We're heading to South Wales to visit my son and his family . He now lives in Ammanford, close to my old home town of Swansea.

While we're there we'll have the chance to catch up with friends and other family, on a weekend when the city is hosting the Swansea Air Show.

However we need to find accommodation in Swansea as our normal options for overnight stays are unavailable. . . start searching for B&B's

Swansea Bay . . . favourably compared to the Bay of Naples . . . provided the sun is out !

This is the view from Townhill, when I took Loes for a drive to see the sights.

Our first outing was to the side of the Loughor Estuary, within easy walking distance of the bungalow.

This was the boat yard and slipway, just up river from the road and rail bridges that connect Swansea with llanelli and West Wales.

The tide was out and the sand and mud flats were extensive as a result . . . it would no doubt look equally great, in a different way, with the tide full in.

We walked the sea wall to Bwlchymynydd Point and back via the children's adventure playground and riverside car park.

The "Little Egret on Totemic Plinth" was designed by Casllwchwr Primary School pupils and constructed by Sarah Holden.

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A quick drive afterwards to Penllegaer Woods, where The Penllegare Trust has taken a lease on the old 250 acre family estate

of the late Sir John Talbot Dillwyn Llewellyn, in order to rescue the history and heritage of the area.

The old house has sadly been demolished many years back and the area developed for modern housing, but there's still plenty to see and do.

John Dillwyn was a noted philanthropist, was actively involved in local affairs and a gifted amateur scientist.

He became known for his fascination with astronomy, scientific experiments and pioneering photography.

It was from the old house that John Llewellyn took the first known photo of the Moon in the night sky . . . the place is that historic.

We parked at the Cafe and Visitor Centre and walked down into the valley to see the lake and enjoy a stroll through the woods.

A waterfall marks the foot of the lake, which was constructed as a landscape feature, but was possibly also used for hydro power.

Today there's a modern Archimedean Screw water turbine generation unit tucked in the trees on the opposite bank.

A popular place on a hot day and chance for a quick family photo with Gareth and Rhian and the boys.

Dougal is happy having found a stick to carry . . . which he held onto most of the way round.

The Penllegaer site is managed by a board of eleven trustees but relies heavily on volunteers for help, both in the landscape, the gardens and the cafe.

They certainly made us a delightful lunch which we could enjoy outdoors had we wished.

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Afterwards Gareth and family headed home and Loes and I headed into Swansea to see our friends, Sandra and Jackie.

This was the view from Pantycelyn Road, looking out over Swansea Bay, to Mumbles Head and the distant, hazy coastline of Somerset and Devon.

Constitution Hill is the steepest street in Swansea and their house is on a side road about two thirds of the way down.

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Next day we met up with the family, plus Gill Holgate, on a Clyne Railway walk.

The valley was the location of old coal mines and a brickworks and industrially, was a very busy place . . . now it is a cycleway and is gradually returning to nature.

In case you were looking for her, Gill took the family picture using my phone, so I could be in it and she could avoid the having her photo taken !

The Railway Inn was not open for lunches today to we headed out to the Blackhills Garden Centre cafe near the airport, where we bumped into Sandra and Jackie a second and unplanned time.

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Our next planned get-together was later in the afternoon in Mumbles, the headland at the far end of the bay.

We had a little time to spare so head out on the newly refurnished promenade walk towards the headland.

The green and yellow asphalt represents the grass and the sand . . . and the oversize pebbles, well they represent local sea washed stones I suppose, but bigger.

When doing the work, the Council wisely took the opportunity to raise the sea wall three feet to prevent future flooding, should a big storm surge coincide with a high Spring tide.

This is Swansea's end of the pier attractions, the only public buildings have always been at the landward end.

The two outer buildings on the seaward end are the old and new RNLI Lifeboat houses.

Mumbles Head and the Lighthouse.

- - - o o o o - - -   After our walk we drove up to see my aunt and uncle who have lived in the same house in Mumbles for as long as I can remember.   They are now both 96 years old and credit their long life and general fitness to climbing all the many steps to the house and up and around their steeply terraced garden.   They put in a request for another big family get together next year.   The best date will be around their 97th birthdays when their daughter is home on holiday from America.   That will keep my brothers and I busy organising the party. It should be a gathering of about 60+ people as we're a big family.   - - - o o o - - -

Afterwards we headed over to Cwtchina Italiana, a small and cosy Italian restaurant down on the seafront,

run by a Swansea lady who spent her gap years studying and cooking in Italy . . . I'd say that was time well spent.

(The name is pronounced Cwtch - ina, a Cwtch being a small cosy hug in Welsh).