Visit Wales with me ...

Hi everyone,

I have neglected my blog due to a busy Summer & sometimes you just need a break to find your mojo again.

However, this week,  we offered to make a trip to mid Wales to pick up something for a cousin.  Our county of Shropshire borders on Wales & the vastness of the space, the mountains, waterfalls, animals & space just gladdens my heart. I grew up on a farm in Africa & I love space so Wales is always where I go to recharge my batteries.

I love to be free to explore at my own pace so when I can, I like to pack up a basket of drinks, biscuits, sandwiches & a salad to be able to just find a spot with a view for a picnic - the small things in life are important.

We love to photograph new places, hubby to add to google maps (he is a massive contributor) and me for my flicker photo stream. It is something we have always done so the cameras always go travelling with us ...

A fine place to explore a new village is always to pop in to the beautiful rural church yards - they tell the story of places - sometimes you see the same family names over & over again, families all settling in the same place, a network & I feel a pang of envy that some have that massive support system.

I am from a vast family that moved around Southern Africa, spread out, no particular village ours.

The churchyards also tell the stories of Wars on their memorials, of deaths by plagues, outbreaks of illness where some stones might pay testament to several children passing closely together.

The lovely Welsh village of Cilcennin with the dark headstones, the elaborate graves, the war memorial - they all tell a story.

St Nicolas Church in Churchstoke was another church with a surprising interior - the high ceiling & white walls gave it a quiet air of peace & tranquility. The church yard was home to some lovely stones, some quite elaborate ...  

The white chapel at Capel Bangor caught our eye & we stopped to read the information board which tells of the long history of this area. 

What a long history with the Roman road running through in AD 70-120, the forts,  the nonconformists & the history of the Methodist church & more - fascinating ... 

 The notice board gave a glimpse of the locked church - simple & honest ....

The Church was locked but the church warden was working close by in the cemetery & he came over to offer to open for us.  We chatted about the area, the history & he shared that he not only looks after the immaculate grave yard, but he also polishes the brass, plays the organ & hands out the prayer books. He is one of those rare people who make a huge contribution to their community in their quiet way - I am glad we crossed paths & shared a chat.

The black & white details on the buildings in Kerry made us stop again - how lovely is this? 

The church is in the middle of the village / town & a good place for a mooch - how imposing is that bell tower. It actually rang out the hour while we were there. The church was locked but the elaborate church yard was worth spending time in anyhow.

Christians have worshipped in St Curig’s church in Llangurig since the 6th century - if the stones could speak, what a story they would tell...

The little Welsh town around the village church - down to earth, solid, honest ....

I hope you have enjoyed this little visit with me,  I will show you the John Nash designed home in the next post, it deserves its own space.

Thank you for bearing with my absence, please subscribe & leave a comment so I know you have visited the blog.
Dee ~💕~