Barmouth for a day

26 July

We are both tired again today but at least we know what has caused it this time. Yesterday we were up early and set off for run up to Barmouth. We had a really good day too all round. Weather was nice and sunny for us and traffic wasn’t as heavy as I thought it might be. The only downer if there was one, is that I managed to take the wrong road once or twice. Even so, we saw parts of Wales we hadn’t seen before so that was fine really, and we did get to Barmouth, so nothing lost in reality.

We arrived home at around 9.30, earlier than I thought we would. Again traffic wasn’t as bad as I thought, even though we travelled a different route home. From Barmouth we drove inland up over the mountains and picked up that A5 southbound. That too was planned; we live about three miles off the A5/A444 junction and by using the A5 we don’t have to drive through town as we would if we used the motorways. So much easier.

Photo-wise, I didn’t do so much on this day. The idea was to use my polarizing filter, or at least to try to. I’ve always said that the one way to learn how to do something about photography is to crack on and do it and learn by your mistakes. It’s something that so much easier and cheaper with digital cameras we have these days. Yesterday I did try to do just that. Looking at the images on camera and in my originals file, I’m not sure how I did. I shall find out in short while when I come to edit them shortly.

‘And on the seventh days, God rested.’ Debate continues as which day he rested but within the Christian faith it’s accepted that Sunday is the day of rest. To that end various churches were built by the various denominations, but even so the 1870s, less than 50% of the population attended church on the census day. The established church, who organised the census, received a bigger shock when it was reviled that less than 50% of those attending church were attending the Church of England churches.

Church attendance has declined even more these days and I have no idea what the figures are now, but there are fewer and fewer church building in use as churches now. So many have been sold to commercial concerns, or in some area to other faith groups. One here in Dorktown, once known as the Edward Street Mission, has been sold to the local Muslim group and now acts as a teaching and social centre. In other places larger number of church building have been sold off.

For today’s photo then … 

Here’s one such church that has been sold off for commercial use.

Today’s funny, an oldie but goody …

One day, a teacher was talking to her first grade class about whales when a little girl had a question.

Little Girl: "Do whales swallow people?"

Teacher: "No, even though they are much bigger than a person, they have throat pleats that filter their food of krill and plankton.

Little Girl: "But Mrs. Thurston says Jonah was swallowed by a whale."

Teacher getting angry: "Blue whales cannot swallow people."

Little Girl: "Well, when I get to heaven I'll just ask Jonah if he was really swallowed by a whale."

Teacher, still red with anger: "What if Jonah went to hell?"

Girl: "Well, then you can ask him."