Wales and the West Midlands

I am about to attempt a condensed version of the last seven days, as promised last night in my post about the garden upon coming home.

To be honest, camping isn’t my ideal way to spend a holiday – a bit too much hard work and lack of comfort. However, it is cheap (well, at a YHA site with membership during the week it’s cheap). And there was a fire pit where the children enjoyed toasting marshmallows.

The elders on the site also provided me with flowers to make cordial. The first lot I threw away as the trees were in the vicinity of this:

Hemlock has flowers which don’t look unlike the elder’s, and even though I made sure the flowers I picked came off the tree, I was spooked. I therefore chose a different site, made the cordial this afternoon, consumed quite a bit of it and am still alive to show you some of the sights on our travels.

Tree which fascinated my daughter on road to Goodrich village, Welsh Bicknor.

Disused tin works – Aberdulais, Wales

Graph showing rainfall at Dyffryn Gardens in Cardiff, Wales. NB Wales is traditionally the wettest part of Britain!!

These hostas at Dyffryn were between three and four feet tall.

Dyffryn Gardens continued

We enjoyed sitting in the Roman gardens at Dyffryn.

I have family connections to Monmouth…. apart from this sign, there was little to show this town is in Wales!

Skenfrith Castle, Wales – not intact. However, the grass inside was good for cartwheels and this little doorway to the outside was intriguing. I had to stoop to go through (I am 167 cm tall/just over five foot five).

Chive flowers used to decorate Skenfrith village church (nearly a thousand years old and intact).

Avoncroft Museum, Bromsgrove, England: a real ‘middle class’ house from the fifteen century. Twenty-first century health and safety would go bananas over the open fire; environmentalists the same over the glass-less windows!

Raised beds in the fifteenth century garden – yes, they have a long tradition. (Avoncroft Museum)