Christmas shopping in Cardiff

 

 

Cardiff like most of the UK is haveing so much rain its unbelievable.  It seems to have rained almost continiously since March.  In a good year rain falls in Cardiff on 146 days during an average year, with total annual rainfall of 1,111.7 millimetres (43.77 in) which is far less than other parts of Wales.
Rainfall for this year has been 111% above average.

Anyway enough of my moaning, so have a good Christmas everyone.

December lights

 

 

 

 

You'll see loads of Christmas lights, but the chandelier in the Custom House caught my eye.

Custom House and windows

 

 

 

 

The Custom House in Cardiff Bay  has been beautifully restored and open to the public.

Cardiff Bay

by

Martyn Joseph

 

 

 

 

 

Large Hadron Collider

 

 

 

 

 

If I'm honest I dont really understand how it works as I can't visualise the process involved, but it's fascinating.  This was a walk in exhibition on show in the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff and well worth a visit.

Rainbows and roofs

 

 

The rainbow is trying to hold back the rain clouds and a couple of days later, all change,  the frost appeared.

Garden Birds

 

 

 

 

These are certainly not the best bird shots you have seen as they were taken through the bedroom window.  But for me they are great, as I have been trying for three years to entice birds into the garden and at long last they are beginning to come.  I've had the larger birds like
jackdaws, magpies, pigeons and doves but no smaller species, that is until this week.  So I'm very pleased and looking forward to seeing more over the winter months.

Halloween camping

 

 

 

 

Twilight ghouls and "magic" mushrooms?  Not quite, just poisonous ones, but very pretty.

Natures fishermen

 

The top shot was taken by a friend and the sign is Welsh for "No Fishing".

No more Autumn scenes.........

 

 

Hopefully I'll have some different pictures soon!

Severn Valley Railway

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were taken at Highly station on the SVR.  A trip back in time and pure nostalgia.

Autumn scenes.........again

 

 

 

 

These were taken on the Severn Valley Railway just south of Bridgnorth, and a beautiful sunny day that complimented the autumn colours.  We camped just outside Bridgnorth and caught the train from there to Kidderminster, so we did the whole length of the line.  This line, stations and trains are often used in films and must be one of the most successful steam train lines around.  Its nearly all done by volunteers who clearly enjoy their hobby.  More train shots in the next post.

Symonds Yat

 

 

 

 

 

Symonds Yat is a village in the Forest of Dean and a popular tourist destination, straddling the River Wye and the borders of the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, it is within a few miles of the Welsh border. [Wikipedia]

These pictures were taken whilst cycling around the Forest of Dean last weekend. The Forest is not huge and you are never more than 5 miles away from a road, so if you get lost you can soon find your bearings.  We were lucky with the weather and saw deer and a huge highglight for me.......wild boar.