Weekly Travel Theme: Close Up
We’re still exploring Conwy, Wales! There are more pictures of Conwy to be found HERE ! Enjoy.
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Posts by CadyLuck Leedy
My Woodland Garden at End of the Month: April
I love hostas and my woodland garden is coming into bloom very nicely! The rhododendrons are just beginning to bud! I’ve yet to get the mulch down! The Helleborus are still blooming and will continue through most of the year. Now if I could just find something to do with the gum balls from the sweet gum trees I would be a millionaire! Spring Has Sprung! Helen hosts the Garden End of Month Posts, won’t you see what she is up to?
My Woodland Garden Path, April 2014
I just love that bright chartreuse colors of these plantains!
GumBalls from Sweet Gum Tree
Mickey Mouse Ears Hosta
Moonstruck Plaintain Lily
Woodland Garden Towards Cottage, 2014
Rhodos, 2014
From the Woodland Garden, April 2014
Cottage Garden Fountain April 2014
Climbing Hydrangea on Trellis, April 2014
Hellebores, April 2014
Woodland Garden, April 2014
You Have to Know How to Hold Em’ and Know When To Fold Em’
Since we are prepping for the travel season I thought it was a good time to take a re-look at PACKING! The Compression Sacs from Eagle Creek are MUST HAVES! I went to do a demo today to post for you how easy they are and how much you can get in them. However, HUBBY has taken all of my SACS on a business trip!!!!!! What? Trust me they are that good, you will have to hide them or they will disappear! I’m going to AAA tomorrow to get more! Happy traveling!
Traveling in the summer months is easier to pack for. Clothes weigh less and are not bulky. For any trip over seven days I take seven outfits that mix and match. Seven tops and seven slacks. And two lightweight sweaters that go with anything. Interchangeable. Period. This makes a very big wardrobe and believe me it so much easier to deal with. To dress something up add a scarf!
Sacs from Eagle Creek
The next best thing to soap is Compression Sacs from Eagle Creek, the kind that don’t need a vacuum to suck out the air. Put your clothes in it, and then roll the sack like you are rolling out a pie. The air escapes and it is flat as a pancake. A miracle! You will be amazed how much you can get into these sacs! The sacs come in three sizes. Small, medium and large. I take…
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Conwy, Wales
Conwy Castle, Conwy, Wales
Riding along the narrow , very narrow hedge rows / stone walls the main topic of conversation has been, “OHHHH! I think we’re going to hit it!” or “Move over, move over!” or “Can’t you see how close we are to the wall?” We are truly ready to arrive in Conwy! SB is ready to park the car! Bryn B&B, nestled in front of the castle and gates, is an oasis after the hedgerows! Everybody take a deep breath! We are HERE! Bryn B&B, a Victorian home from 1860, is perched on a hill in an outstanding garden. This will be “home base” in Conwy, Wales. After a brief tour of the B&B and a spot of tea in the garden, we are off to explore!
For more information about the Bryn B&B see: http://www.bryn.org.uk/
Bryn B&B, Conwy, Wales
A Look at Conwy, Wales
The Castle at Conwy, Wales
Looking Through the Hedge, Bryn B&B, Conwy Wales
The Flower Garden at Bryn B&B, Conwy, Wales
Conwy Castle and the town walls were built on the instruction of Edward I of England between 1283 and 1289 as part of his conquest of Wales. Conwy was the original site of Aberconwy Abbey, founded by Llywelyn the Great. Edward I took over the abbey site and moved the monks further down the valley. English settlers were given incentives to move to the walled garrison town and for decades the Welsh were forbidden from entering Conwy. We have just enough time to climb the rampart walls before night falls! More tomorrow! Enjoy!
Tight Squeeze! Conwy, Wales
The Walls of Conwy, Wales
Conwy, Wales
Weekly Photo Challenge: Letters
Fish menus celebrated in Corniglia, Italy! What a beautiful display of letters!! Enjoy!
Fish Selections in Corniglia, Italy
Travel Theme: Glow
On the night of March 14th, 1314, Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots, captured Edinburgh Castle and destroyed all the buildings in the castle except a little chapel named after Saint Margaret of Scotland , (1045-1093) who fled to Scotland following the Norman conquest of England in 1066. On Robert’s deathbed in 1329, he issued orders for the chapel’s repair with money put aside for this purpose. The small irregular stone chapel of St Margaret measures ten feet by sixteen feet with walls two feet thick. There are five stained glass windows in the chapel by Douglas Strachan; St Margaret, St Andrew, St Columba, St Ninian, and William Wallace. William Wallace was a Scottish landowner and one of the main leaders of the Scottish Wars of Independence. He defeated the English army at The Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. In August 1305, he was captured near Glasgow and handed over to King Edward I, who had him hanged, drawn and quartered, and his tarred head put on a pike on London Bridge. This is the William Wallace window in St Margaret’s Chapel in Edinburgh, Scotland. We are making our way to Scotland. Won’t you join me on the adventure?
Window in St Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh, Scotland
Eighteen Reasons to LOVE Italy!
Eighteen Reasons to LOVE Italy!
A Photo a Week Challenge: Stripes
The Conwy, Wales Suspension Bridge, built by Thomas Telford in 1826, was one of the first road suspension bridges in the world. Built into the rock on which Conwy Castle stands, it is very close to the castle. Part of the castle had to be demolished during construction in order for the suspension cables to be anchored into the rock. Telford matched the bridge’s supporting towers with the castle’s turrets! To the right of the suspension bridge runs the wrought iron tubular railway bridge built by Robert Stephenson. Today the Suspension Bridge is only passable on foot and is in the care of the National Trust. Won’t you join me on our visit to Conwy, Wales?
Conwy, Wales Suspension Bridge
Meet the Family: Kinlet to Acton Burnell, UK
The Sheep and Lambs at Kinlet Hall, Kinlet, Shropshire
I have been doing genealogy for a number of years, going back farther and farther in my family history, now over 35,000 people strong! One of the reasons for the trip to the UK was to document and photograph the villages my family (my mother’s side) came from and to visit the last village that Richard Henry Lee, my 22nd GGrandfather, lived in before leaving England for the United States in the early 1600’s. What an experience! The first stop after leaving the Cotswolds was Kinlet, Kin (royal) lett (district) Shropshire, population around 600. I was looking for St John’s Church where my relatives, the Blounts, are buried. First driving to Cleobury Mortimer, the roads dwindled to sheep pastures and upon reaching Kinlet, the main attraction seemed to be The Eagle and the Serpent Pub, in the middle of nowhere! They have THE BEST burgers and fries!!!!!
The Eagle and Serpent Pub, Kinlet, Shropshire, UK
Driving up and down the road several times, to my dismay, and seeing no sign of a church, we did find a large old school now being used as a nursing home. SB, being the gentleman he always is, went in the nursing home to inquire about St John’s Church. The young attendants had no clue to it’s where abouts, but a tiny frail woman in a wheel chair said, “take the path in front of the pub up the hill!”
It was a path with an iron gate, which we opened and went in and drove on up the hill through the rolling hills dotted with sheep and lambs. When the path ended, there was the church and next door a huge, huge, huge manor house! The Manor House or Kinlet Hall is now the Moffats School, a private school, but we went in and talked to the head mistress, who through marriage was also related to the Blount family. She told us to take as many pictures outside the building as we wanted, as not to disturb the classes, and to go on through the gate to the church. This is what I found in Kinlet and St John’s Church.
Sign Entering Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, UK
Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, UK
Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, UK
A Kissing Gate, St John’s Church, Kinlet, UK
St John’s Church, Kinlet, UK
St John’s Church, Kinlet, Shropshire, UK
The Gravemarkers, St John’s Church, Kinlet, UK
The Blount Monuments, St John’s Church, Kinlet, UK
An Antique Casket Carrier, St John’s Church, Kinlet, UK
The Blount Monuments, St John’s Church, Kinlet, UK
The Blount Monuments, St John’s Church, Kinlet, UK
Clock on Kinlet Hall, Kinlet, UK
Rolling Meadows, Kinlet Hall, Kinlet, UK
The Sheep of Kinlet Hall, Kinlet, UK
Kinlet Hall, Kinlet, UK
Kinlet Hall, Kinlet, Shropshire, UK
Sheep at Kinlet Hall, Kinlet, UK
It’s nice to know your relatives were so well thought of and very important to the community!
Outer Shell of Acton Burnell Castle, Acton Burnell, England
Next, traveling to Acton Burnell, we discovered the remnants of Acton Burnell Castle and a path through a really spooky grove of trees that we had to go through in order to reach the castle. I couldn’t help but think something awful had gone on here! If only these trees could talk!
The Spooky Path Through the Woods at Acton Burnell Castle, Acton Burnell, England
Acton Burnell Castle is a 13th century fortified manor house, located near the village of Acton Burnell, Shropshire, England. Built in 1284 by Robert Burnell, Bishop of Bath and Wells, friend and advisor to King Edward I, the manor house was substantial enough to accommodate Edward I, his household, soldiers and advisors. It is believed that the first Parliament of England in which the Commons were fully represented was held here in 1283. Today all that remains is St Mary’s Church, also built by Robert Burnell, and the outer shell of the castle. The Lee family must have been important in the village of Acton Burnell, but like a lot of young men of his time, Richard Henry Lee was not the oldest son to inherit, so left England to start fresh in a new country. It’s good to see where you came from so you know where you’re going! Have you traced your family back to lands unknown? What did you experience? I would love to know! Enjoy!
St Mary’s Church at Acton Burnell Castle, England
Weird Trees at Acton Burnell Castle, England
The Remnants of Acton Burnell Castle, England
The Setting of Acton Burnell Castle, England
The Setting of Acton Burnell Castle, England
Sign for Acton Burnell Castle, England
Cross at St Mary’s Church, Acton Burnell, England
St Mary’s Church, Acton Burnell, England
One Word Photo Challenge: Glitter/ Metallic
The Witchery Restaurant, Edinburgh, Scotland. Won’t you join me in the visit to Scotland? Enjoy!
The Witchery, Edinburgh, Scotland
The Travel Lady In Her Shoes 