Bluehook's Diary

I started doing this diary in June. If you haven't been following have a look at the Cast of Characters which gives a quick low down on the essential day to day characters who are mentioned here...it will make more sense if you do.

We've actually had fairly dry weather for the last few days which is a big relief, the bogginess was getting to be silly. Lorna suggested we go out and get some wood which was a really good idea so we got the trailer hitched up and went off to a place where the trees were cleared ages ago but there's still plenty of scrap left. We'd brought the chain saw but didn't really need to use it, a hand saw, machete and axe were enough to clear off the side branches and cut up anything that was too log to fit in the trailer. We worked quite fast and soon enough got a trailer load together, including a big chunk from the base of a tree which we hauled out of a muddy ditch to use as a chopping block.

Back home and after a bit of lunch we went out and sawed up the bulk of the stash into logs and got it stacked in the barn, we only stopped because the chainsaw overheated and jammed up. Everyone else went off into town then and I got into splitting up the wood and then into chopping some of it for kindling which all went very easily because first I sharpened up the big axe and the machete.

It was 6.00pm by then so I watched the news and the weather forecast just in case there was anything freaky likely to happen and then had a bath and put clean clothes on. I was hoping to get dinner before had to leave for Newtown but at 7.00pm Lorna was still not back from town so I had a sandwich, made up some breakfast for the morning and threw a few things into a bag. I was later leaving than I meant to be and had to make a dash for Stag's Head garage to get diesel before they shut at 8.00pm. I made it just in time which was just as well because the likelihood of finding another petrol station open after 8.00pm on the mountain roads is zero. It took me about two hours to get to Newtown and then on to Gregynog Hall where I was going to spend the night. The Hall was set in large grounds and I was worried for a while that I'd end up driving about the grounds all night long looking for it but I did just come across it after a while. I got chatting with the porter who told me that he'd severed his arm above the elbow but it had been reattach, semi-successfully and then he showed me to the room which was just off the cobblestone courtyard looking out over the grounds. Quite simple accommodation but it was warm and clean and had a bathroom. There was a bar there which I was tempted by but then I decided I didn't really want to get into drinking so I stayed in the room and read for a few hours before bedtime.


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