Housesitting on a forested hill in the idyllic Symonds Yat

Along the River Wye in Symonds Yat

We got back to mum in Alvechurch from our housesit in Hall Green Birmingham, and it was warm, off to the hairdressers, it was warm, to bed and up the following day, STILL warm! Nothing for it, out to the garden. Pruning and digging before going out to buy plants, then more digging, planting, training of honeysuckle.... three days out in the garden, but a marked improvement.

We were allowed a treat, on Saturday the three of us met John in The Swan pub in the village for a pint before B and I took him across the road to The New Dilshad Indian restaurant for Kurzi lamb, a slow cooked leg of lamb you have to order at least 24 hours in advance. It really is a delightful meal, so tender that a spoon is all you need to carve it. It’s intended for 4, so with just 3 of us we ‘struggled’, but I was almost full after the popadom and starter... we ate, hugely and deliciously and talked and talked (and drank and drank!). We had a lovely evening, it was so nice to see him.

Pauline's (Jackie's mum) garden after our hard work. She likes it rural, but we have dug the border on the left and planted it, trimmed back a lot of the bushes, added an arch and planted climbers for it and lots of shrubs, bushes and flowers. We have blisters, splinters and aches to testify to the work!

At the viewpoint at Yat Rock

I hadn’t shopped for Sunday dinner, not knowing what we’d need, so with the rest of the lamb and an over-bought portion of stir fry vegetables which I turned into vegetable curry, and a packet of naan breads I already had, we had dinner for 3 and veggie curry in mum’s freezer for her!

Monday the three of us set off to Symonds Yat. Another Housesit, and something a bit different. Two ‘normal’ housecats cats, Tygra and Panthro living their best life having moved from London, then two slightly feral farm cats. Cheetara who started off in the tree house, but when let out did a runner so she new lives about 7 minutes walk away in an abandoned house, so gets food taken to her once a day.

More views from Yat Rock viewpoint

Her replacement in the treehouse was Wily who I don’t think sleeps there, but in the evening comes when called, and, from full arm stretch, wants lots of fuss and tickles. He’s had a hard week though, the tree surgeons have been cutting branches in his wood, and then his undergrowth has been mowed! He has been absent a couple of days so I’m really happy when I do see him. He’s a lovely cat though, so hopefully he’ll pluck up the courage to move indoors at some point. The tree house is in the orchard, which is also where the four rescue hens live. They are real characters running up for treats and fuss, they are used to 4year old Elle picking them up for a cuddle! Then there are the two rescue sheep, mother and daughter, Willow and Ivy..... there’s a theme here.... Willow loves to be stroked and fussed, most unusual for a sheep though she hasn’t passed this on to Ivy which is a shame.

Looking in another direction from Yat Rock. Peregrine Falcons usually nest in the right hand vertical rock you can see in the distance, but we don't think there's any there now

Hens following Jackie to Wily's treehouse

Our duties are a little more taxing than usual, but are surprisingly light, the sheep take no looking after as they rarely mess in their house and eat grass. They have a biscuit (digestive or ginger nut) early evening with some fuss to look for fly strike and apart from a little sunblock for Willow on a previous scar that is pretty much it! The hens are let out first thing before we go back to bed for coffee and Cheetara is fed when we’ve got 15 minutes.

Our housesit is somewhere in those trees over there

We’ve had some relaxed starts and then some great days out with mum, Symonds Yat to see the rock (but no peregrines) a trip on the river pottering past canoes in an absolute downpour. We were meant to be canoeing the following day, but with just as unpredictable weather forecast we decided against it. So we had a trip to Monmouth instead which we all decided was a lovely little town. We walked up the High Street with mum and B both buying shoes, stopped for lunch and walked up towards the castle and Monmouthshire regimental museum, only to find a barrier. No worries, just come round we were told, seemed to defeat the object a bit, but hey.

Panthro chilling out in her day bed in the lounge

On our boat trip on the Wye

Yesterday we went to Tintern, a quick look at the Abbey before heading to the much more interesting craft centre. A little walk along the river, a trip to the Old Station where B and I camped many years ago. Up the hill to the Parva Farm vineyard (in Wales? Who knew?) for a little tasting before buying a nice bottle of rose.

Today has been wet, so we’ve pottered, the jigsaw is out, and now the blog is written.

We had intended to hire canoes, like these, and do a 9 mile river journey, but were put off by the showery weather this week. It had stopped raining in this photo but it had been torrential rain half hour before and most of these people had been sheltering under trees by the banks. It is still reasonably warm, just very changeable weather just now

Jackie and Pauline outside the remains of Monmouth castle, which is situated inside an active regimental barracks

Outside the barracks and museum

Monmouth is a really nice place. It's just over the border into Wales and occupies an historically important position at the border with England and Wales. Celebrated in the town is its place as the birthplace of Henry V, written about by Shakespeare and celebrated as an outstanding military war king. He led his men into battle at Agincourt against the French in 1415 and won a decisive battle against superior numbers in the Hundred Years War, making England one of the strongest military powers in Europe

Also outside Shire Hall is this statue of Charles Stewart Rolls (of Rolls Royce fame), commemorating not his work on the famous motor car, but his great achievements in aviation, for which he lost his life in an aeroplane crash in 1910

This bridge in Monmouth is the only surviving stone gated bridge in Britain. It spans the River Monnow and was of strategic importance, once having lookouts on top of the gate and slits for arrow firing

Here's Jackie fussing Willow sheep, with nervous Ivy behind. As soon as we walk into their field Willow comes running over and loves being stroked

We can't have much of the footstool in the lounge, it's Tigra's!

The only time we've seen Cheetara cat at the derelict house she chooses to live at nearby

Wily cat making an appearance near her tree house in the orchard

After quite a bit of coaxing Jackie finally managed to get some strokes, which he really enjoyed

Tygra joined us for dinner!

Jackie fussing Wily again at dusk. However he's seen me and is looking a bit wary

Jackie establishing the hens don't really like melon, unlike the hens in Scotland who loved it

Lunch at The Old Station, Tintern 

The rose wine Pauline bought for us from the Tintern Parva vineyard. It was made from grapes from their 1979 Pinot Noir grapevines, picked in 2018. Very pleasant it was too!