St David's Church, Llanddew

 P.S.  I keep forgetting to tell you that from no nests of House Martins, one pair were finally able enough to find enough wet mud to build a nest on the East of the house, and their young have just fledged.  Each morning in the bathroom, I am less than a foot away from them as they fly loops and soar in the air, and then swoop back under the eaves.  They have even been building fresh nests on the sites of old ones, but these haven't come to much.  They bring me such joy.

My route back from Merthyr last week took me back through Brecon, so I decided to visit St David's Church at Llanddew again.  It was several years since we were last there.  There had been a castle, and a Bishop's Palace, although the latter was ruinous by the 17th C, and there is still Bishop Gower's Well opposite the church.  Gerald of Wales also lived in Llandew, as he was Archdeacon of Brecon from 1175 - 1203. 

This was an early Christian clas and Eluned, one of King Brychan's many children, was said to have taken refuge here in 500 AD.  The current church dates from the 13th C but by the mid-19th C the building was ruinous and was almost completely restored by Ewan Christian.  I have to say, it didn't have that feel of ancient worship as do some of the churches I visit.

Inside the porch, remnants of Norman stonework, but one wonders just how much was lost.

The font is medieval on a more modern base.

I can't find out which family this is the heraldic symbol for.  Suggestions on a postcard please . . .

I couldn't get a clearer photo of this one, as using my useless mobile camera.  A lion on one side, and another animal, and waves beneath?

Then Coflein tells us what we have lost:

According to Davies (1873) there was a now destroyed blackletter paternoster, probably dating to the sixteenth or seventeenth century. It was described as '...on the north wall were portions of the Lord's Prayer in Welsh, the characters and spelling clearly pointing to a period not much later, if any, than that in which the Bible was translated into the Welsh language..'. There was also a fresco of an angel described as '...on the intersection of the south transept, just above the squint, were found the faded remains of a well executed fresco of an angelic form...'

A stoop near the altar.  There is another in the porch I think.

No great blaze of stained glass behind the altar, just these three simple lancet windows.

I missed the Leper squints in the walls.  I always miss something in a church!

Right, 5.15 a.m. now.  Perhaps I can get back to sleep . . .  Update: I did, despite ice cold feet and Pippi yelling in my ear that it was Gone 7 a.m. and was I EVER going to Get Up?  I woke after 8, with her keeping my feet warm - which is really unusual for her, as she always snuggles into my chest.

A lovely spring walk

 E, "I" and I went for a walk to our little local church today.  Due to "I"'s little short legs, I parked nearer, so we just had to walk about 3/4 mile each way.  A wind was troubling the trees, but along a sheltered stretch of trackway, it was quite warm in the sun.  "I" loved running across the fields to St David's church.

It's a Medieval church, revamped  several times down the centuries, and yet again in late Victorian times, like so many.  

"I" playing hide and seek behind the replica sculptured stone.  The original was found built into the wall of an ancient house in Maesmynis.

Winifred Woosnam who sadly died aged just 13.

The fallen of the parish.  Hugh Stanley Hughes never went abroad after signing up in May 1918, and went home to die from TB . . .

A composite chair, as surely there weren't many Minnie's about in 1610!

The font dates to the 14th C.

The pond was very full, and a pair of Canada Geese had taken advantage of what was on offer and nested on the little island.

Keith has been resting today and has been watching a great series on Amazon Freevee - Into the Wild Frontier - and I've watched bits of it with him.  A great series.  We will have to be doing what we can to help get him on his feet again though as Physio said he's on the waiting list - having come home rather than go to the Community Hospital.  Ditto carers I imagine, but I will chase those up on Monday.

Tam, Jon and Rosie are coming over on Sunday, so Keith is really looking forward to meeting the little one.  

Our new neighbour moved in today and I baked him a cake as a welcome gift.  As an architect, it sounds like he will do right by the property, which is a couple of hundred years old.  

Right, back to bed as it's 3 a.m. now.  I hate it when I wake and can't get back to sleep.

A short walk from last week - and a dead body!

 Last Thursday afternoon, Tam and I drove up the valley a little way and parked up for a short walk down to the Church of St Davids' at Llanynis.  It was ok in the shade but walking in full sun was an ask for me and I was absolutely melting.

Anyway, enjoy the photos.  Sorry this is a make-weight post but I'm still getting over the Bug-From-Yesterday which knocked me sideways - I was asleep most of the day, slight temperature on and off  and despite being asleep for hours in the day, slept deeply all night.  I am glad to say I feel more with-it now, and Tam and I went to Brecon for the shopping as I needed to go to B&M for cheap fat balls, so we got the shopping at Aldi and a few bits from Morrisons.  It was nice to get out - went different routes there and back as usual.  BIG black clouds piling up as we neared home - got everything unpacked and then the heavens opened and it chucked it down.  One of us will have to brave the ladder tomorrow and unblock the gutters though as big hillocks of moss from the roof had dried off and fallen into the gutter.  I looked at them this past week and thought, must get those out . . .

Above and below: the pond we walked past on our way to the Church.  There were hundreds of tiny froglets and toadlets leaving the pond and we had to pick our way through for fear of squashing them.  Unfortunately a little further on beside the river, there were also horse flies and Tam got bitten 3 times, through her stretch trousers.

Rocky shallows on the River Irfon.

Looking up to the Eppynt range.

Nothing is wasted by farmers here - they took a few bales of hay off the churchyard at St David's, Llanynis.  I don't blame them.

The view downstream.

This is the ford along this stretch of the River Irfon.  Thinking back, it is very likely that this is either where Prince Llewellyn crossed back in the 13th C or his murderers.

Splish-splash - Tam had sensibly brought along her trainers for water.  There were skads of tiny minnows or similar, and a bigger - young trout? - about 10"/25 cm - long.

Looking upstream from the little stone beach we sat on.

Oh yes, the dead body.  It was away up the field, and I was convinced, from the lane, that this was a dead body - someone crossing via a footpath - and I was worried because it was such a hot day and if someone had collapsed there, they would be in a bad way (or dead).  Tam was equally convinced I was a sandwich short of a picnic! Seems that she was right . . . I think it's a fally-down scarecrow!