Cardiff

Had a nice birthday driving down to Cardiff via Newtown where we stopped off to see the Oriel Peters gallery which sadly was in the middle of hanging the next show. Hada picnic in the park the gallery is in and had a look round the many charity shops. Didn't buy much though. Our legs stretched and refreshed we wended our way via the Brecon Beacons to South Wales. Some hideous traffic snark ups on the way but we got there eventually. Nice to see my old art school chum Rick Cox again after our last trip , three years ago. He'd organised a group show at the West Wharf Gallery which was the main reason for the visit. Also it was a nice way to celebrate my 67th birthday. Rick took us to one of his favourite Chinese resturants in the evening although we insisted on paying . Delicious it was too! The next day we had to wait in for a friend of Ricks to come and look at the rotten fence he was going to mend in the back garden. The weather BTW was really wonderfully hot and sunny the whole weekend. Phew! A bit TOO hot for travelling really! We eventually made it into town to see the exhibition and wandered through the park which stretches for miles it seems and wonderful lung for the city. Also looked round some junk markets and antique emporiums so quite in my element despite not buying anything. Hazel went off to visit her friend Jackie and we met up again for dinner that evening. Feet aching ( corn trouble) so glad Rick suggested driving to the docks to see the studios and galleries where he works. Also looked around the docks and the new builds in that area including the Craft Gallery and the Town Hall? A huge phallic William Pye sculpture dominates the piazza which you can just see in the distance in the panoramic shot of the Docks area. Thats Rick in the other photo mending a picture that had slipped at the West Wharf G. Lovely meal in the evening cooked by Rick's wife Alison. Watched DVD "Hi-Fidelity" again in the evening nodding off in front of the telly. Drove back the next morning after breakfast , via Knighton where we dropped in on old chum Andy Hazell and his ex-partner in crime Lucy Casson and her friend in the house they have just bought around the corner.