Whats going on with the new surge I hear on Kombucha everywhere.... or at least into my inbox...!  I was making this stuff back in the early 90's, I guess what goes around comes around again eh... I remember when my little 'ol Kombucha arrived through the mail box, he looked real yukky and weird, more like an alien than a a... yeasty bacteria mound of goo!! lol... But I followed the rules and brewed my Kombucha tea, and did so, for quite a few months, for the life of me though I do not remember why I did it, and also cannot remember one single thing that improved... and so I am guessing that is why I stopped doing it... wonder what I did with my final Kombucha... ??? Did I bin 'him' or flush 'him' unceremoniously down the pipes!

Went to a great bagel cafe in Nottingham yesterday with my son and his family, had a breakfast bagel for... breakfast!  and they have a wall, above, you bring in a mug and they give you a free coffee!! cool eh!!

I have taken shots of these building bridges in three cities now, the first Venice, the second New York and now Nottingham!

Had a wonderful visit with my grand daughter.... I love the way she watches me constantly, even craning her neck around to keep her eyes pinned on me!  Beautiful....

TTFN
Marian

Picton Castle, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales

Yesterday, for my Birthday!!  We came here to Picton Castle, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, about an hour from us here in Wales...

The decision made on Monday whilst watching a TV program about a certain Renoir within its walls...!

Picton Castle is a beautiful building, its a small enough castle to feel welcome and homely, a place one feels one could actually live in, if you see what I mean!  The rooms are beautiful filled with wonderful pieces of art and antiques... the extensive gardens are filled to bursting with shrubs and trees, most of them yesterday in full bloom, some of which we had no idea what they were and couldn't find the name plaques for!  There is a wonderful walled garden, a beautiful pond with fountain... and more more more...

This beautiful room, the Renoir is on the right up above the lamp there.  The family has a history of being Royalists and Queen Elizabeth has visited a couple of times, last Christmas being the last time.

Lord Nelson also a past visitor, a family connection do you think!?! And Picton, one of our family names, been checking out on line today after work to see if I can find the missing link!!

Beautiful hand crafted fireplaces throughout...

And of course the Renoir....

I took this photo of flower and bee while we stopped for a pot of tea before touring the castle interior... and I came across this thought as we were driving there, when each and every road seemed more and more familiar to me...

TTFN
Marian

Sorting through the many photo albums of my mom and step dads... His paintings and newspaper clippings...

I came across one mom took of a mirror with a piece of his art work above, and looks like she roped dad in for a reflection shot... Although of course it could have been me or Brian, his friend who took many of his photographs for him...

And on seeing I thought

'Hello Dad...

How very much more I could have learned from you; if I had just stopped and listened...

TTFN
Marian

This picture shows a spiders web in the garden earlier on in the week, it is filled with thousands and probably thousands of baby spiders!  There was a big spider nearby with a nasty red mark on its back, I got Franco to move the whole thing out of our garden... we seem to have so many spiders there already!!  When you walk on the grass they jump away from your feet, weird strange things... creepy eh!!!

So, as you are seeing, a bunch of strange pics today!

Its been a very busy few weeks work-wise, covering for holiday, sickness and a bereavement...  One day I went in, did my usual 24 hour shift came home, paid a deposit for something and went back for another 24 hours!!  I was more than happy to help a friend in need, and the time at work passes very quickly...

I am off on Friday this week, and hopefully bound for somewhere new, we planned it some time ago, and can't wait now for the end of the week!

The pictures above I took while visiting oldest son and his family in Nottingham, a great walk through, looks like a way into the bat cave eh!!  Very quirky!!

And above the toys that hit the refuse the other week, they look a sad forlorn lot don't they... Bubbles and Bobby the twins, my old Tiny Tears, Tressy with... the hair extensions, [even then eh!]....

Not sure how many of you are aware we are moving back home.... there has been a countdown at the bottom of this page for some time, hiding away there silently counting down, as the other one is counting up and has been since our arrival here in Wales...

TTFN
Marian

Me and the babe.... Yes the chair is a little bit big... for now, but the rate Cassie is growing it won't be long, when I was there last week our little angel was moving herself about on her play mat, her little legs moving, only problem was she was going backwards, pic today on fb shows she has got the hang of it now though!!  So cute, so beautiful.... Arh... my heart is singing and my soul full of love for her....

See the little bug here on the left, hidden on the leaf, I was shooting something else and turned when I heard a buzzing in my ear!  

Some random photos here I have taken recently with my camera, I was using my friends camera with all the extras and I suddenly wanted a better camera! LOL, but actually then found I do already have Macro on mine!  I just, unfortunately hadn't been using it to its best ability!

So, now I am picking it up and running about all over the place, making up for lost time!  Some better than others and am getting an extension to it, Macro yes, but not the greatest and I want to do more, better, and the extra lens will enable me to do so!


I found these wild strawberries when Pippa and I were out the other day, Tuesday, it was hot, overcast, more humidity than sun... I took the correct route, then thought I gone wrong and turned about, adding about twenty miles to the journey!!  Came about from the other direction completely, and had to fuel up into the bargain!!  Still we parked, drank water, both of us... and took to the paths of the forest at Banwen, great walking spot there.  We were only there about an hour, so hot! LOL... 88% humidity I learned later!

Walking back to the car park area a fire engine pulled in! Randomly....

Last weeks road trip took me from here... after work at 3pm across to Tony's in Bedfordshire, he and Kate have recently moved, beautiful home... stayed the night with them and mid day on Friday drove up to Barry Heidi and Cassie in Nottingham... driving back down here again the following day, Saturday, back to work on Sunday! Just about 450 miles!  It was a good journey, despite the fact of turning off the M5 at the wrong junction!  Had a lovely drive through Cheltenham, taking in the beautiful scenery, the world famous Cheltenham Ladies Collage, stunning! LOL... just looked on the map... really!!! How was I there?  And Costa coffee picked up my presence going by the email I got two days later advising me of what summer drinks I can get at Cheltenham Costa Coffee!  Big brother is always knowing where I am... great if I get lost I suppose, although later on when my phones GPS couldn't connect I was sort of free driving about Milton Keynes, thankfully that one road number carried me though!!

I also ended up on the road onto Oxfords ring road which we usually use when going to Tony's old place... not sure at what point I joined the road, but spent 45 minutes going slow-mo first gear only and not moving at all!  The road rage of us in line must have been felt though by the guy in an old white car with 'L' plates on, who had the gall to just drive past us all! On the other side of the road, like a motorbike would, can... but a car??? Really!!! He just drove past us, ten twenty cars at a time, nipping in and out again when the way was clear!! The audacity!!!

Still, working backwards again, I was on the M4 not more than 40 minutes from leaving, at a standstill at Newport, the 60MPH had come down to 50MPH and then we all stopped, except, when I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a man coming down my lane, the middle lane, still too fast, he was never doing the 60 in the first place! The car came hurtling towards me, the squeal of brakes, the back end of his car went left then right as he tried unsuccessfully to stop, so he drove over into the now empty right hand lane... but then he came back into our lane further down and then into the left?!??? What the heck!!!

I will forevermore see that mans face in my rear view mirror....

TTFN
Marian

We have a moth problem... Got some moth balls yesterday and hoping that will put pay to the little terrors! Hate moths, hard word I know, but really I do! Hate moths!!  They were hiding out up stairs in our bedroom, and as our wardrobe is of the open space variety not sure how our clothing will have withstood the little blighters hunger!!

The bees we were having trouble with out back have gone, we hung another brown paper bag stuffed with plastic, pretending to be a bees next and put off and new bees coming to visit!!

Work has been busy, holidays for some so extra work for who is left, one day off today after five on, and no whole days off again until next Friday! So a full seven days without a break... hey ho!

I am in a strange mood today, I feel that I have lots to do, but can't think what it is, should really turn this off but can't put it down! lol..

Find a photo?

Not difficult, our gorgeous grand daughter...  What a wonderful amazing little girl she is too... I just love her, love love love her... she makes my heart sing and my soul soar through the clouds... and explode into a million trillion zillion stars to light the galaxies...

And talking of stars.... a photo I took from work the other evening.... two suns setting over Neath.... Well........

TTFN
Marian

DC - Something from the Ocean

I am bringing to the table of our Drawing Challenge from Veronica this week of Something from the Ocean...  please visit her page for links to all challenged!

It is a wonderful view from a small peninsula just down from Cardiff a small seaside resort of Barry Island... slices of natures own rock formation...

As usual I feel I must do better next time!  Grimaces of school reports rattle through my mind and memories, no excuses except work and lots around the house, I will slap my own wrists, and see what else I can come up with, I did take my camera with me this week to Barry for the exact purpose of the DC....

Okay amigos, just had a play with a photo I took a few weeks ago down at Llansteffan, one of the jelly fish...

Now he really does look like an alien!

TTFN
Marian

Giraffe! Seriously?

Beautiful day today, visited Ikea first in Cardiff, wonderful breakfast, less than £3.00 for a full English!  Including coffee! Not bad at all!  A good rekky around the store, chose a few items we want, no purchases today, but notes taken and plans made...

We then went to Barry Island, I know!  28 years it took me to get there again, then twice this year already! Who'd have guessed eh!

After walk along the small peninsula, coffee and pastry, we made our way up to 'Pleasure Park'... sort of open but nothing really moving as such, although it is school time I guess, we went into an arcade and swapped a pound for 2p pieces and played the 2 penny drop machines!  Franco won a whole bunch of ticket things, I went to the office to exchange and a guy told me to come back when I had just a few more... I felt about 5 years old!!!  So, I did anyway, after swapping yet another pound for 2p pieces [last of the big spenders eh!!]  And I got a bag of sweeties and a small jelly tub thing, I think he felt sorry for me... I asked if I had enough wining tickets for a minion.. but alas no, I only had 58 and 2000 were needed, so I think that's why he threw in the jelly pot!  It could have at least been alcoholic! lol

This jolly giraffe and 'his keeper' were hanging about as school bus-fulls of niblets went on their way back to their schools!

The poor guy in the giraffe outfit must have been roasting!  stilts on both legs and arms to enable him to walk so high, his little face peering through a piece of gauze half way up the neck!!

The county of Somerset beyond over the Bristol Channel... it was only a couple of weeks ago I was in Weston Super Mare looking over here...

TTFN
Marian

Random picture of mom and I in Cadiz as taken by Tony! Yes it was hot!

I have watched the whole series of Frasier too many times to count,on TV on DVD... When I was feeling bad last week I started watching on DVD where the mornings episode had finished that morning, and today the last episode... Which is why, again, I quote the famous last lines from his show... Well almost, for the first time I realised the flight he is taking lands him in Chicago!  The job he was going for was in San Francisco... the lady he had fallen for was in Chicago... After all these years of its ending I just need a follow up episode please, I guess he is going to see her, that's the risk he is taking...

The poem Frasier quotes in this episode is a shortened version of Alfred Lord Tennyson's 'Ulysses'.

"It may be that the gulfs will wash us down;

It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And though we are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are -
[Scene shifts to Frasier's KACL booth from his lounge.]
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will;

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

I've been thinking about that poem a lot lately.  And I think what it says is that, while it's tempting to play it safe, the more we're willing to risk, the more alive we are.  In the end, what we regret most are the chances we never took.  And I hope that explains, at least a little, this journey on which I am about to embark.  I have loved every minute with my KACL family, and all of you.  For eleven years you've heard me say, "I'm listening."  Well, you were listening, too.  And for that I am eternally grateful.  Goodnight Seattle.


TTFN
Marian

DC: Move

Drawing challenge this week is 'Move' thank you Katrin :-)

I was going to do stuff with this photo I caught of my son a few years ago, but I think to be honest it says it all! He was moving... and fast!! Avoiding my lens, just back from a run!

Alternatively it could have been packing boxes! Just before the men came to our house when we last moved, I took a very sad shot of the roomful of boxes!  I think I will delete that actually!

Do you remember when packing boxes were made of wood, and of course called crates!  Sharp around the metal edges, they weighed a tonne already! Splinters in hands and just too big!  Then suddenly they turned to cardboard, possible to purchase almost anywhere! And so very much easier to fill and carry in so many sizes for all needs!

I am rambling a bit today and feeling either too hot or too cold... I have had a part shift this morning, now back to relax, eat, relax... this and that, relax!!! Before back to work for afternoon/night shift, and tomorrow morning shift!  But I seem to be feeling a bit hyper, and my right eye is feeling really weird, its being effected by my cold thing, it hurts painfully when I cough and stuff and seems to be leaking... I must try that 'milk out through the eye' trick, I actually think I might be able to do that now!!  Too much information? Sorry amigos! Your probably right!!
TTFN
Marian

Paris September 2009

Why Paris, why today...
When I was about to leave the house for work day before yesterday, a pink receipt caught my eye at the bottom of the cloth bag I use for my over night shift food, I pulled it out opened it and read it... It was from when mom and I were in Paris back in 2009, dated September 9th 2009 to be exact...

The bag has only been in my possession for six months, used washed emptied a million times... and there is this receipt from when we had coffee opposite the opera house... How the Heck???

I got back to the house yesterday afternoon, and walking past the torch I use in the dark to go up into the garden with Pip, placed as usual handle up on a counter near the back kitchen door... the light coming from it caught my eye, it was on... Only I use it, and I haven't for weeks...

When mom passed away, having to clear her home, a friend and I were sitting in my mom's kitchen talking, when I noticed a flashing light coming from beneath the sink, it was my mom's torch flashing on and off... as it did again a week later from beneath Tonys kitchen sink in the early morning darkness as we were heading off back to Spain, after mom's service... I'd transferred torch and stuff there the week before... and again as before, opened the cupboard and switched the torch on and off, and set it back down, both then and yesterday...

TTFN
Marian

Came back today from a long haul at work... and wanted to grab my camera, my friend who I was walkabout with last week got me very jealous talking about hers!  Mine is pretty good, but does not do enough for me now!

I took a bunch of photos yesterday and today worked on one of those of leaves... and above is the result after some work... I kind of think it looks okay...

Drawing challenge this weekend I have already prepared, although in 'edit' to save for the day, not sure where it will pop up on my Blog, so mentioning it here in case it follows this for some reason!

But before I go and rest for the remainder of the evening, Franco did a real good job on the garden today!  A real great job!  So prior warning, the much awaited for, and aforementioned on my Blog, Hydrangea will not be blooming this year for me!  The very one that I had cut back for two years in the hedgerow, thinking it a weed, then last year being away working, it got its chance to thrive and bloom and show its beautiful face to me... and this year so far it was growing gloriously, lots of prospective blooms in progress, filling up a wonderful space to the side of the path... slaughtered, along with a thousand Venus Crocosmia... and a shrub planted last autumn... Here is my glum face :-/

Still the garden otherwise is very neat and tidy, just the life has gone, so that's that! El fin!
TTFN
Marian

Blah!

Some more shots taken in Ilfracombe a couple of weeks ago... Beautiful flowers near the little chapel on Lantern Hill...

Good thing the weather was not like it is today!  The last couple of days has been wind rain and more wind! High winds, last night the wind came down our road like a train, you could hear it whistling, thundering and then whoosh... down and past it came!  Taking who knows what with it!  It was straining at the windows!

Anyway... back to the calm Lantern Hill... pretty view above from the doorway, to take the path back down..

And this shots from inside the chapel...

Today is a bit of a recovery day for me, typos being cleared up on as I go...

I got hit by a virus, sore throat to start, a day only, then woke up at work last Thursday feeling decidedly iffy... Did a couple of hours Friday morning and visited family after, probably not the best move, spreading the dreaded virus, or possibly three different ones!  I have been so lucky with colds, sometimes one starts to come and its gone in a few hours, I seem to cast them off, the last bad one was the flu, over two years ago... We had to pop out very first thing Saturday morning, straight back by ten am, and I just slept on the sofa, went to bed late afternoon and didn't get up until yesterday morning, everything had hit me.  I determinedly got up yesterday morning early and told my brain I had to get over this, still doing this today, but am better, have to be by tomorrow, back to work!

Okay, moaning over!  Time to get on, well watch more episodes of Fraisier... he is keeping me going, and laughing, inside quietly...

TTFN
Marian 

Melin Court Falls, Banwen

Above Melin Court Falls, my friend and I met up just after 12 noon, we had a meeting place planned, I couldn't find it, and after driving far to far on a wrong road, I stopped in a lay by, saw a text from her and she had actually changed our rendezvous place and time!!  So I had plenty of time to drive a good way back to near where I had actually started!!! lol...  Never mind!  We went to the falls above first, bit of a muddy pathway, but well worth the short trek and obligatory photo shoot!  These will be my last photos!!  No more, there are only so many angles I can actually take of these falls and where you stand is very limited!

We had our picnic at the tables near the parking area for Melin Court Falls, near the Marion Hall, incorrectly spelt! ha!!

Then we went onto Banwen, a small village, a huge nature reserve and a community area for courses, its called D.O.V.E. They do workshops on loads of various subjects....

Also, Banwen is where St Patrick was born!

We left the car parked there at D.O.V.E. after having a coffee in their lovely café... and we walked! We walked, and walked!!  Took far too many photos... most of which are just the same, lots of green, lots of pine, and lots of nothing really!

Although I quite like the fir cones above, the old and the new....

And the pine trees old branches new cones or branches?

Strange neither of us had ever seen so many different pines in one place, or the way they are growing, so many different buds, green and red...

I got walloped by a huge dog... I was trying to ignore him, out of fear really!  My friend spoke to it/him, I turned and he lolloped over to me and jumped! Would have been okay but he was as tall as me and his face in mine, his paws nearly on my shoulders... and mud all over me! He's been in one of the many lakes!

We reached a certain point, where the wind turbines reached the tracks and we thought we better turn about, only we turned about a bit too far, more because we wanted a different route back to the car, it took us further up the mountain and deeper into the forest, which is so beautiful, almost mystical, we expected trolls or pixies and fairies...

This bower beneath not man made, the mosses and tendrils of ground plants pulling the branches down, I actually got in this and did a selfie!!!  Of course you can't actually see where I am, so pointless to post it!

This 'below' in the bower and all about the forest floor... We hadn't a clue as to what it is?  Its a type of fungus we thought, its hard'ish, sticky'ish... very strange, neither of us ever having seen it before... Any ideas amigos??

We walked a fair way up this forest path [mud road], and reached a junction of other forest paths [mud roads!], I turned on my GPS and we followed a road back down at an angle to that which we had come up!  Or we would have been going nowhere fast!  Except further up the mountain and of course we knew we had to go down and left... We criss-crossed a fire break, which helped us keep track of where we were, and I told my friend we had missed our last cup of coffee, seeing as it was well gone 4:30pm... although she didn't believe me, for some reason!  As if I would joke about the time!

Then she wanted to see a lake we could see from the road, we did, and we saw some strange fish in it!  Dark with red fins above and below?? We continued out the other side of that field, passing through sheep, not keen on us doing so, the little lambs looking very nervous, just of me though, friend is vegetarian, me most definitely not and talking about mint sauce probably not helping!!

We came out on a road, and then after five minutes found it to be the wrong one and had to do a reverse turn, quite a long way back, we did find the car again, 5:30pm and eight miles since we left it! Not bad going, considering Tuesday was the day I was going to rest after so much toing and froing! for the last couple of weeks and back to work on Wednesday.... still long time dead eh!

And after days work Wednesday, sore throat Thursday, now I seem to have a cold... good going really, I don't remember having had a cold this year... although I am not happy to have one now of course!

TTFN

Marian

Weston Super Mare

And to Weston Super Mare, quite a long trip by coach even from Neath!  Too long, stopped at services, too... would have helped if my phone hadn't kept telling me, 1hr and 48 minutes to Neath... the whole four days being reminded of actually how close we were by road, by car... not coach!!!

We were lucky with the weather, on the day of our trip down it looked like it could have gone either way!!  But turned out nice, and on the second morning got the open top deck double decker bus down to Sand Bay, a small area up from WSM, only a ten minute ride, but nice, at top the bus! Swaying this way and that, and trees branches hitting the front of the bus, making us nervous of hitting our faces!!!

We had a coffee and a long walk along the sandy coastal path!  When we got back to the bus stop we heard a cuckoo! and we saw the cuckoo!!  Only the second time ever in my life I have heard one and probably the first time sighting one!  Blooming wonderful it was too!  Oddly a friend of mine heard one two days later, here in Wales!  Whats the chances eh!?!

Zoom in on the yellow sign... looked so funny, although very serious of course!!

We walked the length of the pier at WSM, unable to complete the whole journey, a 'No authorized persons beyond....' blah blah blah... so we had to turnabout and walk back the side we had gone up! They charged a pound for the trouble too!  We were working, well two of us... and eating, the four of us!  Far too much, huge breakfasts, three course meals in the evening, entertainment, each night, and the hotel was fine, could not fault the food, the staff, the overall experience, very good.  The hotel was a very old house, two houses I think originally, lots of flights of stairs and corridors going hither and thither!!!

I had never been before, the town is busy and lots going on, it made me think just how very sea side a town it is in comparison with here, Swansea, Port Talbot, here even, in Briton Ferry, beaches all along, we're only a five minute drive to the beach from this house, and no where here do you feel your anywhere near the sea!  No buckets and spades, no candy floss, no floats for kiddies, nothing seaside here whatsoever.... apparently Port Talbots beach area, Aberavon, did have stalls and places to buy all things holidays and beach paraphernalia!  But sadly long gone... what an opportunity to bring in holiday makers, raise the council income at holiday seasons.... I often say things like lets go to beach or how about a trip to the coast.... forgetting we do actually live on the coast!!!

Our journey back here on Monday was also a very long haul, leaving the hotel early ish, we ambled into Bristol for a couple of hours, glad we did though, lots to go back there for... big city, lots going on SS Great Briton in the docks, a great mix of old and new... two hours from here, so we will see...

TTFN
Marian