walking & books
Foggy view from The Begwns
Happy Friday! This week was half-term for England so our older daughter has been home. It coincided perfectly with a visit from NYC by some of our friends. We had so much fun introducing them a bit to Wales and our little town!
Monday we took our friends to The Begwns – a rolling ridge of land that separates the Bannau Brycheiniog mountains from the hills of southern Radnorshire. It is one of our favorite spots to walk and take visitors to see some spectacular views of the region. There are many sheep that wander the hills and at the top of one hill is The Roundabout – a circular patch of trees planted to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. The trees are encircled by a stone wall and it is a great stopping point to have snacks, chat, and the kids love to climb the trees and build forts. It was quite a foggy and windy Monday, but you could still see quite a ways. We were all grateful we opted for a shorter walk than our usual meandering one. It was lovely, but cold.
FRIDAY LINKS
THINGS I BOOKMARKED
I did not read much this week, as most of my time was spent with our guests and my daughter on break. So just a few things:
The Three Layers of Conflict In Community – Really challenged by this article about conflict in community. I’ve been mulling it over and thinking about how to engage with out new community here.
How to Make the Best Affogato – This post on Food and Wine was both intriguing and hilarious. History combined with the simplest recipe possible.
How Do You Pray in Days Like These & When Life Is Really Hard? – Challenging.
THINGS I LISTENED TO
My daughter practicing some piano songs for upcoming shows and recitals. And the many conversations and stories from our NYC friends. A break from everything is a bit nice.
THINGS I FOUND
Tuesday, my friend said she wanted to peruse some bookshops. I asked if she wanted company and she responded, “I’d love it, but don’t want you to be bored wandering bookshops.” I laughed. And if you know me at all, dear reader, you just had a good laugh too. Needless to say, I found quite a bit this week.
Book that I did not buy, but wanted to take some of the illustrations for inspiration with me:
Spread from a book I did not buy, but really loved the spread. Guessing it is cut paper. From Dandelions.
Another spread from the Dandelions book that I did not buy.
Another book I did not buy, but loved a few of the illustrations too much to not take those with me.
Title page for Captain Toad and the Motorbike by David McPhail. I just adore that scene, rolling all the way down the hill to the town.
An epic illustration from Captain Toad and the Motorbike by David McPhail.
I probably should I purchased this book, but let’s just say I already had 7 others coming home with me and as first editions are not cheap… I gave this one up. For now. This cottage illustration from Captain Toad and the Motorbike by David McPhail is just incredible. I want to live there.
Another book that stayed behind, but I wanted to remember the color palette and texture: Penguin’s Way by Johanna Johnston, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard.
Love the color palette, texture and layout by Leonard Weisgard in Penguin’s Way.
More great illustration by Leonard Weisgard in Penguin’s Way.
I found a very random, laminted Z in the ground at The Roundabout. Guessing someone had a scavenger hunt there at some point. They clearly didn’t find the Z.
THINGS I MADE
Another new book review on the book blog. This vibrantly illustrated non-fiction one about how to tell similar animals apart. Check it out at Three Books A Night!
Though I occasionally miss the daily task of braiding and fixing little girls’ hair, I delight in seeing the creativity and beauty when they do their own.
We’re heading out for a little weekend away and looking forward to a break in routine. Hope it is a lovely weekend for you all. 💚