Just Another Blog Splat

Some people blog every day (or at least aspire to).  I really admire the one's who manage that.

I've almost always got a post or several posts part written in my head.  Somewhere I've been, some thing I've done.  Sometimes serious, sometimes just the silly stuff that happens to me.

There are posts that almost seem to write themselves, ones that are just bursting out of me and it all seems SO easy.  Others need more work.  These are usually the ones I'm less happy with.  If it doesn't flow then it doesn't really work for me.

I post them anyway though ;-).

So, today I thought about writing a post about Caerphilly Castle.  We were in Wales at the weekend to pick up a Beach Buggy.

I know, I KNOW - SD JUST SOLD ONE!!!

But apparently some things you just can't pass up and this:

Is one of them!

Actually, I like this one better than the last.  It doesn't have the fancy metal flake paint job.  It doesn't have the flashy turbo engine or the racing harnesses or the very expensive roll cage.

BUT, it does have seats that fit my bum and a roll cage I can navigate without looking like some kind of trapeze artist every time I try to get out of it!

Anyway.

We picked the Buggy up from a place not far from Caerphilly so we left a little early and took a detour to look at the Castle (only from the outside though a there wasn't enough time to do it properly).

It's bloody HUGE!!!

 You actually can't get the full castle into a photo unless it's an ariel view.

This isn't going to be a history lesson on the castle though but if you are interested you can read a lot more about it here.

It's definitely somewhere I'd like to revisit when we have more time.  Maybe I'll write a proper post about it then.

I also thought about continuing with my re-posting of my Internet dating experiences and I probably will later in the week.

Today though, the thing that's mostly been on my mind is the invitation we received last week to the year 11 certificate presentation evening at Miss Mac former school.

It's a chance to see her presented formally with her GCSE certificates and to pick up her coursework both of which I am very much looking forward to.

I can't wait to see her Art coursework.  Obviously I've seen SOME of it but this will be the first time I've seen it in it's entirety.

I remember before she started at secondary school and we were invited to an open evening.  We looked at some of the previous years Art coursework and marvelled at the talent it showed never imagining for a second that one day she would be awarded and A* for Art and others would probably look at her work in awe too.

I'm really pleased that she has decided to take photography as one of her A'levels.  She's already taking some great photos and I love to see her expand her artistic side like this.  Life drawing classes start tomorrow and although she's still ummming and ahhing over it I'm hoping she will decide to take it up, we shall see.

Meanwhile, taking her to places so that she can get the photos she needs for her coursework means that I have lots of photo opportunities too!

To be honest, most of my photos are taken on my phone and I just click away as Miss Mac carefully sets up her camera checking light and shutter speed etc and while she gets some great shots I occasionally get a lucky one too.

I love these photos taken last week in the woods behind Hestercoombe House:

Across the valley

My mate Gus

Leaf strewn pathway through the woods

Miss Mac concentrating on something tiny in the grass

 And this one snapped at Lyme Regis in Dorset as the sun was going down a couple of weeks ago.

 Joe wrote a post today about the noise we make (or do we ...) - I don't make a great deal of noise here on my blog but that's ok.  I like to be able to hear the rustle of the leaves and the sigh of the waves and I could sit and look in silence at that horizon for a very long time.