phew - time passes at a remarkable rate..........

..............when you are enjoying yourself!
Well its been galloping along well here on a windy hillside looking at Wales.
The junior shepherd did a whistlestop trip home last weekend bringing a friend or five that needed feeding and generally caring for. At one stage I found two of them asleep on the sofa - obviously hard work this university life! They were deposited back to the little station at Welshpool in time to catch the 7:50 train back to the coast, clutching carrier bags of my cupboard comtents and clean washing - bless!

The sheep are all wobbling along nicely, at least they are staying at home now instead of disappearing all day and coming home at night. This picture is for Bayou - we never got a close up view of them in the flesh this weekend, we never actually had the time. Lambing is due after Easter. They can still be a little bit flighty, the header picture was taken by me walking away from them, and them being as nosey as nosey can be came to see where I had gone when I crouched down. Just like naughty kids!

Well Friday was a day to remember - I was off with wet hair as per usual to find Bayou who had come over from Belgium to join in a Border Bloggers meet up. With much shrieking and hugging we were off on a whistlestop tour of South West Shropshire - we got up into the hills and down into Bishops Castle. The sun shone from a brilliant cloudless sky and BC looked as though it had been brushed especially. So sad however to find more empty shops, more businesses closed and gone, such a shame.

As we hurtled around the lanes I was quite amazed at the way the continual weeks of heavy snow and ice has left the countryside looking so drab, as though all the life blood has been sucked out. The grass is yellow and flat, the verges are full of black mud, the trees are bare - we need a good dose of sunshine and some warmth to rectify all this tiredness.

A quick dash to Shrewsbury station to retrieve an anxious Lawyerlady who had managed to get her self propositioned by a couple of drunks at lunch time - cant leave her anywhere on her own that one! Then full steam ahead to The Lowfield at Marton which has been the choice once before for a bloggers get together. Its big, its spacious, its airy, comfortable and the food's good, the barman/waiter is a rugby player - hmmmmmmmmmmm 12 women and one rugby player - he didnt stand a chance really - bless his cotton socks.

There was much shrieking and laughing - quite normal. There was chocolate - cheers Bayou.

There was reminiscing about Country Living, Children Chocolate and Wine and how we have all found each other, then Twiglet and Jane realised they had actually gone to the same school! Honest! Why has Mountainear got a lamp growing out of her head? Sorry I'll try harder next time!

Mollygolver and I realised we both knew a man in the village - not as in the biblical sense I hasten to add! Somewhere along the proceedings Friko attempted to translate for Bayou the well known saying 'All fur coat and no knickers' and mayhem ensued. I think the best expression could be 'lost in translation' - totally! Even said rugby playing host visibly paled.

Exercise and fresh air was the only remedy and so it was a motely collection of cars that climbed up to the mountain kingdom of Trelystan to find the little church in a field looking down to the valley. Just beautiful at any time of the year but truly magically with carpets of snowdrops in amongst the leaning gravestones. we enthused at the barrel organ, the lights, the kneelers and the stained glass, we marvelled at the love and dedication that goes into keeping this little corner of religion well tended and cared for. Then it was down to Mountainear's for tea.

We all talk away like long lost friends who have known each other for years and yet for over half of those on Friday they were meeting in the flesh for the very first time - the power of the written word strikes again - and very nice it is too. Next? Come on, you know you want to.....