Donaldson Crew Adventures

Kelly and I wanted to get out today, so after taking the boys to swim lessons this morning, we drove up to the Wye Valley on the Welsh/English border area to Tintern Abbey on the banks of the Wye river, and then into the town of Monmouth just to the North.  Weather was dry but very cold today. We will likely try and plan a picnic up there on a warmer day in summer.  

On to Monmouth, we walked around town, and grabbed hot drinks for everyone before heading home.

Lambs are being born in the fields just below our house, so the kids wanted to go down and see them today after school.

Kelly took a picture this week of the rainbow at the house but it reminded me of a photo I took over the church in Wick across the road from the kids school about a year ago.

Today was clear sunny and cool. What a treat considering the winter we have had. I had to get out. The kids were not interested in getting moving this morning so I headed off for a couple hours on a 6 mile hike in the countryside and coastal areas near our house. The photos below are from the second half of the hike as I hiked along the Ogmore river to the sea and then back along the headlands to where I parked by Dunraven bay.

Beach walk today. Wellies a must, although kids still managed to get their feet wet:).

I took this video as I drove through the market town of Cowbridge on my way to work. It is very pretty when it snows like this but can be treacherous especially in the UK. One of the big reasons is that cars here are designed for fuel efficiency. They are light, low ground clearance, low profile tires with smooth treads meant for shedding rain etc. Unfortunately these attributes make cars very inefficient and challenging in snowy conditions.

Preston and I went for a walk with Red in the fields around the house today. He loves riding in the backpack!

As a Christmas gift from Lulu and Papa we went out to dinner and the theatre with the kids (without Preston). We went to a pantomime performance of 'Sleeping Beauty' at the Little Theatre in downtown Cardiff. It was a hilarious rendition of the Disney classic good for both children and parents. Everyone got dressed up and we went out for a fancy dinner before hand. A great night out!

It doesn't snow that often in wales and typically when it does the accumulation is minimal to none. However today is an exception. It started in the early morning hours and still going strong at noon. There is about 5 inches now. Schools are cancelled, business's are closed -snow day!