Monday 30 April 2012

Let There Be Light.....

We've reached that stage when the daylight comes rushing up to meet us. Soon we'll be having our daily 23.5 hours of light, and hopefully sunshine.  It creeps up on you up here. Last night I got up for a pee about 03:50 and it was light(ish), certainly dawn-like in a UK way. And last night it was lightish till about 22:00, when Rocky decided to return home after a day out hunting/on the castrated-cat tiles.

Today, after a decidedly chilly start, it is shaping up for a pleasant day of blue sky and sunshine. At 07:45 when I rose we had plus four degrees; now we have plus 18 in full sun. It must have dipped below zero overnight, though, because one of our water butts, by the side of the house, had a thin skin of ice capping it earlier.

J is en-route for home. She travelled by coach from Carmarthen yesterday but got held up in a melee following an accident on the M4, before being switched to another coach direct to Heathrow Airport. This was both good and bad; she'd arranged to be met at Victoria by a friend who had a couple of books and some Scotch Pies - that I adore and will now miss!  Her diversion straight to Heathrow meant that she was unable to rende-vous with him.  I've asked him to keep/freeze the pies - from a very good butcher in Dunblane - but I know he'll scoff them. He is a Jags' supporting Scot, after all. No doubt, he'll wash them down with lashings of scalding hot Bovril - a curiously Scottish football ground sort of repas, certainly one of the few attractions at Firhill, as I recall!  Though, on second thoughts, they also did a passable Bridie too.

It seems that they've had storms and strong winds in the South, and trains from Stockholm have been badly affected by power failures etc. J's train is even now running about an hour late - virtually unheard of in the near-Swiss clockwork precision of Swedish railways.  If it's over 60 mins late she is entitled to a full refund on the fare. It's due into Sundsvall anytime now, with a current running prediction of being only fifty minutes behind schedule. There is an online site where you can check/monitor progress of trains in service. Knowing Swedish rail, they'll be hammering along, flat-out, in a bid to ensure no refunds are needed!

I've cut a bit of wood this morning to tide us over. I think we now have about enough cut to last the rest of Spring; we can now let the stove dribble out in mid/late afternoon, though it is still needed in the morning to take the chill from the place.

Rocky and Charlie both went off on a joint foray first thing, but have both returned and are slumbering peacefully bathed in the glow of sun from the windows.  Alex is also lying in the sun outside; Jack is asleep on the kitchen floor. I feel like joining them all but instead will now get myself out into the sun on the porch with a cuppa, I think.


The view last night at a 22:20. Taken without flash or lighting of any kind:



The neighbouring farm:



Our place:





And, finally, Rocky last night, clearly considering taking up wine-drinking (he'll be bloody lucky!):







1 comment: