holiday - week two

It is taking me a while to go through my holiday photographs but here are a few from our second week. We stayed on the Lleyn peninsular in North Wales and the week was a mixture of coast and mountains.

The beaches looked particularly stunning in the evening sunshine

and we enjoyed golden sunsets.

I visited the fairytale like village of Portmerion and despite the damp weather enjoyed wandering around the streets, gardens

and woodland.

For me a trip to North Wales wouldn't be complete without a walk to the summit of Snowdon, highest mountain in England and Wales. Snowdon is the triangular peak in the picture below

and here with the beautiful deep blue lake, Glaslyn in the foreground.

It was a particularly clear day and the views were spectacular.

For those that know Snowdon, my eldest son did the complete Snowdon horseshoe. I walked the Crib Goch ridge many years ago and didn't feel up to that so I walked the Pyg track with younger son and we met at the summit and completed the second half of the horseshoe together. I was very much the slowest but they were very patient, waiting for their ageing mother! I found I was much more fearful of the steep cliffs and loose scree than I used to be while the boys had all the confidence of youth.

It was a perfect day and one that we will all remember for years to come.

Holiday - week one

We booked our holiday late which meant that we stayed where we could find accommodation rather than finding somewhere to stay where we wanted to be. This was good in that we visited places we might not have otherwise have done, but less good because there were so few cottages still available and those that were left were not located to suit all members of the family! So, not our best holiday but some good days out all the same.

The first week we stayed near the coast on the southern edge of the Lake District. We marvelled at just how far the tide goes out in Morecombe Bay,

too far out to even see the sea. It looks like miles of sand but it is sticky mud and dangerous to wander onto without local knowledge.

The lake district itself was busy

but an early morning walk left the crowds behind.

Of course it rains a lot in the Lake District and we had plenty, but even on a grey rainy day, it is very beautiful.

back home

I am back home after two weeks holiday. In those two weeks the seasons have shifted and it feels as if I left in mid-summer,

and returned as we move towards autumn.

Changes in the garden too and I returned to a plum tree laden with ripe fruit - time to get the Kilner jars out.

Photos of the holiday to follow.

ripening crops

The weather here has been dry and warm

and the wheat in the fields is a beautiful soft gold colour.

Woodland - July

Some photographs from my walk in the woodland today. It was shady and cool with dappled sunlight. There trees looked very similar to last month but there seemed to be less vegetation on the woodland floor. The footpath was almost overgrown last month but some of the plants have died back leaving the path clear again.

We have had very little rain lately and the stream running down the valley had dried up and although the stream bed was still damp, it was beginning to crack and dry out. 

Only one new flower this month, the tiny flowered Enchanter's Nightshade.

I also noticed a lot of cobwebs, particularly in the holly bushes.

The view looking up shows the canopy to be even more dense than last month casting deeper shade on the plants below.