Saturday, July 11, 2009

Base Jumping Not Allowed.

I'm back from the land of sheep, choirs and men with lamps on their heads and a wonderful time I had there. I'd recommend Tenby to anyone, especially if they like any of the above.

But exploring that town will take it out of you and after all, I'm not as fit as Daphne's mum, Joan, who went most places with us. She might be 85 but no one has told her that and after starting every day by swimming numerous lengths of the hotel pool, she ended most days by dancing away the evening in the hotel ballroom. Amazing woman.

Anyway I walked up and down more hills over the last 6 days than I did in 6 months in Florida. Ok that was easy as of course we all know there ARE no hills in Florida. Hardly a speed bump in fact. So now I'm worn out and after the 5 hour drive home, I need an early night and a good long sleep.

But here is a photo to be going on with.

We'd taken the boat across to Caldey Island which is a lovely island, inhabited by perfume and chocolate making monks who sell both in vast quantities to visitors. We explored the island by climbing more hills and once beyond the lighthouse, we approached the cliff edge where about a dozen seals were basking on the rocks below. Part of the path took us to a gate with a sign on it which left little to our imagination but a lot to our intuition.

What exactly did the upwards pointing arrow mean ? If we jumped up beyond the gate, we risked falling to our deaths ? If we simply passed beyond the gate, we'd risk the same fate ?

I guess the idea was to let us know that beyond the gate, there was a risk of falling over the cliff edge. But the gate wasn't particularly near the cliff edge and anyway, I think most of us know that cliff edges and falling go hand in hand.

At least it was one of the few signs we saw last week that didn't come with Welsh and English descriptions.


I guess falling over a cliff is the same in any language.

9 comments:

  1. Brilliant photo, if slightly scary. I suppose that's the point though. :)

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  2. There were also some signs in other places that said "CLIFFS KILL" which made it sound rather as if they sneak into your room at night with a gun.

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  3. LOL at that sign!

    Perfume and chocolates sound good!

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  4. scary sign looks like one you'd find on a suicide walking tour guide

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  5. Not being from England, I was initially puzzled by your first sentence -- were the men with lamps on their heads keeping a wary eye out for sheep, choir members, or perhaps even something else? Then the lamp in my own noggin went on, I put two and two together, and understood that the men were coal miners.

    Am I right?

    Sometimes I'm too dense for words.

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  6. RWP, yes you are.

    Right about the miners I mean ;-)

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  7. Clearly the arrow was pointing heavenwards pending the inevitable fatal divebomb from the cliffs. Translated from the Welsh it means - "Prepare to meet thy maker!"

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  8. Hey, YP, didn't know you were a Welsh speaker!:)

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