Fortyfifth week of the pandemic

This was a mixed week, with some fun and some stress as well. Initially, I was worried about the snow and the cold. It did really come and produced a little of bit of the white stuff. You may know that I was getting ready for a hike at the weekend and were looking forward to it. The temperatures got lower and lower, but with only an inch or so of snow, we were going.

The route

Snowy road, big trees

I drove to the village where we were starting from and the others have arrived about 5 minutes after me. We left the cars at the end of a little road at the edge of the village and got going. The ground was frozen solid, which was a bit dangerous, as tractors, forestry trucks and other 4-wheel drive vehicles made really deep ruts in the lanes. Still, we got to the forest in one piece and started climbing up with a big field on our right and high fences on the left.

Apparently, behind the fences there is a bit of privatised forest, which is supposed to house a wild boar reservation. Well, I am not sure if there were any boar there, we didn't see any. At one point, the lower half of one of the gates was tied open, so even if there ever were some boar there, they must be long gone. Forests should be everybody's, but in a country as corrupt as this one, you can buy anything, if the bung is big enough.

A frozen lake in the forest

Lovely clear forest

Due to having to go round the fenced off bit, we had a lot more climb than it otherwise would have been. Still, that path ascended very gradually, so it was no hassle. On the other hand, after a left turn we were faced with a really steep slippery descent into the bottom of the valley, which was scary but fun. We first came to a small lake, which was frozen solid.

After the lake we went and found the spring, which was called Rose-well. It did not look like a well, but there was crystal clear, tasty and drinkable water coming out of it. Right opposite the well there was a way to cross the stream, and we returned on the other side slipping and sliding on the steep bit, which got thawed in the sun since we descended on it some time before.

My hiking companions

En route back to the car we found the geocache, which had a really clever hide. A large tree in the middle of a large meadow had a long bare bit where the bark was missing. Inside the tree there  were a few cavities and the box was in one of those. 

The forest in the sunshine

The weather was, as you can see in the photos, really nice, and I was wearing my mask all the time, not because of Covid regulations, but because it was sheltering my throat. Poor mask got rather damp, but it stayed warm. And so did I.

FB has come up with a photo from 12 years ago, which showed the changes we have made since then. The wine press is long gone. All the trees in front of the barn have also been cut down to make way for my herb garden, and those beams on the right that are holding up the garden above, have been removed too. Otherwise there is not much that has changed in the back, except, of course, the gazebo, but that is not on this photo. 

The barn 12 years ago

The other major event of the week was my need to get in touch with the cardiologist and him insisting that I have a CT of my coronary artery. That should be quite straightforward, but in these parts, (and many others no doubt), you first need an appointment for the blood works, then for the CT. The CT only works ONCE A MONTH, so should you miss this month's, you have a whole month to wait. He told me that the CT works on 22nd this month, but I could only get an appointment for the blood works for 27th. So, he got so annoyed that he told me to visit him tomorrow at the hospital, he'll take the blood and will have the test done in house, so I can have the CT, assuming, of course, my kidneys are up to it, on Friday. I will report back what, if anything, has happened.

Cardiff Castle as the sun sets

On Netflix I found a lovely old series of programs about British castles, commentated by Dan Jones, who has an easy way of presenting. The series consists of 6 episodes and 3 of these castles I knew, but the others I didn't. So it was just about the right balance, revisiting those that I know, and finding out new things about those that I didn't know. Occasionally it is a bit sensationalised and repetitious, as if the makers of the program patronised the audience by dumbing it down, but it was still quite interesting and entertaining.

Judit's house in the winter

And finally, a photo from the blog of a good friend of mine, who has bought herself and family a run down rural house for summer vacations and is in the process of modernising and renovating it. I sympathise totally, as Roy and I have been there and done that, albeit quite a time ago now. Her photo is also taken at night and it has a welcoming, soft and warm atmosphere that I love.