Pugsley and Margaret

This is Margaret. She is a Kune Kune pig, according to the sign on the gate to her habitat. She is quite one of the ugliest, cutest things, I must say. She and her partner, Pugsley, live the National Botanic Garden of Wales, where I went yesterday for the District 1150 handover of Rotary District Governorship. The ceremony and lunch, was held in a marquee (was corrected from calling it a tent -- oops. But my claim is that it was still a tent, albeit a glorified one with chandeliers), during which Ambassadorial Scholar sat and sweated like picture of creature above, failing miserably to look like collected, intelligent ladylike person. On a positive social note, I did not give in to tendency to find puddle of mud.

The Botanic Garden is west of Swansea, about a 45 minute drive from Cardiff. David and Sonya Worrell allowed me to accompany them, and after the ceremony, we ducked out from entertainment (or we all might have melted to our chairs) and walked through the gardens. The Great Glasshouse is this magnificent greenhouse which was excavated and the glass roof is merely the top of the hill -- it is the largest single span glasshouse in the world. Inside, are areas housing tropical plants from six zones: Chile, Australia, California, the Canary Island, South Africa and the Mediterranean.

Outside, in addition to a well-appointed complex of museum-type buildings (and an ice cream stand), is double-walled garden. The construction of a double wall allowed greater variety of plants, especially fruit trees, to be grown as insulated from cold weather. Certain stones were used in some walls because of their heat-holding properties and David told me that certain double walls were even outfitted with fireplaces!

It was rawther sweltering and when Pugsley decided to join Margaret in her bath, there was quite a bit of snorting protestation.

Note to self: do not stand too close to mud-bathing hairy pigs when dressed in nice clothing.

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Saturday -- biked 9.5 miles on Taff Trail to Radyr Weir (info approx. 1/2 way down page). A weir is a little pebbly, sloping sort of a dam thing; and there are several of them as you go from the centre of Cardiff along the River. These weirs have something to do with salmon and sea trout migration and at Radyr Weir is a spawning house (or something similar). Excursion led by mad Wirish person, who has actually turned out to not be quite so mad after all, and who provides historical commentary and interesting trivia along the way. Did I have foresight to take camera? Of course not. But am going to try healthful activity of regular biking, so will go back.

England out of World Cup. Immediately after game, Macintosh Pub had distinctly funereal air... grown men expressing emotion. And what will Simon do with 500 England hats? (heh heh heh)

Dinner with Italian contingent and misc. others on Sat. night, partly for celebration of Dawny's birthday (she is 21!) -- Fabiana did outstanding job once again. Must get her to teach me sauce-making before we all move away from each other in a couple of months :( Have I mentioned her good news of an 6-month contract in Brussels working with the UN -- media for Dept. of Transportation, I think. Hooray! Will now have additional reason to visit Brussels!

apparently have reached picture limit on this entry (why? how? how vexatious.) Am going to be forced to link through Flickr now, preventing persons without internet access (i.e., Mama) from seeing some pictures. (hint, hint, hint)