And so on to Nottingham

 To see some deer,

and the deer stalker.

Still not summer.

I am being quite successful cultivating this  wild man look, don't you think?

Things to do in Druidson, rain, blow or shine.

Evening time, watch the beautiful sunset.

If it is wild and windy, watch the TV and catch a rather outdated looking soap.

When it clears up, go for a cliff top amble.

Govan Head

A wild and windy place.  Very stark but in a strange way also very beautiful.

St. Govan, who was he?  This chapel was built over the entrance to a fissure, not even a cave,  where the hermit, Govan, lived.  Lots of legends but few hard facts.  The chapel dates from the 14th century.

A bleak place to set up home, even today.

Dale

I came to Dale in 1963 on a biology field trip organised by the Darwen Grammar School following the 'O' level exams.

The field centre is still here and working!!!

The centre is housed in Dale Fort built in the 1850's to defend Milford Haven.

The court yard looks just the same as 50 years, half a bloody century ago!!!!

St. Bride's Bay

The Pembrokeshire coast is still quite pristine. The roads leading to the beaches are mostly single track and, fortunately, very little used.  just as well as the car parks are very small at the beaches.

This is May the 7th.  It is still very cold.  The tree and hedges are still mostly leafless and the fields still looked ploughed.

Out on the head the gorse has not been affected by the cold and is in full yellow glow.

Gek found her redder than red wooly hat in the Welsh loft.  Needed here, believe me.

Contemplation.

Druidson.

Home sweet home for now.

Our local beach.  Just us and the horses.

Strumble head

The light and light house on Strumble head.

St. David and the head.

St. David's Cathedral, a structure begun in the 12th century. A surprising amount of slate used in the build.

We found a secret garden on the east side for a quiet lunch.  Out of wind and in the sunshine.

A walk up out on St. David's head.

This is a wild place and yet people lived and thrived here, perhaps as far back as 5000 years ago.  The stone circles in the photo are what remains of round houses.  The ridge of stones in the middle distance are the fallen down remains of a defensive wall across the peninsular. On the horizon Carn Llidi.

And so up to Cairn Llidi.  That is me on the skyline.

St Brides Bay

The coast here abouts is absolutely fabulous. 

 

  But also doing rugged.

 

 Wind power a plenty.

 The gorse is brilliant, literally.

 And so to sunset.

Tenby

The beach, as empty as it was in 2006.

13th century town walls alongside a 19th terrace.  Love the colourful houses of the town.

Looks of surprise at being stranded.

A sea of colours too.

The Dennis Cafe

 April 2006.

April 2013.  What a difference 7 years can make.  The Dennis Cafe Tenby.  On our very first full day out together in 2006, Gek and I   came to this cafe for a warming cuppa after walking the beach.  Thinking about it now, this was the trip where things first started to happen. 

The Mumbles.

Swansea Bay, with Swansea centre stage.  Amazingly still very low rise.

Verdi's cafe on the Mumbles, 7 years on.  Quiet but nice.

A conversation.  Arty photo by Gek.

Porthcawl

  

The 'beach' at Porthcawl front.  Always looks as though the sand has recently been washed away.

 

 Across the Bristol Channel,  Exmoor National Park.

 And, yes, it was wild and windy.

Turner and Ewenny, Ogmore.

Turner's1795 painting of the then derelict Priory church in Ewenny.

The same windows today.

And the same screen as in the painting.  Turner is featuring a lot on this trip.  Apart from Margate and Ewenny, we also visited a turner exhibition in the Cardiff Art gallery and watched a BBC documentary in the TV. 

English Food

Gek has become convinced that all English food comes with chips and peas.  The evidence from the last 20 days that we have been back in the UK seems to support this impression.  The search for a nice rice dish continues!!!!

Shostakovich and the cello.

 

 The Millennium Centre is an extraordinary building.

 Outside and in.  We will settle within easy reach of Cardiff, of that there is no doubt.

This day we were here to hear Shostakovich's second cello concerto.  Fav' instrument, fav' composer.  The performance was broadcast live on Radio 3, hence the venue, a huge sound studio.  Schumann and  Liszt were also played but Shostakovich does it for me.

St. Donat.

Thick stone walls and small wind.......ows.  There are ways to combat the biting winds. A typical period house in the Vale of Glamorgan.   I think we may settle up in the valleys. Winds straight off the Atlantic take no prisoners.