Jam and pigeons

Autumn is early this year and seems to have arrived in September. The  cold and wet weather persists and the trees have started to show their reds and yellows. Two Maples in Dolgellau brighten up the woodscape in town though our own woods remain verdant.

The berry crops have been poor and the volumes of jam and jelly we have had, as a consequence, also poor. We have made Rowan Jelly (Criafol), Bramble Jam (Mwyar Duan) and Plum Jam (Eirinen) this year successfully but in smaller amounts. The Rose-hip syrup (egroesen) was a disappointment with the berries and the syrup lacking colour and taste. The leftover lemons were useful way of using up older eggs as they were transmuted into Lemon curd.

The sheep remain well and have put on a lot of weight. In the very heavy rains it has been odd to watch them standing very still. It looks quite eerie as even the chewing seems to have stopped. The ram seems  to be entering adolescence. He now looks more masculine and is starting to take an interest in the ewes.

We had an unusual visitor this week. Karen had noticed a pigeon walking looking tired and lost. It later became clear that this was a homing pigeon who had become diverted. It had travelled 300miles that morning from Lille but had ended up too far north (as its home was in South Wales). It got a lift from Lisa back to its family.

Mae'r dosbarth Cymraeg wedi dechrau. Dydy ddim wyneb newydd. Does dim wynebau newydd. Dw i'n gobeithio dysgu mwy y flwyddyn hon. Croesi bysedd !