Heaven scent

I found this photo at Mum's last weekend.  I did not know we had a photo of our caravan.  I love those sunray windows - I've never forgotten them - though I could only remember the side ones and hadn't remembered the full sunrise at the front.  I wiiiiiiiiiiiish we still had that van .  The photo is taken above Whitesands (Porth Mawr) with Carn Llidi in the background.
Jackie Morris has just posted this and soon I'll be there.
I have also found some jottings I made when cliff walking with Georgia:  I will miss the honeywind, the moist milky air, fur warm, a balm, a salve for my soul and my skin...  This moist green to rebuild cell walls, to make whole, restore, make strong...
And I'll be there soon.

Up she rises

I leave from Heathrow on 31 October at 2.05pm to fly to Singapore.  I am really looking forward to this Halloween flight and have been preparing for it for some years. 

I'll spend time with Georgia and family, though they'll be busy with work and school.  It will be interesting to see Singapore again after 20+ years, and it will be a good warm-up before flying home to Australia on Tuesday 5 November very late at night.

I found this photo while I was looking for the witchy ones.  Remember I debated whether to take the rabbit - Thumper - to Wales with me last time?  This is our garden in Angas Drive, South Ruislip.  I think we could only have just moved in.  Perhaps I'm in training for Helen's imminent arrival. The lean-to building was the woodshed where Helly and I spied upon a family of hedgehogs one year.
ps Rosa Norte, or Momery as she shall be known in UK, has completed her homework.

Blogblodwyn rides again

Less than 3 months to my next Wales trip.  I will leave Adelaide on Thursday 26 September, arriving Friday 27 September 2013 exactly 49 years since the day we originally left to migrate to Australia.  It's gone very quickly!  I will arrive at Heathrow in the early morning.  Rosa Norte is arriving from Spain the same day, but in Bristol.  So I will find my way to Bristol and meet her there. I have always been attracted to Bristol.  Richard Morgan, who later established the first farm on Kangaroo Point / Bellerive, was transported from there.  I have a cousin (from the pool of Cousin Davids) who lives there.  Today I discovered there is a Bristol / Bath cycleway which I'd love to do but suspect it won't be this trip.  Rosa and I will hire a car and wend to St Davids possibly via Abergavenny, the Rhondda, Swansea (we have a school chum there) and Wolf's Castle where we intend to celebrate the occasions of our 60th birthdays.

 Janice Morgan and Momery (now Rosa) in Swansea on the occasion of our 40th birthdays year.

Momery sporting her Paris haircut.

 I need to be in St Davids for Friday 4 October because I've promised to go to the Cathedral Harvest Festival.  Rose will probably want to get there before then because she's booked to fly home to Spain from Bristol the next day!
You may recall that last time I went to Wales (July 2010 with Mum) I was in the thrall of the Martha Morgan books.   This time I'm curious about St David himself and the Celtic trade routes.  I have also discovered that Santiago de Compostela was proclaimed a site of pilgrimage at the same time as was St Davids, so maybe one day Rosa and I will walk from Girona across Spain and then somehow make our way along a Celtic sea-routes to St Davids.  The mind boggles.

 Rose in a Spanish restaurant in Melbourne on her first trip to Australia.

This is a wonderfully prophetic photo.  Rosemary then lived in England and loved cats.

She now lives in Spain and loves 3 dogs.

The wonderful thing about Rose is that she likes to eat, particularly seafood, so it is my plan that we spend our time together exploring the villages around the so-called Landsker Line, debating traditional Welsh and Norman chapel architectural style.  She's an artist (there's no escaping them) so she may like to draw as we eat...  Hopefully there'll be some time to do what she wants as well.  Perhaps take in a Woollen Mill or two too...  The castle at Haverfordwest...  The source of the River Alun...  Dowrog Common...
I'm also keen to learn more about the building of St Davids Cathedral, inspired by Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth.  Where did the builders come from?  William the Conqueror visited in 1081 and I'd love to know how much / what parts of the current cathedral were there then.  I've set Rosa the task of reading The Pillars as prep.  I bet she can't wait.

Journal for Georgia (2)

Sunday 4/7

Rainy / misty day.  George and I went to Bishop's Palace.  Met Mum at the Refectory for lunch.

Fell asleep in Secret Garden... - showed Mum the tapestry.

Walked to Richards to discuss cottage with him.  Late dinner @ The Farmers - half pint prawns and nachos.

Monday 5/7

Georgia came to house earlier than arranged - had read timetable and we needed to catch an early bus to Porthgain, which we did.  Had coffee and croissant at The Sloop.  Easy walk to Abereiddy - lost coast path - came out at Porth Carreg - limping guy showed us where to pick up path.  Big but beautiful walk.  Saw seals near St David's Head.  My feet feeling very squishy!  Lost path again & had to hunt for Cromlech - saw it from the steps.  Trudged into Whitesands - powercut - no lunch!  no coffee!  Milk, cake & fruit - bus to St Davids.  Glorious last supper at the Bench:  dolce latte salad, basic pizza & fungi ravioli.

Tuesday 6/7

George and I catch bus to Haverfordwest.  Saw Bethany - Richard hailed bus to get her to school - kissed Georgia goodbye.

I had omelette at station.  Waved goodbye to George.  Wandered around Haverfordwest but heart not in it - still tired from day before.  Went to Lidls to look for chocolates.  Caught bus home.  (Had coffee & chocolate twist in Haverfordwest - very hungry!)

Journal for Georgia

Wednesday 30/6

Dave, Frances, Mum and I to Tenby - Prince Charles and Camilla there for Fish Week.  Mum & I to Caldey Island - disgusting tea room.

Georgia arrived approx 9.15 pm - Dave and I picked her up from Haverfordwest - 'death on the line' at Reading.

Took Georgia to Uncle Dai's, then went for a double-dragon at The Farmers.  Went for a walk around the cathedral and up Quickwell steps.  Smell of garlic... Saffron, Indian restaurant just closing, allowed us to have a glass of wine and garlic naan.

Thursday 1/7

Georgia and I went to fish print-making workshop at Info Centre - Debbie Withey - Cheese and Pickles.  12 - 2.30pm.

Went to Grove for dinner but fully booked - went to Farmers instead - fish pie & ham, leek & chicken pie.  Left George to photograph cathedral, etc.  Breakfast @ Bench?

Met lady from workshop at Refectory for afternoon tea - she showed us the Pembrokeshire Tapestry.

Friday 2/7

Climbed Carn Llidi.

Mum, George and I caught bus to White Sands [see Georgia's blog].  After climb, had lunch at cafe - pannini.  Caught bus the long way  home.

Booked table at Grove - but a quiet night.  Shared 'blanchebait' with George, then she had Welsh lamburger (like a sausage), I had more seafood bits.  Terrible chips.

Breakfast @ Bench?

Georgia stayed at the Coach House.

Saturday 3/7

St Davids to Porth Clais to Solva

George and I set out to Porth Clais but kept walking to Solva.  Blue grass on outcrop after Carbydi - soft tussocks as I remember them.  Went to Royal George for lunch but not doing food, to Harbour Inn - another Brain's pub - blue vein cheese sanger and shredded cheddar cheese sanger!

Tapas @ Bench?

George at Coach House - rebooked for Uncle Dai's.

George - I've lost all of your St Davids photos since the laptop was stolen.  If you email some, I'll add them in the blog.

Full Circle

Friday 4/6
The long awaited, & and much imagined, day.  One week after the bus trip to Adelaide, catch the bus to St Davids.  Cynthia had booked for us prior.  John and Cynthia drove us to Reading - waited at Sainsburys.  Caught bus at 1 pm - little spat with the driver.  Lady from Monastery at Milford.  Beautiful drive to Haverfordwest via Chepstow (?), Swansea, Cross Hands, Port Talbot and Milford.  Mum and I last on the bus.  Waited at bus station in H/west from 7.10 - 8.05pm - not very cheerful.  'Shiloh' sheepdog on bus - very comforting.  Lots of surfers and campers at Newgale.  Shiloh and family got off after Solva.  Frances and Paul waiting for us at bustop - short walk to their house.  Huge pile of ham sandwiches.  Still light at 10.00pm.
So began the magic 6 weeks.  I can never thank Frances, David, Mark, Paul and Cairo enough for their hospitality - they made everything so easy for us.  I still see so clearly Frances and Paul waiting for us in St Davids that I think I must have a photograph of them - but I don't.

 Our home for 6 weeks

St David's Cathedral photographed from 'the best spot' divulged to us by our favourite bus driver, Jo.

Looking up to The Refectory from 'our secret garden'.

The grating we stepped over many times as we passed from our secret garden to the Refectory for lunch or a coffee.  I think this is what rekindled my interest in crochet.

The doors to the Cathedral from the sensitively constructed new link between the Refectory and Cathedral.

Bizarre, I know, but I loved this sign on the toilets at the ford behind the Cathedral.

The singing bins of Whitesands - a much loved joke shared by Mum, Georgia and me.

2 doorways we loved.

'The Cross', social hub of St Davids.

My favourite school gates in the world.

On the wall leading back to David and Frances'.

David gave me the CD 'The Boy with a Note:  An Evocation of the Life of Dylan Thomas in Words & Music', by Ralph McTell.  It is played frequently...  I love the lines '...to wake up at home in the house on the shore with you by my side in Wales'.
And I love that Georgia loves this place too.

Maybe I lied...

Maybe there'll be 2 more posts.  Yesterday marked the anniversary of arriving in England last year, so I started to read my journal:
'Thursday 1/6/10
Finally I get to write in this beautiful book.  Bought, I think, in Armidale many years ago to be used on our next o/seas visit.
And here I am, at the attic window in Cynthia's, overlooking a muted morning and gardens of lilac, rhododendrons and a huge magnolia, and green, green trees.
Cynthia &John picked us up from Heathrow in the late afternoon.  Mum and I had been up since 5.30 am KL time.  The drive to their home was perfect.  They saw the new 4 lane highway in progress but I saw soft rolling greeness, cow parsley, rogue poppies.  It is a muted canvas, beautiful, like a well worn shawl or throw.  And now a blackbird sits on a drooping pine.  And now he's gone!  But the link to my blackbird family at home is made.
It has been light for hours.  I got up thinking the others must have given up on me & gone out without me.  I made a cup of tea in the kitchen - just past 6 am.  And last night it was still light at 9.30pm.  It is dreamlike.
I have a room perfect for me.  Another eyrie.  This one filled with Enid Blighton books &books on Wales.
I travelled to Mum's (W/W to Adelaide) last Friday by bus.  My jottings:

• wheeling pelicans @ Renmark
• sedate pace - snail's pace - but good speed & I recognise the country well
• fellow passengers always smell of chow mein noodles

 I had seen Lucky the Pelican and my blackbird during the week, so the omens were good.  It had also rained for about a week & I'd realised how I take dust dry weather for granted.  I had not smelled 'damp' for a long time.
At Mum's I walked in spitting rain to the Sushi Bar in Marden & we had sushi rolls for tea.
The flight to KL was good.  The Melia Hotel excellent - and outdoor lift to view Times Square - and Mum had her first paella.  We caught the monorail for a glimpse of the city.  We return to this hotel on the way back - we like everything about it except the location is not best for us - we don't need to be in the Golden Triangle shopping area.  We don't go into any stores, I get ringotts from the Seven 11.  The footpaths are narrow and uneven.  Mum is hesitant to cross the roads.  It was Sunday and the money changers & reflexologists were either having a day off or sleeping in.  Parum, the driver, talked nonstop to the airport on the Monday morning.  The flight was long but just bearable.  Mum told me about cycling around the area as the plane touched down.  The Immigration official noted Mum was born in Hayes & Mum repeated the cycling story.  He said she should write a book...
The blackbird returned to its pine perch while I was writing this but now is gone again.
And the pigeons coo like at Mum's.
Birdsong in the morning & at night.'

It was to be such a magic holiday.  Couldn't blog this yesterday cos the modem packed it in and Steve had to buy another one today.