Holiday!

My apologies for the prolonged silence - Mr Q and I have both been off work for the past 10 days and as he usually works away during the week, we've been relishing our extended time together.

We spent a few days staying in a cute cottage in North Wales. The front door opened straight onto a beach, and the back of the house was just a few metres away from the 15th tee of a golf course. It was a beautiful spot, and we were lucky to have warm, sunny weather for most of our stay.

Walking down to our cottage by the beach

You may (or may not) know that Mr Q is a bit of a castle fanatic, so we explored both Harlech and Conwy Castles whilst we were away. They were built in the 13th century by King Edward I of England, whilst he was battling the Welsh. We really enjoyed clambering all over the walls and towers.

Mr Q outside of Conwy Castle

the view from the King's Tower at Conwy Castle

Conwy Suspension Bridge - note the castellated piers to blend seamlessly with the castle 

Mr Q on the walls at Harlech Castle with Snowdonia in the background

A life lesson on the wall of Harlech Castle

We also visited the village of Portmeirion, famous for its starring role in the 60s TV series, The Prisoner. It really is a very bizarre place. Built over a period of 50 years between the 1920s and 1970s from salvaged pieces of older buildings, it looks something like a Mediterranean village, and has been used in lieu of such places in films and TV dramas. It's weird because it really is like a film set - no-one lives there and the only shops sell souvenirs and icecreams. You can rent some of the cottages as holiday accommodation - maybe that's something to try in the future. 

And finally, I got to visit the spectacular Bodnant Gardens. No words except "Wow!"