mixed up

This was last week when the kiln was being tidied....and yesterday I was SURE that it was packing day!!

I headed off towards Abergavenny, making a detour to a possible customer...and she bought the cream jug in the middle, and will have a laminated picture of the range on her pub wall, with price list and contact details!! It is a beautiful place and they haven't spoilt the building atall, just done what is needed .
I've heard that the food is really good there and that they cater for veggies too..so that is earmarked for a special meal out sometime!!

Even though it wasn't packing day, I still had time to socialise with my newest friend....


May I introduce Slinky Malinky!!! A six month old gentleman with a huge sense of fun and inquisitiveness....



I took advantage of being in the area and took a stock check on my work in the Court Cupboard Gallery.
Alan the Stained Glass maker was on duty-good to meet another member for the first time...and good to see him selling four of my pots!!

It started raining lightly as I left there and it carried on as I shopped in Abergavenny.
The colours as I drove home were stunning- dark skies and sunshine, brilliant yellow rape fields and the bracken on the hills a glowing rust colour.

Then as I went through Cwm y Glyn to Hafodrynys....large wet snowflakes!! I went over the end of Mynydd Maen Common to avoid the traffic and it was all wet as after heavy rain. The views across the valleys as I came down above where Hafod Fach used to be were spectacular, with bright sunshine, rainbows and snow!!
The sight of steamclouds rising up the narrow vally at Sychpant above Spiteful opposite Cwmcarn was breathtaking- and no place to stop and photograph!

Soon after I arrived home we had a thunderstorm and it rattled around the mountains for quite a long time....so I wasn't going to turn the computer on then!!
The Carpenter arrived a little after me, having had the exhilarating (?!!) experience of driving over three inches of hailstones on the way home from Cardiff.....!!

Still we can't complain....in the area of Bala and Dolgellau they had a sudden surprise fall of six inches of snow....roads blocked, traffic stuck, as the snow ploughs couldn't cope!!

Twmbarlwm meeting

Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society held a public meeting last night.
We held it in the largest room in Crosskeys Rugby Club and it was reasonably full.

Present were CTS society members, at least half a dozen Commoners, local police (including the officer who is now the direct link for matters on the Mountain) councillors from the main two councils in the area, the landowners' representative, Ancient Cwmbran Society members, Environment Agency....and most important, more local people.

Add to this a representative from the group that is making a difference to the area from Blaenafon across the Commons of the Heads of the Valleys, stopping offroad damage, dealing with flytipping and raising the awareness of their locals to the value of what is there.

So much talk about the problems we have AND what has begun to be done by all parties.

We need to find out exactly what is there too- Gwent is the only county without a proper archaeological survey. Yet as a border area for millenia it is stuffed full of evidence!! One excuse has been the industrial development of the area. Now that itself is archaeology.
Look at the remains of quarries and mines and farming on the mountain, all fast being lost.
We are at the point too of losing the people who can give eye-witness accounts of all this.

So, much to do and heartening to see action.

mountain dawn