Taking a break

I’ve been checking this nest at least once a week. Since March 12th, the surrounding area has been fenced in.   She has been using this nest ever since we met 3 years ago. I’m so privileged to see her eggs for the first time. Usually, one of them will be guarding (sitting) the eggs.

She’d a drink and a quick tumble in the lake.

She shook her feathers  and had a good stretch, the nest within her sight. She swam back slowly and started grooming and preening. It must have felt good to stretch those legs and have a wash. Then she sat gracefully on her eggs, picking a twig here and there, wriggling her bottom to make herself comfortable. On duty again. Wonder where’s her partner?

There are 7/8 eggs. Will all hatch??? It takes approximately 35-40 days from the time the last egg in the clutch is laid. Last year they raised 2 cygnets. I hope at least half will make it. Couldn’t wait to see these beautiful, fluffy, adorable cygnets gracing the lakes again.

 

It’s Friday today, yaay, and the weatherman predicted it’s going to be a nice weekend, double yaay. I’m looking forward to start on my gardening. I’ve already cleared the garden, cleaned the greenhouse and bought some composts. I’ve still got some packs of seeds from last year and hopefully will start sowing them in the greenhouse.

Talking about seeds, I’ve also applied for FREE seed pack from BBC Dig In. It’s a great offer which includes a packet seed of tomatoes, beetroots, lettuces, butternut squashes and carrots. Yummy. I’ve not received them yet as it takes 28 days to arrive. Couldn’t wait…

For dinner tonight, I made a simplified version of Smoked Haddock Stovies. The ingredients I used substitute the ones in brackets. Kippers (haddocks), milk (water), sliced potatoes (mashed potatoes), no mustard sauce. Not bad for the first try.

Well done to Aberystwyth FC. They boyos made it to the Welsh Cup final for the first time in more than 100 years. The team now faces Bangor City at Parc Y Scarlets in Llanelli on May 4th. Pop Lyc.*

I was saddened to find out that the name University of Lampeter will be erased forever. They are now known as University of Wales: Trinity St David. What’s in the name? I did a 6 months RSLP project work on the Tract Collection in 2002. This is part of the  Special Collections: a unique collection of 20,000 volumes of books and periodicals printed between 1470 and 1850 at the Founder’s Library.  It is very sad that  this lovely library will be redeveloped to provide conference and seminar facilities. I do hope that the conversion work will be sensitive to retain the historic atmosphere of this wonderful room.

Lampeter was a lovely sleepy, Welsh town in the middle of the Teifi Valley surrounded by the majestic Cambrian mountains and forests, with the beautiful Red Kites floating in the air. I have very fond memories of Llanbedr Pont Steffan. I still keep in touch with my supervisor and his wife who have since retired and moved to Llanelli.

Hats off to Chelsea. They survived a huge scare before drawing an entertaining Champions League games to seal a 7-5 aggregate win over Liverpool and book a semi-final against Barcelona. But for the 45 first half and 10 second half, the Red fans (moi included) dared to dream. It was truly a very good game. Again, I’d to record CSI so that I could watch the match and I’m glad I did so.

Did you watch the Narnia Code on BBC2 last night? It was a very good documentary. But why was it aired soo late? Reverend Dr Michael Ward had apparently discovered the secret theme behind C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. Although I hated fiction being analysed to the 9th degree, his theories in  his book Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of CS Lewis were quite persuasive.

The first 40 minutes I was hooked on the exploration of both Lewis the man and how he cleverly hid the nature of his stories. It explained the meanings of the books beautifully.The way these books reflected the characters (Prince Caspian, Lion, Dawn Treader) attributing to the planets (Mars, Jupiter, Sun) from Medieval times, albeit from pre-Christian religion. But towards the end, I was lost. It was just endless stream of opinions on Creationist propaganda. Why?

Anyway, to support the Creationist propaganda, look at this beautiful spring creation outside my window. Every day I got to gaze at these beautiful ruffled pink and white sweetness. I’ve watched people stopping to admire them, taking photographs and getting a closer look. When the wind blows, blossom showers falls to the earth.

Loveliest of Trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.
~A E Housman

Have a lovely weekend.

*Good luck in Welsh.