Wales, Wordy Wednesday 7th August 2013

As I missed three Wednesdays over the course of the year, I have decided to extend the run; plus it is the perfect chance to share my favourite photographs from the annual trip to Wales with the lovely boyf's work.  This year our whole pack went; the 12 yr old, Megs and Finn.  It could have been utterly fraught from the start; Megs is usually an atrocious traveller and seven hours of dobe-whining could have been the beginning and the end of the weekend, Finn gets car sick and the 12 yr old gets bored, very bored.  As it was, Megs was impeccable. the 12 yr old a dream and Finn, bless him, was only sick once in each direction. Wales itself was as beautiful as ever and, with the dogs and Finn on his first ever expedition, we didn't do the usual big, mad scramble but found a very picturesque river/hill/valley/lake walk instead... all 10km, 1400ft and 6 hours of it! 

Our little gang of happy walkers (the boyf, his Uncle and Aunt, the 12 yr old and a couple of friends) were perfect company for the day but, for me, the dogs were the highlight.  I often compare our two mutts to toddlers and do, quite honestly, think of them in much that way in terms of their needs for care and discipline and in their capabilities to learn and be naughty! I love to watch them in new situations like this; seeing them explore, watching their reactions and growing sense of achievement... I was a proud Mum on Saturday.  Megs always makes me smile, she is so exuberant and into every little thing, and as for my little Finn, he was a joy to watch.  He's not been well with his breathing, so it was a concern that he would even make it all the way around without help, and he has never walked in an environment like this before.  At the start, we had to show him where to walk and the joys of cool river in which to paddle in were utterly lost on him.  By the end, he was climbing rocks, taking a dip in the lake and, the following morning, I woke up to two bright eyes, ears that stood to attention and a little face that said "so, what's the plan for today, huh?"... it was a shame that all I could offer was a ride home in the car!  

Here are my favourite pictures of a wonderful day.

We started off with Gelert, the noble hound after whom the village is named.

The Aberglaslyn Pass.

Megs loves, loves, loves the river; here she was figuring her way down a 12ft bank back to it.

Remnants of the old copper mines that scatter the valley.

The view from the top.

Finn enjoying the breeze.

and a paddle in the lake.

Sleepy, happy pup!