An Old Man's Feeling for Snow

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I am writing on a Thursday morning. I'm looking out to a dull but dry sky. I know it won't last long.

Because I know the weather forecast. Particularly the forecast for Bridgend where I work and what was earlier in the week forecast as sleet has now turned into snow. Heavy snow at that.

And I will be at work.

Working the afternoon evening shift as I do the timing of the snowfall could not be worse. If it came in the morning then fine. I could ring work and say I couldn't make it and that would be the day sorted.

But reality bites. Oh rather comes down in big white cold blobs in the evening rush hour. So potentially come ten o'clock when I'm due to leave I might be snowbound given the journey home takes normally forty minutes and does involve going through country roads.

One of three things will occur.

1) It'll either be sleet or just a little dusting of snow meaning that I'll be able to drive home albeit slowly.

Unlikely though. Have you noticed weather forecasters are rarely wrong when forecasting bad weather.

2) The snow will be heavy enough that the best option is to stay at work for the night and leave when it's daylight tomorrow.

3) The snow will be dangerous even on Friday. So as I'll be working on that day as well it'll mean I'll be bored to the death until my shift starts then.

Of course it'll mean I'll be unshaven and unkempt. And I'll need a new pair of boxer shorts as well.....

So if you don't see a post from me tomorrow. That'll mean I'm snowbound in Bridgend tonight.

Doesn't really have a romcom ring to it does it?

Until the next time.

Cardiff Bus: On The Road To Nowhere?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Regular readers may remember a while back I took an Assembly member and the leader of Cardiff Labour council Huw Thomas to task for querying the policy of free car parking in hospitals, specifically the University College Hospital in Cardiff.

Part of the argument Mr Thomas used was the bus service to that hospital. Suggesting that as it was so good people didn't need to use their cars.

I'll return to hospitals later. But Cardiff Bus co. That is the bus service that the council actually own are making cuts and alterations to the service across Cardiff and the neighbouring Vale of Glamorgan at the end of March. Cardiff Council's own special version of Brexit.

Now I won't be a hypocrite. I don't use the bus service as the journeys I need to take (mainly to where I work in Bridgend from the Vale) make it a non starter. Would I use it if I could? Probably not as things stand a journey from where I live to Cardiff would be difficult and involve more than one bus. if I lived in the centre of a town (say Penarth) then I'd consider it.....and would probably say no.

Why? Well cutting the bus services is not a good sell is it? What message does it give for future customers? And more importantly what if I needed to use the service? How can I use the service if it doesn't exist? Or drastically altered?

And when I say doesn't exist Penarth is a good example of this. The town will lose it's direct bus service to Leckwith ( a part of Cardiff) and Llandough hospital.

Losing the direct bus service to Leckwith would mean I presume that any Cardiff City fans (as their ground is in the area) would be more tempted to use the car. If anybody drives around the ground on match days will know, sometimes the cars are parked almost literally anywhere.

But it's the loss of the direct service to the hospital that's more important. Leaving aside Llandough itself it and Leckwith are the closest areas to the hospital. From Penarth the journey is basically straightforward (depending where you live in the town almost literally so). The logic of a direct bus service from a town close to the hospital is there.

Yet Welsh Labour want to cut it.

And don't forget the type of people who would use this service. the venerable and underprivileged in our society. Not forgetting of course the elderly. Groups that the Labour party shout out loudly that they're here to protect. Well not this time.

What should they do? Well act socialist would help. Cut fares and subsidise the service through taxes would help. Trouble is though would the service be attractive to any customer after the council's onslaught whatever the cost? That is the question I really don't know.

And why you ask should I be interested with the Brexit madness swirling around in buses? Well public transport is one of the cornerstones of a decent society for all. When a Labour council is scurrying about to work ways of chipping away at that, then you know it's betrayed it's voters.

So when the Mr Thomas boasts again of the Cardiff bus service. Perhaps the example of Penarth should be rammed down his throat.

Until the next time.

Brexit : In The Mode Of Pepperami For Brunch, Conversations At The Barbers And Of Course Stockpiling

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

You know something rather remarkable happened on Sunday. It was about quarter past eleven and I was in the shower. Wife was out and daughter had just woken up following the habits of most teenagers the world over.

After finishing showering and getting dressed I went into the kitchen finding daughter  preparing a brunch of tinned spaghetti garnished with pepperami on a bed of waffles.

Now my first thought was to be surprised by her resourcefulness given she'd only just woken up. My second thought though was that should it come to pass that come the 29th of March we would approaching a long dark Brexit of the soul then this will seem like cosmopolitan cooking.

The other thing that happened was that the wife has now come round to the idea that stockpiling is necessary. Those articles talking about martial law and food shortages post Brexit have at last hit home. I have been slowly stockpiling food as I've discussed before but this now meant it could be done together.

So I made a list. A list of things that will be needed to stockpile for about a month should the long dark Brexit of the soul occurs. I should incidentally state that if there's some eventual deal then a quarter will go to the nearest foodbank. And the thought needs to mentioned here. What will happen to the families who needs if there's a food shortage for the entire country anyway? You think martial law is going to stop civil unrest? I've said it before and I'll say it again. A hungry people will be an angry people.

The list will eventually be on the pages section of the blog. Tomorrow on my way back from work (weather permitting) I'm going to get a few plastic crates to put them in from the 24 hour Tesco in Cardiff.

And yet for some people Brexit, or rather it's effects, are seemingly a fairy tale. I was at the barbers this morning. That's the barber who I chatted about last month who was a leave supporter. He was cutting the hair of a small boy whilst chatting to people I presumed were his grandparents.

He asked whether they were going anywhere for the holidays. The response was that they were going to their retreat in France. It was apparently once a bakery but, if I understood the conversation correctly they had done it up.

The barber mentioned that he was going to be off to the Canary Islands.

I listened to this and was thinking of saying "Listen. We live in a country where food shortages and martial law are not beyond the bounds of possibility and you're talking about holidays? And if you go on holiday do you know you're going to have to pay money for a visa? Do you?"

Needless to say I actually said nothing.

And the thing is this. I might be very, very wrong but this couple seemed like the very cliché of Brexit supporters. The sort of people who go union jack in any argument but also have a holiday home in a country belonging to the very organisation Britain is about to leave.

The barber asked me later whether I had made any holiday plans to which I said no. For reasons too personal to explain here holidays will be unlikely this year and I'll have to think about where we should go next year.

Later I went to the local store.

Brexit Stockpiling Continued

Britain today folks.

Until the next time.

The Book That Needs A Touch More Iceland

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well Cold Breath by Quentin Bates is finished. It took me (off and on) about three days to read it. But it's skill is that it seemed effortless. As a thriller I don't really have any complaints about it except for the ending. And when I mean the ending I mean almost the very, very end of the book.

I actually went back a few pages thinking I'd missed something but no I hadn't. The very, very end of the book is surprisingly anti climatic and actually given the thrills it gave me reaching that stage it's an early contender for the most disappointing novel I've read this year.

But throughout the book there was one other thing that was bugging me and as the title suggests it was this.....I didn't think it was Icelandic enough.

Now full disclosure here I've never been to Iceland. Yet as I was reading this the thought occurred to me that if I changed the names of the people and the towns/cities involved plus occasional references to the weather and politics then this could be set anywhere in the world. Definitely in Europe anyway.

Does this matter for a thriller? Well for a single novel as long as the story is good enough no it doesn't. As I've discussed previously Amy Heydenrych's novel Shame On you had a very sketchy portrait of London, but it was still the best thriller I'd read last year.

But this is a series featuring Officer Gunnhildur. Now this was the first book in the series I've read and for all I know you could get practically pass an exam in all things Icelandic if I read the earlier ones. But it shouldn't work that way. The first Maigret novel I read was not the first in the series and yet you knew you were in France and that it wouldn't work set anywhere else.

I could give examples like Inspector Montalbano or Miss Marple but you get my drift.

The point being that when you read these books you feel you're in Paris, Sicily, an English village without moving from your seat. The location helps the story along when it's a familiar character..

Would I read an Officer Gunnhildur novel again? Yes.

But more Norse would be nice.

Until the next time.

Why Wales And Scotland Need To Avoid Joining England In A State Of Denmark

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have noticed the idea floated on Twitter and now in the Telegraph newspaper that England should become an independent state. Having been the majority force in the forthcoming decoupling of itself with the European Union it should do the same with regard to the disunited kingdom as well.

It basically paints an independent England as a free trading tolerant place where women will dance around maypoles and cricket will be played in the summer.

Now whilst it's interesting and appealing that there are some living in England that are contemplating an English independent state Wales and Scotland should be aware of another potential state of England. And why independence should be achieved as quickly as possible.

For with every day that passes England in particular seems to be moving towards the vision as set out in Derek Raymond's dystopian novel A State Of Denmark which depicts an England under totalitarian rule.

Since Brexit what we have seen is an empowered far right. A far right who feels confident to be racist. Confident to attack anyone whose skin is different. Whose name is different. Whose nationality is different. Who speaks in a language other than English. And of course whilst these people do exist in Wales and Scotland it seems their main focus is England.

And remember this. Whilst the majority anti conservative vote in Wales and Scotland has never stopped a Tory government it has always been a cornerstone against it. When they become independent, (and they will) then England will be likely run by a Conservative administration, one that will become even more right wing and potentially fascist.

Should this stop Welsh and Scottish independence? No. If anything it should encourage people to speed the process up more in order to avoid being dragged into the state of Denmark. A fascist Britain could still occur with Wales and Scotland in it. It would just be more difficult.

And if England did become totalitarian then Wales and Scotland should prepare for people preparing to cross the border even if the regime tries to block them (in the novel the border was mined). Of course the great irony here is that whilst people in the West and the North of England will try to reach Wales and Scotland respectively people in the East and the South will try and reach EU nations by sea.

(Let me be clear here so I'm not called a hypocrite refugees from oppression should be accepted)

You may say that it couldn't happen here. Well it's unlikely to happen. But as we approach Brexit no one can honestly now say that it won't happen.

And that's the difference.

Until the next time.

The Insomoniac's Meandering Post : Looking At A Report Edition

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

When you work in shift work there are times when there's mail etc you have to look into but on returning at 10:40 as I do you're too hungry and half asleep to look at them properly until the following morning.

Such a time is now. I'm looking at daughter's school report (parents' evening is next week).

The daughter's school report is obviously extremely private. Let's just say I'm not throwing cups across the room in anger.

I've noticed a tendency from Welsh Labour to tweet when further bad news re the Welsh economy  because of Brexit. Most recently the news from Airbus. Let's be clear here. Welsh Labour are hypocrites. They were the ones happy to throw their powers away to Theresa May of all people. So moaning about watching all the Brexit issues from the sidelines whilst peoples' lives are being affected does not wash on me. They should fight for Wales not be meek for it.

Book time. Given the extremely sad situation with regard to Emiliano Sala it may be difficult to believe that the next ebook to randomly emerge from my Kindle was Earnie My Life at Cardiff City by Robert Earnshaw who played for them in the nineties. But it was.

It was as I remember the paperback copy in the "Quick Reads" series of books so it's really the equivalent of having a prawn cocktail as a starter in a restaurant. If you're interested in Welsh football, or a Cardiff City fan then it's OK without setting the world on fire. The most interesting parts occur when he talks about the time Sam Hammam was chairman of the club. He liked Hammam which surprised me.

I've read archaeological book in this blog and didn't like it. I didn't like Rambles of an Archaeologist Among Old Books And In Old Places by F W Fairholt either. But I'll give F W a pass. The book has a lot of illustrations in it which might have helped me understand what he was writing about. But this public domain (ie free copy) didn't have it. So I'll let it be.

Anyway wife awake. Time to chat about reports.

Until the next time.

Critic,Essayist,Mountaineer,Poet,Poker Player, Writer......But You Can Call Him Al

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

If there is one type of writer I'm drawn to. It's the writer that doesn't have a type. It's the writer that cannot be simply slotted into one section of the library/bookshop. It's the writer who can be relied upon to engage a reader in a whole variety of subjects and you would be interested. Even if in your normal day to day world you'd cross the road to avoid confronting them for fear of endless chatter on whatever has obsessed them that day.

Al Alvarez is that type of writer. Capable of writing about poker and poetry, swimming and suicide. You become interested in what he's writing about. Even though I still don't understand poker, poetry with a few exceptions is the biggest gap in my reading experience, I can't swim yet I've read a lot of his books and enjoyed them (I haven't got round to reading his book on suicide, The Savage God, yet).

Where Did It All Go Right? is his autobiography and it's just as fascinating. A name like Alvarez gave him a mysterious Latin air in London. Add to that the fact that he is Jewish meant that from an early age he had the aura of the outsider. There, but not quite fitting in. I suspect that is one of the things that makes him interesting. Despite being in a public school he would never be considered "establishment".

Being "London Jewish" is a subgenre in itself and in the future I might chat about it. Though Catholic by upbringing (I'm an atheist) now I lived in Redbridge in the seventies and eighties which at that time had a large Jewish population and is worth a post in itself.

There is love of poetry (He was poetry editor for the Observer) and yet he would climb Welsh mountains I suspect he like me fell in love with the Welsh landscape. Mind you I wouldn't take my love that far. Climbing a mountain is not something I'm afraid  of. Dropping from it is though.

He also takes the time to chat about the artistic (mainly poets) he has known through his varied life. The passage concerning Sylvia Plath is worth reading by itself.

As an adult he seems to have developed a chameleon like quality of being able to slot into the various lifestyles described above and fitting in (name me another poetry editor who has written about working in the North Sea. Mind you I suppose the poker helped!)

It struck me (rather like Victoria Coren) that he is in fact the John Arlott of Poker.

He's written about aspects of his life in other books. So I'm not sure how complete this is. Still I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Until the next time.

Are Plaid Cymru Talking About Independence? I Should Think So Too...

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Yesterday a Plaid Cymru candidate for the National Assembly for Wales resigned from the party. Professor Nigel Copner stated ( from the online article in the South Wales Argus I saw that Plaid was not "determined to win" (well I disagree with that) and the party's position on independence is "not currently economically viable" and loses the party credibility. It is that comment I want to focus on here. That's right a man who's English, not a professor and has not fought an election campaign is going to argue with this guy. So here we go.

I will start by repeating a few things I've said before in this blog but I'd argue is important to reiterate here.

Plaid Cymru is the party of independence for Wales or it is nothing.

Since I moved to Wales in 1997 Plaid's lowest ebb was under the leadership of Iuean Wynne Jones who amongst other things muddied the waters on the issue and the electorate quite rightly punished Plaid for it. After all you might as well vote Liberal Democrat for all the good that it would do.

That does not mean that Plaid does not have other policies (I won't bore you with them here) in the same way that the SNP or Sein Fein in Northern Ireland don't have other policies either. But independence means that policies are made in Wales for the people living in Wales and are not beholden to a weak Westminster Prime Minister or as in the case of the First Minister a devotion to the thoughts of "Jeremy".

As for independence not being currently economically viable Wales is particularly hit by factory closures and/or job losses as well as the cancellation of infrastructure projects already. So the status quo is not viable and that does not include the dark ages of Brexit that might be soon upon us.

Independence is not necessarily a cure for these issues. What it does however is to allow Wales to judge them without looking over the shoulder to Westminster. That's the difference. It gives Wales a purpose, an identity that Westminster and it's supporters have tried to take away.

Independence would give Wales it's groove back.

Polls show that support for independence is on the rise (36%. Not Scottish levels but growing). Brexit has put the issue on the map and as I've stated in this blog before unless it creates a land of milk and honey that level will increase.

The professor is wrong. Independence is definitely on the agenda. And has in time the potential to be the number one issue.

And people will remember the party whose policy it is.

Until the next time.

Signs In The Shops That Brexit Is Already Taking Effect

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

This is to be honest more of a marker than it is a post. But we are literally on Brexit Eve and for the first time I'm beginning to slowly notice changes that are emerging in the shops. So I thought it was worth chatting about it.

I'd mention before about stocking up on Lavazza instant coffee. Am wondering now whether it's on offer (still is) because it's a classic Italian brand. Come Brexit it will revert to the image it was in the seventies, that of a niche product sold expensively.

But there's more.

My local One Stop Shop (which is, it needs to be noted, owned by Tesco) was selling the Kelloggs Variety packets at £1. So in the absence of croissants I bought them. Only later did I realise that the packaging was in English and Hebrew. This is the sort of thing Poundland and B & M do. Buy a "foreign" consignment of familiar brands at a bargain price and sell it cheaply. I'm not bothered by that. What bothers me is that a corner shop chain felt it needed to do this as well.

And then there's my local LIDLs in Barry. Presumably they along with Aldi are looking forward in a way to Brexit as people will seek the cheapest food possible but even they seem to have changed. They never had a large selection of tinned fruit but when I went there on Monday that seemed to have been reduced to the barest minimum.

Also a lot of the food and drink on the bargain shelves seem to be best described as "continental" (I bought more of the Polish biscuits).

So as I said this is more of a marker than a post. But it would appear that the shape of things to come is slowly beginning to make it's appearance.

Until the next time.

On Icelandic Crime And The School Run

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I haven't chatted about using the school run as reading time for a while. Largely because doing shift work the opportunity is less than it was. So the chances of my teenage daughter impressing her friends with her cool dad with his slightly off white (ie slightly dirty) Kia Picanto consequently reduces.

But today I was doing the school run. And as I was in the situation where it was pointless to return to the apartment I found myself forty five minutes before daughter was about to turn out because she was in an after school club.

So there was I alone in the car and needing a book for company. Luckily I'd been to the library earlier and this is what I borrowed.

A Suitable Title for the Weather We've Been Having

I cannot say I've ever read a lot about Iceland. Not because of any lack of loving feeling about snow, Or some sort of Viking aversion. No simply because of so many books so little time. In fact the last time I remember reading about Iceland (the book about Bobby Fischer's World Chess Victory aside) was the seventies Desmond Bagley thriller Running Blind.

And so I start reading it. About fifteen minutes afterwards when the bulk of the schoolkids are set free I'm still reading it undistracted until I hear in mid conversation four words I would never expect a teenage boy to say.

"....a well balanced diet...."

It makes me look up. The speaker is a tall young man. I guess 17 - 18. He isn't fat. What would make him mention that to his friends? For a moment I wish I'd heard the start of the conversation. But they walk away. The moment is gone.

A boy walks in front of the car and falls down in front of me. He quickly gets up, Only his pride has been hurt as there's laughter from his mates.

The bulk of kids soon disappear. Back to the reading. But quick mention to the agency van for Virgin Media. It reminds me that Virgin are closing the Swansea Call centre this year. I've chatted about this before. Really they should be boycotted in Wales. Nobody really needs them and there are alternatives.

Forty minutes later and daughter arrives. She's late.

"Not my fault". She says defensively.

I look at the book. I've read seventy five pages in a relatively short space of time and I'm impressed. I want to read more. Life however has interfered. Things to do.

Icelandic crime is certainly a distraction it appears. Will chat about it properly when it's finished.

Until the next time.

On Fun With Fi And Jane And Why the Internet Revives The Best English Language Radio Station Ever

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have noticed a subtle change in my radio habits. Other than background when I'm doing something else on a workday (Classical King FM / RTE Lyric FM) or when West Ham is playing or Test Match Special is on I'm finding that I'm no longer listening to an English language radio station.

(On a non workday I do listen to a station in a language I'm trying to learn. In fact after I've finished this I'll be listening to the Irish state broadcaster RTE's Gaelic station. Now don't be impressed I won't understand anything other than "Teresa May" "Brexit" and probably I'll find out what the Gaelic for "Idiot" is. But it will give me a sense of how it sounds)

Anyway back to English language listening. I find myself spending one day on podcasts and the other replicating the best English language station I've ever heard. I'll deal with the latter later. But let's start with podcasts.

I have previously chatted about the Backlisted podcast in this blog and the latest one I've stumbled upon is Fortunatlely...with Fi and Jane. This is a BBC podcast where Fi Glover and Jane Garvey chat about life, universe and everything with themselves and then a guest from the world of broadcasting  but always drawing itself back to these ladies' first true love I'd guess radio.

When I get find a podcast I always start from the first episode. Which means currently I'm on the world as it is on November 2017 (better than it is now on Brexit eve I can tell you!) but as the episode dated 10 November showed. the ladies don't need a guest really. They could entertainingly hold a conversation to the listener. They are also candid about everything. Not quite Caitlin Moran candid (if you hear Jane Garvey after episode one of the Radio 4 adaptation of How To Be A Woman I think you will hear what could only be described as a broadcasting blush) but still these are ladies who aren't afraid of anything.

Ms Garvey presented the drive time show on Radio 5 live with Peter Allen which was the only drive time show I could say I was a fan of. Ms Glover introduces The Listening Project where people discuss their lives for posterity. But more importantly that that she also wrote the best book about radio I've ever read  called Travels With My Radio I'm An Oil Tanker where she visits more unusual radio stations round the world. It's a great read.

They personify the thing that radio at it's best could achieve that TV has never seemed able to do. The feeling that the people you're listening to are friends even though you've never met them. I seem to remember having the same view of Terry Wogan and before I was aware of his writing skills just knew him from The News Quiz Alan Coren.

Apparently when I eventually reach the present day I would have to listen to Fortunately exclusively on BBC Sounds. Something which the BBC Iplayer radio App now incorporates. I'm still keeping the BBC Iplayer radio app mind you. Because I've been able to recreate the best English Language Radio Station I've ever heard.....the BBC World Service....in the seventies and eighties.

UK National radio stations have always been "themed" channels in my lifetime. But the BBC World service (where you could listen in the UK on your AM dial - now that really dates me) was different because it would have news, but also drama, music (all types) sports and programmes where for example a guest would pick his/her favourite book. I remember Arthur Scargill (kids google his name) picked The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. It would also broadcast shows like Round The Horne or Just A Minute. All of this on just one channel.

And with the Iplayer radio App (and I hope with BBC Sounds) you can download most (not  it seems sport) programmes from all the different BBC radio stations and listen to them seamlessly as if creating your own little radio station catering to your own varied tastes (A note. Most downloads will expire 30 days from broadcasting)

New technology then. Taking me back.

Until the next time.

The Insomniac Meanderings Post : The "Is It Going To Snow" Edition?

Hello there. hope you're feeling well today.

Well despite the distractions of Brexit this is the time of year where the first thing you check up on is the weather. Specifically whether it's going to snow. It's always touch and go. Mainly go. Though last year if you remember it was definitely touch. And a heavy one at that.

As things stand for this week at least Tuesday looks like the day to watch and be careful. The phrase "wintry showers" is mentioned, which I always assume to mean "it'll snow but it won't settle" which I can tolorate' Still these forecasts can change daily. Yesterday the weather didn't snow but had an ominous sheen to it.

This was on the road from Cardiff to Bridgend (I stopped on a layby for any police reading this).

The rain hammered by soon after

Meanwhile in library news this was the latest book I've read.

The Canon - The Beautiful Basics Of Science - Natalie Angier

This book sought to, as I understand it discuss science in the same way people would chat about films or books. Thing is whilst I look as if it was born with a white coat I'm definitely not one of life's scientists so for me a lot of things it explained were still so above my head it needed a rocket to reach there (which as I occupy a life barely scientific I'd have no idea how to take off).

The book's cover contains press quotes from scientists and science writers praising her, including one who stated she made the subject "sexy". Trust me whatever I was with the book aroused was not one of them.

So in short if it sort to appeal to the lay reader it failed.

Here's something that happened at work (remember I work in Bridgend) a few days back. A man approaches me and says "Do you live in Barry?"

"Nearby" is my response.

"Thought so. Saw you in Barry LIDLs"

And that's happened quite a few times before as well. It always amazes me that anyone in Wales considers having an affair purely for reasons of lust and having no wish to leave their actual partner given that the chances of being caught are far greater than in say London. We're talking about the neighbouring borough at least forty minutes away by car (assuming reasonable traffic) and I'm recognised for living in the Vale of Glamorgan.

I suppose it adds to the sense of danger.

Yesterday on BBC Radio Wales there was an interview with the political correspondent of the Western Mail about the problems Wales is having with current and future investment by companies in the country. I didn't hear the interview but the fact they asked a journalist from the Western Mail astounded me. Because his paper and others the holding company owns (including the Wales On Sunday which I chatted about before and local papers like the Glamorgan Gazzette) are printed in England.

Boycotting the company's publications is a pointless exercise. You can tell by how thin they're becoming that they're in trouble anyway. I've instead enquired on their website the Wales Online whether the maintenance of said site is in Wales. If it isn't perhaps action should be taken there. We'll chat about that if I get a response.

Until the next time.

The Near Midnight Meanderings On A Movie With A Microwave Meal Part 13: Red (2010)

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today,

As a fifty five year old man I should look at an action movie where old people kick butt  and think "Yes!" But hey it's nearly midnight. I want a snooze.

And for me this is the movie's problem from the beginning. Bruce Willis (along with Morgan Freeman, John Malkovitch and Helen Mirren later) is an ex CIA agent (RED Retired Extremely Dangerous) face up to trained baddies young enough to be his grandchildren and don't say "Oh my back!" or "My knee's playing up".

(Though how he deals with Christmas decorations has my vote)

He also seems to tag a much younger girlfriend by a method I'm sure would not have e-harmony approval...yeah right.

In fact probably the closest depiction of what life would really be like is for someone that age is when we first see Morgan Freeman in a care home getting his kicks from admiring the backside of a nurse and watching TV.

So Willis with the girl in tow travel across America trying to work out why people are trying to kill him and have killed others. Thing is for a secret agent Willis is not so secret. Take the scene in New Orleans. Armed with an array of guns and smirks Willis shoots his way along a street in broad daylight. Yet there are no residents prepared to give a description of the gun toting baldy to the police and the local media? Apparently not.

Not only do geriatrics face off against younger opponents, they also do it stylistically (presumably from it's comic book roots) when in reality they'd have just got a round of if capable of just hitting them.

Red is a film not as clever or as funny as it thinks it is. Essentially it's well packaged rubbish. It's that packaging that makes it better than the Steven Segal movies in this series.

But only just.

Until the next time

On Penarth Town Catching A Bridgend Cold And Barry Town's Quiet Pleasure

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Penarth is the closest town to where we live. Hopefully we will be moving house in the area in a month. I won't say much more about the moving process until it happens but as the last attempt showed nothing is certain until we actually move in.

I haven't really chatted about the place which has been remiss of me. So let me put it this way the town (as opposed to the nearby pier) is the urban equivalent of a pair of slippers. Comfortable, relaxing, slightly old fashioned but then again so am I.

But had to visit the town this morning and found something very disturbing which was this:

Christmas Decorations

Could have shown more along the main street but I'll spare you.

I probably was the only person who looked at this and thought of Bridgend Town. Specifically the Bridgend town Indoor Market with the Christmas lights that stayed there all last year. You might think that I'm obsessed by unseasonal Xmas lights and possibly I am. But as I've tried to explain regarding Bridgend image is king and lights still hanging on after the season of goodwill has long since gone as we're on Brexit long dark midnight of the soul Eve is not a good look.

Next stop Barry Town.

View From Barry Town Car Park

There didn't appear to be much change in the town since my last look. There seems to be two exceptions. Opposite the Windsor Hotel (still closed by the way) is this.

Another empty elegant looking building

It seems to have been a drop in centre for people suffering from mental health issues, It now has been moved to a nearby hospital.

And close by The Royal Bank Of Scotland branch is now no more.

Death Of A Branch

This was Holton street. I had thought it was High Street Barry until about six months ago. Now I know better but this was my destination today.

It's a bit of a walk from Holton Street to the High Street but not difficult.

High Street Barry is actually misnamed unless it was the steep turn to finally reach it because in between the classic terraced houses there isn't any large department stores. Instead it's a group of small shops and with the exception of the grocery store all of them were independent.

But the key thing is the mixture. For between the hairdressers and the butchers there were also this type of modern gift store.

Arty stuff

Or you could see a Deli, other gift stores or.....

...even a toy shop

Many years since I've seen a small toyshop.

Wandering around the street after I did what I went there for was an unexpected pleasure. I decided to go into a shop to buy something. It turned out to be a gift shop called Annie and Lolo,

I got this

The eponymous "Annie"was in the shop and we chatted. Yes chatted. She was originally from the South Wales Valleys and after a roundabout tour round Britain found the High Street in Barry...as you do.

Oh and why did I buy a recipe journal? Well when I'm called upon to cook for a long while later in the year I'll need meals that are simple and quick. Hence the need of something to write down.

It has been a long time since I have seen a town with a relatively large and mixed group of independent shops in one place. Barry Town's quiet pleasure should be spread far and wide

Until the next time.

Another Brits In A Villa Novel

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Sometimes you read a book thinking you've read variations on a theme a thousand times before even though you couldn't quote one immediately. Such a book is The Half Life Of Hannah by Nick Alexander.

The plot in a nutshell is this. A group of British people spend a summer holiday in a French villa where emotional turmoil is unleashed.

I've read this sort of thing before. I've seen this sort of thing before. I cannot quote an example of this. Why? Because I never liked it. I block it out  Why did I buy this in the first place then? Simple. It was cheap.

What I've realised as I read this novel is that the reason why I don't like Brits In A Villa stories is because of the sort of Brits who appear in them. They are upper middle class who would view austerity, homelessness or foodbanks solely from their television screens. Who really cares if their personal suburban lives are so fragile when others face far tougher times.?

And whilst this book was written in 2011 Brexit makes it worse because when the dark age arrives these are the sort of people who would be able to still afford renting a villa in the South of France. Presumably having Nigel Lawson as a neighbour.

So as I was reading this I was thinking that perhaps it fell into the category of an awful book well written as whilst I didn't care about the characters Mr Alexander did make me want to swipe the page. But the ending even spoiled doing that as whilst I won't go into detail let's say things just slotted into place.

In conclusion will I read another book Mr Alexander in the future? Yes.

I'd just will look more closely at the plot first.

Until the next time.

Why Does The Wales On Sunday Newspaper Hate Welsh Printers And S4C?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling today.

The Wales On Sunday, for those who don't know is the only Welsh national newspaper that goes out (obviously) on a Sunday. I remember coming across it in the late nineties. I liked it. It wouldn't set the world on fire but who wants the world on fire on a Sunday. What you want is a good read and that it gave you.

Last Sunday I came across it for the first time in a long while and was stunned. It was much thinner than when I read it decades ago. Obviously newspapers have been affected by the rise of online but other than going tabloid I cannot recall one that cut the number of pages. If it was a person it would have been treated for anorexia.

As a consequence the product suffered. There were seventeen "news" pages. Of  those in a very unscientific count there only appeared to be four that occurred the day before. Yes four. Some of those were just small reports as well. Sunday newspapers are of course part news part magazine. But even allowing for that it was shocking.

No analysis for example of the news from Bridgend Ford as discussed in my previous post. A proper newspaper would have done that.

After that comes the Sport section. Here is where effort has truly been made. The best bit of the entire paper. Focuses on Wales without losing sight of sport outside it's borders. If only all of the paper was like that.

And then comes Seven Days. The lifestyle section. Full of bland puff pieces on cooking etc. But let's focus on the TV bit. There's a section called Soapdish where the weekly plots for TV soaps are explained. Is Pobol Y Cwm amongst them? No.

There is a section on TV highlights for the week. Is an S4C programme there? No. Is a programme specifically made by BBC Wales in English to be broadcast locally there? No.

You would not know S4C or specific local English language Welsh programmes exist other than the TV guide section.

Of course we know why. Presumably this is a one size fits all tenplate for Scotland On Sunday, Bristol On Sunday, Aberdeen Angus on Sunday. Trouble with tenplates though is that sometimes one size does not fit all. Whilst S4C should not demand special treatment it's entitled to expect that a Welsh paper gives a Welsh TV Channel some attention.

It's byline by the way is PRIDE OF THE NATION. If you look carefully though you will see that it's actually printed in Birmingham.

Perhaps the byline should read: PRIDE OF THE NATION (Printing not included)

Whether Wales needs a Sunday newspaper in this internet world with the likes of BBC Wales and Nation Cymru is a debate. Whether it needs the Wales On Sunday is far more questionable.

Until the next time.

Bridgend Ford Engine Plant : The News Is Revealed

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

On Friday reports came in about the car manufacturer's plans with regard to the Ford engine plant in the area. Ford's have not confirmed the plans as they are consulting with the unions, but let's assume that these reports are correct.

So what is being reported is that in a two year period roughly half of the current workforce will be made redundant. It's not clear whether all of these redundancies will be voluntary. That's almost a thousand people who will find themselves without a job. They will be affected, their families will be affected, the South Wales area and particularly Bridgend will be affected.

Really the complete plant closure aside this news really could not be worse.

I've chatted about the plant since about March 2017 when it's future became an issue. The workforce have had this hanging over their heads since then. Whilst I do not know people who work there as friends as such I do know some people on an acquaintance basis. One person told me last year that he had been offered voluntary redundancy which he'd turned down but almost instantly regretted because he sensed the atmosphere in the place had changed. I get that. I remember feeling that very sense of foreboding in a call centre I used to work at before it closed down.

The Welsh Labour government has supported the plant through the years only recently in this blog I queried the monies it was giving Ford to support it over Brexit on the grounds that no one really knows what and indeed how Brexit is going to turn out to be. Current First Minister Mark Drakeford has issued what is best described as holding tweets on the issue. His predecessor, Carwyn Jones, who lets not forget is the local Assembly Member has promised to work to continue the plant's future. Again a bland anodyne statement when politicians should be fighting for the people who actually voted for them.

The Welsh Labour government does not appear to have done any planning for Ford cutting back in Bridgend and it's effects on the wider area. Neither indeed have the Welsh Labour council. Only a few posts back I chatted how their actions with regard to Bridgend Town should be considered urban manslaughter. Well this decision is hardly going to help the town is it? Let's assume the majority of the people threatened with redundancy are from the area. They won't be able to spend as much money on local businesses. They have had two years to deal with a worse case scenario and nothing seems to have been done. Shameful.

The council is cutting services because of the lack of grants from the Labour government. This situation needs to be reviewed. If we assume the redundancies take place then Labour needs to attract new investment and this will not occur if they allow the area to be run down.

I have been made redundant. I can remember the paralysing depression it gave me. I multiply that feeling one thousand times, then multiply the effect on their families.

This is not the greatest of moments folks.

Until the next time.

A Short Trip Round Porthcawl Leading To A Chat On Brian Aldiss,Thomas Mann and Hilary Clinton....As You Do

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It was Thursday morning. I'd been to the dentist (surprisingly better than expected) and had about two hours (including lunch) to fill before going to work. I'd been to Bridgend Town before Christmas but hadn't visited Porthcawl for a while and was curious to see what it was like. So Porthcawl it was.

Now let's start with the obvious. It was a nice day. Hence a good picture looking at the sea is required.

I did my best

In my short time round the town the best thing is that nothing much has changed. I've mentioned before of the maritime centre being built and though there were two shops closing down I suspect they will be replaced very soon given that I didn't see any empty shops. Only one place has closed down since my last visit and I'll return to that in a moment.

It's looking good

So after a good sausage sandwich lunch in a café (where the waitress revealed that when she gets angry she's liable to smash things) I went to my favourite charity shop in the area with it's wide display on the first floor of books. But before that let's chat about the one building in the area that has closed down since my last visit. A closure that indeed made the national news.

The public toilets

Now from the outside it's a nice looking building that blends into it's surroundings. Built in the days when councils cared about such things.

From the inside it was clean and (if you excuse the expression) did it's job.

Now for the moment at least it's closed. And it's a disgrace. As I've said before many people come here for the beach over the summer months and this facility is needed.

Bridgend Labour Council in action folks.

Before I chat about the books I bought in the Porthcawl Animal Welfare (PAWS) charity shop a word about the latest book I've read the complete short stories written in the 1950's by (mainly) Sci-fi writer Brian Aldiss.

Regular readers will know that I am a fan. But to be honest less so here. At best OK at worst (and this seemed to focus on the longer tales) a draft for a novel. What I will say is that I've read some of his short stories written in the sixties and seventies and they were (if you excuse the expression again) out of this world.

Anyway to the two books I actually bought. Firstly one had to be a Penguin in a classic coloured spine cover. It turned out to be.

Thomas Mann - Buddenbrookes

Whilst I have some Thomas Mann books in my great unread and e-unread pile I've never actually got round to reading him. Simply because of so many books so little time. Let's hope I read it relatively soon.

You may remember when I started the insomniac meanderings posts I said I was going to get Hilary Clinton's autobiography? Well I might plead guilty to being late on acting out on my promises but I do try to keep them...

Promise kept....at last

I wonder how many people look at Hilary Clinton now since we've had over two years of the Trump presidency and think...."If Only......"

Of course now I have to get round to reading it.

Until the next time.

Welsh Labour : Guilty Of The Attempted Manslaughter Of Bridgend Town

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Apologies for not posting for the past couple of days. A combination of not being 100%, work and an early morning appointment to the dentist waylaid me. Which is why what I'm going to chat about today happened on Wednesday. I was at a petrol station when a copy of the local paper caught my eye.

No guesses where the "Ghost Town" Is

Now regular readers to this blog would not be surprised by this. But it's good to see the local paper catching up.

As I was reading the article it struck me that Welsh Labour were making excuses for their rule of arrogant incompetence. What I felt I needed to do in one post was to go through the reasons I've explained before as to what they have done. So people can understand that they are guilty of the attempted manslaughter of the town. I say "attempted" because whilst Bridgend Town is still alive Welsh Labour has hurt it.

Austerity,Online shopping and out of town stores are trotted out as an excuse. But as I've said before you compare Bridgend Town with somewhere similar like Pontypridd or Caerphilly it fails, and it fails miserably.

So let's go through how Welsh Labour at national and local level have done this:

Business Rates / Macarthur Glen: Shopowners in the town say that the business rates are too high. It's not an unreasonable claim when there is the Designer Outlet facility Macarthur Glen almost literally down the road, offering big name brands with low prices. You would have thought that it should have allowed a lowering of the rates. But no.

The rates are set by the Welsh Labour Government (who remember until last month was led by Carwyn Jones - the local Bridgend Assembly member - I mean why is he still an Assembly member? What has he done for Bridgend?) but did the Labour council ask for a lowering specifically there  because of the Macarthur Glen effect? If not why not?

Pedestrianism: The Labour council insisted that the high streets of the town centre were pedestrianised. Now it intends to depedestrianise them. When? Well who knows? There was a quote in the paper saying that the council does not have the funds to do it.

If correct that is stunning. You cause damage to the town's trade and whether it's too late or not you cannot undo that mistake because you don't have the money? I'm not a lawyer but personally I'd seek legal advice to see whether or not the council could be sued.

Look Of Town: If the many empty shops were not bad enough the general look of the town would not appeal for visitors to return. Things like the bunting which has been around since may, the Christmas lights that have been in the indoor market for all of 2018, the move of the town centre library away from the town centre and now the closure of the public toilets.

Trust me I could go on, but the point is that whilst by itself these examples seem unimportant added to together they just paint a picture of a town on it's knees.

Future Cuts: There is the possibility of future cuts as well. The most notable being to the bus station (no decision has been made). The council do not seem to realise it creates a vicious circle. If the place continues to be unattractive to visit then less people will come which will mean more shops will close which will mean less income for the council which will mean more cuts.

Lack Of Strategy: As I've explained before there seems to be no clear strategy for the future of the town. It appears to be run on a crisis management basis. You know that is the most worrying thing of all. There's no clear escape.

Which all goes to explain why there is only one word for Welsh Labour regarding Bridgend Town.....

Guilty.

Until the next time.

Why The Welsh Clubs Should Leave The Pro14

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I didn't think when I last chatted about the Pro14 on this blog that I would return to it so soon and, as always I preface everything I say on rugby with the statement that there are bloggers far more knowledgeable about the game than me (again can I lead you to https://thevietgwent.wordpress.com/).

But events have made me put fingers to keyboard again. There is a special two day WRU conference and according to reports because of finance issues the proposal is to make the current four Welsh teams in the PRO14 two main teams (who will get most of the money) and two feeder clubs.

Now I've never hidden my antipathy towards the structure of Welsh club rugby but let's put that aside for one moment and look at this proposal objectively.....

Are they mad?

Leaving aside the issue of the supposed feeder clubs that play in the lower leagues there is already not enough regional support for four teams. Do you think that's going to increase if two of the clubs are just feeder sides?

Also if we assume that in these plans that the Dragons would be a feeder club who would be the other one? You can make commercial, cultural and sporting arguments for the Blues, Ospreys and the Scarlets to be a non-feeder side.

Truly the men (I assume) in the WRU with oddly shaped balls have gone insane.

But if we have got to a stage where essentially there are only two teams in the top tier then surely the solution is just to leave the PRO14? To bring back support to club rugby in Wales would not be a quick thing but surely if you start with making The Championship as the top tier and bring back promotion and relegation you would get what these regional teams (speaking generally) never really achieved which is local support.

Life has changed since the PRO14 started. Going to a club game is not the ritual it once was. But if people see their local teams playing meaningful games then at least some of that support would return and so hopefully would help the local club finances, some clubs currently being either bankrupt or in perilous financial straights.

As for the quality of the rugby? Well probably initially it wouldn't be great. But you watch exciting matches in any tier in any sport. And after a while the quality will increase.

If the PRO14 is in such a parlous state in Wales surely the answer is not to go back to the future but back for the future.

Until the next time.

First Toilets, Now Car Parks. Blog Villian Bridgend Labour Council Continue The Misery

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

One of the constant threads of this blog is the arrogant incompetence of the local Bridgend Labour Council and it's effect on Bridgend Town, supposedly the biggest town in the area.

Well 2019 has not started well with the closure of the public toilets in the town as I've discussed before but now car parks, specifically The Rhiw car park enters the fray.

I've spoken about the car parks in the town before. Most people use the one by the ASDA supermarket for as long as you don't go beyond three hours it's free. Occasionally though it's full and hence the need to look for another car park.

The Rhiw car park made a big deal that it's first hour was free. I mentioned before that unless you had a specific purpose this free hour was pointless. It did not attract people into the town and thus boosting it's economy. It should be completely free.

Well now comes news of how Bridgend Council are going to handle the car parking charges there......by taking away the free hour.

By itself it's nothing. As explained previously most will use the ASDA car park. But as in a drip, drip effect it's another reason not to visit the town. After all if the other car parks were free then it would be a loss leader for Bridgend as more people would (gradually) come in and spend money on the businesses there.New shops would open from the many that are empty. But no. The Council go completely the other way by stopping the small incentive they actually provided.

Why do they do this? The urban tragedy continues and by acting as it's doing only three reasons make sense. They want to do it. They're thick. Or they've just lost control of town management.

Bridgend Labour council......Supporting the community...yeah right.

Until the next time.

Learning Gaelic Through The Medium Of Greenock Morton And Ross County

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well before we go into Gaelic let's start with this evening's FA cup victory of Newport over Leicester City. You know when Leicester equalised you thought you were about to see the sort of game where the plucky underdog got steamrollered by the top league opponent. But Newport bit back. They deserved the victory.

Just hope they're not drawn against West Ham in the next round.

Anyway earlier this morning I'd decided to start learning Gaelic by watching a football match on the BBC Iplayer. As I've mentioned before when starting to learn Welsh I would concentrate on two types of programmes, preschool and sports, for the simple reason that I'd have some idea what was going on.

Preschool programmes would teach me more on the vocabulary. Sports would be more to hear Gaelic being spoken even though I'd understand little. The point of listening at this time is just getting an ear to the language and tuning yourself in.

The match was a Scottish Championship (ie second tier) game between Greenock Morton and Ross County. Which was shown live last Friday on the BBC Gaelic channel BBC Alba. Ross County were leading the division and were the favourites for the night.

Now I must be honest the first half for the neutral was a dull affair. I know this through how much my attention was distracted by peripheral things.

Such as:

Ross County's shirt sponsors are a company called McEwen Fraser (who I learnt later are estate agents). Probably the most Scottish sounding sponsors you could get.

Greenock Morton seem a very local club judged by their advertising hoardings. For in the midst of national bookmakers you could also see hoardings for butchers, wedding and funeral services. All human life is there (and let's not forget the one for International fine Art Auctioneers).

The Greenock Morton shirt are blue hoops over a white background QPR style. Thing is as symbolism goes the fact the hoops dissolve as they go across the chest is not a good look.

Yes the match was that dull. The first half finished nil-nil. Which was consequently the first Gaelic word I learnt (Neonini).

The second half was almost as dull. But Greenock Morton scored. A poacher's goal but no matter. A goal is a goal. One - nil then. One being aon in Gaelic. Closest way I can describe the pronunciation is Un in French.

The only other bit of interest was the confrontation between a Greenock Morton player and the Ross County manager. Trust me when I say I haven't learnt the Gaelic for handbags at dawn.

So it ended One-nil. Later through Twitter later I've also learnt the word for weather "Aimsir".

The crawl in learning a language begins.

Until the next time.

The insomniac Meanderings Post : I'm Fifty Five Now Edition

Well as I'm writing this it's 4:37am. I'm not on the early shift at work. I'm not even at work today. But here I am. Awake. As almost always insomnia rules.

I'm not just awake too early. I'm also fifty five. That's actually an important milestone. Because at that age you can see sixty coming over the horizon. There is of course never a turning back when it comes to aging. But even more so now.

So I'm old. People tell me I'm not but I know I am. Doesn't matter that I could live to be a hundred and have a telegram from a monarch (I hope not. Would love Wales to be a republic). Despite what people will tell you fifty is not the new twenty. It's not a half century for nothing.

After all when I was 18-30 I was eligible for the raucous hedonistic Club 18-30 holidays (full disclosure I never did - My mind probably was always 55). Now I'm eligible for Over 50's Life Insurance to pay for funeral plans when I die!

Meanwhile let's not forget about Brexit. As things stand we're about to enter the long dark Brexit of the soul. Whatever the consequences of that will be it won't be good for the majority. Let's be clear here. Apart from the Nationalist parties nobody emerges from British political life with any credit whatsoever.

A shoutout to Tony's in Penarth. A small unassuming Italian restaurant next to the Tesco Express there. Mother, wife, daughter (and me -obviously!) went there last night. When I got the Bolognese I ordered thought that it was slightly bigger than from a microwave meal. But not only was it filling. Not only was it better than the Italian restaurant we went in Cardiff Bay it was the best Italian food I've tasted in a restaurant outside of Italy ever (and I haven't been paid to write that down either!).

Five minutes to seven now. Have had toast for breakfast. When croissants are unavailable it'll have to do.

I'm going to sleep for an hour. See if wife/daughter wake up then.

It's go eight now. Wife's awake. So will be out today to Culverhouse Cross in Cardiff.

Until the next time.

Why Public Toilets In Bridgend County Could Force Carwyn Jones To Resign As An Assembly Member

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have in this blog previously discussed both the proposed cuts in public toilets by the Bridgend Labour council and the Hobson's Choice facing ex First Minister Carwyn Jones whilst he is still an Assembly Member in the Welsh Senedd. Well today these issues combine.

Because the cuts have happened. Public toilets in Bridgend Town, Maesteg and Porthcawl have closed down. I'll come back to the one in Porthcawl in a moment and I don't know the one in Maesteg but the closure of the Bridgend Town convenience (which I discussed in a previous post) is just another knock for the urban tragedy caused by Welsh Labour incompetence.

The toilets in Porthcawl might reopen. The county council are currently in negotiation with the Town council. But for the moment they are closed. And so let's assume the worst. In cold January weather it probably isn't really a problem. But Porthcawl is a seaside town. In warm weather people come down to the place for day trips and longer. The place is thronging. The public toilets are just not only used. They are needed.

For now though, they are just history (and the Porthcawl public toilets were built in a time when public services were treated by government as important. I hope to visit the town next Thursday and you will see what I mean by history).

As I've explained previously in this blog, Bridgend council have instigated these cuts following the reduction in the local government grant from the Welsh National government, who have in turn blamed a reduction in monies from the UK government in Westminster. Exactly where the blame lies I do not know. But as I've said before if one part of Welsh Labour blames another part of Welsh Labour then surely Welsh Labour is responsible. Also I've read similar complaints from councils across Wales. The most notable being Caerphilly.

These cuts to local government grants were instigated when Carwyn Jones was First Minister. His Hobson's Choice is simple. If he doesn't even try to call for more money for Bridgend County in the Welsh Assembly he will have failed in his responsibilities to his constituency electorate. If he does his past actions as First Minister will mean he's just be slapped down by the Welsh Government.

(It's interesting to remind ourselves that there was a minister in Carwyn Jones' cabinet who said that local councils who asked for more money from the Welsh government were like Oliver Twist from the Charles Dickens novel. That's the sympathy Jones will get if he asks for more money for Bridgend county)

Bridgend County needs an Assembly Member not tied down by his/her past to effectively represent Bridgend County voters today.

Carwyn Jones is not that person.

Which is why he should resign now.

Until the next time.

An Important Welsh Political Book With (Possibly) One Flaw

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Before I chat about the book I should explain how it was purchased.

A few weeks back I was going through the spam filter of my email. Normally they are full of offers or forthcoming programmes on (insert channel here) but I hadn't gone through this in months. Much to surprise there was an email dated August from the Honno press. Where they explained what their publishing house does and offered to send me review copies of some of their publications.

Now I declined their kind offer. Because whatever the value of my opinions are the one thing I would want the readers of this blog to be assured by is that when I chat about a book it's either been bought or borrowed from a library. However I was tardy in responding to them.

And....

Honno Press specialises in books by female Welsh writers in English. Honno Classics brings back such work which has been out of print to a new audience of readers. I was conscious that whilst the choice of books I read is deliberately random aside from passing references to Dylan Thomas for a blog that also discusses things Welsh this was an omission.

So because of these two things I promised Honno that during the Christmas period I would buy one of their books. Which I did.

The book I chose was this originally published in 2007:

The Very Salt Of Life - Edited by Jane Aaron and Ursula Masson

It covers a period from roughly the 1830's to the 1930's. It makes you realise how "second class citizens" women truly were in that period. The right to vote was just one aspect of it. But there was also just a sense of superiority by men at that time. Women were just expected to cook, maintain the house and scrub pavements. So that for example if a woman was a preacher she would be subjected to criticism unlike a man in a similar profession. In a sense any woman who objected to the status quo was political.

It's a fascinating read. Special mention should go to Jane Williams' forensic demolition on an official report in 1848 which, amongst other things labelled Welsh women sexually wanton.

Many subjects including education and the right to vote are covered here all worthwhile for the reader I assure you ...except possibly one.

I say "possibly" because this shows my ignorance more than anything else (which is why I picked it from the Honno catalogue) but in this book on Welsh women's political writings there is no mention of the I word.

Independence.

Again let me repeat that this shows my ignorance on the subject but it would be surprise me greatly that for a whole century there was no woman who put pen to paper and said that what Wales needed was to be a separate nation again.

You might say (as I explained earlier) that there were other immediate and pressing concerns. And you'd be right. But that doesn't mean an absence of an opinion on this issue. Trust me if there is one thing I know about Welsh women it's that they're not shy in expressing a view on anything!

So it's an important book. A book worth reading. Whether there is a flaw in it though is for people more knowledgeable than me to advise upon.

The Honno press website showcasing works past and present by Welsh women writers is https://www.honno.co.uk . They have a sale on currently in that site.

I know I'll be buying works from that publishing house again.

Until the next time.

First Minister Of Wales Mark Drakeford : The Disciple's New Year Message

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So as far as I can see First Minister Mark Drakeford gave out a New Year message as supposedly the leader of a nation. Blink and you'd miss it. It was on Twitter.

Two tweets that was it. It said that Britain had the prospect of being on a No-Deal Brexit. That the Welsh government will continue to stand up for Wales. That Wales could not work in isolation.  He would like to see "a more unified approach" from the UK government to secure "the bext possible deal for the whole of the UK".

All very well. until you remember that he was Finance Minister in the Carwyn Jones administration that surrendered the Brexit powers that should have come to Wales after March 29 to the pathetic May administration for seven years. Let's repeat that : He did not negotiate. He surrendered.

So much for standing up for Wales.

It is not a statement that thinks Wales should have any input in any negotiations. Why? He's not thinking of Theresa. Oh no. He's thinking of Jeremy. As I have said before in this blog Wales does not have a new leader. It has a disciple.

But the most interesting statement was that Wales could not work in isolation. It shows yet again that he is a Unionist in a Nationalist political role. Of course it would be great to work with other nations. Plaid Cymru has advocated independence and not isolation. But the thing is. History shows that there are moments when isolation is better than compromise (and let's be clear I'm not talking about Brexit here).

But Mark Drakeford's instinct is to compromise with Westminster, especially a Westminster with Jeremy as Prime Minister.

So the question which needs to posed to the disciple is this. If an issue comes up in tenure as First Minister where the best possible action for Wales is to take a course of action different from Westminster will he do it?

For if he doesn't he will be a Welsh Quisling. Truly a "Red Cairns".

Until the next time.

The Return of The £5 Amazon E-Book Buying Game : Backlisted Edition

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

As it's the time of year when you get Amazon gift vouchers as presents. Proceed to spend what you want and then realise there's £5 less which you don't know what to deal with.

Occasionally on this blog I play a game where following all the recommendations from Amazon I see how many ebooks I can get for a fiver.

This time I'm going to play the game based on the Backlisted literary podcast. Based on books by writers or as guests in the podcast from episode one I will see how many I can download for a pound or less for a total of £5. This doesn't include books available for free or (obviously) books I already have. The other rule here is one book per author

So...

Their Finest by Lissa Evans, a guest on the first and other programmes. A novel about an ad agency in World War Two. 99p.

Coming Up for Air by George Orwell. I've read his essays, Burmese Days and of course 1984 and Animal Farm. But whilst I've got a Classic  Penguin paperback of The Clergyman's Daughter I haven't got round to reading his other fiction. So hopefully this will redress the balance. 84p

James Joyce wrote a novella? Well apparently he did. I must admit to having etons of James Joyce ebooks that I haven't yet got round to reading and this is another one. It's called The Dead. 49p

Jonathan Coe's The Rotters Club. Another contributor to the podcast. An author I've always wanted to get round to read. 99p

Ostrich Country by David Nobbs. An actual author discussed on Backlisted. I've read The Fall and Rise Of Reginald Perrin books. Novels which are far deeper than they first appear so I'm excited about this. 99p

Finally All the Sad Young Men by F Scott Fitzgerald. A sequel to The Great Gatsby. As regular readers will know I view Fitzgerald as literary Switzerland in that I don't dislike him but I don't get why he's considered great. I've never read The Great Gatsby mind. So this sequel has (once I've done so) curiosity value.

So what has this exercise achieved? No idea. Still it was fun playing it.

Until the next time.

Let's Talk Briefly About Gaelic. As I Intend To Talk In It From Now On

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So then you will ask. Why have I chosen Gaelic to be the next language I will try and learn alongside French and Welsh? Surely ( as I know some of you will claim) it's a "dead language" ?

Well part of the reason, and I expect a factor in a lot of my decision making this year is Brexit. If travel is going to become more difficult then I might as well pick a language relatively close enough to appreciate given it's spoken in Scotland as well as Ireland.

The plan is to visit one of these two countries later in the year and cause laughter and merriment amongst the locals as I completely muck it up Allo Allo style. Though for the reason I explained in my previous post whatever happens re Brexit I might not be able to do that.

Gaelic is not a dead language. To my knowledge already I can access two BBC radio stations as well as the RTE one as well,watch BBC ALBA live and watch through catchup TG4 from the Irish Republic. So access is there and relatively easy. Why put all of these resources to "a dead language" .

A short post (I'm writing this at 4:15am in the morning before going to work) but a marker for my progress. Will, like French and Welsh, start to give regular updates from now on.

Until the next time.