Adjusting Slowly!

Well, we've been home a week and I've finally got rid of the post holiday blues. I'm also getting back my photographic mojo.  I have rather a lot of photos on the computer to sort through, which is a bit of a dampner.  I really need to organise both the Australian and Maldives photos both of which are in separate Lightroom catalogues that I've got to work out how to combine. Anyhow I'm starting and will post some Maldives photos shortly


Today, while Ian was having his guitar lesson I went for a stroll at Forest Farm.  It was very quiet there and I was able to put out some birdseed and stand and watch without disturbance.  I took some photos, the first non holiday photos since finishing Elvie's Year.  The water rail was my highlight.  these are very shy birds and you don't usually see them this close to the path.  Interestingly after they'd gone I played their calls on my iPhone bird app and they reappeared!  I'll have to try that again!  Best spot of the morning though were two water voles.  I've never ever seen them in the wild before but sadly didn''t manage to get a photo.

Water Rail

Nuthatch

Blue Tit

Long Tailed Tit

Elvie's Return!! A Morning in Roath Park

Hello again!  I haven't posted on this blog for a whole year as doing a post a day on Elvie's Year was more than hard enough.  Now that I'm no longer doing my 365 project I'm going to  continue on this blog along with Ian.  He'll probably be posting his videos.  I think he's getting rather good at making very short videos that give the essence of what we're doing.  I will stick to photos.  My New Years Resolution is to write a post a week - that should be easier than daily!  Of course I'll probably do it more often if we're away from home or having a particularly exciting time.  I think a weekly schedule is reasonable for me and it means you won't get frustrated checking the blog and finding nothing there.  

So what have we been up to?....Not a lot! The weather has been grey and miserable and we have been in a post Christmas slump.  I've not even taken a photo for a whole week!!  It seemed strange at first but quite a relief not to have to find something when there wasn't really anything  that interested me.  Next weekend we're going back to the Maldives on the Yasawa Princess, the same boat as two years ago, for a two week holiday.  Now that is exciting but just now we seem to be marking time until we can set off.

This morning we met up with Huw, Mel and Mia in Roath Park.  It was the first dry day since Christmas for Mia to try out her new roller skate.  Considering she'd not rollerskated before, she did very well on them apart from the hills. The park was full of kids on new scooters, bikes etc so I think everyone was trying out their new presents.  Even Mel had brought her new camera to try.  She needs to get plenty of practice before the baby is born in March.....I don't think I'll suggest she does a 365...I wouldn't be very popular! Anyway it was a lovely morning, finished off with a late pub lunch in the Hungry Horse.

Black Headed Gull

The Lighthouse - a memorial to Captain Scottt who sailed from Cardiff on his expedition to the South Pole

A walk with P and V

We spent a very pleasant Sunday with P and V. Lunch in the Brecon Mountain Centre where I ate a massive Welsh Black Beef pie, and then a walk in the opposite direction to that we normally take, and we visited Camlais Castle. 

It’s probably Norman, and the local common ground was also common ground in Norman times. It’s close to Sarn Helen an ancient Roman road, and also there is a nearby drovers road. There is also a local Bronze age burial ground, and also at the other end of the common there is an Iron age fort.
So up to 5,000 years history in a couple of square miles. Don’t we live in a fabulous country.

Slimbridge WWT

On Monday LB & I took my father & M-i-L to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust reserve at Slimbridge, Glos. The lovely warm, sunny weather was ideal for a day out & both we & the parents had a good time. We arrived with plenty of time for an excellent pub lunch at the Tudor Arms before entering the reserve. We bought some bird food on the way in & Dad really enjoyed feeding the swans. Unfortunately he fell over when he had to step back from an approaching bird which gave us all a scare. He grazed his elbow but a lady, with a toddler, provided some wet wipes to clean it and another in charge of a school party had some dressings. We patched him up and off he went again. Not bad for 91!

M-i-L was a bit wary of the swans but happy feeding the smaller birds. This pigeon was so tame it even allowed you to stroke its chest!

I tried some arty photos and think this one of water on a swan was the best of the bunch

My favourite bird of the day was this fluffy little moorhen chick. I just love the stubby wings, red bald spot on its head and HUGE feet!

There were lots more to see and it's a excellent place for a day out for both young and old. We found the many benches very handy for the parents to sit on and pace themselves as we wandered around. It was a real change for them & we both enjoyed it and felt good about giving them a good time.

Elvie

A Watery Theme

We returned from our stay in the Peak District three days ago. We had a good time there despite the decidedly wintery weather. The pond ice eventually melted and LB caught some fish. I'd booked onto a Photography course at the end of the week and manged to get a few decent photos as well as learning quite a lot.

The end of the week was marred by the news that the outboard on our boat had been stolen. Thieves broke through the hedge into the boatfield and stole seven outboards. We drove down yesterday to inspect the damage and were relieved to find the boat intact though engineless. They'd cut through the bolts holding it in place without damaging the boat at all. they left the hoses and mounting plate in situ. we're nowin the process of claiming on our insurance. We'll have time to look around for a new engine before the boaingt season starts.

Finally today we took a trip to see the Severn Bore. It's the first time either of us had seen it despite living fairly close. It was an early start. We knew there could be large crowds so the alarm was set for 5.30, we left the house at 6.30 and arrived at Minsterworth just after 7.30. Plenty of people were already there but we managed to park easily and then had an hour and a half wait till the bore arrived. There was quite a party atmosphere and we were kept entertained by the surfers and other craft on the water. This included a group floating by on blow up armchairs while wearing dinner jackets! The bore arrived with a host of surfers, canoeists and a few boats while a microlight and helicopter flew overhead. It only took about 30 seconds to pass leaving most of the surfers in its wake! It was a great occasion although the surfers were disappointed that it wasn't as large as predicted. The local tv crews were kept busy interviewing the more interesing participants afterwards. We were also blessed with lovely weather. Temperatures were near zero initially but with a cloudless sky and rare sunshine it felt very pleasant.

Elvie

Brecon Beacons

It's taken me a while to get my mind off parents and on to me and the future. I think I'm finally getting myself sorted and normal life resumes. All the snowy weather has convinced us that a long haul, winter sun holiday is not a good idea however. Elderly parents don't cope well with snow so long trips are postponed for a bit. We're doing more in the local vicinity instead. We've joined the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and visited their reserves in both Slimbridge and Llanelli in the last few weeks. Photos are on my flickr website, there's a link down on the right hand side of this page. My other project is to take a photo eachday and post it on Flickr. There's no particular theme. It's a mixture of photos of daily life and some staged indoor still life shots when the weathers bad. I'm trying to practice various techniques and using it as a way of improving my photography. Already I am planning to redo quite a few of the shots which could be better. Photos can be seen here

The most exciting development is buying a new car, a Mazda MX5. It has a folding roof and drives like a dream! We're now going to have as much fun on four wheels as we do on two. It's also got as little luggage carrying capacity! Our first drive was into the Brecon Beacons yesterday. It was a bit chilly with the roof down but we had to try it, hence the woolly hat.

Today it was time for some exercise so we did a 4 mile walk around Craig Cerrig Gleision. It wasn't far but was steep and we both had wobbly legs by the time we finished! A great day!

Tomorrow it's off to hospital to visit Mum but we're planning some nice trips in the UK in the next couple of months to keep us happy.

Elvie

Snow!

Well, the snow has finally arrived! It's afflicted the rest of the country for a week but South Wales has been relatively clear until today. I know other people are struggling but for LB & I it's great. In previous years, because of the nature of our jobs we've felt obliged to struggle to work. What a relief to be able to enjoy the snow with no pressure to travel anywhere unless we choose to and then on foot. The larder is well stocked so today, after preparing a nice filling home made soup in readiness for our return, we ventured out for a mini expedition.



This was only a walk up the lane that runs up the side of our house but it was fun. We were out for about an hour and a half in ankle deep snow and more snow fell while we were walking. It was good exercise and very pretty.



The soup was was a brilliant idea. Just what we needed when we arrived home, really tasty and warming! I suspect the next few days won't be so pleasant with sub zero temperatures turning everything to ice but hey, who cares. We can be nice and snug indoors!

Elvie

New Years Greetings

What a difference a random convention such as a change of date makes! The blog was abandoned at the end of last year but now I'm ready to start afresh. On our return from Egypt my mother was admitted to hospital. The initial problem was a water infection but once that had cleared her dementia became more of an issue. She's still an inpatient, waiting for a place in a care home. Christmas without her was difficult for me and I've been too preoccupied to really concentrate on anything else.


Times Change! I'm now getting used to the current situation and starting to look forward. We've planned one holiday, a trip to Jerez in Spain, at the beginning of May for the MotoGP and horse fair followed by a week exploring. We'd like to go away in September but haven't decided between the USA where we have family we've long wanted to vist or a bike trip to Romania for some more adventure.

In the mean time I'm still enjoying my photography, birding and country walks while LB is improving his fly fishing. I took a few bird photos on Sunday when we visited the nearby Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. Hope you like them

Elvie.

Travellers Reunited!

One of the best things about travelling is the people we meet en route. Last year in Hungary we spent a couple of days with Joeri, a Belgian biker. He's now touring the UK and stayed a couple of days with us last week. Its the first time we've been able to offer hospitality like this & I thoroughly enjoyed it. We fed him well, plied him with alcohol, showed him some of the local sites, including Dylan Thomas's Boathouse and took him on a rideout.

Great fun! We had the obligatory group photo on his departure. Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip Joeri.

Tempus Fugit!

Doesn't time fly when you're enjoying yourself! It's nearly three weeks since I last posted...I'll be losing all my readers! Anyway we were fairly shattered on return from France & spent our first 5 days at home, recovering, doing the garden & visiting the parents. Then it was off to the caravan for a hectic week of entertaining & biking. The first visitors were J & S from France, who were staying with S's parents in Llangwm. We took them out on the Haven in the boat one day, here's J about to photograph the Neyland Bridge. The following day we abandoned the planned cliff top walk due to rain so spent the day eating! Lunch was at the excellent Sloop Inn at Abereiddi & supper was coked by J at Llangwm. There we were entertained by the wild foxes who visit the garden regularly.

Wed & Thurs was spent at Llanidloes where w'darranged sometrail riding with Trail Rides Wales. This was excellent practice for our proposed September trip although I only managed one day due to wrist ache on my clutch hand.

Back at the van we were host to B & A for the weekend. A & I were in college together, a long long time ago and remain the best of friends. We had a great time together with lots of good food boating & exercise. That's B& A admiringNewgale Beach from the coast path.

We've been back home for a couple of days again. The lawns have been mowed, garden weeded and parents treated to meals out so we're heading west again tomorrow for two to three weeks with short trips home intermittently to check all is ok.

Next adventure is booked for 14th September!

New Panniers

As I mentioned yesterday LB has bought himself some new aluminium panniers to replace the BMW Vario set he has. The advantages are that they are top loading & more importantly stuff won't fall out when he opens them on the bike; they offer more protection in a spill; can have accessories added; are bigger and we can use them as seats when camping. As far as I can see the only disadvantage is that they don't have integral locks. He has a clutch of padlocks to both lock the lids and lock the panniers to the bike.

They're very well made and are a fraction of the price I paid for my Metal Mule ones. So here's a plug for Bernie at Stahlkoffer. This is a new venture so we wish him well, he has certainly been very helpful and prompt in our dealings with him.

By the way he also does some nice fitted pannier bags which should be delivered before we set off on Saturday on our next adventure. The added accessories that I mentioned are two tool tubes on the front and Touratech bottle carriers on the rear. These will be carrying our spare oil, some tools and a first aid kit.

Elvie.

Packing

Travelling will be resumed on Saturday when we set out with V&P on the bikes for a fortnight in the Alps, taking in Switzerland and France and, with a bit of luck, seeing a couple of the mountain stages of the Tour de France at the end. At the moment we're at the untidy stage of packing with everything spread over the spare bedroom floor. I'm trying to resist the temptaion to pack my stuff in my panniers as, if I do, I know by Friday night I'll have to unpack it to check I've not forgotten anything.

LB has treated himself to some new top loading aluminium panniers which are a bit bigger than his old ones. We've also cut down a bit on the stuff we're taking so should have some more room & be less heavily laden than last year. Importantly I'll not have to have a bag on my seat though LB will still be carrying the tent on his. I'm looking forward to travelling with less weight and also without the bag will find it easier to get my leg over!

It's also the first time we've done a touring holiday with friends and of course holidays can be make or break where friendships are concerned. I think we'll get on fine & hopefully this will be the first of many together but we'll have to wait and see. Final planning get together is tomorrow night

Elvie..

Return to the Brecon Beacons

I returned with new found photographer friend, Trevor, to some of the sites we'd visited on the rather wet landscape photography day a few weeks ago. We had a glorious sunny day and could see for miles over the mountains. I retook the photo of the fence that I posted last time and converted it to black & white for comparison. What a difference! It's obviously the same place but the photo has a completely different atmosphere. I had to get some birds in so introduced Trevor to the red kite feeding centre at Llanddeusant and we also took in some mountain views and one of the Ystradfellte waterfalls. It was a very full day & very enjoyable.

Tomorrow I'm off to the caravan to join LB who went today. With all this warm weather there is no better place to be than by the coast.

Elvie

BBQ

About a dozen of our friends who we've met through biking generally get together for a pub meal about once a month. For a change LB & I thought we'd do a BBQ as we've plenty of room & the new garden to show off! Fortunately the weather stayed dry albeit a bit chilly. We provided the meat and got in some booze and soft drinks and everyone else brought other food and a bottle. What a success! There was a nice range of eats and the quantities were about right although I was pleased to inherit some yummy deserts that were left over. It didn't take too much effort either.

We've never been great ones for entertaining. I was always too busy and knackered when working so this is another benefit of retirement. I really enjoyed it and hope everyone else did too.

Elvie

It feels good!

.......to be setting off on the road again!

We're not going far, just a weekend camping trip to Devils Bridge with V&P. It's a practice run prior to our summer trip to the Alps together. I hadn't realised how much I would miss travelling when we decided to stay home a bit more for the sake of the parents. It feels really good to have the bikes packed up ready to set off. We've changed some of our gear so the bikes are more lightly laden than last summer. Just have to test everything out now before setting off in earnest in a months time. Here's to a good weekend!

Elvie

Digital Photos in a Downpour

Yesterday V & I joined another of Tim Colliers one day courses. This one covered landscape photography visiting various sites in the Brecon Beacons by minibus. There were only six on the course so we benefited from plenty of personal attention. Unfortunately part of the service involved Tim holding the umbrella over us in turn so we could take photos without getting totally drenched, while the thunder rumbled around us. The weather was dreadful! Despite that he took us to some wonderful, dramatic and quite remote places where we managed to take some good pictures despite the conditions and have a good laugh in the process.


I came away with plenty to think about next time I'm shooting landscapes. I must say the brief stop in the pub towards the end where we could dry off, warm up and view some of Tims fabulous photos of Flat Holm and Skokholm was a great relief. I'll certainly be looking out for more of his courses.



My waterproofs were totally inadequate so I'll be treating myself to some new ones very soon. The camera survived, just! It steamed up with condensation inside the lens, late in the day. Fortunately it had all cleared this morning and is working perfectly. One bonus of the day was meeting one of the other participants, T, who is an experienced photographer. I've been invited to join him and his friend on their regular Wednesday photoshoots which will be a great way to learn more

Elvie

Visitors & Medieval Village

Last weekend we had some friends to stay. We had a busy time beforehand, cleaning and tidying but once they arrived it was a perrfect weekend. The weather was glorious so on Saturday we just chilled in the garden. Anne & I had fun with my close up lenses trying to get photos of flowers insides. Will post photos shortly.

On the Sunday we visited Cosmeston Medieval Village. It dates from 14th century and was wealthy and high status. The village has been reconstructed on the original archeological remains. I can only say I'm glad I don't live in C14th, I want a bit more comfort than this! Anyway it was an interesting end to the weekend

Camping Again!

Our travels have been somewhat restricted this year largely because of my Mum's deteriorating dementia. Sadly she doesn't know what is happening from one minute to the next. I'm having to bath her but am waiting for social services to assess her for help with personal care. Hopefully we'll get a bit more help before long.

Anyway we're planning a fortnight's camping in the Alps in July with V & P and had a practice last weekend. The teepee has now been replaced by a smaller light tent. We spent the Bank Holiday in the Cotswolds at Folly Farm Campsite. I mention it only to warn you against the place. With over 200 campers the 2 showers and 5 toilets were totally inadequate.

Despite that we had a great time.The Cotswold Birds of Prey Centre, that we visited on Saturday, was brilliant. We learnt a heck of a lot, particularly about owls so here's a photo of Desmond, our favourite owl and also Oddjob the bald eagle who went AWOL during one display but decided to return home during the second one. Sunday was spent at the Cotswold Wildlife Park and on Monday we were too knackered to watch the cheese rolling or woolpack racing and came straight home.

This was a camping weekend by car so we plan one on the bikes in July as a final check that we have all we need and can take it with us.

Elvie