First day back at work today and around 5 hours of Zoom calls – back to earth with a bump. While I wasn’t on zoom I was trying to catchup with email and Slack messages.
Didn’t get to interact with the kids much today, but they were very happy playing something called AI Dungeon which is (for those of you who remember them) a text adventure created entirely by machine learning (or AI if you like) based software – it creates realistic prose, although non-sensical plots and game play – which suited the kids perfectly!
D was also back at work and also seemed pretty immersed.
Last day of the holidays today. Our house feels totally overcrowded compared to the cottage we’ve been staying in, and I think we’ve all been feeling that. F even got us all tidying up this afternoon – and she hates tidying up.
I felt a bit blue about being back home and about going back to work tomorrow, so I tried to spend a bit of time relaxing on the deck – but the weather didn’t really cooperate (and it’s really chucked it down this evening). I did manage to have a coffee outside while I read How To by Randall Munroe.
F decided she’d take us all on a virtual holiday next week – and spent the morning putting together a “fact file” on Australia, with somewhere different to visit each day. She also got dressed up smart to be our tour guide (I think she looks great in a jacket!)
We did a bit of tidying (as per Fs instructions) and D did the holiday washing (although it didn’t get chance to fully dry).
Back to work tomorrow – I’m not really looking forward to it, but I’m sure it will be fine once I’m into it. Also thinking about how we can make our house a bit nicer to be in (I suspect that means actually getting rid of some stuff which doesn’t come naturally to any of us). I guess now the deck and front path are both done I need a new project!
Got up early (before 7am) to have time to pack and tidy the cottage before checkout at 9am. We headed off at 9, sad to say goodbye to the cottage that’s been home for the past week.
We decided to detour to Tintern on the way home (although we almost changed our minds because of the rain) and were glad we did, although we skipped the Abbey to stop at the “Old Station” which served us coffee/hot chocolates and cakes, and we spent 20 minutes or so having a wander around and admiring the wooden, chainsaw carved, statues in the “Circle of Legends“.
We then headed back to Cheltenham to take Mum home and have lunch. I’d agreed to help with a few issues (mainly computer-based) Mum was having – although ultimately with mixed success, I was trying to shut down old emails and various linked accounts that were Dad’s.
When I’d done all I could (for today at least) we headed home via Big Yellow Storage in Cheltenham where I had to recover a padlock from a storage locker door so I can close down my account with them (we used them to store furniture to fit Dad’s hospital bed into the house back in December). The storage facility itself seemed deserted and the staffed reception area was the only place I interacted with others – and that all at a 2m or more distance with masks and plastic screens – probably the most thorough setup I’ve seen in a place of business in terms of distancing and barriers.
We finally got home around 6pm, having diverted to get some fish and chips from The Chip Shed in Warwick after seeing recommendations on a Warwick Facebook group. Fish was good but I wasn’t so bothered about the chips.
We got home to find the garden blooming (thanks to D).
Last day in Wales today, as we have to be out of the cottage by 9am(!) tomorrow morning and we’re going to take Mum home then head home ourselves.
We went down to Oxwich Bay on the Gower – it was quite a grey day, and much cooler than it has been most of the week, but that was really nice for me!
We walked the length of Oxwich Bay (about 3km each way) at a pretty leisurely pace with the kids, especially F, playing in the surf all the way
At the far end of the bay we had lunch and then me, D and F walked back along the beach the way we’d come, and Mum and B walked across the dunes instead.
When we got back to the car we’d promised F she could get into the sea properly rather than just paddling. F and B have both had swimming lessons at school, but they’ve done barely any swimming outside of that (which we really should do something about), but F was very keen to swim, and asked me to help her – she did a really good job and was really proud of herself (and I got my feet wet as well!).
We got back to the car and bought a cup of tea from the kiosk – and it started to rain – so we had the tea and some bara brith in the car before heading back to the cottage for homemade pizza for tea. A really lovely day.
Feeling a bit down this evening, and tired. We had a quiet day today and didn’t try to do too much as I think we were all quite tired after yesterday. I got up a bit later (9am) and we went to the Craig y Nos country park which is just a ten minute drive away.
The park isn’t that big, and the paths through the park are all very easy walking, but it was wild enough to make it feel like you were exploring. We did a lot of wild life spotting, making use of some nets that Mum had brought for B and F to do some pond dipping, and F using Dad’s old binoculars to bird spot.
It was very pleasant to wander around without any hurry or need to get anywhere, and the kids really enjoyed skimming (or throwing) stones in the river and looking at the various pond life we found.
After lunch which we took with us, and ice cream from the shop, we headed back to the cottage mid-afternoon. The rest of the afternoon unfortunately was a bit of a trial, with both me and F tired, which made for a bad combination and several fallings out.
I think I’m also feeling a bit down that tomorrow is the last day we are in Wales, and the end of our holiday is approaching which is making me sad.
Tomorrow we are planning to head to the coast (Oxwich Bay on the Gower the other side of Swansea) so hopefully that will be a good way of shaking the blues and enjoying the last day in Wales.
Today (12th August) would have been Dad’s birthday. Because of this we thought it would be nice to meet with my sister, E, and her family, and we met at Dyffryn Gardens, a National Trust property near Cardiff.
The gardens were very tranquil, and although the carpark was full it didn’t seem crowded in any way. We had a lovely picnic and then wandered around the gardens and grounds as far as we could (parts were still closed). The children played together (especially the younger 3) and we all got a chance to chat and walk together. I think Dad would have liked it.
Weather today could hardly have been more different to yesterday – hot, with bright sunshine throughout the day. We’d already decided to get going reasonably early to do the Four Falls Trail from Cwm Porth – our original idea was to avoid rain forecast later in the day, and although in the end we didn’t need to worry about that, we were glad we’d gone early because it got pretty busy (and the car park was full) later on.
The walk was lovely, although challenging in places as we had to descend to the second, third and fourth falls and then climb back up – which was pretty tough going.
The second and third falls were the biggest success, with F even able to go for a bit of a dip in the river between them, but overall a really lovely walk
The last waterfall was a bit of a disappointment only because it was a very steep descent (and of course climb afterwards) but it was far too busy when we got down there to take any pleasure in it – and we pretty much just turned around and went straight back up to Fs frustration and disappointment.
We took several hours to do the walk even though it’s only about 5 miles and stopped for lunch on the way – except I forgot to pack a sandwich for D which I still feel extremely guilty about.
Once we’d finished the walk we went and got ice creams, and then went to pick up some more groceries – and noting that no-one in the shop was wearing a facemask except me and the staff I checked the guidelines for Wales and realised that it’s not a requirement in shops in Wales – which explains why so few people wear them!
We got back to the cottage quite tired and I’m feeling tired still now so better get some sleep. Tomorrow would have been Dad’s birthday and we’re meeting up with E and family at Duffryn Gardens.
We went to the National Botanic Garden of Wales today. It felt a lot less organised than the National Trust properties we’ve visited over the last few weeks – with quite a big queue to get in (there were no booked time slots so no way to control when people turned up.) F wasn’t too pleased when we asked her not to climb the trees in the car park as we waited to get in, and that set her mood for the next hour.
Once we were in the garden, it wasn’t busy, and we wandered through a wooded area and then to the arboretum – but at that point it started to rain so we decided to head to the great Glasshouse which is at the centre of the gardens – and enjoyed walking around there until it was time for lunch.
At that point, the skies opened. Luckily while I queued for the toilet (another place where I felt the organisation could have been better), D and the kids found a table under some shelter where we could eat our picnic. It really tipped it down, plus lightning and thunder moving around us – very dramatic and F found it a bit scary.
At this point we were pretty damp, and our spirits were a bit low (although slightly buoyed by tea and hot chocolate) – so we headed to the exit via the walled garden. Happily the rain eased just as we got into the walled garden which was beautiful, and we were able to spend some time looking around and actually enjoying the plants and flowers
In the evening D and I tried to resurrect very rusty cue skills on the pool table in the cottage.
So despite a wet day feeling pretty satisfied this evening. Tomorrow we are hoping for slightly drier weather and planning to tackle another waterfall walk.
We walked to Henrhyd Falls today (tallest waterfall in South Wales and used as a location in Batman: The Dark Knight Rises). The falls themselves are only about 15 minutes walk from the cottage we are renting, so once we’d admired them, and clambered behind them (to F’s delight) we walked along the river down the valley and back along the road to the cottage in a circular walk of about 4 miles (which tested F’s patience a little – probably as well we didn’t go any further).
The falls and the walk were beautiful, the weather was perfect, and exactly the kind of thing I was hoping we’d be able to do. The falls themselves were pretty busy, and on the walk we passed (or were passed by) quite a few groups doing a similar walk to us. Almost everyone was thoughtful and sensible waiting for people to pass and making sure there was plenty of space.
We’d taken snacks with us and enough for the kids to have some lunch, but for the rest of us we had a late lunch when we got back to the cottage around 2pm.
In the afternoon I fell asleep for about an hour, and so the afternoon went quite quickly and D cooked fish pie for tea which we ate outside.
Its seemed like a long day, but after a morning packing and stressing slightly about everything fitting in the car, this evening we are in Wales where it is hot, but hopefully we’ll have a good week.
Took ages to wake up this morning – D was out for a run and when she got back made me a cup of tea which finally helped me wake up properly and get out of bed.
The morning was spent sorting out clothes and packing, then lunch (left over pizza) and then packing the car to head off to Wales via Cheltenham to pick up my Mum. We’d originally planned to eat at my Mum’s then head to Wales in the evening (check in times are much later than usual on cottages because of the extra cleaning that needs doing between rentals.) However, we got a text from the owners to say the property would be ready by 6pm and so decided to go a little earlier than planned and eat when we arrived.
Drive was fine (if hot), but stopping for petrol it was very noticeable that several customers didn’t wear a mask or observe the one-way system in the petrol station.
We got to the property about 6:30 and ate dinner outside – very glad to be in a different location for a few days.
