2014 (1)

My ill health during the first four months of this year has meant this blog coming to a standstill. Firstly it was a lingering cold that I picked up at the annual BTO conference at Swanwick, which decided it rather liked me and refused to be shaken off (bit like my dog), followed closely by shingles around my right chest and arm, which also didn't want to leave me in peace (just pieces and pain).

It was May before I had sufficient energy to get out and about, having confined myself to the daily walk with the dog, all of half an hour, and catching birds for ringing in the garden. I also managed a few Speed-Watch sessions from April, once the new system for our police division became up and running once more. [It had become unreliable due to "operational difficulties" and we were stood down.]

The railway is up and running full-time once more. The spring gala was a moderate success with over 5,000 people visiting. Below is a picture I took on a "dog walk" [we usually time our walks to coincide with a train].

West Somerset Railway - Ravingham Hall @ Williton (2014)

We lost one of the kittens, Twix, to a motorist - she was run over by a neighbour. She was the more adventurous of the two. The other one was also in the wars, but has since recovered. She prefers to watch the birds in the garden, presumably with an eye to snacking on one; she is also fond of wood mice.

"Liquorice", the cat, with her poorly leg strapped up.

The corroded water main has been renewed and the system flushed of iron debris. This in turn has increased the water pressure at the tap and reduced the time taken to fill the cisterns, etc. by several minutes! There were three leaks on the old pipe where quick fix repairs had been made. We now have a neat, copper, internal rising main and stopcock. Note - high level lever, out of the reach of mischievous hands.

New rising main grouted in + high level stop-cock
(out of little childrens' reach) 

We've had two large loads through on their way to the paper mill in Watchet. Smiths are replacing the boilers, which travelled by road. They left the Sedgemoor services on the M5 at 8 am on a Sunday morning. The first passed at 12:10, the second, a couple of months later, at 11:10. What a difference a gloomy week end makes! Lack of grockles/emmets on the road (A39) to Minehead and all points west.

Boiler being transported to the Wansbrough paper factory (Washford)

We were to go on holiday for a fortnight to the north of Scotland but me having the shingles put the kibosh on that, as Jen thought I was not ready just yet for such a long drive. Instead, she has booked us in for a week near Land's End.

The garden is in full bloom at present. We have had a wonderful show of bluebells and primulas; now it's the turn of the fuchsias and aquilegia. The powerful winds of late have taken off the remaining daffodil and tulip heads, exposing the 'weeds'. Madam is out there as I speak! This spring has been renamed "the year of the slug". My, how has the grass grown this year following one of the wettest winters on record. We had 548 mm of rain between the 15th December last and 14th February this year alone. We missed being flooded though, unlike some other inhabitants of Somerset.

Adam Gray / SWNS

Must leave it now as there's too much work to be done about the house and garden now that I have regained a little bit of energy.