Laugharne revisited

We love Laugharne, which will be familiar to anyone who has ever heard about Dylan Thomas as he spent the last years of his life here, and is buried in St Mary's churchyard.  We were there yesterday for the day, with a stall at the twice-yearly Militaria Fair, organized by the lovely folk at the Tin Shed Experience, a 1940s Wartime Museum which is GREAT.  If you are ever in the area, DO visit it. You won't be disappointed.



Photo of the Fair yesterday, taken by Seimon, who was running it and with Andrew, runs The Tin Shed Experience.

Unfortunately I hadn't taken my camera yesterday, and my mobile phone battery was on its last legs, and although I have photos of previous visits to Laugharne, I think they must be under dates (remiss of me) rather than names.  Drat!  Found them!

I walked down to the Spar for the Sunday Telegraph first thing, and cut through the pretty back streets.  Below: I passed this house which was for sale a few years back and has been bought and beautifully restored and is now a 5* B&B.  Dylan Thomas lived here for a while, which ups the trade no end I should think.  I will have to take a photo of the restored house next time we're down there.

Below: the view out to the estuary mouth.  Stunning.  This is what Dylan would have seen when he was writing in his shed.

Above and below, down by the car park.

Anyway, to kill some time around the middle of the day, I took myself off for a walk up past St Mary's Church, with a brief wander into the churchyard to see Dylan Thomas's grave again, marked by a simple wooden cross (one wonders was this by choice, or was he too skint to pay for a headstone?)  Then along the bridleway which gave a different perspective of Laugharne, from higher up.  I took a detour up a steep hilly footpath towards Coed-y-Mor, turning round and retracing my steps at the top as the full loop of this footpath (to the headland) was a bit too far without telling my OH what I was up too.  The footpath banks were smothered in Primroses, and the very first Red Campion, and there were early butterflies, bees and insects drawn to the flowers.  I even saw the first Bluebells in the churchyard hedgerow too.  Then looping back down into the bottom end of the village and back up the main street past Brown's Hotel where Dylan used to drink himself stupid, and back to the Village hall, past some lovely old houses.

Let's not forget the castle either.

Looking back across the small township from the castle.  I'm so glad I found the photos as a post isn't much of a post without any, even if you have seen them before!

Anyway, after a couple of months where we seem to have been playing a financial game of beat Jack Out of Doors, with all the money going OUT and little coming IN, we finally played our last card yesterday and it was a Jack.  Phew!

Today is a catch-up day, especially in the garden, as the sun is shining in a clear blue sky . . .  There is MUCH to be done out there!

Don't Put it Down, Put it Away . . . and gardening

This is a saying attributable to my Yorkshire friend Mary's late mother.  How true it is.  How I wish I could abide by it too, but life seems to get in the way, and recent weeks have been complete mayhem - I've hardly been at home it seems and it looks set to carry on this way too.  I offered to help my late friend Annie's daughter clear the house ready for selling, and last week I was there for two days, and there will be another two days next week, plus a trip to Hay-on-Wye with her (we have to have SOME treats).  She and her mother went there regularly, and I know she was feeling very emotional about returning there, so I suggested and we went together, and cried in corners together when we needed to, so that's what we have planned.

I have discovered by clearing at Annie's, that we hold on to too much "stuff" and some of us have a tendency to keep adding to it.  I am guilty too, though I think Annie's got a bit out of hand these past few years - it is easy to get emotionally attached to things which are linked so clearly to your mother or grandmother and one of the hardest things I had to do was to go through dad's clothing after he died.  Some things I associated so clearly with him that I could NOT get rid of them until years afterwards.  Anyway, we made good progress in the worst room this week, and I have come back determined to sort my Junk Room and the stables out.  The latter first, as I knew there was a lot of pure junk in the pony boxes (which used to be the calf boxes when we first got here).  So I set to straight after breakfast this morning, choosing the middle box (which was our Section A Merlin's stable) to make a start on.  I was horrified to find that there were umpteen plastic sacks in there, and even plastic wrappers from bales of shavings from when we had the horses - and they went 8 years ago now!  Oh dear, a job I have definitely delayed far too long.

I should have taken one before I started, but this is it almost emptied, and all the leaves swept out and put over the wall in the ditch.  The peculiar table legs are from a mahogany table that my OH wanted the top from, and has never got around to doing anything with the legs - partly because someone put a set of elephantine "boots" on the bottom in place of castors!  As they are solid mahogany, my husband is still averse to just burning them . . .

Just some of what came out - I chucked the useful bits of wood in Maggie's stable, which is now my OH's wood shed, though how he can find ANYTHING in there is beyond me!  And he will NOT tidy it up!  He says he works by stratigraphy (as in archaeology) and knows roughly where his individual bits of wood are.   Hmmm . . .

Quite . . .

As you can see, we have had beautiful weather again.  I was trying to get a photo of the blossom on the Damson tree before it totally went over, but you get the general idea.  The little cottagey bit you can see behind it was my mum's flat (it's where the bottom part of our house is built into the hillside slightly, so we are on 3 1/2 levels) and I have just cleared up the patio area there - which was also covered in mainly oak leaves from the winter winds, and rose prunings from last autumn.  Rain stopped play and the prunings over-wintered there . . . but no matter, as some decided to put out roots and I now have countless pots of baby roses (Banksia Rosa normalis) - which is the big bush you can see leaning towards the kitchen window.  I also dug over and planted up the cast iron pig trough with some Violas to keep the Primulas company.  I have been checking the progress of the trees in bud this last week, and it looks like the Ash and the Oak are neck and neck, so I wonder what sort of summer we shall have?  Hopefully not "Ash before Oak, you're in for a soak."  !!!

Yet to be planted are these lilac Gladiolis from Lidl.  I haven't quite decided where I will grow them yet.  They remind me of my mum, who always grew Gladiolis, Roses and Nasturtiums in her garden.

However, more Lidl special offers HAVE been started off.  Two each of these have gone in a big tub - the "Colour Spectacle" at the back, "Sylvia" in front, then (below) a White Phlox ("David") has been started separately in the polytunnel, and will go at the back between the cactus Dahlias, whilst these pretty little Begonias are front of house.  I got the idea for this planting from my gardening magazine this week.  If I had the money, there are plenty more ideas I'd like to emulate but the plants they require are NOT cheap, so I shall just have to try a couple of budget versions instead.  I was fortunate that although I missed the day that these tubers were put on sale (at £5 for 8 tubers), by the time I arrived there were exactly the colours I wanted still remaining.  Obviously no-one else wanted orange!

Finally, these Dahlia tubers (also Lidl) have all been started off in pots in the polytunnel.  I am hoping that the ones I grew last year and over-wintered will also start to put in an appearance soon.

I have umpteen packets of seeds (lots of them flowers) to get started off soon, and hopefully will make a start on that on Monday, along with potting on some baby Aquilegias which are rubbing shoulders with weeds in their nursery pots.  I have White Aquilegia seeds to sow too, saved and sent to me by my eldest daughter from her last garden.  I don't have many pure white ones here.

Well, that's the round-up, and I shall try and abide by Mary's Mother's house rule in future . . .

A wonderful birthday walk in Pembrokeshire, part II

Carn Llidi.  It looked formidable even from this distance, let alone closer up!

We continued with our walk, and were about to turn right here.  At some point in the past a few little fields had been made using drystone walls - no shortage of stone here.  Now they were largely given over to heather and gorse.

Looking behind us as we began to climb.

Another time, we keep on walking along the coastal path.  It was so beautiful.

Above and below: More stone-walled fields, but these were properly maintained and grazed by sheep.

We had the sea to our backs now, and this was the view inland, where it flattens out completely.

One of the unregistered Welsh Mountain broodmares out on the rough land.  Her blagdon markings would make her desirable to gypsy horse breeders.

Here were some of her friends.  The grey against the fence was having a good scratch and making the post squeak.

It didn't look so steep from here - but the approach was from the other side and looked much worse!

This little holloway footpath was enticing, but we stuck to our route - and all got a "bootee" at a boggy area which was unavoidable.

What you can't see were the many insects and recent hatchings of various butterflies - Peacocks for one - which were flying past and around us.

Looking at the acres of gorse and blackthorn blooming, not to mention celendines, primroses and other wild flowers, it is a perfect habitat for insects.

And Thrift was starting to bloom on the coast edge.  If I remember rightly, this plant used to be on the back of the old threepenny bit . . .

One final look at the beach before we left the headland. Lots of folk were enjoying the sand and the sea, but I bet it was cold in the water this early in the year.

We had a stroll round the tiny city of St David's afterwards, but were too late for lunch and the piece of cake I fancied was scarce too, but I found a delicious slice of lemon and coconut cake with butter icing which hit the spot.

Back to normal postings after this.

A wonderful birthday walk in Pembrokeshire

The view at Newgale, Pembs.  Back later with lots of photos from yesterday's birthday walk around St. David's Head, from whence the new header photo has come.

LATER:

Leaving Whitesands Bay.

Just above the car park for exploring St David's Head, there was once a tiny chapel dedicated to St Patrick (who had his vision here of converting Ireland to Christianity), but none of it remains now.  He set sail for Ireland in 500 AD.

Looking back at Whitesands Bay, famous for its surf and very popular with surfers.

There were lots of many wild flowers which welcomed this recent warm weather.  These are Sea Campion.

A lovely spot for a picnic out on that bit of headland.

The coast ahead.

Of course, there was masses of Gorse everywhere, and also plenty of little Oasis of Violets.

One version of our walk included climbing up to Carn Llidi, but by the time we got there we decided to leave it for another time as we had run out of energy - it was such a hot day for early spring.

Welsh Mountain ponies grazed this area.

A small island off the coast.  One of the Bishops and Clerks??? possibly, which have wrecked many an unwary seafarer in this area.

I managed a tick on my list of Welsh burial chambers to visit, by visiting  Coitan Arthur, a Neolithic burial chamber.

The views were just amazing.  I have more photos to share with you, but a VERY busy weekend ahead with two Antiques Fairs/Fleamarkets back to back.  I will try and post some more photos over the weekend.  Apologies for the lack of comment, but I am still absolutely shattered - so much happening this week.

Aberystwyth Museum

I walked along the front after Annie's funeral (I'd taken a change of clothes with me so was in warm trousers by then).  When the howling gale got too much for me and gave me earache, I took refuge in the excellent little Museum in Aber.  Here is a Welsh dresser in all its glory.  Jugs and Best China everywhere on show.

Above and below, a selection of Welsh "primitive" chairs, which were hand made at home.

Round the corner into the farmhouse dairy of the past.  A selection of beautiful butter pat stamps here.

Above and below, various pots and big jugs for holding milk and cream.  These still turn up regularly at auctions and I have several at home which have been turned into storage containers now, with the addition of a lid made by my husband.

The huge brass pan is for warming milk for cheese making.  The little crock with holes is for letting the whey drain out, and is probably made by Buckleys pottery (from the colours, with the yellow slip design). Next to that is a BIG butter churn, and another earthenware on the left front.

Two lovely old cheese presses.

More dairy equipment.  The photo (sorry abotu the flash glare) shows how cows used to be milked in the fields - just like they were in Thomas Hardy's time (Tess of the D'Urbervilles describes such a scene).  Lovely old roan Dairy Shorthorn cattle.