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Penrhos Cottage

My Yearly Review – 2014

By Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, Life, Nature, PaganismNo Comments

This year I did very little in the Spring, a lot in the Summer, bits in the Autumn and Winter. Here’s what I’ve been up to this year, click on any photo for full size image:

March

dame-edna-march-2014

Sye & Me at Barry Humphries Show

Sye and I went to see Barry Humphries: The Eat, Pray and Laugh Farewell Tour. We had a great time. Here are some photos:

dame-edna-march-2014 dame-edna-march-2014 dame-edna-march-2014

May

Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

Simon popping his head out of The Lovely Cottage

Simon and I went to Mid-Wales to The Lovely Penrhos Cottage for the weekend. While there we took the time to relax. The Saturday it was gloriously sunny and hot, so we went to Aberdovey Beach. On the Sunday we went to King Arthur’s Labyrinth.

I published my short story The Good Teen. The Good Teen is a modern-day telling of The Good Samaritan parable, with a hint of magic. I wrote it after I saw a call for submissions from the BBC Radio 4 ‘Opening Lines’ programme. Unfortunately it wasn’t accepted, but it’s still a good story – even if I do say so myself.

June

Rivington-June14

Rivington: A Gorgeous View

I spent several days walking around Rivington. I feel fortunate to have such a beautiful and gorgeous natural place close by.

My at-the-time boyfriend and I went to Blackpool to the Sealife Centre and Madame Tussauds. We saw various fish and waxworks respectively.

Steve and I went watching The Lady Boys of Bangkok in Manchester. We were both slightly disappointed with the Lady Boys to be honest, but it was still good to get out and we even managed a few alcofrolic drinks afterwards.

July

Manchester Museum Gorgosaurus Skeleton

Gorgosaurus Skeleton

I watched After The Dark (The Philosophers), which became my favourite film of 2014.

My at-the-time boyfriend and I went to Lancashire Science Festival 2014 which was both educational and intriguing. Plus it had free parking!

My at-the-time boyfriend, his housemates and I visited Manchester Museum. I loved the dinosaur exhibit.

August

light-michael-grant-book-cover I had my blog Theme Redesigned by TRH Development. I started Being Creative Everyday and sharing some of the results on the blog.

I felt saddened at the unexpected death of Robin Williams and began thinking about the importance of good mental & emotional health.

I read and reviewed Light by Michael Grant, which was the last book in The Gone Series. I thoroughly enjoyed The Gone Series which was about kids being trapped in a Dome without adults and developing powers.

September

Wales animalarium lemur

Animalarium: Lemur

I got some Amazing Illustrations from the Talented Sye Watts for my blog. I am so lucky to have such a talented friend.

A friend and I went to stay for a weekend at Penrhos Cottage and visited the Animalarium, which is Borth’s Zoo on the way home. There where some lovely animals there that looked well cared for.

October

pagan-stone-circle-large Chrys, Simon, others and I celebrated Samhain!

November

harry-potter-studio-tour

Various Magical Creatures.

My at-the-time boyfriend and I broke up.

I made small Charitable Donations to JDRF, The Human Rights Campaign (US), The Brain Tumour Charity (UK) and to make a film about the sell-off of the NHS.

Mum and I went on a Trip to London where we shopped and visited The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour.

December

wrapped-christmas-presents-2014

Some Presents I’ve Wrapped for Christmas

Christmas has been relaxed, enjoyable and fun. I have celebrated it with family and friends. People have kindly bought presents for me:

christmas-presents-2014

Presents Kindly Bought For Me.

But the best thing was the opportunity to spend time with people that I love.

Next year I’ll be spreading out activities, experiences and goals throughout the year. So keep an eye out for my Goals & New Experiences for 2015 blog post.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Back To Penrhos Cottage & Visiting Animalarium Borth Zoo

By Adventures, Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, NatureNo Comments
Wales Black Berries

Blackberries

Last weekend a friend and I went to stay at the lovely Penrhos Cottage for some rest and relaxation. I’ve previously stayed at Penrhos Cottage, see my blog post: Mid-Wales, Part 1: The Lovely Penrhos Cottage. We spent the time catching up, enjoying nature, watching TV and reading books. It was great to have no schedule.

On the Saturday I took the opportunity to walk up into the hills and found a private garden with some miniature buildings. I hiked further up the hills and found some abandoned slate ruins. See some photos below:

Wales Garden Buildings

Private Garden Miniature Buildings 1

Wales Garden Buildings 2

Private Garden Miniature Buildings 2

Wales Slate Ruin 1

Slate Ruins 1

Wales Slate Ruins 2

Slate Ruins 2

On the Sunday we stopped off at Animalarium, Borth’s Zoo on our way home. Animalarium is a small Zoo that also takes in unwanted pets. You can really get close and interact with the animals at this Zoo. You can even buy pots of food and feed some of the animals. This animal interaction makes it an ideal place to take children. Throughout the day it had a number of free talks about some of the animals and some opportunities to see animals getting fed. My friend and I had an enjoyable time, here are some photos of the animals:

Wales animalarium lemur

Animalarium: Lemur

Animalarium Monkey 1

Animalarium: Monkey 1

Animalarium: Monkey

Animalarium: Monkey 2

Animalarium Meerkats 1

Animalarium: Meerkats 1

Animalarium Meerkats 2

Animalarium: Meerkats 2

Animalarium goat

Animalarium: Goat

Animalarium Cat

Animalarium: Cat

Animalarium Wallerby

Animalarium: Wallerby

Animalarium jaguar

Animalarium: Jaguar – Sunbathing.

Animalarium bird

Animalarium: Some sort of Bird

Animalarium calf cow

Animalarium: Calf

Animalarium Pythons

Animalarium: Pythons

Animalarium pythons sign

Animalarium: Pythons Sign

Animalarium is a small Zoo and as such felt like a place that needs more financial support. My friend and I talked about maybe adopting an animal or two there, it’s something I certainly intend to do when money is less tight.

Hope you enjoyed the update and photos.

Blog soon,

Antony



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Mid-Wales Part 2: Aberdovey Beach & King Arthur’s Labyrinth

By Adventures, Friends & Family, Gay, Happiness & Joy, ShoppingNo Comments

While Simon and I were away (see Mid-Wales, Part 1: The Lovely Penrhos Cottage), on the Saturday morning the sun shone gloriously and the temperature was set to soar. So we went to Aberdovey Beach for the day. It felt like being abroad. The sand was golden and reflected the sun. The sea was calm with the faint scent of salt in the air. The smell of coconut sun lotion drifted by from the people that had come to the beach to make the most of the weather. I imagine that this is what heaven is like. Here are some photos (click on any image for full size photo):

Aberdovey Beach

Aberdovey Beach: Felt like being abroad.

Aberdovey Beach

Aberdovey Beach 2.

Aberdovey Beach

Aberdovey Beach: Sailing boats and glorious sandy beaches. It got busier as the day went on.

Aberdovey Beach

People watching.

mental-health-wisdom-banner

Simon and I spent the time people watching and sitting in a small gardens with coffee. We walked along the sea front and I had an ice cream. I think I spent too long in the sun, as my arms were a lobster red colour by the end of the day. More photos:

Aberdovey Beach compass

The compass of the circled bench seating area.

Aberdovey Beach sea front walk

Walk along the sea front.

ice cream wales Aberdovey Beach

Ice cream: Just want I needed.

sun tan lobster red too much sun

Lobster Red: Think I spent a bit too much time in the sun?

On the way back to the Cottage (see Mid-Wales, Part 1: The Lovely Penrhos Cottage) Simon and I had seen King Arthur’s Labyrinth on Google Maps, so decided to check it out. It turned out that King Arthur’s Labyrinth was a children’s attraction. But on the site was a collection of artists workshops in little huts. In a gorgeous little candle shop, I bought the most fabulous gay mirror:

gay mirror fabulous multi-coloured

My Fabulous Gay Mirror.

Our whole time in Wales was brilliant. Throughout the trip we ate out often. We drove home through Betws-y-Coed and Conway. On the way to Wales we had bought lotto tickets. While at the cottage Simon and I had talked about what we’d do if we won. Simon had said: “I’d be happy with just £50.” and guess what? We actually won £46 which was a pleasant ending to our awesome trip.

Write soon,

Antony



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Mid-Wales, Part 1: The Lovely Penrhos Cottage

By Adventures, Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, NatureNo Comments
Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

Penrhos Cottage Sign

Simon and I spent the weekend at Penrhos Cottage. This homely cottage, set in the beautiful Welsh Valley of Corris was the perfect escape from busy life. We dubbed Penrhos ‘The Lovely Cottage.’ Here are some photos (click any photo for full size image):
Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

Simon popping his head out of The Lovely Cottage

Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

Cosy & Homely.

Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

The fireplace – we didn’t use it, as it was such good weather.

Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

Practical Kitchen.

Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

Bathroom 1

Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

Bathroom 2. A shower big enough for two.

Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

My bedroom.

Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

Simon’s Bedroom.

It was wonderfully peaceful, especially with the whooshing from the stream set in the centre of the valley. The view was great:

Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

The View 1.

Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

The View 2.

We met the chickens, roosters and pigs that were in the field in front of the cottage:

Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

The Chickens & Rooster.

Penrhos Cottage near Corris Adam and Andy's cottage

The pigs.

The Lovely Penrhos Cottage is the the perfect place to holiday; whether you’re looking for quietness or activity. For those looking for quietness and contemplation you can chill out in the cottage or take long walks in picturesque countryside. If you’re looking for activity there’s plenty of tourist attractions just a short drive away. The cottage features include Wifi, a fully functioning kitchen and a washing machine. Children and dogs are welcome.

It struck me that Penrhos Cottage would make a superb cottage for writers taking a writing holiday. Simon and I left The Lovely Cottage feeling rested, relaxed and recharged.

In Mid-Wales, Part 2 I’ll tell you about Aberdovey Beach, King Arthur’s Labyrinth and my fabulous gay mirror.

Blog soon,

Antony



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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