and once that is successfully over, she can be homed. I attach some photos, two of her on the sofa after her bath, and one outside sunning herself while I was hanging out the washing.

Her adoptive name will be Callie, but for some reason Andrew referred to her as Murgatroyd when he called me on Monday evening on the way home - this has now stuck and is how we refer to her.

It is also a pleasure to write about shopping experiences that go well. On Monday (unrelated to M's arrival) I ordered some more dog food from the Pets at Home website. We don't have a branch near us so this is ideal. Delivery was free plus there was a free fleece blanket when you spent over a certain amount, which I did anyway for several sacks of kibble. Ordering this way also saves having to lug all the heavy sacks home which is great. The courier arrived yesterday and manfully hauled the sacks up the steps and into the house - what great service.

The other business I'd like to praise is in California - and stocks OPI nail varnish and Avoplex oil. I had previously bought OPI products from QVC and probably will in the future, especially as their kits tend to be very good value but really wanted some Avoplex which is the most superb product for dry nails and cuticles. Anyway, Beverley Beaute had it and the new season nail colours for amazingly low prices. The varnish was £5.90 a bottle when it is usually around £10 in the UK or even more (gulp) if you buy it in a salon. The postage was a flat rate £5 for the UK which was very reasonable. So on Monday I ordered two bottles of Avoplex plus two gorgeous nail colours and they arrived this morning - how fabulous is that?!! With prices and service like that it is a pleaure to recommend them.

Poor Andrew went down with a lurgy on Friday afternoon. He came home from work feeling ropey and within a couple of hours was sneezing and coughing and feeling miserable. Originally, we'd planned to both be busy on Saturday morning but it was clear he was not well enough. So on Saturday morning, I did an early solo run down to Swansea (leaving home at around 7.30) down to the Brangwyn Hall for the SCVS Spring Charities Fair where GRW had a stall. Got the stall set up, Penny joined me and the doors opened at 10. I must say that it was very well organised - everything ran like clockwork. Catering was provided by the Girl Guides and there was a wide array of stalls selling plants, home made cakes, books and all sorts of bric-a-brac. We did well selling books and I was very pleased that my home made cards did a brisk trade. Overall the numbers attending were not as good as I'd hoped - there is a similar Fair held at Christmas which is rammed, but this was the first year they had run a spring event so maybe it needs time to build up a reputation.

Drove home through the most glorious spring sunshine, and had a quiet remainder of the day, being very tired (had a nap for an hour) and just wanting to chill out. Andrew continued poorly and felt like a furnace - I swear he glowed in the dark! Early to bed, after watching Barton Fink, a strangely hypnotic Coen Brothers film, strongly reminiscent of Eraserhead.

Sunday was another glorious day. In the afternoon, I had my monthly card making group over in Llandrindod - this month we were doing maze books. Andrew was feeling very much better, although still with a cough. In the evening, he cooked one of our favourite recipes from Delia - pork tenderloin cooked with rosemary, garlic, apples and dry cider. Absolutely delicious, and served with the new season's sprouting broccoli.

I attach a short video taken out in the garden on Sunday afternoon - featuring Andy and Booty doing not very much, but Andy is shown eating grass, one of his stranger habits. Mainly as a test run for both using the video and finding out how easy it is (very!) to upload it.

This week has flown by. On Monday, it was the Greyhound Rescue Wales Easter Fun Day down in Pontardawe with fancy dress classes, an Easter egg hunt and a greyhound walk. By some miracle the sun shone and it didn't rain. Enjoyed ourselves and took some great pics. Paco got his first ever rosette, and Andy and Booty enjoyed seeing him. At one point, Paco jumped straight into the boot of our car for a lie down while Andrew was talking to Anna! Some pics attached of the day, including Paco's amazing costume.

By Tuesday, which Andrew had off, both tired (us and the dogs) and a day of catching up. Andrew updated the GRW website. With Andrew going back to work on Wednesday the week has been completely haywire - I keep losing track of the days. On Wednesday morning, I had to pop down to the surgery for a blood test. Lovely nurse, but the usual problem with my veins. Eventually after a lot of prodding and using a small needle, we got some. Now got a nice bruise. Sometimes, I really do wish I could be fitted with a small tap for these occasions.

Thursday, yesterday, was a tiring day. I was one of a chain of people transporting a greyhound from north to south Wales, where she was coming from her current owner to her new home near Swansea. I collected her at Oswestry, and brought her back here for a break in the journey. Then back in the car and onwards down to Merthyr for another handover. Although we took some photos of her, and she is a beautiful bitch, I have decided not to post them. Sadly, her condition is such that many people would find it distressing. All I can say about it is that I was speechless when I first saw her, but the only thing I keep focusing on is that she is now in a position where she is being cared for properly. As I get older, I am no longer surprised by the way people treat both children and animals, particularly when there are other issues in their lives. This is not to say for a moment that I condone it (far from it) and I still find it shocking at a visceral level - quite literally, my stomach churns. It just seems to happen so often.

What seems to make it worse in some ways is that quite often dogs are so forgiving. In this case, the bitch had been neglected rather than abused (I realise this may sound like an academic distinction when looking at the result). After I had fed her and sat down for a coffee (wishing it was a strong gin!) she decided to join me on the sofa and curled up for a cuddle. Happily, I'll be able to get updates on her progress from my fellow volunteers.

An eventful week. Friends will know that Wednesday was my 44th birthday. Birthday celebrations started in a modest way the day before when Carwyn the postie brought the post including a birthday parcel. When I mentioned it was a birthday present, I was promptly rewarded by a birthday kiss, which got the day off to a good start. On the day itself, Andrew took the day off work. When I awoke, I opened the pile of cards and birthday ATCs that had been sent to me. Then some presents. Very exciting, especially with greyhound on hand to supervise. After breakfast we headed off to spend some time at Hay-on-Wye - Andrew's first visit to the town, and my first for some years. From here, it is only 25 minutes drive away, through pretty scenery. We found the main car park then had a nice enjoyable wander. Apart from bookshops there are a high number of tea shops and delicattessens in the town, so we found a nice one for lunch where we could sit outside in the sunshine. My purchases included the letters of Sir Roy Strong and a William book by Richmal Crompton. Also, I bought a sweet little blue bunny ornament for Easter and a cheerful little money box shaped like a yellow chicken covered in flowers. This is going to be a "stash fund" for stocking up on craft items.

Returned home for some delicious home made birthday cake from Andrew. The cake was a lemon sponge and is shown in the photos. As it was also Andy's birthday, both dogs got a slice which they enjoyed. Then off to Swansea for a greyhound meeting, to which as it was my birthday I took along some home made chocolate muffins with cream cheese frosting. These went down very well and were popular. Penny gave me the thoughtful gift of a little bay tree in a pot, as well as a lovely card.

On Friday we packed up the car and headed down to Cardiff. We did a pile of gardening, and while doing so, more viewers for the house turned up. Let's hope this is a positive sign. Also did lots of cleaning. Garden responded well - even little things like brushing and spraying down the patio make a huge difference. Andrew also cleaned out the pond pump and tidied up some of the pond plants - there are lots of happy tadpoles in the water. In the evening, some greyhound friends came over and we shared a takeaway in a cheerfully picnic style. Although we had a dining table we had only two chairs and no cutlery or plates. But then Andrew brought some chairs in from the garage, and we remembered the picnic things under the stairs. So we dined off melamine plates with plastic cutlery! It was great fun though.

Then off to bed in the bunks upstairs and on Saturday morning we headed off into Cardiff ot buy my birthday present from Andrew. This wonderful thing is a Flip Mino video recorder - a tiny digital video recorder about the size of a mobile phone with idiot proof controls. We also popped into the Nationwide to sort out some ISA stuff and then went round to Borders as another part of my birthday treat. Visited the inhouse Starbucks for a fortifying and wonderful mocha with gallons of whipped cream, and browsed the books. I ended up with a book on jelly roll quilts (most inspiring) and another on life in austerity Britain, after the war. As well, I stocked up on fun stickers and things in Paperchase. Our final stop in town was in Accessorize - another birthday treat to myself from myself. Bought a handbag and a couple of pairs of earrings. Then home and time for housework. Left the Cardiff house looking spick and span and returned here late in the afternoon, both shattered. A very early night last night.

Today, we slept in till about 9.30 which was bliss. Then after a late breakfast and a shower we met up Tara, another greyhound friend, her partner Andy, her parents, their two dogs and Tara's two greys, all of whom were camping in a lovely site in Builth. This was the first opportunity I had had to visit a modern caravan - I was hugely impressed. Tara's caravan was spacious, light and featured built in music, microwave, fridge, sink, bathroom with shower and loo, flat screen TV and virtually every other mod con you could think of. The sleeping area for two greys and two adults looked comfy and commodious. Amazing. After a chat and a drink, we all headed over to the Red Lion in Llanafan Fawr for a relaxing drink. We were able to sit outside the pub in the sun, which was great for the dogs and enjoy a relaxing chat. Apparently the beer was very good and it was great to watch kites overhead and the first swallows I have seen this year. I drove us home and we are now catching up with things in a relaxed fashion here. Andrew is cooking a roast pork joint with rosemary from the garden in Cardiff. Afterwards we'll be able to unwrap an Easter egg.

Starting with a quick rant. On Thursday, I had the car to do some food shopping and other things. Took Andrew into work and hit Builth at about 8.30. Most shops are open at that time, so was able to trundle round and do what I needed. Called into the Post Office, where I was the sole queuer behind a single lady engaged in complex transactions involving parcels and heaven knows what else. Seeing another position open, I stepped up to be told "This position is closed" - well, that told me. I'm just the customer. Eventually got to the single cashier position open, and the lady in front apologised to me as she left, whereas the woman behind the counter didn't. Bought my stamps and seeing all the posters advertising "The People's Christmas Fund" (just sounding horribly Stalinist) asked if Icould pay in a cheque. Initially the woman said yes, then asked what bank it was. I told her "NatWest" - not too obscure - but she sighed and said no. Apparently you can with about 50% of the High street banks but not the other 50%. What a cockeyed system. I can understand them not doing any, or doing all, but this type of half-assed approach makes me long to throw them to the archest of arch capitalists and say "Yes, privatise them. Do your worst!" Nothing could be worse than the current muddle.

A good weekend. Andrew was looking forward to it, as work has been quite exciting for him this week, as they are moving from one office in Llandrindod (in an old Victorian hotel) to another on a trading estate on the outskirts of the town. He's fortunate in not having too much to pack, with not having been there very long, but sounds like many of his colleagues are being forced to empty their cupboards and do a bit of de-cluttering.

Yesterday, we travelled down to Pontardawe. It was a lovely journey, via Brecon and Sennybridge with stunning views and quiet roads, except of course for weekend motorbikers who are very common, hurtling around. We went there to the show venue for next Monday to walk the course for the risk assessment which I am having to prepare for the Council who own the site. Took lots of pics, which naturally included a few of Andrew and the dogs. Popped in to the local Tesco afterwards for emergency stock up of gin and a few other things, then home. A peaceful evening with the paper, some supper and CSI. And of course snoozing hounds.

We caught up with some episodes of the BBC4 series on Sissinghurst - my goodness, what a trainwreck. Am watching in appalled fascination as Adam Nicholson and Sarah Raven flounce, fuss and pout - I was strongly reminded of Prince Charles by the constant whining about being misunderstood victims while the poor sods in the NT were trying to run a successful visitor attraction. Can't also help feeling that AN is quite happy to trade on his family's history and the Vita/Harold/lesbian/Bloomsbury/angles - I mean how much mileage can you decently make out of your grandmother's sex life? It even showed his sister teaching her teenage daughters all about great grandmother's bedroom romps with various aristocratic females with great relish.I hasten to add - I'm not in the least shocked by the lesbian angle - just the family's willingness to keep flogging this particular dead horse - some of AN's anecdotes about his father reading various passionate missives to his young son from the family archives sounded distinctly suspect. Most people like to imagine their grandmothers doing things like knitting - not hearing the sweaty details of their bedroom conquests.

Today, we went for a walk in Esgair Dafydd, another bit of Forestry Commission land which seems to link upwith the Crychan forest, that I've posted about previously. We were the only car there, and slowly ascended up through the forest, with banks of violets on either side and budding larches all green. Booty was fascinated by rabbit holes. As we came back down we could see more bikers on the road, but otherwise could only hear sheep and the woodpecker. Came home, had a late lunch and read the paper. Andrew went for a run, and I've been making some Easter cards. Now settled with a gin and soon to eat dinner. Am looking forward to my birthday later this week - 44!

Another typical day of spring showers and a stiff breeze. After a peaceful morning of bacon sarnies and the paper, we trotted over to Garwnant to meet up with Anna, Rebecca and Paco (Andy's best mate). We had a lovely walk in another part of the forestry with stunning views over the lakes and the hills. We returned to the cars and sat at the picnic table with our flasks and the muffins I made yesterday. As you can see from the attached pictures, they were a great success and got the vote of approval from all concerned. Becca brought some dog treats for the starving hounds and it was lovely to sit in the sunshine, drink piping hot coffee and watch the dogs while catching up on all the news.

Went to Brecon on the way home, for a quick spin round Morrisons. They are the only supermarket I've found in a 20 mile radius that does buttermilk which I love for a number of recipes, so I stocked up. While we were chatting, Anna was telling us about her recipe for "Puppy Soup" which she makes regularly for Paco. Inspired by this, we bought some liver for our two, and Andrew has just finished saute-ing it. Then it will cool slightly before being polished off. The woofs have got incredibly excited when he was cooking it -I suspect the aroma was driving them nuts. The young master is prepping some squid for later, and soon a crisp gin will be poured. A very enjoyable day.

After such a beautiful weekend, the weather has turned much fresher and colder this week, with lots of showers. As I write, it is raining and the birds are still appreciating all the food we put out for them. Our landlord has been around in the garden this week, laying the hedge at the front, and doing some general tidying up of some of the shrubs. When I was talking to him yesterday, we had a superb aerial display from a red kite, shortly followed by a pair of buzzards, who flap around the hillside here. It was nice to talk to a fellow bird enthusiast.

Decided to post a couple of domestic pics. First, I made a leek tray pie last night - a receipe I've been meaning to try for some time. Using the bread maker, you make a small quantit of savoury dough, which is then rolled out very roughly to cover a swiss roll tin. Then filled with sauted leeks and mushrooms, and topped with a savoury custard made from a mix of creme fraiche and beaten eggs. I like the half fat organic creme fraiche from Yeo Valley - it tastes gorgeous. The recipe worked really well - the dough was light and fluffy. Endless variations are possible, the recipe suggested adding some Parma ham, and you could vary the vegetables almost infinitely. I quite fancy a thin layer of pesto on the dough before scattering the vegetables and custard mix. Will report back on future experiments.

This morning, made some bread and have just made some muffins. These are oat and yoghurt muffins with fresh blueberries - they weren't quite as perkily topped as some I've made but look and smell delicious. Will be sampling one shortly, to fortify me in time for the ironing!

Just returned from a weekend in Somerset with Andrew's parents. It was the first time we have stayed at another house with the dogs, and they behaved themselves so well. Although they have visited before, this was the first time they had spent the night at the house. We travelled down on Friday evening, and on Saturday awoke to a brilliant blue sky and blazing sunshine. We walked up to Will's Neck, the highest point on the Quantocks. It was stunningly beautiful, with amazing views over Hinckley Point (the nuclear power station), the coast up as far as Wales, the Quantocks and down into the valley where we could hear the puffs and toots of the West Somerset Steam Railway. We passed lots of teenagers laden under packs, doing their expeditions for their Duke of Edinburgh Awards. When we reached the top, we found a trig point and I attach some photos taken and also of the lovely old beeches on the hills as we ascended.

Returned home and had a snooze in the afternoon, followed by a lovely meal in the evening. On Sunday morning, it was again very clear, but with a stronger wind, and we decided to go to the coast, to Burnham on Sea. Like Weston, there seems to be a lot mud than sand. I can't imagine spending a holiday there but it is in fact a popular destination. The dogs loved being on the beach and running with Andrew. Couple of snaps attached.

Came back and had another forty winks in the afternoon, but another relaxing dinner in the evening. We all watched the new episode of "Lewis" in the evening - good fun, if a series of murders can be described that way! Rita very sensibly covered up all her furniture in the living room, so the woofs were able to curl up on the sofa without any problem, and they enjoyed it. Andy in particular was doing his regal paw-waving if he wasn't receiving enough tickles. A couple of shots attached of Booty reclining on the candlewick bedspread. They also had the luxury of several meaty bones, and home-made chicken stock served with meals, along with some very nice Somerset cheddar from the Farmer's Market. I think they could quickly become accustomed to the level of catering!!

Just a quick update from this morning. We took the dogs over to Garth Bank again and it was gorgeous. To start, loud baa-ing of lambs, and as we climbed higher and further, that gradually died away till all we could hear was bird song. Beautiful views through the trees of open country, hills and the uplands where the MOD practice bombing things. As it was so peaceful, we didn't put the dogs' muzzles on, just tying them on to their leads. This meant they could unleash their inner herbivores and one of their stranger habits - grazing on grass. Nibbling daintily, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Such a great way to start the day.

For some reason this morning, I have two great first lines from novels floating through my head. In "I capture the castle", it starts "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink". The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macaulay starts with ""Take my camel, dear", said Aunt Dot on her return from High Mass." Both of these are among my favourite books. I think what triggered this was an article in yesterday's Telegraph Review by Neil McCormick on his hundred best songs. Naturally this started a great deal of debate between us about versions, inclusions and omissions and we went to bed still debating what songs we'd include in our own top 100. This might be a nice idea for a blog posting later. By this morning, somehow my brain had taken this overnight and morphed it into my favourite books, hence my musings on great opening lines.

We had an enjoyable day yesterday. It was dry and sunny after a wet week, and after a relaxing lie-in (joined by Booty) we ventured forth on a lovely walk by the river Wye. Using a starting point downstream from Erwood that we've used before, we walked down the bank rather than up, so a new area revealed. Again, it was stunning, with primroses and celandines studding the ground, lots of lovely trees, the river sparkling, lambs jumping, and birds calling. We watched a treecreeper for a few minutes and Andy enjoyed scoping out the area for squirrels. Came home via the butchers shop and the newsagent then a big pile of bacon sandwiches, a pot of coffee and the paper. Out later to do some grocery shopping and then in the evening we went to a concert over in Llandrindod. Held in a church, it featured a programme of late Renaissance and Baroque music, both sung and played. I loved listening to some trios played on old instruments - viols and bass viols - the forerunners of today's violins and 'cellos - the sound is quite magical. The choir tried some good stuffwith lots of Monteverdi, and some dramatic double choir pieces by Schutz (a pupil of Monteverdi's). One or two were a bit wobbly, probably under-rehearsed, but I was impressed at an amateur choir having a go, as these were tricky and unforgiving pieces to sing. The tenor soloist, Meirion Wynn Jones had an outstanding voice for this type of music - really excellent. One particularly endearing moment was when the choir had finished a piece called "Saul, Saul" - based on the Damascene conversion, with multiple spaced voices crying out "Saul, why do you persecute me?" - very exciting - the conductor turned round with a huge beaming smile on his face, and told the audience how much he'd enjoyed it. He then suggested singing it again, just because it was so exhilarating. So they did, and it was just as exciting the second time. The concert finished with Allegri's Miserere, a very well known piece but also very beautiful.

The concert was introduced by the church vicar who stood at the front, near the chancel rail. We were sitting at the back and could not hear most of his words as they got lost in the space. Several audience members bellowed out "We can't hear you" but it made no difference. I wonder if vicars are taught to project their voice. If not, there is no shame in using a microphone but simply mumbling amiably is not a good advert for church. Obviously the main altar cloths and church hangings were purple for Lent, but I noticed a number of quilted pictures of Welsh saints hanging round the pillars of the church. I was able to have a good look at the techniques used on the hangings which were very beautiful.

As I write this, the young master is still snoozing in bed. When I took the dogs out first thing, I noticed we were low on bird food, so have topped it up. Now, I can look up from the computer and see nuthatches, chaffinches and blue tits in the garden, all enjoying their breakfast.

Monday morning. Cold and windy. On Saturday we went down to Merthyr Tydfil to buy an iron. The old one was regularly tripping the switches, which is never good, and the handle had started to get so hot, it was difficult to hold. There is a large retail park alongside the A470 with all the usual sheds - so off to Currys we went. Found a nice iron, and very happy. However, absolutely astonished by the amount of people in Merthy walking round with bright orange faces. Clearly, the concept of skin cancer hasn't got this far up the valley, or they all have shares in Fake Bake. It was hideous. And an astonishing amount of people smoking - can't remember when I last saw so many people huddled outside shops with fags. Really grim. Definately illustrated all those stats you see that say Merthyr is one of the unhealthiest places in the UK.

On Sunday, the weather was bitterly cold and wet again. In the morning, we walked the dogs in a new Forestry Commission area (new to us, not a new forest) at Garth Bank. Stunning views over the surrounding countryside, with lots of lambs and sheep baa-ing but otherwise quiet. Another horse friendly spot, this time with hitching posts near the picnic tables. Again, blissfully free from litter, graffiti and burnt out cars. In the afternoon, over to Llandrindod Wells for my monthly craft group. This time, we were making and swapping ATCs which was great fun. Next month, class is put back a week due to Easter and we will be doing maze books. Came home, several phone calls and a relaxing meal. Watched the Victorians on BBC4 - enjoyed it, but felt that JP could very well have talked at more length about the way William Morris and the whole anti-industrial ethos (e.g. Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood) has had such a big influence on the green movement's ethos and values - often, sadly, very muddled and hopelessly sentimental. I'm no apologist for 19th Century unfettered capitalism, but a profoundly anti - industrial stance does little to engage with the problems of pollution and exploitation. Interestingly, Morris chose to live in a cosy suburb of London - I wonder how his ideas would have clarified if he had had to live somewhere like the Swansea valley at the time, systemically poisoned by arsenic and heavy metals, with appalling poverty. At least Marx and Engels, to their credit, tried to engage with the problems they saw, even if their conclusions were flawed. To a modern sensibility, the Victorian Gothic movement can seem to be a childish and irresponsible flight from the uncomfortable reality of the time. While Burne-Jones was painting Avalon in a sanitised version of the Middle Ages, Britain's poor experienced horrific oppression, pollution, hunger and exploitation.

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.