'Portrait of the Brecon Beacons and surrounding areas'

It is raining gently here with a forecast maximum of 21C.  I heated up a croissant and returned to bed to read the above book by Edmund Mason (Robert Hale, London, 1975).  It belongs to my friend Leanne the Book.  When she first mentioned it to me I wasn't much interested cos it's not my bit of Wales but reading it is an absolute delight and I recommend it to anyone interested in Wales - geography, geology, archeology, myth and legend, history, travel, caving, etc etc.  The author hugely endeared himself to me when, describing the underground search for some lost cavers, he writes:  'Although I always had a great admiration for the Welsh miner, the voluntary effort of those men surpassed anything I could have imagined.'

For me, there are lovely elements to this photo:  the book itself, the fact that it became an interlibrary loan and the bookmark my friend Pasha Sasha brought me back from Turkey recently.

Daffodils for Welsh cousins

Martha Morgan makes many references to the wildflowers, including primroses and daffodils.  At the last email, my cousin David reported that there were not many daffodils out yet, so here are some for Frances, David, Mark, Paul and Cairo.  They are also to celebrate that there is a Curves gym in Haverfordwest, giving me more opportunity to explore.  Martha Morgan was imprisoned in Haverfordwest. Is the gaol still there?

So much to tell you but sadly not in Welsh...yet...

I spent a lovely Easter on Kangaroo Island with Corinne, Bronwyn and Heather.  For them it was a mere Easter break.  For me it was training for Wales.  Here's Bron and Heths and a Welsh-looking sea:

I have now read 3 of the Angel Mountain series.  The saga begins in the 1790s.  The heroine is Martha Morgan (note the MM - I'm sure I'm her reincarnated).  She was born in Brawdy with her early life in Haverfordwest.  She moves to Carn Inglis near Newport when she marries.  The storyline is wildly romantic but the detail of everyday life during those times, the foods eaten, the crops grown, the wildflowers, is spellbinding.
According to my Mum, it is 6 weeks until we fly out of Australia.  Of course, this is Icelandic volcano permitting.

Backwards and forwards

Haven't blogged here for a while so thought I'd do a quick post to share with you my favourite family photo (Dad is behind the camera) and give you this site for exploration www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk .  I've got the Wentworth Library looking for the Angel Mountain series - no news so far.  Can't wait to have a look at the cathedral library...

Rabbiting on

Hooray for email.  Courtesy of my Cousin David, I have learned today of the books of Brian John, including the 6 book Angel Mountain Saga.  If you want to learn more, go to www.angel-mountain.info .  Of course I'll be hotfooting it to the library to get them on interlibrary loan.  You may also like to check out www.cawscaerfai.co.uk  - I was nearly beside myself when I found this website.  The farm is in easy walking distance from St Davids on the road to Caerfai,  a walk and a beach with many childhood memories.  Yummy organic cheese. I can't wait to get there.

Cymru am byth and Happy St David's Day for Monday 1st March

I'm off to Adelaide this weekend so Mum and I can make progress with our plans for the big trip to Wales for June and July 2010.  The plan for this website was to launch it on St David's Day with suitable graphics but I'll be in Adelaide and without access to computer.  So, tonight's the night. Have a very Happy St David's Day and don't forget to make Welshcakes...  or I'll set the dragon on you.