Community focal points

This is the pub and church in Lisvane, a "village" just north of Cardiff. I say village as it was many years ago, but it has now been engulfed by new developments.

Its very common to have a pub and a church near each other in a village, beacause both in their own way are centres for the community. Think of local weddings and funerals, a few beers before the ceremony and then some more after. Religious and social meeting points.

A big incident on our ride today, one guy came off as he was going downhill, and slid into a car coming up the hill. We had to call the ambulance, as it turns out he has a broken elbow and a badly sprained wrist. He is home safe and sound now, so alls well. I think this is only the second accident in about 15 years, so not a bad record for the club.

Snow in the Beacons

Cantref reservoir in the Brecon Beacons

Snow .......we dont get heavy falls nowadays so when it does snow, its a bit of event, hence the trip to the Beacons.

However just listening to the radio this morning I hear that there has been more snow in the Midlands.

Sunday cycle 2

The route to the top














Overlooking the Sirhowy Valley

and they built this for walkers and cyclists!!!

Time for a natural break

Under here lies the past wealth of Wales



I have been having trouble posting to Blogger so just trying out a new format. I posted these using Picasa. All appears to be ok at the editing stage, but the pictures are sometimes replaced by the dreaded red cross in a box later on, we shall see!

Anyway it was a good cycle ride and the weather behaved itself. 42 miles and nearly all of them off road. We earned our beers.

More libraries

As it was a fine afternoon I cycled over to Roath to take some pictures of their library and passing the Taf on the way, it was fuller than usual, after all the heavy rains. Whilst taking the picture and chatting to a dog walker, she told me that a few days ago its was even higher than this, as then the concrete fish ladder in the middle, was under water.

Roath Library

Then on the way back into town I passed these cranes which were resting after the weeks work of changing the Cardiff skyline.

Sunday cycle ride

The Holly bush Inn Draethen

Views from Mynydd Machen

Caerphilly Castle

On our cycle ride this Sunday we were very lucky as is wasn't raining, and this has to be the first time for about 6 weeks that its been fine. It was so good to be out in the sunshine and feeling the rays hitting you.

I was going to take the camera but when I checked it before I left, the damn batteries had gone flat, so I have pinched some pictures from Google images to show you where we cycled.

We cycled up the Taf Trail to Caerphilly castle, and then onto Machen, making it a circular ride back to Cardiff.

We were very lucky to be able to enjoy such a good day as the forecast for the rest of the week is back to normal.......rain.

TRUE LOVE

Thanks says Jupiter

I dont know if you will have seen this picture in your papers, its from The Times, Monday 08/01/07, I have scanned the article for you, just click on it , enlarge ,and read it. I just thought it was a wonderful picture, and dont tell me that this lion didn't love Ana Julia. To me it just illustrates the love, bond, and friendship between the two.

I still feel all dewy eyed looking at it.

Canton Library

Canton Library

Carnegie free Library 1907


Inside with the high ceilings
and the Welsh section at the back

This one is our local library and is appropriately in Library Street Canton, with one of my favourite cars parked in the front.

2007 is its centenary and hopefully there will be some sort of event to celebrate it. Lots of primary schools are nearby, so for many children its their first introduction to a library. I know the school that our children went to had a close association with this library.

Talking to the librarian on Saturday she was complaining that the building is cold and damp with some leaks in the roof. The running costs of these old buildings is very high, but they are such an integral part of the local community that it would be a pity to loose them. The high ceilings are very wasteful of energy, but it was built in an era when heat conservation wasn't considered important and Welsh coal was king. Cardiff was one of the largest coal exporting ports in the world. Now there are no commercial mines in South Wales and the port has almost ceased to exist, lets hope we hang onto the libraries.

Libraries

Cathays Library

Following on from the inspiration Annie gave me in her blog, here's the first of my library pictures. You realise that having said "first", I am now committed to going out and photographing the others in Cardiff. Lets hope the rain stays away for a few weekends.

Boy have we had some rain over the last few months!........... and after a while it just gets to you....enough is enough. Talking today to a colleague, who is also a photographer, she feels the same, and we both wished for some dry, crisp, clear weather. We shall see.

Good bye 2006

A very wet and windy end to 2006, with many events throughout the country cancelled. Cardiffs events went ahead but were very muted compared to previous years, there didn't seem to be so many fireworks.

A Happy New Year to you all.