We were delighted to help Tom and a dozen or so of his friends celebrate his birthday here at Graig Wen over the weekend. John pulled out all the stops with his cup cake baking, there was an Indian food feast in the B & B courtesy of Indiana Cuisine, and the last of the chocolate trifle was smuggled off around midnight to the holiday cottage...  Mountains were climbed, rugby watched and stunning sunsets photographed.  Even doggies Jasper, Grace and Leo had a ball and a whole lot of schmacko treats. Thanks for being a great bunch of guests.

I saw some shooting stars last night, I wished on them, they were the Geminids meteor shower.

Massive darkness, millions of stars, Graig Wen is an ace place to watch the skies.

Foxgloves everywhere

Sea Pinks on the estuary wall

Bank of yellow flags bordering Mawddach Trail at Graig Wen

It seems like each time I walk down to the Estuary at the moment there are new flowers out.  Spikes of purple foxgloves are everywhere, with the occasional freak pale mauve popping up now and again and looking slighltly awkward.  The wild bank on the camp site is buzzing with bees on the buddleia and foxgloves which have appeared where we took out the monster connifers.  There’s a big swathe of yellow flags at the bottom of the site as well as some where the stream floods the bend by the drive to Garth Isaf.  Along the Mawddach Trail, the sea pinks are fading a bit now but bright yellow sedum and wild strawberries are coming out.  The weather has been gorgeous for weeks and you wonder why its one of the quieter times of the year for camping here at Graig Wen.  Many of our recent Bed and Breakfast guests are cyclists pedalling through the back roads of Wales along the Lon Las Cymru cycle route, a 250 mile trail that runs from one end of Wales to another.  They are so happy to get to the top of our hill and be handed a glass of something very chilled on the terrace.

John heard the first cuckoo of Spring yesterday morning down by the estuary. The odd house martin is back too and they are starting to check out the eaves of the house.  With violets, celandine, wood anemone and wild garlic out on the lower fields and cherry blossom arching across the drive, there’s nowhere better to be in this fantastic sunshine.