Goodbye Wales

Our six days in Llandudno have come to an end. The weather has been wonderful and we have really enjoyed our stay. Room 611 on the third floor had all we needed and a great view of the surrounding hills. Our meal times were enjoyed with the company of Toss and John from the Isle of Wight.

Not the best photo, should have held the camera higher!

Coast Guard excitement

Having bought sausage rolls and buns from Greggs [well we are on holiday!] we parked overlooking the sea to eat them for lunch.
The sea here has strong currents and there are warnings posted everywhere. Most people were walking their dogs and enjoying the safe are except for one person who seemed to ignore everything and wander into a more dangerous area. Next thing we knew the coastguard van and volunteers seemed to arrive from nowhere. One took off to talk to the idiot ignoring everything, while at the same time a person with two dogs started walking further along the unsafe area. The dog walker was rescued by a lifeboat dinghy telling him to run back the way he had come and boy did he shift!
All safety rescued and many thanks for the prompt action of the Coastguards.

Bodnant Gardens

Decided to spend our last day here in Llandudno visiting the Nation Trust Bodnant Gardens. The sun is shining and temperature reached 15 degrees... lovely.
Bodnant is always a popular destination for us and the gardens are really beautiful any time of year. Today the hyacinths were a real picture and the smell as you walked along the paths really nice. Also the Rhododendrons and Azaleas were in full flower, such a pretty sight.

Castell Penrhyn

What a pleasant surprise, we woke to beautiful sunshine and decided on a day visiting two National Trust properties in this area, Penrhyn Castle and Plas Newydd on Anglesey.

Penrhyn Castle is one of the most opulent building we have ever seen, with the most beautiful carvings and wall decoration. Built in the 13th century it has wonderful views across to Snowdon and the North Wales coast. It also houses a railway museum, including an engine named Kettering.

Plas Newydd was our next stop across the water in Anglesey. Famed for its 58 foot mural by Rex Whistler it did not disappoint. The building is the ancestral home of the Marquess of Anglesey and still lived in by descendants. [last photo]

Llyn Padarn, Llanberis Railway

This area of North Wales has so many narrow gauge railways, but only a few are open at this time of year. With the forecast for a nice day we drove to Llanberis and caught the 11am train at Gilfach Ddu. First stop is Llanberis Station, here it turns around and goes back along the lake to Penllyn. With beautiful scenery and views of Llyn Padarn Lake, Snowdon and the surrounding hills it was a great trip for £8 each lasting an hour.
Surrounded by slate quarries we then visited the free museum, home to the largest water wheel we have ever seen!

The Seed Fair

Tuesday was the Conwy Charter Seed Fair, so we set off to go and visit. The main road was closed to traffic and lined with stalls. There was a mixture of things for sale, from plants, crochet items, cakes [lots of those!] pottery etc etc. Only one stall had seeds for sale, and I think there was every kind imaginable. I bought carrots and runner beans at a £1 a packet. My plan is to try growing them in my empty raised bed.

It was a really nice way to spend a morning.

Great start

What a great start to our Anniversary holiday.
Church in the morning of the 24th followed by a trip to `Birmingham Hippodrome to see the granddaughters perform in Chance 2 Dance. I may be biased [which Grandma isn’t] but they were great and so was the show.

After the show is was a battle to get out of Birmingham, I think they are digging up just about every road so lots of diversions that Sean, my Sat Nav, did not like. Eventually we arrived at the Travel Lodge in Telford for the night.

Monday 25th and it’s our 47th wedding anniversary and a trip to McDonald’s for breakfast and to start the day. We had decided to take a slow route through Wales to our next destination. The weather was perfect and a lunch time stop at the National Trust Bodant Gardens was just the ticket. We both had a cream tea and needed to stretch our legs before continuing our journey.

The Edinburgh Woolen Mill  have store within the garden grounds and they were having a sale... who can resist? One top and a cardigan for me and a flat hat for Chris said buy me, so we did!

Destination for the next six days, Daish Somerset Hotel at Llandudno, where we were offered a room that had quite a few stairs, Chris asked if we could change and the staff were most obliging and we are now happy in the ‘Pent House’ well more precisely the third floor with a lovely view of the Orme and across to Anglesay.  As usual we were given a table with another couple, who turned out to be from The Isle of Wight and great company.

Back in our own bed!

Tuesday the new bed base and headboard were delivered and the bedroom door re-hung.  The bedroom is now complete and we were able to move back in there. The last time we slept in our own room was January 4th !

Pretty curtains with a woodland scene, My mirrored wardrobe and dressing table

His mirrored wardrobe and tall boy chest

Today my friend Penny came to spend the day sewing and I managed to make
 two new cushions for the bed to match the curtains.

With the help of a piece of foam I made a cover for the little stool that lives in the new bedroom.

Only thing now to complete the job is to either make or find a new quilt for the bed, as I do not feel the green of the existing quilt really matches the decor. It was great to be back in the room and to get the spare room back to 'normal' and ready for any grandchild or visitor.

The Ikea saga continues

One piece of the flat pack Ikea furniture was broken, so off we went to Milton Keynes only to find they had run out of the 6 drawer unit and would have to send the replacement part by post. To compensate for messing us around they gave us two free lunch vouchers, which we enjoyed.

Notification came that the part was on its way from Sweden, it arrived today obviously broken!! So the package was refused. A phone call to MK Ikea said they now have 100 of the chest of drawers in stock and would give us the replacement part or we could wait for another piece from Sweden. Off to MK again and the girl serving us was very nice and organised the replacement while we went for lunch [we had to pay this time] she also organised a fuel refund of £24.50.

Back home and the final unit is being put together... maybe one day we will be sleeping in our own bed, the last time was January 4th!!

March IAM

Seven of us enjoyed a happy IAM, unfortunately Jenny and Maureen were unable to be with us.
There was lots of show and tell, especially crochet blankets from Attic24 blog site.

Baby knitted squares for a baby hospital charity

Crochet blanket

A Linus charity quilt

A second Linus charity quilt

More crochet blankets

Crochet seems to be the 'in' thing

A quilt set off with machine embroidery flowers

Pauline and Penny

Ann, Shirley, Dorn's hands and part of Clare !

Christmas come early

Another Christmas x stitch UFO

I showed my Attic24 blanket and 3 odd and 1 pair of knitted socks. 

Thank you Pauline for the dessert and making all the drinks.

Boxes, boxes and more boxes

The bedroom furniture has arrived, now there are boxes in the bedroom, boxes on the landing and boxes in the spare room!!  Doubt I’ll see CJ for the rest of the day unless he needs my help.