It stormed rain and strong wind all night, maybe it was just as well that the extension lead failed so that the trap wasn't put out. The extension is only a year old and we've been careful to extend it to its full length every time its used - it extends to the bottom of the garden. I shall look at the plugs and sockets etc when I get home, didn't think to bring a screwdriver and fuse set with me !
No phone signal in the house I discovered. It burst into several messages from Sara half way to Sainsbury's in Gorseinon. We were late up having slept better than for ages - both of us. Still raining on and off and, we were anxious about Sara driving a very long way in poor conditions. Her first message from Reading allayed some anxiety. They eventually arrived before 6, shattered, especially Sara who had never driven that far before and had experienced heavy rain and poor visibility. We were delighted to see them safe and sound.
We'd noticed good swathes of wildflowers along the verges in Penclawdd. Lovely to see and obviously specially planted by an aware council. They didn't look as good as they did before the storm and now, a dark grey cloud background.
I did not take this photo on purpose. I was amused to find it when I downloaded the pictures.
A roadside parking area in Penclawdd - which is on the south eastern side of the Loughor estuary - gave good views across the saltmarsh, mud and gullies at low tide.
A lone Little Egret stabbed at lunch in the pool, 70 + Redshanks huddled in a line, a few stalking the creek. One Lapwing and a Turnstone were the only other birds present.
Penclawdd was once a thriving seaport exporting goods from the local copper works, the coal mines and of course its famous seafood, from the Loughor arm of the Burry estuary. Rows of little terraced houses, with fantastic views, line the roads in the centre of the village and although the copper works and mines closed a long time ago, “Penclawdd Cockles” are still renowned today, although most of the industry is now located in the nearby villages of Crofty and Llanmorlais on the Gower Peninsula.
As a child in the village of Cwmgiedd, we used to have regular visits, in the season, from long black skirted and pinafored women, carrying large open baskets of cockles. Very much like this but without the transport.
Mam would soak the live cockles in salt water so that they opened and cleansed themselves of sand and mud. I also remember dabbling my fingers in the water so that they all closed up, emitting air bubbles as they did so. If caught, I was admonished strongly.
Dad also like the occasional dollop of laverbread (bara lawr in welsh), black caviar-looking stuff made from seaweed, fried with fatty home-cured bacon. Also delivered by the cockle women. Sold as a superfood these days, it tastes strongly of iodine and the sea, I only tried it once.
We then went back to the rental to await the arrival of Sara and Josh, armed with fresh extension leads for the moth trap to-night.
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