It’s good to be back here in Snowdonia and on site. We have had all sorts of weather since we got here including snow, frost, hail, heavy rain, light rain, wind from a breeze to 60MPH gusts and we have even had some sunshine.

The snow was a joke really just a light dusting and all gone the same day. I was hoping to get some nice snow pictures but that didn’t happen. The week we had that was dry but with a bitter wind was nice, being that it was dry but the wind cut right through you. I even thought about putting some trousers on but the thought went out of my head. In this cold spell our fridge freezer in our garage stopped working, just switched itself off and said it’s too cold. I didn’t realise they did this but with some research it’s true. It is fine now it’s warmed up a bit. At least the beer and wine were chilled.

We have been out for walks and of course I have been out on my bike on the dry but cold days, the wet and windy days are spent in the camper and for me in the garage pottering about. The photo below is part of one of the walks. I love this bit with the moss covered walls and the way the sunlight has caught it giving it a lovely colour. The horses are always pleased to see peaple.

Nikki has been doing some baking while being stuck inside which is very nice, not the being stuck inside but the cakes and pies she has been making. It’s a good job the bad days are only one or two days otherwise with her baking and us eating if the bad weather went on for a week or more we would not fit out the door. It was all very nice.

Walking around the site it’s nice seeing it all come to life with the daffodils starting to come out and the buds in the trees. I put two bird boxes up in our compound last year and they are getting viewings from the blue tits so hopefully they will nest in them. Reliant is still about, he has been spoilt through the winter but has started to come in the garage again now. There are piles of acorns on the ground everywhere from all the oak trees and the squirrels are feasting on them.

This weekend apart from being a big weekend for the rugby when England play Wales, it’s also a big decision for me. I have not had a haircut for four months and not had a shave all this year so I look like Robinson Crusoe. I won’t post pictures of this as I don’t want to scare you all or put you off your food. So it will be out with the clippers and razor and decide what to do.

We start work next Thursday getting the site ready even though it’s not going to open on time at least it will be ready. We think it’s going to be very busy this season which will be nice. So that’s us up to date. Hope you’re all staying safe and are having your Covid jabs. Me and Nikki being only youngsters, it will be a long time before we get ours. Stay safe everybody we’re nearly there.

We made up our minds it was time to head back to North wales for our work season. (Essential travel) With wales and England being in lockdown we knew the chances of getting stopped were high, especially for me in the camper and even higher crossing the border into Wales.

We set a date of the fourth of February which was a month before our normal time of getting back but it was time to move on. I kept my eye on the weather charts and they were not looking too good with lots of heavy rain and snow. Last year the A5 in certain places was flooded really bad and also got closed because of snow at one point. Even if we had to change our day of travel by a day or two it did not matter.

Nearer the time the weather charts were looking good so we were on plan A to travel on 4th February, we had a letter from the club we work for saying that we were employees and travelling for work. It’s not the getting stopped that was in our minds it was the getting stopped and answering a lot of questions and how many times would we get stopped and have to explain ourselves once again, all this eating into our travel time.

The journey was 285 miles via the A361, M5, M6, M54, A5, A494, A4212 and the A470. Travelling in two vehicles but not sticking together as Nikki stops more than me. The weather was good even sunny for most of the journey. Nikki stopped about five times and I only stopped once for a pee and then at a service area on the outskirts of Oswestry where we had planned to meet up. I arrived first with Nikki only five minutes behind. We ate our sandwiches which Nikki had made the day before, refuelled the camper and onwards again for the last leg of the journey.

The whole journey took six hours from leaving Devon to pulling onto site. In all that time I only saw two police vehicles on the M6 and some parked up at a police station on the A5. They must all be furloughed. Did we get stopped? No we sailed through every county border even Wales. I am sure there would be lots of peaple on seeing the camper on the road muttering what’s he doing going on holiday etc without thinking about why I was out driving it. You should always know the facts before commenting or saying something.

It’s good to be back on site although I don’t think they will open on time but at least we are here. The next day after getting here I washed both camper and car to get rid of all the travel muck and today the sun is shining and I can see snow on the tops of the mountains. Looking at the forecast we are in for some cold weather next week with the temperature not going above freezing and then some snow later on in the week. I don’t care now I am here and would love to have a load of snow for a few days.

So that’s us up to date, back in wales now for nine months and hopefully doing some of the things we wanted to last year but never got round to because of lockdown etc. Stay safe everybody.