A walk around Brecon

 I had a lot of driving yesterday.  First to the auction (40 mins away) to collect the unsold musket, then down to Brecon for my banking appt.  However, I had to double back to Kington to pick up the Brecon road from there as the A4112 was still shut for bridge repairs.  Grrr.  Should have checked before I left home.  I had to loop round to the A4111 and then drive past the end of the A4112 near the Orgasmic Cider Company . . .  Still, the scenery was lovely and hedgerows on the wilder bit of the journey from Builth to Kington were beautiful with the lemon yellow and gold of the Hazel bushes contrasting with the cinnamon brown of the bracken.

I had a wander round Brecon before my appt. as I was early.  This building was the Bell Inn and Camden Arms Hotel (they used to let Post Horses, back in the day.  Such a business paid something like 5 shillings (old money) a year to hire out the coach/carriage horses.  The act was passed in 1780.

The pub on the left celebrates the tradegic actress Sarah Siddons who was born here, Sarah Kemble, in 1755, when this pub was known as the Shoulder of Mutton.

Next door, the Ardent Gallery has a date plate and initials:

1589 - you may be sure that behind that Georgianised facade are the original timber bones of the building.  There was a small doorway inside, leading to the Inn next door.  For decades this was a Chemists' shop.

St Mary's Church in Brecon - memorial to the Fallen in both World Wars.  I had a wander round here after I'd done my bank appt. and renewed (and increased) my ISA investment.  Job well done.

A wonderful Poppy display.

It was lovely and warm inside, as they now have a busy cafe there and I almost sat down with tea and cake until I saw the price of a cup of tea and went to Greggs instead!

A lovely old stone coffin lid from around the 13th C.

An old ornate lead font.

It was a quick church-bothering and then I looked in a couple of charity shops and found a new wash bag for my holiday (£2) and I got Rosie a lovely book for Christmas, great illustrations and a QR link to the story being read out loud, which Tam will appreciate.  I had a hot Steak Pie in the car for my lunch and then came home across the Epynts.

The autumn colours on this bit of woodland were more subdued when I was able to stop for a photograph - on the approach they had seemed more colourful.  I thought of the families who used to farm on the Epynt - until the WWII clearances - and how this landscape would have been so familiar to them.  This is the edge of the Military holding and you can see from the fields it is regularly farmed now, with the wilder (and sourer-soiled) marshy land beyond it.

Right, this won't do.  SO many bits and pieces to sort out today.  Probably won't get a chance to check in tomorrow, so . . . until my next post, hopefully from NZ if the E-Sim card works ok . . . byesy-by!