Capel Dewi Uchaf Country House Diary
SUMMER DIARY 2010
I can hardly believe it is July before I have been able to write a diary page for Capel Dewi Uchaf, the year is flying by more quickly than usual. It is true to say that the winter was particularly fierce, wonderful and scenic of course with temperatures of 13 below for days on end, none the less a challenge too! Now that it is all just a memory we have had the most fabulous spring and early summer to enjoy, it seemed as if the harsh winter made everything bloom, as if it was rejoicing in surviving such conditions, we did loose about £1,000 worth of trees and shrubs, some of which were quite mature, the fig tree is just showing signs of life after almost cutting it down!! Of course I am disappointed to have lost so much but as the trees and flowers have bloomed I have been so relived that anything survived at all.
We have been enjoying the most wonderful sunny weather day after day, it has been a pleasure to be out doors in the garden and listening to the bird song, in fact our relationships with the birds has been quite enjoyable, they seem to have gained much more confidence around us this year. As the babies have fledged and fly around the garden in squadrons enjoying their freedom, gaining confidence, our guests are most amused by them. At the moment we have three wood peckers (Great Spotted) coming quite regularly to the bird table, resplendent in their colours and as I say, more confident on the terrace where our guests have spent most of their breakfast time, some have never even been in the breakfast room for their entire stay! It is true to say everyone has enjoyed coming down to breakfast on the terrace each morning. The garden has an inspection before sustenance is taken and enjoyed at the beginning of a new and exciting day for our visitors. There have been many festivals already, soaking up the atmosphere of this wonderful county is so easy, there are lots of things to do and see for all ages, part of the pleasure is to hear all about everyone’s day. We have had a lot of ‘new’ guests this year, people who have never been to Carmarthenshire, ever! One feels proud to know that they have enjoyed their experience and talk about the next time they come and who they will bring with them too, it makes our job worthwhile and rewarding. Younger generations are discovering it is cool to be in Carmarthenshire, there is a host of out door and challenging pursuits, my grandchildren aged 14 an 11 went coasteering recently and loved the experience so much – what a challenge! Talking of new guests we have a new Bee specie in the garden too, the Tree Bee (Bombus hypnorum) is taking up residence here in the garden, I do believe it is the furthest West it has been seen, everyone is on the look out for it.
The first fruit picking took place yesterday, so plenty of jams to make, last year I made 56 jars of wild damson alone! I am not so sure this year will be so fruitful but it is a nice way to capture the flavours of the garden with no additives in the jams at all, apart from sugar of course. Jam and fresh homemade bread is one of those typical English experiences we all enjoy whatever age we are. My garden is getting a little larger each year which takes up a lot of time to look after, should you ring to make a booking please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can, we are unable to pick up calls on our mobile in most of the garden so rely on the message system, of course emails are the most convenient and popular way to communicate these days, we check them out morning and late afternoon each day as part of our routine.
His Royal Highness Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall are here in Carmarthenshire for a holiday this week, they have been to see Jen Jones wonderful Welsh Quilts amongst other things which are new to them, as I came from Windsor originally it amuses me that it has taken the Royals so long to arrive in the place I love and live! Seriously the Prince has visited Wales many times over the years but has his holiday home in our County.
As another season gets under way we look forward to welcoming you to our country home and trust you are duly restored by the peace and tranquillity we have here. The fishing season is underway and the recent rain will swell the waters and encourage the salmon up stream. Our plans for improvement of the fishing are underway, although not able to take the task on this year I think the wait will be worth while, as we are intending to make bigger improvements after the research we have done it seems to make sense.
Enjoy your journey to Wales, take care and time to explore things on the way too
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