Helen

Today (14th April) is National Laverbread Day in Wales. There's an interesting article on the BBC's website about Kathleen Drew-Baker's research which saved the Japanese nori production. She never visited Japan, but is known there as Mother of the Sea. I've never eaten laverbread. It may be one of those things that I only try once and then never eat it again. But if I get the chance, I'll give it a go.

Enjoy sushi? You may have Welsh seaweed to thank for it.

Last Thursday we did one of the local Famous Named Walks. We avoid these during the summer because they are very popular, but we thought that the route would be much quieter mid-week in October. And so it was. A minibus pulled into the car park just as we were setting off on the walk, but if the school group were doing the Precipice Walk, we managed to stay ahead of them all the way round.

We always do the walk anticlockwise because the views open up and get more spectacular as you go round, but we did meet a few people -- including a woman running with a collie -- who were doing it clockwise. First you climb up from the car park along a easy track to reach Llyn Cynwch, home sheep and, according to a local legend, fairies.



Now the real walk starts with a climb up to the path that curves around the hill. It's been wet lately. However, the weather was beautiful, a little chilly but bright and sunny.

( More photos here... )

Just a usual Friday: the big weekly shop in the Co-op, then a quick visit to see M for the crossword and cuppa. Another friend of M's is busy building a ramp from the sun room into the garden. At present M is stuck in the house due to now needing a wheelchair and there being no step free access, either at the front or the back.

I had intended to call in the Eurospar as well, but forgot until I was almost half way home. I'll pop in on Sunday instead.

I haven't done much this afternoon, but did have a nice chat with our son. He'd sent us photos of the completed loft conversion and then phoned to ask what we'd done during the rest of our holiday after we'd spent the day with them.

( Eowyn Challenge -- weekly progress report )

I'm pleased to say that I'm fully recovered and completely back to normal today. I slept well last night and even the arm soreness had gone by this morning. So it was a normal Wednesday with a quick visit to the Co-op before walking through into town to the cafe where the Welsh chat group meets. This morning we had a visitor from Connecticut who is learning Welsh. She was actually born in Wales and learned a bit of Welsh in school. She did really well.

And here's this week's alphabet photo challenge shot.

40/52 for the group 2024 Weekly Alphabet Challenge

This week's theme was: N is for Narrow

The little town where I live has some narrow streets and even narrower pavements (sidewalks). This road is two way so cars have to squeeze past one another.

As usual, we drove to a car park before starting our walk. However, this time we drove a little further and parked at the car park for Morfa Mawddach station which is on the Cambrian Coast line. Morfa Mawddach is just a halt or request stop as they are now called. As the train approaches, you have to indicate to the driver that you want the train to stop -- basically stick out your hand. If you are on the train, you need to ask the guard to let the driver know you want to get off.

Looking towards Barmouth at the foot crossing at Morfa Mawddach station. As you can see, the line is single track with occasional passing places.


( Read on here... )

I did take one photo of the estuary on the way back. The weather stayed dry, though the sky was threatening, but we could see that Barmouth was bathed in sunshine. The photo shows the view across the estuary to Barmouth. The Fairboune miniature steam train can just be seen in the distance in the centre of the photo, just above the three sheep. If you click through to Flickr, you'll be able to see the full size version.



The whole walk was 5 miles, which felt comfortable. Tomorrow the weather forecast is grim. Heavy rain and strong winds, so we won't be going anywhere.

Today was a normal Friday. The big Co-op shop and a visit to M (who will be 102 on Christmas day.)

I'm pleased to say that the steam inhalations have subdued the sinus congestion and the restful days have restored my energy. The weather is forecast to be fine tomorrow, so we'll take the opportunity to walk to the coast. Not all the way there, there's a car park we can drive to and then walk the rest of the way. After Saturday it will be wet. Very wet...

( Eowyn Challenge -- weekly progress report )

I wonder why?

Could it be due to walking 30 miles during the five days we were away on holiday, then doing a big shop on the Thursday after we returned followed by a small top-up shop and visiting M on Friday, before leading a walk of 8 miles with 16 people on Saturday, and finally doing a Zoom Quaker meeting on Sunday?

Then yesterday I was rushing around taking the car to the garage for its MOT before walking into town with the shopping trolley to replenish food supplies and then trimming the long grass round the edge of the car park with my new electric grass and shrub trimmer.

I have therefore sent an email of apology to the Welsh chat group and will be resolutely doing nothing in particular today. I also fear I may be coming down with a cold. I did a covid test this morning which was negative, so if the sniffle does develop further it's not the dreaded lurgy, though still annoying. Having said that it could just be a dust allergy flare up. Only time will tell.

I was about to remove the ink cartridges and disconnect the printer prior to booking a slot at the recycling centre to dispose of it. Perhaps it sensed my intentions, because when I decided to just give it one more try, it worked!

So I will continue to use it until the black ink runs out and then we've decided that one printer between us will be fine. I hardly print anything these days and can use the printer downstairs in G's room on the odd occasions that I do need a hard copy.

Some months ago I somehow allowed myself to be persuaded to be the Local Expert on the Quaker walk organised by the Barmouth Walking Festival. I have just done a lot of walking while away in South Wales, so I'm fit and I've done the walk with a couple of people already this year, so I know the route works.

Having said that, initially I thought that Steve (one of the festival organisers) would actually lead the walk and I'd just explain the sites when we reached them, but it turned out that he thought my route and suggested direction (anticlockwise) would work better than the route he'd been given, so I ended up leading the way.

I've been worried about the weather because we've just had a dry week and that's quite a long run of dry days for NW Wales. However, the forecast was good and though it was a bit humid and clammy as we descended the final hill and the sky was looking a bit threatening, it didn't rain until I was safely home.

As I was doing the last minute preparation yesterday, I went to print out my notes with reminders of the sort of things I forget, e.g. dates, names of people. Annoyingly my printer gave up the ghost with an error message about a problem with the cartridge and gave me a link to buy some more. I said "Not likely!" (it is 10 years old) but then wondered how I was going to take my notes with me. I solved the problem by reformatting the document into a narrow column down the middle of the page, exported to PDF, sent a copy to my phone and then with the phone in landscape orientation I could enlarge the print so I could read it while wearing my distance glasses. It worked well and was more discreet and professional looking than clutching a sheaf of papers.

I walked into town in good time to meet the walkers who were coming by bus from Barmouth. The start ended up a bit chaotic, but once we got going everything went smoothly. The problem was two people who were coming all the way from Hereford and who had somehow got the wrong start time. The walk was supposed to start at 10.00, but they thought it was 11.00. I was tempted to leave them behind, but Steve felt guilty as he might have been the person who told them the wrong time. So we waited. I also nipped to the Spar to buy some sandwiches and a Kitkat because I hadn't realised the walk would be long enough to need a packed lunch.

While we waited, I explained the locations in the centre of town, namely the square where George Fox preached, the hotel whose basement was once the gaol where Quakers were imprisoned and the narrow street of old cottages where Marion Eames's historical novel Y Stafell Ddirgel / The Secret Room begins.

I had just explained about the gaol when we saw that on the other side of the road, Steve was being interviewed by a camera crew.



After a few minutes, they crossed over to us and explained that they were looking for "hot singles" to take part in a future reality show. I'd seen a post about this online and asked if they were S4C (the Welsh language channel) and the woman doing the interview said they were. So they actually wanted Welsh speaking "hot singles".

Anyway, this took up some time, so by the time we returned to the main square, the latecomers were only two minutes away. They actually were something of a nuisance because not only were they an hour late, but they also had a hyper border collie and a not very well behaved rescue spaniel. There were two other dogs on the walk who behaved impeccably and didn't bark at all. The pair of canine delinquents often barked when I was trying to explain something. But I managed to make myself heard.

Once we got going, the walk went very well. Possibly too well? I have a feeling they'll be asking me to repeat it next year. Oh, dear... I will have to see.

We visited all the other sites of interest and I managed to get a better photo of the farm where Quakers used to meet. Previous times I've been there the sun had been too bright and in the wrong position for good photos.



From there it's just a long plod back down a quiet lane to the town. I am now very tired, but I cooked some chicken yesterday, so all I have to do it bake a couple of potatoes to go with it.

We're currently away in Cardiff and I'm not going to write long posts on my phone. I'm reading posts and will try to comment, but will catch up with posting when we get back home.