Beautiful Mid Wales, good music, red kites and a grubby pup

Pretty!

The roof tops and gardens of Montgomery last Friday morning from the Armoury top floor window.

...later, there were little bird footprints on the nearest one

 I love this time of year, especially here in Montgomery, it's a special place, with lots going on.  The square, or Broad Street, has been bustling today with people who've come here to visit family for or before Christmas, the market at the town hall arrive early on Thursdays and Saturdays selling all their wares and also the fish man and cheese man.  You can buy fresh baked bread and get hot coffees at the cafes as well, not to mention the other shops for a fab shopping experience, especially our lovely shop "Indigo Moon"!

We've been so busy leading up to christmas (which is good) with late night shopping until 8pm every Thursday and Nicci's been here helping us for a few weeks before going back home for Christmas...so we've been celebrating Christmas early, lots of nice food, drink and watching lots of films such as Jurassic Park, Life of Brian and Back to the Future 1,2 and 3...to name a few!

Gav and I went down to Swansea last weekend to Micky Jones' first annual jam at "the Club" in Morriston, it was a very late night and i struggled to stay awake, but we had a fab time meeting up with friends and the music was great as usual. 

(photos are courtesy of Pete Middleton and Allan Heron)

The journey down there took us over the Brecon Beacons, i'm sorry the photo isn't very good, i took it from the car with the light was fading, you can just about see the beacons covered in snow, they looked spectacular even in fading light, it's one of my favourite places and I love this road in particular, it has a kind of "Lord of the Rings atmosphere"!

...and...the Road back home on Sunday, Red Kites soaring in the skies above us on the road from Ammanford to Llandovery and these photos are taken along the A483 (Gav took these as it was my turn to drive!!!).   This is my favourite route into Mid Wales, i love this road up over the mountain from 'Dod to Newtown.  It was cold and there was snow still on the ground and hills, but the sun was shining and everything looked so beautiful and fresh.

 Our recent auction treasures. 

Gav got me this old ledger from Montgomery auction the other week, i love using the pages from these in my collage paintings.

 and some other old ephemera we picked up:

This stamp is a penny red and has Queen Victoria on it.

 and some old train tickets which are really lovely

 More old letters

 ...and an old Christmas card, which i've just started collecting, they're so beautiful and i have quite a few Birthday cards too

.....and Lizzie....
what can i say? 
she found a muddy flower pot in the yard, she was filthy, not to mention my kitchen floor!

 How cute is that face?

She's made us all laugh this week, she's been completely hyper since Nicci's been here, Lizzie loves her and goes mad when she's around, and of course Nicci winds her up too.  We bought a huge fresh salmon from the supermarket earlier this week and were slicing it up ready to freeze.  As Gav was chopping Lizzie was sat at his feet licking the tail of the salmon which was hanging over the end of the counter, after about ten minutes it was too much for her and unbeknown to Gav she grabbed the end of the tail and started pulling it - Nicci and I were laughing at them, Gav thought the fish was moving.  It was very funny!

Well Christmas is nearly here, we'll be working until 5pm on Christmas Eve and then it's feet up for three whole days....yaaaaaaaaaay, i can't wait.

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful"
~Norman Vincent Peale