We went to Merry Hill - In search of an inexpensive "Pink MP3 Player"... however the only pink one was the iPOD-mini - looks like Bethan did her research...

I am getting new company car...

August trip to visit my last few Berwyn Summits - this is the view back down the valler from close by the Pistyll Rhaeadr. Avoid the great unwashed by arrving VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING!

Across the top of Pistyll Rhaeadr

Cadair Berwyn on the Left - from the footpath between Moel Sych and Pistyll Rhaeadr

Moel Sych - looking towards Cadair Berwyn

Another "Non-Summit" - Berwyn No 3 on the Moss List (SJ098352) - 617m high - 2km there and back, all in deep heather, and with treacherous hidden trenches near the top

Rubus chamaemorus

Yes there really are cloudberrys on the Berwyns - not going to let on exactly where - there are not many at all - no fruit this year either:


"The late William Condry wrote in his book 'The Natural History of Wales': "Quite a folklore has grown up about cloudberry, dating back to the early days of the Berwyn village of Llanrhaiadr-ym-Mochnant whose church is dedicated to the Celtic saint Dogfan. His annual stipend, tradition says, was a quart of Berwyn berries. In other words he often got nothing. As a parish historian reported last century: 'So scarce is the fruit in some years that a quart of the berries cannot be had throughout the range. The writer, in the year 1869, after a most diligent search was only able to secure some half-dozen berries.'

"A later cloudberry tradition was the claim that anyone who could provide the rector of Llanrhaiadr with a quart of Berwyn berries would be excused payment of his church rates and tithes for one year. There is also the story of Sir Watkin Williams Wyn who offered five shillings (then a fair sum) for a pot of the berries. He also sent a man to get a root of it off Berwyn and had it planted in his garden at Llangedwyn. But there it refused to grow."


As far as I know there are just three places in Wales where this remnant from the ice age survives - Y Berwyn, Plynlimon and a "moss" near Wrexham

Memorial stone at Pen Bwlch Llandrillo - read the story behind this and an challenging winter crossing (that is when we had winters) at http://www.conwyctc.fsnet.co.uk/pages/wayfarer.htm

Self portrait - our-lady-of-the-roads - a wet Friday afternoon - and so many candles - in 15 minutes two other cars stopped to visit the shrine.

My little "Polo" - rather nice indeed

With the Family Hess in Eslohe, Meschede - starndard fare - Pferrerlinge Suppe and then pork loin - with a lovely sauce and some mashed fennel

German ARDF Championships - in the Homert Natur-Park. It was sunny on Saturday and rained Sunday - I was, consistently, 8th on both days

Mohnesee - lots of info on construction, water storage, energy generation, loads and loads of stuff but only one little photo of the "Mohne Disaster" - but the observant may notice some different coloured stonework in the centre part of the dam wall... courtesy of Messrs Barnes-Wallis, Gibson & all at 617 Squadron.

Mohnesee - My Uncle Don was here 60 or 59 years ago - on a 4 day pass from guarding prisoners of war...

Lennart, Corinna, Jonas - "can you show us some English coins please"

"You must try the suppe...."

Richard & Natalie's wedding reception was at Nottingham University - I snuck out at visited Portland Building - many many hours happily passed here when this was the AU office... and I was the treasurer