Four Stars, to the Woods, Return to the Country, Posh Nosh, Wartime and Trams to the Top

 

A brief look at our whistle-stop trip back to Wales.

It was pretty relaxing actually.  We stayed at the rather dated but luxurious St Georges Hotel with a wonderfully refreshing sea view.  Sleeping with the window open was good for the soul as well as the senses.

The first night we just had chips on the prom, a play in the arcade at the start of the pier, and then relaxed in our room falling asleep within minutes of our heads hitting the pillows.

The next morning it was dull but dry, so after a lovely cooked Welsh breakfast at the hotel we headed back past our old place and on to Betws y Coed, somewhere we used to take the dogs regularly for walks in the woods and for a coffee for us.  We had coffee this time, along with flapjacks and then headed for home ...

... our old home!!

The house hasn't changed at all, (this is an old photo), but the land has.  

The young couple that are now the proud owners of Isfryn are definintely in the process of making their mark on the land.  There is much more growing going on, with plans to preserve what they grow, more building work happening at the back of the house, with a root cellar being built alongside a new retaining wall.  A hot tub at the front of the workshop and new buildings here there and everywhere.  They have lots of plans, in fact they sounded just like us when we were in the full flush of developing our first place together and it was really nice to hear.  They have some chickens and plans to get more, they have a couple of pigs in Nut Wood, almost ready to become bacon and sausages ... and Will's sheep still reside in the paddock.

We were so pleased, we really couldn't have sold it to nicer people!

We went back into Llandudno, had a snack in the new M&S café, a drink in the hotel lounge and then went for a meal at our regular old haunt The Osborne House Hotel.  The staff were virtually all the same although the menu wasn't.  I think if we still lived locally we wouldn't be there half as often.  Set three course menus just don't cut the mustard with me, although I can see how it makes a business more profitable.

Next morning it was time for us to go to somewhere I had been wanting to go to for years ... The Homefront Museum in Llandudno.

I had been wanting to go ever since we ate wartime rations for a couple of months back in February 2018.  For one reason and another we just never got there, and then lockdown scuppered my final chance to visit before I moved away.

It was worth waiting for, and I took far too many photos.  I feel a Challenge coming on!!

After the museum visit and before the rain clouds got any closer, we caught the tram to the top of the Great Orme.  

The Great Orme Tramway has been in operation for years and was something we had always wanted to do when we lived locally ... well we finally got around to it.

The views going up and coming down were well worth the ride up, but as the fine drizzle started we hopped on a tram back down, picked up a bit of fresh food shopping from M&S and then hit the road for home.

The dogs and Ginger were pleased to see us but had had an equally refreshing holiday in the safe and very capable hands of Jason and Tash, who had a little holiday in our house themselves.  

While we went to the seaside for our holiday they were having a holiday away from the seaside for theirs, as they live in the busy bustling seaside town of Blackpool.  I think they enjoyed small town life for a few days with not as many visitors and holidaymakers, and Jason really enjoyed the Thursday market with the large and varied book stall.  I really have no idea where his obsession with books comes from  😉

So a nice little break for everyone, but it's nice to be back and even better to realise that we have made the right move.  There are no pangs at leaving our old life in the country, here I think for now we have the best of both worlds ... and there's not many that can say that.

Sue xx