La Dolce Vita Cymraeg

Here on the Island with my soul mate. We have had a wonderful week - pottering, doing some minor works on Plas Piggy and taking in the scenery on some mildly taxing walks. Yesterday brought to mind how Ynys Mon keeps favouring us with good times.

There are some excellent beaches on the Island but in high season it perhaps makes sense to head for the less immediately prepossessing. One of our favourite walks takes us from the decommissioned nuclear power station at Wylfa along the Anglesey Coast Path to the village of Cemaes Bay. Cemaes is a hidden gem. It has free parking just off the High Street; it has proper old shops (there is even a picture framer to whom we took some recent purchases on Monday); it has a presentable and uncrowded beach. But yesterday's great discovery was the cafe operating out of a utilitarian stone shed on the beach car park (£4 - so you're better off walking down from the free parking). Caffi Bach does wood-fired pizzas. Absolutely excellent. The Groupie and the Pig shared a margherita and a generous portion of chips. We ate these on a beach-front bench - delicious and not a scavenging seagull in sight. Life is good.   

Lions 25.10

The final verdict? A tour bordering on the tedious. Australian rugby is not truly deep enough to sustain a Lions tour, particularly if their test match players are hidden away for the provincial matches. The Lions became a poor shadow of recent Ireland teams, coached efficiently but rather unromantically by an uber-professional Englishman. I was wrong - the series did not end 3-0. I have been wrong plenty of times before. Will be again. Maro Itoje is a great player, notwithstanding anything Murray Mexted might have to say on the subject. In four years it will be New Zealand's turn. Now that really is a tour.