A Grand Day Out

A weekend off from milking, perhaps the last when the sun is shining with at least a little warmth. It may be that the cattle will be in soon too. Saturday normally tends to be a day of catching up with little jobs and this particular one, we were getting sheds ready to receive their occupants for the winter. Sundays are generally laid back when we only ‘do the necessary’ even on a milking weekend. This Sunday D and I have decided to get away for the day to Aberystwyth, only an hour and a half away in the car. We have been feeling a little deflated as we now are in the protection zone for the Bluetongue especially as the heifers that were sold from the advert in the Farmers Guardian are to go into Wales, so they can’t be moved. Sunday is to be a sort of ‘pick me up’ day. We set off shortly after 8.30, the fog is quite thick down in the valleys, so from time to time as the road rises the fog thins and we can see the road in the distance. Then we go down into another valley, the fog thickens. It’s like being a dolphin coming up for air. Then after about ¾ hour it all clear, the sun is shining just after Llanidloes. Today there is very little traffic; perhaps it’s because England lost in Paris perhaps those who watched the game have been commiserating too much! My own team, Wales, didn’t do too well. Would I go and see them play? Definitely not, they wouldn’t come and see me when I’m bad!!
When we got to Aber, coffee was the order of the day before we go to St Michael’s Church for the morning service. St. Mike’s as it is known locally has a large lively congregation with a ‘band’ which lead the music for the service – guitars (acoustic, bass, lead), trumpet, cello and a piano. It was announced that the BBC was to broadcast the morning service on Radio 4 the following weekend (29th October).
After the service we found a very nice little café for lunch followed by an ice cream and a stroll along the prom. D. relived her time at Aberystwyth University with such as “that was my room up there in Carpenter”. The day flew by and so it was time set off for home before many of the others who were in Aber that afternoon had the same idea. We got home in time to feed the cattle and get set to watch the Grand Prix. Well Lewis didn’t win the race or the World Championship but we’d had a good day. Hardly Wallace and Grommit but it had been a ‘grand day out’!