tid bits of adventures

Here area few bits I missed. Not to be a linear blog as it turns out, having just figured out how to use the system! Turns out it wasn't just jet lag, but a temporary though unfortunate reaction to a new medication I tried for pain! Felt as though I was under water, and had lost a bit of my sense of balance...throw in some nausea and you get the picture. Anyhow, Tim decided to covertly research the side effects of the medication, and I was doing a terrific job of exhibiting them all. A couple of really good nights sleep, and taking it really easy cured that for me.

The great part about Wales was the pace, and the weather, and the countryside...okay, and the people, and the pubs. The Abbey's were spectacular. We stood inside Tintern Abbey (must re-read Wordsworth's poem), and were amazed. The arched open windows with their stone intricacy against the vivid sky, and backdrop of green hills and fields was absolutely breathtaking. There were a few drives where Tintern was en route and though we might be listening to either Micah or Noam read to us from The Skystone ( a novel set in Britain during the Roman Empire which we quite accidentally took on the trip), we all fell silent as we took in the site of this ancient place. It was like that in so many places...17th century churches with carvings made by local carvers of the time who studied stone carving nearby; ruins and castles around every single corner. “Castle at 1:00!” was a not uncommon cry!

Perhaps the most fun was riding Welsh ponies (truly they were horses!) through the Brecon Beacons, or Black Mountains of Wales. Fields amassed in wild ferns and striking pink Fox glove, Sheep baaing at every moment in the trekk, and vast short and steeply rolling hills all around. Though the day was warm and sunny, there was a clean mist that cooled us in the highest parts of the hills, as our horses trotted along the trail. It was magnificent, fortunately, as I determine to focus on the brilliance of the ride and the exhilaration of the views while my thighs, but and calves continuously remind me of my exertions!