Anglesey and Rhos on Sea

Friday night the 6th of this month William and I drove down to north Wales to spend the weekend with his sister and brother in law, Brenda and Arthur.  We only get to see them a few times a year so when we get together it’s not stop chatter.  There’s always a lot to catch up on.

Saturday morning’s weather was overcast, quite chilly but dry and so our trip to Anglesey went ahead as planned.  Top of my list was a visit to  beautiful Benllech Bay, a gorgeous sandy bay ever popular with summertime holidaymakers but now, in December, it was deserted. 

After admiring the view we made haste to the bottom end of the bay and took refuge in the cafe housed in the white building adjoining the grey stone house.  Making haste and hoping that the cafe was open.  Luckily for us it was.

Inside the cafe is pleasant and homely…

..with great views over the bay.  Much too cold to sit outside today although had the weather been better that’s what I would’ve preferred

Hotfooting it back to the car.

One for the album.

This was a beautiful sight.  The sun going down behind the clouds and casting a silver glow over the water.  Very, very pretty.

Now we’re in Beau Maris.  We had eaten lunch not too long ago but Billy sometimes can’t walk past a chippy without nipping in for a bag of chips to eat in the fresh air.  I agree with him it is the best way to eat them.

Yep, it was cold but not that cold.  they just wanted to get back to the car for a mince pie. 

Brenda had brought a flask of coffee and some mince pies with us.  You wouldn’t believe how much laughter and fun we had eating those mince pies.  I won’t go into it, you had to be there to believe it!

In the late afternoon on the way home we hit Rhos on Sea.  I really like Rhos on Sea.  It retains the quaint atmosphere of a bygone era but at the same time feels modern with its trendy cafes and individual shops.  Brenda needed to pop in a shop.  A handbag shop and I had no objection to that!  Arthur and William weren’t as happy to browse craft and handbag shops so it was only a quick visit to Rhos on Sea but maybe next time we’ll go earlier and stay longer.

An antique shop we would’ve liked to pop in but time was running out.

The night was drawing in and it was time for home.

After a leisurely breakfast on Sunday morning Jackson’s Garden Centre at Dysserth seemed the right place to be.   Stocked to the hilt with all manner of lovely stuff I came away with a rather nice scarf which went perfectly with the woollen jacket I was wearing.

Brenda sneaks a sit down in Santa’s sleigh.  He wasn’t around so it was okay.  How nice would it be to have a snow ride in this one horse open sleigh?

So, that’s it.  We had a lovely weekend, as always.  A welcome break before winter proper sets in.  Looking forward to spring now when we’ll hopefully go down for another visit.

Penrhyn Castle

For the first time in over twelve months William and I left on Friday evening for Bodelwyddan in north Wales to stay with Brenda and Arthur for the weekend.  The sun shone all weekend and on Saturday Brenda had lined up a visit to Penrhyn Castle for us.

Never having been to Penrhyn Castle before a treat was in store for us.  Not actually a castle, rather a very grand des res built around 1820 in the style of a Norman castle.  

Very grand and very big,  I couldn’t get a good picture of the whole building in one shot.  I think the dining room gives a good impression of the grandeur involved.  I can’t help when I visit these grand palatial homes but to compare it in my mind with the poverty that the many endured while the few lived like this.  Such is life I suppose.  Harder for some than others.

Anyway, tour of the castle’s interior over it was time for lunch.  A picnic lunch which we enjoyed in the grounds of the castle.  Views of Puffin Island and Anglesey in the distance.

The visit continued with a tour of the gardens.

After the picnic Arthur hadn’t want to take the cool bag back to the car, instead he chose to cart it around with him! 

This is the bog garden.  I’d never been in a bog garden before and didn’t know what to expect.  The vegetation was gigantic and I definitely didn’t expect that. 

It reminded me of the Swiss Family Robinson story I’d read many years ago. I think I’d like to read that book again. Must look in the Kindle Store when I’ve finished this. Or then again maybe not.

Sunday was spent in Llandudno.  We had a lovely stroll along the promenade and through the town then back to the car.

On the way back to Bodelwyddan we called in at Rhos on Sea for another walk and the obligatory ice cream.  I have decided I really like Rhos on Sea.  Big improvements to the beach et cetera have been made since last I visited this little resort.  Improvements that have totally transformed the whole feel of the place for me.  I don’t think word has gotten out yet because on such a lovely day the beach was far from crowded as you can see above.  The only blot on the landscape, or should I say seascape, being the ugly wind turbines out on the horizon.  Almost unnoticeable in this photo, believe me they are definitely visible in reality.

And so the visit came to an end.  A happy, fun, sun and stroll filled visit.  I hope it’s not another twelve months before our next visit.

Llandudno and Betws Y Coed

Friday night when William got home from work we loaded up the car with all the paraphernalia needed for a weekend away and drove down to north Wales for the weekend to visit with William's sister and her husband.  They live only an hour and a half away so it's a very comfortable drive after a day at the grindstone.

Here we are, Saturday morning, on Llandudno beach.

And here's William with his sister and brother in law tucking into pie and chips from the chippy.  Brenda is just about to crack open a flask of hot coffee.  That was our lunch on Saturday and boy did it taste good in the bracing sea air after we had done a fair bit of traipsing around Llandudno's shopping streets!  Traipsing which included a Craft Market and an Antiques Fair.

We had a full day Saturday.  After taking in Llandudno, at my request, we made a visit to Jackson's Garden Centre at Dysserth for afternoon tea.  I have mentioned this Jackson's in a previous post.  Not only is it in a beautiful countryside setting, they have a lovely restaurant and sell all sorts of gorgeous interior decor stuff and of course just now it's jam packed full of Christmas goodies.

By the time we were leaving Dysserth the sun was setting and putting on a spectacular show.  Shame about the overhead cables, I know, but the sunset was so beautiful I had to include it.

Sunday, Brenda and Arthur took us inland to breathtakingly beautiful Betws Y Coed, a little town and a magnet for tourists, in Snowdonia National Park.  We have been here several times over the years but never in autumn.  It was a sight to behold for sure.

Brenda and Arthur beside the rocky River Conway which flows right through the centre of Betws Y Coed.

My pictures don't do it justice.

 

If you are ever in north Wales take the time to visit Betws Y Coed, you won't be sorry you did.

As our visit drew to a close a look inside St. Mary's Church seemed a good way to finish the day off.  Our car was parked in the church car park.  Quite properly, it's a pay and display one.   Anyway, William and I had just completed our tour of the church when we heard a magical sound.  A male voice choir was practising in the church hall!  I dashed to the car to get Brenda so that she could have a listen too.  Wales is renowned the world over for its history of singing and male voice choirs.  Shivers went up and down my spine as I stood and listened.  It was one of those moments I'll always remember.

Kathleen.

Family Bible

While at my sister-in-law's home in Wales at the weekend Brenda had a surprise in store for us.

It was her mother's family's old Holy Bible.  Brenda didn't know of its existence until very recently when her cousin passed it onto her.  Naturally she was thrilled to bits to receive it.  It has to be said that this Bible has seen better days and looks a bit battered around the edges but the pages are free from mildew and considering its nearly 150 years old we're all just amazed and happy that it has survived intact.

As was the custom generations ago births, marriages and deaths are recorded in it.  The first inscription is dated 1866.  Not only are birth dates recorded but the day of the week and the time of day too!  Brenda was particularly thrilled with this information because over the last couple of years she has traced their family tree and was happy to see that what she discovered on her own is confirmed in the Bible.  Well done, Bren!

This wonderful piece of family history is my Simple Pleasure this week.

Linking to Dayle at a Collection of This and That to see what others have found pleasure in this week.

TTFN,

Kathleen.

The template used for the layout is  "CoffeeShop Five Storyboard"  a freebie from http://www.thecoffeeshopblog.com/

Weekend in Wales

Wasn't the weather good last weekend?  We were lucky enough to enjoy it by the sea in north Wales where we spent the weekend at the home of William's lovely sister Brenda and her husband Arthur.  We travelled down on Friday night in order to make the most of our time there.

Saturday was a nice and easy leisurely day.  We headed toward Dyserth, stopping along the way to visit St. Mary's Church in the village of Rhuddlan.  I couldn't get a decent photo of the church but if you follow the link you can see what it looks.  It just so happened to be an Open Day of sorts, with church members on hand to share the history of the church.  It was a beautiful, ancient (circa 1300) and interesting little church and what's more the bell ringers were there doing their thing with great gusto.

From there we carried onto Jackson's Boutique Garden Centre at Trelawnyd near Dyserth.  A great place not just for plant lovers.  We had lunch in the conservatory cafe.  Very nice, I'd recommend it.

After Jackson's we backtracked stopping off at Dyserth Waterfalls.  Only small but powerful all the same. 

Sunday we drove the 30 minutes or so to Llandudno.  The sun was shining, the sky was blue and if you stepped it out it wasn't cold at all!

William and I halfway down the pier, stopped for a photo and to admire the view of the Great Orme.  That's it behind us.

At the end of the pier after that bracing walk a cup of coffee and a scone was called for and readily consumed.

Then a walk through the shopping streets with their old Victorian facades.  A lovely Sunday outing.  Who could ask for anything more?

Before I sign off I want to say that although we were having a lovely weekend I was only too aware of the grief and suffering in other parts of the world, namely Japan and countries in the Far East.  The heartbreak and suffering is unimaginable to me living in Great Britain and my heart goes out to those whose world is in turmoil.

Kathleen.

Three French Hens

Well, okay, not quite.

 

These Silkie chickens according to Wikipedia are actually from China.  This picture doesn't do them justice. They are beautiful creatures, all fluffy and cute.  They even make good pets.  The funny thing about these chickens though is the fact that their flesh is black.  I looked them up on Google and you can see pictures of them plucked, ready for the oven.  I prefer them looking like this.

I came across these three little beauties in Wales at the weekend in Jackson's Boutique Garden Centre, Dyserth.  Saturday afternoon we finally made our trip down to Wales to see my sister in law and her husband.  We stayed just the one night and really enjoyed catching up with them.  We even had an early Christmas Dinner with them as they won't be coming up to us on Christmas Day this year.   We had Christmas pudding with Bailey's Cream (as in Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur) poured over.  Delicious!

There really wasn't time to go very far so Brenda suggested we go to Jackson's on Sunday for a visit.  It's a wonderful garden centre, in a lovely countryside location, full of lots of good stuff and of course dripping in Christmas decor just now.  A lovely coffee shop too. What more can one ask?  Jackson's is definitely on my places-to-go-back-to list.

TTFN,

Kathleen

A Weekend Away and Portmeirion

We got back Monday night from a weekend in Wales staying William’s sister and her husband.  We always look forward to going to stay with Brenda and Arthur because we always, always have a good time with them.

We set off as planned at around one o’clock on Saturday afternoon when William came home from work. This in itself was a miracle because Victoria had asked me if I would put her hair colour on for her before I went and then Caroline rang at the last minute and asked if I would trim her hair for her before I went.  I managed to do both of these things and put my own hair colour on too, pack the suitcase and tidy the house all before William came home!

Anyway, onto the weekend.  On Sunday, as planned before our visit, Brenda and Arthur took us down to Portmeirion.  A place I had known about for a long time but had never ever visited.

We started the afternoon with the obligatory picnic.  There is something just so nice, for want of a better word, about eating a picnic lunch in the great outdoors.  Then into Portmeirion itself.  Portmeirion is a little piece of the Mediterranean right in the heart of Wales and what a beautiful, unique place it is!

This pretty building is the first thing you see as you enter the village.  Then it just gets better and better.

 
The village was the brainchild of architect, Clough Williams-Ellis, who had a dream of building a coastal village.  His dream began to take shape when he purchased this land in 1925.  More info can be found at the official website here.

  Sister and brother, Brenda and William.

Billy, Brenda and Arthur.  We stopped for a breather to absorb the sights and beauty around us.

The village has a beautiful hotel in the grounds and this is the resident’s pool, not open to the public.

There are great photo opportunities at every turn, like this one on the right with stunning views over the estuary.

I half knew what to expect of Portmeirion, I’ve seen photographs of it here and there and I’m happy to report that the reality of it does not disappoint. Not one little bit. 

We had a great time wandering around, having a coffee outside one of these beautiful buildings, surrounded by wonderful scenery, in good company and what’s more in glorious sunshine.  What more can one ask?

One last thing.  To Brenda and Arthur who will read this sooner or later – thank you for a great weekend!

TFN

I’m linking to Outdoor Wednesday at  http://www.asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/  Hop over there, you’ll find lots of other great OW posts to stroll through.