David's blog

I went for a walk yesterday with a group of people I had been with before, and I was expecting a similar walk to the others. However, I hadn’t walked with them in autumn before, and the changing weather made conditions a bit trickier. It was wet underfoot and muddy. The usual walks are a bit of an amble, and they emphasize health and safety, so I wasn’t expecting the obstacle course -like walk we ended up doing. It was great, though! Some found it harder than others, and there was some frustration as a few were held back, mainly due to bad footwear. I thought my footwear was good, but I still got wet—I have waterproof socks but forgot to wear them. The sogginess of the ground wasn’t helped by the continuous rain, I guess, but at least it wasn’t cold, which was handy. There’s another walk in a few weeks, and I’m looking forward to it! The photo is of Rhaedyr Ddu I think well thats what I was told anyway This walk was a bit iffernt to others in another way too , there was oly 6 of us o...

I went to my cookery class today, as I’ve been doing on Thursday mornings for a few weeks now. I knew I was supposed to be cooking pumpkin pie, but when I got there, I realized I’d forgotten a box to carry it home. Then it hit me—I didn’t even have a box big enough for a pie. So, I went to the Co-op to find something suitable and managed to get a box. When I got to the class, we decided I’d make a pie that would fit in the box, which was convenient since I didn’t want to carry it all the way home on the bus. I’d never had pumpkin pie before. First, I had to make the mush that goes in the pie. That involved cutting up pumpkin, stewing it for a while, and waiting for it to cool down. While it cooled, the pastry was prepared, boiled, and then baked. Next, I mixed a few more ingredients into the pumpkin mush—or puree, or whatever you call it—and then watched as the pastry was baked. I’d never tried pumpkin pie before, and after eating it this afternoon, I don’t think I’ll have it again. Th...

 I decided to have a day out after the March for Independence yesterday, something I had been considering for a few days. If these marches are held in the north, I usually attend. I hadn't been to Rhyl in a long time and couldn't really remember the last time I was there. Since I was going alone, I had to rely on public transport , which in Wales is currently shocking, leaving the roads clogged with cars. I needed to take the train to Llandudno Junction and change there for Rhyl. I could have taken the bus, I guess, but the journey from Llandudno to Rhyl is quicker by train. However, this weekend there were no trains running for some reason. The line between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llandudno is constantly disrupted for one reason or another; they might as well just shut it down and replace it with a bus service. So, it was the bus for me yesterday to the junction, though I amusingly brought a USB cable, still thinking I’d be on a train. Usually, there are long waits between...

I have a slight head cold today, which is mainly bothersome when I'm trying to sleep. I asked an AI for advice, and it gave the usual suggestions of drinking plenty of fluids and resting. After all this time, they still haven't found a cure for the common cold. I don't think I have COVID, though if I do, I have no tests and won't pay for one. It seems COVID is here to stay now. The road is very quiet today. I think most of the traffic goes down the little lane on the other side of the village, as that's where the satnav directs them. The noisy metal cover on the manhole has come loose again—every few years, it works itself free, so maybe it's a good thing the road is quiet. I've been contacting the water board about it for years, but it's not an issue at the moment. I'm still waiting for the housing association to address the damp in the walls of this house. It's such a nuisance.they take so long to get round to doing something. I was due to go t...

I went to the cookery class, which is now on Thursday mornings instead of Wednesday. I wasn’t sure what I’d be making this week, but I knew I was a week behind the others. So, whatever they made last week, I’d be making this week. The problem was, I couldn’t remember what they made last week. Anyway, it turned out I was making a brownie, which I think is an American dessert that we never had when I was young. The only thing I knew about a brownie was that it had a soft center, and I thought it was made of chocolate. The first part of making the brownie was melting sugar and chocolate together. The teacher explained that I had to do this over a saucepan, not in the microwave, because using the microwave could cause the chocolate to split or get too hot. I wasn’t quite sure what that meant—maybe I’m not supposed to understand as a beginner—but apparently, it’s just about slowly heating the ingredients and nothing else. Sometimes I analyze things too much, or maybe I just want to understa...