A Night and A Day in Conwy

 Over Easter we went away for a very brief break - just one night - to the North Wales coast near Conwy.


In the evening, we wandered round the town and found the illuminated castle rather ghostly looking.

 By daylight, it's rather more solid - and perhaps even more impressive.












 

Approach from the right side and Conwy looks like it's still a fortified town - with a little imagination time feels like it's stood still.

You can even pretend to enter by the draw-bridge - although this one wasn't constructed till the early 19th century

You can walk all round town on the old walls

On one side they look out to Snowdonia's mountains

On the other, out to the river, quayside and a rather more modern harbour

or across the rooftops to the castle

Inside the walls,the streets still follow the Medieval pattern though full of tourists rather than invaders these days.

Easter Gardens

The sunny weather over Easter encouraged us out and about visiting gardens.

 First, just up the road to Chatsworth to find a bank of golden daffodils..

...try to get back out of the maze...

...and wonder about the giant who could use this ornamental garden fork!

Then over to Biddulph Grange Gardens in Staffordshire

To see the largest garden urn in the country!

 Run by the National Trust this garden has grottos and tunnels that lead to hidden temples mixed with formal gardens.

Then further west to Bodnant Gardens in North Wales where formal gardens look out to the mountains of Snowdonia

and paths lead to hillsides covered in rhododendrons and azaleas of almost every hue.

Flowers and blossom

 My morning walks are now filled with flowers - on the ground and up in the trees.
Cowslips,daisies, celandines and even dandelions brighten the fields

 In the wood itself, the bird cherries are now in flower

 chestnuts in bud


















 more bluebells appearing with every day














 and the hawthorn blossom will soon mark the start of summer

even the fields are bright with flowers - even if it's only the rape crop.

In the Green(ish) Wood

A haze of green is spreading through the Wood this week....



....trees bursting into leaf...

and under them a carpet of bright green grass shooting up

and bluebell leaves....









..even with one or two flowers already showing

The wild cherries are coming into flower

and bright, cheerful-looking celandines