Mochdre
(North Wales, near Colwyn Bay)
July 2014
So it's the Tuesday of our Sunday to Saturday trip to North Wales, and we're at the Welsh Mountain Zoo. This is the view from the balcony outside the cafeteria. Not a bad view.
It was, frankly, too much for Gregorius. He was fast asleep during luncheon.
After lunch, it was time for some ice-cream action. Or a whopping great ice lolly in Daisy's case.
It seems we were no longer welcome. They could at least have spelt my name right.
Daisy ignored the sign, favouring playing with the small flowers on the grass.
So I took the opportunity to take a picture of this well-coiffured tree.
That took us to early afternoon, at which point we decided there was time to head up to the Great Orme Tramway in Llandudno. The last time we were here, Lancashire pulled off a dramatic win of the cricket county championship. That seems a long time ago in many ways...
It doesn't take long before the sharp incline leads to a scenic view of Llandudno beach.
Daisy is enjoying her time on the tram - I don't think she is grabbing on for dear life.f
Even Lynne is fairly relaxed. We're not swinging from a cable after all. Gregory is in the car seat.
We pass the number 7 tram on the way up. As in: we're on the way up; clearly this tram is on the way down. Man, this is confusing.
A picturesque view of the number 7 tram continuing its journey down.
As soon as we got there, Daisy was keen to head to the biggest slide ever. She didn't like it much and came back crying. (I predicted that she wouldn't like it but I was too far away to do anything - I was sat with Gregory on the grass and this is a long range shot.)
There was a spectacular backdrop to the adventure playground which there was little chance of Daisy going on.
It was time to build up some confidence on the smaller scale playground. First, the wire mesh bridge.
Then the obligatory short slide.
Confidence boosted, Daisy headed back to the big one. And she made it down without crying, although she slowed herself down by holding on to the sides. A bit of friction burn was evidently worth the decrease in velocity.
There was a cable car to take you up and down, but there was slim chance of me persuading anyone to go on it. In fact, I didn't even consider it.
One memory from last time's visit was the observation of a crazy golf course which I couldn't go on because we had Daisy. This time, however, I could go on because we had Daisy and indeed she was very keen to play.
Lynne took a shot of the two of us playing just as a gigantic seagull flew overhead.
Daisy's technique was not quite there, although I think this is actually just her putting her pink ball down.
She quickly got impatient with a hole (only in the sense that she wanted to get to the fun bit faster), and here she had probably put it near the whole, finishing it one-handedly with aplomb. As we approached the 18th hole, Daisy wanted to go round the course again but, as we Lynne was left holding (well, walking) the baby, I decided that wouldn't be wise, so I let Daisy play the 18th again (I think).
The weather was still set fair but on one side it was starting to look a little angry.
We got to the tram station at 4.40pm, just as one was leaving. A sign said that the last tram was a bit later so we felt we were ok, but it turned out that we had just witnessed the last tram. They had been filming early in the morning and this had brought forward the whole day's schedule (evidently they have to work fixed hours or something). The later time displayed had only recently been put up for the following day. We did not fancy the walk down and contemplated a taxi, but luckily they sent us down on an empty tram, holding the one at the middle station where you switch trams.
Of course, it was all very exciting to have a tram to ourselves. We slightly embarrassedly boarded the full tram at the halfway point. They had probably been waiting 10 or 15 minutes for us. Oops. Ah well, we were on our way and that was the main thing.
The mild guilt at delayed a few strangers' days did not dull my urge to take photos of the beautiful countryside...
...or Llandudno bay.
Well, that was a cracking birthday for Lynne I reckon, and what better way to end it than in the garden as the sun went down with a bottle of champagne (a present from me, and, er, Daisy and Gregory).
And that will do for the time being. It was quite a lot, you know.
Early the next morning (the Wednesday, if you're keeping up), Daisy was keen to hold her baby brother Gregory.
Well, we're nothing if not full of adventure and we were soon off to Rhyl's very own SeaQuarium. Next to the funfair, it wasn't the most spectacular-looking building.
But they had fish! Well, that's the least you would expect.
This fish is feeling particularly lazy. Or perhaps just bored.
Outside, a seal was getting fed. I must have shouted his name and he looked over in this shot. Could be a she, of course.
It was quite a small venue and we were soon back in the main area, where we had a pit stop, which is always an excuse for a spot of colouring...
...or perhaps some driving. This will probably have ended up like most toy rides - enjoying the first one and not wanting to get off.
Just in case you were missing them, here's more fish! And that was pretty much it. It was mostly too dark to get many decent photos
It was then time to move on to Bodelwyddan castle, which was near Rhyl and so quite handy to get to. Gregory wasn't too impressed with that. But then it was tough.
Daisy seemed to appreciate some of the fine portraits.
She consulted the guide when faced with the full-sized snooker tables. 'Did they play snooker in the olden days?', she wondered.
Further consultation of the map and guide gave her some key facts on the fireplace and its history.
Now Daisy, save yourself for the proper toilets. Please don't be tempted to use the chamber pot.
Most of the castle was cordoned off so that all you could do was look. But there was a fun section, featuring a small house perfect for someone Daisy-sized. Like Daisy, for example.
There were lots of displays with old-fashioned but timeless puzzles on, but of course Daisy gravitated towards the colouring facilities.
We did have some fun with the crazy mirrors, though. Unfortunately, from my angle, Daisy looks normal...
...but wait, what's happened to her hair!
After the fun of the castle, it was time to venture outdoors. Lynne, Daisy and Gregory wandered on ahead as I took some pictures.
Here is the castle from the gardens at the back. Pretty impressive.
Daisy was keen to be the train driver and take us on a ride. A static ride.
The little monkey was in her element outside...
...and this is why. A big slide.
We declined a game of croquet, if it was even on offer.
All the excitement was too much for Daisy - she wanted to be grumpy on a bench.
Lynne took Daisy round the garden maze while I sat outside with Gregory. They made it back out, I am relieved to say.
Towards the end of our trip, we saw a number of little birdies in a large cage. There is one king of the pebble.
The gardens were all well kept. It was a very pleasant, peaceful place to be.
There's always time for a quick game of giant chess with Daisy, though. We're playing the Queen's Pawn opening, with an unusual variant or two (bishop skipping outside the pawn chain and a missing knight).
Such a busy day had left Daisy rather tired. Gregory looks at her as if to say "you're not going to stop there, are you? I can't move."
And that's stretched the second page to brimming so we really need to move on to a third page.
Alternatively, you may head back to the Secret Portal, but you'll lose the narrative flow if you do. Entirely up to you. I know what I'd do.