So Will Welsh Labour Give Bridgend Town Ghost Town Status?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have in this blog only as recently as last week chatted about the urban tragedy that is Bridgend Town caused I would argue by the arrogant incompetence of the Welsh Labour council.

Well something in the local paper has resuscitated my interest. And interestingly it's something outside of the town.

Work is being started in Leonitd , an open cast mine between Bridgend and Llantrisant (which was a quaint village in the beginning of the Rhonndda Cynon Taff borough). Now of course all of what I'm going to say is Property Developer speak but the proposal is for 5,000 houses with health and leisure facilities plus a railway station.

So let's go hypothetical. Let's assume that everything the Property Developer says is true. And remember that this development is between Bridgend and Llantrisant. For this is a good example of how if you live outside it, Bridgend Town has, with very few exceptions, has become a ghost town for your thoughts (and remember I'm talking about the town and not the overall area).

Where would they go for shopping? Nearby there is a retail park including a massive Tesco as well as an Aldi. Along the nearby M4 there is the Macarthur Glen outlet store.

No reason to visit Bridgend Town.

As I've advised previously how can Bridgend Town compete with the lack of public toilets, the market with it's Christmas decorations in April and empty stalls, the many empty shops, the look of sheer despair?

If you want to go to the beach there's Porthcawl.

No reason to make a detour to go to Bridgend Town.

As far as I see it the only reasons to visit the town are seeing family/friends, watching Bridgend Rugby club and if you have to go to a bank.

Otherwise where is the incentive to visit unless you have to? 

Bridgend Town is the urban equivalent of the effect of Brexit on Britain's image abroad. A place with a proud history now observed as a place for mockery and pity. And that's if people give it any thought at all.

It has become a ghost town because of Labour.

Until the next time.

Why Science Is A Tool For Welsh Enslavement

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

We have chatted before about the arrogant incompetence of Welsh Labour government in this blog and how an important example is education. Labour, it cannot be stressed enough, having been so disastrous in this subject the current minister is now a Liberal Democrat.

Incompetent management of the available opportunities will damage not just Welsh children but also Wales as a whole possibly for generations unless this failure is addressed.For the moment let's focus on science.

Now I'm not a scientist. I can look like one easily. I wear glasses and talk about anything as if I know what I'm talking about. All I really need is that white coat they all wear. Presumably white so that whoever does their laundry doesn't have them to split them up.

But I do know that if there are less people that will take up science because of the incompetent way Welsh Labour has managed education then Wales will be damaged. Furthermore assuming it does happen if it turns out to be a long dark Brexit of the soul then many jobs will be lost in the few laboratories Wales has as the facilities are moved within the EU.

Thus the possibility Wales will become a science wasteland cannot be overlooked.

But let's take it further. Do you think Westminster will allow scientific investment in Wales? Of course not. For science means knowledge and the lack of knowledge will mean a people venerable to exploitation.

Teachers in science subjects will have difficulty teaching because kids will ask what is the point of learning a subject that there will be few opportunities of moving forward. Investment in science will need to be a fundamental tenet of  Plaid Cymru policy.

So let's be clear. Not everyone is a scientist. I'm certainly not one. But everyone should have the chance to be should they wish it. Investment in science will need her to be.

Until the next time.

Why Football Support Is Not A Welsh Nationalist Issue

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

At a club level Welsh football occupies a particularly freakish position. After all there is a local pyramid structure and we've chatted about these games in the past. But we have a small number of clubs who play in the English league structure primarily Cardiff City, Newport County, Swansea City and Wrexham.

But on Twitter recently I've seen a relatively common complaint. That people could slag off England at country level and yet support at club level a team playing in the English leagues. In other words if you support an English team you're not truly Welsh.

To me football support is not a Welsh Nationalist issue and it needs to be addressed.

Now I can see this argument if you were born say in Cardiff or Swansea for example. I've always felt that you should support the closest team from where you were born wherever life takes you otherwise. That's why my first love will always be West Ham United.

But despite being born in the East End I've known members of my family who pick, excuse me whilst I hold my nose, the North London Arsenal as their team. So this "glory seeking" is not necessarily a Welsh issue.

Furthermore you could argue why should you support Cardiff if Aston Villa say is the closest team from where you were born?

There is actually a simple solution. As regular readers of this blog will know whilst West Ham is first amongst equals I've always believed that watching other leagues are more interesting when you support a particular team. Thus I follow in no particular order Barcelona, Celtic, Fiorentina, Paris St Germain, Ton Pentre and Werder Bremen.

There is no reason therefore that the Welsh football fan could not pick the closest team from the Welsh football pyramid from where he/she was born as well as a team from the English league and support them both. By doing that if you don't live near Cardiff, Newport Swansea or Wrexham you will have the chance of actually going to watch a game (which will of course be cheaper). You are not betraying either team as they play in different leagues.

And by supporting a Welsh team Welsh league club football will improve. I'm not saying you'll be watching Barcelona. But different leagues are not unlike food. I like bacon, eggs and chips. But I also like Spaghetti. There is a different taste to different leagues. It's still football though.

Of course at an international level the Welsh football fan should always support Wales.

Whilst I of course (for reasons I've explained last year) will always root for England first.

Until the next time.

So In This Holy Weekend Here's A Question. Does Atheism Fuel My Welsh Nationalism?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So it's Good Friday and instead of going to Damascus I'm instead driving along the sunny A48 road to Bridgend for work. I'm listening to a BBC Radio 4 documentary I've downloaded on the writer Christopher Hitchens. An essayist and journalist who I chatted about almost at the very beginning of this blog oh those many years (three) ago.

In it Hitchens defends the rights of homosexuals to live their lives without any pressure from the Catholic church. That part alone was worth a listen to in an enthralling programme about a man who you might disagree with but would always feel stimulated by.

However just before that attack against church anti-gay behaviour there was a speaker who said that atheists (that Hitchens became) live their lives fuelled with a purpose that drives them. Or else family and loved ones asides life becomes pointless if you believe (as I do) that when you die nothing is going to happen other than you're going to be dumped into a glorified biological scrapheap that is a cemetery.

And that got me thinking to the title of this post. Does Atheism fuel my Welsh nationalism?

So let's say straight away that I'm not saying that those who believe in a particular religion cannot be nationalists. That would be stupid. It is just whether in the relatively short time I have on this planet (and as I'm fifty five even shorter) there is something subconscious in me to try and make the area around me better than it is now. Better indeed than it will probably be in the near future because of Brexit.

After all Welsh nationalism believes that a country should be free to make it's own decisions and yes make it's own mistakes as well, But since Brexit has shown the supposed mother of all parliaments and it's government at Westminster have been so inept they've made Laurel and Hardy seem like skilled operators in comparison then why not?

Now that this question has been lodged in my brain since yesterday I think that being an atheist has fuelled my Welsh nationalism. Outside of family it has given me a purpose. A goal. Whether people will remember me when I've gone who knows? But I will know that in my tiny, tiny way I have tried to make Wales a better place.

And I realise now that atheism has given me the push to do that.

Bridgend Town. The Urban Tragedy Is Getting Worse

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It has been a while since I've been able to wander round Bridgend Town, a subject that I've chatted about since this blog began. Explaining how a proud place is being brought to it's knees by the arrogant incompetence of the Welsh Labour council.

Well on as always an admittedly unscientific wander round on Wednesday I can only say that things are actually getting worse.

Even the good news isn't really that good. What was the Co-op bank has now been replaced by a Vape shop. Now I've nothing against the Vape shop personally, though I don't smoke. but you know when something is wrong with a town when the opening of such a shop is good news.

Similarly the Phones 4 U shop which has been untouched since the chain when into administration in 2014? Well the hoardings were being taken down. However the TO LET signs were still there. Which suggests that it's the latest in the line of unoccupied stores still seeking a retailer. Plenty of those in the town. But as I've said before it's literally glossing over the cracks. It's like giving a homeless guy a smart suit.

So again it makes this decision odd.

The Old McDonald's Store

Build flats for social housing. Great. But over shops when there are plenty of already empty ones in the town? Makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

(Though on the issue of homeless people it's the first time I've seen them in Bridgend aside from selling The Big Issue - Only a couple. But the fact they were there in a small place like Bridgend Town should give you an idea of how bad British society has become)

So as I've said the urban tragedy is getting worse. Let's start with this.

Empty Again

This store was closed down. Opened again last year and has now closed again. To be honest I thought it was in trouble when I last did a similar post in January but didn't mention it as I didn't want to be seen wishing it's decline. I'd noticed that whilst it was the Sales season they seemed to be discounting everything. Not a good sign. Unfortunately some times my instinct is right.

You may remember that one of the few rays of hope was the Bridgend Indoor Market (run by the council) where investment had resulted in a slight increase in stalls. Well nothing seemed to have changed from my last visit. Which is not good.

There still vast swathes of empty stalls and it still has this to deal with.

Christmas....in April

Christmas decorations in April does not help the image of the market or the town. I've contacted the council to see if anything can be done (after all they've been up there for a year and a quarter now). But in all honesty I don't see much hope.

And speaking of things left up for about a year.

That bunting's been up for about a year

I mean there's really no excuse for the council just to get someone to just go and get it down now is there? Ah no perhaps there is. Just like last year the council have organised a World War II event for June. Why? Who knows? Perhaps it's to show everyone Britain after Brexit?

The organisers will say people will come into the town for the event. And perhaps they will. But as last year's events show they will not return if there's nothing different to return to. They really are a waste of money.

Let's talk about a couple of stores together:

A Store My Mother Liked

and

This really was unexpected

Now I know what some of you and the Welsh Labour council will say. Evans and Oxfam have been closing stores throughout Britain. This is not a Bridgend problem.

But you see it is. For if you create a situation, which Labour have done and which I've discussed many times previously, where less people want to come to the town unless necessary, then retail profits will go down. If you're a national chain in difficulties and need to close down stores therefore Bridgend makes itself venerable. Their closure means less people will go to the town which will make ( ouside of Aldi, Asda and Tesco) the situation of remaining shops even more perilous.

It's a vicious circle. Created by Welsh Labour.

In the Rhiw Shopping Centre (which I wonder whether it would have a future without W H Smith) there has been this closure since my last visit.

They were Insurance brokers

They were insurance brokers and have moved to Swansea.

Finally I'll leave you with this.

And this time I'm not going to talk about the statue

Behind the statue are the public toilets, or rather were the public toilets. They were closed down in January. I've written before if you are desperate now you have to go to the nearby ASDA go up an escalator and cross the first floor before reaching the loos there.

Difficult enough if you're able bodied. But to my shame it hadn't occurred to me until Wednesday that Disabled toilets have also been closed (the door on the left of the picture). That trip would obviously be even more difficult. Hence another reason for people to avoid Bridgend Town.

As it's Good Friday I was toying about whether or not to end the post this way but I will.

Truly the Welsh Labour Council have crucified the town.

Until the next time.

Plaid Cymru's Foothold With Ex Labour Voters

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

The byelection last week notwithstanding you are getting a sense of momentum towards Plaid Cymru at the moment in Wales. Local government by elections have resulted in the party gaining seats where they have never gotten them before.

Yesterday (Thursday) it was the turn of the Court Ward in Barry. Plaid won the seat (for the first time) with 47% of the vote. Easily beating Labour with just 34%.

Now no one, least of all me will say that there wouldn't be obstacles and setbacks along the way. But what these by election results show is that Labour's biggest fear in Wales, that Plaid will eat into it's core vote, is beginning to happen.

What is happening, I would argue is a combination of things, but primarily no longer do Welsh voters accept the Labour core argument of looking at their past performance and not their current one of the arrogant incompetence of the establishment. They are looking for an acceptable alternative and that is what Plaid represents.

It is why Labour attack Plaid Cymru often. They know this.

Labour in Wales have lived off the mindset of the past for years. The fact that, albeit slowly, it's being chipped away is good for Wales let alone Plaid Cymru.

And if you add Plaid Cymru's local council by election successes across Wales with the attack on their Caenarfon office yesterday what you're getting is a sense that no longer are people looking at them as an irrelevance. They are taken seriously.

This might be the moment where people will look back and mark the date as when the march towards independence truly gathered momentum.

Until the next time.

In Praise Of Being Welshie

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

There is a trick amongst the conquered that divide and rule is one of the best ways to handle the colonised. If an attitude sticks then it would take people a lot to wrench it away and realise that it's just a subtle mind game by the establishment.

Recently on Twitter but I've heard it also around as well there has been the word to describe some Welsh people by other Welsh people of being "Welshie".

Now I've always taken the word to mean that the person being described to is being loudly proudly Welsh. Also the accent is loud lively and broad. and not the quiet lyrical one of Welsh cliché.

When the word is spoken by someone from England describing someone Welsh it's as if to say "Well there's no mistaking where he/she comes from" which nobody can really complain about.

However when the word is used by a one Welsh person to describe another it really has a different meaning. Being too loud, too lively, too broad an accent. The undertone also is that person being described about is at best unrefined. At worse thick as the proverbial pair of planks.

So let's be clear. There is nothing wrong in being Welshie. Being loud and proud about where you come from is a right and not to be let out only during rugby/football internationals. What other nation is so pejorative of itself? Is there a similar insult on Scots or the Irish by their fellow citizens? I don't think so. And there's certainly no similar word for the English.

Then why is it so? Well at a guess I suspect that could be linked to being Bolshie. That is a word used too also describing someone who's not quiet. Perhaps as well subconsciously it's a wish not to cause trouble. I've spoken before of my view that the trouble with the vast majority of Welsh people is that they're just too nice and accepting situations/attitudes that the Scots or the Irish would fight against. Perhaps they should let out their inner Welshie a bit more. For then perhaps divide and rule will be replaced by a more unifying force for independence.

Until the next time.

Until the next time.

On Food, Drink And The Welsh Language. More Signs Of The Slow Move Of Britain Into A State Of Denmark

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I saw yesterday an article online from the Daily Telegraph which stated that the EU was going to ban British tourists from taking food with them such as cheddar cheese (Cheese!) on trips within the Union after Brexit.

Now leaving aside the fact that no one should be surprised that if membership has it's privileges then non membership means they're taken away the article also confirms a rise in a distrust of things "foreign" that whilst probably always been there in some people seems to have been permeating itself into daily life.

There is an ad going on at the moment which I will admit I can vaguely recall (who needs to watch ads if you can fast forward?) but goes something like this. It shows farmers working the land. The voiceover says that the supermarket chain involved markets British produce. Emphasising constantly the word British as he goes along.

Cut to a scene of this family having dinner. A man suddenly pipes up and asks for French mustard.

Silence. Then laughter.

And the real irony of this ad is that it's from Aldi. Which if you don't know is German.

Now I'm not saying for a moment that there's anything wrong with British food. I am a fan. But what worries me is the mindset that this ad follows that British is always best and anything foreign is both odd, unpatriotic and why are you eating that muck anyway?.

And of course it's not just food. It's drink as well. J D Wetherspoons are taking EU drinks literally off the table in their pubs and replacing them with British ones. The private sector was supposed to provide the consumer with choice. Some choice now.

The ideal is a nation of one size fits all. That size being England. The attitude of grossed out right wing patriotism.

And as I've said before the Welsh language is not immune from this. There have been constant attempts by the likes of UKIP to undermine it's usage. The reason is simple. Speaking Welsh marks you out as being different, being an individual.

Sleepwalking into an extreme right wing state of Denmark is where Britain is headed. It needs to be woken up quickly.

Until the next time.

If You Want Classic Fast Food Literature Ask The Erle

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It's funny how it's just over a year since I was in Essex exile looking after my mother, visiting her in hospital and then nursing her back to health. People ask me how I managed it and in truth you just do. What I did and experienced was just a fraction of what carers have to do for family members 24/7.

But if you discover things that relax you through this process then it's a help. I've already chatted about becoming unexpectedly a fan of the TV series Bones and the latest book I've read reminded me of someone else who helped as well.

Perry Mason Is Back

It is literary fast food. More enjoyable than Lee Child but still fast food. Easy to digest. A formula you already know (someone's in trouble for murder - Only Perry can deal with it) which you like and indeed trust.

It's not like fast food immune to criticism under examination. Perry Mason is too calm and perfect. How he worked the solution to the crime here is not really something the reader could have even guessed. The court scenes are also annoyingly short in relation to the rest of the book. However like fast food you don't look at the detail you allow everything to overwhelm you. And again as entertainment this really works.

Gardner's treatment of women is interesting. Whilst some including Perry Mason's assistant/secretary Della Street are described as having a good figure there is no one who could be called a bimbo. Neither is a female (or in this day and age male) character there so seduced by his charms she's ready to jump into bed with Mason either.

Also in these times of  #Metoo there was a moment when a secretary was asked by Perry whether her boss tried to make a pass at her. The answer was yes but he respected the "no trespass signs". Perhaps that's the tenplate for office rules in the future.

Ultimately like fast food you will forget this book months in the future. But you will also remember the experience. And like all good fast food, you'll remember it was fun.

Until the next time.

My Most Embarrassing Work Moment Ever

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Yesterday I saw a man with a metal leg from where the knee area to the foot. I knew he had a metal leg because he was wearing shorts (now that was the style choice to be laughed at, given that the weather was chucking down not so funsize variety packs of rain, hail and I was told in nearby Maesteg, snow).

But seeing him reminded me of my most embarrassing moment at work ever. So if I get even older and forgetful than I am at the moment I'll be reminded of it now I've informed the entire internet world.

Many decades ago and seemingly now in a different universe I used to work in an office block in London's Docklands. I remember that I had to speak to a particular colleague and on going to his particular desk (now called "work stations" - but let's be clear - it's a desk) noticed other people around it. Concerned looking men, some women in tears.

I'd assumed, being a glass half empty kind of guy, that my colleague had died. As it turned out the story was only a little bit better than that. For he was a cyclist. And on commuting London's streets his bike was knocked over and one of  his legs was run over by an oncoming truck.

He spent months in hospital but was eventually discharged. He was able to use the artificial leg we chatted about earlier and whilst obviously things would never quite be the same again he was able to return to some semblance of his life before the accident including returning to work.

So then it's months later from his return. I needed some documents to photocopy and went to where the machine was. He was there already photocopying.

I asked him how he was.

"Nervous" came the response. Apparently he'd a meeting to go to and was worried about it.

"Don't worry...." I said in my most seemingly confident voice ever ".....you'll walk it"

It's one of those moments that you wished the ground would cover you over forever. I knew what I meant. If I said the same words to most people it would've been at worse patronising.

But to him....

Either he didn't hear or just didn't want to be near me. For he collected the photocopies and went away.

It was a foot in mouth moment. And whether the foot was artificial or not the mouth was definitely mine.

Until the next time.

Carwyn Jones' Alleged Ultimate Insult To Bridgend.

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

In the life of everybody, but especially a politician, perception is everything. Whatever the actual truth of an issue events might lead people to think in one direction. And it's up to the politician to make sure that it's a perception to his/her advantage.

Carwyn Jones may no longer be First Minister of Wales but he's still an Assembly Member for Bridgend and a prominent Welsh Labour politician. Yesterday (Tuesday) was not a good day for him.

The High Court announced that it was illegal for Carwyn Jones to have made decisions on the inquiry on Carl Sargeant. The Assembly Member committed suicide in November 1987 following his sacking by Mr Jones which in itself followed allegations of sexual harassment. The inquiry was to judge the former First Minister's handling of the incident.

Now I stress as I've done in the past on this that I have absolutely no idea who is even partly responsible for the circumstances surrounding Mr Sargeant's death. But given that the High Court has advised that Mr Jones' actions in the inquiry process were illegal clearly it doesn't put him in a good light.

But other than mentioning it in passing I won't chat about the Carl Sargeant inquiry now. That will be for another day. Instead I'll focus on something else.....for Carwyn Jones has another job.

It was announced that he was to join Business News Wales to boost it's "senior advisory team" (there's a junior one?). I presume (as there's no indication otherwise) that there's a fee involved.

Imagine then that you're an employee of Ford Bridgend Engine plant. A plant that will already have half the current workforce vanish and following reports in the media that it might be threatened further if there is a Hard Brexit. Imagine how you would feel reading that. Your local Assembly Member supposedly fighting (and failing) to protect your interests as First Minister and now Assembly Member apparently feathering his nest whilst your job and indeed your future is breaking down.

As I said Perception is everything. He might be doing it for free. Or giving his money to charity. But until we know otherwise this is the perception we're getting. And if it's wrong it's up to him to put the record straight.

Potentially though it could actually get worse. The allegation, and it's no more than that at this stage, is that he's seeking a seat in the House of Lords. Imagine again that you're that employee of the Ford Bridgend Engine plant. Just think what you'd think of him then. Especially if (assuming the rumour is correct) he decides to call himself Lord Jones of Bridgend. After all as I've posted many times in this blog he does bare some responsibility for the area's decline. Particularly when it comes to Bridgend Town.

As I've also said before the one certain thing about Carwyn Jones since the Carl Sargeant incident is that he lost his skill as a politician. If I was him my next steps would be very careful indeed.

Until the next time.

Is the Vale Of Glamorgan Council Being Snobby? Let's Talk About Barry Island and Penarth Esplanade Car Parking Charges

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So in the midst of nobody knowing what to do and as it looks as if the disunited kingdom is hurtling into a long dark Brexit of the soul I'm going to be talking about car parking charges am I? I certainly know how to keep  my finger on the pulse of a very sick group of nations.

But hey let's crack on because it's in a way a metaphor for Brexit.

I've spoken about the proposals by the Vale of Glamorgan council to impose car parking charges in the area before. Focusing specifically on it's effects on Barry Town. Arguing that it would be the first step turning it into the urban tragedy that is Bridgend Town. Well this week the council are going to discuss the proposals.

Now nothing changes in what I said about it's effects on Barry Town. So let's focus instead on Barry Island and Penarth Esplanade. For those who've never been in either place Barry Island is the classic place of your imagination full of golden beaches (depending on the weather) and a funfair and all things seaside. Penarth Esplanade on the other hand is far more upmarket. With upmarket shops and restaurants nearby dominated by the pier (also containing amenities) which I always hesitate to go on for fear of looking down and my glasses falling off my face.

There is a beach. But compared to Barry Island it's really a strip of craggy nothing.

And I think you could work out which of the two is more popular.

So the issue of car parking charges is being discussed this week. And for the traders of Barry Island the focus is on the effect on their winter trade. With people who like the idea of walking along beaches on a cold January night looking at the bracing sea with the sort of mournful bittersweet way seen in movies. Either by themselves, a loved one or a dog (not me I'd have to stress - hypothermia on the beach is not the way I'd like to die and as regular readers will know never with a domesticated wolf by my side).

The argument of the traders is that it will put people off visiting the Island. And they have a point given that there is a reduction in out of season charges for Penarth Esplanade but not for Barry Island.

People who'd prefer to go to Penarth Esplanade would probably be able to afford the car parking charges all season long at the same level anyway. But as I've said Barry Island is more popular as it offers more. Yet it would appear to be this popularity that has made it a cash cow in the eyes of the council. Let ordinary people suffer whilst the privileged take advantage? Who knows? But that is certainly the perception.

I've said before that car parking charges will damage many parts of the borough. Not unlike Brexit what it appears to do as well though is to give some protection to those who can afford it.

Until the next time.

Belatedly Remembering Mrs Mac (Pobol Y Cwm)

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I've mentioned in the past in this blog (though not recently) that when the wife and I started courting in the nineteen nineties we had a long distance relationship. I would go up to Cardiff one weekend and she would come down to where I used to live in Essex the next.

If it was my turn to visit then our Sundays would slowly end by watching the omnibus edition of the Welsh language soap opera Pobol Y Cwm.

Regular readers will know I'm a fan. But I have to admit that work and other commitments meant that whilst the omnibus editions have been recorded there is a backlog, and when I say a backlog, I mean that the one I'd just got round to watching today was originally broadcast just before Christmas.

The episode I want to chat about is the first. Where a group of characters walk up to a mountain so that the ashes of a former landlady of the local pub the Deri Arms (Jean McGurk aka Mrs Mac) could be scattered near Cwmderi. It reminded me and was a tribute to the untimely death of the actress who played her Iola Gregory.

Now Iola Gregory had a long and distinguished acting career in English and Welsh. But because I only first knew her in the nineteen nineties I can't really do her justice without sounding false so I'll just focus on the lady as Mrs Mac.

I have before also mentioned in this blog that my favourite saying about Wales is that it's Italy with rain. I presume that whoever made that saying (which I keep forgetting to go online and find out) was also referring to it's people. For like in Italy I've rarely met a shy Welsh woman. Taken as whole they've never been afraid to express an opinion on anything....and loudly. Mrs Mac armed with cigarettes ( this was before the smoking ban on pubs ) and gin and tonics is a good example of this. However unless hurt there is an underlying heart of gold through the cig smoke and the drink. Pobol Y Cwm does show this side of Welsh women well indeed other examples were the other female characters which walked up the mountain for that episode Cassie (Sue Roderick) Diane (Victoria Plucknett) and Kath (Siw Hughes).

Mrs Mac may have been the dominant personality in her marriage but she loved her husband and as he was dying of an incurable disease looked after him. Iola Gregory was able to show these differing emotions battling within the character and made it appear not like soap opera land but all too real. That ladies and gentlemen is what real acting is like.

I only knew Iola Gregory for a relatively brief period and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But whatever she was in she was quality. When I showed the wife this episode she was saddened as well. For we liked her. And it made us remember our early courting years as well.

Until the next time.