The Glassblobbery and Bala

Mum, Dad and The Boy packed a bag and a picnic rug and went for a day out to Bala.  Their route took them through the beautiful Welsh countryside which was in full Spring swing.  The trees were bursting with colour, the lambs gambolled in the fields and the journey was thoroughly pleasant and inspirational.

Before reaching Bala, they made a stop at the Glassblobbery in Corwen.  Mum had been there many many years ago and was so pleased to see that it was not only still open, but still run by the same talented gentlemen that she met on her first visit.  He welcomed them to the shop and demonstrated how he makes glass ornaments using tubes of glass and a blowtorch.  He cracked plenty of corny jokes, more per minute than Dad...but only just!

The man used his skills to make a glass dragon.

Mum bought herself a shiny, dangly, glass star.  She loves stars so very much.  Then they went back to the car to continue their journey.  It was all eyes peeled for a big lake.

It wasn't long before the big lake was spotted.  And what a big lake it was!  It took a while to find a parking space and The Family were a little unsure of where they were going, but perseverance brought them to a perfect little spot along the shore.

The Boy was delighted to see the train tracks there and super views of Glan Llyn, a place where both Mum and The Boy have spent school weekend trips at and had marvellous fun rock climbing and mucking about on the water in kayaks.  Oh yes, it brought back fond memories for both of them.

They all unloaded the car and headed off to the shore.  It wasn't too busy and they settled themselves right at the end of the jetty so that they could feel the water all around them.  They say and ate pitta and drank fizzy drinks and soaked up the sounds and sights of beautiful Bala Lake.

Two little yachts.

That sky!

Socks off and dangling feet is a must when one is at the end of a jetty.

A happy and relaxed Family

It started to get a bit busier on the shore and before long there were whooping, splashing people in dinghies and a fishing family who were obviously wishing that they had the prime location of the jetty-end.  So, The Family packed up their things and went back to the car with the notion of finding an ice cream.  It was definitely an ice cream kind of day.

They drove into Bala town centre and parked in the high street.  There were plenty of shops to look at, and at least three that sold ice cream.  Mum treated everyone to a cone and they wandered along the street eating them.  Mmm, such a nice treat!  After a potter about and a visit to the local art gallery, The Family made their way home with contented, happy hearts.  What a lovely day!

More photos to follow, as soon as Mum hooks up her other camera.

Bodnant Garden with Granny and D

Hurrah, Granny and D came to North Wales for a visit and The Family joined them for a walk around Bodnant Garden.  The had visited previously at this time of year and thought that Granny would enjoy the colourful flora.

Dad took pictures with his new phone and did a splendid job of capturing their walk.

Mum seems to be in 'tree mode' at the moment and took pictures of trees.  Here's one of her favourites.

The buildings down in The Dell are topped with bright moss which makes them very eye-catching.

The river was flowing nicely thanks to plenty of rain recently.

It's always a pleasant surprise to see so much colour at this time of year.

A super shot of the rushing river.  Nice one, Dad!

Dooo, doodoo, doo doo doo doo dodoooo (Only Dad will get this reference)

A photo taken from a newly-opened area of Bodnant Garden called 'The Far End'.  It was beautiful and amazing to think that this area had been there all that time.

D, The Boy and Mum.  All enjoying their walk.

A lovely shot in the formal gardens.  Mum is very impressed!

Here are Mum, The Boy, Granny and D all happy to be together in such a fine place.

After a wonderful walk, The Family went back to the car park to fetch the picnic basket.

Granny and Mum had a cheeky glass of Prosecco.  It was a super picnic indeed!

Sadly, the day out had to come to an end and Granny and D needed to head back up north.  The Family were so pleased that they had both joined them for a walk and look forward to seeing them again in the not too distant future.

Return of the BBQ

Dad took Mum and The Boy out for a surprise meal.  They weren't very surprised when they found themselves at the threshold of the Istanbul BBQ restaurant since this has to be in Dad's top five favourite local places to eat.  He does like to talk about Iskender a fair bit.

 The Boy was very happy to be seated downstairs this time, where he could watch the chefs work their magic at the grill.

 Mum's Chicken 'Kluck' Special (Chicken chunks BBQ grill cooked under a delicious yoghurt and chilli sauce with melted butter, served in a sizzling dish)

 Dad's mixed platter of Lamb Meatballs/Izgara Kofte (lean minced lamb, seasoned and served in a rich tomato and garlic sauce) and Istanbul BBQ Spicy Chicken Wings/Tavuk Kanadi (charcoal grilled spicy wings with chilli peppers)

 The Boy's mixed platter of Chicken Kebab/Pilic (marinated chicken breast chunks on a skewer) and Lamb Chops/Pirzola (lightly seasoned lamb chops - simple and delicious)

Mum's dessert of Baklava (filo pastry heaven with pistachio nuts in syrup and a scoop of honeycomb ice cream) If she could she would have this for starter, main and dessert.  It was divine!

Dad and The Boy's dessert of Sekerpare (classic baked Turkish dessert, with sweet pastry balls dipped in thick lemon sugar syrup, served with a choice of ice cream)

Happy Mum and Dad with happy, full tummies.

The meal was absolutely delicious and The Family wish they could go to Istanbul BBQ more often.  It was such a lovely treat from Dad and everyone left full and content, if a little slow on their feet!

The Boy spotted this mural on the way back to the car, so Mum took some photos so that he can remember it.

The other side of the fab mural.

The Family waddled back to the car and headed home to enjoy a bout of Sunday Lunch syndrome.  Zzzz!