Rain.

Cooler and greyer today with rain arriving in the afternoon. Right now there is a large group of surfers on the water waiting for the big swells that have begun to roll in.

I spent a relaxed afternoon wandering around Aberystwyth. I don't go into town often so I had a whole list of things I wanted to do. My trip nearly came to a halt when I arrived in the car park and discovered that I had left my purse (wallet) at home. However I had cash on me, enough for shopping and when I went into the bank I was able to pay my bills and sort other stuff without any problems partly because the staff knew me. From there I strolled around town calling at most of the charity shops. I got a new battery put in one of my nice watches at the jewellers which was pricey but the girl there told me that if you pull out the winder it disconnects the battery which is good to know if you only wear the watch occasionally. Most of the time I don't bother with a watch but I need one in town to see how long I've been parked.

I wandered further than I normally do in search of The Knife Angel and ended up at the castle ruins overlooking the sea. Built at the end of the 13thC there isn't much left but it is still imposing. 

The castle began to fall apart quite soon after being built. It is thought that being so close to the sea didn't help. Apart from the strong winds I expect that the pounding of the waves on the cliffs causes small but constant movement of the ground which destabilises the stonework. Here every house on the cliff has cracks in the render or in the garden walls.

There were people about but I try not to get them in my photos.

(Below) Looking north Borth lies beyond the second headland.

I had a nice wander around the castle before heading back to the shopping streets. While some of the streets are very grubby and neglected I'm discovering some interesting shops tucked away in the side streets.

This was the last day that The Knife Angel made from over 100,000 knives taken by or surrendered to the police, would be on display in town. It is being taken around the country to highlight the problems of knife crime.  (More photos and information tomorrow.)

I did some shopping in Lidl by which time it was raining more heavily. I debated going to the last charity shop but I'm glad I did as I found yet another blue glass ornament. 

Coming home it was wet enough for windscreen wipers and the car lights to be on. Just time for a coffee and some blogging before fitting in an exercise bike session before supper.