Home Thoughts Weekly

Ma and I pretending to own a beach hut. ‘I’ve been in charge of this place for ten years now,’ says the manager of the shopping centre, staring glumly at a hand rail, ‘and I’ve never seen an accident like this before.’ Yes, it’s our first stop on a short break away from home with Ma and she’s already sliced her arm open. Her poor back means she has to hold on tight when climbing stairs and, as she grabs the bannister to haul herself up, she cries out in surprise. An insanely-designed metal joint juts out from under the rail at just the right height to slice the skin off Ma’s arm (or, possibly, to thwack a child’s cheek bone) and we have to seek the services of a first aider to clean and dress the wound. It’s not the best start to Ma’s holiday, but, hey, in week that’s seen three of our nearest and dearest hospitalized for various reasons, we’re simply relieved to have come this far. For our whirlwind tour of East Anglia, we’ve booked to stay at Premier Inns; inexpensive, effici...

On what is one of the most boilacious days Aberystwyth has to offer, Rose, Si, Tom and I decide to take one of the ‘Great Little Trains of Wales’, the Vale of Rheido l steam train from Aberystwyth to Devil’s Bridge. Si, with great foresight, suggests we sit in an open carriage, an idea which I poo-poo, ‘because it might be cold’(hah!), besides the best seats are already occupied by canny Silver Steamers who seem to have staked out their territory hours in advance. But, never mind, we have comfortable seats by the open window and are looking forwards to our trip through the picturesque Rheidol Valley. Then, just as we are about to leave the station, two passengers climb aboard, sit behind us and suddenly the air is filled with the rank cheesy aroma of wet dog. ‘It’s a bit hot for her,’ her owners tell each other, ‘good job we gave her a thorough soak first!’ Him and Me before the wet dog arrived. Wah! The dog is large, hairy and restlessly pants doggie breath at everyone. ...

In an anxious week with some worrying news about loved ones, I had a couple of light moments making a book trailer for Move Over Darling .   In other news, we're off on a steam train trip today with Rose and Si on the Vale of Rheidol Railway  so we're hoping the sunshine will last. And finally here's a photo from what was a very restorative walk earlier this week showing the beautiful view from Foel Eryr .