Today is Mrs BB's last day off. We'd arranged to pick up a friends dogs at 11.30am to take them for a walk, but having a cuppa in our conservatory at 11am, it was pouring down. She assured me it was forecast and that it was going to be nice later. It was.

We decided to do a walk from the Maenllwydd Inn, Rudry to The Travellers Rest Inn, Caerphilly and return (Rhymney Valley Walk). It is about a nine mile circular walk along the ridge separating Caerphilly from Cardiff. The views overlooking either side are fantastic. I have blipped part of the Cardiff view recently here so decided against another picture of similar.

I took a lot of pictures and like many, but have decided on the blip picture as it's arty and a fair bit was through lovely woodland. Thinking about when we last did the walk, it must have been some15 years as the pictures are on film and I obviously didn't have a digital camera. How times have changed!

We met my farmer friend, Dave, who was fixing his tractor, but he still found time for a chat and escorted us and the dogs through the cow herd as Mrs BB doesn't like them (we got chased by cows many years ago in Yorkshire!),

On getting to The Travellers Inn, Caerphilly mountain, an old quaint straw roofed pub, I was forced to buy tea and coffee. It's like going out with the queen - Mrs BB never seems to carry money!

On the return journey, just behind the Travellers Inn, we walked through the ruins of Castle Morgraig (about 1250 AD) which is in the worst state I have ever seen it. It's criminal that it is been left to nature.

The dogs were in such a state from rolling around in mud puddles that we were forced to take them to the river Rhymney in Bedwas to have a swim and clean them up. Tea was free range eggs from Dave's farm!

The Blip picture is a deliberate blur made by moving the camera down, slowly, on clicking the shutter.  ISO 200,  1/3 sec, F18 and 12mm on a 12-50mm lens.