Level Zero

On this day of sunshine and intermittent showers First Minister Mark Drakford declared the end of covid crisis management restrictions in Wales, a couple of weeks behind England, with more measured clarity, retaining the obligation to wear masks on public transport and indoor public places, but no longer are there restrictions on the numbers who can meet indoors or at events outdoors. He still encourages citizens not to go crazy and presume everything is OK when the virus is still spreading among un-vaccinated people and this seems to meet with general approval.

The big difference in made for us today is that, after out Saturday pancake breakfast, we were able to drive out to St Nicholas and visit Dyffryn Gardens without needing to book a visitor slot on-line. We could have done that in months past, but I felt that if demand needed to be controlled in this was, it would be better to leave all those booking slots for those who needed them more than us, when we have big parks close by. It was such a delight to arrive there and see how things have changed in the two years since our last visit.

Some of the trees obscuring the view of the house from the car park have been removed, opening up the approaching vista. The entrance to the garden has been relocated in the place formerly occupied by the refreshment area, with a new access path into the grounds. The patio where the outdoor tables sat is now occupied by racks containing plants for sale, and only one refreshment area, next to the house is open at the moment. The house itself remains closed as work is undertaken to adapt visitor routes indoors, with health and safety in mind.

The biggest change, however, is in the landscaping of the grounds. The area to the front and one side of the house and down the western side of the long garden used to be dominated by huge old leylandia trees. These have gone and some of them replaced by dwarf versions. The hugely improves the overall view of the house from every angle. Some sections of the cultivated gardens are closed and under reconstruction. 

The pergola adorned with grape vines dating back maybe a century at the far end of the garden has had them all removed, initially much to my disappointment, but then I learned that in recent months, new vine-stocks have replaced the old. These are already growing and winding themselves up the pergola columns, but it may be a few years before they bear fruit. I'd like to think the new vines are adaptable to a changing climate and will provide eatable fruit, or fruit that can be fermented to give even a tiny volume of 'Chateau Dyffryn' in due course.

It was such a pleasure to use my Olympus OMD E-M10 there for the first time, and add another fifty odd photos to the hundreds I have taken there over the past decade. I'm minded to go back through them and select a series taken from the same viewpoint at different times, to show how the gardens have evolved since we've been going there. Just for pleasure.

We had a snack lunch in the refreshment area. Clare bought a few little Christmas presents, and three pots of herbs in the gift shop on the way out. It's still in the same place near the exit gate. We made a detour to B&Q on our way home to buy compost and plant food, and then I went for a walk around the park before supper - mussels and stir fry veggies and rice.

The on-line National  Eisteddfod concert was on after supper, with an interesting assortment of music that included Catrin Ffinch playing a duet with a Senegalese Kora player, and a funky brass band, whose style of rock seemed to me far more innovative than much of the retro sounding hard rock/heavy metal Welsh pop groups that still seem typical of the scene, but to my hear hark back three or four decades and offer nothing new apart from lyrics s belted out hoarsely in Welsh. C'mon boys bach, we can do better than this surely!

Then, time to print off tomorrow's sermons and head for bed. Early start tomorrow.