New big Chill

After the snow last week, it looks like the weather may give us a chance of more snow. The clear skies have turned to rain and there is a front of cold air that is sweeping south across the UK and all the rain here may turn to snow higher up later on. The forecast is for the snow to turn into blizzards the further south it gets.

Climbing Pen-Y-Fan

Here we are nearly at the top.
This is the last time I agree to an idea for an adventure thought up in the pub. I agreeded to join Viv, Mark and his dad Ray on a walk to the top of Pen-Y-Fan today, just after boxing day. We started at the Storey Arms Outdoor Centre and headed straight up the hill, before it levelled off half way up, then the final climb to the top of Cone-D. The picture was taken just before the final climb but as you can guess after the snow line started. Pretty soon after a bit more walking the snow turned to just ice and the going became a bit treacherous, with a strong tail wind (nearly 100 kph) and icy rocks. At the top of Cone D the wind was ripping across the top of the ridge with such force it tore Marks bini off and you could lean into the wind at nearly 45'. It was really exhilerating, but with a steep steep hill on either side there was a need to be aware of where you put your feet. Our stay on the top of Cone D did not last very long as the temperature in the wind had dropped a lot, so we decided to head down quick. The route down was a lot more treacherous than the way up as a change in direction caused the wind to come at us from our right. This ment that for every step forward I took, I slipped and slid a metre to the left. I thought it was great fun, an icy wind whipping in at you, icy slippery rocks and imminent death if you slip up. It was good until I became cold so we sheltered for a while in the lee of the hill before heading down the main route. Our journey down was uneventful and only windy up until we reached below the snow line. After that it was nice stroll along the road back to the car. The only other thing that we saw was the royal airforce rescue sea king hovering and exercising. It was a pretty cool day.

The rocks at the top.










Wads chillin at the top.

Snow what!

Well the snow was a couple of inches deep in the valleys, but that didn't stop me. Got a couple of jobs done which was suprising as even the customers thought we were a bit crazy venturing out on the snowy/ icy roads. But all good things seen to come to am end as when we started home the grew clouds started to open and the slush of sleet started to fall. Looks like the snow will disappear and we will be left with only ice.

A white christmas?

So with only 4 sleeps till christmas it looks like we might have a white christmas. The temperatures have dropped and last night there was a dusting of snow. The guy I am working with got nearly 4 inches of snow at his place in the valleys. It looks like we may have a lot more on the way tonight.

Centreparc's forest

This is part of Longleat forest where we went for a couple of days in November. Its part of Centreparc's, a resort where you hire out a cabin and enjoy activities like swimming and archery (we didn't do archery but we did laser shooting) but the catch is that there is no cars allowed. So it is set up for basically bicycles and walking, getting you back to basics. I think that it is a family oriented place so kids can zoom around on their bikes all day long. Much like what we used to do at Bathurst or Mogendura farm. It was good fun and it was also in a forest.

Nice sunrise

As the days have been getting shorter I have been enjoying a day nice sunrises on the way to work. Asapently though this one was a nice sunset on the way home from bath one day last week.

Still there

The snow is still there and it is 10 o'clock in the morning!

A white christmas?

Will it snow for christmas? Well most of the eastern parts of the UK are covered with the stuff, but last night we got only a shower me the stuff at home. But this morning when we got went up to the valleys there was a bit more, and it looked like it may be sticking round for a bit.

Football !!

Decided to tag along to watch Gillingham v bristol. It was a good idea at the time but because of the weather it looks like it may be a bit of a wet time. :)

Advantages of winter daylight.

One me the advantages of getting up early when it is winter is that occasionally there is ve chance to see nice sunrises. This morning, last wed, was a real nice colour. Unfortunately after this nice first half hour the day ended up being grey and raininy. I guess that you can't get it all. I think that I may be getting the SAD disorder as I am really missing the sunshine.

A nice autumn day.

Today was a nice sunny autumn day, so we decided to go out and enjoy it. We went for a walk around the small park just round the corner from our house. We also stopped at the stream to play a couple of sounds of Poo sticks, which I won.

Wind and rain = no leaves

Well sorry mum but I said that I would look out for some nice coourful trees for you during the autumn drop, but since I have got back the wind and rain have gotten in and finished off any remining colours that may have been out there. Also instead of haveing the nice swooshing leaves on the footpaths there is only slushy slippery remains. Oh well hopefully there will be some snow soon to cover it all up.

Pen-Y-Fan (Pen-ee-van)

A Couple of weeks ago, Liz, Sarah and I set off to climb Pen-Y-Fan, the tallest peak in the Brecon Beacons, just north of Cardiff. It was a weekend so almost everybody else inthe UK decided to do the same as well. Arriving in the morning we set off along the path for about 50m before we started the grueling climb to the top. Not to boast or anything but I found it quite nice. The track was wide and easy but up all the time. There was even a couple of people that were running up the pat; some sort of training thing?

Upon reaching the top we were rewarded with lunch and amazing views all around. Tho there were people all around the sence of being in the wild was almost there. There were green valleys stretching in all directions, cliffs to the north which we hung our legs over while eating our lunch and you could almost make out Caridff to the South. There was a nice white snowy sheep with a lamb that was suprisingly friendly. The ridge upon the top was at one point scattered with photographers waiting patiently for the sun to shine through a break in the clouds and land on the opposite ridgeline. The other walkers were varied, from families to the ultra keen walkers who I stopped to talk to while I waited for Liz and Sarah. They had been walking all day and done about 10 miles. As I looked around at the scenery I was thinking that it would be lovely to see it all, but to me it just seems that walking just takes too long. Paragliding off Pen-Y-Fan would have been great fun, tho mostly sled rides to the bottom of the hills.

After lunch we headed of back down the slope, only to discover that walking downhill really sux, so we set off cross country dodging the sheep and fjording the small springs that criss crossed the landscape. Heading along the slope rather than down the slope we soon reached the bottom of the path where we started and soon reached the car. I got the manly job of driving home and pretty soon both girls were asleep after their grueling track up to the peak of Pen-Y-Fan.

Some rocks near the top, the cliffs were similar to this.

The view looking south-east from the top

The intrepid explorers on the way down, probably discussing how they can make me drive home.

All smiles at the start in the beautiful sunshine

A walk in the hills

Today I went for a walk in the hills that are behind Caridff. It was a nice day so I decided to go. Sarah and I packed some lunch and set off. We climbed up to the top of the ridge from the car and from there it is a nice view out over Cardiff. It was especiall clear today as you were able to see all the way to Bristol, the Seven Bridge, both islands in the Seven Channel and what I think is the Atlantic ocean. We headed up to the trig station point that was on the highest point, dodging the sheep. I also saw a falcon of some sorts that was hunting, hovering and also hopping along the ground for a while. While a the trig station we took some awesome photos (above me on top of the world and sarah looking really short) before having lunch.

We had convientely stopped at La Minas to pick up some excellent baguettes for lunch. La Minas is a small sandwich shop that has excellent value for money and good tasting sandwiches. So we sat there munching on our sandwiches, getting cold and decided to hed back to the car. I thought it was good if only to get warm again.
On the way back we passed this old looking barn which was in quite good condition. It it the only house/building that I have seen that has a corriguated iron roof. hmmm I guess that slate is a lot cheaper than steel in these parts.

Another nice stat

It was another nice start to the day but it didn't last. By lunch time it was overcast and the next day, yesterday, it was raining. Oh well, guess it must be the uk.

Dark days are dawning

Well the clocks haven't changed back yet so that means that the mornings are becoming noticeably darker. This morning wasn't though. It was a nice clear morning and I was up and able to capture the early sunrise along with a few of the planes trails that cover the skies of the uk. It was quite nice. (yes but those dots are just bugs stuck to the windscreen!)

Mark and Caths wedding.

Yesterday afternoon Sarah and I attended Mark and Catherine's Wedding. Sarah had eariler attended the service, but I had decided to give Peter a hand with insulating underneath his floor. Not being invited to the wedding breakfast, we made the most of our invitaion to the after party reception. It was a great affair with a live band for most of the evening followed by a DJ pumping out the tunes. When we first arrived everone was in the bar waiting for the room to be readied for the party. Once we were let in we were treated to a fantastic coreographed first dance by the bride and groom; it went down fantastic. It was however not your traditional bridal waltz, but more like a modern take on the first dance. There were even props!


After a few dances with Sarah and eveybody else ont ehdance floor I dont think that anybody there was not havein g some fun. Pretty soon a bit of food was served and this included a BBQ (not very traditionally british) and there was also a huge chocolate fountain! This went down a treat and Sarah actually made friends with the fountain. I think that she would have put her head in the fountain as well if she wern't stopped by the vigilant chocolate fountain guards.



So more dancing and taking of photos continued until the end of hte night till our carriages were called at 1 o'clock in teh morning. I think that we all had an awesome time and Ieffinatley agree that buying anew suit was well worth it. After all I think that I looke alright.

From left; Mellissa (sarah's friend), me, Dave and Sarah, all done up for the occasion.

17th Sept

Well it was Sarah's birthday today, so i had made her a cake, wich she started eating at 7 in the morning, and I think that the celebrations for her birthday only jsut stopped on sunday. She seemed to have a great time, I took her out fror a nice dinner on her birthday while on sunday Peter invited us all out for a nice Chinese meal. I think that Srah maybe may have been a bit spoilt, but then again you only turn 25 once.

Benidorm, Spain

A couple of weekwends ago I made the spontaneous decision to join Mark on his bucks weekend away to Benidorm in Spain. It was an awesome trip and I think that evetryone on the trip had a really good time. There was 16 guys that went on the trip and it turned out to be one long long piss up.

It all started to go a bit bizzare from the start. At 4 in the morning I tried to take a pocket knife onto a plane, which turned out to be the 11th of september. Alas I had been lookin gfor the pocket kinfe for ages. It tuend out that it had just been in the bottom of my bag the whole time. Well I guess that those X-ray macines really do work. The next thing I know that happened was it was 5 in the morning and I was drinking beer and being told that I was a typical mic dundee and everyone was taking the piss out of me for it. It was all a good laugh.

We got to benidorm, and I actually thought that apart form the weather there was not that much different form england, as everbody around us was british, I however flet like the token australian. We checked into the hotel and everybody started to relax and ahve a good time. The company was great, the weather was brilliant and everybody was feeling like having a good time.


The weekend went from friday to monday so by Sunday night we had all had enought and a good rest was in order. Flying back monday morning was a bit of relief as it ment that my own bed beconed and sleep would be found at last. It was a great weekend all in all.

Long time no post!

Its been a while since I put a post on this blog, just basicall havn't felt like dong one, but will put some pictures up of the stuff thats been going on.

Pie in the sky?

Or actually on the plate or it was on the plate until the hungry hungry sarah got her fork into it.

What a rainy day:(

It was really raining today, as in it didn't really stop at all today. I was lucky in that I was working about 2 hours away, but when I got back past the magical rain barrier, called the border to wales, the rain started and didn't stop.

End of summer?

Well it's the end of summer already. August passed and straight away the wind and the rain came in. We didn't have the best weather for the long weekend but we at least made the most of it with a bbq and chilling out.

U2 at the millenium stadium!

U2 at the millenium stadium!

Crop Circles

Check out this cool art down at the bay on the barrage in Cardiff Bay.

Happy Birthday SJ!

Happy birthday Sara-Jane! 21 at last!

U2 Live in Concert

On Thursday Sarah made the comment that we should go to a gig, as we hadn't been to one lately. So I jumped on the net and discovered that there were no good gigs in Cardiff that night but on the Saturday U2 were going to be playing in the Milenium Stadium. We had a look on gumtree and then on Ebay, and managed to get a couple of tickets for only 50 pounds. That was basically the best part as they were 85 pounds face value. So after an ancious wait, on Saturday the tickets came in the post and later that afternoon we went off to the concert.


It was amazing. While not the biggest U2 fan, unlike the guy sitting in the seat infront of us, I thoroughly enjoyed the gig. There were loads of people there and they played for over 2 hours. As with all good things, they finished playing at about 1045 and from then it was a long walk back home. What a great night!