My old stomping ground - a quick jaunt down memory lane

Easing myself gently back into work mode, my holiday ended with a night at my Mum's and a visit to my harp teacher when I was in secondary school.  Here are some photographic highlights.  I do miss Wales and I equally love being in Yorkshire.  There are many parallels, though one glaringly big difference is that any sea is far from where I live now.

A brief visit to Denbigh Castle yesterday brought back many sweet memories of times when I used to hang out there with my friends.  It's an amazing site drenched in history, and an evocative reminder of what life could have looked like way back in the 13th century.

On our walk last week, we snaffled a few remaining wimberries.  A holiday highlight when my sister and I were kids was a picnic at Llyn Brenig and wimberry eating and picking on Denbigh moors on our way home.  Mam made a damn fine tart with the fruits of our precious haul.  She also made elderflower cordial which I didn't like much as it was packed with such a generous quantity of sugar I couldn't taste the fruit.  Being told it was good for me seemed to intensify my aversion.

Food was quite simple when I was growing up.  Dad was the cook actually, and he collected some exotic recipes on his work travels at sea.  What I wouldn't give to have another taste of the chicken he used to prepare smothered in a moist spice rub so fiery my young tastebuds couldn't handle the burn so I removed the skin.  There'd be none of that now.  An enthusiastic passionate cook, Dad's food was always delicious and meticulously prepared.  I've asked Mam for the recipe but it's been lost in transit.  As for Mam, well she keeps it simple and is a very good cook when she puts her mind to it.  She makes the best chips in Denbighshire.  She's recently discovered the joys of the sweet potato and I hope she'll get some in her chip pan.

I have been taught and mentored by some exceptional teachers and I always love catching up with my second harp teacher, Ceinwen.  She was hugely influential on my journey into the harp and music and I'm indebted to her for inspiring and encouraging me.  I remember looking forward to the car journeys to her home for my lesson and being fascinated by the photos, books and harp memorabilia that adorned her teaching room, not to mention her stories about her harp adventures and experiences.  Only on very rare occasion did I shy away from practice, usually if it was an exam piece I didn't like.  We share a similar mindset and approach to work and its ethic.  It was lovely to see her and her husband Tim looking so well and the ideal way to get myself in the mood for the harp.  It was great to be away and it's good to be back, but when's my next holiday?