Snow in Snowdonia

 Llyn Padern, Llanberis with a dusting of snow.

The Water of Life

"The Water of Life" Sculpture by Stephen Broadbent.

 The sculpture was commissioned for the 900th-anniversary celebrations of the Cathedral. According to the artist, 'the water feature depicts the encounter between Jesus and the Woman of Samaria, showing their shared bowl overflowing with water. 

Chester Cathedral

 

A buggy trip round Chester Cathedral turned out to be quite stressful and expensive.

Chester Cathedral  is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Werburgh, is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since 1541, it has been the seat of the Bishop of Chester.

Bridgwater in Autumn

 

Bridgewater on a barmy November morning. Beautiful autumn colours, no wind and no people in the paradise garden at 10 o clock in the morning.

The Acer Glade

 The Acer at Bodnant has been as beautiful as I have ever seen it. The weather has been kind with little rain or wind so the trees have held there leaves well.

Autumn Arrives at Bodnant.

 

October the temperatures have dropped and the leaves have started to turn in the Acer glade at Bodnant.

Copper on Blue

 

Totally surprised this afternoon when I sat watching the judging of the RPS Digital Imaging Group annual competition on zoom. I nearly fell off my chair when the winner of the gold medal came up on the screen and it was mine. "Copper on Blue" was taken on one of our Wednesday evening visits to Bodnant Garden with Bailey.

Back at Bridgewater

 Lots of yellow and oranges at Bridgewater for the start of the autumn months. 

    Rudbeckia fulgidavar. sullivantii'Goldsturm'- Coneflower

Dragonflies at Bodnant.

 We haven't seen many dragonflies this year at Bodnant and even fewer Damselflies.

Sailing

 The sea was like a millpond at Llanfechain.

Echinacea at Bodnant

 

Super Buck Moon

 

Holker Hall

 

Bridgewater without Bailey

Bridgewater without Bailey is not the same when it is a doggy night. Sadly he had been poorly the previous night so no walkies at Bridgewater for the little guy.

Summer Showers

 

Daisies at Fellfoot

 

Bodnant without Bailey

 

Bowled over by Bridgewater.

 

The Laburnum Arch

 

Chirk Castle

 

Nefyn

The small village of Nefyn, on the isolated north coast of the Llyn Peninsula, has a long, sandy bay, sheltered by the beautiful Nefyn Headland, and backed by steep slopes.Nefyn Beach itself is something of a hidden gem, known for its clear blue waters along with stunning views of the bay, and the distant three peaks of The Rival Mountains (Yr Eifl) to the east.

Bodnant

 

Plas Newydd

 

Cherry Blossom at Bodnant

 

Bodnant from Above

 

A view of Bodnant from above.

Carneddau Foal

 The Carneddau Mountain range in the Snowdonia National Park is home to a small population of around 300 semi-feral Carneddau ponies whose history is thought to date back to the Bronze Age. Although they are not designated as a rare breed, they are genetically distinct from the Welsh Mountain pony and carry genes specifically related to hardiness and waterproofing.
The Carneddau herd ranges over nearly 13,500 acres or 20 square miles of common between Bethesda, Llanfairfechan, Capel Curig and Conwy, which includes mountains over 3,000 feet high, bogs, cliffs, rocky slopes and lakes. The scenery is spectacular and the ponies know every inch of it. They are owned and managed by the Carneddau Pony Society - a group of farmers from Bethesda and Llanfairfechan who are supported through a management agreement with Natural Resources Wales that helps them to maintain the herd, grazing to benefit wildlife on the mountains, from Chough to Dung beetles.
The ponies graze differently from sheep and have a wider, diet than domestic ponies, they will eat soft rush, Molinia, gorse and mountain grasses. Their grazing and trampling help to keep bracken and gorse under control, create pathways and maintain the landscape of the mountains.

Beach Walkers

 

Beach Walkers at Barmouth with the Yr Eifl mountains in the background.

Dark Skies at Bodnant

 

Stormy skies

 

Stormy skies over Rhos on Sea and two gulls fighting over a starfish.

Storm Gladys

 

Yet another storm, Gladys hit the north west. She wasn't Arwen or Eunice with wind speeds of only 50 - 60 mph. This is perch rock, New Brighton just after high tide.

The name comes from a Perch; a timber tripod supporting a lantern first erected in 1683 as a crude beacon to allow shipping to pass the rock safely. As the Port of Liverpool developed in the Nineteenth Century the perch was deemed inadequate as it required constant maintenance and only produced a limited light. Construction of the present tower began in 1827 by Tomkinson & Company using blocks of interlocking Anglesey granite using dovetail joints and marble dowels. It was designed to use many of the same construction techniques used in the building of John Smeaton's Eddystone Lighthouse 70 years earlier.^[4] Modelled on the trunk of an oak tree, it is a free standing white painted tower with a red iron lantern. It is 29 m (95 ft) tall. It was first lit in 1830 and displayed two white flashes followed by a red flash every minute; the light-source was thirty Argand lamps, mounted on a three-sided revolving array (ten lamps on each side, with red glass mounted in front of one side).^[5] There were also three bells mounted under the gallery to serve as a fog signal; they were tolled by the same clockwork mechanism that caused the lamps to revolve.^[6]

The lighthouse was in continuous use until decommissioned in October 1973 having been superseded by modern navigational technology. Although the lighting apparatus and fog bell have been removed, the lighthouse is very well preserved and retains many features lost on other disused lighthouses.^[7] It was restored and repainted in 2001 when an LED lightsource was installed which flashed the names of those lost at sea; including all the 1,517 victims of the sinking of the Titanic.^[8] At low tide, it is possible to walk to the base of the tower, but a 25-foot ladder is needed to reach the doorway. The lighthouse is privately owned and maintained by the Kingham family, and is a Grade II* listed building.^[9][10]

Storm Dudley

 

Three storms in less than a week Dudley was the first followed closely by Eunice who was given "red alerts" in the southern half of the country. Franklin, followed two days later hitting the northwest hard. This was the tail end of Dudley taken at Crosby. 

February Shadows

 

February shadows from the Oak tree at Bodnant. It's been a mild winter so far so the camellias and azaleas are already out at Bodnant.

Penmon by Moonlight

 Full wolf moon at Penmon Point, Anglesey. The first light from the Trwyn Du Lighthouse and last light on Puffin Island.

Tarn Howes

 

It's been a while since we visited Tarn Howes. I had forgotten how beautiful it was, we nearly had the place to ourselves too. Not quite perfect reflections but the stones add a bit of interest.