Suddenly it's very hot
May. 25th, 2026 05:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
heleninwalesWe aren't quite in heatwave temperatures here, unlike other parts of the UK, but it's hotter than I like it. The Met Office app said it was 30C/86F here this afternoon. There's no breeze either, which makes if feel hotter.
I spent some time revising Book 1 in the morning, then after lunch I went out and emptied the garden wheelie bin. I want to mow the front grass tomorrow but the wheelie bin hadn't been emptied from last time so I dealt with that today. Meanwhile, here's where we went for a walk on Saturday.
We normally avoid driving anywhere on Bank Holiday weekends, but the main road to the Coed y Brenin was fine. There's plenty of parking by the mountain bike centre and the forest is huge and can absorb a lot of people, so we had a pleasant walk and only saw a dozen or so cyclists and a handful of walkers.
G decided to add an extra bit onto one of the walks we do regularly. The basic walk is 3½ miles, the extension made it 4½.
The forecast was for bright sunshine all day. In fact in our part of Wales it started out grey and overcast. But glimpses of sunshine could be seen occasionally.
New ferns, not yet completely unfurled. Note the grey sky.
We've not been to this spot bridge since G finished all the field work for his Ph.D and never seen this bridge before. G used to drive to this point and then scramble down into the river to download the readings. Back then, it was a temporary bridge because the original had been washed away in the storm and flood of July 2001. It was this storm that prompted G to do a Ph.D., looking into the rainfall and flooding in this area.
As we'd approached the bridge, we'd heard screaming. Getting nearer we passed two minibuses from a local outdoor pursuits centre and some instructors briefing a bunch of young people. Reaching the bridge and looking over the parapet, we saw the source of the screams. Youngsters wading in the cold water.
Continuing our walk, we passed one of the viewpoints sans view. Back when G was doing his research the trees had recently been felled and you could see right down the valley to the river. Now all the trees have grown up again, but as it's now a self-seeded wood, it's a mix of conifers and broadleaf trees, not just the commercial conifers.
The mosses love this part of the forest.
More mossiness.
This route also took us past some wood ant nests. As it was quite hot by now, they were very active, swarming all over their anthill and rushing about, bringing more pine needle to add to it.
We'll definitely do this version of the walk again. It's nice to have different variations so we can pick one of the right length, a shorter one if we have things to do later in the day and a longer one if we have more time.
I spent some time revising Book 1 in the morning, then after lunch I went out and emptied the garden wheelie bin. I want to mow the front grass tomorrow but the wheelie bin hadn't been emptied from last time so I dealt with that today. Meanwhile, here's where we went for a walk on Saturday.
We normally avoid driving anywhere on Bank Holiday weekends, but the main road to the Coed y Brenin was fine. There's plenty of parking by the mountain bike centre and the forest is huge and can absorb a lot of people, so we had a pleasant walk and only saw a dozen or so cyclists and a handful of walkers.
G decided to add an extra bit onto one of the walks we do regularly. The basic walk is 3½ miles, the extension made it 4½.
The forecast was for bright sunshine all day. In fact in our part of Wales it started out grey and overcast. But glimpses of sunshine could be seen occasionally.
New ferns, not yet completely unfurled. Note the grey sky.
We've not been to this spot bridge since G finished all the field work for his Ph.D and never seen this bridge before. G used to drive to this point and then scramble down into the river to download the readings. Back then, it was a temporary bridge because the original had been washed away in the storm and flood of July 2001. It was this storm that prompted G to do a Ph.D., looking into the rainfall and flooding in this area.
As we'd approached the bridge, we'd heard screaming. Getting nearer we passed two minibuses from a local outdoor pursuits centre and some instructors briefing a bunch of young people. Reaching the bridge and looking over the parapet, we saw the source of the screams. Youngsters wading in the cold water.
Continuing our walk, we passed one of the viewpoints sans view. Back when G was doing his research the trees had recently been felled and you could see right down the valley to the river. Now all the trees have grown up again, but as it's now a self-seeded wood, it's a mix of conifers and broadleaf trees, not just the commercial conifers.
The mosses love this part of the forest.
More mossiness.
This route also took us past some wood ant nests. As it was quite hot by now, they were very active, swarming all over their anthill and rushing about, bringing more pine needle to add to it.
We'll definitely do this version of the walk again. It's nice to have different variations so we can pick one of the right length, a shorter one if we have things to do later in the day and a longer one if we have more time.
no subject
Date: 2026-05-25 05:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-05-25 05:59 pm (UTC)To be fair, our city opens cooling centres when the thermometer hits 28. 30 is heat warning, 'check on seniors abd pets' ie hot.
no subject
Date: 2026-05-25 06:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-05-25 07:49 pm (UTC)