Me and my stick

This is my younger granddaughter. She'll soon be two and is growing up fast. She is a prolific 'signer', having benefitted from the baby-signing lessons she has been to with her mum, but is now learning lots of words. Sometimes I just wish I could bottle moments for posterity... like the moment recently when we were all having lunch together and she gave me the most adorable smile and simply said: 'Happy'. She is a contented little soul. She is also a stick-gatherer extraordinaire. I think stick-gathering must be some atavistic human trait but maybe we grow out of it.

Messing about in a river

I had a few days off work (using up all my leave prior to retirement!) and it coincided with some very pleasant weather, so when I was visiting my daughter we decided to have a picnic down by the stream. It's such a pretty spot, called Jack Bridge, where the Pennine Way long-distance footpath crosses the River Colden over an ancient stone bridge. There was a cotton mill here at one time but it has been demolished and little remains to hint at the industrial past. The river bed is flat and shallow in parts, ideal for little ones to paddle and skim stones.

The calm of the evening

Wales -  As I said yesterday, our accommodation overlooked a busy spot with lots to watch but the real beauty came in the evening, at least on those nights when it was sunny and still. The sun set behind the apartment and the long golden rays of light lit the moored boats beautifully.

There was only one night when the sunset sky showed any colour but it was pretty and delicate, even though the tide was out and the reflections thereby somewhat limited.

The view from within

Wales - Our holiday apartment had a small conservatory on the front that overlooked the tidal Teifi estuary, right at the spot where there is a small park with seats, a jetty and slipway. When we weren't outdoors exploring, we spent hours just sitting in the sunshine there, watching the endless sideshows that revealed themselves. The tide ebbed and flowed, boats came and went. The deepest navigable channel was just in front of the jetty, so we saw small fishing boats making their way from Cardigan to the sea, as well as all the leisure craft. A flotilla of kayaks came past every day, people being trained to use them under the watchful eye of two or three instructors. We spotted waders, gulls and ducks. Three tractors danced in the fields across the river, just muck-spreading but doing so with such grace and artistry. People sat on the benches gazing at the view, walked their dogs, waited for the bus, parked their cars to go to the excellent local pub... But the best were the fishermen and the little children crabbing from the jetty. This family (below) caught lots and then emptied their buckets out onto the jetty so there were crabs everywhere, all scuttling sideways to splash back into the water!

Mwnt wildlife

Wales - We climbed Mwnt's hill, descended to the beach to pick up shells and sea-worn pebbles, refreshed ourselves with tea and ice creams in the café and then decided to follow a short walking trail around the headland. There is a coastal path along the whole of Cardigan Bay but it was a warm day and we decided to take it easy... a good decision, as we were stopping every few minutes to enjoy the views and watch the wildlife.

The little bird was hopping around the bracken fronds. It's a stonechat.  They are not uncommon in the right areas, though you wouldn't see one in Saltaire! I also saw a rare chough flying past, a black crow with a distinctive red-orange beak.

Cardigan Bay is a Special Area of Conservation because of a thriving population of bottle-nosed dolphins, as well as the porpoises and seals that frequent the bay. The only other sizeable British population of dolphins is in Scotland's Moray Firth.  We'd been told you can sometimes see them from the cliffs, though many people take special tour boats that go out to search for them. We sat watching the lobster fishermen and the tour boats cruising up and down and were eventually rewarded by the sight of a couple of dolphins quite close to shore, occasionally almost breaching the water. At least, we were pretty sure they were dolphins, though dolphins and porpoises can be hard to tell apart at a distance. Dolphins are bigger and have a scythe shaped dorsal fin. These two were a long way away but with my lens on its maximum telephoto and then cropping the picture drastically I managed to achieve the shot below, which I am extremely proud of!

  

Look at that sea...

Wales - Mwnt

'Look at that sea, girls - all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds.'

L M Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables  

(one of my all-time favourite books)

Mwnt beach

Wales - Mwnt beach is simply gorgeous. It's a sheltered inlet of golden sand, surrounded by cliffs that, at low tide, allow a few rock pools to be explored. Down one side a little stream flows out to sea - ideal for children (and dads!) to splash about in, diverting and damming the water. All construction is wiped out when the tide comes in, of course, so the next day's visitors can start afresh. It has been listed top of Europe's 'ten best hidden beaches' and is safe and sheltered for swimming, though there is no lifeguard here. I'd love to have brought my granddaughters here. Maybe one day....

It's a steep climb up and down to the beach from the lane and car park but there is a nice little café and shop at the top, where we had another ice cream!

Mwnt

Wales - The best day of our holiday week, weatherwise, saw us visiting Mwnt, whose name might be unpronounceable to a Yorkshire woman but whose beauty we certainly appreciated. It's stunning! Cared for by the National Trust, this area of the Welsh coast, around Cardigan Bay, centres on a curious conical hill, Foel y Mwnt, that has at its base both a sweet little whitewashed church and an attractive, sheltered beach of golden sand. The 76m high hill is easy to climb and gives wonderful views up and down the coast (see top picture). Sadly, the Church of the Holy Cross was locked so we couldn't peep inside. The Grade 1 listed building dates back to the 14th century and is a medieval sailors' chapel of ease; that is, not the main church in a parish but one built for convenience for those who might not be able to get easily to the main parish church.

Romantic Cilgerran

Wales - After visiting the Welsh Wildlife Centre, we walked up the River Teifi, through a spectacular gorge to Cilgerran Castle, a fine - though now ruined - example of a Welsh castle. Originally a wooden structure on a rocky promontory overlooking the Teifi Gorge, construction of the stone castle was started in 1224 at the command of William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. It passed through many hands and saw many adventures in the turbulent battles between Welsh and English forces in the medieval period. It was eventually abandoned in 1400 and left to become a rather romantic ruin.

It is a place where my imagination can run wild. I was particularly taken by the story of Nest, the wife of Gerald of Windsor, who first built a castle here. She and her children were kidnapped by her second cousin, Owain ap Cadwgan, after helping her husband to escape through the privy hole. It doesn't sound as though she minded being kidnapped... She became the mistress to a number of lovers including King Henry I. I suppose in those days a woman had little except her sexuality to ensure that she and her children were taken care of.

The magnificent willow sculpture is of William Marshal and was being repaired by its creator, ( the aptly named) Michelle Cain, with the help of a student. The same lady had also created the badger sculpture ( see Thursday).

Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve

Wales - I really enjoyed exploring this nature reserve. We stopped off in various hides around the circular boardwalk, though none of us had any binoculars. I guess you really have to be there early (and have the proper equipment) to spot the most interesting sights. By the time we arrived there were quite a few other folk about but we still saw enough birds and beasts to make it an interesting and enjoyable visit. Horses graze to keep the vegetation down. 

A herd of water buffalo is an unusual sight in this country!

We had only just arrived in the first hide when we saw this fox. I had to be very quick with my camera as it walked quickly into the long grass and then it soon scented us and was off.

 A common Meadow Brown butterfly but it posed quite prettily for me.

View from a hide - though all we saw here was a mute swan.

Welsh Wildlife Centre

Wales - This spectacular modern building, near Cardigan, is the visitor centre for the Welsh Wildlife Centre, on the Teifi marshes nature reserve. We walked the circular route around the reserve, stopping off in various hides and then rewarded ourselves (again!) with tea and cake in the very nice café on the top floor, which has great views over the reserve.

There were some lovely examples of artwork: this mural showing some of the various species that can be seen on the reserve, and then this magnificent willow sculpted badger.

Coracles

Wales - The area around Cenarth is known for its coracle fishing. Coracles are ancient and simple forms of boat, variations of which exist all over the world. They are light structures with a wooden framework covered with skin or tarred fabric and can easily be carried by one man, on his shoulders. They are ideal for rivers like the fast-flowing River Teifi with its falls, as they have flat bottoms. Being light and flat they don't disturb the fish and can easily be manoeuvred. They often use two coracles with a net strung between them. We visited the coracle museum in Cenarth which was interesting and worth a visit. There were newspaper clippings describing the epic voyage, in 1974, of Bernard Thomas, who crossed the English Channel in a coracle.

We enjoyed wandering round the village, which has some attractive buildings. We looked in the watermill, which is no longer used but which they are hoping to raise the funds to restore. Then we treated ourselves to delicious ice cream (mine was coconut and honey, yum) in the Ty Te tearooms. Holidays aren't holidays without ice cream!

Cenarth

Wales - We visited a pretty place called Cenarth, a few miles upriver from where we were staying. The Teifi river flows over falls, where in the autumn salmon and sea trout leap on their way upstream to their spawning grounds. It has an unusual bridge, built in 1787, that has round holes in its structure to reduce its weight without losing strength. 

Pembrokeshire Coastal Path

Wales - One end of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path National Trail started right outside our holiday apartment. We decided to get the little bus, The Poppit Rocket (which also stopped right outside) to some way along the coast road so that we could walk back along the trail. It proved a good decision, much easier than trying to plan a circular walk and better than trying to get a bus back, since they are not very frequent. Conventionally, the last (or first, depending which way you do the walk) section of the Coastal Path is from Newport to St Dogmaels, which is about 16 miles. We decided that was too much for us, as it is very steep and rough terrain. So we started halfway, at an attractive little village called Moylgrove, where the bus stopped. We did a walk of almost 8 miles, though it felt longer as it was so up and down!

From the village down to the coast we walked though a wooded valley following a stream. Once we joined the coastal path itself, we found it was narrow and very overgrown with bracken so it was hard walking in parts. The views, however, were wonderful, despite the low cloud and occasional drizzle. It brightened up a bit as we walked. I love walking but don't usually tackle such steep paths so it was a challenge for me but quite exhilarating and very satisfying to achieve it. We were able to celebrate with excellent coffee and cake in the very nice little beach café at Poppit Sands, before tackling the last mile and a half back to our accommodation.

This area of the coast has some amazing rock formations, especially around the Cemaes Head nature reserve, where the sedimentary rocks are twisted and buckled and all the folds can be seen. The rocks are quite soft and subject to erosion, making lots of inaccessible coves where seals can be seen at the right season. I also saw a chough, a relatively rare bird that breeds on these cliffs.

Below is the stone that marks the start/finish of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path.

Keeping watch

Wales - It was reassuring to see lifeguards on duty on Poppit Sands, though we had no intention of going in the sea. They keep a watchful eye on things and spot the dangerous rip tides that can quickly imperil even good swimmers. RNLI lifeguards are trained and equipped by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution but paid by local authorities to provide a service at key beaches. There's an RNLI lifeboat station at Poppit Sands too. The RNLI is a charity and many of its members, including the lifeboat crews, are volunteers. Heroes all - but even heroes have to do the chores, keeping their boats and vehicles clean and well cared for.

Colour pop at Poppit

Wales - the weather was so changeable... One minute it was grey and rainy (see Thursday) and the next minute the clouds thinned, the wind dropped, the sun came out, the sea glowed turquoise and the lifeguards' flag, though hanging limply, was bursting with colour. A minimalist photo but pleasing, I think.

Mini landscapes

Wales - When it's drizzling and wide landscapes are less attractive, that's the time to seek out a few mini-landscapes. These are some of what I found at Poppit Sands.

The secrets of the sea

Wales - Our holiday apartment overlooked the tidal estuary of the River Teifi, not far from where it flowed into the sea. It was a pleasant stroll down to the beautiful sandy beach at Poppit. Our first full day didn't deliver good weather, being mostly grey, windy and drizzly. The conditions were, however, pleasing to photograph. I love the moody harmonies of soft-toned 'almost neutrals' in these pictures.

Bwlch Nant yr Arian

If you're thinking I've been a bit quiet on the comments front lately, it's because I've been on holiday. I went with a couple of my best girlfriends for a week of walking and relaxing on the Welsh coast. I've never done anything quite like that before and we had a brilliant time.

It's a very long drive from here to our holiday apartment (near Cardigan) - and I was driving! So we made sure to have several rest stops. There aren't actually all that many good places to stop in deepest mid-Wales but we aimed for a nature reserve and visitor centre near Aberystwyth with a good Welsh name: Bwlch Nant yr Arian. One of its claims to fame is that there are many red kites in the area and they feed them every day at 3pm. Amazingly, without planning or trying, we arrived at exactly 5 minutes to 3! We couldn't have done that if we had planned it, I don't think!

We didn't have time to get to the hide but were able to watch from across a small lake - and what a spectacle it was. On a very dull, grey day,  my camera, hand-held, even with my new telephoto lens, wasn't really up to the job so I'm not pretending these photos are great but they give an idea of what we saw. So thrilling.

It perhaps helps to know that red kites were once so common they were considered to be vermin, so that they were hunted almost to extinction by the end of the 18th century in Britain. A few breeding pairs survived in rural mid-Wales and were unofficially protected by some far-sighted landowners. An extensive conservation, protection and reintroduction programme over the last 30 years has seen the numbers soar, so that they are now a common sight again in many parts of the country - and a magnificent sight too. I have never seen them in the numbers we saw here. We noticed that only a few of the kites were actually taking the food put out for them. Many just seemed to be enjoying the camaraderie, soaring about in the sky. They come in from about a ten mile radius, apparently. 

Crafty

Bingley Show 2016 - 

Do you recall the winner of last year's knitted handicraft section, a delightful Teddy Bears' Picnic?

The same lady has been busy again, this year taking both first and second prizes with some harvest mice and a bears' knitting circle.  Very clever and very cute. The detail is amazing.