Just another view.

Finn doesn't like having a camera pointed at him.

My " new Land Rover"!

1983 Series Three diesel.

"New" Land Rover!

Oils all done, lights working, all ready to go! Fitting an old radio now.
Of course, it's pouring with rain now! This was taken from our kitchen.
Landy is a series 3 Diesel 2 & a quarter hard top with single back door.
Narrow bench seats in rear. It's got overdrive too !

Sloes.

This summer 2002

The sun came out for a few moments!

Old soldiers.

My grandad served in the Egptian campaign, the South African war and WW1.
Dad got sent back from Eypres for being underage then rejoined and left after serving finally in Ireland, in 1921. He was a sergeant in the Home Guard where he taught unarmed combat.
In the picture , he is holding what looks like a riding crop and I think that must be connected with
his role with horses pulling the big guns in France.
Grandad was an RQMS, Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant.

Sammy.

Change of camera.

I've decided that I can't afford another vehicle and have changed my camera for the next Nikon model up the range. I had a (very nice too ) D 40 SLR but now have the D 60! This embodies several new features (improvements) but otherwise looks the same . It has an ISO range of 100
to 3200 . I keep it set on 1600 or 800 as much as possible. On these cameras, noise really isn't a problem as I never enlarge bigger than A 4 and when cropping to a small area, I accept imperfection. Lovely camera though. I use a Sigma 18 to 200 mm OS lens and a Nikon 55 to 200
mm. V R , which is better at the 200 end, the Sigma enables close up photos to be taken.

This is the last Land Rover that I've owned.
It was Ex army. Long wheelbase with heavy
duty chassis. Lovely gearbox , recon. engine
and special raised competition suspension
which may have been fine off road but made
"fast" cornering on the road a little hairy!
I painted it up etc. but when I could think of
nothing else to do to it (at least, what I could afford to do)
I sold it and have regretted it ever since! My dog
misses it too. I am now looking for another old Land Rover to make mine.

Old Mill

There are lots of these ruined
water mills around here. They catered for the small farmers who grew their own wheat to make their bread. Most have (like this one)almost disappeared
yet in these wild places, you can still hear their voices, see the shoeless children playing.....

Chapel near Hay on Wye

Snow Drops.

Spring approaches!

Moles.

I am going up the hill to a neighbour's residence to attempt to rid his fields of moles, well, to make a start, anyway. One mole can make an awful mess of a lawn. I'm going to do one field and then charge him £5 a mole there after.

Latest airgun.

Below is the Chinese gun that I swapped for twenty Jeffrey Farnol books. I've upped the
power to just below the legal limit of twelve Ft. Lbs. (11.6) and added the scope. It seems accurate so rats had better look out!

XS 19 .22 AGS 4x32 scope.

My new "old" gun.

Superstar .22 (BSA)

Swapped my metal detector for this gun. In answer to my bro's comment, yes the scope was included as was a silencer. I have fitted a new spring and a new more powerful scope too!Will post a new picture of it soon. It is an excellent gun now.

Air Guns!

I have decided to try to exchange my new Garrett metal detector for an air rifle. ! The only gun I have is a .22 Weihrauch HW 85, old and rusty but excellent and the property of my son in law.

Poor Things

Young Buzzards in the snow. Just snapped this through a dusty window!

Dippers

This one shows difference in size.
I'll be glad when the brighter weather gets here.
Photos look so dull.

Dippers

Quick snapshots through a window!
These two dippers on bridge. The strange thing was, the one on the right appeared to be three quarters grown and kept fluffing itself up and holding its wings out asking to be fed ! Just seems very early for birds to have young?

Here it is!

The Bridge.

The floods last autumn moved our homemade bridgeabout fourteen feet at one end and eighteen inches the other . Luckily atree prevented the far end from going in the river and some rocks did the same thing on this side but it was tilted , making it impossible to use. The two huge tree trunks which form the basis of our very useful bridge are VERY heavy. As I failed to inspire anyone to help me put things right, I decided , yesterday, to attempt the job myself and using a sack barrow, concrete slabs and my car trolley jack, I am happy to say that the good old bridge is back in service! I will post a photo as soon as possible. This bridge saves us having to go out of our front gate, along the road, over the road bridge and in a gate to get to our field. Now we can just cross the river and we are there! The dogs can cross when they want to. We await the next floods!

Q Pod.

Snow at last!