I woke that morning to a grey sky and drizzly rain, a complete contrast to the lovely afternoon and evening of the previous day. It hadn't cleared up by lunchtime so as photography was out of the question and I knew there was a camping shop on the main road just south of Caernarfon I decided to drive over to the mainland and go in search of a new tent.
As I drove along the A487 about halfway between Caernarfon and where the camping shop was I saw something which made me think I was seeing things - in a field on my right was a flock of pink sheep. With traffic behind me and nowhere convenient to stop I had to carry on driving but this was something I just had to check out on the way back. Unfortunately the visit to the camping shop was a waste of time; some time since my last visit it had changed hands from an independent shop to a branch of Millets and the only tents they had were too big and too expensive, so I came away with my bank card still in my pocket.
Back up the road I slowed down as I got near the field where I'd seen the sheep and yes, they were definitely pink. Now I know that most sheep are marked with splodges of dye for whatever reason but these creatures were sporting more than just splodges - about 75% of each one was a deep pink, making the green field look like a large multi-coloured rug. It was a shame I couldn't stop to get a photo as it really was quite an odd sight to see.
Driving back into Caernarfon I decided on the spur of the moment to call at the golf club to see my cousin David, only to find out that he was having a couple of days off and wouldn't be back at work until Thursday. It was still raining so with nowhere else to go I headed back for Anglesey, stopping off at the Morrisons supermarket on the way out of Caernarfon. I was feeling a bit peckish by then so once I'd got the supplies I needed I went in the cafe, and as I no longer have coffee and cake (I gave up eating cake over a month ago) I ordered a proper meal of omelette, mushrooms and beans and a latte coffee.
Now there were only two customers in the cafe when I got there and though another half a dozen people came in afterwards it wasn't exactly busy, but my meal seemed to be taking a long time to arrive. After half an hour, and seeing those who had arrived after me being served with their orders, I went to the counter to query it and found that somehow it had been completely forgotten. The woman I spoke to was very apologetic, said she would do it straight away and would also give me a refund of the cost. The cynic in me thought "Yeah, right, I'll believe that when I see it" but true to her word she gave me the money back when she brought the meal and also told me to help myself to another coffee for free. To be honest, after all that the meal was nothing special - it all tasted rather bland, possibly because it had been done quickly in a microwave, but it satisfied the hunger and meant that I didn't need to bother making anything myself when I got back to base.
Back on Anglesey the drizzly rain finally stopped and with some sunshine breaking through the clouds it turned into quite a warm and pleasant evening. The pre-bedtime dog walk was undertaken just before the daylight faded then the three of us settled in for the night, with fingers and paws crossed that the following day would be nice enough to go exploring somewhere.
About Me
- Tigermouse
- Hi! I'm Eunice and I live in Bolton, Lancashire, with my two dogs Sophie and Sugar and an assortment of cats - well it used to be Sophie and Sugar, now it's Sophie and Poppie. I first began camping back in 1997 when my then partner took me to Anglesey for my birthday weekend. We slept in the back of the car - a hatchback - using the cushions off the settee at home as a mattress, and cooked and brewed up on a single burner camping stove. The site was good, the views were great, the weather fantastic and I was completely hooked. Following that weekend we got a two-man tent and some proper accessories and returned to Anglesey two weeks later, then over time we progressed to a three-man tent followed by an old trailer tent, then a new trailer tent, a campervan and finally a caravan. When my partner decided that the grass was greener on the other side of the street - literally - in April 2009 and I suddenly found myself alone after fifteen years, I decided there was no way I was going to give up camping and caravanning if I could cope on my own. This blog is the story of my travels, trials and tribulations since becoming a solo camper - I hope you like it
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It's a shame you couldn't get a photo of the pink sheep, it must have been a coloured dip they'd been put through, but why the colour?!
ReplyDeleteWe've been in our local Morrisons cafe a few times and the service and food isn't great. I'm pretty sure too that the meals are microwaved and I'm sure I've had instant mash in there, not good. Not somewhere I'd recommend.
I googled 'pink sheep' and it seems that some farmers dye their sheep pink in support of breast cancer awareness month but that's not until October so it won't have been anything to do with that. My quirky sense of humour is now thinking of reasons why they were pink - I can feel a post coming on my other blog soon :)
DeleteYears ago my partner and I often went in our town centre Morrisons cafe when we were shopping on Saturdays and their meals were always very good. I don't know what they are like now as I haven't been in there for a long while, and I certainly won't be going in the Caernarfon one again.
Maybe the pink dye is to stop the sheep being stolen or easier to identify, sheep rustling a big problem for farmers here in Wales.
DeleteBut if you nicked them you'd only need to shear them and they'd be back to being white again so no-one would know who they belonged to, unless of course the dye also stains the skin :) :) It must be very frustrating and anger-inducing for farmers to have their sheep stolen, and a huge financial blow too :(
DeleteOh dear, you aren't having much luck with your tent! There is a flock of sheep on the drive between Glasgow and Edinburgh which changes colour, usually to support a cause e.g. purple for autism week. The farmer also paints his grass slopes e.g. poppies in November, so maybe it's something like that.
ReplyDeleteI think the tent had just come to the end of its natural life span Anabel. A good quality cotton canvas one would last for ever but the nylon/polyester ones degrade in sunlight and probably only last about five years. I've had lots of use out of this one since I got it just over four years ago so I can't complain - I just wish I could get another one like it but it seems that particular model has been discontinued :(
ReplyDeleteI can't say I've ever seen a painted grass slope, it sounds really intriguing :)
Strictly speaking they are grass pyramids - one of the art works along the M8 - but still obviously part of a working farm. The slopes facing the road get the poppy treatment.
DeleteI actually googled it and came across a newspaper article about it which included photos so I assumed that was where you meant. It must look quite spectacular to anyone driving along that road :)
DeleteI always stuck to a caravan, never had a tent. Hope you have better luck weather wise and tent wise in the future,
ReplyDeleteLoved the read.
Yvonne.
I'm sure I'll find a suitable tent eventually, it's just a case of exploring all options and being patient.
ReplyDelete