Where Was An Office Christmas Party?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

What I'm going to say is purely anecdotal. Based on what I saw with my eyes and nothing else. But I think worth a chat.

Yesterday evening I was in Cardiff Bay with wife,daughter and relatives of mine who came up for a visit. It was around seven o'clock.

We were at an Italian restaurant for a meal. It was all pleasant enough. I had the Spaghetti Sophia Loren which was fine though why it was named after her is beyond me.

Now Cardiff Bay for those who don't know is the deliberately fashionable area of the city. "Regenerated" is the word that's used. Not Doctor Who regeneration oh no. Urban regeneration which means tart the area up to appeal to more wealthy people moving in and not those who helped build the legend that is Tiger bay in the first place.

The Welsh parliament the Senedd is also here.

And it's also Christmas (boy from someone who's turned into a curmudgeon I'm writing a lot about it in this blog recently).

But despite all of this. All of this. The restaurant was nearly empty.

And as we left a few hours later into the cold night air I noticed other restaurants were relatively empty as well. On the streets there wasn't the normal drunken dregs of the office Christmas party. They were practically barren also.

I'm not saying no office parties have occurred in Cardiff Bay or anywhere else in Wales. But if one night's experience is of any guide perhaps they've been (in comparison) quiet affairs.

Perhaps the ghost of Brexit present has already arrived.

Until the next time.

The Insomniac Meanderings Post: The Day After Daughter's Birthday Edition

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It's actually 8:02am as I start to write this. But I've been up since 4:27am. Have helped my mother pack and lead her to the M4 on her way back to Essex. She's been here for the weekend as yesterday was daughter's birthday.

I won't chat about what presents daughter got. Except to say that in terms of this blog I'll be chatting a lot more about comic book superheros and heroines on the TV.

Today daughter is going out to the cinema with her friends. Yesterday at her request we with other members of the family went to the Nandos in Cardiff Bay.

Let me say from the outset that I'm in the minority not just in the family but also I suspect the country regarding Nandos. I've mentioned in the past that whilst it's perfectly edible it always appeared to me as ponced up KFC and nothing has changed.

And as for those hyped up sauces. Why isn't there one for Tomato Ketchup? Why do they have to rely on the common as muck (but always reliable) Heinz?

I often work on Saturday evenings. And whilst that means the sadness of not being with the family for most of the weekend that doesn't happen in the autumn. Why? Because Strictly Come Dancing starts. I really might as well be in the Arctic circle when that's on. Wife/daughter love it. Me? I'd rather watch the sport.

Yesterday was the lauch show where the celebrities are paired with their dancing partners. I genuinely tried not to pay attention but two things (unfortunately) did catch my eye.

1) A Strictly Come Dancing tradition is that the middle aged woman is paired with Anton Du Beke. Only once has this tradition been breached. You knew Susannah Constantine was going to partner him before the announcement was made and no amount of fake tension could hide it.

2) I've realised that another sign of ageing is the number of celebs in these shows that you have heard of. Out of the fifteen contestants I've heard of five (six if you include Joe Suggs - but he doesn't count because I only know of him through my daughter's interest). As the years go these numbers get less and less.

Ah well. Wife's awake. Not really sure what I'll be doing today....except I'll be definitely watching Denmark v Wales.

Until the next time.

When Science Loses To Emotion Part Three: Let's Boycott EDF

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have before in this blog chatted about the plan for radioactive mud from the nuclear power plant at Hinckley Point Somerset to be transported from there to a point between Cardiff Bay and Penarth .

Whilst you should look at my previous posts on the subject essentially I argued that despite apparently science stating that it would be safe. The consequences of the Science being wrong would be too great as that would pause a risk not just to the people in Cardiff Bay but also depending on the movement of the sea to the Penarth and Barry Island, where families go for a day out enjoying the seaside.

Well from Thursday French power giant EDF were about to start doing exactly that. This though has been postponed until sometime in September (see https://penarthnews.wordpress.com/2018/08/12/now-nuclear-mud-dumping-off-penarth-is-postponed-until-september/ for a more detailed analysis on this. Worth a read. Won't chat about it here because as regular readers will know I won't knowingly copy another blogger's work).

It had the apparent approval first of Alun "Chucky" Cairns. (Who let's not forget is a Vale of Glamorgan MP though not of Barry Island I'm sure his constituents work/visit there as it's nearby). Secondly Carwyn Jones, soon to be ex First Minister and political man fat, who represents as a constituency AM Porthcawl which is also a day trip beach area for families and might also be affected re the tide if the science is wrong. Indeed Welsh Labour as a whole seems to have treated this entire issue with an arrogant smugness which typifies the way they run Wales.

Politically these people should be dealt with through the ballot box come election time. But for now the focus needs to be on EDF. I'm sure there are organisations planning protests against the disposal and for what it's worth they have my support. But let's just try something else as well. Let's punish EDF by boycotting them. Showing them that if they hurt the people living in Wales then the people can fight back using the greatest weapon against business....no business.

I have before suggested the same with regard to Virgin Media when they made all of the people in their Swansea Call Centre redundant and the pieces seem similar here. After all they appear to have not taken notice of the opinions of the people living in the area and are acting on something the consequences of which could be disastrous should the science be wrong.

Also a Welsh EDF boycott would damage them both financially and in terms of a company's all important image. There would be alternatives to move to (not saying any of the alternatives are great companies but at time of writing none of the others are dumping nuclear mud in Cardiff Bay) so the impact on families living in Wales would be minimal.

So a simple boycott may not stop the dumping of the radioactive mud, but it would damage EDF's consumer arm. Make them suffer for the way they might cause suffering to Wales.

Until the next time.

Eisteddford 2018: When Timing Is Everything

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well as I mentioned yesterday timing is everything. If we had gone to the Eisteddfod held in Cardiff  Bay any day of the week we would have been bathed in sunshine and heat. Instead it turned out to have been yesterday....

Yes it was yesterday....in August

Wife, daughter and I went. Two of us had the presence of mind to bring a coat. One of us said "I don't need a coat as long as I've an umbrella I'll be fine..."

Guilty.

What I hadn't taken into account was how windy it was going to be. That plus the rain which came earlier than forecast and was the sort of taunting variety which was heavy one moment, clear the next, but mainly light but persistent meant that even with an umbrella your first thought was shelter.

Though I didn't take it here

We were able to hide under large tents and listen to Welsh language music. I must say that I've no real knowledge of Welsh language music. Of those I do know about tends to be the middle of the road easy listening variety of Sian Cothi. Still it was good and. note to self, best I make more of an effort in this regard.

We also went here.

Yes a cinema in a tent

If we had gone yesterday we would have seen the world's premiere of Monday's episode of Pobol Y Cwm and have seen some of the actors (more on Pobol later). Today though was a collection of home movies set throughout Wales through the decades. All of them were interesting. But the one that probably sent an emotional tear in the wife's eye was on Cardiff in the seventies when she was a child.

You know when you're growing old when what you consider nostalgia your daughter views as history.

Daughter got a few things. Her particular favourite was a Harry Potter novel translated in Welsh. I too got a couple of books. This was the first.

Blas Yr Iaith Cwmderi - Robyn Lewis/Robyn Llyn

Now we were in a stall of a North Walian bookseller (whose name I didn't catch but I will try and find out) and we had a chat in full on no English parachute Welsh with this very kind man. At the end I felt having occupied a lot of his time I should buy a book and picked the above Pobol one.

The guy (and how kind is this) said I could have it for free!

It is the most different Pobol Y Cwm book (published in 1993) I'm aware of where from first perusal the regional dialects of various characters are analysed. So better put my A game in Welsh to action here.

The other book was:

Y Fawr A'r Fach - Sion Tomos Owen

These are stories for learners from the Rhondda Valley. The writer is the presenter of Pobol Y Rhondda, a programme I've mentioned before where he interviews people there. A programme so good I know of one non Welsh speaking couple who live up there who are ardent fans.

We actually enjoyed our visit. Though obviously it would have been better if the weather had held up for that day. Memo to self. Next time the Eisteddfod is in South Wales, go on the earliest day possible so that if the weather's bad you've got another chance to enjoy it more.

Until the next time.

The Insomniac Meanderings Post: Wife's Birthday Special Midweek Edition

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well, though it's too early in the morning, is the wife's birthday. She's asleep. As is daughter. Nothing to do until either of them wake up (or if I did do anything it would be likely I'd wake that I might wake them up). So here I am tapping away.

We are, both of us, not of an age to go out in the evenings normally. So the plan is for us (plus daughter) to have lunch in one of the pleasant pubs in the Vale of Glamorgan countryside. It is dull I'd admit but it is a plan. And let's face it Tuesdays is not the best day for your birthday to fall on.

Yesterday I wrote about the oncoming possibility of a dark hard Brexit making me seriously consider stockpiling food. I mentioned that if there were food shortages there might be civil unrest. Well let's be clearer about it. I see three possible sources of civil unrest. From the hungry, from the far right and from those angered that Brexit has not turned out to be what the Leave campaign promised. To those high profile Brexiteers I say this. Hire security guards. Because trust me you will be hated. I'm not advocating violence. But when you see the possibility of something happening you should not avoid mentioning it either.

Mind you I have a plan for Boris Johnson. Perhaps he should have straight swap with Iran for Nazarin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the journalist imprisoned there whose case he bungled. Win win I'd say. He wouldn't be missed.

By the way with regard to Boris Johnson and David Cameron shouldn't Eton apologise for their education of them given how rubbish to the United Kingdom they've turned out to be?

And according to an article in the Daily Mirror the world's Most Wanted could slip into Britain in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Economic turmoil, food shortages and criminal gangs. Brexit seems to get better and better and better!

For Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales the option of independence is there. Something not available for England. Which is why if a hard Brexit occurs England will be the country at most risk of takeover from the far right.

Listening to France Musique at the moment. Make that what you will Brexiteers. Yesterday whilst of the nation was watching Love Island I was listening to (amongst others) a song called "Reggae Cymraeg" on  Radio Cymru. Make that what you will.

This is the week of the Royal Welsh Show. A few weeks time it'll be the Eisteddford in Cardiff (I'll be going to that). Aside from the Welsh element what's the connection? That they will have a lot of coverage on the Welsh language channel S4C. Now I'm not saying they shouldn't have this coverage but that it illustrates again the need for S4C to have another channel. If you're not interested in agricultural shows (two thumbs pointed at this guy) there is no Welsh language alternative on TV. You have to go on demand instead.

Remember the posts I wrote about the dumping of radioactive mud from the Hinckley Point nuclear power station to Cardiff Bay? Well apparently the Welsh Labour government has offered to take in any nuclear waste from anywhere in the disunited kingdom. Leaving aside the implications of yet again Welsh Labour has allowed bad things to happen to Wales the first real question is Where will this waste go to? We should be told. And I tell you what. I'll be in any demonstration against it (for what my presence is worth).

Well wife's awake now....here we go..."Happy Birthday to you....Happy.." Well you know the tune.

Until the next time.

When Science Loses To Emotion Part Two: Hinckley Nuclear Plant Sediment Coming To Cardiff

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Let me first recap on the situation. Radioactive mud from the Hinckley Nuclear Power Station in Somerset is going to be transported and then disposed of in Cardiff Bay. When I discussed the situation in an earlier post my argument was it didn't matter whether the science said it was a safe thing to do. If the Science is wrong the consequences would be disastrous given that it was to be dumped by the capital city of Wales and depending how the water flows could also be in coastal towns such as Barry Island and Porthcawl.

The responses I got for this post ranged from the local Friends Of The Earth who questioned where the science was for this decision in the first place (their comment in below the original post) to those who said on Twitter that I should just accept the Science and that's that. That Science "is rarely wrong" (note the word "rarely" which comes from an actual tweet) . That Science is progressive and emotional responses are regressive. And also that if we don't follow Science but emotion we would be living in the dark ages.

The other response from the detractors of what I wrote on Twitter was that if they lived nearby they would probably get emotional too. Well being patronised by scientists is one thing I didn't expect when I started this blog.

But what these pro-science critics of what I wrote before don't seem to realise (and perhaps I should have made it clear in the first post but I'd assumed it would be obvious) is that I'm not anti-science. I'm not talking about the science of trying to find a cure for cancer, or making further advances in technology. What I am arguing about is the science of saying that it's perfectly safe to dump radioactive sediment from a nuclear plant in a bay by the capital city of Wales. If science had said the best place for this sediment was on the River Thames in some of the busiest parts of London do you seriously think this would have been acted upon? Do you? Of course not. And the arguments against it would be exactly the arguments I'm using here. That the consequences of the science being wrong outweighs the benefits.

I'm sure this sediment could have been placed in a more isolated spot for example in Somerset and yet it's being placed here in Wales. You know post-Brexit Wales seems to have been designated as a radioactive dumping ground, a place for super prisons and a regal theme park. It really shows both the contempt of the Westminster government towards Wales and the weakness of the cowardly Welsh government.

Ah I'm being emotional again.

But to those pro-science people (and remember I'm not talking about science generally but on this specific issue) I'll end this post as I ended the last one. If you think the sediment is safe....you take it and place it where you live. I bet you'll get emotional then.

Until the next time.

When Science Loses To Emotion : Hinckley Point Nuclear Plant Sediment Is Coming To Cardiff

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have always thought of myself as a man who accepts what science tells me. That science is there to provide the facts whatever your gut instinct tells you otherwise. Scientists have the qualifications, they have the knowledge that I do not. My interests was in books or watching sporting physical activity than Physics.

Yet when it comes to the sediment from the Hinckley Point Nuclear Plant in Somerset coming to Cardiff Bay science suddenly loses to emotion. I become the person who will scream in protest despite what science tells me otherwise. Whether it is right or wrong does not matter. It's what you think inside that wins.

Hinckley Point is the site of a new nuclear power plant. Replacing the old one that is being disused. The sediment and mud from the disused plant that it's replacing is going to be disposed of a mile outside Cardiff Bay.

Now Science in the form of Natural Resources Wales who have done tests tells us not to worry. Perfectly acceptable results they will say. Now move along please.

Of course they may be right, no they are probably right....but...

Emotion tells me....no nags into me...something different.

What (emotion will ask me) if science is wrong? Or, as has been suggested, the tests are inadequate?

Then you would have the situation that radioactive waste has been dumped on Wales in the same way that criminals are being dumped on Port Talbot if the proposed super prison is built. This is the impression that's being given. Rubbish that Westminster does not want England to handle? Toss it over the Severn Bridge?

If the science is wrong/inadequate then you will have this dumped mud endangering the coastline not just of Cardiff but also nearby Barry Island and Porthcawl.

And what if the science is really wrong? What if there's a possibility that it endangers not just the environment but the lives of people as well? This is being dumped not in an isolated spot where there lives one man, his dog and a flock of sheep but near the capital city of Wales, Along  the coastline there are places such as the aforementioned Barry Island and Porthcawl where people come for breaks or days out by the sea.

Emotion tells me that this isn't right.

And if you tell me that I should just accept the science and shut up. I'd ask you this. Would you take the sediment where you live?

Bet you'd get emotional then.

Until the next time.

Let's Talk About The Regeneration Of An Old Friend.....The Library. Plus Pictures From A Bay

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Bet you thought for a moment I was thinking of Doctor Who. Ha! Just quickly to say not bothered by the gender change one way or another. Except perhaps to mention that the Doctor has probably become the ultimate transsexual.

Anyway yesterday I got a call from Sully library. My library card is now ready and would I collect it? Is the pope Catholic? Yes of course I would.

And so an old friend has been regenerated. Sully Library. Let me remind you of the new form it has taken.

Magnificent No?

So at long last I get a library card.

The Route Of Knowledge

The next is to pick the books. One of the extra quiet pleasures a library produces. As it's a small place I aim to read all the most reasonable books I can. So for example as I'm currently living in rental accommodation no garden or home tomes will be read. Or, as it was the first in the non fiction category travel guidebooks are a no no. Getting a permanent place is a priority.

First book then on the non fiction shelves I could read was this then.

Totally Wired - Andrew Smith

This is about the companies that tried to get onto the internet bandwagon too early and its consequences. Seems like an interesting read.

I could have picked ten books but instead settled for two. So if I've finished the book and Sully library (which remember is just open for three days) is closed then this is the backup.

The Assassination Of Margaret Thatcher - Hilary Mantel

I've never read a Mantel book before so should be interesting.

And in case you're wondering I'll read the library books during daylight and the ebook at night.

During the evening we went out to have a dinner as it was my mother's birthday in Cardiff Bay. When we finished (a nice meal at an Italian restaurant called Bellinis) I took the following pics of Cardiff Bay as the day turned to dusk.

Bay in Action

The subsequent rain and thunderstorms seemed to have had brought the seagulls in when we were there.

No a fan of Seagulls...Avian Bullies

More dusky shots

Plus added rainbow

And finally. Penarth on a Tuesday night. Quiet.

A Pier View

Cliché Seaside Grey

Until the next time.