Cheese and Ham Wraps in the Rain

Mum, Dad, Yam and the Boy went to Loggerheads to properly begin our season of 'Going Out and Seeing Things'.

Here's Dad, by 'The Money Log'.  When we looked closer we noticed that, over the years, people have pushed coins into the bark of this fallen tree.

Of course, we couldn't leave it without adding to it.  Here's our shiny five pence piece, which was donated by Yam and pushed in by the Boy.

You can't have a walk along the river without the obligatory stone-skimming fun.  The boy learned a hard lesson today.  He left his wellies outdoor over the winter and were too full of snails and other creepy crawlies to bring today.  He was bitterly disappointed and we think he may bring his wellies indoors from now on.

A fundamental mathematical rule: Boy + River = Stick.  Always.

Mum really liked the acidic green colour of the moss on the fallen trees.  Beeeaaauuutiful!

After climbing the many steps up to the cliffs (and realising how unfit we had become over the winter) we took time to take in the gorgeous views of Moel Famau and other hills of the Clwydian Range.  Mum set the camera to landscape mode and thinks maybe the green shown is a tad too green!  It was lush, but not _that_ lush!

Space reserved for leaf video!

Mum, being on a planet of her own, is a bit of a weirdo.  She tends to notice and appreciate things that other people don't.  She loved the noise that these dried up leaves made and asked everyone to stop and listen to them.

A fancypants panoramic photograph from the top of the cliffs.  Yam is there at the back somewhere as she doesn't like getting anywhere near the edge of high up places.  We found a bench and unpacked the delicious cheese and ham wraps that Dad had made.  Whilst watching a buzzard (who thought he was very high up but was actually excitingly close to us) the heaven's opened.  The wraps were re-wrapped and we made a hasty retreat down the steps to the car.

A super day!

Mother's Day at Erddig

As a Mother's Day treat, we used our National Trust family ticket and visited Erddig Hall for a nice amble around the house and formal gardens.

 The large house was built in 1684–1687 and last owned by Philip Yorke III who passed it onto the National Trust because he never married and therefore had no heir.

We enjoyed looking through the house, at both the posh family rooms upstairs and the servants' quarters downstairs.  It was very much like Downton Abbey!

The gardens at Erddig, although lovely, were just a bit too formal for our tastes.  We prefer the gardens at Bodnant as they offer a better variety.

A host of golden daffodils!

This coot isn't quite a mother yet, not long now though by the looks of it.

After our stroll, we went to the OK Diner for some super-sized American-styled grub.  Yumyumyum!

Otter-spotters!

Four daft family members decided to get up in the dark at 6am and head straight out to the local riverside to try to spot some otters.  Although we weren't lucky enough to see them, we did have a fantastic walk.  The morning started off cold and frosty but as the sun rose over the hills, the trees were ablaze with colour.

A frosty morning in the sheep fields.

Three otter-spotters, walking alongside the river.

Here comes the sun.

This photo defies just how chilly it was!

I finally got around to taking pictures of our Swallow Cottage.

It was a very pleasant stay here and the barns look so beautiful in the sunshine.

Two pheasants.  Let's hope they don't end up outside the butcher's any time soon!

 

Our part of the cottages.

The view from our bedroom window.

Mmmm breakfast!  We were so ready for something to eat.

After breakfast, the boy went to Stokesay Castle and took some fantastic pictures to show Mum and Dad, who spent the afternoon lazing around and catching up on sleep!

I love this picture!!

Ludlow, the Castle and the Crown Inn

The Boy, playing with Baby Gwen in the morning.

 

Lots and lots of pheasants, strung up outside this traditional butcher shop.

The Bull King, where we stopped for hot drinks and a snack.

 

The Boy, very ready for a hot chocolate!

The Feathers Hotel, extremely old and wonky!

Ludlow is full to bursting with listed buildings, there were too many to look at!

A panoramic view from Ludlow.

 

This friendly cat was hanging around the market square and soaked up the fuss from passers by.

Ludlow Castle from the outer walls.

 

The Norman chapel inside the chapel grounds.

 

The Boy's 'bat' - which turned out to be a pigeon's bum.

We loved the countryside around Ludlow...

 

...and we were very proud of The Boy for conquering his fear of heights to climb to the top of the castle.

Looking down at the town.

There was a kind couple who took a break from drinking their champagne (!) so that they could take our picture.

Back in the warm, we had a delicious cream tea.  The scones were so fresh.  Nomnomnom.

 

Baby Gwen helped me choose some beautiful wristwarmers before settling down to look at the food on the table.  She does love looking at food!

In the evening, we lit The Boy's sparklers since he had missed our local firework display.  Here is his sparkler writing of the word 'love'.

And then he concentrated on enjoying the sparklers to their full potential.

The evening was spent at the Crown Inn in Clun, where we ate, drank and were very merry!

In the Middle of Nowhere in Shropshire!

After a crazy drive down country lanes in the pitch dark, we made it to Swallow Cottage near Bucknell in Shropshire.  We pretty much managed to keep the whole thing a secret from the boy, though he claims he knew what was going on.  The evening was spent catching up with family and eating coffee and walnut cake.  We also popped outside in hats and coats to gaze at the stars.  Words cannot express how utterly dark and quiet it was there.  Great views of the Milky Way, many constellations and so many more stars than we are used to seeing at home.

We were very ready for our beds that evening =)

Chilling out in Forochel