Last week, under blue skies and record-beating temperatures, we hosted a band from Toulouse in France, on tour in Mid-Wales. Four extremely talented musicians, one of whom is Maryline's goddaughter Marie-Emilie, filled our home by day with fun, laughter and creativity and by night delighted audiences in five different venues and settings with their vibrant tones especially arranged by them for the three flutes and one guitar quartett.
Over the last nine months, Maryline had been dipping her toes into the world of music and concerts to set up some gigs for El Deseo Quartett in Mid-Wales and Shropshire on …
At this time of year, governed by the decreasing hours of sunlight, we spend much more time indoors. Days are short and we begin to retreat inside from just after 4pm. The hens take themselves back into their coop from around that time and I pack away their food in the shed for the night. I do a final check on the sheep too and then begin to prepare the house for the evening and the night: topping up the log baskets, drawing the curtains and preparing dinner.
One thing that I notice at this time of year is how …