Castles and Dragons

We've been into Wales, just for a short break.  It only rained once and that was during the night.  We could feel the air gradually warming up as the wind dropped and each day got a little brighter.

A few photos below of some of the sights we've seen.  I'll be back with more about some of the places later.

Ruithin -  Post box topper

Denbigh Castle

Rhuddlan Castle

Twithill ancient castle mound or motte just behind the 'newer' castle in Rhuddlan.

 

Sculpture in Rhuddlan by Mike Owens

 

Rhuddlan Nature Reserve.  Sculptures by Mike Owens

 

RSPB Conwy - refreshing tea after a walk around some of the site.

 

Rhyl -taken from near the Lifeboat Station.

 

St Asaph Cathedral

 

When I got back to writing here I found loads of comments from way back had been put in spam. I've gradually reinstated them.  Some of them were my own replies to comments.  I see from reading other blogs that some of you are having the same problem. All very strange.

I'll be back with more on Rhuddlan Castle later this week.

Back Home

We set out early on Sunday morning to collect my sister and brother-in-law and then it was off down the Fosse Way to the Cotswolds where we stayed overnight at Burford. The next day we travelled down to the New Forest and our destination of Milford-on-Sea. We had super days of sunshine, occasional cloud and hardly a drop of rain - just a little spurt of wet sea air rather than rain as we explored the historic village of Buckler's Hard. On our way back we stayed overnight at Bourton-on-the-Water. I'll write more about all the places we visited later but for now I have so much to do - the usual holiday washing and ironing, shopping, lawn cutting, snail mail and e-mails to answer as well as visiting you all to see what you have been up to whilst I've been away.

The ten days of our holiday went by so quickly and I have so many happy memories and images in my mind - here, for now, are a few of them.

Boat at Keyhaven

Sunset at Milford-on-Sea

Fallow deer in the forest

Mare and Foal by Priscilla Hann in The Furlong Precinct at Ringwood

The sea at Boscombe

New Forest ponies at Beaulieu

Black-headed gull at Keyhaven

The Rescue Dog display team at Hythe Marina

To 'Another Place' and Beyond

We've been up to the Lancashire coast and yesterday we visited Crosby beach where we found this fellow

Just one of the statues which make up the wonderful art installation that is Anthony Gormley's 'Another Place'.

There are 100 figures spread out across the beach some gazing straight out to sea, others gazing across to land in the distance.

We walked and gazed at the statues, the wind turbines and the passing ferries, no doubt bound for Ireland or the Isle of Man. We had the beach pretty much to ourselves at the start of the morning but as we returned from our long walk it was filling with coach loads of visitors all there to find 'Another Place'.

You can only walk up to one or two of the statues nearest the promenade as the sand around the ones further out was wet and quaked underfoot and going any closer would have been dangerous as you can see from the photo below.

In the afternoon we visited one of our favourite beaches - Ainsdale Sands. Here you can take the car onto the beach and drive until you find a suitable parking spot. We sat at the edge of the dunes and ate our lunch, the seagulls were waiting to see if there were any leftovers.

No statues to see here, just people walking dogs, flying kites, metal detecting and windsurfing

Although it was warm there was a strong wind

There were masses of razor shells in clusters all over the sand

and the odd jellyfish or two

This morning I was outside cleaning the mud and sand from Crosby beach off my walking boots when a flock of gulls passed over head - quite unusual for an inland midlands town - their mournful cry, plus the sand sprinkling from my boots, reminded of yesterday's adventure, of the smell of the sea, the salty air and the warm sun on our backs as we strolled across the sand.

Only a Dream

I had a dream last night that it rained and rained and rained non-stop for two or three years and that finally the sea took over. It came up the rivers and divided our country into small islands again. The water stretched from the Severn estuary to the Wash and there really was a north/south divide, a permanent, watery one. Beautiful buildings were lost, just church spires occasionally appearing above water and floating in the sea were books, teddy bears, cups, kettles and hair brushes. I was drifting up above it all powerless to stop it. I'm so glad I woke up but this morning I feel strangely detached from reality and am finding it really hard to get going.