±«Óãtv

I've just been away on holiday to Asturias in Northern Spain so it's my first day back for a while. There's a strong Celtic connection in the region and even some impressive walled/ fortified, Iron Age villages.

I had an amazing time and saw plenty of wildlife including black redstart which I'd not seen before although they can be common here, during the summer. They also have an abundance of jays and buzzards.

The dawn chorus each day was particularly loud and varied (I heard my first cuckoo for 2010) and I spent plenty of time watching the black kites soaring high on the thermals.

Interestingly, much of the wildlife is very similar to what we have right here in Wales with one or two notable exceptions - brown bears, wolves and lynx.

Meanwhile down at the estuary I saw spoonbill and little egret which in the past would have got me excited but are now rather common in our own Welsh rivers and estuaries.

I was particularly impressed by the way Spain manages its environment and even at the most remote beaches I kept bumping into park rangers walking along, collecting rubbish and tidying up on a daily basis.

If you've never been to that part of the world - I highly recommend it, you won't regret it but learn some basic Spanish.

The sun seems to have forgotten to put his hat on today but I've been reliably informed that it will return later this week...

It's half term for a lot of you this week (with kids) anyway and I've already mentioned a few things to do this week in my previous blog but here are few other things you might like to try:

Down at the coast - it's good news for surfers as there's a nice little swell pushing in over the next few days with light winds. I was up at 6am pondering a dip myself but the tide was too low for me unfortunately. The sea is around 11 C so you'll still need a wetsuit but the cumbersome boots and gloves can now come off.Ìý

High tide is around 10am so bear that in mind if you're going to do a spot of sea fishing - the bass and mackerel are in now.

Staying on the coast, three of the Urdd's outdoor officers are setting off from Aberaeron harbour today on a three week kayak trip around Wales! They plan to raise money for the Welsh Air Ambulance and to increase the profile of - the multi activity centre near Bala.

at Llanerchaeron is also under way and there are plenty of wild activities for kids taking place this year. It runs until 5 June, so pop along to the ±«Óãtv Wales Cymru tent to find out more.

Great Orme Country Park celebrates its 30th birthday and there are various activities planned. It all kicks off from 11am today with a service at St Tudno's church and activities are planned up at the summit from midday onwards - including a guided wildflower walk at 12.20pm so I hope the rain clears.

The Brecon Beacons National Park Authority are celebrating by hosting a green festival at the Brecon Promenade overlooking the River Usk so pop along if you live nearby.

Gull