Cilgerran

Today has been fabulous, weather-wise. I decided to take Emma to Cilgerran for a picnic down by the river, after popping to Cardigan Tescos to get some salad stuff and veggies for the guinea pigs, and the pet food place for some bird seed. Everywhere was swarming with people, Tescos was a nightmare, it's only a small one there, thank god I don't have to go to that one much anymore, I was slowly losing the will to live in there!

However, got to the river near Cilgerran Castle and it was most peaceful in comparison, still quite a lot of people there though, the most I've seen for this time of the year on a weekday, I think lots have come away for Easter and making the most of this fine spell of weather.

The woodland along the tow path was alive with bird song, and I didn't see anyone else until I'd almost walked the entire length to Llechryd. I saw and heard at least a dozen robins, one of which was very friendly, was quite surprised as it was a woodland bird presumably, and not a garden one, which would be used to humans. He came and sat near me when I took a rest down at water level, whilst Emma had a splash about, guess he was hoping I had some food, and I felt awful that I had none for him. I also saw a nuthatch, several wrens, blue and great tits, a buzzard, a swan (a lone swan, quite unusual, poor thing!)wood pigeon, two song thrushes, blackbirds, chiff chaff and a pair of Canada Geese.

Came across a little grave in the woodland, which was very moving, it was rather spooky actually, although I don't want to make a big deal of it. But when I set off down the path, I thought I heard a dog howling, and was quite concerned as it sounded distressed. We then came across the grave, and Emma went straight up the bank to it and sat down. I had a look, and there was a grave stone, all the flowers and bits, and a card. All in Welsh, but the name was Glyn. Now it could well have been the ashes of a person I guess, but I had a feeling it may have been a dog. After we left, I didn't hear the dog howl again, and we didnt see anyone with a dog either.

This pathway along the gorge has probably been walked for hundreds of years, there are the remains of old buildings which were probably once a mill and the workers houses maybe. You can walk right through to the next village, Llechryd. Sadly though it looks like this may be impossible in the not too distant future, as lots of the path has gone down this winter taking trees with it. In several places, its only a couple of feet wide now, and nowhere to go to repair it, the gorge drops away to the river below, and solid rock and slate upwards. What a shame it will be, the river had obviously been really high when we had the floods, lots of debris laying along the pathway, some 20 feet higher than river level.

How crazy is this weather? Not complaining, but came home and put the guinea pigs out in their pen and settled down in the sunshine to have a cuppa and a read on the sunbed, and at 4 oclock, it was so hot! Lovely, it can stay like this for another 8 months or so please. I've had to water my patio tubs tonight, already too late for some of the heathers. It's completely unheard of to have to water at this time of year. Seems hard to imagine that only a couple of weeks or so back we were flooded out and squelching around here.

The little grave



The friendly Robin



Emma showing where the path has fallen away