Steamship ‘Balmoral’ has just passed by full of passengers on one of its annual visits to Menai Bridge. Delightful!
Dorothy
5th July 2015
Moon from our Terrace at Coed y Berclas
Last night the full moon shone from a clear, clear sky, casting long tree shadows on the drive and reflecting silver light onto the Strait and the pond on our terrace. Everything was still like a held breath.
Dorothy
3rd July 2015
Caught in the Act
I’m doing one of my un-favourite jobs – painting the woodwork on the exterior of the Cottage. At the beginning of the week the paint and I were both sizzling. Today I was stopped by showers but as the evening has reverted to blue skies and sunshine, I’ll be back up my ladder as soon as I finish this blog. The Cottage is looking refreshed and prettier than ever! Bye bye for now – sunshine and a paint brush are calling me.
Dorothy
2nd July 2015
Lovely Weather, My Exhibition at Oriel Ynys Mon and the Prospect of Beaumaris Festival from 19th – 25th May
The weather seems to have settled into a calm sunny phase and we have had both morning coffee and lunch sitting on the terrace, stripped down to t-shirts and listening to birdsong. We did manage to fit some work in between!
It’s a good job we did – on Wednesday and Thursday this week we will be helping to put up my Exhibition, ‘Textiles in Transition’ in the Main Gallery at Oriel Ynys Mon (The Anglesey Gallery) in Llangefni: the opening is on Saturday 25th April between 12:00 and 14:00.
I’ll also be teaching two workshops in the gallery:
‘Folded Paper Applique’ on Tuesday 12th May 10:00 – 16:00
and
‘Notan’ on Monday 1st June 10:00 – 16:00.
The exhibition runs from 25th April until 7th June. If you’re on Anglesey please call in at the Oriel to see my work – it also has a gallery dedicated to Sir Kyffin Williams paintings and drawings, a history gallery which is very child friendly and a cafe. We’re very proud of Oriel Ynys Mon on Anglesey.
Beaumaris has an annual Festival which this year falls between 19th and 25th of May: it is very well renowned and concentrates on music with an international flavour, but also includes a craft fair, wood turning, poetry readings, lectures and an exhibition of art.
Beaumaris is such a beautiful little town, with its medieval castle, Victorian pier, historic buildings and lots of places to eat: the Festival is at home in these pleasant surroundings. Look for www.beaumaris festival.com
Enjoy… Dorothy Russell
21st April 2015
‘Follow Your Bliss’ – a new and very welcome addition to Bangor’s café culture… Gluten Free
This morning, Daf and I sneaked a couple of hours off work – how dare we?! An acquaintance of ours opened a café in Bangor two days ago and we felt it was time to pop in to see how it was going.
I should explain – this is no ordinary café: Lesley is a personal trainer and dietary specialist who spotted a gap in the market – a very big gap: ‘Follow Your Bliss’ is entirely gluten-free and the food is all very carefully sourced.
Even the coffee is selected internationally, then roasted in Groeslon – look for ‘Poblado’ on the internet. I had an Americano (with lactose free milk) and a lemon macaroon and they were both superb – the coffee was the best I have tasted in a long time, possibly ever and the macaroon was fresh, moist and very tasty. Daf, with a larger appetite (nobody mentioned the work greedy!) had two coffees and a ‘Bliss Me Up’ sweet crepe with everything on it – I think it worked!!! It wasn’t even a guilty pleasure – all the ingredients were fresh and healthy.>
The café is small and very welcoming and whether you live gluten-free or not, we can heartily recommend a visit. We’ll be back, for sure!!!
You can find them at www.followyourblisspt.com 47 High Street, Bangor. LL57 1NR. 01248 361700.
Enjoy… Dorothy Russell
11th February 2015
Sun and Snow in February 2015
Last week we had snow lying on Anglesey – a rare event – it has now retreated to the mountains where it really belongs and today we have had the most beautiful blue sky, sunny day, cold and fresh with not a cloud in the sky and wonderful views of the mountains. It has been perfect weather for walking and just being out of doors.
As the sun went down this evening, the snow changed from blue/white to delicate tints of pink and the softest of orange glows before the darkness decended. Then a blood red moon climbed into a starry sky, changing through orange to yellow then finally creamy white. These days are not uncommon at this time of year – their beauty make one feel so alive.
Dorothy Russell
6th February 2015
First Winter Snow
Last night was 5th November, the official Bonfire night, and we watched fireworks across the Strait on the mainland from the warmth and comfort of Coed y Berclas: however we are looking forward to Saturday 8th when Beaumaris holds a Firework bonanza which is always brilliant. We’ll be there, in fact Daf will probably be behind a camera as usual: he has produced some brilliant images in past years.
Tonight there’s a full moon but it doesn’t appear until after 10pm. We have recently noticed high tides which occur around the time of the full moon.
We have had some interesting weather recently: on Tuesday we saw the first snow on the tops of the mountains with a stunning blue sky: it looked beautiful. On Wednesday it has all vanished. We love looking over to Snowdonia capped with snow – we like it even better when there’s no snow on Anglesey, which is what usually happens.
Dawn from a rather untidy Berclas main house terrace… bit of gardening to do then!!
Dorothy Russell
6th November 2014
September Moon 2014
I’m not sure where the year has gone – the Summer has been wonderfully busy and here we are approaching Autumn and the weather is very clement – we are frequently sitting outside for meals and I’m definitely topping up my tan. We both love being outside and, at the moment the birds are singing as though they think it’s Spring: I hope they aren’t getting confused. I have noticed swallows gathering on the wires and swooping around in swirls, catching their fill of insects in preparation for their long flight south.
It has been perfect weather for walking too, and from Coed y Berclas we have seen the mountains of Snowdonia, starting their day capped with clouds or in a thin mist, which has burned off to leave them sharply defined against a blue sky. The view from the top of Snowdon must be beautiful in these conditions.
Tonight there is a full moon and it’s wonderful to watch from our terrace as it rises over the mountains. The reflections on the water, of its silvery light, are quite magical and it makes beautiful shadows on the drive of the tree behind the Cottage: we have no street lights to spoil it with light pollution.
Daf and I have just bought tickets for ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ which will be recorded at the Canolfan (Leisure Centre) in Beauaris on the evening of 30th September. We’re really looking forward to seeing the team and putting faces to the voices we’ve heard so often on the radio. Daf’s working on his question but I’d like to relax and enjoy the occassion without worrying about someone pointing a microphone at me!
Before that is the Beaumaris Food Festival, on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th. It promises to be great fun with demonstrations by top chefs in the Canolfan and 100 stalls around town selling street and artisan food and drinks.There will be a puffin trail for children and family entertainment on the pier. Beaumaris Castle will host a medieval event and the Castle, Gaol and Courthouse will charge half price entry fee, which can’t be bad.
Sadly, we missed the Menai Bridge Seafood Festival – we had a computer ‘melt-down’ which had to be sorted out. Luckily we had a report back from guests who said it was very busy and well worth going to – hopefully next year we’ll get there!
We have lots of happy memories and some lovely comments from guests who have stayed with us over the Spring and Summer – they have been out and about doing all sorts of different things, from walking parts of the Anglesey Coastal Path to cycling along country lanes, playing on sandy beaches to spotting red squirrels, flying through the air on zip wires to boat trips on Rib Ride, crabbing on Beaumaris pier to star-gazing from the orchard: there’s lots of information to read in the Visitors’ Book about their adventures and some lovely comments about Coed y Berclas too.
Dorothy Russell
8th September 2014
What’s nearby to Coed y Berclas
Access to the whole of Anglesey and Snowdonia is easy, with outdoor pursuits such as cycling, walking, kyaking, diving and sailing around the Anglesey coast. Llanddwyn beach, with it’s miles of south west facing sand and sea, Pilots Cove, two lighthouses and forest walks, is only 30minutes away.
Pubs and Restaurants for eating out are plentiful in the area, one shore side pub just 300 yards from the cottage has lovely views across the water.
Sitting in the orchard you can gaze at the stunning view endlessly: sailing boats on the sea, distant Lowryesque figures on Bangor Pier, mussel boats over the sandbanks, starlit skies on warm summer evenings… Owls, Jays, Pheasant and Raven live in the woodland beside the cottage… and Red Squirrels have been seen.
Walking from the cottage along the lane, where traffic is infrequent, there is a positively ‘old’ atmosphere. This is part of the Anglesey Coastal Path. There is a footpath into fields and woodland, for walkers who wish to leave the road, through an exquisite area of land where modern farming is impractical and small fields intersperse with woodland and gorse.
Further along the lane is Baron Hill Golf Club. The energetic could walk it from the cottage in 15 to 20mins. It is available for public use.
Geology
Anglesey is an internationally recognised Geopark: it has attracted geologists for centuries and there has been deep study and argument about the development of its fascinating structure. The island is one of the most geologically interesting areas within the UK.
Anglesey became an island around 10,000 years ago, after the last Ice Age, when ice melted and sea levels rose. There is a seismic fault which runs along the Menai Strait and there are occassional earth shocks or tremors – there was one in early 2015.
You don’t need to be a geologist to spend the day exploring the island’s stunning Coastal Path, or one of the many Geo Trails where you will see that our treasured rock formations come in all shapes and sizes, colours and structures and give vital clues to how the land has evolved.
These rocks span 4 eras and 12 geological periods and are often the reason behind the extraordinary range of plants and animals which call the island their home.,/p>