HISTORICAL UPDATE 1 : Walking North Wales - September 2022

This was written in October 2022 but never got posted.

My last post was in mid August - and I've just updated that a little. Much has happened since then but not much worth writing about. I'm now back in my wonderful Wainui home but inevitably, feeling a little hiraeth for family and friends back in Wales. Every morning the Bellbirds wake me at six: they have a beautiful melodic song but they are pretty loud, especially when their number one food source is the orange tree, which is festooned with beautiful blossom, near my bedroom window.

I spent a few days in North Wales in early September. Travelling with my faithful companions, 'Trusty Rusty" and "Sticky McSticky", I made my way steadily north, occasionally dropping down to second gear as the steeper hills approached. I called into the little church at Eglwys Fach, not for any religious reasons you understand,  but simply because I had driven past it too many times before. RS Thomas (you'll find him mentioned in previous blogs) was the vicar there in the fifties, a fact that the church is somewhat belatedly celebrating. He, assisted by his wife Mildred (Elsie) Eldridge, an accomplished artist herself, painted much of the interior of the building, including the pews and pulpit, black. The redecoration remains thus to this day and I found it somewhat refreshing. There is also a stunning portrait of the poet by Sir Cyffin Williams - well worth a visit if you are passing.

I spent the next two days walking in the Carneddau. I had intended climbing Yr Wyddfa, that for a few years was called Mt Snowdon it is something that one should do every few years, you understand. the alst time you climb it will be the ... last time you climb it! The car park at Pen y Pass was crowded with vehicles, apparently you can book your park by the hour online these days. You used to be able to just roll up and park there! So I drove  on to the Carneddau, twenty or so miles to the east where I met about three people over the next 48 hours. The second day I walked up to Y Drum and along the ridge to Foel Fras, a rather flat summit which was in cloud, with intermittent hail, but it was nice to know I can still stagger up to 3,000 feet. As I looped down past Llyn Anafon, the sun came out. It was a beautiful walk and really cleared my head. Then I headed off to visit my good friend OT and her husband Richard. They made my head go all fuzzy agin! Great wine and a fantastic steak though!

I really enjoyed the Carneddau. I hadn't walked there for many years abut at times it felt like I was walking home. I experienced a weird sensation, as I walked past a certain sheep fold: I suddenly realised I had ancestors buried nearby This is quite unlikely given my predominantly south Walian heritage - but you never know? And if people can find Richard III's grave while walking across a car park, there is surely a little hope for my intuition?

Fran and I spent few days in London before I flew back to N.Z. We  dined out, did the Bob Marley Show theatre thing in Soho; this I thoroughly enjoyed with 'Redemption Songs" one more reducing me to tears! We also managed to make the Tempest at te Globe Theatre, a fantastic show but it was a bit of a dash as I was determined to take in  the Tate modern and a bit of Turner in the morning,  while Fran was keen to ingest a decent lunch before the show. it was a bit of a rush but we made it with minutes to spare!]

I was up at five to begin my latest migration to the country that I love, leaving the country that I love! It's a strange dichotomy. I do not fully understand the fundamentals upon which my life plays out: I just know that it would be very difficult to change any of it!