Saturday Charity shop shopping in Bangor 🙂 We got up, breakfasted and then walked in. I reckon it was about 4 miles in to the actual city centre. Not a lovely walk, as roadside all the way, passing loads of big retail sheds but we did spot a lane leading off in an interesting fashion with a FOR SALE board mentioning 40 acres so we made a note of the estate agent.
In the town we looked at all the charity shops, picked up a few books, a couple of T shirts (one for Ady, one for me, one for Davies), a cuddly toy for Scarlett (she assures me she really did *need* another one ;)), Davies got a new sketch pad and pen from The Works, we got some cinder toffee to munch on, bought a couple of bags of chips to share for lunch, Ady upgraded his phone to a new HTC Desire S which he is very pleased with. We’d been debating not upgrading when his contract ran out but as he is on a pretty low monthly contract and we are both using most of our minute and text allowance at the moment staying in touch with family and friends we decided we may as well keep our contracts and so as he does love a new phone he upgraded. Mine isn’t due until September so I will wait and see whether I want to tie myself in to another 2 year contract or not nearer the time.
I got some dungarees for working in (Anna had a pair at Bryn Mawr and convinced me of the benefits of some sort of overalls for working in – no more ruined knees in my jeans (they all have mud / grass stains), no more pulling up falling down jeans all the time. Ady got a waterproof jacket as he didn’t have one and still has a coat damp from rain a week ago.
On the walk back we stopped at B&Q to get some storage boxes and Tesco to get food for dinner which meant the last mile of the walk was very laden down with boxes and bags – so aching arms and feet when we got in. Recovering from the walk coupled with Ady playing with his new phone meant it suddenly got very late and we didn’t eat dinner until 1130 (the kids had eaten earlier) so were not back at the van for bed until 1230am. I was really tired and the kids were too.
Sunday Nice to sleep til waking naturally, although it was slightly earlier than it may have been if the van had not been so hot! It was roasting in there – I think we’ll be sleeping with the vents open tonight.
I put the inside of the van back together(turning beds into seats and tables, closing up the kitchen end, putting everything in cupboards) ready to drive while Ady and the kids breakfasted and then Ady put the outside together (unplugged the hook up, wound up the levellers) and then we headed off to Anglesey. We drove to South Stack and had a wander round there, chatted to the ranger in the visitor tower and looked through binoculars at wildlife, had stuff pointed out to us and got various information before climbing up the hill and then down the steep cliff steps to try and spot puffins. I managed to spot some through the binoculars so the little group standing near us all got to follow my directions to spot them too 🙂
Davies saw them a bit further down but Scarlett didn’t manage to which we thought was going to be sad for her but she had another go later and managed to see probably the best example as she watched them on the ledge and then saw them fly off to dive, so she was really chuffed :). We also saw cormorants, guillemots, shearwaters, choughs, various gulls including kittiwakes – and a very panoramic and stunning view of the sea. Gorgeous chunk of landscape that. I’d told the kids to leave their consoles here today and spend the journey looking out of the window instead as they often while away the long drives on DS or PSP which is fine when they are mostly motorways but a shame when the scenery we are driving through is as amazing as it was today. This meant they saw loads and then when the road was a bit boring they both got out pens and paper and did drawings of Puffins – Scarlett had already got her spotter and bird books out to check details of the birds we saw today and tick loads of the things she saw off her lists :). I could almost be convinved by a table in a vehicle….
We left there and popped into a Morrisons for food supplies for tonight – Ady and I both looking like fat heroin addicts as the hogweed marks now look like trackmarks on the insides of our arms. We consoled ourselves that at least we looked like *healthy* druggies, not skinny ones who don’t eat!
We went next to LLan—-gogogoch, as we have photos of Ady and I stood on the station from nearly 18 years ago, and I think both kids at least once in the past, although neither of them could remember. We were talking today about them building memories of various places we have been and trying to get a mental map of the country with places they have stayed in. We do look at a map each time we travel and mark out interesting places so hopefully some of it is going in.
From there we drove to a lay by with a great view of the Menai and the Britannia bridges over the Menai Strait with Snowdon in the background which was all very beautiful. We decided to make the most of jhaving a campervan and made tea and coffee and saw on a wall drinking it which was very lovely. One of those perfect moments that will stay with us about this year :).
We drove over the Menai bridge and then back over it the other way just for fun, before going over the Britannia bridge again and back to the hosts. Lisa popped over to the static for a catch up chat about weekends which was nice – it’s felt like our first real weekend off at a host since we began really as we’ve actually been out, seen the local area, not worked or eaten with our hosts and just done our own thing, how I envisaged it would be when we first started.
I cooked dinner while Ady put the van back together, then we rang my Dad for a catch up chat, and proper Welsh saying of Llanfair….and to tell him about puffins. I read a couple of chapters of story to the kids and they went off to bed. Ady has already headed over there and I am waiting for the last few pictures to upload to flickr.