A weekend in Cardiff

I'm baaaaack!
After a slightly unintentional but lengthy hiatus, I have returned to blogging and I have a lot planned for you! I thought I'd start with a little run down of my weekend in the beautiful Welsh capital, Cardiff!

Mark had got tickets for the Wales v Italy match ages ago, and amazingly they were front row seats right behind the posts! Great spot for watching the players warm up before the match.

15 is Leigh Halfpenny, 11 is George North. We were devastated to see Rhys Webb and Leigh Halfpenny stretchered off, and even worse to hear this evening's news that Halfpenny will have to miss the World Cup. 

The morning of the match we met a couple of ladies from our town who were about to set off on their cycle ride from Cardiff Castle to Caernarfon Castle. They are cycling in aid of Odyssey, a charity which aims to help cancer sufferers regain their self confidence through fun and adventure - they do so much good work and really improve the lives of the people they help.

Of course I did plenty of shopping! A haul will follow sometime this week. One purchase I was not expecting to make was from Cardiff Violins. We were walking through Castle Arcade, one of Cardiff's many beautiful Victorian arcades, when I spotted a sign for the upper level saying "Cardiff Violins." I've played violin since I was 10, so I was keen to have a  little look!
I was only going in for a nosy, but then the lady showed me the room full of cases. My poor violin has been in a battered case that's been falling apart for years, so it was well needed! I didn't have a huge budget, as my violin is only basic and some of the cases were double the cost of the instrument, but I found one that fit the bill - now I just need to practice!!

How beautiful is the violin room!?

Mark took part in the Cardiff 10k on Sunday morning. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of him running, or with his medal, even though it was a beautiful sunny morning, buuuuut I did get this pic of Jamie Roberts who started the race! I also got a selfie with him, but I look really rough in it.

On the way home we decided to stop at St Fagan's museum. We turned off the dual carriageway to be greeted by hundreds of cars parked in a field and car park martials directing people. Cue utter confusion as to why it was so busy! Turns out there was a food festival on, yay food!

We had quite a jam-packed weekend that left us both knackered when we got home yesterday evening. I slept in the car for most of the journey! I'm looking forward to heading back to Cardiff on Sunday for the #PartyAtTheAngel blogging event.. see you there?

Moochin' with the pooch - woodland and flooded river

Another lot of pictures from a walk with my lovely dog. I wanted to go somewhere that would be pretty in photos so I chose my local woods, which back on to a river which was flooded. I didn't think this through and didn't put a towel in the car - cue muddy paw prints all over my seats when we got back!

This walk was also to practice my photography skills and see what I could get out of my Nikon Coolpix - a regular point-and-shoot camera that's about 4 years old. I'm always taking photos on my phone so I thought I'd try and get the best out of my camera. Any hints/tips are welcome!

I'm annoyed that the sky is bright white in this photo, but I had to include this picture of the old Dovecot. The woods surround the ruins of an old mansion house that was destroyed after the war. I'm really gutted that the house was destroyed but I've had over 20 years enjoying these woods.

This is the edge of the woods next to the river. This little drainage ditch was overflowing onto the path. Luckily I had my walking boots on but I'd have preferred my wellies!

Believe it or not that's the old boat house - I don't think its much use now! The water level is normally where those tall rushes are - as you can see there's been quite a lot of rain recently - also the river is still tidal here.

Tess loves paddling, getting muddy and running around like a mad thing. She found a patch of water the other side of the bank to the river and was rushing around in and out of it and splashing like a child - she loves it!

Moochin' with the pooch - the beach

On the very rare nice days we've had recently I've made sure to get out and about walking the dog. I live in such a stunning area its a shame not to make the most of it. I know I'm guilty of taking it for granted - I'm instantly reminded how lucky I am when I see people have taken whole day trips just to get to the seaside - where for me its a 20 minute walk from my house.

These are a selection of photos from the beach just before the sun set. In the next few days I'll post photos from our woodland/river walk.

Peat bogs  - a fossilised ancient forest. There's a legend about a whole country in Cardigan bay that was lost to the sea. Google Cantre'r Gwaelod for more about this. My brother starred in a school play about it in Primary School - forget nativties, we do myths and legends round here!

Is it weird that  I love the way the light is shining through this jellyfish?

My Tessy-bear - she's a 2 and a half year old border collie. Her parents were working sheepdogs, she loves herding us!

Sunsets are so beautiful - pictures never seem to do them justice! I love to watch for that last little glimpse of light before the sun completely disappears beneath the horizon. Magical.