Jane, Bron and Denis arrived at Ned's to drive us and our luggage to the station. I went with our luggage and Denis who overshot the turn off to the station Getting back to the station was a breathtaking series of manoeuvres that included driving the wrong way up a one-way lane on a major road. However, thankfully Elaine and I had left tonnes of time to get to the station so we met the others and got onto the correct platform with about 20 minutes to spare.
The train trip was good and through new scenery. We had to argue with people to claim the seats we had booked but then had window seats for the journey.
Passing along by the Severn River was amazing. It had changed from the countryside river at Highley to wide tidal flats from just south of Gloucester.
We met Ian at Newport Station recognising him from the photo that Valerie had sent. I collected the tickets for some of our onward journeys that were on hold for us and then we were off on a quick tour before leaving the area.
First drive-by was the Transporter Bridge that takes cars across an inlet on a gondola. I did not know such things existed and apparently there are only two in the world. Then on to Caerleon to see the Roman arena that we'd seen on Time Team some while ago.
Ian then drove us home to Kemeys Commander near Usk to meet Valerie and have a quick lunch. We met Ruth (youngest daughter – 18) but not for long.
Off again with Ian to the Big Pit at Blaenavon where we three went down into a real coal mine (90m down). It was one of the shallower ones and was now not used for mining but was cold, wet, rough and slippery with very low roof in places – and OHS nightmare. We were donned with hardhats and miners head lamps that had huger battery packs on a belt around our waist and had to put all battery powered items like phones and cameras into a locker. Our guide was informative and humorous and spoke in such a lovely lilting Welsh accent.
On then down a most scenic drive to Waitrose supermarket in Abergaveny to do a bit of shopping for Valerie. Home again to chat, do maps and diaries and prepare dinner.
Tuesday 20 August
After a fairly cold night I am now back in a cotton singlet. Ian went off to work early and we eventually went down for coffee and breakfast.
After Valerie had breakfasted we three girls went upstairs to our patchwork show and tell, some lessons on mitred corners and then to working out Valerie's new sewing machine (a Janome similar to mine).We worked out the walking foot and how to do free motion quilting then Valerie had a few practice runs.
By lunch time we were all quite tense from such concentration so were pleased to sit and chat around the lunch table for a while.
By lunch time we were all quite tense from such concentration so were pleased to sit and chat around the lunch table for a while.
After lunch Catherine (a friend of Valerie's) came to drive us all into Usk to look around. We visited the Usk Rural Life Museum then visited the street where Surrey's ancestors came from. Here I learned that their address was not “4 Ash St” but “Four_Ash St”. Now I have more homework to do to find out what number. I knew they were buried in “the churchyard Usk” but most of the old headstones were worn down or in such random order that we did not find the ones we were looking for.
I was then able to use Valerie's sewing machine to get as far as I could on my next little Japanese hanging. Elaine and I were on dinner duty so reheated the shepherds pie that Valerie had prepared in the morning. We met Adrian (#2) in the evening.
After dinner Ian took Elaine and I to Goetre Wharf on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal. There were dozens of canal boats waiting to be hired. We took a loop walk along the towpath then back through a pine wood that was an awesome experience. Along the way there was a carved log chair with the words of “What is this life ...” which was apparently written by William Henry Davies or else Arthur Machen, a local in this area.
Wednesday 21 August
Our first appointment of the day was Penny (another Rainbow quilter from Wales) came to meet us and go down to the next “farm” which was actually a craft gallery, Craft Renaissance. Elaine and I chose to go over the stile into the golf course and walk down inside the fence rather than on the narrow roadway.
There were plenty of beautiful things at the gallery but I only succumbed to some poppy-coloured ceramic buttons for my England quilt. We enjoyed a coffee there before returning home and chatting for a while.
After lunch at home, Valerie, Elaine and I walked down the lane, over a stone stile to cross the churchyard, over another stone stile, down the lane, past the 6 or so houses that make up Kemeys Commander, across a paddock to the Usk River. We stopped there for a while watching the very swift flowing water then retraced our steps taking a little time to look inside the tiny parish church of All Saints (1535).
Our next job was to get dinner for 6pm so that Ian could drive us to Newnham to see the Severn Bore. There was a crowd of onlookers on the bank and quite a few surfers in the river waiting for the tidal wave to arrive on the incoming tide as the river began to narrow. The anticipation was exciting for the small crowd of onlookers on the grassy bank. At about 8:20pm it came just as light was disappearing. A wave of water about 2 feet high which gets higher as the river narrows further up.
After the bore had passed, with most surfers falling off, it was amazing to watch the amount of water that followed it up. It was a quiet but interesting experience to see such an event. This was apparently a 3-star bore. Tomorrow night a 4-star bore is predicted and the 5-star bore will not occur this year. We were very lucky that we were here on one of the better tides of the year, that Ian and Valerie had never seen it, and that they thought it would be exciting enough to drive the hour there and then back for the experience.
Thursday 22 August
This morning we did a bit more sewing with Valerie then she took us for a walk across the golf course to Betws Newydd where ther is an old church (1563) and a Yew tree that is over 3000 years old. Back across the golf course in time for lunch.
Ian had taken the afternoon off to drive us to the station but this was via a circuitous route past the reservoir, past Pontipool and Cwmbran and on to Tredegar House. This was a huge estate and house now run by the National Trust We only had time for a walk around the outside but the walled vegetable garden was magnificent with loads of produce.
Ian had taken the afternoon off to drive us to the station but this was via a circuitous route past the reservoir, past Pontipool and Cwmbran and on to Tredegar House. This was a huge estate and house now run by the National Trust We only had time for a walk around the outside but the walled vegetable garden was magnificent with loads of produce.
On then past the Transporter Bridge and to the station for our train to Bristol. The trip was quick and after we had bought tckets for Bath tomorrow we piled bags into a taxi and headed to Elspeth and Jeremy's.
A hot afternoon was spent with Elspeth, Sophia and Oscar preparing and sharing dinner. Jeremy arrived homein time for children's baths and stories and a wine outside in the cooler dusk before settling in for the night.
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