Snowdonia Safari and being a bit brazen

I have recently found myself a bit reluctant to go to new places. I think my really sad discovery last year affected me more than I had allowed myself to admit.

So I thought the best way to get over this was to go to new places, but with someone else! I had come across Snowdonia Safaris on Facebook and they promised a tour around the undiscovered parts of Snowdonia.

So a day was booked with the delightful Bernard as my tour guide who promised to take me to places I had never been before!

First place was the Celtic Burial Ground at Capel Garmon. You have to go across fields and through gates to get to it and if you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't know it was there, if you see what I mean! Apparently it was only discovered quite recently, as it was underneath a hill. It was something to do with the military doing reconnaissance overhead and noticing something unusual.

Good start to the day.

Next onto Beaver Pool, Betws-y-coed. Scene of the demise of the last wild beaver in Wales. Wild? He was furious! ...Sorry.

Onto Cwmpennaman, a 15th C settlement completely in the middle of nowhere. No chance of ever finding that one again!

After a couple more stops, we headed to my favourite place of the day. Cwmorthin Quarry. I do love a bit of derelict industrial and this did not disappoint!

Bernard was an absolute fount of knowledge and really interesting. I had explained that I wanted to take plenty of photos and so there might be a lot of hanging around for him, but that didn't seem to be a problem. One of the major reasons I usually go out on photo trips solo, I hate making people wait while I faff and so I often tend to not bother with a shot if I know it is going to take time to set up.

Point me towards a ruined building, and I am a happy bunny! The more in decline, the better!

Lunch at the Ffestiniog Railway, Tan-y-Bwlch.

Then the final call of the day to the 11thC Eglwys Llanrychwyn, the oldest surviving church in Wales, complete with original beams.

Again, about 5 miles the other side of the Back of Beyond! It is an amazingly tranquil and spiritual place and does make you wonder how many of today's buildings will still be standing in a thousand years!

So a fabulous day was had and I think it got me over my nervousness of new places. I can't recommend Snowdonia Safaris highly enough! Bernard takes up to 4 people for either a half or full day and he makes the trip interesting and fun. Good times!

I do have something else to share with you, but those of a sensitive or prudish disposition should probably stop reading now!

I have recently been feeling my age and, I am ashamed to admit, got a bit frumpy. (Well there is something very comfy about jogging bottoms and baggy fleeces!) But determined not to slip back into old ways, I thought I needed to glam up a bit and just prove to myself that I hadn't lost the plot altogether.

So what better way than to take a couple of selfies. So I applied some slap, dressed in some really delicate girly stuff and played! 

Not my usual mountain top hiking attire admittedly, but did quite enjoy dressing up. Never done anything like this before but it was actually quite liberating. Wasn't going to show anyone originally, but when they came out really well, considering I took them on my phone, I decided to share. On Facebook, on Instagram, on Blip, on Flickr and now on here! (becoming a bit of an exhibitionist!)

And I must admit it did me the world of good. Starting to feel again like the amazing and sexy woman I know myself to be 😉

Lessons Learned: I am probably going to Hell. Was taking the selfies, wearing my little black lace dress, and let's be honest here, very little else, when there was a ring and a knock at the bell. I was expecting a parcel and so couldn't ignore it and you would never have seen such a frantic panicked coverup. Dragged on jogging bottoms and grabbed a zip up top, which wouldn't zip up. So I am rushing downstairs almost tripping over the bottom of my trousers and holding the fleece across me to protect any remaining modicum of modesty.

I open the door and there is an elderly gentleman standing there, clutching a pamphlet, who then proceeds to ask me if I ever feel I am doing too much!! Wait... what?!

Apparently most of us are cramming so much into our lives that we miss out on the world around us. But it was only when he mentioned those immortal words "Jehovah's Witness" that I became less witless, said thank you very much, but I really couldn't talk at that precise time. And he left, smiling!

So I don't know whether that particular Witness actually witnessed more than he was expecting to or he just smiled a lot anyway!

Diet Diary: Going for Voluptuous (no, the diet is not going well!)

The wanderer returns

Hi, yes, I am still here and haven't fallen off the top of a mountain or anything!
I have been having one of those years where things have been confusing, difficult, stressful or just downright exasperating! Kind of lost the explorer mojo for a while. 

However, think it is returning. As I was always told when growing up, time to put on the big girl panties and deal with it!

So this is a bit of a catch up, next few posts will be mainly pics while I wait and plan something interesting to tell you all about! I thank you for your patience.

Beth has finished Uni (she got a first!, we are so proud) so we have had a few days out. First one was as Blists Hill, the Ironbridge Gorge Museum.

This is a fabulous working Victorian Village, complete with dentist, bank, chemist, locksmith and so much more.

Full Ironbridge Details here It is an amazing place to visit, with so much to see, you can easily spend a whole day.

Gorgeous dress shop showing the authentic fashions of the day.

Fabulous place of course is the photographers! You can actually dress up in Victorian costume and have a vintage style photo taken. We declined on this visit!

Favourite place, and a definite must do, is the bakers where they bake fresh bread certain times of the day. Beth and I were lucky enough to be first in line and picked up an old fashioned loaf still warm from the oven. We thought we would just break the ends off to try it, but found ourselves polishing off the whole darn thing! And very good it was too!

This is the printers shop. They use the original hot metal type in their letterpress machines. This takes me back to my early years when I did an apprenticeship at a printers and just caught the end of the moveable type! Nostalgia!

Also having searched high and low and only recently found a printer's tray, I was amazed to see them just casually strewn around the shop! Very covetous!

Talking of Printer's trays, don't think I ever showed you my completed Eccentric Explorers Library Showcase. Took a long time, but am so pleased with it.

This was in the Post Office. On looking through my pictures I am finding I have gone more for detail than an overall view, so I have no photos of shop fronts or streets to show you! But I will be going back again, often, so hopefully you will get to see more.

Fire Buckets. 

Locksmith.

And my personal favourite photograph, oil guages!

So after heading back to the bakery to buy some good old fashioned currant buns, Beth and I called it a day.

Lessons Learned: museums can be fun! 
There is nothing better to cheer the soul than old fashioned bread, still warm from the oven, pulled apart with fingers and eaten while sitting in a garden with someone you love!

Diet Diary: Apart from half a loaf of hot bread, not doing too badly. Been very up and down this year, mostly up if I am honest! Struggled to get the Florida weight off, and yes I know that was a year ago. But then there has been Christmas, birthdays, Easter and every excuse I can come up with! But when I realised I was having to wear very big girl panties, I knew something had to be done. So new diet started. 3 camera bags to lose (3 x 10lb) and 9lb gone in the first already. Go Sharon!!