"It Was I," said the Magpie

"It was I,"

Said the Magpie,

As it cast a beady eye,

"It was I who took your gold

And took your trinkets.

It wasn't who you thought it was,

The one you sacked with all that fuss,

As honest as the day is long— how could you think it?"

"It was I,"

Said the Magpie,

As it flew into the sky,

"It was I who took your ring

And took your necklace.

And you, with little thought it seems,

Assaulted her with shrieks and screams

And accusations wild and vile, and reckless."

"It was I,"

Said the Magpie,

As it gave a raucous cry,

"It was I who saw her leave

And saw her weeping.

And you will toss and turn at night,

Now not so sure that you were right.

Is, perhaps, it guilt, that stops you sleeping?"

"It was I,"

Said the Magpie,

"Who watched her shrink and die,

The victim of a deed not of her making.

And you are too proud to concede

That you have done an awful deed

That haunts you at your sleeping and your waking."

Copyright Tracey Meredith 2017

The Garden Makes Its Last Big Effort, and I Say the C Word

 As autumn beckons us from the other side of the hill, things are reaching a crescendo in the garden. The tomatoes are ripening faster than we can eat them, there's only one more lot of potatoes to dig up ( in my new vegetable patch- that should be interesting) and next years gardening has to be thought about now.
 The rest of the spud bunker has been emptied, the spud bunker repaired (an excellent bodge, if I say so myself) and the Christmas (yes, I said the C word) potatoes are in. The tomatoes are gearing up for their last great hurrah and all the oinions and shallots have been pulled and are gently drying out. The second lot of peas are up and running- fingers crossed we have a long summer. Purple sprouting broccoli and kale are putting on weight ready for next year, as are the leaks. Final carrots have gone in. This is why I need 6 weeks holiday in the summer. And I haven't even started painting the windows.

Penmon Priory and Lighthouse

So, after the boat trip to Puffin Island, was there cake? Was there even a cup of tea? No. Barely had my feet touched dry land, when off we went again, through narrow one track lanes towards Penmon- Penmon Priory to be exact. I'd had a taster of it prior to the boat trip, but we decided it would be better to do the boat trip first, seeing as we were pressed for time and the priory didn't shut as such (though, for your reference, should you decide on a visit, the church is locked at 6pm, earlier if there are no cars in the car park).
 If you like your historic buildings and you're in the area, make a point of visiting this. There were a few visitors there when we arrived (about 4pm), but it's not busy, and the car-park attendants (who I assume are volunteers) are very chatty and helpful. The car parking is £3, and that includes access to the priory and your toll to go to the light house later. If you need to leave and come back again, tell the attendant and they will note down your car reg. and not charge you again when you return.  

It's a compact site, so ideal for the weary and foot sore, though the less spritely may need some assistance here and there.
 Most of the buildings here date from the thirteen century, and were probably built on the site of the original Celtic monastery. Further buildings were added in the sixteenth century.
 The original settlement was founded by St Seiriol in the sixth century and St Seiriol's Holy Well can still be accessed through one end of the car park.
 The priory was occupied by Augustinian monks until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century, when it was handed over to the Bulkeley family, who were responsible for the wonderful dovecote.

 Don't forget to visit the church in the complex, as well, which is also very interesting, boasting medieval architecture and some nice stained glass windows. If you want to have a look at what you might be missing, hop over to my Pinterest page, and see all the pictures relating to this.
 So, having had our fill of this site, we headed over to Penmon Lighthouse. This was another interesting place, but for other reasons.
Besides the lighthouse (which you can get to at low tide), there is a wonderful array of rock pools both deep and shallow, with varying amounts of sea-life trapped in them by the retreating tide. If your little ones have been unimpressed with the priory, they will love this.

  If memory serves me correctly, there is a little refreshment hut nearby and this may just be the thing you need to placate and weary any junior members of the family before the long drive home. So don't forget the shrimping nets. Also look out for fossils- there are some very apparent ones under your feet.
 As for the Trwyn Du Lighthouse, it is still in use, and if you click on the highlighted link, you should find some more information on it

So, all in all, an interesting and relatively cheap day out. I believe our next outing will be to the deepest, darkest interior of North Wales in search of obscure chapels, lost Roman outposts and places not even the postman has heard of.

Puffin Island from Beaumaris

 We set forth from Beaumaris harbour with Seacoast Safaris, on a catamaran. Just under £10 each for two adults (the P&J was probably still in bed). We had a running comentary on the coastline we were passing- the place where seaplanes used in WW2 were housed, Penmon priory and the lighthouse.

There was an abundance of wildlife at sea, and not just your bog-standard gulls- shearwaters, gannets, cormorants and shags- but, unfortunately, no puffins- the last one left last week, their breeding season now over.
 Once upon a time, we were told, puffins were numerous on the island, making their nests in old rabbit holes (the rabbits having been introduced by a religious community that once occupied the island). Things changed one fateful night, with the paddle steamer, The Rothsay Castle in 1831. It got into serious difficulty, sinking with most of the passengers.
 Among the survivors were rats that made their way to Puffin Island, and prospered at the expense of the local wild life.

The rats have now been eradicated and the puffins are making a come back, arriving in the summer to breed. Currently they nest in crevices, but there are plans to re-introduce rabbits to the island, which beside providing burrows for the puffins, should keep the vegetation in check.
 Other wild life on and around the island- and the ones we all hoped to see- are gray seals. Puffin Island now has its own colony, and they kindly deigned to make an appearance for us.

   Then a quick chug back to Beaumaris for the next part of the day's outing- a visit to Penmon Priory and its local lighthouse.

For the rest of the pictures relating to

 this blog, click here

RSPB nature reserve- The Conwy Estuary

We came across the Conwy reserve last year, having picked up the signposts for it while coming through Llandudno Junction. Unfortunately, at that time we arrived just before closing time and so didn't get to see more than a peek of the Conwy Estuary, from the car park.
 You enter the reserve through a wooden cabin which, besides housing the tills, contains a more upmarket selection of souvenirs, as well as a selection of binoculars and such like, wild-life books and leaflets and a good selection of wild bird food. There's also a cafe and toilets here, as well as an area for the kids to have a run around. This first bit is free and consequently quite busy. To get out into the reserve, you have to pay (consider it a donation).
 This is a reserve designed to attract a variety of wild-life, not just birds, as obviously birds are dependent on flowers and insects etc for their existence, and the presence of so many birds, in turn, attracts other wild-life.
 There were a lot of butterflies, including the red burnet, which some people were confusing with the cinnabar moth, which is a similar colour.
 There is a lot to please botanists, as to attract butterflies, a lot of wild plants are being encouraged to grow, including ragwort so beloved of the cinnabar moth, and so disliked by land owners because it's poisonous to horses.
  The reserve is accessed by following a number of sign posted, firm pathways, most of which are suitable for wheel chairs and prams.
 There are hides at the end of most of these pathways, with viewing holes set at different heights, and a stepped stool is available for the vertically challenged to stand on (the site encourages children).
 There is, obviously, walking to be done, though mostly on firm, level ground, and at the end of the day, you can walk as much as you want. Or not, as the case may be.
Typical estuary birds are egret, heron, moorhen, coot, duck and swan, as well as gull, lapwing, godwit and water rail.
 Watch out for the robins. A fair few of them are very tame- though it could have  been the same robin following us around.

 If you look across the estuary, you will see Conwy Castle in all its glory. If you finish early enough at the reserve, go and visit Conwy itself and, if you can afford it, the castle. It's worth the effort.
And let us not forget the mountains on the other side of the river, which make this place so,so special.