March Photo Scavenger Hunt ...

I have really enjoyed this photographic challenge. Hope you enjoy it. ~

Something as old as me - Well, I am about 6 months old here!

~ Something green. An interesting colour for a hotel, but it certainly catches the eye!

~ A shadow. A memory taken from one of our wonderful holidays in Fuerteventura. ~

A fancy gate. Just the fancy gate latch in Colby Woodland Garden.

~ A lamb. One of my friend's lambs.

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Something sentimental. When I was 16 I was the May Queen. I wore my mother's lace wedding dress. If I ever find the photograph I will post it up.

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A rainbow. Sorry, not seen a rainbow for ages, but thought the rainbow of colours on this page from Sasha Kagan's Sweater Book might fit the bill.

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A ring. The lovely Welsh gold ring that my Other Half gave me when we got together.

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A Lion. Sorry no lions to be found around here, only a copy of this book on lions, by Jonathan Scott and signed by the author.

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An empty chair. Waiting for the summer in our garden after its annual wash!

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Peeling paint. Sadly, on the window sill of our utility room, in much need of attention.

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A collection. My happy collection of rabbits.

I always tell everyone that I only had two to begin with!

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Hope these fit the bill for the scavenger hunt.

Would like to know how to put them up on the photo site though.

Perhaps someone will let me know.

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Ann x

A Beautiful Day ...

A warm, hazy, morning when I went into Tenby today.

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Looking across North Beach

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A few boats being returned to the harbour in readiness for the summer season.
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What could be better than lunch on our sheltered patio?

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Just the ticket!

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It was even warm enough to have a snooze and a sunbathe afterwards!

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Hope you had a wonderful sunny day too.

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Ann x

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(p.s. we managed to fit some gardening in as well!)

Recently .....

A trip to Pembroke and a walk around the Mill Pool in glorious weather.

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Some newbuild waterfront apartments.
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Pembroke Mill Pool is well known for its many mute swans.

You may remember Hannibal who was being so aggressive that he had to be removed. He had his 15 minutes of fame in many newspapers at the time!

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Classically sailing majestically, smoothly and peacefully by.

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Just resting.

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Their feathers are absolutely beautiful.

No wonder the cygnets are often to be found hitching a ride

underneath all that wonderful duvet!

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Ann x

Help Needed for Margot!

At the beginning of March we moved our girls from their muddy, winter quagmire.

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In doing so we were horrified to see that Margot (our Meadowsweet White Leghorn) had lost all the feathers from her rear, including all those lovely fluffy ones!
We checked them all for red mite and lice. Sprayed them all to discourage any feather pecking and gave them a special tonic in their drinking water in case their diet was lacking after the winter. They currently have vinegar in their drinking water - which seems to be a popular recommended cure for feather pecking in many of the internet forums I have looked at.
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Although Margot's feathers seem to be improving, they seem to disappear every other day!
Today, she has a few more feathers than yesterday, but not as many as a couple of days ago!
What is going on?
We are desperate to help her and in fact a couple of the other hens seem to have lost a few feathers in their rears too, but nothing like the amount that Margot has.
Any further advice anyone can give us would be so very welcome.
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Ann x

Pendine

Wow, everyone - you have all been blogging like crazy recently and I have been idle!

But I am still around and about!

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However, I did leave Pembrokeshire and venture into Carmarthenshire and Pendine Beach.

Most famous for Malcolm Campbell and his vehicle Bluebird. Between them they broke all kinds of land speed records on this 7 mile beach in Carmarthen Bay.

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I found one or two treasures on my short walk on the beach.

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There were loads of loads of razor shells in all different sizes and colours.

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I cannot begin to guess how long this whelk shell had been in the sea for it to be so covered in all these barnacles.

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Then I went to visit a friend who lives just up the road.

On the way I passed this lovely old church. St Margaret's Church in Pendine

"This ancient church, known in Welsh as the Eglwys Cymyn Church, has been called the most interesting of the local churches. The church's great claim to fame is that it holds the Avitoria stone, a fifth-Century memorial stone to Avitoria the daughter of Cunegnus, inscribed in Ogham, the Irish system of writing with groups of strokes down the angle of a stone. The church also contains a stunning 20th Century stained glass window. It shows the saints associated with the church, including Brychan, king of Brycheiniog, with three of his saintly children on his lap, Brychan's grandson Cynin the warrior and king; Saint Teilo, David, patron saint of Wales, St George and the Archangel Michael."

I did not have time to go inside this time, but it is well worth a visit.

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My friend's partner has lambs - lots and lots of them, so I had to get the camera out!

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I plan to complete the March photographic challenge, which should include a picture of a lamb. I hope I will be able to find my entry within all the various shots I took of Hewlyn's lambs.

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A dainty trio!

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A typical West Wales Pembrokeshire/Carmarthenshire spring day.

Looking its spectacular best.

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Hope you all had a great weekend. Ann x

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Saundersfoot

Visited Saundersfoot today for their St David's Food and Craft Festival.

Lots of local produce to sample and buy in the huge marquee set up in the harbour.

Lots of lovely local folk and friends to meet up with.

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One of the many attractions at the festival is the "Saundersfoot Cawl Trail of the World". This involves, buying your bowl (very pretty blue ones made specially this year by a local potter). You are then given a list of the various pubs and cafes taking part. The idea is to visit each establishment, with your bowl, and after tasting their version of cawl (a Welsh word for a local lamb stew) marks are given out of ten. The establishment with the most marks at the end of the festival is crowned "World Champion". We sampled eight cawls. The other two had run out.

A lot of fun had by all.

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One of my purchases at the festival was given to me in this bag. I thought it looked unusual.

On closer inspection it is a 'Newspaper Bag' . The stallholder said her Mum made them for her and she had already had several other people asking about them. I had never seen one before and thought it was great. I shall certainly have a go at making one. They must be brilliant for little gifts and of course very 'recycleable and can be made out of any newspaper or magazine.

I am sure many of you make these already, but for those that don't a trip to the website I have highlighted will let you know all about them.

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I will let you know how I get on. The gallery of various types and their uses on the website is great. Let me know what you do with yours.

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Ann x

Dinas Head, Pwllgwaelod and Cwm yr Eglwys

ST DAVID'S DAY

We began our Dinas Head walk today at Pwllgwaelod beach. The weather was fabulous and the scenery spectacular!

~ Pwllgwaelod Beach

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A bit of arty photography while the tide was out!
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The remains of St Brynich Church at Cwm yr Eglwys.
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St Brynich Church remains.
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The story of St Brynich Church and the Great Storm.
(You should be able to read it if you click on the photo to enlarge it.)
~Going round the very steep cliff path there was this amazing sight of hundreds of common guillemots in this huge colony just off the cliff coastline. Another spectacular sight.
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It was extremely windy on this side of the 'island' as can be seen by the very well known sight of trees being bent inland by the strong prevailing winds. This had been propped up to allow walkers to safely pass underneath!

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The two Peters at the way mark on the top of Dinas Head

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"Walking round The Coast Path around Dinas Island is very satisfying and shows off The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park at its best. Dinas Head is 142 metres or 465 feet above sea level so it can be hard going but the views are worth the effort. Doing the route in a clockwise direction gives a great descent back down to Cwm yr Eglwys with some fine views towards Newport."

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We had done this walk in the anti-clockwise direction, which is why it was so very windy on the Newport side. Of course we ended the walk with a fabulous lunch at The Old Sailors pub. Some of us had cawl and the others had crab baguettes - all washed down with local ale!!

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Hope you all had a good, sunny, day.

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Ann x