Gwynt y Môr

Its not been a week for crafty pursuits as my sister is visiting and we've been out and about when I was not working. The other evening we did one of my favourite things and went to the beach to watch the sunset.

Unfortunately there was quite a lot of cloud about so the sky was not spectacular but we enjoyed the display nevertheless. As you can see there were very few people around - just a few dog walkers and one lone fisherman with his little terrier. He must have been wearing his thermals as the wind was very cold once the sun went down.

I wonder how long he stayed. Is it mean of me to say I hope he didn't catch anything! I really hate the thought of those nasty hooks!

There is a huge wind farm off the North Wales coast named Gwynt y Môr (sea wind in English) which is supposed to be the second largest in the world! I don't know how I feel about it really but there is no doubt it makes an impressive sight in all sorts of weather. 

But its always the minutiae of life that catches my attention - like this beautiful stranded seaweed. Unlike more popular beaches on the North Wales coast, the sand on this beach is always perfectly clean and smooth as it gets washed by the tide right up to the sea wall twice a day.

We stayed right to the very end of the sunset and got a bit chilled - so I bought a bag of oven chips on the way home to warm us up!!!

Now I really must get on with something creative to  show you next week! 

Sparkle, sparkle, glitter, glitter, shine, shine!

More Sparkle and Shine - last Saturday my sister and I had a lovely time playing with glittery of all types at a workshop run by my crafty friend Sarah, alias The Newspaper Lady.  Sarah has recently opened The Coach House, a really perfect little building next to her home as a craft workshop and already has a string of interesting workshops/courses on the calendar.

I don't really know what's come over me as I've never liked shiny and glittery before but I think 2015 is going to be its year at my craft desk! 

Perhaps I've been influenced by the very sparkly sunset we watched from Talacre Beach at the New Year.  It was a beautiful but very cold day and as the sun got lower in the sky absolutely everything started to shine.

And as we were driving away we saw the pink moon rising turning even ugly industrial Deeside and a distant Liverpool into a shining spectacle.

Twas World Earth Day

As always, I'm late.  Monday was World Earth Day - its now 1.50 am Tuesday, but as I haven't been to bed yet as far as I'm concerned its still World Earth Day.  And I did record the fading sunset at 6 minutes past 8 - looks like tomorrow will be a good day .  

At last I've managed to make a start on tidying the garden after the winter and with no help from me I found these beautiful Snake’s Head Fritillaries had pushed their heads through all the dead stuff to celebrate the day.

Well, its late and I've a lot to do in the morning so I'm keeping it short.  Just wanted to acknowledge the day somehow - and encourage myself to keep on with the tidying!

Oh no - not another sunset

I can hear you groaning from here.... I really did hesitate to post yet another sunset but when I looked up from my unending task of clearing dead stuff from the garden, this sunset caused an intake of breath.  A thin layer of cloud had turned the sun into a golden ball my camera lens was able to capture and the crows flying home to roost added some detail and scale to the scene. 

I've only just started spring cleaning my untidy patch but lots of emerging shoots are buried under the remains of last year's beauties.  However I did feel a bit guilty disturbing hibernating creatures like this ladybird and I quickly covered this one up again in case there is frost tonight.

I was pleased to see a few catkins on the hazel bushes I have grown from cob nuts.  They are about 5 years old now and this is the first time they have flowered - I'm sure you remember from school nature table lessons that the tiny red tassel above the male catkin is the female flower.  Fingers crossed there might just be a few nuts in the autumn.

The daffodils are in their prime right now but I have a real liking for the little pulmonarias dotted about here and there.  Their flowers are quite small but I love how they start out pink and turn to blue when fully open - but almost better than the flowers are those wonderful spotty leaves.

Sunsets and Dippers

................Sometimes I think I live for sunsets."

"I don`t see that it does you any good always looking at sunsets like you do," said the fat woman.

"Nor me. But I do. Sunsets are things I was made to like."   The History of Mr Polly: H G Wells

I've a whole digital file of sunset photographs.  I can't let one fade away without recording its glories  for posterity!  Here's last evening's offering snapped on my way home from walking by the river.

 I'd been trying to sneek up on this Dipper again.  He lives on this stretch of the river but just as I'm getting near he flies off to the other end of his territory - and my pocket camera isn't up to long range zooming.  But maybe he'll get used to my visits and pose for me one day.

When we moved to this small market town 50 odd years ago we lived just below the church spire and played here by the river.  We caught tadpoles and sticklebacks in jam jars and got our feet and clothes wet - but it wasn't far to run home. 

Of course it was much quieter then - less traffic, fewer houses blocking the view of the church, no industrial buildings lining the opposite bank and there was a railway line instead of a busy by-pass running over the end of the field.  But you can still see lots of wildlife here - as long as there are no dog walkers about. 

The remains of the railway bridge and grass covered line can still be seen.