Life goes on deep in the countryside - a wrench in the fabric of the family has caused many ripples and much soul searching but we are built of strong stuff - 'united we stand divided we fall' goes the song and we're still satnding - bring it on - we can cope!
Meanwhile we have not sat and sobbed into soggy tissues we have been out and about - one evening we went on a guided walk around the Asterley coalfield - no I didnt know there was one either - the wonderfully restored windmill enhances any scene and some beautiful derelict cottages that would make a wonderful des res. The pictures on the walls were very lifelike!!
Its that time of year again - street party time. This year the theme being a St Trinians reunion there was even a 'naughty step'! I looked out of the bedroom window at one stage to see dozens of gym slip clad bodies - hermaphrodites definitely - trannies possibly - whatever - its a one night thing - anything goes - the age range being from about 3 to at least 70. The entertainment was spectacular - hula hoops - ON FIRE and circus tricks. The food must have been good -well there was nothing left to clear up on Sunday morning but there were plenty of bad heads. 
At last the junior shepherd has accommodation for September in Aberystwyth - what a nightmare that has been - then last week one of my harassing phone calls to the estate agents bore fruit - we had a family trip up to the coast on Saturday to see it. What an embarrasment! The current tenants were still in situ - in bed - asleep! One stood there bleary eyed and cheerily I asked him if it was a nice house and had they been happy there etc etc - 'Oh yes we've been very happy here - UNTIL WE'VE BEEN KICKED OUT!' Oops - cue - open floor and lets all get in. I havent a clue what's gone on there and I guess we will never know. Fingers crossed and lets hope everybody gets a roof over their head that needs one.
It was a lovely sunny day and the babes enjoyed every minute of it, we did the obligatory trip up Constitution Hill - it should be re named Windy Corner. On the seafront we played crazy golf and whizzed about on a longboard, listened to the open air music and fed the babes drippy ice creams.
Today we had the sadness of a friend's funeral to attend - then we played hookey - and ran away for the rest of the day into the borderlands of South Shropshire, Herefordshire and Powys. We found Croft Castle - WOW! Why did I think it was a ruin? It isnt - it is an amazing country house with a colourful history and is still used by the Croft family - but the gardens - gobsmackingly gorgeous, lawns that felt like thick velevet carpet, a walled garden with exotic fruit trees, a vinyard and even a church. Mountainear - please put it on the list of 'must do's'........
