We Ain't Goin' Nowhere 'Til We've Got Some Wood!

Mum, Dad and the Boy decided to go to Capel Curig in Snowdonia to follow a circular walk listed in Dad's super walking book.

After parking in the Car Park of Tinyness, Dad and The Boy checked out the local delicacies in the cafe window.

We headed up into the hills to the local pinnacles, finding a lovely little bridge made of slabs of stone.  Dad and The Boy love bridges made of slabs of stone and they weren't disappointed since we found lots and lots on this walk!

Our path was very varied with lots of ups and downs, flat bits and watery bits.

The woodlands of Snowdonia always have an ancient feel about them.  Spring is a little behind compared our home on the coast as it's quite a bit chillier.

A glimpse of our main destination in the distance.  One of the Llynnau Mymbyr.

The Boy and yet another stick!

The Leaning Tree of Pizza.  I'm not quite sure why we called it this hehe.

We agree with Hugh Finlow, the mountains are a wonderful place to be =)

Dad consulted the superb guide book many times on our walk.  It turned out to be informative and accurate.

We don't find moss and lichen like this on our trees back at home.  Beautiful!

We crossed over lots a streams and rivers.  This was the biggest one...

But the smaller ones are much better for Poohsticks.  Oh look, there's Mum!

One big kid, really.  Watching his Poohstick.

A Ty Haf - summer houses that were used by shepherds in days gone by.

A pretty reflection.

We found the lake!  It was very windy but Mum found a great spot by a boathouse that was nice and sheltered.  We were very ready for Dad's tuna wraps, crisps and a mint Club biscuit.  Yummy, everything tastes even more delicious outdoors after a walk.

The Boy did some 'fishing' and caught an 'eel'.

Hurrah!  Mum was definitely there!  And so was the sunshine for the rest of our walk.

As we made our way to the other side of the lake, we were met with wonderful views of the Snowdon Horseshoe.

Zoomed in a bit, and you can see the snow-capped peaks.

We left the lake and its brisk winds to venture on the last leg of our walk, into the hills once again.  We loved the colours of the surrounding hills.

The wonderful marshy grasses and fantastic purple peaks.

The Boy found tadpoles.  Dad was pleased.  He hasn't seen tadpoles for years.

The village of Capel Curig came into sight.

Another Ty Haf, with sheep this time!

On closer inspection (ie putting the camera on maximum zoom) we realised that the sheep around here are very happy.  And no wonder!

It was time to say goodbye to Capel Curig, its beautiful mountains and happy sheep.  We are all a bit worn out with fresh air and exercise....some more than others!

Washing Up Consequences

Dad made a delicious meatball meal this evening and Mum washed up.  She commented on how the sky was looking lovely tonight and before The Family knew it, they were in the car and off for a very spontaneous walk on the beach at Kinmel Bay.  Cue wonky photos!

The Boy had a choice.  Ball or spade.  Spade won!

I am The Boy and I'm digging a hole.  Diggy diggy hole!

Mum was right, the sunset was lovely.  But oh man, it was cold!  We've learned from past experience how chilly it can be down on the coast in the evening so we were prepared with coats and hats.

Awwww.

Seeing who could throw stones the furthest.  Dad won, but The Boy did really, really well!

And the sun went down for another day, hopefully we'll see it again tomorrow.

A Short, Spring Walk

Mum and Dad wandered down the road for half an hour and BLAM!  They found a bright yellow field of rapeseed flowers.  The gate was open....there was no Keep Out sign....and so....

Erf, a wonky and squinty shot.  But this is a blog about life and _everyone_ looks squinty and takes wonky photos once in a while!

On the short walk back, Mum zigzagged all over the road, taking pictures of pretty Spring things.  Like this blossom...

And this tree.  What a beautiful green!

This is what Mum calls a 'Money Shot'!  And so ends our thirty minute walk.  We are so lucky to have such beauty on our doorstep.

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!