What’s the weather like? Dry and bright and we’ll definitely go out somewhere, damp and chilly…well there’s always housework!! Cloudy and dull… a visit to the Botanic Garden which is great in any weather ! Can’t wait around for sunny days for too long!
At the Botanic Gardens a walk up to the Great Glasshouse passes examples of many rocks of different periods and gives a good distant view, over the meadows, of the Butterfly House.
Some new bridges have been installed in the Gardens. Walking through a lovely woodland area we reached one new bridge but it was fenced off and won’t be open for walkers until later this year.
Lovely to see all the colourful autumn flowers in the borders still standing upright even after all the wind and rain.
Another new bridge in the Gardens spans across a wetland area which is just being replanted. It was very muddy! Children would love it!
On the way home we stopped at Pont Felin Gap, which used to be another entrance to the Gardens. Now it is all closed off and one can only peep ( I had to scramble up a wall…wish I was taller!) at yet another new bridge. This one looks quite rustic. Looking forward to when visitors can walk across all these new bridges and see the new features easily.
Dry and bright on another day and we drove to Tregaron…50 minutes away.
We parked the car in the carpark where there was still free parking. That’s one of the great benefits of lockdown…no parking charges! Hope it lasts for ages. The town was buzzing and full of trailers and people…it was the start of a hunt!
We left them to it after a tickle on each nose and a whispered ‘Sorry’ !
My Dad came from Tregaron and Welsh was his first language. It’s a pretty town with a river running through it and a good pub and art /craft gallery.
Statue of Henry Richard 
Dad’s bungalow…years ago! 
We headed to the art/craft gallery where there was the usual collection of all wonderful crafty things that I wanted to buy! Also a lovely coffee shop where we sat outside chatting to some bikers and enjoyed the view over the church.
There was an enjoyable guided tour of new art work by Welsh artists led by Philip Huckin. He is having an exhibition in the autumn in Fine Art Gallery Llandeilo….looking forward to seeing it.
Not far from Tregaron is Cors Caron Nature Reserve. A marvellous area of raised bog and on a sunny day the best place to visit ever!
First ever slideshow….Tregaron Bog!
Whilst walking along the board walk there were numerous Common Lizards warming themselves in the sun. The butterflies were out surfing over the heather, the cotton grass was blowing snowily in the bog and the ponies were keeping an eye on us!
As we were near Strata Florida we popped in to see it again. The abbey was established by Cisterian monks in 1201. It became the most famous church in Wales after St Davids. It is the final resting place for generations of medieval Welsh princes.
A day drive up to Bethesda in North Wales for a dear friend’s funeral was ended by a stop off on the way home at Betws-y-Coed…prayer- house in the wood.
The town was packed with tourists and with the sun shining we walked around and over the bridge and enjoyed the view of the river. We also enjoyed the tastiest Welsh Rarebit in the world courtesy of the chef in The Royal Oak Hotel. The drive through the Snowdonia mountains was breathtaking . Wales is such an incredible country with so many wonderful natural beauties to enjoy and all so near!
There was also a selection of old railway carriages to enjoy at the railway station and a fine collection of railway dioramas and model engines in an exhibition.
Back home the garden continues to grow wildly and my secateurs , shears, hedge cutters are now all at the ready to start cutting everything back! Then something new begins to flower to give delight ( especially the flowering ginger!) and everything stops again and I take time just to enjoy the garden and all the creatures in it.
Thank you for reading. Having to wear face masks in shops starts in Wales on Monday…something new to remember again…as well as my shopping list, keys and purse!
Thank you especially Quiet Solo Pursuits!
Lletty's Blog 
There were almost too many things to enjoy in this post. I had to go over it three times to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. The Welsh rarebit is mouthwatering.
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Thank you for reading. I know I cram too much into posts! It’s the story of my life. ….cramming jumpers into drawers, cramming plants into borders, cramming words into sentences, cramming ingredients into baking, cramming activities into days….but you know all about it!! Look how much you and Mrs T fit into one of your days…kindred spirits…enjoying every day of our lives and sharing it all on WP! Long may it last!
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Amen to that. I wasn’t complaining about the wealth of good things in the post, just marking my amazement at your activities.
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So many interesting sights on your travels this week, Marianne. And the Welsh rarebit looks delicious! I remember my mum making that sometimes. Good eye, catching the lizards and, as always, the flowers are delightful.
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Thanks for reading Sue. There were lots of lizards basking in the sun so it wasn’t too hard to capture a photo but I’m still pleased I managed it! Beer, sauce and mustard were added ingredients in the Welsh rarebit along with Welsh cheese all on granary bread…heaven!
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