Travels with my camera

I went to Cilgerran today, as I needed some more dog/cat food for the hedgehogs, and some sunflower hearts. I also had a £4 off coupon from Tescos, so thought I'd combine the visit as usual (Tescos is at Cardigan, 10 minutes further on) The river Teifi is beautiful on a day like today, bright and sunny, but the wind was cold again. Further upstream, toward Cardigan is the Teifi Nature reserve that I visited a couple of weeks back and took pictures of. This bit is a little known stretch, as the road leading to it is tucked between a private house and a shop, and there is a very steep, narrow road leading down to a parking area, picnic tables, and toilet block. Even in the height of the season, this place is virtually empty. Walking to the left is Cilgerran Castle, up a steep slope. Today I decided to go the opposite direction down the pathway toward Llechryd. You can walk approximately a mile and a half I would guess, past the remains of the slate quarries and derelict buildings, the cliffs sloping up steeply to your right, and the river down a few feet on the left. There is not a single man-made sound most of the time, all that can be heard is birdsong and bees humming, absolute bliss. I met only two other people. At one of the picnic tables was a woman painting in water colours. We did the walk, and then sat down at one of the tables for our lunch. I was very good today and took lunch with me, very healthy it was too, a low calorie tuna and sweetcorn thing (John West) some grapes, an apple, and bottled mineral water. I braved it for as long as possible, but when the sun went in with just my apple remaining, I gave up and got in the car, I was bloody frozen!

During my walk, which took about an hour in all, I was all eyes and ears for birds, and heard and/or saw the following -

Blue tits, Gt Tits, Robins, Woodpigeons, Wrens, Song Thrush, Marsh or Willow Tit, (I have to listen to my bird song cd to make sure which it was) Blackbird, Crows, Jackdaws, Grey Wagtail, Mallards, Nuthatch, Swallow, Gull (got to look it up, don't know one from t'other )

Went on to Tescos and spent a fortune, stocking up on stuff to make sure I spent £30 to be able to use my £4 off coupon! I ended up spending £51! Mind you, I won't have to buy any more food for a couple of weeks now, apart from fruit, veggies and milk, the fridge and freezer is well stocked, and the larder too!

I cleared my bird feeding area outside the kitchen window when I came back, swept and moved things, put the bird table up top of the garden. I am only having the hanging feeders in the lilac bush down here now, because the rats are coming right up here. I don't mind them, but they can stay up top, I don't want them near the house, even if the baby ones are cute.

Can't think of anything else much for today, I have to go and shut my birds in now, and will then be glued to American Idol for the next hour or so.

As usual, Emma straight in the water, she makes me laugh though, when she sits down in it!

Unusal house on the other bank - it has the roof missing in the middle section only. It's been like that for years, yet it doesn't seem to be in a bad state of decay.

The river looked great today with the sun shining on it, and the reflections of the trees.

May blossom in bloom on the trees, and I spotted the first bluebells of the year on the far bank too.

Walls remaining from the slate workers cottages

More of another derelict cottage

Looking back down river toward Llechryd

Believe it or not, there is a male Mallard in the water there!

Cilgerran Castle, and the picnic tables

The River looking upstream toward Cardigan