On the other side of the dike is the Dyfi River, and beyond that the hills above Aberdyfi. The air was positively balmy today.
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Above Aberdyfi
On the other side of the dike is the Dyfi River, and beyond that the hills above Aberdyfi. The air was positively balmy today.
Ynyshir Nature Preserve
A meadow full of baa-ing sheep, purple foxgloves, and the Dyfi estuary in the distance made for a very peaceful morning walk at Ynys-hir Nature Preserve. The Welsh name Ynys hir translates to long island in English.
Dyfi Furnace
Dyfi Iron Furnace was built circa 1755 and sits astride Afon Einion. The waterwheel drove the bellows for the blast furnace, and nearby woodlands provided charcoal for the process. Later the waterwheel powered a sawmill, and currently, it is used to put a small amount of power into the electrical grid. According to the display inside, it was producing 10kW of electricity at the time I took this shot, enough to power about 8 homes.
Afon Einion
The River Einion tumbles through Artist's Valley in Wales. I can see why artists were attracted to this valley: the water was crystal clear and the stones were such lovely colors, and the light filtering through the trees created such pretty patterns.
Saturday, July 02, 2011
View from our hotel window
We stayed at an old Victorian hotel on the Aberystwyth seafront, and every evening we enjoyed magnificent sunsets from our window.
Devil's Bridge
Devil's Bridge, Wales. These three bridges, which were built on top of each other, span Afon Mynach, a tributary of Afon Rheidol. The lower bridge, a stone bridge, was built in 1075 by monks, possibly from Strata Florida Abbey to the south. But according to legend, the Devil was the actual builder. The story goes that an old woman was bringing her cow home from market and came to the river, which was too flooded to cross. The Devil appeared and offered to build a bridge for her, provided that the first living thing to cross it would give him its soul. When he finished the bridge, the woman decided she didn't want to cross the bridge first, so she threw a crust of bread onto the bridge, and her little dog ran after it. The Devil was so mad about being tricked into taking the soul of a dog, that he flew into a rage and stormed out of Wales, vowing never to return. The second bridge (1753) is also a stone bridge, and the most recent bridge (1901) is an iron bridge.
Above Cwm Rheidol
A narrow gauge steam railway passes through Cwm Rheidol (the valley of the Rheidol River) on its way to Devil's Bridge, an hour's ride east of Aberystwyth.
Friday, July 01, 2011
A walk on the promenade
An afternoon walk on Aberystwyth's promenade and the view north to Constitution Hill.
View from Constitution Hill
An electric-tram ride up Constitution Hill on the north side of Aberystwyth gives you a bird's eye view of the town, the old college, the castle on the promontory, and even a bit of the harbor south of town.
Aberystwyth: Old College and Castle
Yr Hen Coleg (Old College), Prifysgol Aberystwyth (Aberystwyth University), was founded in 1872. In the foreground is Y Tŵr-y-Gogledd (North Tower) of Castell Aberystwyth (Aberystwyth Castell), which was built 1277-1289 under the orders of Edward I. Today it is in ruins, mainly due to the harsh seaside conditions.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Purple flower - can anyone identify?
Purple flower - can anyone identify this? It was growing by my daughter's driveway. It's a monocot (3 petals, parallel veined leaf) but we don't know if it's a garden flower or a weed. It's pretty whatever it is.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Mr and Mrs Robin's New Family
Felix (Meredith and Alan's kitty) asked if he could name the baby robins, and of course, I was happy to accept his kind offer of help. His baby name choices??? "Lunch," "Snack," and "Dinner"!!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Saturday, April 09, 2011
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