A stroll round Llandovery

 I had the dentist this morning - two small replacement fillings - one either side of my mouth so those required two injections which made my lower lip feel gigantic! I stopped at the garage for a cold drink before driving back, but couldn't feel the can on my lower lip and was worried about pouring it down my front!  Managed to drink it, all the same.  25 deg. out - too hot for me.  Greenhouse door currently wide open and I shall go and give everything a drink in a moment.  Can't have the new growth scorched to a frazzle. 

 Isn't this a gorgeous display?  Close to the colours of the flowers were stunning.  

A wonderful attention-seeking colour to paint the walls too. Compare with the pub opposite:

My friend Kim will recognize this as she and her partner stayed there on a visit to Wales, before deciding to up sticks and move to France, where she still lives.

The ruins of Llandovery Castle.  

The monument to Llewelyn ap Gruffydd Fechan ap Caeo (1341 - 1401), a wealthy Carmarthenshire landowner who was executed by Henry IV for supporting the rebellion of Owain Glyndwr.  Some know him as the "Welsh Braveheart" since he was executed the same way and was hung, drawn and quartered by the gate to the castle in October 1401 and Gruffydd ap Rhys was granted his lands by Henry.  There is mention of Gruffydd ap Llewelyn Foethus in his pedigree (he of Dryslwyn Castle) through his mother Jonnett, Llewelyn Foethus' daughter.  Hence a random link to our old house, which was recorded as being connected with him through the Lloyds who lived there in the 14th C.  Strangely, a link to Tam's Jon too, through the Scudamores!  Check out the Wikipedia link HERE.

The Market Square in Llandovery.  Just to the left there used to be an antiques shop and we were friendly with the owners.  We went in for a natter one day and were admiring a set of 6 (or 8?) beautiful Irish chairs.  "Try them out," the wife said, so I sat on one. O.M.G.  the drop in seat wasn't properly fitted and me and seat fell through - imagine me with my btm hanging out the bottom, and knees up around my ears, laughing so hard I feared I would pee myself!  Fortunately Keith, though weak with laughter himself, managed to haul me out.  Fast forward a couple of weeks, and the wife was in the shop on her own.  She sat down to rest her legs and - you've guessed it - it was that same chair and the same thing happened to her, only she was on her own, both laughing and shrieking for help!!  Fortunately, someone in the shop next door heard her and came to her rescue.

The Craft Centre.  I didn't bother going in as it doesn't change much and I went in there last time to browse the antiques unit there - that doesn't change either!

I needed some 1" elastic to replace the had-it elastic on some comfy hareem pants of mine, and noticed this gorgeous Rose and Hubble fabric - remaindered (as I think she's not doing patchwork any more) at just £7 a metre.  I got a metre and a half for a dress for Rosie - I know - must get cracking!

The drive back was as beautiful as yesterday.  Around the Sugarloaf are masses of Common Knapweed ("hard heads" we knew them as when we were children, and used to hit one another with them.)  Such a pretty purple and matching the nearby purple Tufted Vetch.  I noticed lots of Yellow Loosestrife (garden escapee perhaps) and yellow St John's Wort, and some Codlins and Cream (Greater Willowherb).  In a damp ditch was the gorgeous Purple Loosestrife, positively puce in the bright sunshine. I forgot to mention, but when we were driving back last week (Tam had her dental check up then), hay had been cut and cleared from a hilltop field and there must have been 30 Kites and Buzzards (mostly Kites) lazily drifting round on a thermal overhead, hunting for meeces and voles in the stubble.  Today on a different cut and carried field, there were as many Rooks looking for food.  The ground is so hard and dry and it must be so difficult for them to find things like worms.

I was 6 years old when I started being interested in wild flowers, when a neighbour's daughter was doing a project for school.  That began a lifelong interest, so thank you Marilyn.  We had a wild border to our garden so lots of wild flowers grew there, and we had Common Lizards and Slow Worms for the wildlife side of things, and the occasional visit from a Grass Snake too.  I still love to learn about Botany, and wild life - life is one long learning process after all.

Vergeside flowers on the way to Llandod recently - the delicate white flower is Hedge Bedstraw, next to the yellow Ladies Bedstraw.  These would have been strewing herbs for floors in Medieval and Tudor times.

Now, I am considering setting up my sewing machine in the cool of the kitchen and getting that last hand-quilted border in place . . .