W is for...

Wales

I could have chosen several topics from our UK trip for the letter W, but when I started thinking about my selection, there was no doubt in my mind what I would post when I thought of Wales. We so enjoyed the Welsh countryside...

We so enjoyed our Welsh hosts, blogger Liz, her husband Mike, and of course, George.

We had fun when George led us on our walk to Wormshead.

Of course, George wouldn't even think of worrying the sheep.

We saw a bit of history -- both ancient---and modern,

and a chance to contrast rural Wales

and urban..

Wishing our Welsh friends a blessed Christmas. Their plans for the holidays, as have ours, have been influenced by heavy snowfalls. We had a lovely card of a snow-covered Wormshead. May all who read here find the Christmas season brings special blessings.

ABC Wednesday--here in it's seventh season.

George took us on another hike while we were in Swansea

Well, actually Liz and Mike did, but George likes to take the credit.

They took us to this lovely beach.

With this awesome sky for SkyWatch Friday.

SkyWatch Friday has the SkyWatch Showcase at the site this week, along with this week's sky posts from around the world. Be sure to stop by to see.

Oops, George got distracted.

This view shows the reason that this is called Three Cliffs Beach.

Thanks for your patience. Still lots to do getting the house back to normal. We're sure we'll reach for things for the next few months and find them not there and say "oh..." But it's stuff--just stuff.

Mumbles Hill

I guess Liz and George and I posed for our first Blogger meet-up picture,  not at Three Cliffs as I had said, but the evening we arrived in Swansea when we went for a look see to Mumbles Hill.

(George is the blonde.)

Mumbles is an area of Swansea, and it's where Liz hails from.

I think that's Mumbles Light at the point.

 

We were able to look down on Mumbles Pier, which Liz blogged about not long ago here. The sea was pretty calm, so here is my Weekend Reflection, James.

There were some remnants of some WWII gun emplacements on the hill. Sawnse was a target for bombings during that conflict. Good to see a peaceful sprig of vegetation growing up in the hole.

And the view back to the whole city of Swansea showed that it was low tide.

SkyWatch on the Gower Peninsula

Okay, what's she doing now. Is this one of those find the changes in this picture games? Can you find the difference? Okay, yes, the angle is slightly different. A little more sea in the right and a little less rock in the left. But wait!! What is this?

The whole time we were at Worm's Head, this hang glider was taking advantage of the uplift off the sea. When we first saw him, we thought he was taking off from the top of the cliff.

But we eventually realized that he was starting on the beach and riding the thermals to the top.

But wait! Didn't I say this was a SkyWatch? I haven't even shown the sky...

If you have stopped over from SkyWatch Friday and haven't been here before, do scroll back to see some more of our amazing adventures through Scotland and England. And watch for more of Wales and finally our days in London coming soon.

Worm's Head

 Liz and George and I had our "official" Blogger meet-up photo earlier in the day at another beach and here it is. But since I started with the afternoon walk out to Worm's Head (not to be confused with the head of the "worm" currently gracing my header) I must show you how delighted George was to show it to us.

See: "Come on, you guys. What are you waiting for? I think I can put in twice as many steps as you in getting out to the point."

The spit of land that is the Worm's Head reaches out into the Bristol Channel from the point that extends west from Swansea.

You can hike out there if the tides are right, but the high tides cover the spit, and you have to time your hike to fit within the window of opportunity. We used lunch as an excuse to time  ours nicely so that we wouldn't have to decide whether to go or not.

I don't think everyone notices that the "worm" has an eye--you might not see this natural arch if you don't hike out there--or get really curious with your zoom lens.

Later this evening I will show you what else we saw at Worm's Head with a SkyWatch post. And our walk to Three Cliffs is coming up, too.

Working?

I was looking through the files looking for a Men Working picture for Thursday, but still thinking we ought to go on to Wales. So how, you may wonder,  is this Men Working in Wales?

It's surfing school at the beach near Worm's Head, on the Gower Peninsula.

It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

More from Worm's Head in the next few days.

Oops! Just checking something in Liz's blog and find that this is Rhossili Beach--one of the finest beaches in the UK.

But it is near Worm's Head.

ABC Wednesday--G

G is for George.

Do you know George?

Everyone should know George. You can meet him and read about some of his antics at Finding Life Hard. His people are pretty cool, too.

We visited George, Liz, and Mike in Wales. It was one of the  highlights of our trip.

George was a bit upset that he didn't get to help take us to the station.

George is out of sequence in the story of our trip, but perfectly in sequence for ABC Wednesday's arrival at the letter G. See what else starts with G at ABC's link site.

ABC Wednesday--D--and catch-up

The Seventh round of ABC Wednesday has reached the letter D and I promised something special on my return from my adventure. I dread that I cannot deliver. Destiny denied us. Tight schedules, bus breakdowns and clunks from motorbikes, and our plan to meet the creator of ABC Wednesday, dear Denise, and her husband Jon were not to be. DARN!

I did get to talk to her--here I am talking to Denise while waiting for a train. We talked several times trying to sort out how we could meet. But it wasn't to be.

Here is a lovely illuminated D we found in a display of calligraphy at Lincoln Cathedral--just the sort of thing that Denise might enjoy.

For Catch-Up--here is my B--a member of the Yeomen of the Guard at the Tower of London--the "Beefeaters".

And my C--a castle ruin in Wales.

Definitely a clue to our Adventure--a trip to Scotland, England and Wales which you will see quite a bit of in the next few weeks here and in my 365 No Themes No Memes photos only blog.