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My blog is kept mostly friends locked for personal privacy reasons.
Should you wish to be added please drop me a request here.
Bigotry, narrowmindedness, prejudice, misogyny, willful ignorance and the usual run of -isms and -phobias are not welcome on this blog, but anyone of any gender (or none or at any point on the spectrum), sexuality (or none), relationship style (or none) race, creed (or none) colour, neurotype or level of physical or mental ability who displays none of those things or is working on not doing so is more than welcome :o)
I suppose I'd better introduce myself again and apologies for all those of you who know me of old and haven't run away yet. It's a frightening thought that I've known some of you pretty much since I first set up on LJ in 2007! I'm no longer there because new ToS and the threat to my personal privacy and safety that created. That said, I'm not new to DW either as I know some of you are. I set up here via an invite code in their early days and had x posted for long enough before that final break so it wasn't all that much of a shock when it finally came.
Chiara, the name I use on here is a blog name used to protect (well, me, actually :o)
I'm getting close to seventy and a married woman who happens to be trans. Young transitioner and post GCS since uni days. That makes me a late boomer but no, I'm not THAT sort o' boomer!
I'm an abuse survivor.
I'm retired but still doing odd bits of academic history and reviewing here and there. I'm an early modern historian so my head spends a lot of its time in the 17th century.
I was a special needs teacher for twenty years, working with severely disabled and terminally ill kids. I miss nothing about teaching except my kids as I have none of my own. I also worked with folks on the spectrum, the mentally ill and young dyslexic adults (are you sensing a pattern here? :o). I am myself dysnumeric. I'm also a leftie (both in handedness and politics).
My husband is Scottish (ooh, that accent :o) and you'll hear me refer to him both as 'himself' and 'the Scot'. He's a Mediaeval military historian and retired senior civil servant.
I'm a poet, writing under the pen name of Marianna Rochester and also a photographer. I occasionally get accused of folk music and dance.
We live in rural north Shropshire in England close to the Welsh border, in an area some of you may know as 'Cadfael country'. This is also A E Housman and Wilfred Owen territory.
And that's me. Feel free to ask if there's anything you are wanting to know. There's not much I won't talk about and nothing is usually off limits.
Very Last Caernarfon pics
Jul. 3rd, 2026 08:35 amThere is a little 19th century footbridge which runs back and forth on rails to open up the docking area:
( Here be pics: )
( Here be pics: )
St Peblig's church Llanbeblig
Jul. 1st, 2026 12:55 pm Just down the hill from the Roman fort is the medieval church of St Peblig (this is a unique dedication) in the village of Llanbeblig.
Unfortunately it wasn't open but still worth seeing as it's 14th century.
This church also features in the Mabinogion
Unfortunately it wasn't open but still worth seeing as it's 14th century.
This church also features in the Mabinogion
Sunnycroft
Jun. 29th, 2026 06:41 pmSunnycroft is our local National Trust property and is literally four hundred yards from where we live- you can see the roof of the building from our attic room windows.
It's a large upper middle class town house, a bit different from the nobby country houses that the NT often look after.
We visited on Sunday. We walked down the main avenue to the house- these trees are Wellingtonia, very apt for a town named Wellington. They are a species of redwood and therefore large!
( See more! )
It's a large upper middle class town house, a bit different from the nobby country houses that the NT often look after.
We visited on Sunday. We walked down the main avenue to the house- these trees are Wellingtonia, very apt for a town named Wellington. They are a species of redwood and therefore large!
( See more! )
More Beddgelert pics
Jun. 29th, 2026 02:34 pmWe walked through the local park to the church. How many parks do you know with mountains?
( More pics! )
( More pics! )
Beddgelert and a faithful hound
Jun. 28th, 2026 09:40 amI'm afraid the cut is playing up so bear with me!
Beddgelert is pronounced bethgelert. The double D in Welsh gives you a 'th' sound- a soft 'th as in 'then.
It means 'the grave of Gelert'.
The village was voted the prettiest place in the world in a recent online poll.
The railway station with the mountains in the background. The WHR takes you up through the hills and you get a view of Yr Wyddfa (aka Snowdon) en route.
The station with the mountains in the background:
( See more: )
Beddgelert is pronounced bethgelert. The double D in Welsh gives you a 'th' sound- a soft 'th as in 'then.
It means 'the grave of Gelert'.
The village was voted the prettiest place in the world in a recent online poll.
The railway station with the mountains in the background. The WHR takes you up through the hills and you get a view of Yr Wyddfa (aka Snowdon) en route.
The station with the mountains in the background:
( See more: )
Ar ddychweliad Llywelyn, neidiodd y ci yn waed i gyd i groesawu ei feistr. Dychrynodd y tywysog a brysiodd i chwilio am ei fab, a gwelodd grud y baban yn wag, a'r dillad gwely a'r llawr yn llawn gwaed. Yn ei ddychryn, trywanodd y tad y ci â'i gleddyf gan feddwl ei fod wedi lladd ei etifedd.
Atebwyd gwaedd farwol y ci gan gri plentyn. Chwiliodd Llywelyn a chanfod ei fab yn ddianaf, ond gerllaw gorweddai corff blaidd anferth yr oedd Gelert wedi'i ladd. Dywedir na wnaeth y tywysog wenu mwyach, a chladdodd Gelert yma."
And that in English:
"In the 13th century Llywelyn Prince of North Wales had a palace at Beddgelert. One day he went hunting without Gelert "the faithful hound" who was unaccountably absent. On Llywelyn's return the truant stained and smeared with blood joyfully sprang to meet his master. The prince alarmed hastened to find his son and saw the infant's cot empty, the bedclothes and floor covered with blood. The frantic father plunged his sword into the hound's side thinking it had killed his heir. The dog's dying yell was answered by a child's cry. Llywelyn searched and discovered his boy unharmed but near by lay the body of a mighty wolf which Gelert had slain. The prince filled with remorse is said never to have smiled again, he buried Gelert here. The spot is called Beddgelert."
Given that two of my ancestral groups, the Jews and the Roma leave stones like this at places of memory, I loved this! :o)
And in a ruined cottage, look who is waiting for us. The faithful old hound, Gelert still keeping watch:
His nose and head have been given many a pat and we did likewise. :o)
More from Beddgelert next time.
And that in English:
"In the 13th century Llywelyn Prince of North Wales had a palace at Beddgelert. One day he went hunting without Gelert "the faithful hound" who was unaccountably absent. On Llywelyn's return the truant stained and smeared with blood joyfully sprang to meet his master. The prince alarmed hastened to find his son and saw the infant's cot empty, the bedclothes and floor covered with blood. The frantic father plunged his sword into the hound's side thinking it had killed his heir. The dog's dying yell was answered by a child's cry. Llywelyn searched and discovered his boy unharmed but near by lay the body of a mighty wolf which Gelert had slain. The prince filled with remorse is said never to have smiled again, he buried Gelert here. The spot is called Beddgelert."
Given that two of my ancestral groups, the Jews and the Roma leave stones like this at places of memory, I loved this! :o)
And in a ruined cottage, look who is waiting for us. The faithful old hound, Gelert still keeping watch:
His nose and head have been given many a pat and we did likewise. :o)
More from Beddgelert next time.
A trip on the narrow gauge
Jun. 27th, 2026 10:00 amCaernarfon is no longer on the mainline railway having been a victim of the 'Beeching axe' in the sixties, but it is on a narrow gauge line, the Welsh Highland Railway, which is, at 25 miles from Porthmadog to Caernarfon, the longest narrow gauge line in the UK.
This line has some of the biggest narrow gauge locos in the world. They are Garratts, those monster articulated locomotives and they are just a bit impressive.
We decided to take the line to Beddgelert of which more later.
But for now, some pics of one of the monster engines.
It used to belong to South African railways and is still in that livery:
The (very Welsh) driver enjoying a cup of tea before setting off:
( More pics! )
This line has some of the biggest narrow gauge locos in the world. They are Garratts, those monster articulated locomotives and they are just a bit impressive.
We decided to take the line to Beddgelert of which more later.
But for now, some pics of one of the monster engines.
It used to belong to South African railways and is still in that livery:
The (very Welsh) driver enjoying a cup of tea before setting off:
( More pics! )
The castle exterior
Jun. 25th, 2026 12:11 pmThe castle totally dominates the town it was built to protect.
To the right there is the Queen's gate which was once approached by a ramp and external gates:
( More pics! )
To the right there is the Queen's gate which was once approached by a ramp and external gates:
( More pics! )
Caernarfon castle.
Jun. 23rd, 2026 12:20 pmIt's one of Edward I's many castles in Wales and probably one of the most impressive.
It totally dominates the town which was built as an English colony trying to dominate Wales.
This is the eagle tower, so called after the eagle sculptures on the battlements.
( More pics! )
It totally dominates the town which was built as an English colony trying to dominate Wales.
This is the eagle tower, so called after the eagle sculptures on the battlements.
( More pics! )
Where we stayed
Jun. 22nd, 2026 10:06 amThe guys gave us one of the top floor rooms (it's a late Georgian property with three floors and a basement living area too) because we were staying a few days and they reckoned it was the best view in the house- the one that sold them the place.
They weren't wrong!
It's the one room with a sea view.
It looks out over Ynys Mon (Anglesey Island)
It backs onto the medieval town walls:
And even onto one of the wall towers. You can let the tower as a holiday destination.
They weren't wrong!
It's the one room with a sea view.
It looks out over Ynys Mon (Anglesey Island)
It backs onto the medieval town walls:
And even onto one of the wall towers. You can let the tower as a holiday destination.
Wrecsam. The church of St Giles/St Silyn
May. 30th, 2026 09:51 amThe main church in Wrecsam has a dedication to St Giles which often indicates a connection to a leper hospital as Giles is the patron saint of lepers. Also a dedication to St Silyn.
St Silyn is an older Welsh saint. It's unusual for a church to have two dedications.
And what a church! It's big and mostly 15th century
( Here be pics! )
St Silyn is an older Welsh saint. It's unusual for a church to have two dedications.
And what a church! It's big and mostly 15th century
( Here be pics! )
This sign on the church gate made me grin!
And old biligual street sign. You can see the latinate origin of eglwys (church) as it's eglise in French.
This was on the frontage of an old butcher's shop (still a butcher's shop) in one of the arcades. Bovril is a beef extract which many brits will be familar with.
And old biligual street sign. You can see the latinate origin of eglwys (church) as it's eglise in French.
This was on the frontage of an old butcher's shop (still a butcher's shop) in one of the arcades. Bovril is a beef extract which many brits will be familar with.
The railway station in Wrecsam is old and there was some information about its history:
( See more pics! )
( See more pics! )
Erebus and Terror
May. 26th, 2026 12:19 pmThey've managed to identify the remains of some more of the ill fated sailors from Erebus.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1m2jgezjlgo
I still recall the finding of the remains in perma frost in the nineteen eighties of other crew members who had died before the final disaster.
One of the archaelogists was from Gillingham where we used to live down in Kent and so was John Hartnell one of the crew members.
This is he as found, well preserved.
And a modern image of John in life. By no means a bad looking guy.
Can you imagine coming face to face with your several times great grandfather as this guy did?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1m2jgezjlgo
I still recall the finding of the remains in perma frost in the nineteen eighties of other crew members who had died before the final disaster.
One of the archaelogists was from Gillingham where we used to live down in Kent and so was John Hartnell one of the crew members.
This is he as found, well preserved.
And a modern image of John in life. By no means a bad looking guy.
Can you imagine coming face to face with your several times great grandfather as this guy did?
We took a trip to Perth to visit an old friend, Lesley, who was at university at St Andrews with the Scot and was also my maid of honour when we got wed.
The museum is where the stone of destiny is now kept and also has some very fine Pictish symbol stones:
( More pics! )
The museum is where the stone of destiny is now kept and also has some very fine Pictish symbol stones:
( More pics! )
Stirling is on the River Forth.
This is the old bridge (no, not the one the battle of Stirling Bridge was fought on, which was there before this later medieval one)
( More pics! )
This is the old bridge (no, not the one the battle of Stirling Bridge was fought on, which was there before this later medieval one)
( More pics! )
Mar's Wark
Apr. 27th, 2026 09:53 amThis house, close to the castle and next to the Holy Rude (as you'd expect from The Earl of Mar, a senior noble) was destroyed during the civil wars.
And this was Cowane's house (he of the hospital). You can see the difference between a noble's house and a wealthy merchant's house.
And this was Cowane's house (he of the hospital). You can see the difference between a noble's house and a wealthy merchant's house.
