Packaging

We brought one full tube of toothpaste (8oz) with us from the U.S. (it fitted into our container!) and have since bought the largest size one (2.5oz) we can find here in Welshpool, Wales. Here they are alongside each other. Producing things that are so much smaller means a lot more plastic and packaging, but many homes in the U.K. have limited storage space, so packages are often produced in smaller sizes.

So much for the slogan "Recycle More." There isn't even a bottle deposit system here - it feels like the Middle Ages of recycling and sustainability sometimes. 

I find the excessive amount of 'film' produced here to be unacceptable - it is NOT recyclable and goes into the trash - not good. Many vegetables and fruits are pre-packaged in a recyclable plastic tray, but sealed with a non-recyclable cover film, also done in the U.S. Ditto for individual yogurts, cream and crème fraîche - the plastic 'cups' are recyclable, but not the cover film.

Why must a 2 pack of biscuits be sold as package, each with their own wrapping, as well as a cover film that is also not recyclable? Excessive, unnecessary waste - I could buy 2 and get a discount if that's what the offer is, but no one needs it to be wrapped that way to get the deal. I see I have a mission here ...a calling ...

Talking about packaging, this is how our mattress travelled (yes, we used cellophane - nonrecyclable - in this instance. I hang my head in shame!)

Gym mats get to experience their first Welsh air

Under the mats, the mattress was wrapped in a large cotton quilt cover

And then a compressible mattress bag

Watch the 30 second rise here:

Mattress rising

The Workhouse

 

On a windowsill

Interplay of in and out,

Sunlight and shadow

Seeing Faces

Pareidolia - I woke to see this 'face' lying on my windowsill - do you also see it?

I think I see a face in this gnarled tree root too - a disguised Komodo dragon

Photo credit: Smithsonian's National Zoo

Choice Scenery

We took our family for a car ride to get some A/C relief on an incredibly hot day! 

Last time we came through here these hayed fields were as green as the rest of the landscape

I LOVE the variegated, draping, green textures across the Tanat Valley so much. The elevation offered a nice respite from scorching temperatures.

Vegetation shows the path of a stream so nicely. A pity it wasn't enough to form a cooling off pool. 

I never get tired of this view (reminds me of the Drakensberg foothills in South Africa)

The 3 trolls encounter a mountain giant

Photo: D.Schultz

Lake Vrynwy's impressive dam wall

Lake Vrynwy has a sculpture park and arboretum to stroll through - so tranquil.

View whilst crossing the dam wall

Photo: MLB

The adventurers

Photo: D. Schultz