How do I feel at posting my first blog? Excited? Thrilled? Scared? All three, but most of all I feel Gratitude to Ellie, the lady who inspired me to finally take this leap into cyberspace and formalise the words and pictures in my mind into something readable, digestable and hopefully, interesting!


So here, in this first entry are a few images and thoughts from a foray at a place of old magic...St Illtyd's Church, Llanhilleth. 

It always feels good these days to return to the place that I came from and St Illtyd's has a magnetism to it; it drew Santa Heledd back in the 7th Century if legend is to be believed, and later Cistercian Monks, although entrepreneurial in spirit, they delved into anything they could get their hands on! 


The surrounding  earthworks, not as well investigated as the church, suggest Norman or even Roman activity here and with a small amount of imagination it's not difficult to conceive that earlier peoples knew a good spot when they saw it.
I visited two years ago on a mild, July evening and was captivated by the light pouring down through the abundant Oxeye Daises.

 I returned this evening, hoping to improve on my previous photographic attempts. The conditions were quite different - results of which are below...

Although I didn't fulfil my objective - I was met in the graveyard by a gracious and knowledgeable soul who showed me around the church, told me some of its history, recounting her own ideas about some of it. She was a fascinating person and it was easy to see how she in her way was drawn to the Old Church. 


I discovered that we love foraging around, both love natural surroundings and photography and she told me about how she began blogging to share her experiences and her life with her father in Cambridgeshire. Her generosity of spirit and her openness inspired me to start up this blog and so it is to Ellie that I dedicate this first blog. Thank you!