Jenny

Jenny would have been 70 years old today,  the 28th July.

San Fran House

After days and days painting the myriad windows and doors bits and pieces,

finally, I have them mounted in the house walls.  I have gone for a subtle colour scheme over the more usual outrageous ones of the real San Fran houses. In any case, what  chance to go outrageous now that the house walls are gentle lavender? Yellow and orange windows and doors perhaps? Oh on, this is a house with style darling, Lavender Quartz floats my boat.

Pre Departure.

Paul came to stay with us for a night prior to his departure on the 10th Aug to join Polly in Sydney, a day spent in and around Caerphilly.  Enjoy the change of scene.

Garwnant

30 minutes drive from home, north into the Brecon Beacons.

 Here to walk the hills.

 Striding Gek ahead,

but got her own back.

Chatting to a couple of falconers back at the cafe.

I understood that this bird is a cross between a gyrfalcon and a saker, a very young bird on his first outing.

LLancaiach Fawr Craft Show

 Gek agreed to demo her miniature painting technique at the show.  Kept her out of mischief,

even though her chums Janet, Christine and Sian were only a couple of stalls away.

Penarth Day Out

The day was booked to visit the Penarth Quilt Show.  These Japanese fabrics and the way they had been worked were, for me, the standout items, the efforts of one Ms Davies.

 Italian lunch on the promenade with a view followed. 

The esplanade was very quiet for such a beautiful day. 

Anna and Jake

Wedded under a spreading oak tree.

The register document was a puzzle.

And this, believe it or not, is the honeymoon accommodation.  Post nuptials, this tiny boat will be launched into the sea for a Devon coastal cruise, a tent being the shelter for the nights sleep on board, or not. A get away with a difference, no?

Friends

Toby,

Barbara,

and Richard.  All here together for Anna and Jake's wedding.

Valley of Rocks and Coastal Walk

Parking up the car, we left for the cliff path walk

 First thing to see, Port Talbot  steel works across the other side of the Channel.

 The cliffs here about are high, scarily high.  That little blip on the ledge is Gek.

 The clouds make the scene.

But they can over do it.

Exmoor

Sums up the day of our drive over the moor.  Misty.

Ifracombe

Verity, Damian Hurst's rather startling statue, 'a modern allegory of truth and justice'.
Or 'you mess with me and my baby and you are a goner man'.

 She was doing well to withstand the wind,

with the sea boiling all around.

Trains

For reasons to convoluted to explain here, we had rather a long wait for our train north to Dusseldorf.  First time ever I remember buying first class tickets to anywhere. Felt very special. So, with time to spare, do a bit of train spotting, what?

There are so many different train types here in Germany.  IC, for intercity. A new design. This a double-decker.

The first class accommodation is in compartments, old style.

A local train type.

Yet another local type.  This one with one articulating bogies between connection carriages.

The goods trains had artic trucks trailers carried on specialised rolling stock.  How come BR doesn't have these?

Another local train type.

My own favourite, another double-decker.

And we did see a steam train under steam, similar to this one.  Darned camera was packed away, so missed opportunity to snap the one we saw.

Rhine Valley Revisit

A chance stop for a coffee and cake led to an unexpected delight.

The Lorelei Rock. Mr. Turner was here at this exact spot two hundred years ago, in August 1817.

Same, same.  This is narrowest part of the gorge. Must be nerve racking to negotiate in one of those huge liner barges.

Castles all along here, different sizes and designs. Defending who from what?  Stand on the hill above and take pot shots at the inhabitants, couldn't you?

Baden-Baden Rose Garden

Another stride through flora.  What a brilliant time to be visiting a rose garden.

The Black Forrest

 Taking a hired car from Koblenz, we drove a little of the gorge to Boppard before turning west to find the motorway south to Baden-Baden and the Black Forest.

 And what a little beauty we were given.  Brand new Ford Fiesta  with all mode cons and Sat Nav as standard.  Powerful little motor too.  The motorway, A61, is just the same two lane highway I first drove thirty years ago, except this day it was stuffed with lorries.  Good job we opted to do the rest of the gorge on the return trip.

 We had one full day in the area.  First, a visit to Mummelsee for a walk in the woods.

 Taking in the view.

 before a second walk in the woods,

to look back from whence we had come.

T'was a very warm day.