Sunday 21 August 2016

An Afternoon on Rhosneigr Beach, Anglesey.



Back toward the end of May Victoria suggested a day out to Anglesey.  In particular Rhosneigr.  The boys and their dad all have bodyboards and Rhosneigr had been recommended as having the waves needed to use them.  Nicholas was particularly keen for this trip.  For his birthday in April he got a surf board and wanted to use it.


None of us had ever been to Rhosneigr before so it was all new.  We didn't know the best way to the beach so we parked up and followed a likely looking path to the beach.  We soon found out it wasn't the best path. This path took us up and over those sand dunes you can see.  


When we got closer they loomed big, wide and hilly... but manageable... and fun... kind of. Happily the view the other side of them made the trek worthwhile.  Plus it was a sunny, blue sky day.  Perfect for a day on the beach.


Nicholas with one of the body boards while he waits for his surfboard to be ready.


Gary got it sorted.


And then they were off!


And doing what they came for.  All three of the boys doing their thing.


Behind a laughing Gary, Nicholas is to the left of him and George to the right.  


George tried the surf board too.


It's a shame George is missing from this pic but just over there in the background on the right is William sitting reading the paper with all the picnic stuff around  him.


As with all good things, they come to an end and all too soon it was time to pack up and make our way back to the car.  Thankfully by an easier route than we had taken on the way in. William, above, was loaded up to the gills while Nicholas carried just his crocs.  To be fair to Nicholas he had tried to help by carrying one of the fold up chairs but it kept falling out of its bag and was more trouble than it was worth to have him carry the thing, so grandad got to carry that too.


William took a well earned breather while the van was packed up.

We had had a lovely afternoon.  There had been fun in the water, a picnic on a beautiful beach, sunshine and fresh sea air. Not bad for a day in May in Great Britain.

Until next time,

Saturday 13 August 2016

Who's a Good Boy?

Sadly, England isn’t known for its good weather and this summer our weather has been very mixed.  Mixed as in some good and some not very good at all.  So when the sun does shine the only place to be is outdoors.


Fortunately for us we have some beautiful countryside on our doorstep and mingled in there is a rich history of canals.  A walk along one of them was what we fancied this afternoon.



This stretch is part of the Rochdale Canal and runs from Sowerby Bridge in Yorkshire through into Manchester.  And that's a distance of 33 miles.  I thought it would've been more than that but that's what an information board along the way told me and I believe it.  Construction was completed in 1804.

See the fisherman up there tucked away in the shelter of one of the many old stone bridges?  He was as happy as Larry even though he hadn’t caught a thing all afternoon. This we know because William, having been an angler himself in the past, always has a little chat with the fishermen he comes across. 


The pretty view looking through one of those bridges.


It was a relaxing stopping and starting kind of a walk.  It was for Harley we did most of the stopping.  It didn’t matter. We were in no rush.




There’s plenty to see on a walk like this.  These pretty cottages have been renovated in the recent past and were still being extended and improved today.  A lovely little place to call home don’t you think?


Fluffy white clouds and blue sky reflected in the still-as-a-mill-pond water.


Along any canal you’ll find a mill or two.  This one, Fothergill Engineering, sports a very fetching clock tower.  Bit unusual that I think.


We had wandered quite a way so at this point we turned back towards home.


Dozens of grazing Canada Geese filled this field.



Harley is staying with us this week and next while Caroline and her crew are on holiday in Cornwall.  He was wandering ahead of me sniffing away at things as dogs do when I called him back to me.  I asked him to sit while I took his picture and he did!  I was delighted.  He did it more than once too.  Who’s a good boy? Harley is, that’s who!

Until next time,