Thai Food Time

This day was very windy.  So windy that the roof of Dad's house creaked and groaned, leaves blew everywhere despite it not feeling like the right season for leaves blowing everywhere.  Fence panels rattled threateningly, people braced against the relentless great gusts and dogs barked at nothing.  Oh yes, it was a windy day indeed!

It was not the right day for a day out and so Mum, Dad and The Boy spent some relaxing time at home.  Dad decided that it was finally time for them to open the board game that had been sitting in its cellophane wrapper for precisely one year and two months.  It was called Forbidden Desert, and Mum had bought it for him for Christmas.  That's Christmas 2014, just to be clear.

It took a while to read the instructions and it sounded like a complicated little game involving lots of rules and things to remember.  But they dived on in and had a great time trying to find the parts of a flying machine in order to make it out of the desert before they all died of thirst or got buried in the sand.  They didn't manage to make it out alive but thoroughly enjoyed working together as a team to try to beat the game.

Later on, Dad announced that The Family would be eating out that evening.  They all got ready and drove to Colwyn Bay along the A55.  The wind was still horrendously strong and buffeted the car around on the journey.  They arrived at the Tamarind Thai Restaurant far too early, as is often the case when is driving.  Mum calls him Captain Contingency.  Still, it gave them time to find a place to stop and take photos of the Bay below.

The wind whipped up a frenzy of seamist and the water looked stony grey.  But the rays of the setting sun bathed the town in a warm light and Mum snapped away happily.  The wind was very cold high up there on the hill.  The Family didn't spend very long outside the car, just long enough to admire the view.

Colwyn Bay from the hills above.

They arrived back at the Tamarind Thai just in time for opening.  They were greeted by a very polite man who showed them to their seats.  He was very, very polite.  Actually, he was very, very, very polite and maybe a little too polite, if such a thing exists.  The restaurant seemed clean and airy and fresh and The Family sat down and ordered drinks.  To their disappointment, though, they all received a glass of Diet instead of the Diet Coke they had asked for.  Thumbs down for the drinks!

Whilst waiting for the starters to arrive, the camera was pulled out once more.

 Dad took this photo of Mum and The Boy not drinking their drinks.

The Family, waiting for their starters with rumbling tummies.

It didn't take long for the starters too arrive and, fortunately, they were much nicer than the glasses of Diet.  In fact they were fantastic!

Mum had crispy duck with honey and sesame.

Dad and The Boy had the Chef's recommended starter platter which had a selection of things from the starter menu.

Yumyum, well the food was lovely and The Family really enjoyed munching.  Then it was time for their mains.  Mum ordered river prawns which came with their legs and heads on.  Mum was a little unsure as to how to eat prawns with legs and heads but the restaurant had already done the cracky part.  Phew!  Dad chose sizzling sirloin steak with black bean and The Boy chose duck on a bed of noodles with Tamarind sauce.

Mum's river prawns in a delicious garlic sauce.

Dad's sizzling sirloin.

The Boy's duck with noodles in Tamarind sauce.

One must have Thai green curry when one goes to a Thai restaurant.  This one was tasty, aromatic and rather spicy!

The Family had a wonderful meal at the Tamarind Thai and vowed to go back there again one day.  They left the restaurant to find the car covered in a fine layer of sand even though they were high up above the shore!  The wind hadn't died down at all by then, and so they took a slow drive home so as to avoid the strewn tree debris.

Goodbye Tamarind Thai, we'll see you again in the future but please stop saying 'excuse me' every five seconds.  Thank you!

Happy St. David's Day! / Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!

Mum, Dad and The Boy went for a day out to the Isle of Anglesey.  Before they left for the island, Dad took Mum to the supermarket where she bought daffodils, tulips and bara brith to give as St. David's Day gifts to her Mum and Sis.  They had a nice surprise but The Family couldn't stay as they wanted to get on their way.

Getting to the island was relaxed and easy, but as they arrived at Menai Bridge (the town, not the actual bridge) they noticed an awful lot of lycra-clad people milling about.  As they approached the town centre things got a bit tricky as the way through to Beaumaris was completely blocked off.  It turned out that there was a very popular race being held called 'Jones o Gymru Anglesey Half Marathon'.  Running races are all well and good, but Mum, Dad and The Boy wanted to go to Beaumaris and they weren't too sure how to get there without passing through the town, so they thought they would follow the yellow signs marked 'Traffic Diversion'.

Well, it took them all around the town and back, here and there, round and round, off the island and back onto it again.  What a palaver it was trying to bypass the little town that blocked their path!  The diversion eventually took them out of Menai Bridge and down some very narrow lanes.  Lots of cars were taking the same diversion, in both directions, and there followed a lot of stopping and pulling over and a lot of wincing as the car brushed up against the twiggy hedges making cringeworthy squeaky sounds on the paintwork.  Yeesh!  Mum and Dad did not want to go down those lanes again!

They finally arrived in Beaumaris, feeling somewhat relieved.  After parking up in the big car park on the banks of the Menai Strait, Mum and The Boy ran to the shore whilst Dad quickly checked his work emails and all that kind of stuff.

 The Boy spent ten minutes looking for oyster shells and interesting stuff.

It was very windy on the shore and very, very cold too!  So they all made a very hasty retreat to the castle.

Mum liked this little alleyway.  She wondered where it led.

The day didn't feel very much like Spring was around the corner, but there were little signs of it in places.

The family headed to the castle entrance.  Normally they would have had to pay to get in, but since it was St. David's Day, CADW (the organisation that cares for a lot of the castles in Wales) kindly let all visitors in for nothing.  Hurrah and thank you CADW!  The Boy was given a quiz sheet and pencil and they made their way through to the castle grounds.

Woo the outside of Beaumaris Castle, with a real moat!

Dad and The Boy on the drawbridge leading into the main gate of the castle.

Eh up, The Boy is getting tall, isn't he?!  Mum stood next to the smoked sausage stall to take this picture.  It smelled very nice.  Very nice indeed!

Cheeky, giggling boys, because they were trying to make a funny photo and Mum said 'No, a nice one please!'

They all went up onto the walls of the castle.  It was bitterly cold, windy and raining too.  Brrrr!

Down in the centre of the castle were a few tents that looked interesting.  The Family went to see what they were all about.

The first one they visited had owls!  Mum, Dad and the Boy all enjoyed stroking the barn owl gently. She was extremely friendly and patient.

The ever-so pretty Barn Owl.

The grumpy Tawny Owl reminded Mum of being a Brownie when she was little.  And the big one on the floor was a European Eagle Owl.  It had superbright orange eyes.  WOOOoooo!

The next tent showed The Family a little bit about life in medieval times.  It looked cold and rather draughty.

The third tent had some people in it in medieval dress.  A man showed Mum, Dad and The Boy how to make fire using a flint and steel.  Dad made big sparks, The Boy made little sparks but Mum did not make any sparks at all.  She chipped and chipped away to no avail.  She decided that it was a good job she wasn't living in medieval times as she likes her meat thoroughly cooked.

They also went into a little hut and watched a very strange film.  They weren't sure what it was all about as there were no words.  Something about a man putting a toad into a pot and a spearhead diving in a lake with bubbles, all set to strange music.  The Family scratched their heads, shrugged and left.

They had better luck with the information boards about King Edward, who built the castle in 1295 in order to keep the Welsh folk out.  Cheeky man!  It was a fabulous castle, though, and The Family enjoyed their visit very much.  But the more they explored, the colder and wetter and more blown around they became.  They decided it was definitely time to find some postcards for Mum's American friend then head back to the car for lunch and some respite from the wintry weather.

Dad turned the engine on to warm the car and passed round the chicken salad and dijon mayo wraps that he had made.  They ate them with crisps and Bourbon creams.  Yumyumyum!

Getting warm in the car.  Dad doesn't look very happy.  Mum thinks it's because she asked him to get in the shot, right in the middle of his wrap-munching.  They _were_ very nice wraps.

As they sat in the warm, they noticed that the low clouds had begun to roll away from the Snowdonia mountains across the Menai Strait.  The rain that had fallen in Beaumaris had fallen as snow or hail up there!  It looked every so pretty so Mum jumped out of the car to take a few more photos.  Brave soul.

One of Mum's fancypants panoramic photographs.

Freshly snow-capped mountains.

It looked like someone had been and sifted icing sugar everywhere!

It was time to head home and get ready for school and work.  Dad thought he would take a different way back instead of going on the dreadful winding lanes again.  They ended up on winding lanes again, of course, since Anglesey seems to have an awful lot of them.  But The Boy was happy as he caught sight of the sea with lots of shipping boats.

The shipping lane, taken by Dad!

Despite the hairy lanes, the wind, the rain, the biting cold and the long traffic jam on the way home, Mum, Dad and The Boy decided that they were very glad to have had a day out rather than sitting at home.  Hurrah for going out and hurrah for living in Wales!

Cymru am byth!!! (photographer unknown)

Valentine's Day at The Cherry Pie Inn

Dad had booked a table at a mystery restaurant so that he could take Mum out for a Valentine's treat.  They got ready and dropped The Boy off at Nanny and Grandad's house who had offered to watch him so that Mum and Dad could have a few hours to themselves.  How lovely!

Mum had no idea where they were going, but she had been thinking about it and wondering a lot.  All she knew was that it was a place they had never been to before.  At one point, she thought they were going to Mold but as they approached at the Mold - Denbigh road Dad signalled to turn in the opposite direction!  Suddenly, Mum had a very good idea about where they were going.  She hoped very much it was where they were going.  She couldn't help but give a little whoop.  Dad grinned, and Mum knew she was right!

They arrived at The Cherry Pie Inn in Nannerch in good time, despite a slight detour by Dad who probably hadn't realised that there were so many options to get to the Mold - Denbigh road.  It was a chilly night and Mum as in her sparkly blue dress, so they made haste for the door.  As they walked into the warm building, a man approached and greeted them very warmly and asked for their coats.  'Oooh!' though Mum.  She had never been asked for her coat before!

They were shown to a table for two which had been decorated with a little candle and a pretty, red rose in a vase.  Very romantic!  They ordered some drinks, white wine for Mum and a diet Coke for driver Dad and sipped them whilst they looked over the menu.

It looks a bit pink, but it was a deep red and perfect for this special date.

The starters were ordered and Mum and Dad chatted away.  Mum got the camera out and snapped a few photographs.  The man who took their coats earlier saw her taking pictures and offered to take a photo of them together.  How nice!

Happy Mum and Dad, together on Valentine's Day.

It wasn't too long before their starters arrived.  Good job too, as they were both famished!  They had both chosen the same thing as it was right up their street.

 Japanese prawns with garlic mayonnaise.

The started was delicious and Mum loved the crunchy breadcrumb coating on the prawns.  It was so light and fresh.  Yum yum!  More chit chat ensued and then their mains arrived.

Dad chose the T-bone steak.  He's partial to big lumps of meat, is Dad.  He likes it rare but this was apparently a little overcooked.

Mum chose the sea bass in lemon butter.  She's partial to a bit of fish, is Mum.

Vegetable dishes were delivered with sweet, juicy carrots and leeks in a cheese sauce.  They shared a big bowl of mixed potatoes too.  Chips, croquettes and potato florets.  Oh yes, they had a feast indeed!  They both tucked in and enjoyed their food.  Mum thought the lemon butter was the best she had ever, ever tasted!

Mum's all finished and loved her sea bass!

Dad's all finished too.  He decided it was a bit too posh to gnaw on the bone, but he wanted to!

Since it was a special night, they ordered desserts, greedy things!

Black Forest gateau with cream, Dad had ice cream with his too.  Omnomnom!

Well, Mum and Dad were feeling very full indeed!  They thoroughly enjoyed their food and the warm welcome that they received from the staff at The Cherry Pie Inn.  They were even given a plate of Valentine's cookies which ended up wrapped in a napkin so that The Boy had something nice too.  He had been a very good lad for Nanny and Grandad and Mum and Dad really appreciated having a few special hours together.

The Boy's Valentine's treats.

Snowy Snowdonia

Mum, Dad and The Boy went for a drive to Snowdonia.

Llynnau Mymbyr looked extremely cold but also very beautiful.  The Snowdon Horseshoe was shrouded in wispy cloud.

It was so chilly that the lake was icy!  It looked very pretty at the edges where the water had frozen as it slowly receded.

The Boy enjoyed resting his feet _on_ the lake.

It had been a while since Mum took a video on an iPhone and she forgot to flip the camera!  Silly Mum!  But Mum and Dad do love it when The Boy is in the Great Outdoors and says 'I love this' with a smile on his face.

He also enjoyed picking up large pieces of the lake.

A very large piece!

Obviously much fun was had throwing things onto the lake...

The Boy's "Ice Slide"

**Noisy Boy Alert**

The Boy threw a rock.  They all thought it would smash the ice to bits.  Ummmm no, not even close!

**Noisy Boy Alert**

So big, strong Dad threw a very big rock....ummm...

Lots of fun was had at the lake, but it was too cold to eat a packed lunch outdoors.  So Mum, Dad and The Boy trooped back to the car and sat above the lake.  They munched their ham sandwiches which The Boy had made earlier and thoroughly enjoyed the amaaaazing view.

After lunch, The Family drove towards the mountains hoping to see some snow-capped peaks.

Oooh, getting closer and getting clearer!

They took the road to Beddgelert and found plenty of places to stop and admire the view along the way.

The beautiful Glyders (Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach)

Snowdon on the left and Crib Goch on the right.

The streams and river leading to Llyn Gwynant glittered in the sunlight.

Mum's fancypants panoramic shot.

Scanning the Snowdonian Skyline.

Dad and The Boy in the mountains.

Mum and The Boy in the mountains.

It was time to move on again, down to Beddgelert.  But Mum, Dad and The Boy stopped off at Llyn Gwynant to throw a few stones in the not-so-frozen lake.

The Boy loves throwing lots and lots of stones at the same time.

Peaceful Llyn Gwynant with the snowy Glyders in the background.

Finally The Family made it into Beddgelert where a quick trip to the National Trust shop was made.  The building was built in the 15th Century and the floorboards upstairs had big gaps in them and were extremely rickety.  No wonder there was a sign saying 'No more than 8 people upstairs at one time'

The National Trust shop.

The beautiful Welsh gifts for sale underneath the rickety floorboards.

Aaaaand then it was time to drive back through Beddgelert, past Nant Gwynant and past the beautiful Snowdon viewpoint to Pen-y-Pass.

Mum, Dad and The Boy have always enjoyed the journey down Pen-y-Pass but never stopped to enjoy it on foot.  The road wound through tall mountains on both sides and made The Family feel very, very small indeed.  It's once of those places that has to be visited to be appreciated to the fullest.

A long, rumbly, driving video so that The Family can keep their memories even better!

Pen-y-Pass views with craggy mountains, the flowing river, the bleak colours and lots and lots of bits of rock....everywhere!

Of course....water attracts boys like camping lights attract midges.  It didn't take Dad and The Boy long to find their way down.

The Boy did not get wet.  UNBELIEVABLE!

Dad really liked the sound of the water.

On the other side, Mum and Dad let The Boy take a wander on his own.  He got smaller and smaller and was very tiny indeed!

Spot The Boy.

The Boy exploring his surroundings, getting filthy and probably ripping his clothes in the process....good, wholesome and healthy stuff.  The National Trust owes Mum and Dad one gold star.

Once again Mum, Dad and The Boy set off for the last stop on their trip.  Good ole Llanberis.  It felt chillier there than it did higher up and they weren't out of the car for long before scrambling back to it to get warm and head home for dinner and a good rest.

Dolbadarn Castle in shadow whilst the slopes of Eilidir Fach catch the last rays of the day.

Mum, Dad and The Boy had a wonderful day in Snowdonia.  They feel so lucky to have such a place on their doorstep to enjoy.