across the universe

Not strictly across the universe, just across the city - but a good excuse for a great song - and a great view from Meersbrook Park a couple of Sundays ago on May Day.

An outing to see the Walled Garden in the corner of Meersbrook Park - which turned out to be amazing

Then evening found us wrapped up in coats, hats, scarves and gloves in the drafty but wonderful old Abbeydale Cinema for a packed house to watch West Side Story

so that was 'our day out' to herald May and great fun it was too

swaying

Norway Friday 4 December 2015

Up at 8.30am for a lovely buffet breakfast, but as we walked across the restaurant we all felt the 'deck' swaying and lurching!!!  Now we know the true meaning of sea legs and land legs!!
Really weird sensation and was even hard to balance our cups of tea across the room!

A peek from our room across a snowy Tromsø morning - love the way it's nestled between the mountains and the sea.  But, very sadly, this is our last day up here in the Arctic Circle . . .

 So it was time to explore the lovely Tromsø - all bedecked for Christmas

 spotted an old cinema

here on the right

 and a lovely contemporary library Bibliotek og byarkvic

 This great old bank building

 and Tromsø Domkirke (Cathedral) built in wood in 1961 on the site of earlier churches

loved these Nordic desgin bike racks

and that little alleyway conveniently led us to a lovely gourmet cafe and delicatessen, Mathellen, where we quaffed a welcome warming coffee

before going back onto the icy cold streets.  Time was closing in to catch our bus to the airport . . .

All the shops had little lanterns on the floor outside their doors - so welcoming

But dark was really setting in now as it was approaching 2.30pm

Time for a quick peek into a souvenir shop with all things Norway.

Loved how you get glimpses of mountains and sea between the streets - reminds me of Sheffield and Belfast - seeing glimpses of the hills between busy city centre roads.

And this eccentric little shop, Tromso bruktbokhandel, which we found down a side street, is said to have the best Lego and comic book collection in North Norway - but sadly no time to delve inside.

Anyway that was the end of our amazing adventure and we were whisked back to Manchester Airport through the dark skies.  We all just wished we could start all over again . . .

So THANK YOU sensational sixers - you are all amazing travel companions and it wouldn't have been the same without you all.

Here's a cheery song to herald our summer adventures now we understand a little more why those Norwegians so cherish the eternal summer nights up above the fjords in those magical wooden huts . . .

If you've missed the start - then just click here to go back to the beginning - we certainly wish the we were!!!

all creatures great and small

Now for my wildlife supplement, courtesy of Vincento and his magic lens

and in case you haven't been paying attention, this is the culmination of our week's wildlife spotting in deepest Pembrokeshire.

You will be pleased to know we kept a tick list (well trained by Bryan).  This is what we spotted.

and here are some of our pics to prove it.

buzzard

and I'm interspersing with optional soundtrack of favourites of mine loosely connected to birds, even if not always the right types ....  click and enjoy the music while you read.

butterfly

one of the cute seals

wren

more of the seal

and another gorgeous one looking at us for ages!

stonechat (male)

about ready for another beautiful song?

kestrel (female)

dunnock

Welsh mountain ponies

linnet

and that has to bring us full circle to My Old Man - in homage to our first spotting of a linnet with Bryan back in Mull 2012

little owl (taken on Ramsay Island)

guillemots

shag juvenile

stonechat male

and stonechat female

and since we've been in a bit of a Liverpool bird scene music wise, here's my favourite bird poem by my favourite poet, who happens to be from Liverpool!  Brian Patten and the wonderful Interruption at the Opera House - I've always loved this one, especially the picture the last verse conjures up.

swallow

wheatear female

whitethroat ??

wren

So I can't resist this final poem, now I've got you in wistful mood.  Adelstrop by Edward Thomas - I especially love the last verse of that too, when all the birds of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire join in the chorus.  Dad once recited it to us all by heart in the backyard of a little cafe in Cumbria, when a lone blackbird was singing his heart out, and it's stayed with me ever since.

final night surprise outside our cottage door - Mr Toad

Welsh word of the day: bara brith = (literally) speckled bread.  But it's much more than that - read more here about the origins of bara brith and let me know if you want my own family recipe.  Along with Audrey's delicious flapjack it sustained us well for our week hiking the Pembrokeshire coast!

All bird labelling was done 'with a little help from my friends' so don't blame the messenger!  But if you do spot any gaffs please let me know in the comments below.

Well this is not the end of the Welsh adventure - there's the journey home on Saturday still to come and more poetry!!  Read about it here.

And don't forget, if you feel you'd like to start the whole week again, it began here