Picnic at Flint Castle

Mum and Dad had to pick The Boy up from school after a trip and so they had a little bite to eat beforehand.  Pre-packed Sandwiches and cream cakes from Sainsburys.  Totally unplanned and totally enjoyable!

The River at Llanfair Talhaiarn

Mum, Dad and The Boy got up one morning and decided that it looked like a very nice day to sit by the river.  One of their favourite rivers to sit by is the River Elwy in Llanfair Talhaiarn, a few miles up from Abergele.  They packed together some things and headed out to get there fairly early.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the river and there were only a few people there.  Mum was so happy to be in such a beautiful place that she immediately got out the camera and started snapping away.

Mum liked the rusty fence and the old tree stump in the distance with foxgloves.

Naturally, The Boy's first job was to get his dinghy inflated.  Dad helped him and before long it was good to go.

The village of Llanfair Talhaiarn is reached by a pretty, stone bridge.

The river was clear, shallow and slow-flowing.  The perfect spot for dinghy fun.

Mum and Dad, feeling very content at the river.

The other side of the bridge and, hurrah, the sun came out.  How warm it was!

Mum loved this scene with the open gate and the hills beyond.

Another view of that lovely tree stump.  What a shame they couldn't get closer.

The family spent some time fetching things from the car and claiming their little spot on the grassy bank with picnic rugs.  Once everyone was settled, Mum took a little walk into the village.

The Black Lion, just over the bridge.  It looked like a nice place to eat.

Llanfair Talhaiarn is a charming little village with some interesting buildings.

They all seemed well kept and Mum thought it must be a lovely place to live.

The Swan Inn

The village post office.

Dad relaxing in our spot on the river bank.

One happy riverBoy

A fancypants panoramic

Bliss <3

The Boy stayed on the river in his boat for...hours.

Bless him

Mum painted this picture with a very cheap set of childrens' watercolours that Dad brought back from the post office,

Mmm, Dad cooked steak marinated in bulgogi sauce.  It tasted delicious!

Here's Mum, happy and content in the dappled shade.

Sandblasted at Talacre

Mum, Dad and the Boy went for a very windy walk at Talacre.  It's a good job nobody was wearing shorts as the sand was blowing everywhere in the wind!  Despite the chill factor, it looked very beautiful.

It's The Little Things

The Boy was away, so Dad did this.

A touch of <3

The Grand Putting Up of the Posh Potting Shed Day

Mum and Dad went up to see Sis and help her with her very exciting day.  It had been a long time coming, but finally it was here....The Grand Putting Up of the Posh Potting Shed Day.  It was a very blowy morning, but with the power and determination of family, by jingo it was going to happen! *fanfare*

Other members of The Big Family had congregated in the back garden.  Mum, Dad, Nanny, Grandad, Sis and M were all there with tools and ambiguous instructions to hand.  Before long, they were lifting, raising, erecting, climbing, hammering, sliding, kicking, passing, shoving, covering, rolling, cutting, silicone-squirtin...and maybe just a little bit of the tea-drinking and head-scratching.  But when it was finished, what a sight to behold!

Here are Nanny and Sis, enjoying their well-deserved cuppas in the nearly-finished Posh Potting Shed.

 A very happy Sis, sorting out the final touches.

Mum and Dad did a grand job on the roof.  Grandad said it was a grand job and so it was definitely a grand job if Grandad said it was.

Mum and Dad wish Sis many happy hours spent in her Posh Potting Shed, hurrah for getting together and getting it done!

Takeaway Time!

Sometimes The Family don't go out and do fantastic or exciting things.  Sometimes they just stay at home and enjoy spending time together doing a lot of not very much.  These times may not be particularly blogworthy, but are just as special as the grand days out.

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.