Parisella's of Conwy

Mum, Dad and The Boy drove to Conwy to sit on the harbour for a bit.  What they didn't plan on, was finding an absolute gem of an ice cream shop!

Parisella's of Conwy have a lot of flavours of ice cream and sorbet.

They all sounded so delicious!  It was very, very hard for the family to choose.

The selection of cones, waffles, wafers, sauces and toppings was also very extensive and the staff kindly let The Boy hold one of their 'The Torch' cones.  Mahoosive!

The Family thought that 'The Torch' was maybe a little too much after their lunch, but they did have some smaller, more sensible ideas.  Nomnom!  Maybe they will return one day with emptier bellies.

They had a very pleasant visit to the harbour, where the sunshine made Conwy Castle look lovely.  The ice creams definitely made the day though!

Exploring Gwrych Castle

Nestled in the hills in Abergele, a sprawling castle looms over the A55.  The Family never knew what the name of the castle was and it never appeared in any tourist information.  Dad finally found out the name of this imposing building on Google.  Gwrych Castle!  (Hurrah for the internet!)

Then Mum, whilst browsing a What's On guide online, spotted a very interesting sounding entry which would potentially make a super day out. (Hurrah for the internet again!)

Built in 1812, Gwrych Castle is currently in a very bad state, but a group of people have been working hard to restore the castle to its former glory and have completed Phase One of their big plan.  They invited the public to visit for the first time in thirty years!  Well, The Family couldn't resist that, could they?!

And here it is!  Sprawling Gwrych Castle.

Some parts look fairly well looked after.

But it was very apparent from walking around that the volunteers had a very large task on their hands.  Most of the castle had been overrun by nature.

Mum, Dad and The Boy went on a guided tour to learn more about the history of this place.  They wouldn't like to walk around it alone, that's for sure!

Out of the warm sunshine, Gwrych Castle felt cold, damp and eerie.  All the time Mum felt she was witnessing a silent but powerful battle between nature and this once-popular attraction.

Spooky windows in a spooky place.  It was the stuff of ghost stories but Mum, Dad and The Boy didn't see anything unnatural.

Apart from that bit of sunlight in the window that looked a bit...you know...ghosty *shiver*

The view from the castle was extensive and beautiful, especially on such a lovely day.

There was entertainment and food to be had and then The Family headed home, feeling very luck to have had the chance to see Gwrych Castle up close after having driven past it so many times on their outings.

Celebration Time

Mum got a new job, so Dad took her and The Boy out for a delicious celebratory meal at Prosperity in Rhuddlan.

Well done, Mum.  No more of that 8 hour standing and cooking!

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