Nellie's view

Early morning sunshine lured me briefly out with my camera to take this OneField shot looking northwest across Fishguard Bay. Some cows were soaking up the rays and the ripe keys on the ash tree in the bottom corner glowed russet as a fox.
In February 1797 a nine year old servant girl named Nellie Phillips was fetching the cows for milking at this very location when she spotted an unfamiliar sailing ship entering the bay around the headland. She ran back to the farm to blurt out the news and the alarm was raised. The cannon at Fishguard fort half a mile away was fired and the ship retreated out of range. What followed was a short-lived invasion by  undisciplined French soldiers who rampaged and ransacked a few local farms before being defeated in a minor engagement with the local militia. It is the last time an enemy force has set foot on the British mainland.

Nellie lived to the grand old age of 103,  long enough for her photograph (see extra) to be taken in 1891. I imagine she dined out on her story till the end of her days.