The Ebullience of Cousins

I've been looking forward to doing this post for sometime.  It is a day from our time in England that I had forgotten and that then came back to me with all its emotion attached.  Just before we left England to come home, Cynthia and John drove us to Rickmansworth and we walked around a lake and along another part of the Grand Union Canal.  Mum was pretty tired by this time and sat watching the lake while John, Cynthia and I walked.

The Man who loved Lock Dancing

We saw this cat as we walked back along the canal.

She had a sort of come hither look so we followed her to this barge.

Then a young man came along carrying a duck.  He was like the personification of the Green Man.  He and his father lived on the barge.  He had found the duck injured some months ago and had nursed it back to health but it still had difficulty swimming, so he took it for a supervised swim everyday.  As you can imagine, I was enchanted.

If you look very carefully, you can see the duck by the open door.  Cat and duck get on fine together.

And here's another barge cat we met - just in case Ella is looking.

The Brilliance of Cousins

The seats in the Secret Garden where Mum and I used to read and doze after yummy lunches at The Refectory at St Davids Cathedral.  Captured by my Cousin David around Christmas time.

It's New Year's Eve and it's hot

so I thought I'd escape to St Davids for a while.

We'll start at The City - the least attractive of the pubs unless you live in Nodffa Dewi where my grandparents lived - it is the closest pub and my grandfather loved the view from the bay window.  We'll walk down to Nun Street.

Cuppla my favourite houses.  I love this plant growing on the gate-post above.

We have passed Mathias Hardware - it always amuses me when I think of Bunnings...

Past the Indian Restaurant where Georgia and I went for a glass of red and garlic nahn on her first night in St Davids.  I think it's called Saffron.  Definitely the most exotic place in St Davids.

The restaurant is on the corner of Mum's favourite laneway.

Now to my favourite fruit & veg shop which is / was undergoing a face-lift.

Nearly back to the Cross at the centre of St Davids.

It must be Thursday cos the market is on!!

That's better.  Ready for a feed of spring rolls from the Wentworth Central Motel now.

Sometimes tomorrow never comes...

words of wisdom from Emma - and, of course, she was right.  But it's here now - though the rain is long gone.  On our last day in England I went with Cynthia and John to St Albans.  Mum stayed at home to gather her strength for the journey home and to avoid the rain.  I had travelled through St Albans on the day I caught the 321 bus back from the airport after renegotiating our trip to Spain.  It's a wonderful town.

It's been a Roman town.

Very gracious.

With low life and high life.

As we approached the cathedral, the wind flurried the sycamores around us.  Everyone scattered for the cathedral but it felt like a magic moment to me.

I found it a bit difficult to take photos inside.

 Then it was off to the market.

which was a little rain affected.  I managed to spend my last sterling on plump green olives stuffed with almonds

and sheltered in this archway which made me think of our fabulous porch here at home and my plan to one day sell small plants and flowers from it.  So, back full circle...

Doing this last holiday post has reminded of my intention to bring some special moments from the holiday to this blog, so standby for intermittent Magic Moments.

Posting my last day in England tomorrow.

Rain is the link...

Getting towards the end now

Just before we left England we had a special night out with Cynthia and John and their son and daughter, Alan and Catherine.  Catherine had come to St Davids to visit her nan (my Aunty Eirwen) while we were there. This time we congregated at the Essex, the local pub.  It was lovely because both Catherine and Alan had travelled from London to be with us, and had to return by train that night.

Here we are, gathering beneath umbrellas.

Ladies to the left of me,

gentlemen to the right.  It made me realise that I do miss having family around me.  I loved it in St Davids when I'd meet one of the aunts out shopping - I have never done that before.

But wait, there's more family

In the last week of our holiday, my cousin Cynthia invited her brother, David, and his family to dinner.

Mum,David and me.

David's daughter, Rhiannon, her husband and little girl.

Two of David's sons, Gareth and Emrys.

a glimpse of Jackie, David's wife, plus Rhiannon, Mum and Cynthia.