Cool In Llangollen

Lack of WIFI at the caravan site and a couple of days on the road has meant a near blogless week for me. But we're just back home in Framlingham and, having spent twenty four hours getting straight, I finally find myself with a bit of time to spare.

The cool in today's heading doesn't refer to the weather in the famous Welsh tourist spot but rather to Jools Holland and his rhythm and blues band who closed the annual Eisteddfod on Sunday night. I don't think we've ever seen such an array of cool people in one place as Jools and his musicians to a man (and woman) epitomise the word. It was a fantastic concert and we had a wonderful evening. Jools has that something that gets you involved and on his side. He came on with a broad smile that stayed with him for the almost two hours that he was on stage. It became infectious and when the band performed "Give Me Sunshine" for their encore, it had spread to the entire audience. The show was performed with amazing professionalism and covered a huge rage of musical styles including plenty of blues and, my favourite, reggae. 

David Wareing with brother and sister in law Mike and Ann and business partner David with his wife Carol

Marion, Janet and David's stepmother Joyce

We were in Llangollen courtesy of our old friends David and Janet Wareing. They have owned a beautiful cottage retreat nestling on the hillside between the castle and town for twenty years now and their Eisteddfod parties have become the stuff of legend. We have been blessed with wonderful weather on several times when we have been fortunate enough to join them and Sunday was possibly the hottest we have experienced. 

Three generations of David and Janet's family came to the event and I am annoyed that I didn't get a chance to photo the younger generation who are now in their twenties as I have some photos of them from a party in the nineties and it would have been good to show how they have all changed. On that similarly hot day they were all playing in a paddling pool and with a sprinkler. This time they all disappeared later in the day to swim in the River Dee.

Poor Marion has been suffering from a terrible cough for the last week but I thought that she looked great at the party. She had a relax between the horrendous bouts of coughing. 

En route to Llangollen we stayed over with other dear friends Dave and Jane Haworth. We've been friends for over thirty years and miss our regular get togethers with them. Jane prepared a great meal for us in her fabulous new kitchen and then got us envious with their photos of a holiday in The Maldives. I don't think I've ever seen sea so perfectly blue. It was fabulous to see then both looking so fit and well and we're really looking forward to catching up with them again soon.