A winter's day on the Bwlch

A woolly coat helps you get through the cold days of winter. These sheep were photographed on the Bwlch Mountain Road, just north of Bridgend. (-8 degrees C at the time). Thankfully the days are getting longer and spring feels around the corner.

May Blossom

Suddenly, everything in the garden is bursting into life. The apple trees are blossoming and the wisteria on the south-facing wall of our garden is in bloom. Most plants seem to have survived the unusually hard frosts, including the tree fern, with little or no protection. A warm, dry summer is forecast...we certainly deserve one.

We were gratified to receive a Silver Standard Welsh Food Hygiene Award a month ago.

Daffodils in Ewenny

It must be spring! We've seen the first swallow and the peacocks have added their raucous calls to the dawn chorus.

The fields of daffodils in the village look amazing in the sunshine and are visible from miles around.

Events at the Millenium Stadium, competitions at Southerndown Golf Club and local weddings and parties have kept us busy so far this year and we're fully booked for the weekend of the Heineken Cup Final (May 23rd/25th) and the Dragon Ride (June 14th/15th) - the annual cycle race in South Wales which gets bigger every year.

4 stars award

We are pleased to announce that we have now been awarded a 4 star quality rating as part of the agreed common standards agreed between the Automobile Association, RAC, Visit Britain, Visit Scotland and the Wales Tourist Board. This adds to our AA affiliation and Welcome Host Gold award.

Back to summer

After some pretty wet weather, though not as bad as Tewkesbury and Gloucester, summer has returned. The focus is now on girls golf, under 18, with the home internationals this week and the British championships next week, both being hosted at Southerndown Golf Club. Accommodation has been scarce and we have had to turn away, teams from Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Spain.

Oh, and it's Julie's birthday today.

Summer's here

Summer has arrived and with it long evenings and the smell of barbeques. Also the opportunity for our guests to take breakfast in the garden with the birds.
One of our daughters, Chloe, has returned after six months travelling the world and will be helping out now and again.

Colourful guest

We have an abundance of birds visiting at different times of the year, ranging from wrens and tits through to herons and pheasants. We are presently receiving a daily visit from a colourful male peacock, which is happy to rest on the roof of our summerhouse. He is probably adventuring outside the walls of Ewenny Priory, which keep a number of peacocks.