ONGOING: No.41 - Celebrate a National 'Day Of' Something Each Month - August is National Mountain Climbing Day

National Day of Mountain Climbing was actually last week on August 1st. Not sure why I didn't post  then. It'll be a short post right enough.  Living in the South Wales valleys, and close to the Brecon Beacons means that we have really easy access to mountains.

Although, even tho I have no problem with walking distance, I tend to hate inclines, always have. But, I'm hoping over the next year to start including the odd wee 'hill' in my walks. Maybe as I get fitter it will become easier. Who knows - the next challenge list might include 3 peaks and loads of mountain walking!!!

For this walk however we chose to go for a fairly easy, short walk after work and went for a walk up the Garth which is local to us.   We actually started a fair way up so kind of cheated but, the real walk up the Garth will be included as a Weatherman Walks jaunt later this year. For now, this was the easy version, tho to be honest it's still incredibly steep!

This is one of Stewart's favourite places in the whole world as he grew up being able to see the Garth from his bedroom window.  He also loves it as you really can see for miles - Cardiff, England, the valleys, the Beacons. The views really can be stunning tho they weren't the best today. Still, this was a really nice way to spend an early evening before tea.

Happy National Miniature Golf Day - ONGOING - No.41 - Celebrate a National or International 'Day of' Something Each Month

Happy National Miniature Golf Day!!! This is for Task No. 41 - Celebrate a National or International 'Day Of' Something Each Month.


So, miniature golf, adventure golf or crazy golf - it's all the same thing and I've always loved it.  Played courses all over the place, in the UK, in Europe and in North America.   Some folk say crazy golf is for fun - for me and Stewart, hell no, it matters, we're competitive and we both want to win!!! 


For today however we chose to visit the 'Adventure Golf' course at Celtic Manor Newport - home of the Ryder Cup from a few years ago no less!  In fact, I also think this might have been where Obama and other world leaders stayed when Cardiff hosted the NATO summit - would love to think of Obama playing this crazy golf course.

It's a lovely wee course with lots of water features and something we've never come across before - at least twice you have to pull yourself across the water feature on a the raft - that was so cool even though with my frozen shoulder I did have to let Stewart do it.

Can choose to play 9 holes or 18 - of course we chose the 18 holes.  At £9 a pop I really didn't think it was bad value either.  It's pretty, it's difficult and they also have a lot of Celtic features and also have a hole based on The Bridge at St Andrews.

A lot of fun was had today - I have to admit that both of us had balls land in the water features a few times and in the end Stewart did beat me, narrowly - but, I was the only one to actually get a hole in one, on the course that when we started Stewart had said 'they've designed this course so nobody will get a hole in one'.  I DID !!!!!!  Huzzah :)

Happy World Penguin Day! STARTED: No.41 - Celebrate a National or International 'Day Of' Something Each Month

Happy World Penguin Day!!! Task No.41 started - Celebrate a National or International 'Day Of' something each month. This is obviously going to run for the next year, the task that is, not World Penguin 'Day'.  Considering my historical and known love of penguins, this particular celebration just seemed like the perfect place to start.

There seems to have been a complete explosion in these celebratory, awareness days just over the last few years. Without even looking at the rest of April but just from today alone I could have chosen to celebrate National Hug A Plumber Day, National Telephone Day or even National Zucchini Bread Day - WTF? Still, over the next year the days I have chosen will often make sense, and others are just downright bonkers! You'll have to wait and see what they are.

But for this month, starting with something I love, I can say I celebrated by going into work with a black and white top, wore a pair of penguin socks and  I thought I would finally count the amount of penguin things in our house, I found 165. The following are part of this collection from 'Penguin Corner' and our fireplace:

My favourite photos though, and one of my bestest and most cherished memories comes from the time we clambered over rocks and boulders and eventually came across a secluded bay in South Africa. Me and Stewart were able to observe penguins seriously up close for hours. Loved that experience.