Latest News

Was this our summer?

28th May 2010 By Ty Olaf Cottage

A hot weekend in Rhayader with outings to Llanidloes and Aberystwth. The important meal of the day, and one of Britain’s most magnificent secret places.

Tragedy

26th May 2010 By Ty Olaf Cottage

Nature red in tooth and claw.
Our blackbird pair, nesting in a corner of our car port, had been very good parents sitting on the nest for two weeks. On Saturday morning as I was passing the front of the car port the cock blackbird flew in with a beak-full of food,

Cuckoos, osprey, woodpeckers, Peregrine falcons and squirrels

21st May 2010 By Ty Olaf Cottage

It’s a great moment when you hear that first cuckoo of Spring, and we heard our first way back on the 17th April. Of course while the first is a joy and a promise of better weather and new growth, it is now mid May and the pleasure has long since dissolved in the endless repetition.

Forest Garden

24th March 2010 By Ty Olaf Cottage

If you saw the TV programme “A Farm for the Future” a while ago, Rebecca Hoskins investigated the concept of the forest garden. In the programme she visited Martin Crawford’s Forest Garden near Cambridge and we saw what our garden could look like.

Haiti Hike

9th March 2010 By Ty Olaf Cottage

One of the man advantages of living in the valley is that there is a very active social club. The club organises the November 5th Bonfire and firework display, outtings, and events, and a children’s party.

Shopping in Rhayader

23rd February 2010 By Ty Olaf Cottage

You would be forgiven if your expectations of shopping in Rhayader were low. It certainly is quite a different experience to shopping in larger towns. We don’t have any of the big chains, but you may be pleasantly surprised by what is on offer.

Lockdown 2
The Welsh Government, recognising the dangerous situation created by the Covid pandemic’s second phase, have closed down the country for a two week period. We are therefore not able to welcome any visitors for the period 24th October to the 10th November. We feel much safer because of this action. Like all other places of […]
After lockdown
It was safe for us to travel more than 5 miles, the Welsh Government told us, and we set off for a quick visit to our family. As we left the valley, quite early in the morning, our mouths gaped. What was going on? A stream of cars driving in the opposite direction to us. […]
Lock down
Well, here we are, after over 100 days we are told that everything is OK out there and we can travel more than the five miles that we have been restricted to. So tomorrow we will poke our noses out, and rather against my better judgement make an expedition to Carmarthen. Maggie wants new towels […]
Village Lighting
The Elan Valley became the first privately owned landscape to become part of the Dark Skies initiative. The area was well served as a natural area that could look up to a sky not too badly affected by light pollution. To make it even better our village lighting was changed. The old sulfurous lighting was […]
Coffee morning for the Bracken Trust at Ty Olaf, 3rd August 2019
What a brilliantly successful day! The culmination of two months of preparation and hard work. For Peter and Maggie Hussey, owners of Ty Olaf, it coincides with the harvesting of fruit from the garden, jam making and post Mid Summer hedge and garden tidying and pruning. For the Bracken Trust Social Committee it is […]