Ozone and chips . . .

OK - so I lied about the chips!, but I did get some ozone today and it perked me up no end, despite the tide being right out and a few, ahem, rainclouds being obvious. We popped down to Swansea to see our daughter G and drop some tickets off for her, and then after a slow crawl around her local charity shops (2 plates, a book on antiques and a pasta jar) we drove down to the Mumbles (posh end of Swansea leading into the Gower peninsula) so I could get some sea air. After a very poor night's sleep, I wasn't feeling too clever, and my legs were very feeble again, but it was just so lovely to get out of the house and for it not to be actively RAINING, that I didn't care.

We got stuck in a queue of traffic on the way to Swansea, but I had a good library book (nearly finished now - a Ruth Rendell which wasn't too demanding to my sleep-deprived brain) and as we were at a standstill for a good while, just looking at the uncut wild flowers down the central reservation was a joy.  Most people would call them weeds, but to my eyes they were so beautiful.  Lots of ox-eye daisies blowing in the breeze.  Tall stately lavender-purple thistles ditto.  Pink and white clovers, yellow vetches, and brambles flowering everywhere which if you turn off your mind to brambles, are such pretty flowers, especially the deeper pink varieties.

When we got to the Mumbles, the tide was a fair way out.  We managed to park, and had a wander along the seafront, with the "breeze" now upped to a blustering wind but the ozone in it flung itself into my lungs and gave them a step up in the breathing department and even put some energy into my legs again too.  (One of the side effects of the steroids is weak muscles.)  You can just see in the right of the picture above, looking across Swansea Bay, the remains of a couple of old fishing boats - all that's left is the main rib along the bottom and the keel.  Nearly reduced to just shadows in the mud.  I wonder what the fishermen who used them would think if they could see them now? The popular novels of local writer Iris Gower were set in Swansea and the Mumbles area.

I walked a couple of hundred yards at a steady pace to visit the Quilt and yarn shop I had noticed when we drove past looking for somewhere to park.  There were some gorgeous fabrics and having bought wool earlier in the week, I blew my last £5.50 on this little Seaside charm pack.  There are 20 5" squares in it, so I should have enough for two pretty seaside cushion covers which I think I will hand-piece as it means sitting down quietly to do so.  I was absurdly excited over such a modest purchase . . .

As my husband and I walked back to the car, I managed a couple of stand-on-a-bench photos of some of the older property in the Mumbles.

Below: Isn't this a pretty little cottage?

We had hoped for chips for lunch, but settled for a steak pie instead, and another wander round the charity shops, so I am all charity-shopped up for this week.

I am slowly on the mend but dare say I have overdone things a little today and will have to really rest up tomorrow. . . with my sewing.