Croeso i Cymru/Welcome to Wales

Desiring to keep with the tradition of travelling to different countries for our anniversary, Daniel and I spent our third in Wales. It was a very last minute decision and the trip had all the excitement and near disaster of a proper road trip. We traveled from our beloved Westbourne through Bristol and over the Severn Bridge.

Ode to the Severn Bridge

By: Harri Webb

Two lands at last connected

Across the waters wide,

And all the tolls collected

On the English side.

Once in Wales we enjoyed some of the lovely scenery before darkness fell. We arrived in Cardiff by night and were delighted in the morning to find an unusually sunny city.

We had an incredible Welsh Breakfast that Daniel, betrayed to the waiter, was better than any English Breakfast he had ever had. For shame.

After a our hearty breakfast we embarked on an open boat trip across Mermaid Quay. It felt very much like the Jungle Cruise.

Following our exciting tour of the quay Daniel wished to explore the Welsh National Assembly. Excited to see their shiny new parliament building we went through security and I responsibly checked my Buck knife, bestowed upon me by my grandfather Z. We explored the empty building and after a cool reception at the gift shop we made our way to the exit. We were greeted with three police officers and nine security guards. They asked that we kindly accompany them into an interrogation room. They quickly asked who the knife belonged too, drawing it out of its sheath. I quickly replied it was mine. Both policewomen looked surprised. They explained to me that it was the biggest, nastiest knife they had ever seen and that it was most illegal to carry such a weapon in a public place. They said that if I had been caught with it on the street I would have been immediately arrested, charged with possession of a deadly weapon and put before a judge. Fortunately the officers realised my intentions were innocent and agreed to let me post it home. So mom, when you get a knife in the mail, know it as a symbol of my near escape from a despicable life of crime.

Our next trip was to the post office, following that we went to see the Norwegian Church where Roald Dahl was christened. I couldn't help but think of the fictional Lutheran Pastor Lundqvist from Lake Wobegone.

Also, for my fellow Doctor Who fans:

We hit the road shortly after tea time and crossed the Brecon National Park and went further north to Aberystwyth where we found a seaside hotel that suited us. Enjoying the comfort of a restoration project on the television and the sound of waves lapping against the shore we recovered from our brush with the law and our journey.

Come morning the sun was shy but it made a deliciously moody background for pictures of the 12th century Aberystwyth Castle.

We had intended to visit Snowdonia's highest peak but decided with the low hanging clouds we would have had to use our imaginations once we arrived. So we headed to what Daniel promised to be a place very up my street...

Portmeirion He wasn't far wrong. The eccentric Clough Williams-Ellis created an "architectural mongrel", "propaganda demonstration," in Gwynedd where he created a Mediterranean village on the North Wales coast.

The journey concluded with a four hour car journey home on winding roads with a quick sixteen inch pizza from a Polish kebab shop for dinner to go. All in all a very lovely, lucky and romantic holiday in Wales.

Valorise Valentines

This Valentine's Day I decided to use my scrap box to decorate. So I did what I could with some package tags, coffee filters, tissue paper and string...

I'm not sure you could call it a proper Hackleman Valentine's

Day without a sentimental viewing of

Leo McCarey's masterpiece:

An Affair to Remember

My Smeg Retro Icon is Paul Newman

My Smeg Icon is...

Paul Newman

He was a man who could make taking a cold one out of the fridge look like pure sex. He made the idea of eating 50 eggs seem hardcore. He may have played a scoundrel on screen but loved his wife for 50 years. He lost his son to addiction and then decided to make a multi-million dollar charity to save others from that experience by turning salad dressing into pure gold. He came in second at Le Mans. He was a man who could do almost anything.

"Why go out for a hamburger when you have steak at home?"Paul Newman

“A man with no enemies is a man with no character.”Paul Newman

This post is part of a blog lottery hosted by:

Vixen Vintage

Making Macaroons

Two weeks ago I made the journey to London in order to enjoy a cooking class at Patisserie Flowerie. Our friend Simon brought us all together to learn how to make a French delicacy:

The Macaroon.

My dear friend Min and I partnered up to whip egg whites and sift almond flour. We made three batches and each one was of a different colour and had something correct about them. Their true characteristics combined would have made one perfect macaroon. At the end of the afternoon we decided the confection really did live up to its reputation for being temperamental. But at least we had a most splendid time experimenting!

Simon, our fearless leader.

Min adding some colour, "Poppy" I believe.

fini

Grand Granary

Daniel and I received a very special gift from his grandma (Nanny Win) this Christmas: An annual membership to the National Trust. On a very cold winter's day we decided to use our gift to visit the:

Winchester

City Mill

Us with our new sack of flour, milled before our very eyes!

Daniel exploring the milling technique.

A working model of the mill.