Singing Praise

Yay! I have a working sewing machine again! And this modern one is for old people - it has an auto needle threader. I never knew there was such a thing, but man is it useful.

Torn towels have been strengthened, jeans have been patched and t-shirt holes fixed. Pity I had to do my curtains by hand, but never mind, it gave me something to do inside when it was raining back in May and June.

A Visit to Holyhead

Last week we took a scenic, rainy drive to 'kair-guh-bee,' (Caergybi, aka Cybi's fort), better known in the English-speaking world as Holyhead. In Roman times the town was called Sacrum Promentarium, which means ... Holyhead. It's perched off the Isle of Anglesey in the far northwest corner of Wales.

We didn't stop to do much sightseeing along the way because it looked like this:

The remains of the fort up on the hill

Typical Victorian era train station with a beautiful clock tower off to its left.

As you can see, it was a grey day

Ancient castellated wall

 

Modern castellated wall

The secret is out - I saw my Christmas presents on their way! 

Pheasants

We had great views of this beautiful non-native male game bird (originally from Asia), Phasianus colchicus or common pheasant, as it strutted atop our pergola, annoyed at a neighborhood cat's encroachment into our garden.

Photo: D.Schultz

These beautiful creatures replaced the native grouse which were decimated when game bird shooting became a popular sport in the 19th century. Pheasants were imported and raised specifically for the shoot. Young birds were kept en masse in enclosures on an estate by a gamekeeper until the shooting season began, at which point they were driven through the valleys, undergrowth and steep terrain by beaters and dogs to flush them into the air to be killed.

Those not shot got to live another day, this time unfenced and free to roam and breed. And so these birds have spread and multiplied in the wild, their numbers being supplemented each year with the next 'lucky' escapees.

Today Dale saw a flock of 13 land in the field above our house.

Outstanding Tree

Look at this outstanding tree that has been left on the hillside, and how different the vegetation is directly beneath and around it. It ... stands out!