First an apology, in case any of you thought I was busy sending out spam. Yesterday afternoon, as part of my efforts to forestall
the scheduled disappearance of Google Reader, I registered my blog on Bloglovin’ in order to give me another way to
follow blogs and to offer my readers the same way to follow my blog. As part of
the process, I was asked to publish a post to ‘claim’ my blog, the content of
which inadvertently appeared as the garbled and spam-like message some of you
will have seen. Unfortunately, once launched into the ether by the Blogger
dashboard, no post, however short or incomprehensible, can be retrieved by the
hapless blogger, hence the apology.
Secondly I’m
starting to think spring may just be starting to appear over the horizon, despite the
continuing fridge-like temperatures up in these hills. A couple of days ago I
took a little stroll to check on the progress (or lack of it) of the thaw in
shrinking the drifts in our lane.
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| The view north.... |
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| ....and south, with the house just visible through the trees |
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| The view east..... |
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| ...and west. At least there's some green around. |
After I’d
recovered from the shock of seeing that almost all the snow still left around
us is concentrated in or next to our lane, I had a wander around the back field
in search of daffodils. I knew I’d seen them poking their hopeful little spears
out of the grass before the snow came and then they vanished. Now they have
reappeared and are even starting to show some glimpses of yellow. Who knows? We
might actually have some daffodils in bloom before the end of April, and if the
bench up there at the top of the slope can extricate itself from its snowdrift,
somewhere to sit to enjoy them at close quarters. Hope springs eternal…..
Those daffodils certainly give hope of better times....may they come soon!
ReplyDeleteIndeed. I'm starting to have to ration milk very carefully indeed. :-)
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteSomebody famous (so much so I'm dazzled and can't recall the name...) said "go west my son!" It does rather seem you got the heavy end of the snow deal. Seeing GOL's post today, though, it does seem that hope will flower!
Thank you too for confirming that was not a spam... must admit I was highly suspicious. Being new to all this, had not got as far as Google reader so won't know what I am missing. Am not entirely sure how any of these other things differ from the service provided by Blogger itself. A longish sample then a link to the blog. The readers themselves do not appear to permit comments, so one does have to go directly to the source page.
As long as the blogs I am following are available through Blog-tracker itself, I will not be adding any more layers than I have to... It's enough that I have to WEAR layers, don't want to read 'em as well!!! That's not to say, having now become aware that there are such preferences, that I will not offer the same connection - though doubt I have sufficient readership at this stage to be worried.
It's all a bit mesmerizing, this blog caper. But am having fun and look at the wonderful folk I'm meeting! Here's to daffs galore on a little Welsh hill. Regards, YAM &>
You're absolutely right, Yamini. The north-western quarter of the UK from Mid-Wales to the central Highlands of Scotland was particularly badly hit, including normally mild places like the Isle of Man. My sister lives a few miles away from us down in the valley and it's a different world from up here.
DeleteI knew people would wonder about yesterday;'s odd post, hence the explanation and apology. I'm concerned about the impending end of Google Reader for two reasons. The first is that I've always preferred to use it to keep up with the blogs I follow, and also I know that it's used by many blog followers who aren't bloggers and therefore don't have the Blogger dashboard. All they need to use Google Reader is a Google account. By providing a link to a service like Bloglovin', I'm making it possible for people like that to go on following my blog when Google Reader disappears.
I did wonder about yesterday's "post". You still do have quite a bit of snow, but the daffodils do bring hope. Why is your lane so 'blessed' with the white blanket?
ReplyDeleteI'm not surpriseed, Bonnie. It did look very odd and there was nothing I could do about it except to delete it on my blog itself.
DeleteUnfortunately the strong east wind, which has been blowing for so long, scoured much of the the snow from the fields and piled it up against every obstacle it could find, like the banks and hedgerows on either side of our lane. Our drifts were modest compared with the monsters further north - up to 20 feet or 6 metres deep in some places! Thank goodness for the daffodils reminding me that spring is coming.
Hope blooms. You may just get rid of the snow by Whit Sunday. I spoke to my folks in Dorst this afternoon and they said it was trying to snow again today.
ReplyDeleteGosh, there's an encourage thought! :-) The weather forecast at lunchtime said there would be snow and sleet across the south of England today and a friend mentioned it was snowing near London this morning. Winter really doesn't want to get go....
DeleteI am amazed at the amount of snow still left in your lane. Hope you are able to get out before the milk supply runs dry. Those daffodils do look promising though. Autumn has come very suddenly here and we even had 3 very welcome mls of rain yesterday.
ReplyDeleteDepressing, isn't it, Susan? If this goes on we'll have to send out an SOS for a Saint Bernard with a cask of milk rather than brandy round its neck. :-) I do so wish I could send you our snowdrifts. New Zealand really does need the moisture.
DeleteI'll bet you were glad to be able to go out and survey your slightly less white world.
ReplyDeleteWe have had very little snow here by comparison, but the never-ending Easterly wind is a killer.
There just is no way to escape it, and everything in its path freezes.
The forecasters are at last beginning to make noises about wind direction changes and higher temperatures.
Please God let them be right, we all need some warmth.
It was good to be able to walk up the first part of the lane without risk to life and limb. :-) I think the eastern half of the country has had the bitter cold rather than the snow this time and if the wind is bad with us, it must feel even worse for you.
DeleteI heard the more encouraging forecast too, though I just hope the promised rain isn't preceded by yet more snow up here. Warmth, give me warmth, so that I can stop looking like the Michelin woman in all my layers.....
The snow really seems to be hugging the hills and the icy winds loath to let go, but it's lovely to see the daffodils battling through. Ours are all still in bud yet but there seems to be loads of primroses popping up. Spring is definitely winning.
ReplyDeleteFrom up here the tops of the higher hills are still white, with the lower slopes being striped by the drifts along the hedges and walls. If only the wind would change direction....
DeleteI'm glad to hear your have primroses popping up. Ours are looking very sorry for themselves now they've emerged from the snow - very limp and battered, but I'm sure they'll recover, says she with fingers crossed.
Thanks for the recipe, P - as we're off tomorrow until Monday they won't get done until next week now. We were over to Aberdovey today (taking 'boys' to be clipped at Pennal) and having lunch with my cousins who were staying at the big hotel there - hardly any sign of snow except on the highest hills, and there only in patches, so you've been remarkably unfortunate in still being imprisoned by one of the bigger patches! Hope you're set free by next week - if not we'll send out 'Search and Rescue' to deliver milk, etc. Maybe we can organise a shopping run if by then you can at least get to the top of the lane on foot! I don't suppose you've had any post either - hope the hospital haven't called you in!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay, but yesterday was busy. Glad you enjoyed your day out. I think the coast missed most of the snow, but the higher hills in our area were badly hit and we can still see plenty across on the Radnor Hills. We're devoutly hoping that the forecast increase in temperature and prospect of rain will combine to speed up the thaw. If not we may end up yelling for help. :-)
DeleteAs soon as we knew we were thoroughly snowed-in, DH faxed the hospital to warn them that we weren't getting post and arranged that they would contact us by phone if necessary.
We have no snow here but the air is cold. I was looking at my posts from last year. On 2nd April I posted pictures of cherry blossom and magnolias that I had taken on the 31/3, and still we have no sign of either. I find it quite alarming - when will the warmth arrive? The heating bills are going to be enormous this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you have no snow, but I think we're all suffering from the cold wind. The mere thought of cherry blossom and magnolias seems like a dream at the moment. I did a post on March 5th last year on the joys of spring, talking about the primroses which were already blossoming even up at our elevation. Sigh....
DeleteThe Met Office's 30 day forecast talks about the second half of April being likely to have temperatures closer to average, but they don't sound completely sure about it. You're right about heating bills. This winter will have hit a lot of people very hard.
Your daffs look further on than ours!
ReplyDeleteHave you been able to mount any kind of shopping expedition yet? I'd hate to think of you starving in your wintry fastness!
They are on a south-west facing slope, sheltered from the bitter east wind, and I think the recent sunshine has brought them on a bit. I was SO please to find them. :-)
DeleteWe're still managing for food, thanks, as our big fridge is brilliant at keeping fruit and veg well and we always have a good stock of non-perishables. Having seen the weather forecast I made a point of stocking up on fresh food, though with hindsight I could have bought more milk......
It is certainly a long haul for you Perpetua, being snowed in. The dear daffodils hopefully are a good sign. I can see you are quite experienced in stocking up for a long seige - I could take lessons from you, after the problems I had with our last flood. Hope the wind drops soon!
ReplyDeleteThis is by no means the first time we've been snowed-in over the years, Patricia, but it's very much the longest period we've been marooned. So yes, we know to keep plenty of supplies in hand during the winter, especially as our days of digging ourselves out are now in the past. It helps that we have a big American-style fridge-freezer, which stores a lot and keeps it well. Here's to a change in the weather sooner rather than later and in the meantime I take hope from the daffodils. :-)
DeleteDaffodils are such a lovely sight and fill you with the joys of Spring, even though there does seem to still be an awful lot of snow about. Hope it disappears very soon x
ReplyDeleteI did a little happy dance when I found them, I can tell you, and was even willing to lie down on the wet grass to photograph them. :-) It's odd to see so much snow in the lane when the fields are now green and soggy again. Roll on a good, warm, wet south-westerly...
DeleteGuess what, in a sheltered spot in the garden a clump of daffodils has almost opened. I picked almost all of them instantly and put them in a vase. I’ll never see them outdoors and inside they give me great pleasure.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it a joy to see them, Friko? I would have done the same on the spot, except that DH has a deep-rooted aversion to cutting flowers, so I can only slip in a few at a time. I'll give them another couple of days to open a bit more, then give myself a treat. :-)
DeleteI imported your blog address long ago into my WordPress Reader, and at this point, I've also gone ahead with Bloglovin' just trying to be sure to cover all bases! When it comes to blogging, each change throws me off for a while until I adjust. Those daffodils had to be a welcome sight, Perpetua. The yellow peeking out from the snow is just beautiful. And I notice an incredibly blue sky. Just wonderful! Ahhhh, spring! We knew it would come to your house, too. LOL! Debra
ReplyDeleteIt's not easy keeping up with blogs on a different platform and I've heard some people find the WordPress Reader not totally reliable. Now that Google Reader is disappearing soon, I thought I ought to provide another option for myself and my readers. If only things didn't have to change....
DeleteIt was a glorious day when I took these photos and it does feel as though we've got spring overlapping with winter up here. Let's hope spring wins out soon. :-)
Dear Debra, it's one of the wonders of human existence that hope does spring eternal. I like what that says about humankind. Peace.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more, Dee. Those daffodils just shouted spring is coming and I really needed to hear that.
DeleteI clearly haven't been paying attention as I didn't see anything odd!
ReplyDeleteOh dear what a lot of snow you have..... I'm so sorry to hear it is so slow in clearing and you are rationing milk. Can you get a friendly farmer with a digger to dig you out? Or are they all busy sorting out their flocks etc? Sounds horrific, I have to keep turning off the news when they talk about all the dead animals....so very sad....
Sending warming vibes to you. Um... we have warmish sunshine here...hope it brings a thaw for YOU!
That's why I rushed in with another post - to move the odd one off the front page, so to speak. :-)
DeleteWe can't believe how much snow is still here a full fortnight after it arrived. The problem is that it keeps thawing when the sun shines, then refreezing overnight, until it's nearly as hard as concrete and proving very slow to shift. We don't want to bother our farmer neighbours at a busy time of year, so we've booked a Tesco delivery for next Tuesday and will cart it down the nice green field to the house. As long as I have milk for my tea I can sit almost anything out. :-)
So glad your snow is on the wane. It's so cold though and keep hearing its going to be a while yet before it improves. I've signed up for Bloglovin but not done any more with it yet. Don't like change either. Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeletePatricia x
So am I, Patricia, and it's great to be able to see green fields again. In the lane the drifts are shrinking and compacting, so it will be a while before they disappear altogether. I gather slightly milder weather is on the cards for next week, but I shan't hold my breath.:-)
DeleteWith Bloglovin, I've imported all the blogs I follow, so that I have another way of reading blogs that doesn't depend on Google or the Blogger dashboard. Call it belt and braces......
I'll have to investigate the whole Bloglovin thing. I'm completely lost regarding whatever is going to happen with google. I follow - I'm followed - but will that type of thing change? Should I be doing something new? I must investigate - have been offline for a few days with my head in the sand!
ReplyDeleteI hope you are able to get down that lane soon.
The honest answer to your question is that no-one knows. The ending of Google reader has taken millions of people by surprise, so who can guess what Google will decide to do next? There are internet rumours that Following via Google Friend Connect may be under threat, as Google try to push us towards Google+, hence my wish to have as many safety-belts as possible.
DeleteYou can't hope it as devoutly as we do. The thaw is proving so slow where the drifts are concerned.
The think I don't like about Google+ is that it seems to be linked to so many things. I don't wish to be linked that widely. Perhaps I'm in a fool's paradise.....
DeleteIf you are, you have me for company and probably plenty of others. There is no way I would join Google+ as I would have to give my full name and I value my privacy, and that of my family, too much to do that. Hence the use of Bloglovin', where I was able to remove my full name from my profile as soon as I'd registered and substitute my pseudonym.
DeleteNasty looking snow you've had there...
ReplyDeleteand looking at the older post again, only the biggest drift in that first picture seems to have vanished.
Thought of you this morning as I read Auntie Beeb's News site...
I hope the wildfires up at Bettyhill kept well clear of your Scots place.
Great to see the daffs...
only the few Tete-a-tete in the front bed have done anything here yet...
and it is still nitheringly cold...
I'm fed up with wearing long-johns...
it is April and I'm in France!!
Will someone up there please throw the "Spring and Summer" switch....
PLEASE!
And we got off lightly compared to some places further north. DH reckons the only reason that big drift has disappeared is that the dratted wind changed direction and created a few new ones not shown on the first picture!
DeleteWe've been following the wildfire news very carefully and it's very bad. Thankfully we're 11 miles away from Bettyhill on the Kyle of Tongue. Hard to believe that the North-West Highlands can be so tinder-dry, when the rest of the UK is so soggy, but they didn't get all the rain we had last year.
I'm amazed to think that spring in the Loire valley is as far behind as it is here and sorry to hear that you're as cold as we are. I'm still wearing so many layers that if I fell over I'd bounce. Enough is enough!
No strange post arrived here I'm pleased to say. But the number of spam comments that get past my simple CAPTCHA on my blog is exceedingly annoying.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see the daffodils. We're still waiting to Spring flowers in Prague beyond the ones brought in from Dutch greenhouses :-)
I think I must have removed it before it got as far as you. :-) You do seem to be having an awful problem with spam. Thankfully the influx I posted about recently seems to have subsided and the Blogger spam filter is catching more and more of the ones that do try to get through.
DeleteI'm going to pick a few of the daffodils today and bring them in where I can see them. Sorry to hear spring flowers still haven't arrived with you, but just imagine the beauty when they all blossom at once!
Dear Perpetua - I think that I have joined Bloglovin!!! but was wondering how you get the button on your blog?
ReplyDeleteI filled in the button information for my blog and thought that you would just have to press something else and it would arrive on your blog. It told me it had found my blog but I am not sure how to process it on. Any tips would be really helpful - thanks.
Rosemary, you have definitely joined Bloglovin' as I've just found your blog on there and checked that I'm shown as following you.
DeleteNow you need to click on the drop-down menu next to your username in the top right corner of the home page and choose Follow Buttons.
On the Buttons page chose the icon you want and click on 'Get this icon'.
A new page will open and you click on 'Add Widget'.
On the next page (entitled Add Page Element) click on the blue 'Add Widget' button.
A Layout page for your blog will then open and you'll find the Bloglovin' button box at the top of your sidebar.
Drag it to your preferred position and click on the orange "Save arrangement" button on the top right. If you want to check on the position first, use the preview button before saving.
Hope this works for you.
You are so brilliant Perpetua - no wonder you went to Oxford - thanks so much.
DeleteYou're welcome, Rosemary. :-)
Delete