After the Band is over... St David's by moonlight.

It doesn't get dark here until after 10 pm, so after the Bishop's Palace do, Mum and I walked to the cemetery where a lot of our rells are buried.  That's where I noticed that the moon was nearly full.

I'd love to tell you tales of Welsh werewolves and ghosties but sadly the moon only inspired me to take some shots of St Davids.

This photo is of the street, Maes y Hedydd, where we are staying with Frances and David.

Playing at The Bishop's Palace

Thursday was a big day.  After dinner and the Carningli adventure, we went to hear a brass band at the Bishop's Palace.

I'm not really into Military Bands but it was a chance to get into the Palace free.  As a child, before the National Trust took it over, we used to play there for hours.

I may have overdone the photos a bit ( I haven't posted them all) but can you imagine the fun of clambering over these walls, hiding in the 'dungeons', yelling and screaming our lungs out?

Carningli

Some of you are familiar with my passion for the Angel Mountain series by Brian John.  Well, last Thursday quite unexpectedly because of a cancelled appointment, David took Mum, Cairo and I to this hallowed place.  It was a warm but overcast day and I hardly dared to think it would meet my breathless anticipation.

Here's Mum at the carpark.

Here's Mum sitting on the track awaiting our return.

We made for this peak first because the outcrop on the far right looked like Cairo's profile to me...

Once we were there, it was apparent that we had further to go to the pinnacle.

It was like Picadilly Circus at the top - not really but two other families had made their way there via an easier route.  This is David and James, who had taken a fancy to Cairo.

This is the view down to 'the easier way' with Newport and The Parrog (for Martha Morgan fans).  As you can see, the cloud had magically lifted...  But don't think the adventure ends there.  Next we went to the Candle Workshop which is actually Brian John's place.  We didn't meet The Man but his son was there making tapers (not tapis, unfortunately).  Of course, I bought a Martha Morgan book and chatted up the son who had just returned for 10 years living in the Dandenongs with his wife and children.  And as if that wasn't magic enough, we then went to Pentre Ifan, a communal burial place from about 3,000 years ago.

Pentre Ifan with Carningli in the background.  How's that for heavenly?

Quiet, warm day on a small sheltered beach.

Yesterday Mum and I took a short stroll to Caerfai and sat in the sun on the beach.  I took this photo because the rocks looked purpley red and my flipflops (never call them thongs over here) looked right at home.  Doesn't quite work in the photo though.

We propped ourselves on the sand between rocks and read while the tide came in.

My view was obstructed by a possible buddhist monk carrying a baby...

I didn't mind cos it was so beautifully bizarre.

It's a small beach, so as the tide came in it got to standing room only.

Commenting

To the thousands of would-be commenters...  You do not need a google account, etc - you can comment as 'anonymous'.  I know its a bit cumbersome to find your way around the secret letters (remember, I was the Blog Virgin) but it becomes easy with practice.  Unless you really want to be anonymous, it's a good idea to include your name in the message, like this, Maggie XXXX.

Summer Solstice

We had the most perfect summer's day - warm and blue skies.  Mum and I walked to St Justinian's then around the cliffs to Whitesands.  Had another yummy lunch (brie, bacon and cranberry pannini and grilled vegetable pannini for those who like to know these things) at the beach cafe then lolled around on the sand, sleeping, reading, paddling - it was heaven.

The lifeboat station at St Justinian's.  It is a working lifeboat station but you can also go on boatrides to and around Ramsey Island.  They are sort of jet boats so are driven with panache to make the girls scream and boys with very low slung jeans be very cool.  Note the swirl in the water.

But Mum and I could not dally and set forth and north for White sands, passing Porthselau on the way.  To my great delight a father and young child were playing with a sleek black dog who looked like a certain dog I know and love.  Here she is swimming after a thrown stick.  I have obliterated the child with a blade of grass (I've been reading a book called Dogs and Godesses...)

Here's Mum about to cross a little rill running down to the beach via a beautiful flat stone.

On to Whitesands - perfection in beachhood today.

Behind where I took the photo is a house set into the cliff, fully grown over by grass with the windows the only giveaway.  And now beachstyle in Britain...

Around the city

Mum and I have been taking it easy over the weekend.  We went to a BBQ on Friday night, lunched at Whitesands on Saturday and lunched at the Cathedral today with my Aunt Eirwen and her granddaughter, Catherine (who is also my cousin Cynthia's daughter).  Here's Mum, Aunt Eirwen and Catherine.

Naturally, I had to get into the picture too.

Here's a cuppla photos taken from the City Cross:

The astute observer will notice that these 2 photos should be joined together.  If you go between the 2 white buildings, you'll be on The Pebbles en route to the cathedral.