Dragons!

I was able to go to Kidwelly Castle recently where they had the dragons which have been at Caerphilly Castle for a while. I've been wanting to see them for ages and had a lovely sunny day on which to finally get there. I have to show you the photos!

They were near one of the towers, the mother protruding from the ground and the babies in their nest.

Dad Dewi, who is red, has stayed at home in Caerphilly Castle while mum Dwynwen and the twin dragonlets are on tour around Wales.

They were all made by Cardiff based props company Wild Creations. The adults keep still, but the babies are animatronic and move their heads, eyes and wings. You can also hear a roaring sound from them. I love the way they look quite realistic, with the detail of their scales and mottled colouring.

Here's a close up of Dwynwen:

And one of the babies:

While I was there, I also took photos of the castle itself.

Here's the tower by the dragons:

This is the view from the very top of one of the towers (yes, I was very brave! 😉😊) You can see the river Gwendraeth just behind the castle in the centre of the picture and the landscape beyond.

There's a lot of history surrounding this place. Gwenllian, a Welsh princess, daughter of the king of Gwynedd and wife of the ruler of Deheubarth, led a battle against the Normans in the fields just to the other side of the castle while her husband was in North Wales gathering men to fight. The Normans moved earlier than expected, so Gwenllian and her sons went to face them. This was before the castle was built in stone as it now is. Sadly, Gwenllian lost the fight and was killed in the fields. That area is known as Maes Gwenllian (Gwenllian's field).

Although I've been to Kidwelly before, it was well worth the second visit to see the dragons. I've waited to see them for a long time and it was even better to do it now the babies have arrived. It's all part of the Year of Legends promoting Wales's history, mythology and tourism.

You can find out more about the dragons by clicking here:

http://www.caerphillyobserver.co.uk/news/964692/baby-dragons-hatch-at-caerphilly-castle/


We've had quite a few rainy days recently, but on a rare sunny day, I took this photo of a hoverfly on a dahlia:

I think at some point, this photo may make it into a piece of art.