Or the books ...

With more than an average amount of rain and damaged ankles we had to spend quite a lot of time just sitting in the cottage and reading. A real hardship I know.

Books I read
Body at the Tower by Y S Lee. A Young Adult book set during the building of the Houses of Parliament. An easy to digest history lesson with murder, mystery and love woven in.
Rogue in Porcelain by Anthea Fraser. I got this out of the library having misread the author and thinking it was by Antonia Fraser. Another easy read. A journalist researching the family history behind an old local business uncovers a secret. There is a murder but it's late on in the book, which is more about family difficulties and romance. 
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith. The latest in the Precious Ramotswe series, you know what to expect and it's lovingly delivered. For the first time I did begin to wish Precious was just a teeny bit less perfect but enjoyable as always.
Jennie by Paul Gallico. A classic that I'd never read about a boy who turns into a cat and who is taught to survive and enjoys many adventures with the tabby Jennie of the title. An incredibly believable story. You'll never look at a cat in the same way again.
The Cream Puff Murders by Joanne Fluke. Started reading but after a few pages of being told rather than shown who was who and what was what I gave up. Shame because she's written a whole series and it's fab when you discover a new collection of novels waiting for you. I still remember when I read my first Barbara Pym.
Not That kind of Girl by Catherine Alliott. She's one of my favourite writers of light romantic yarns. I'm about halfway through this one and it's a expected. Not challenging but entertaining.
The Heart Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne. I've saved my absolute favourite for last. Another YA book this is so gripping it pulls you in to caring deeply for the heroine who's in prison for what you don't know at the beginning but the hints are there that it's something truly bad. If you liked Girl, Interrupted or The Bell Jar you'll enjoy this. Thoroughly engaging. (According to the Telegraph the book is "a gritty psychological thriller set in the psychiatric unit of a Young Offenders' Institution." Okay, I suppose it is gritty but it's about heart and mind.)

And today I was delighted to discover that the library was able to source for me The Supremes at Earl's All-you-can-eat, as recommended by Rose, so I'm looking forward to reading that.

Not forgetting the dolphins!

Cardigan Bay has the second largest population of bottlenose dolphins in Europe and most days (in summer) they can be seen from the harbour wall in New Quay. 

We'd been scanning the sea eagerly each day we'd been walking but up until Thursday the sea was way too choppy. Every white horse and black buoy was a potential dolphin or seal and I'd resigned myself to not seeing any but then we went to New Quay on a relatively calm day. 

It's hard to take a photo or film something when you're jumping up and down and squeaking excitedly. (Strangely enough I seemed to be the only person on the harbour wall thus affected ) Even when I handed the camera over to Husband he didn't do much better so this isn't Cecil B de Mille. 

And finally ... for now

'Do you think someone jumped here?!'

'Or proposed?' Husband for once the romantic.

'Or the favourite spot of someone dead?' Me again. It's the writer in me. Much better if it's tragic.

Man with a gun

When you're miles from anywhere and surrounded by farmland it's not entirely surprising to see a man with a gun.

It's a little more unusual when that man is creeping about in the hedgerows, dressed in full camouflage gear and his rifle has a silencer. 

After we'd passed him I whispered to Husband, 'Do you think I should have taken a photo of him?'
'Do you think that would have been a wise idea?'

He was certainly taking poaching to a new level. If that's what he was doing.

Traffic jams in Wales

I really felt for these girls with full dangling udders.

When it's you and a tractor who'll give way? (The tractor fortunately.)

You've got love a place called Plwmp.

The road sign was bigger than the place.

Just so Welsh!

We needed sustenance

With all these long healthy walks we needed occasional refreshment stops and I have to say we didn't have a bad experience - other than Naturally Scrumptious in Aberaeron where I was given a teabag in a cup but even there the welshcakes were very good. 

The cafe in the car park at Llangrannog had lovely home made cakes and ice cream and Creme Pen Cai in New Quay had an amazing range of home made ice creams and sorbets. I eventually opted for honeycomb & butterscotch with creme brulee while Husband had sticky toffee, fig and walnut. Quite expensive but worth it. Oh and the tiny little cafe in Cwmtydu also had good home made cakes especially the plum crumble cake - and proper tea in a tea pot .

In New Quay we enjoyed 'the best fish and chips I can remember having' according to Husband, sitting on the sea front spotting dolphins. It's not much that will drag my attention away from my chips but dolphins do the trick.

Then last night, for our farewell dinner, we went to the Harbour Master in Aberaeron. A Michelin restaurant it was certainly very popular. My starter of Cardigan Bay crab bhajis was nice but I couldn't taste the crab but my Cardigan Bay lobster with warm rocket and potato salad was divine.

Cat lovers look away now

This was the cat belonging to the owners of the holiday cottage we were staying in. Their house was next door but they too were on holiday so we didn't see them. Just their cat. And very sweet and lovely she was. But Husband hates cats. So, in spite of her piteous crying at the door, and my, 'she wouldn't do any harm and she can sit with me,' he refused to let her in. 

I had to avert my gaze to avoid meeting her eyes and seeing the hurt and/or resentment in them.

The cottage was called Heddfan, meaning peaceful, and it was that.

The garden was beautifully laid out and there was a path into the adjoining orchard where there were hooks for a hammock. Unfortunately a strong wind and a dodgy ankle meant I didn't get to swing low beneath the boughs.

During the week we had our share of wet days - first at poppit Sands

(see even when on holiday we remember George!) and then at Aberaeron.

But we had mostly dry though breezy days.

Mwnt takes its name from the little mountain created by glaciers hundreds of thousands of years ago. The beach and Mwnt itself are owned by the National Trust but the tiny chapel, Holy Cross Church, belongs to the Church in Wales and is used for services weekly.

The building probably dates from the about the 13th century.

It was on this ridge, overlooking Mwnt beach that husband and I fell out.

'Take my photo standing at the edge,' Husband said.

'Okay.'

'No, move further over; you'll get a better shot,' Husband told me.

'No.'

'Go on, move across.'

'No!'

'Well, you go and sit on that edge and I'll take your photo.'

'No!'

What Husband didn't appreciate was that I was throwing a wobbly. Having scrambled to the top (with bad ankle) before realising there was nothing on the other side except a drop I was clinging on to the very rock for dear life.

'I'm going down now.'

'You wuss!'

'Yes, I'm a wuss and I don't care as long as I get back to a grounder level sooner rather than later.'

 Amazingly we were still speaking on Thursday, when, with my ankle strapped, I was able to walk about 6 miles and on Friday we managed 8, mostly on cliff paths, some of which were just a little hairy. I really didn't think I could manage this one.

'Talk to me,' I said.

'What about?'

'Anything boring to take my mind off where I'm walking.'

The previous day I'd got up a steep slope while he'd explained potential energy to me. (Incidentally I firmly believe that physicists have made it all up.) And it worked again this time. Two sweaty palms later and I was rewarded for my bravery by a dolphin who'd chosen the spot just below our bit of the cliff path to browse.

In fact I did so well ... that we came back the same way. Partly, it's true, because we couldn't find the alternative path that was supposed to exist.

This is quite a long post so I'll let you have a break now ...

I make up in enthusiasm what I lack in knowledge

'Look, a bunny! ... although it has very long ears:  it could be a hare. ... Wait, it may be a pheasant!'
Husband, 'It's a bantam.'
'Oh. That's a bit like a pheasant, right?'

In that it's at least a bird and not a bunny.

Having turned right at Plwmp we found our lovely little holiday cottage down the end of a very long lane with hardly any misturnings and the only real one happening because I missed out one of three instructions that said 'turn left to Llangrannog.' (Surely we were going in a big circle?)

We wanted peace and we've found it here. We're just up the road i.e. a 35 minute walk, from the cove at Cwmtydu, famous for its connection with the smuggler Sion Quilt, and a place where you can join the Ceredigion Coast path. (I got it wrong: we're not in Pembroke but the next one up.)

But today, after a rainy visit yesterday to Poppit, we set off from Llangrannog to walk to Penybryn around said coast path. Undeterred by the battering of the wind - blowing onshore thankfully - we'd managed about a mile (maybe) when, scrambling down some steps my foot slipped off the side (into the bushes not over the edge you'll be pleased to hear - although if it had I wouldn't be writing this) and twisted.

St Carannog was keeping watch in the wrong direction when I fell over

Like a brave little solider I continued on for maybe another half mile (Husband will laugh I'm sure when he notes my generous distances but it felt that far) before the reality that however far I managed to walk I'd have to walk back again made me stop and say, 'Perhaps it would be better to return now and save myself for another day.'

At Llangrannog I managed to struggle as far as the cafe for my second cream tea of the holiday and then Husband suggested that I should paddle. 'Rugby players have ice baths to fight strains.'

By the time we got back to the cottage, in spite of the blackberry and apple crumble ice cream I managed to force down before setting off - I needed it after the paddle - my foot was screaming. So I've spent the rest of a perfectly sunny and lovely afternoon stretched out on the sofa with my foot up. I just hope the rest will have done the trick and I'll be able to walk again tomorrow. 

Internet access here is fairly slow - okay very slow - so I won't put up too many photos till we get home.

I'm just waiting for Husband to cook my steak for me now ...