Solar Update

Our solar panels are installed and wired up on our roof, with the first generation of power happening late on May 28, though we had waited a short while for a cable and some other bits and pieces that were not shipped by the supplier in time for the installation. The initial delivery was badly transported and the weight of the panels crushed the wooden pallet. It was feared some of the fragile panels may have been damaged too, so everything was sent back and re-ordered, but some pieces took longer to be rounded up than others. 

The installation company (PAV) was happy to adapt and tweak the design as we went along, accepting and discussing input from us along the way.

The last panel about to be placed

We've had scaffolding around our home for 2 weeks, making it almost impossible to park our car in the garage. We're told that the scaffolding company will usually only remove it when the next job is nigh (aka we are a tempoary storage yard), but our contractor has said our container's arriving next week so it must be removed chop-chop! It worked - the next working day it was gone. It took less than an hour to dismantle.

This is our power wall in the garage - still needs some tweaking. Dale walks around with his phone, calling out how many kW we're generating at different times.

Welsh Gem

This most stunning Welsh waterfall, Pistyll Rhaeadr is but 10 miles from our home in the Berwyn Mountains. There are a series of 3 drops down the rock face. 

As you get closer the 240ft drop looks even more impressive. That natural rock arch is so amazing!

Local Legend says that a serpent with wings, known as Gwybr (GWEE-brr, the shining white dragon), lived in the lake above the waterfall and once every few days would fly down the valley to the village and snatch children, women or animals, taking them back to the lake to devour them. Gwybr Legend

We were lucky to find a shady parking spot near the river Rhaeadr, where we sat and ate a calming picnic lunch.

My knight made sure the serpent didn't capture me

There's so much luscious greenery here

Triple Tractor Trap

Phew! We made it through another chaotic road adventure. We visited the magnificent waterfall known as Pistyll Rhaeadr (thanks for the tip, BG), known as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales. Problem is, everybody and their dog also decided to visit the spot in the great weather at the same time as us. It's only a problem because ... it's 4 miles of single track width 'road' to a dead end, so there's strictly only one way in and out. Picture a slow speed rally drive in hilly, twisty roads, but with traffic in both directions, blind corners and all. At one point, even before we'd embarked on the waterfall turnoff, we were trapped by a trio of tractors!

Photo: D Schultz

Each of these 2 trailers trying to squeeze past each other was pulled by a tractor, so we had one in front, one beside us, and a tractor pulling a trailer directly behind us. It was a tight squeeze, and we heard metal grating on metal as they scraped past each other.

That was nowhere near as bad as the convoy of cars traveling in both directions to and from the spectacular waterfall, trying to pull over and not nudge other vehicles, bust the sump, or scratch the car along the briar patch. At some very slow congested spots on the way out where gridlock was apparent, some people at the back of the queue would get out and direct individual drivers past rocks, ditches, bridges and hedges to help make the passing possible. It was pandemonium, and this was a week day.

The waterfall itself is truly a must-see though, so the 'bumps in the road' were well worth it. More on that tomorrow.

There are 4 vehicles in this from-the-windshield shot, and it looks as if the trailer in front of us is inadvertently doing some hedge trimming along the way!

Headline from the Bank Holiday weekend about visiting Pistyll Rhaeadr in the local County Times: Try Another Day
'Visitors to a Powys beauty spot were told to maybe “try another day” after overcrowding during the Bank Holiday.'

On our way home, not far from Llanfyllin, we came upon the scene of an accident. It seemed like it would be a long wait to get through, and another driver came over to explain how far back we'd have to go to be able to reach our village from another route, when the police began waving people through. A driver had attempted to pass a farm tractor crossing a narrow bridge, and it didn't end well for the car, which was perched precariously on the edge of the bridge, all smashed up. There did not appear to be any serious injuries.

National Garden Scheme

We joined a lot of other grey-haired people to visit a spectacular garden at Bachie Uchaf in Llanfyllin, open to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme to raise money for charities. 

This arid bank's ground cover was pretty amazing

There always seems to be a monkey puzzle tree (from Chile and Argentina) as a feature in older gardens. they are now critically endangered in their native habitat.

Ooh, I think I spy someone without grey hair from the terrace

One of the water features came down a very steep bank, so the water flow was very active and dramatic. But where are the aquatic plants?

There are 60 gardens open to the public in the county of Powys for the summer