Rosehips and more rain

2012 is now officially the wettest year in the UK since records began in 1910 and there are still a few more days to go.

Today the rain has been torrential (as it was yesterday and is forecast to be tomorrow). I did some hard pruning of the shrubs in the garden and collected 1kg of rose hips. I'll turn them into Rosehip Chutney tomorrow.

Stuffing

Best ever chestnut stuffing - onions, bacon, ardennes paté, chestnuts (from Quelebu), parsley, thyme, eggs, breadcrumbs, mushrooms, butter, salt and pepper.

Seasons greetings to everyone who reads my blog and to all in Aleu. 

Mostly due to my broken foot, we're unable to be in France for Christmas this year - but I'll be back early in the New Year and hopefully my foot will be healed enough to ski in the mountains in the picture above.

End of World

Yes the end of the world is coming in just 30 mins time (according to the Mayans). We'll as you can see from the photo, hell has certainly arrived on earth!

Broken foot

Dropped a timber frame panel on my foot yesterday and by the evening my foot was very swollen and painful. After x-rays today I discovered I'd cracked a bone. Fortunately no need for plaster, but this Christmas I'll definitely have my feet up - doctors orders!

New Camera

Well second-hand actually (ebay). It's an Olympus XZ-1 with the VF2 digital view finder and so far I'm loving the images it's producing. It's replacing my Samsung NP7 which has taken nearly all the photos on the blog so far, but has started to grow weary. 

Quarries

A range of jobs to keep the wolf from the door - staircases, kitchens, bathrooms and roofs. Some near by and some far away - Justin's roof in Clapham (London) turned into a 20 hour epic when floods and landslips caused railway mayhem!

There's been a good fall of snow in the Pyrenees 40-60cm and there's more due on Wednesday (I hate missing the first snows and the first ski). Cold weather here too but no snow. 

Susie and I headed off for the Western Moors and visited Foggintor and Swelltor quarries. At the second quarry I rescued a sheep which was stuck on a ledge - reckon she'd been there a good few days judging by the sheep shit on her ledge and her emaciated state. Managed to get back to the car before the worst of the rain.

 Looking to the coast

 Pinnacle at Swelltor Quarry

 Some blue sky

Stuck sheep

 Lower quarry

Abandoned granite corbels and Susie in two down jackets