Travels with my camera

No photos today, went shopping (eventually) Awoke to torrential rain, grey skies all day, it did ease off now and then later this afternoon, and a bit of clear sky appeared around 3pm but it was short-lived. Only good thing that can be said is thank god it's milder. So lovely to go outside without shuddering and coming indoors again as quickly as possible with frostbitten extremeties.

However as this is partly a diary as well as a photographic report, I feel I have to post something else about my day. Dear reader, today, if I had owned a gun, I am sure I would have shot myself! I did a very, very stupid thing, mainly through laziness. Let me explain. Two days ago I had an early appointment at the hospital, and because we had such low temperatures, and I didn't want to be outside scraping ice from the car first thing, I covered my front and rear car windows with old blankets. This worked a treat. So I repeated the exercise that night (it was Wednesday) as I thought I would save myself a job yesterday too as I was going to go shopping. However, it then snowed, and I left the blankets in place, didn't go out in the car, and thought no more of it. When I awoke this morning to the torrential rain, I thought oh damn, the rugs will be soaking wet now. I went to go out shopping just before one o'clock today, opened the car doors to remove the rugs, (I had shut each corner of them into each of my four doors to stop them blowing off in the wind) Have you guessed it yet? Where the rugs had been shut in the doors, the rain had poured in, as the seals were broken. I had six inches of water in the floor wells, all the seats were sopping wet, it had run into the door pockets and under the seats and ruined my map book,everything in the doors was soaking, in fact virtually everything in the car was soaking. I just wanted to cry my eyes out. If there is one thing that pisses me off with a car, it's when there are damp carpets and the car steams up all the time. The thing I loved about my car was that it is the first one I have ever owned which was dry as a bone inside. I bailed out as much as I could, soaked up loads more with four big bath towels, and had to put plastic on my drivers seat so I didn't get a wet backside. Drove with the heater flat out and windows open, but I need some hot, sunny days to have the slightest chance of drying it out. I am very, very down, and can't believe I could have been so bloody stupid. It even occurred to me when I saw it was raining that it may be leaking a bit round the windows, but no way could I believe that much could have run in - it was like a hose pipe had been running in the car for hours. :( Boy, did I swear, and chuck things around. Frankly, I am heartbroken, I can't see that it will ever dry out properly again, and with the weather we have now, the carpets are all going to go mouldy. What the hell can I do?

Well enough for today. Sick. :-(

Today has been grim. Freezing cold still, a biting easterly wind first thing, without the benefit of the blue skies and sunshine like yesterday. Overcast and grey all day, and then it started to snow about 1.30, so that put pay to my going out in the car anywhere. It stopped about 4 oclock though, only about half an inch has fallen and the roads are clear. Took a couple of pictures but nothing spectacular as it was so grey, didn't really look nice, but will put them on anyway.

Taken from the local football field at around 2.45 pm


Taken from the front porch looking across to the hillside, at around 2 pm

These fields were completely underwater the day previously, typically of course, I didn't have the camera with me and when I returned next day, it had drained considerably. The water was nearly up to the level of the road on the day before.

Heather in the forestry at Ffostrasol

Llandysul park

Ferryside

Newcastle Emlyn

The Teifi at Llandysul, taken in 2002 with my Canon 35mm camera.

The Teifi at Newcastle Emlyn

......and again..

Canada Geese at the Teifi, Newcastle Emlyn


The ruins of the Norman Castle at Newcastle Emlyn

Closer to the Castle, taken just before Christmas 2005


Inside the castle walls.

Farmland near Talgarreg, February 2003

My garden November 25th 2005

......and again


... and again. Deepest snow and earliest snow here in 6 years.

Christmas Day 2004, view from the garden across the valley

The Castle at Llansteffan, Christmas Day 2005

Llansteffan, Christmas Day 2005

Cei Bach, Summer 2003

Aberporth, Winter 2004

Cei Bach, Winter 2004

Llansteffan, Christmas Day 2005

I am going to upload all the sunset pictures I have taken over the past couple of years now, all of them from my garden or from one other garden in the village where I live in West Wales.





Sunset on New Year's Eve 2005, taken from the front garden

All taken at my favourite place in the world - well in Wales anyway. Peace and solitude here, rarely a man-made noise, just birds, water, and sheep. Beautful day, cold but sunny, no wind, blue skies, and no people! I always get a wonderful warm feeling of contentment whenever I am here. It's beauty personnified. :)


This is my favourite of all those I have taken today, the sun shining through the bridge and reflecting onto the water. This was taken at 2.45 pm

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