Mick's 60th - March

Mick's 60th birthday is in August so I'm arranging little surprises for him throughout the year, hopefully one each month. Mick has no idea what's in store, I'm arranging it all myself.

South Wales is somewhere Mick's wanted to visit for a long time so I decided we'd have a short break there earlier this month. I chose The Mumbles as our base as it's at the start of the Gower Peninsula, an area Mick was especially keen on seeing. 

We arrived on the Wednesday after a long five and a half hour drive and as the clocks hadn't yet gone forward, we had limited time before the sun would set so we quickly checked into our hotel, dumped our bags and set off for Rhossili Bay, a three mile stretch of sandy shore. Can you see that little cottage overlooking the bay, it belongs to the National Trust and is available to rent. It's rather expensive, definitely out of our budget, but what a view it must have.

We didn't go down onto the beach, we walked on the coastal path along the cliffs. Sheep were grazing right up to the cliff edge and we saw semi-feral Welsh Mountain ponies here too.

It's less than a mile to the manned coast guard station. At low tide you're able to follow a path down onto the causeway which leads to the tidal island of Worms Head.

We didn't have enough time before nightfall to walk onto the island but the scenery was breathtaking. I'm so pleased we made the effort to go straight here after arriving.

The following day was cold, blustery and rainy. We saw the lifeboat in the water just off Mumbles pier, perhaps undertaking training exercises.

We decided to shelter from the weather a little while in the amusements on the pier, I don't really need an excuse to spend a pound or two in the arcades. From here we could see Mumbles Lighthouse which was built in 1794. We spent the rest of the day having a drive around the area as well as mooching a little in the shops in Mumbles, basically making the most of the day without getting wet through.

Thankfully, the Friday was sunnier and drier, though it was still very windy. We decided on another cliff top walk, this time from Southgate to Three Cliffs Bay.

It would have been nice to wander down onto the beach but unfortunately, once you've walked down you have to climb back up again and my hips are in no state for that at the moment so we admired the view from on high.

We arrived back in Mumbles and treated ourselves to delicious ice-creams from Joe's, a famous Welsh brand which was established over a hundred years ago in 1922.

The afternoon was taken up with a walk along the seafront in Mumbles. This view is looking over Swansea Bay. We stayed in a hotel in The Mumbles, had a meal in a chain restaurant on our first evening, ate in the hotel on the second evening and had a pub meal on our final evening.

We'd noticed there was a market just a stones throw away from our hotel on the Saturday so after popping to a bakery to pick up some Welsh cakes, we had a look around it before setting off home. It was actually a really nice farmers' and producers' market where you can buy fresh local produce and artisan goods. We picked up a couple of mementos to bring home with us, I got a gorgeous skein of yarn from Penrhallt Alpacas. It's an alpaca/silk /cashmere blend so very soft, and Mick got a bottle of dark rum to add to his ever growing rum collection.

We had a really lovely break and though we did enjoy South Wales and acknowledge that there's some stunning scenery, we preferred the north. It's a few years now since we visited North Wales so perhaps we'll have to visit again soon.

A Year Without Archie

I can't believe that it's now a year since Archie died. Even after all this time, we're still getting used to life without him.

Anyone who has ever loved a pet will know the heartbreak that comes with losing them, and though it's such an awful thing to live with, it's worth it for all you gained through loving them.

I still look for him as we unlock the door after a trip out, think I can hear him mooching about the house sniffing for food, imagine I glance him out the corner of my eye as I pass an open door, and turn my head to look at the back seat of the car on days out.

Archie was only a little dog but he left a huge hole in our lives and he'll be missed forever. My best boy.

Jigsaws

It's many years since I last had a go at a jigsaw, in fact I can't even remember when that was. I see many people who write blogs, and on Instagram, showing the puzzles they've completed and I always think that I must have a go at one myself but it's one of those things that I just never get round to.

Until, that is, my lovely friend Lisa bought me a jigsaw as one of my Twelve Days of Christmas 2025 gifts. It was only a small puzzle, 100 pieces, but I think this was just what I needed to get me going. We had a rainy afternoon one Sunday in January and with nothing much else to do, I unboxed it and completed it in an hour or two. I loved the process and was hooked. Isn't it a pretty design, I just love all those flowers.

It wasn't long until I started on a jigsaw which Mick bought for me for Christmas 2024. This one is a Charles Dickens design with the added fun of having seventy Dickens characters to find. It's only these past few years that I've started reading Dickens' novels, I've read five of his books so I don't know all of the characters but there was an information sheet included which told you a little about each character and showed a picture of them. It was a good addition, a bit of extra fun after the last piece was fitted. This jigsaw was quite a jump from the last one as it has 1000 pieces. I was rather addicted to it actually, I couldn't wait to sit down with it each day, so it didn't take me as long to finish it as I thought it would.

Then I started on a Wasgij, this was another Christmas gift from Mick which he gave me many Christmases ago, it was definitely time to have a go at it. A Wasgij is a different type of jigsaw in that you don't assemble the picture on the box, that's just there as a clue. The scene is usually something that the characters are looking at, so as it's a bit back to front, the word jigsaw has also been turned around, hence the name Wasgij. As there's no picture to go by, it's rather challenging. Before I got to the main puzzle though, there was a free 1000 piece puzzle included in the box, this time it did resemble the shown picture so it wasn't as difficult as a normal Wasgij but it was still a bit challenging for me.

And then came the actual Wasgij which I've just finished. Again, it's a 1000 piece puzzle and this time there was no picture to go by, just a hint, 'What the vicar can see!'. This one was the most difficult of all but I enjoyed the challenge.

I think I've discovered a new hobby, in fact I'm obsessed, I could sit all day if time allowed. I've decided that I'm not going to do any more jigsaws though over the summer months, keeping this as a winter hobby, it'll give me something to look forward to when the darker evenings roll round once again.

Mick's 60th - February

It's Mick's 60th birthday in August so we're having a year-long celebration, doing some fun things throughout the year, hopefully something each month. I'm arranging everything myself, Mick has no idea what's in store.

I'd been waiting for a fine day throughout February, it's just been so rainy, so it wasn't until yesterday, almost the end of the month, that we finally got a reasonable day which coincided with a day we were free.

As you will know by now if you've been reading my blog for any length of time, our favourite place is the Yorkshire Dales, we just love it there and take many trips every year, but there's still plenty of places we've yet to discover. We couldn't have a year-long celebration of Mick's birthday without including something from the Dales, but I didn't want it to be anything we usually do when we visit, so I put my thinking cap on and this is what I came up with.

We set off early yesterday morning and arrived in Settle at about 9.45am.  We headed straight to the train station and parked up the car, we were going to ride on the Settle-Carlisle Railway. We weren't going all the way to Carlisle, just a couple of stops along the route so that we could cross the Ribblehead Viaduct, something we've never done before. We often park up to watch the trains crossing the viaduct when we're passing, you can see the viaduct in my post about Malham which I wrote a few years ago.

There were some beautiful views along the way before we reached the viaduct.

They say that the Settle to Carlisle railway is one of the worlds greatest rail journeys owing to views of the landscape of the Yorkshire Dales before the train heads into Cumbria's Eden Valley which then gives way to views of the Pennines and Lakeland Fells.

We passed through Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Ribblehead stations before we reached the Ribblehead Viaduct which carries the railway across Batty Moss in the Ribble Valley, it's Grade II listed and is the longest structure on the Settle-Carlisle line. This is the view as we crossed it.

About ten minutes later we alighted the train in Dent, you may remember my post about The Terrible Knitters Of Dent which I wrote a couple of years ago. Dent Station is the highest main line station in England.

We were the only passengers to leave the train at Dent and as we left the station we could see why. Rookie mistake, I should have checked that Dent Station is actually in Dent. No, it isn't, Dent Station is actually in the middle of nowhere, over four miles from the village of Dent.

Not to worry, I thought, there was a bus stop right outside the station, but oh dear, on checking the timetable there's just two buses per week, both on a Saturday. So as I'd got other things planned throughout the day, we decided to cut our losses and return on the next train which was an hour and twenty four minutes later, which I'd planned to do anyway, and in the meantime we took a walk along the road outside the station. In all that time only three cars passed us.

Another photo crossing the viaduct on our way back, this time in the opposite direction. You can see cars lined up along the road where people park to either watch trains cross the viaduct or to take a walk underneath the arches.

We arrived back in Settle early afternoon and had a short walk around the small market town, grabbing something light to eat before leaving Ribblesdale behind. The Yorkshire Dales has the longest cave system in the country and we've often passed Stump Cross Caverns on our trips between Grassington and Pateley Bridge but we've never visited so I thought it was about time we did. I knew it would be something that would interest Mick and I wasn't wrong.

I went caving, or potholing, in the Yorkshire Dales on an outdoor pursuits course with work when I was in my teens, I can't say it was my favourite part of the weekend so thankfully, our trip to Stump Cross Caverns was nothing like that. Discovered by lead miners in 1860, the formation of Stump Cross Caverns began millions of years ago and so offer a glimpse into prehistoric life. There's an extensive network of underground passages and cave systems between Wharfdale and Nidderdale, featuring amazing stalactites and stalagmites and there's now a scenic walking route throughout.

I wanted to go later in the day as at 3pm the main lights are turned out for the ultraviolet experience. As well as being given a normal torch to light your way, you're given UV torches to shine on the calcite rock formations which then glow.

Here's a stalagmite under normal light.

Here's the same stalagmite under UV light.

It was an amazing experience, you just never know what's underneath the ground you're walking on. The number of times we've passed this attraction and yet we've never been before, both Daniel and Eleanor would have loved this when they were young, it's an attraction suitable for all ages, though you do need to be quite fit as there are a lot of steps to get down into the caves and there are some rather low ceilings, hard hats are provided, and needed!

Our last port of call was less than ten minutes away in Appletreewick. The Craven Arms is a 16th century pub restaurant which we've been visiting for as long as I can remember. Serving traditional food, you're always sure of a good meal, and that's exactly what we got. A lovely way to end a lovely day.

It's such a welcoming pub with roaring fires when it's cold and cosy corners. It's been used as a filming location for many programmes, most notably the interior scenes of The Drovers Arms in All Creatures Great and Small.

And what have we here next to the beer barrel. Why, it's a little mouse door, a pint of milk waiting on the doorstep.

What a lovely day doing new things, we both really enjoyed it, despite the little hiccup with Dent!

In Search Of Snowdrops

We've been promising ourselves a trip to Dunham Massey, a National Trust property in Altrincham, to see their wonderful display of snowdrops but there just hadn't been a let up in the rain until last Saturday when we woke to blue skies and sunshine.

We seized our chance and made the journey over the snowy Pennines. As you enter the gardens the heady scent of daphne greets you. A wonderful shrub to grow for winter and spring perfume, I'm looking for more winter interest in my own garden so a daphne has been added to the list.

We've had so much rain just lately that many of the flowers are quite mud-splattered but that didn't spoil our enjoyment of them.

I think the best way to see snowdrops is en masse, a beautiful carpet of white, so as much as I can appreciate the beauty of a single flower it just doesn't take my breath away in quite the same fashion as a whole swathe growing together.

As well as mud, the plants are having to contend with lots of leaves which have been blowing around too. I think they're in just about every one of my photos.

Dunham Massey isn't only about snowdrops though, there's over 200,000 bulbs in the gardens as well as other plants and shrubs so there's plenty to see the whole year round, though it's got one of the largest winter gardens in the UK so it's a great place to visit at this time of year.

Primroses are one of my favourite spring flowers, I just love their delicate, pale yellow colour.

I found irises very short lived when I grew them in my last garden, none ever flowered again for a second year. Perhaps they didn't like the conditions there and I should try them in my new garden.

This one is iris George.

I love witch hazel with their spidery blooms. They're always fun to photograph in the sunshine as the light passes over them.

You couldn't have a winter garden without hellebores, though I always think it's such a shame that their heads bow downwards, they're such pretty flowers.

A beautiful camellia, such a pretty colour.

I was rather taken with this salix Mount Aso, I've never seen pink catkins before. Many people were stopping to admire them.

You don't really get the effect of the snowdrops growing underneath the Himalayan birch trees from a photo, nor do you see quite how white the trunks are, but this area of the garden is stunning.

I have insect houses in my own garden but I love this idea of building a wigwam with cut back material for bugs to overwinter in. It will rot down and can then be raked into the soil and used as compost. It gives a bit of interest to the winter garden too.

I can never resist a photo of a mossy trunk.

Dunham Massey was packed on Saturday, I think everyone was pleased of a break in the weather and decided on a day out. It's such a large property though that there's plenty of space to accommodate everyone. The house is closed at the moment, it reopens again next month.

We had a walk by the pond to see the ducks and swans before taking a walk in the 300 acre deer park. A large herd of fallow deer roam freely and it was lovely to just stand and watch them awhile.

It was a lovely day out, just what I needed after being cooped up indoors because of the rain. I've noticed that the hours of daylight are beginning to lengthen now and the buds are swelling, spring isn't too far away.