The best laid schemes o' mice an' men, gang aft agley, an' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, for promis'd joy

Last night my car broke. I had planned to spend today visiting sites in the West Midlands but it was very clear when the temperature gauge sailed through 90 and the STOP sign insistently flashed and beeped on the dashboard that this was not going to happen. We stayed in a hotel overnight and then called the AA out. Their mechanic's diagnosis was a burnt out radiator fan and a tow back up the M62 and M1.

I thank my lucky stars that this happened on the way home from holiday, not on the way. Also that it happened in a city, not on a motorway. And finally that I have AA membership. It's easy to overlook that lone parents have one income to pay for at least two people, where young couples may well have two incomes for just themselves. It would have been easy for me to economise by not having the AA membership but right now I'd be well over £300 down in tow costs before the cost of the repair.

We managed to have half an hour visiting the Bullring for lunch whilst we waited for the tow truck.

In all the waiting today my son was amazing - he read his book quietly and was overjoyed at the chance to ride in a tow van. He's a joy to be with.














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Thoughtless Youth

A long time ago I was a second year literature student at the University of St Andrews and I was supposed to study Wordsworth. I forget how much effort I put into reading Tintern Abbey but it won't have been much. It amused me today because I went to Tintern Abbey with my own, rather more thoughtful, youth and realised the truth of that poem.

The day started out in Cardiff and we visited Castell Coch. This castle is a Victorian rebuild of a medieval castle that was destroyed in the fourteenth century. It was a project of the Marquis of Bute, reputed to be the richest man in the word, and work started in 1875. It was hardly ever used as it had no guest accommodation and Bute was interested in the project, not the outcome. Inside the Arts and Crafts inspired furnishings are incredible.













Afterwards we drove to the former Cistercian monastery of Tintern Abbey on the banks of the Wye. It was impossible to capture the beauty of the surroundings with my iPhone: the colours of the autumn leaves were glorious. I sat for a while and read Wordsworth's poem and was very struck by these lines:

... For I have learned
To look on nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth, but hearing oftentimes
The still, sad music of humanity,
Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power
To chasten and subdue. And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime

That is how I felt in the light rain at Tintern Abbey looking at the hills, the trees and a perfect rainbow 'a sense sublime'. It was a real gift.



















The rainbow

Afterwards, my son and I did the huge trek up the hillside opposite to see Offa's Dyke and the Devil's Pulpit from where we surveyed the beauty that is Tintern and the Wye Valley.







To quote Wordsworth again:

And this prayer I make,
Knowing that Nature never did betray
The heart that loved her; 'tis her privilege,
Through all the years of this our life, to lead
From joy to joy

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The rule of thirds

In fine art there is a theory that informs us that we humans are satisfied when a picture is in three distinct parts: the rule of thirds. Today has subscribed to this theory and been extremely rewarding.

The morning started with our reason for coming to Cardiff: the Doctor Who Experience. I know a lot of adults who don't watch Doctor Who and who think it's a naff kid's programme. That's fair enough, but I would hope I am pretty well read and there are times when the writing on the modern DW is so philosophical, so profound, so funny, so true, that it can stand alongside most of the classics on my bookshelves. The Doctor Who Experience gives you an opportunity to live through an adventure - and I'm going to leave it there as I don't want to ruin it for you. These photos are from the exhibition afterwards and I don't think they count as spoilers, sweetie.





















For the middle third of our day we went to Techniquest which is a science museum for kids. It's packed with interactive displays teaching about parabolas, vision, Archimedes' screw, static electricity, resonance... All sorts. There's also a Planetarium and an excellent science lecture for kids involving dry ice and explosions.
















Afterwards my son was desperate to come back as there were loads of exhibits he hadn't seen.

But we had to leave for our third part of the day: watching the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Millennium Centre. This was a surprise for my son, I hadn't told him we were going. Now, if you ask what 9 year old boys enjoy Doctor Who and science might well be on the list, but ballet? Really? Well, yes. When I think about my ethos for parenthood it would be not to limit him or his outlook. Why must boys just watch football and blow imaginary aliens up? The ballet was in three parts: the first was the traditional A Midsummer Night's Dream with fairies and tutus and woodland. The second piece was a contemporary ballet based on the Olympics with fencers, swimmers and runners. The final piece was a character based ballet called 'Promenade' and set on a 1920s cruise ship. It was hilarious. And my son loved them all.











We had a box!



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Free museums, extortionate car parking

Today has been one of those bright autumnal days where the leaves seem to glow and you are perfectly warm in your coat. Sort of like summer, only in Britain. This was perfect as we went to National History Museum of Wales at St Fagans today. It is one of those museums which saves historical buildings from throughout the country and rebuilds and refurbishes them on site: a perfect place for an autumn walk.

The site is based around the original St Fagans Castle, an Elizabethan manor house.





The grounds are full of interesting buildings such as this woollen mill






A favourite site for my son was the fairground where we had toffee apples. I'd forgotten just how difficult it is to bite into a toffee apple..












Afterwards we drove into Cardiff to visit the imposing National Museum of Wales which has a great geology and geomorphology section, alongside natural history and an impressive art gallery upstairs.








We remember the entrance hall being used for an episode of Doctor Who and later in the tour we saw this recreation of a primordial beastie which would surely make an excellent monster for the Doctor to vanquish




We must have walked around both these sites for upwards of six hours, totally free. So the only disappointment was being charged £18 by NCP for four hour's parking. Outrageous.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Did you have a 'go-to' book that you read endless times as a kid? I had three: 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe', 'The Adventures of Holly Hobby' and 'The Wolves of Willoughby Chase'. TLTWATW was the first book my son read independently, aged 5, and I still tear up at his verdict 'I'll never read a better book, mummy'. Today we went to Hay-on-Wye and I bought him 'The Wolves of Willoughby Chase' and I'm hoping for a similar reaction.

Hay-on-Wye is a magical place: it's USP is as a haven for bibliophiles and it's stuffed with bookshops. We went into the amazing Richard Booth's bookshop and cinema where I bought two books for my son and just one for me.















Afterwards we looked in the windows of some other shops: this deli particularly caught my eye.




And we treated ourselves to a drink in the Granary Cafe.




Then I had to make a decision: to drive up to Brecon and take the more dramatic road (presumably) through the Brecon Beacons or head towards Raglan, our original objective? I'm glad we stayed with our original plan as we stopped first at Tretower, a Cadw site, which was faintly unprepossessing from the outside and amazing inside. It has recreated the great hall of a fifteenth century lord and it is fascinating inside.













There is also the original Norman keep on site, glowering away against the backdrop of the Brecon Beacons.




Our next stop was Raglan castle (another Yorkist stronghold during the Wars of the Roses: my son and I identify strongly with the Yorkist cause). It was one of the last castles to be built in the British Isles and is heavily influenced by French architecture. Brilliantly, it has a moat with water in, which is fairly rare. It was a hugely imposing and impressive ruin.

















Our final stop was Cardiff. We will be staying here for three nights; I'm embarrassed to admit I've never been here before. As a treat my son and I went to watch 'Skyfall' at the IMAX and we both loved it.