Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
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Cugel
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by Cugel »

pwa wrote:Me and my better half were walking around the coastal nature reserve at Merthyr Mawr this afternoon and I have never seen so many wild flowers there. Mostly coastal or dune species. Particularly prominent were large drifts of Viper's Bugloss. When I got home I found someone has added this image to Streetview in the past few days.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4844996 ... 6?hl=en-GB

But looking closer, is this a poo bag? Why do people who take the trouble to get to such a lovely spot do that?

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4844996 ... 6?hl=en-GB


The wild flowers have gone mad with vigour this year. They're always prolific in the Welsh lanes, enjoying the steep banks which seem to also trap the heat. In Brechfa there are currently swathes of various hawkweeds and forests of foxgloves nearly as tall as the spruce! There are also many, many different grasses, all now tall and waving their various seed heads about, each with a unique shape and shade.

This afternoon the ladywife and I went for one of our now customary Welsh lane cycling jaunts, over the hilly stuff via many such lanes. Despite being close to blott-level efforts on her wheel, as she feeds her e-motor at blue level, I could still enjoy the vast banks of flowers and grasses. Ah bliss. :-)

The chucked dog sh!**3bag. Why do people put it in a bag of slow-rot plastic then festoon the place with it? It's best, in the wild, to allow the stuff to rot down naturally to encourage those bugloss and hawkweeds, as long as it isn't lying in the middle of the path or track like a squish-mine, to plaster every crevice of one's boot.

Personally I always have the poobag but use it only in those places where the odour will be a foot hazard, health hazard or other hazard. In the depths of a forest, there are many hungry plants eager for the nourishment. Without all the moles, deer and even the odd dog fertilising the place, nowt much would grow so well. One must practice with the poo flick-stick of course.

One day I will acquire a composting toilet, which will hopefully improve the onions and cabbages of the garden. True recycling, that'll be. Out one end and eventually back in via t'other. Several times, perhaps!

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
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pwa
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by pwa »

Cugel wrote:
One must practice with the poo flick-stick of course.



That is exactly what a sign at the car park at Merthyr Mawr asks dog walkers to do. Flick it with a stick. Simple. No plastic, no mess for others to contend with.
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Cugel
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by Cugel »

Flowery Brechfa Forest car park, with flower-nesting collies in their electric carriage.

Brechfa Forest Summer-11.jpg


Brechfa Forest Summer-14.jpg


Brechfa Forest Summer-17.jpg


Cugel, just the coachman.
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
John Maynard Keynes
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by Cyril Haearn »

The Welsh Folk Museum has been upgraded, Plus One, the Grauniad has a picture that might be of Cugels workshop :wink:
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
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Cugel
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by Cugel »

It's not just the more obvious flowers going mad. Grasses, ferns and cones too!

Brechfa bloom-4.jpg


Brechfa bloom-3.jpg


Brechfa bloom-2.jpg


Brechfa bloom-1.jpg


Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
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fausto copy
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by fausto copy »

Cugel wrote:Flowery Brechfa Forest car park, with flower-nesting collies in their electric carriage.

Brechfa Forest Summer-11.jpg


Cugel, just the coachman.



I'm sure that's actually a Shire horse in Cudgel's first picture above (previous posting). :shock:
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Cugel
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by Cugel »

fausto copy wrote:
Cugel wrote:Flowery Brechfa Forest car park, with flower-nesting collies in their electric carriage.

Brechfa Forest Summer-11.jpg


Cugel, just the coachman.



I'm sure that's actually a Shire horse in Cudgel's first picture above (previous posting). :shock:


The larger collie is certainly the biggest collie I've ever seen. He and his brother (from the same litter) are from a farmer on the east flank of Pendle hill, who is apparently quite famous for his tri-tone collies. We were once on Newport beach (West Wales Newport) and the "breed" was recognised by a bloke sailing there. "Those are from ..... ", he said; and he was right.

We think the big dog has a touch of the Bernese mountain dog somewhere in the genes. He looks bit like a scaled-down slimmer version and has the big head, the soft nature and a very thick undercoat of fine hair. He also loves cold weather, especially snow, which brings out the playful moods.

Snowy Brechfa Forest walks-14.jpg


Gunnar at Trefin cove.jpg


Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
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pwa
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by pwa »

What do you do with the hair after brushing? It must have a use. Insulation or something.
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by fausto copy »

We'd just got back from Newport when I saw your photos of your dogs.
We camped for 2 nights at Conifers Campsite overlooking the bay.
A lovely spot.
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Cugel
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

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pwa wrote:What do you do with the hair after brushing? It must have a use. Insulation or something.


The brushed out clots of fine collie hair are let loose in the large garden, as the birdies do like it for the nest. Otherwise, the tumble-fluffs that accumulate everywhere in the wood-floored hoose are sucked up by a vacuum cleaner every other day or so, as they drift about in the breeze from open window or door. In fact, the vacuum cleaner fills with 33% tumble fluff, 33% collie dander and 33% collie detritus, mostly bits o' Brechfa Forest these days.

The ladywife knows various folk who make yarn, yarn-things, cloth things and so forth. She knows one lady who did as you suggest - collected all the dog fluff from her dog (I forget which kind it was) then spun it into yarn with which she knitted a blanket-cum-rug. Apparently it felt very nice but alwys smelt of ripe dawg! One hears that this is generally the case, hence no dawg-hair items for sale at the craft fairs of even on Amazon from China. (At least, I hope not).

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
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pwa
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by pwa »

Cugel wrote:
pwa wrote:What do you do with the hair after brushing? It must have a use. Insulation or something.


The brushed out clots of fine collie hair are let loose in the large garden, as the birdies do like it for the nest. Otherwise, the tumble-fluffs that accumulate everywhere in the wood-floored hoose are sucked up by a vacuum cleaner every other day or so, as they drift about in the breeze from open window or door. In fact, the vacuum cleaner fills with 33% tumble fluff, 33% collie dander and 33% collie detritus, mostly bits o' Brechfa Forest these days.

The ladywife knows various folk who make yarn, yarn-things, cloth things and so forth. She knows one lady who did as you suggest - collected all the dog fluff from her dog (I forget which kind it was) then spun it into yarn with which she knitted a blanket-cum-rug. Apparently it felt very nice but alwys smelt of ripe dawg! One hears that this is generally the case, hence no dawg-hair items for sale at the craft fairs of even on Amazon from China. (At least, I hope not).

Cugel

I have heard of folk adding it to the compost but I don't know what if any value it adds. I'd probably let nature have it back somehow, via the birds or whatever.
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Cugel
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by Cugel »

fausto copy wrote:We'd just got back from Newport when I saw your photos of your dogs.
We camped for 2 nights at Conifers Campsite overlooking the bay.
A lovely spot.


A lovely spot it is!

Plenty of good cycling - Ffordd Bedd Morris up behind in the foothills of the Preselis then down into the Gwaun valley; to Molygrove and Poppit via the high coast road from Newport. There are various back lane climbs over the shoulders of Angel Mountain.

DSC07986.jpg


We like to swim in The Nevern Estuary next to the dunes of The Bennet; but also at the north end of Newport Sands when the tide's out - long swims free of tidal currents that sweep one out to sea.

The collies adore large beaches like Newport - miles to run and run after the ball, with a cooling sea to plodge in.

Ollie & Gunnar Newport dunes.jpg


Did you attend The Golden Lion pub on the north end of the high street? We've spent many happy hours drying off, noshing and pinting at their fireplace, complete with steaming dogs.

Golden Lion at Newport01.jpg


Cugel
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

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We didn't eat out this time (except alfresco, enjoying the view).
In the past we've dined in the Royal Oak at t'other end of town - always excellent very fresh fish dishes, although curries a speciality.

We did though enjoy brunch at Blas at Fronlas in Market street.
They always serve excellent nosh and as it happens are mutt friendly.
We sat out in the walled garden, where another couple were accompanied by their Old English Sheepdogs.
I commented that they look unusual without a docked tail and suggested they would be good for painting with Dulux.
They replied that they were no good at painting and looking at their wagging tales, I think they'd be expert at knocking furniture and fittings over.

If your dogs like a run on a long beach, then our local Newgale would suit them too.
1709-412GX bw.jpg


Not mine, I hasten to add.

fausto.
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Cugel
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by Cugel »

fausto copy wrote:We didn't eat out this time (except alfresco, enjoying the view).
In the past we've dined in the Royal Oak at t'other end of town - always excellent very fresh fish dishes, although curries a speciality.

We did though enjoy brunch at Blas at Fronlas in Market street.
They always serve excellent nosh and as it happens are mutt friendly.
We sat out in the walled garden, where another couple were accompanied by their Old English Sheepdogs.
I commented that they look unusual without a docked tail and suggested they would be good for painting with Dulux.
They replied that they were no good at painting and looking at their wagging tales, I think they'd be expert at knocking furniture and fittings over.

If your dogs like a run on a long beach, then our local Newgale would suit them too.
1709-412GX bw.jpg

Not mine, I hasten to add.

fausto.


I love Newgale, having spent many sunny summer holidays camping there in the 80s, body-boarding and cycling. Me old bones won't take the camping anymore but it's always a wonderful day out to Newgale, these days with the collies and their ball rather than a bodyboard.

Collies at Newgale04.jpg


Newgale skies05.jpg


In the 80s I had a 531SL (SuperLight) racing bike with 52/42 chainset and 13-21 freewheel. Going up the hill from Newgale to enter the back lanes past Brawdy was hell on the lung & leg! One could stop for a gawp through the Brawdy airfield perimeter fence, though, getting a rest as well as a view of often exotic aeroplanes, as this is where the RAF used to train many foreign pilots of our then allies.

Cugel
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Re: Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

Post by fausto copy »

You obviously know my local patch well then!
Yes, Newgale Hill is a bit of a killer, which I now try to avoid at all costs.

We used to have a clear view of Brawdy airfield from our previous house and used to watch the planes taking off and landing.
Although I've never been in to anything military, I was always fascinated by the Hercules and especially A-10 Tankbuster planes that bemused me into how on earth they actually stayed airborne at such apparent slow speeds.

Mind you, it's a lot more peaceful these days, now that the RAF and US Naval base have flown elsewhere.
Although we have been able to hear the firing from Castlemartin Range these last few days.
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