House sparrows in a bush, Tintern, December 23, 2012…
I’m back at work now after a long Christmas and New Year break, and I’m picking over the scraps of our midwinter wanderings. I regret that the weather was mostly very wet and dark, so I was mostly hard pushed to take pictures as a record of where we had been.
Although I have a couple of complete blog picture posts pending, there are lots of leftovers, odds and ends of places we visited. All I can think of to do with them is to deliver them here in chronological order and be done with them…
House sparrow at Tintern, December 23, 2012…
On the eve of Christmas Eve, as well as visiting Usk (see the blog post), we drove down the Wye Valley through Tintern and stopped for a snack at The Anchor, opposite the abbey. It was a stupid idea, of course, as they were busy with everyone else’s Christmas meals. But they fitted us in for some leek and potato soup in the conservatory and I enjoyed watching the sparrows outside the window.
This unflattering picture of the back of The Anchor epitomises our welcome on this day, although we have previously enjoyed lunch there in summer several times and would go again…
Tintern Abbey viewed from The Anchor, December 23, 2012…
On that same day we drove on to Chepstow, where I used to go to school. I took many pictures of my old haunts, but I can see no particular benefit in sharing those now. So here are just a couple of shots of the town centre, which is on a hill…
Chepstow High Street, December 23, 2012 – the pale purple shop that thinks it’s a chateau is the Herbert Lewis department store…
December 23 and this Liquidambar tree in Chepstow still has autumn leaves…
On Christmas Day we were to have the festive dinner in the evening, so as well as walking beside the beach at Porthcawl (see the blog post), we went to nearby Ogmore-by-Sea, where we sat in the car and ate our home-made pate and pickle sandwiches on brown bread with this view…
Ogmore-by-Sea on Christmas Day, 2012…
Another view from Ogmore-by-Sea, looking across to Porthcawl, I think…
On the way home we viewed the fading sun at Penarth…
The view from Penarth near sunset on Christmas Day, with Flat Holm and Steep Holme in the distance and the waves sluggish on the shingle shore…
The moon (if you look carefully) over Penarth Pier…
Then on Boxing Day it absolutely teemed down with rain and we went shopping and to a muddy rugby match.
On December 27 it was fine and we drove to Llandrindod Wells but sadly I didn’t take any pictures – the views going over the Brecon Beacons were stunning but we never stopped the car. In Llandrindod we had lunch as usual at The Metropole.
Most of the shops were closed (of course), but we bought a brace of partridges and some stuffed lamb loin from the splendid butchers, J Williams & Son…
On December 28 we went to Ross-on-Wye. It was a very dismal day and the whole area of the Rivers Usk and Wye have been flooded lately. Many of the shops and restaurants were still closed after Christmas but we ended up having a very good, friendly lunch at The King’s Head…
I did snap one picture of the flooding…
The flooded River Wye at Ross-on-Wye…
On December 30 we went to feed the ducks at the WWT in Llanelli, but that will make another post in itself. Here’s a duck to be going on with…
A cute lady eider duck at Llanelli, December 30, 2012…
On New Year’s Day we went to Abergavenny. Of course we KNEW everywhere would be closed, as it was a Bank Holiday, but still hope springs eternal. Quite a few people were also wandering around aimlessly with dashed expectations.
Abergavenny market hall, New Year’s Day, 2013…
Although many coffee bars were open, the restaurants, pubs and hotels were nearly all closed. One big, posh hotel was very crowded and unwelcoming. So we were so delighted when we discovered, in a little side street, the Hen & Chickens, an SA Brain pub that served food in three small bar and dining areas. They were so friendly and organised despite the mass of humanity that had come there for lunch – it was unpretentious but serving good food (scampi and chips with mushy peas)…
The Hen & Chickens at Abergavenny…
And the sun shone for a while…
Sun on leaded windows, Abergavenny, New Year’s Day, 2013…
I have no idea what this old building is, but it is behind the market hall in Abergavenny…
Although the new year promised much in the way of fine weather, on January 2 it was miserable, misty and drizzly, with poor visibility. We went to Porthcawl for fish and chips at Beales.
I had been meaning to take a picture of this sculpture in the main street for ages, but at least now there weren’t the usual crowds milling around it…
Sea horse bronze in John Street, Porthcawl…
So that’s it. Christmas and New Year break over. Have a great 2013…
The Squirrelbasket 
I loved this little photo tour. Made me think of my own travels through Ireland on a rainy day. Finding a warm and welcoming pub with good hot food — that’s where you find life’s moments to remember.
Lovely photographs, as always. The house sparrows are sweet: how did you get them to pose so beautifully? 😉
Love your photos Pat. Don’t know if I ever mentioned but my paternal line (Rose – not a Welsh name!) have been traced back to Tintern in the 1600’s (wire workers) and I was lucky enough to visit (with my family in tow) one very cold and frosty Feb half-term.
I’m back to school on Monday but my boys have a few more days before they return to college … big sigh!
Your Christmas sounds perfect… the seaside and then a rugby match on boxing day. That’s the way to do it! I’m from Northampton and in the good old days of amateurism the Saints always played a Boxing Day fixture against Stirling County. An afternoon in the fresh air to recover from the day before followed by too many pints in the pub afterwards…
Lovely series of images, I’m glad you decided to post them. I really like the view of Tintern Abbey from the back of the Anchor.
Your photos are wonderful and you have visited many of our favourite places in Wales so bought back happy memories. I can’t believe that liquidamber tree was still in leaf. I love the picture of the fish with the floods in the background.
Sarah x
Lovely pictures as usual, it is hard to fit everything into blog posts isn’t it – I have hundreds of pictures that never see the light of day.
looks like a main course to me…