Swansea and a little bit of culture . . .

On Friday we went to Swansea for the first time in a year or so (we no longer have offspring living there).  The remains of Swansea castle now have the skyscraper BT building as a backdrop . . .

After buying Keith new sports trainers for his birthday, we sat down for a drink and a quick on-the-go snack lunch, and were surrounded by hopeful looking seagulls, although this youngster was the most persistent . . .  Young Herring Gull I think.

Then we had a wander round the Glynn Vivian art gallery, which includes some of their collection of Swansea Pottery (some bits very rare nowadays.)

There was a whole case of beautiful paperweights, but sadly they didn't photograph too well.

More delightful object d'arts . . .

Painted enamel watch faces.

A miniature of Good Queen Bess . . .

This little boat is solid silver and exquisitely made.

This translates to "Cellar Corner" . . . Gloomy yes,but I rather liked it.

Two textile pictures from one of the Display galleries.

My sort of art - lovely scenery at Oxwich Bay.

A view of Swansea Bay before Swansea proper existed.  This would have been about the late 1700s I think.  Where the white camera glare shows, is where we might have been standing then.  This is long before Copperopolis came into being.

Part of a larger canvas (Three Cliffs Bay?) - 30s I think and absolutely lovely.

Near the gallery was this steep hill.  Believe me, it was a LOT steeper than it appears here.  You would need a VERY good handbrake to park up at the top . . .

Some Herefordshire scenery for you

Having said Herefordshire scenery, this is actually just over the Worcestershire border at Malvern . . . and the one below.

British Camp which marks the county line between Worcs and Herefs.

The back of the Malvern Hills.

What I couldn't take photographs of was the River Wye, after heavy rain, nosey-parkering where it shouldn't have been, being adventurous, exploring fields and trackways it had no business to be and turning ploughed fields into paddy-fields and submerging stubble beneath lakes of water. We looked at photos of flooded Hereford town and surrounding villages when we were getting lunch at the Ledbury Tesco's, and it looked like a lot of people had a pretty wretched time of things.

On the way there a lorry flashed his lights at us near Stoke Edith, and we slowed, expecting water on the road, but finding instead a fallen cider apple tree, collapsed onto the road by wind, rain and weight of fruit.  We were unable to stop and had to crawl round it, but how I wished we could have pulled over so I could fill a bag with apples to make cider with!   Near Ledbury we had to follow an enormous swaying trailer of cider-apples being taken off to make cider for Westons or one or the other big cider makers in the county.

The polytunnels near Bredwardine were like skeletons, with their polythene skirts all hitched up for the winter months.  Strawberries are grown inside them, up on slug-proof raised-trays.

On the way home we did a little detour up towards Kington, to check out a property we like (and which is the only possible contender for our current short list of one!)  We will need to go and see it when Tam is home again - it is in a village, and on a side road, rather than the main A-road which runs through the village.  A little hemmed-in with other properties but then we have had such privacy here (the nearest property is 1/4 mile away) that anywhere is going to seem cheek-by-jowl.

We came back through Eardisley, but before we dropped down onto the A-road there, I couldn't resist stopping to take these photos looking across to Hay Bluff and the Black Mountains.

The soft afternoon light lit up stubble fields to bleached whiteness, and leaves shone amber as the sun snuggled into the hills.  It was so peaceful and we had to drag ourselves away.

Yesterday I paid the price for our day out, and felt proper poorly again and had to rest up.  We were supposed to be having another viewing today, but fortunately the Agents rang up yesterday morning to say he had cancelled and so I abandoned housework and went back to bed.  The steroids only let me sleep for about 3 hours on the bad nights, and then the next night I will sleep better (from exhaustion) and I'm glad it was just a 5 day course I was on this time.

Today we have been down to Llansteffan for some sea air so I will leave you with a little tempting photo with more to follow tomorrow.

We both felt better for the beach walk and the fresh air.  It was 11.30 ish when we were here - looks like nightfall doesn't it?!

Brain in neutral

We had a day out yesterday, and headed for Malvern Antiques Fair.  It doesn't start till ten so we didn't need to leave till 7.15 and just had a slow wander round, chatting to friends and making some new ones.

A little late for Halloween - some unusual bits of Taxidermy and similar stuff . . .

A little child's "tackety boot" - a witch device often found in chimneys in old houses (as one was here).  This offered for sale at £75.  Ours comes free with the house, as it belongs here.

A little fun piece - wee moosie has the edge over the kitten . . .

With a price tag in the region of £350, I could only admire and ask to take a photo of this gorgeous Arts & Crafts hand beaten copper charger . . .  At least photos are free!

This stall is run by a lady who stands at some of the Fairs we do.  She has lots of French things, and some Scandinavian bits too. We had a nice chat and once again I removed myself from the proximity of a little Scandinavian metal wild berry picker . . .  Wanted but not needed!

These have a rather Ruskin look about the glaze - especially the mulberry coloured vase on the back left.  Such pieces don't turn up in our neck of the woods, sadly.

A slightly blurry photo of a Deco bowl I fell in love with - the dealer gave me a good discount, but I couldn't blow £60 on something for me.  Have other things I need to spend my money on.

This lovely brass Indian bowl DID come back with me though (for stock).

The old dressing table is one we bought for Gabby, who asked us to look out for one.  Now to be rubbed down and painted white . . .

Sorry, this came out very dark.  Elephants in the jungle and man being attached by a pair of lions.  Currently researching this design.

Trading up - we bought this little child's Windsor rocker for our collection, and will free up two more child's chairs to sell.  It just needs a good polish now.

Plus a little costume jewellery brooch to put some colour into my display box of jewellery bits.

Photos of the scenery tomorrow - feel too shattered today to write much.

Back on the steroids! Recipe for Apple, Pear and Ginger Mincemeat

Grrr.  Back on the steroids again.  I was trying so hard NOT to be but I've been on a downhill path since Monday when I did a walk up the valley and must have inhaled some spores (made smaller by that Biblical weather on the Friday/Saturday. They get deep into your lungs then. )

We went to Gloucestershire again on Thursday, intending to go to the Cathedral and see the Moon display there as an early birthday day out for Keith, but it soon became obvious that my breathing was getting worse and worse and once we had picked up something from the auction, we started to head back.  Some fresh air in Wotton helped, and staying off the motorway made a big difference - must have been particulates in the diesel fuel from the many heavies about then which made me worse.

I went straight on the steroids when we got back, and I saw the GP yesterday, but today I am worse again - which I put down to deciding to light the woodburner.  Wrong move.  Ah well, another lesson learned.  No lighting it again until I'm back to "normal".

I have been resting, but yesterday made up my Apple, Pear, & Ginger Mincemeat - easily done as you just stick it in the oven for 2 1/2 hours to slowly cook.  I had sat on the sofa a couple of days before, "resting" but cutting up fruit for the Mincemeat.  Here are some photos - it made 6 1/2 jars.

And below, here it is about to go into the oven:

Recipe:

Let me know if you can't read it and I will type it out for you. That's the main recipe, and here is the variation I made as I have loads of windfall apples and pears.

Finally, as I'd heard good reviews of this book, when I saw it on offer in paperback in Tescopolis, I treated myself yesterday and am finding it hard to put down.

It had me in tears though . . .  

Right, off for a bath now and an early night as I was awake until 4 a.m. this morning - the steroids do that every time.  Every other night I am wide awake.  Still, without them I would be in a very bad way - they are a necessary evil.

A beach walk at Pembrey

The Northerly wind had changed to the South-West on Sunday and after 26 hours of Biblical deluges we had clear skies and sunshine.  It was too good an opportunity to miss and we decided to go for a beach walk at Pembrey, on the Blue Flag Cefn Sidan beach.  Here is the view from the top of the dunes, looking towards Rhossili and Worms Head.

This happy chap photo-bombed me!!  He was having such fun,bless him!  There were lots of people exercising their dogs.

Looking S-W, and although it looks near enough to walk to, I am sure this is the Preseli hills in the far distance - I have a good zoom on my camera.  Without the zoom you can see the pyramid shape more clearly.  They would be a good 50 miles off . . .

This is the wreck of the SC Paul, originally an American ship, who ran aground here in 1925 with her cargo of timber which she had loaded at Halifax, Newfoundland.  She was bound for Dublin but on 30th December 1925 she lost many sails and anchors in severe gales and unable to avoid it, ran aground here. Although most of the timber was recovered,it is rumoured there are some very smart garden sheds in the Gwendraeth valley to this day!

Worms Head at the very end of the Gower.  It is possible to get across to it when the tides are right - get it wrong and you're marooned for a few hours!

I tried to have this photo as a header, but resolution not good when blown up.

These are the dunes - devastated and stripped during a huge storm surge around 2013.

Sea Buckthorn.  Can be made into juice, jam, and tea etc.  LINK here.