recently...

Oh my days, it has been a long time since I last posted here. The ease of posting on Instagram has probably contributed to this tardiness as well as a tendency to take more photographs on my phone which I then think aren't good enough to post on here. In an effort to rectify that will share more of my phone photographs rather than none at all!

January has been a month of change for us as we have begun to move into our House part of the church conversion we have been working on. I am putting together a post on our website about it to be published very soon. Starting to use this space which we have been painstakingly creating for the past 13 years is the most incredible thing. There is so much I could say about it all but what has struck me most is the light!

The kitchen has one of the few clear windows in the church and I just adore being by it, looking out watching the weather. Earlier this week I spent almost the whole day in the kitchen making marmalade. With the sun streaming through the window warming my back as I 'finely sliced' the peel, listening to the radio, I was so content! The window has enhanced my life enormously (the Hut which has been our temporary house while we made the real one, was in effect a building within a building and therefore had no outside windows).

 

 

I have however been getting out and about in all weathers recently as I have taken up running. This has been wonderful for exploring all the nearby country lanes and has probably contributed to the increase in landscape photographs being taken with my phone camera. The early morning runs are the best as you get to see this...

I have really taken to these mini adventures and challenges that running has given me, and that I'm up and out to get to see the sun rise on a frosty January morning is a real bonus.

Thank you for sticking with me! I shall endeavour not to leave it so long xx

blue skies

 

The biggest bluest skies at the Elan Valley earlier this week where we went for our half term ramble. The boys were keen to see the Claerwen dam (as they had watched Top Gear's Richard Hammond drive a Landrover up the front of it on TV!).

 

 

 

The winter colours were stunning, bleached windswept grasses contrasting with the blue sparkling water.

The Claerwen river flows from the dam down through a wide boggy valley. We walked along a bridleway adjacent to the river. However the track was very waterlogged in places and after a failed attempt to jump a stream with a 5 year old on my back and ending up knee deep in a bog, we turned back! 

These beautiful wild hills definitely need a return visit (and I must remember after a long wet spell, to keep to the high ground).

squelching through fields

 

Last weekend, Littlest and I took advantage of a free couple of hours to 'squelch and squerch' across fields, along country lanes and along the canal to a nearby village, Berriew.

 

 

The rains held off long enough to reach home. It was good to be out... exploring, stretching our legs and eyes. And what a joy to spot the first of the snowdrops on a roadside verge. 

the copper beech in january

Soft winter sunlight casting long shadows.
Bare branches with the last leaves holding on.

 

 

Joining in with 'Tree Following'

a new year escape

 

... to the coastline of Cardigan Bay.

A New Year's Eve walk from Mwnt beach along the clifftops, fields and country lanes. 

The tranquil ancient church of Mwnt with it's whitewashed walls and simple, natural festive window displays.

 

And to blow the very last of the cobwebs away, a New Year's Day ramble to Penbryn beach.
Mesmerised by the big waves. 

A refreshing start to the new year.

the hawthorn tree in february

 

A grey drizzly sort of a day, and yet the colours on the Hawthorn tree seem to glow when you look hard enough. Maybe it is because everything else seems a little dull in this weather that you notice colour more?

Searching for some sign of life on the tree during its winter slumber, I spotted tiny red leaf buds starting to emerge. A nice contrast to the spent leaf stems of last year which are still attached to the branches.

The new growth from last year is more obvious now with the fresher feel of the bark and it's deep red colouration.

The few remaining haws are well and truly past their 'best before date'.

 

 

And there is some evidence of bird life around the tree...

 

 

I will be sad to say goodbye to 'my' hawthorn tree next month after a whole year of following it. I shall look back at the changes it has undergone during the year. 

Meanwhile I need to start thinking about my new tree...

Joining in with Loose and Leafy's 'Tree Following' project.

trelystan

 

 

Even though I live 'in town', the hills aren't that far away. Within a couple of miles you can escape to what can feel like another world of mountain views and even snow, which delighted the boys! When you reach the ridge of Long Mountain, to the west you can see Cadair Idris and the Berwyn mountains, and to the east the Stiperstones and Cordon Hill.
On a bracing day walking across farmland, the views were enhanced by the beautiful stark shapes of the bare trees and the fields were peppered with molehills, which seemed to be prolific.
Quite literally in the middle of nowhere is Trelystan Church (more here) . It is quite a magical building nestled amongst trees in a field, surrounded by more fields. It was strange to see a Church not surrounded by dwellings, but it felt very much part of its landscape and gave a glimpse into the area's rich history.
It was one of those places where you wonder why you hadn't been there sooner when it's on our doorstep.

woodland snowdrops

 

  

 

A snatched hour to stretch the legs and get some air on a very blustery winter's day. I went to a near by beech wood which we call the bluebell wood as come May it is carpeted with them. At this time of year far corner of the wood is white with snowdrops emerging through the leaf litter. They must have been planted there a long time ago, and I often wonder by whom. I am very grateful to them as their simple beauty en-mass is a tonic to the senses at this bitterly cold time of year.

Oh and look... the bluebells are coming!