Northern Wales

     Wow, what a beautiful drive I had when I visited my client in Northern Wales, near the area of Snowden -- a national park.  Okay, I hope I can explain this to you, so you will get a mental picture of the sights I saw.  I went up there with the Reviewing Officer, who is about the same age as me, and she's been a social worker for 20+ years here in the UK.  First, I had to catch a bus into Town Center only then catch a bus out to a place called Charvil, at the Wee Waif Pub (I like this name).  She wanted me there "no later than" 8:00am.  WELL, she was late and I was standing there freezing my butt off!!!  Wow, it was cold out!  After she picked me up, we headed out on our 5 hour drive to Snowden, Wales.  The "carriageways" were not so crowded; however, right around Birmingham, the A6 got really busy.  No stops though, which she said was very uncommon for this area.  Usually it is stop-&-go on the A6 around here, but today, God was sitting in the back seat, so "no traffic."

     The countryside driving up to Birmingham reminded me about Ohio and Kentucky.  There were some rolling hills, but not too hilly, and there were great distances between fences.  After Birmingham, the hills got steeper, the grass got browner, and the sheep multiplied.  Holy SHEEP!!!  Just like the funny YouTube commercial some of us watched.  The sheep were spray-painted with different numbers in different colors.  Melanie said that was to determine which ones got shaved, at what time of the year, and which ones would wind up on someone's plate.  I think I'll pass on the lamb right now.  Anyway, the landscape was absolutely beautiful!  She pointed out that the buildings (houses, barns, etc.) were made from different stones as we passed from England into Wales.  She's absolutely right.  I can only describe it like this -- in England, the stones are lighter and fatter and the stones in Wales are darker and flat.  I really don't know how to explain it any better, but get a book from the library or Google it and you will see what I mean.

     As we got closer to Snowden, the hills became rocky and steeper.  I felt like I was in a movie or something.  We drove on this little, windy road with walls made of stone, hills all around us and sheep EVERYWHERE.  This was the most beautiful scenery I have experience over here; and nothing like I've seen in the states.  I made sure I saw everything and imprinted it in my memory so I can revisit this place all the time.  We turned onto an even smaller road which took us up to an old farmhouse.  This is where the young man was residing.  And the SHEEP!!!!!  The meeting was okay and the young man is very sweet.  That's all I can say on that subject.  We stayed for a snack because we could not just go up there, meet, then leave.  This young man cooked us snacks, so we stayed for a bite to eat.

     About 4:00pm, we started for home and I watched the whole scenery again.  I must come up here every 4-6 weeks by law, so I will have regular trips to Wales and see this beautiful scenery over and over again.  See, God IS great, ALL the time!  Yes, this means I must start driving soon, which actually does not look that difficult now that I am accustomed to the traffic patterns.  The drive became LONG around 7:00pm.  We stopped for a rest around this time, and did not get back to the Reading area until 8:30pm.  Melanie dropped me off closer to town, but I still had to catch a bus back to Town Center.  I got into town at 9:00pm -- the end of a 15-hour workday.  Yeah, very long, yet extremely beautiful.  I can store these extra hours and take comp time within the next few weeks, so it all works out in the end.

     Once in Town Center, I walked to my bus stop, but realized that the bus I needed to take did not run at this time of night.  I had no way home other than to walk.  It was only a two mile walk, so it was do-able, but I was so tired, it seemed like 10 miles.  I'm back in the hotel and my mind can only see the extrordinarily beautiful countryside of Engaland and Wales.  If anyone needs a place to visit for a vacation, try Snowden, Wales.  The people at the facility told me about the skiing, rock climbing, walking trails, and so much more.  The scenery alone is worth the trip.  I found heaven . . . again; and I'm sure I will witness many more "heavens" throughout my journey here in the UK.  I look forward to the next time I get to see heaven for I know that God is showing me His glory and His almighty grace which He has bestowed upon me.  I will go to sleep tonight dreaming of my heaven.  Sweet dreams everyone.