Jungle Climbing Frame

Ever since my son was born, two½ years ago I have thought about building some kind of funky climbing frame in the garden to blend with the 'jungle' look of the planting. So, for the past 3 or 4 months, I've been working like a demon to transform the garden from an 'overplanted plant collectors plant collection' into a family garden with a backdrop of handsome architectural plants, and a Jungle Climbing Frame!


Using a mixture of materials I got free from work, materials I had left over from previous projects, and stuff I had to buy, I designed and constructed this....








It proved a real headache to consider all the safety issues for a 2½ year old (and for a 38 year old!) and I still have a few concerns about one or two things, but I can always modify things as I go along. My little boy loves it!

Sugarloaf sunset

Spur of the minute decision to take a short walk up the Sugarloaf (a local extinct volcano near Abergavenny (which means ''Town at the foot of the fire breathing behemoth' in Welsh)) yesterday evening to watch the sunset. It proved a good idea...the temps had dropped enough, the light was great, the hill was deserted, which meant I could arse about with the self timer at the summit, and generally just enjoy the experience.

Sunset over the Black Mountains


Wife pointed out that it was unsual to see me with an impressive erection between my legs...

A light jacket was needed later on as the breeze picked up...or maybe I'm just soft as sh*te..?

The sheep wouldn't keep still for the pic...

Ogmore by the Sea.

I love Ogmore by the sea. So many childhood memories. Spent many a great day there, exploring caves, rockpools, sand dunes, fishing in the river, shivering in the sea. The best thing about the beach area at Ogmore is the total lack of tourist attractions. No funfairs, restaurants, hotels...just the beach, car park and a toilet block.



My little boy, who is 2½ absolutely loved it on Sunday when we explored the rockpools and sandy nooks and and crannies for a few hours. Just a great beach.

Sgyd yr Eira and other waterfalls

A blazing hot week, and a blazing hot sunday and Monday to follow, interspersed with a soggy, rain sodden Saturday. And which day had we picked to go yomping? You got it. Low hill fog in the Brecon Beacons plus 'persistent rain' persuaded us to alter our plans for a peaks walk to a low(ish) level Waterfall walk around a 9 mile circuit near Ystradfellte in the Southern Beacons.

It turned out to be a good choice as the tree cover that we had for most of the route sheltered us from the rain. I was christening my new (and first) pair of Invo8 Roclites and I love em! Very comfy, very light, good grip, blah blah.

The rivers (Afon Mellte and Afon Hepste) were very low following the recent dry period. There were lots of groups of people doing some kind of coasteering (ironically about 4o miles from the coast!) which looked fun...and cold.





Chopper and Nicholls think I'm obsessed with moss, so I humour them by taking photos of it. Honest, I don't really like moss.


Halfway stop was the entrance to the famous and impressive Porth Yr Ogof cave system. This is a timer shot on a one second exposure hence the blurry figures. Nicholls and I went for a wander into the first cavern with our headtorches, whislt Chopper sat on his a*se and ate Malt loaf and Welsh cakes.



The last fall of the day was the well known Sgyd Yr Eira which allows people to pass behind. It was very busy, but very picturesque, as ever. Chance to play with exposure length and gorillapod.




Dog

Other News

As I previously mentioned, it's been a busy time of year for me and I hope to make a number of posts in the next week/month/decade.

I've been relandscaping my garden and the light at the end of the tunnel has just started to glow. I should have 'designed' it this way years ago but I got the 'plant collectors' syndrome and spent ridiculous amounts of cash on ridiculous plants that would never do well in our ridiculous climate! Ridiculous really. Anyway, a post to follow soon with before and after photos.

I've also gotten (right word??) back into art after a number of years being a pencil free zone. One particular commission I just completed is worthy of posting here, but I'll wait until its been presented to the new owner as a birthday surprise, just in case they read this blog (which is doubtful!)

Into my busy schedule, I shoehorned a 9 mile walk around the Ystradfellte waterfall circuit last Saturday in proper Welsh drizzle. Photos and report to follow. I wore my new Inov8s - first time I've owned a pair. Comfortable!!

Bike Theft

Some mugging little Chav B*****ds broke into my in-laws garage on Monay night and relieved me of my mountain bike! It was the only thing they took so I imagine they must have spotted it whilst perusing the area. The ironic thing was that three weeks ago we heard of two other burglaries in the street and I mentioned to my wife...'I hope my bike's safe in their garage!'. 'Yeah, it'll be fine' was her response! :( It wasn't a particularly expensive bike and I didn't use it that often, but that's not the point.

Hopefully the insurance will payout. It seems these burglaries are rife at the moment. The police said they will try and send someone out if they have the resources.! WTF? I know it's just a mountain bike but reactions like this simply suggest to the thieves that they can go ahead and steal whatever they want.

Goodbye dear friend - I hope you collapse and maim the person who currently 'owns' you!

Galloping Across the Glyders

Well, not galloping as such, more like a sedately paced trudge across the Glyders, but a most enjoyable one at that. Myself and a Kiwi friend from London, Dave, set off from South Wales on Saturday morning with the intention of getting a good afternoon's walking in followed by a nights camp at Beddgelert, returning on Sunday.

We arrived at the Ogwen valley at 10:45 after a good journey and set off up the North Face of Tryfan. It was fairly quiet, as the north ridge goes, and we made good progress, despite the few times we needed to backtrack and search out another route. I hadn't spied the cannon-stone on previous ascents so I made sure we sniffed it out this time for the usual 'tourist shot'.



Conditions were pretty good with excellent visibility making for some good shots.




Adam, Dave and Eve. He wimped out of doing the 'jump'.


A snack at Tryfan's summit (with around 30 others for company - which sounds crowded but if you are a Tryfan regular you'll know it's not too bad at all) before we descended to Bwlch Tryfan and opted for the scree slope, over Bristly Ridge, to get up to Glyder Fach.
First, time for the self timer shot


On top of Glyder Fach's summit plateau, there were still large areas of snow, some drifts up to thigh depth. But nothing other than a decent pair of boots were required....on your feet at least!


Onto the Cantilever stone for a bit of arsing around...



The Ogwen Valley looked great and made for a postcardesque picture.


We made good speed over Glyder Fawr and before dropping down in to Devil's Kitchen, we took the short detour to the summit of Y Garn where more photo opportunities presented.


Back down the hill and down the steep steps of Devil's Kitchen...I always think of Tolkien's description of the Dimrill Stair out of Moria is exactly like the Devil's kitchen descent. (LOTR fans will know what I'm talking about)

Lyn Idwal and Pen Yr Ole Wen from halfway down the descent.


Just before we got back tot he car the moon was positioned nicely over Tryfan. The cannon stone from the first pic in this post is clearly visible in centre shot.


7 hours of excellent walking!

We spent the night at the campsite in Beddgelert accompanied by half a dozen pints at two of the small pubs in the village. Next morning, we visited the acclaimed 'Pete's Eats' in Llanberis for a superb breakfast (Bacon is more like gammon!) before heading onto our appointment at 'World of Ferns'. More on this nursery in a future post.

Europe's biggest Sand Dune

Merthyr Mawr is a gem of a village near Ogmore by Sea and Bridgend in South Wales. It reputedly has the biggest Sand Dune in Europe, 'The big Dipper' and it's a great place for a walk on a nice day. It's very popular with dog Walkers, Horse Riders, Runners and people just looking for some fresh sea air.
Just a few pics of myself, my wife, son, sister, brother-in-law and their dog enjoying the sunshine (albeit with a cold wind). The 12' driftwood sculpture appeared to be built at random by whoever and looked like it totally belonged there!

The Black Mountains

The Black Mountains weren't today, they were white. Beautifully white, encrusted in a layer of snow that gradually receded as your eye followed the ground from the ridge down into the valley. It was a perfect day for a walk.

We did 8 miles in a fairly swift 4 hours. starting from Llanbedr, we climbed to table mountain, then along the ridge to Pen Cerrig Calch, Pen Allt Mawr, then looped around the small spur at Pen Twyn Mawr in the centre of the valley. The views were immense, but my photographic skills weren't. I'm trying to learn how to use my camera correctly, and that means learning from my mistakes, of which there are currently zillions! Still, here's a few to give a taste of the conditions today.

I love the remote feeling you get in the black mountains. We saw three other people all day, one from a distance of about half a mile.

Cutting back.

In gardening terms, this UK winter in my little corner of Wales, has been severe. Many of the 'exotic' plants I grow have been killed or sustained a lot of damage from frost, snow and sub zero temps. I'm not bothered. In a strange way, I'm glad. I've grown pretty tired of the hobby in general - it seems pointless at times, but I guess that's the way with many hobbies that are essentially 'collections'. I would visit nurseries and buy plants, because they caught my eye, without any thought of where to plant them or whether they would look right.

So, I'm culling a lot of what I grow and I'm going to reclaim a lot of garden space for a bigger lawn where I can play with my young son and my wife can enjoy the sunshine. I'll post some photos when the weather improves. I will still retain a number of the larger evergreen stuff I grow in a border around the edge, and I still have a fondness for ferns, especially treeferns. But anything that just isn't suited to my garden/climate/family will be going. There will be a few things I can sell to recoup a bit of money, but most things will be given away or composted.