Porthcawl "Too Rich" Or Bridgend Labour Council Too Poor?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I've read in the local Bridgend paper the Glamorgan Gazette a report about an alleged remark a  county councillor made describing Porthcawl as being basically too rich.

Now as insults go "hold my beer" as they say. Or in my case "Hold my cup of tea". Still it's an interesting idea of (if true) a certain type of attitude.

So let's start off with one simple fact. Porthcawl is not a "rich" town. There are of course "rich" parts in the town, especially near the sea, but nothing I've ever seen that would make it into one of those shows flaunting lifestyles of the rich and famous. Of course all of that depends on your definition of "rich" which I'll come back to in a moment.

No Porthcawl as a town is neither super rich or dirt poor. It's basically a normal friendly seaside town with the normal mixture within it.

Indeed perhaps one thing that the councillor might not have noticed (and if not why not?) is that a lot of the houses close to the sea are guesthouses. The rich are not living there. We're talking about small businesses making ends meet.

Now again assuming that the remark was correct what is perhaps interesting is to work out why it was said. I'd guessed when I started reading the story that the councillor was from the ruling Labour council and represented Bridgend Town. Perhaps subconsciously for him Porthcawl is too rich when compared to the urban tragedy that I've discussed often in this blog that is Bridgend Town.

In the very same edition the Glamorgan Gazette also ran a story that the Welsh government body had given the council to smarten up the town and do up the many empty shops there. Thing is though whilst not a bad thing in itself it's literally and metaphorically putting gloss over the cracks. Literal window dressing will not hide the consequences of arrogant incompetence that Bridgend Labour council have wrought on Bridgend Town for decades.

So perhaps (using the definitions he set) the councillor should ask himself not why Porthcawl is so rich but why Bridgend town is so poor? Perhaps then he will realise that it's a consequence of the policies of the party he represents. Perhaps then he will take the brave decision to move to Plaid Cymru. A party that will take the issue of the state of Bridgend Town seriously.

Perhaps. For if he did. Perhaps the council will sit up and take notice.

Until the next time.

On The Town Of Porthcawl Being Short Changed By Banks. An Update

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

The story so far.

Porthcawl is a town that had to my understanding four banks. Then last year the Natwest branch closed down and then there were three. Earlier this year Barclays announces that their branch in the town will close down in May.

Now the key difference between Porthcawl and many other towns where similar actions have been taken is that being a seaside town they will face an increase in people visiting during the summer months. A lot of cash is used for things like the arcades or ice cream or novelty gifts. Also if a cash machine will only give you a £10 note as it's lowest change there is a greater likelihood of people going into the small businesses such as gift shops and the like, buy the smallest item available just to get the change.

The nearest available bank would in Bridgend. So the process to get a large portion of change would be to order it, drive to Bridgend. Collect it and drive back. That would take roughly an hour. Inconvenient and let's face it dangerous (do you want to be responsible for attacks on the people carrying this money Barclays? Now do you?).

In my previous post on the subject I had suggested that whilst there should be a campaign to keep the branch open for the many small businesses in the town that are affected by this in the short term Barclays should agree to postpone the closure until the autumn to allow these companies to properly plan for the future. To close down in May really gives them little notice and really is a malevolent action by the bank given the holiday season will come shortly after (and before you say "Why don't they just change banks?" some might have for example loans with Barclays).

Now read on.

What I discovered yesterday was that of the two remaining banks in the town one of them, the Halifax, does not operate a counter service.

That means on the specific issue of providing small change Porthcawl has only one bank left.

Which means that the situation is worse than I had previously assumed (and I didn't think it great then!)

And you can tell how much success the council and the local AM Carwyn Jones have had with the banks.

Barclays needs to at the very least postpone their decision until the autumn before a proper campaign to save it can be organised. It makes sense and is morally right. I hold no power or influence but out of curiosity I'm going to tweet them to see what response they give. They're putting businesses and potentially people's safety on the line here.

Until the next time

Porthcawl: A Town In Danger Of Lacking Small Change?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Sometimes in this blog inspiration comes in the most surprising of moments. I was going to write nothing today. The sun was shining (unusually for February it was a spring day) and there was really nothing else to say. Especially as I was no where near finishing any of the four books I'm currently reading (most poncey statement I'll probably make this week but there you are).

But yesterday I had this conversation which for whatever reason led to the issue of bank closures in Porthcawl. The Natwest I mentioned before closed last year. It's turned into of all things a betting shop. So if I have my sums right there are three bank branches left....but not for long.

For Barclays Bank in February announced the closure of it's branch.

And what the guy said to me about the situation in Porthcawl was that already some small traders find themselves running out of change because people go to a cashpoint machine, find that the lowest amount of money it will give them is £10. They will then go to a shop, buy the cheapest thing they can see, say "sorry don't have anything smaller" (which of course would be true) and thus the shopkeeper's stock of small change dwindles.

For these small shop owners to get change they would have to drive to Bridgend Town go to the branch there, get a lot of money in change (making them venerable to mugging) and drive back to Porthcawl. This operation would take at the very least the best part of an hour.

You might say "Why don't they change their bank branch?" A statement that's not unreasonable but for all we know a particular business might for example have a loan with Barclays or Natwest so things are not so simple or clear cut.

Now I know full well that bank closures are occurring across Britain. But what makes Porthcawl's situation relatively unique is that it's a seaside town and so come the summer months this small change situation will increase when tourists and day trippers arrive. Indeed irony of irony if  we're lumbered with the long dark Brexit of the soul then Porthcawl actually might profit given that people would stay in Britain during the holiday period.

And with timing that could almost be described as malevolent the Barclays Bank branch is set to close in May.

Let me reiterate one point before I go on. I'm not talking about the big chains (relatively few) or even the arcades. I'm talking about the bakers, the many cafes, the gift shops. Small businesses. Businesses that do a lot of their turnover in cash. Businesses that banks bent over backwards to in trying to get their custom. Announcing the closure in February and closing in May does not give these businesses enough time to plan for this situation.

So whilst the best option is for Barclays to completely stop this closure at the very least there is a case to postpone it until the autumn thus giving businesses an opportunity to know what they will need to prepare for for the future taking into account summer business.

It will also give the opponents of the closure another chance to fight to have it stopped of course.

And of course the greatest irony is that the Porthcawl situation shows that even in a supposedly card based cashless contactless society the old way that is cash is still needed in this day and age.

Until the next time.

The Insomniac Meanderings Post : No Relief For Public Toilets In Bridgend Town Edition

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

You may remember I've chatted about the closure of public conveniences in the Bridgend area due to cuts by the local Labour council which they blame on the Welsh Labour national government in Cardiff.

Welsh Labour blaming Welsh Labour folks.

Well one of the towns involved, Porthcawl has, in the words of the local paper have now found "relief" as the town council are going to take over the running of the public convenience there. Hurrah for Porthcawl

But again it brings into focus the fact that there is no relief for Bridgend Town. The toilets there are closed and there are no signs it will reopen.

So again Bridgend Town is caught short. Not just in comparison with other towns in South Wales but also other towns in it's own area.

This is really manslaughter through neglect. A drip, drip of decline where when you step back you realise is an absolute torrent. As I've explained before, this is due to the arrogant incompetence of Welsh Labour.

Meanwhile Plaid Cymru shadow economy minister Rhun Ap Iorweth has contacted and will be meeting Ford in Bridgend in the light of their announcement of substantial job losses in the engine plant. More than the local Labour AM Carwyn Jones appears to have done. I've also suggested he should walk round the town beforehand so he can understand the urban tragedy Labour have caused and how these redundancies will make the situation even worse.

One of the headlines in the BBC News website here is that in a survey the greatest searches for anti-Semitic phrases on the internet is here in Wales. The picture then is of a rise of intolerance.

And yet.

When you read the report there were just 170,000 such searches in the disunited  Kingdom as a whole for the period from 2004-2018!. I'm not saying anti-Semitism doesn't exist in Wales but really this proves nothing and certainly does not deserve the headline status the BBC gave it. Unsure why that was as well.

At last the snow situation for me has reduced to being picturesque and from a distance. The only good thing about it was that for a while it made me forget about Brexit.

But let's talk about Brexit. I was tweeting on Brexit just this morning when I got a Direct Mail response from a follower in England saying how much he was against it. Thing is. He went the Direct Mail route for fear of being attacked by Brexiteer internet trolls.

Britain today 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.

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.

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.

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.

Blog Villain Bridgend Welsh Labour Council: When Even Offering Something For Free Is For The Most Part Worthless

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Last time I spoke about Bridgend Welsh Labour Council, I enquired whether they had reached a situation where the consequences of years of their urban mismanagement of Bridgend Town had meant that they just quite simply lost control. Whether they had no strategy for it's future. Whether essentially it was being run on a crisis management basis.

Well I noticed on their Twitter account yesterday that they, along with a group which are trying to regenerate Bridgend Town were offering that the first hour of the relatively newly built (November) Rhiw car park would be free.

Now my instant reaction was to say "well that's encouraging". But when I said instant I meant instant. For what I soon realised was that they were indulging in media spin.

The car parking charges are one of the issues that have so damaged the town and discouraged people from visiting with a consequent damage to local shops and amenities. The nearby outlet centre's Macarthur Glen's car park is free, as are those in Maesteg. Of the other main town in the area Porthcawl, whilst there are charges there are also many places to park for nothing.

What the tweet did not offer was a similar deal for the other car parks in the town run by the council. Why? Why focus on one car park in the town and not the others? It lacks a coherent strategy. Especially as most people would just park in the nearby ASDA's anyway. A car park with a three hour free parking limit.

And how exactly does a "first hour free" car parking encourage people to wander around the town? Relax with a coffee or marvel at the empty retail wrecks with which talking generally the council should bare some responsibility for? What a "first hour free" car parking charge will do is to make people drive to the car park, do one quick targeted shop, and drive out again. Hardly something that will bring urban renewal to the town.

Incidentally as a quick aside the council's Twitter account also revealed that it's also on Instagram. Spoiler alert: You won't find pictures of the many empty shops in Bridgend Town on that account.

What Bridgend Labour Council should do is make all of it's car parks free for at least a three hour period. That way the town could benefit a lot more from it's visitors. It would not be a quick fix to the urban tragedy that is Bridgend Town thanks to Labour.

But it would be a start.

Until the next time.

In Which A Day Trip To Porthcawl Makes Me Think About Blog Villian's Welsh Labour Council's Management Of Bridgend Town

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

On Friday wife daughter and myself had one of those rare days where we had the day together when one of us were not working and we all of a mood to go out. However as it was midday the decision as to where to go was not easy. The morning (it was about eleven) was bright so the obvious choice, nearby Barry Island, wasn't really a starter as being on a school break it was likely to be packed.

So I suggested Porthcawl. We would know side streets to park and then wander round a town and a seafront that we all liked. As no obvious alternatives presented itself it won the day.

Well I can't say it was the most enjoyable trip. Largely because the weather decided to be occasionally showery and permanently grey from the moment we arrived. We had clearly displeased the Bridgend weather gods by moving away from the area.

Porthcawl Town Centre

The town looked a bit weary that day and noticeably lacking in the numbers of people you would expect in an Easter bank holiday school break. However it was not the moment to properly judge the place. Partly as I said the weather was not a "Come to Porthcawl!" invitation (apart to idiots like me)  but also there was work being carried out along the seafront that also might have affected visitor numbers.

Some of this work was to bolster the town's flood defences but the other, advertised by a sign and partly financed by the National Lottery (of which I'll come back to later) was a forthcoming Porthcawl Maritime Centre.

Now exactly what this will provide we don't really know until this built but clearly this is designed to attract new tourists to the area as well as regular visitors whether the weather is sunny or stormy. And you know what? Building something like this in a seaside area is not unreasonable. There is a strategy at work.

And it got me thinking. There is something similar (though as I've argued in this blog before flawed) going on in Maesteg with the proposal to turn the town hall into a "cultural hub" (whatever that means). "Renovate it and they will come" seems to be the motto here. Thus boosting the economy of the town.

But as I've said there are problems. Not least because at time of writing financing is not secured as the council are waiting (longer than anticipated) for the result of their proposal to the National lottery. This being the third proposal. A refusal here could mean that the iconic building is abandoned. Something that would be a disaster for the town and the council will have only themselves to blame having badly mismanaged the originals proposals in the first place.

However when it comes to mismanagement that pales into insignificance when compared to the Welsh Labour Council's action regarding Bridgend Town. I've gone through in this blog how their arrogant incompetence have turned what I understood to be a once proud place into an urban tragedy.

When I looked around the town as I did a few weeks back it did not occur to me then of the possibility that the Labour council now realise the consequences of years of  their inept rule but do not have a strategy of how to deal with it because the problem has got so bad. Why is it that the only recent building/renovations of any significance in the town involve social housing (a good thing) over shops (why given the vast swathes of empty retail outlets do this?).

This is not strategy. This is town planning on the hoof

I mentioned before that there is "a taskforce" in Bridgend council that is dealing with the issue of empty retail space. According to the local paper they have sent a questionnaire to shop owners asking how they can improve the situation. A move that strikes me as shutting the shop door after the customers have bolted.

There is nothing in Bridgend Town that would attract the regular casual visitor and seemingly nothing planned. This would presumably mean that the Welsh Labour council are running the town in crisis management mode. If I'm right. This is just unacceptable. If I'm wrong then perhaps the people of Bridgend Town should be told what vision the council has for it's future.

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.

Wandering Again Through The Welsh Labour Shame That Is Bridgend Town.

Hello there. hope you're feeling well today.

As regular readers will know I have chronicled the decline of Bridgend Town since I began this blog a few years back in view I would argue of the rule of arrogant incompetence by the Labour council.

I haven't done this for a while. Partly because I've moved from the area (though I still work there) but of course for the main reason that as I've been in Essex exile looking after my mother I haven't been in Wales let alone Bridgend for the past few months.

(A quick aside. I'm writing this from Essex at my mother's home after her week's recuperation with me and my wife/daughter in Wales. But tomorrow will be leaving her to return the Vale of Glamorgan, She is not 100% but well enough that I can leave her alone with a clear conscience. Barring a disaster Essex exile will be over. I'll chat about that tomorrow)

But yesterday for reasons I won't bore you with I had before work the chance of wandering around the town and decided to do just that. Now before going on need to say that it was just two hours including grabbing a carton of chips and trying to eat it on the go without dropping them for lunch, a sort of potato jenga. So this was no scientific survey, just a wander.

So let's start with good news.

This store closed down last year but has now reopened. Never seen this in Bridgend Town before but worth mentioning. However for the most part nothing seemed have changed. A few new shops cannot hide the many empty ones.

The Latest Example

I wanted to see whether there are any changes from some particular examples I've previously mentioned. Let's start with the case of the Mcdonalds. Closed down in 2000 and left to rot for seventeen years until demolished late last year to be replaced by social housing and, incredibly given the aforesaid many empty shops in the town, retail units.

Anyway three to four months have passed since I last saw it so let's see how the building work is going on.

Err....

So at this moment it's the closest Bridgend Town shoppers will ever see a gap there. Let's hope that this is not going to take as long as the resolution of what to do with the Mcdonalds.

And what about the Nolton Arcade? Where aside from the two shops that back onto Nolton street every single shop has closed down?

Unchanged

And the Bridgend Indoor Market where there are many empty stalls. Well that was unchanged as well. Personally if I was a stall holder I would think that the council didn't really care for me. Little things you understand such as this.

It's March But The Christmas Decorations Are Still Up

Even when work is done to improve the town there seems to be potential problems, One of the buildings being renovated was First minister and local Assembly Member Carwyn Jones' old office (yes even he left Bridgend Town). All very well you might think, except whilst the work is being done there is a sign TO LET on it. The question is why do this when there are empty units in the very same street and those nearby. What purpose does this serve?

There was a particular shop closure that caught my eye. The business (a florist) didn't close down but said in a notice that it wasn't able to operate in Bridgend Town and was moving to nearby Porthcawl. Now what I'm going to say is off the top of my head and I might be wrong but I think that there are no florists in Bridgend Town.

It used to have two not that long ago.

Porthcawl has two.

It occurred to me that in any region what should be the biggest town should be the one that has more to offer than the other towns in the region. In the Bridgend borough though there is more of a debate in comparing Bridgend Town with Porthcawl or Maesteg.

Bridgend Town deserves better.

Until the next time.

In Which We Take The Knap

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So it's half term. I'm not working Wednesday. The wife's off as well and we face the perennial parent question.

"What are we going to do today?"

This was the last day until Sunday we'd be together as a family. And for me Sunday will be partly spent preparing for the trip I'll be making to Essex on Monday (I'll explain about that at the time) so really today's the day for "family time".

Wife: "Why don't we go to Porthcawl?"

Me: "Are you kidding?!" After all we've lived in that area for seventeen years and she wants to go back for a wander? Unless there's a specific reason I've no intention of visiting Porthcawl, much as I must stress I like the place.

So then says the wife how about Cold Knap where you could just gaze at the sea in pleasant weather conditions? It's just outside Barry Town/Island. Apparently she went there as a child a number of times. I've never heard of the place but didn't mind giving it a go, especially as there was no better idea in my head.

Wife, daughter and myself went to have a pub lunch first nearby. It was edible with  very nice chips but the main meal seemed to be a case of honey I shrunk the full English breakfast. Once our meals were consumed we made the short trip to The Knap car park to begin the wander. And yes, the Cold has apparently gone from the wife's remembrances . Here it was just the Knap.

Before being a case of The sea, the sea. It seemed a wander through The Knap gardens seemed appropriate. Starting with the sort of tree you see in horror movies signifying a fiendish accident is going to happen.




And the thing you begin to notice are the Swans. First you notice there's just the one



From which you're then distracted by the ducks.



And then you realise there's loads of them.



These Swans were impressive looking.



You suddenly realise that you haven't seen as many Swans since they were beaten by West Ham on Match of The Day.



And they seemed to move in near formation as well.



And did I mention they were rather big?



And of course invading.



Then time for a Classic Swan pose which I couldn't resist taking a picture of.



And here they are planning world domination whilst eating grass.



But eventually you walked up some steps and saw The Knap.

First time a picture of wife and daughter have ever been in this blog

And it's a place with great views.



And let's continue on this theme.



Indeed it was a place so surprisingly calm a seagull could contemplate the world as the sun starts to set.

Told you

And you know what? I can see why people like this place. As long as the weather's reasonable it really is somewhere you can just pause and reflect. I'd recommend it. We all liked it.

A rare thing then a day out which had the approval of us all.

Until the next time.

Dostoevsky At The Dentist,By The Porthcawl Coast And With An All Day Breakfast For Lunch

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I know what you're going to think. He's left the Bridgend area for over two months now but he's still coming back? Leaving aside the fact he works there?

Well yes. But things still need servicing. Last Friday it was the car. Yesterday it was the turn of my teeth. Dentists are like hairdressers. Once you've put your faith in one that's it until necessity puts you into an agonised search for a replacement.

I remember once a dentist in Cardiff. It would have been about twenty years ago. Young,blonde pretty she was also the roughest I ever dealt with. She manoeuvred my mouth as if it was plasticine which, considering the lasting effects of my Bells Palsey is that I can't smile straight was bothersome to say the least. Mentioning it to my wife later she said "Yes she's rough with me too".

Which was why at nine thirty am I was the man waiting at reception to be called. I was the one reading a book on my Kindle. Ignoring the temptations of the TV channel they had on (really daytime TV taken as a whole is really where your brain goes to die). I was reading The Idiot by Doestoevsky, which I should say now is an entertainment but still better than what was on screen. After all will future generations eulogise about Homes Under The Hammer? I don't think so.

Anyway after my name was called and about half an hour later where things were put into my mouth and there is a sudden urge to cough at all the wrong moments I walked out of the premises. My teeth were ready to fight another day.

Like last week was working the afternoon/evening shift that day so it was pointless to return to the apartment. Like last week the weather was bad. Rain and heavy winds. Had though less time to wander aimlessly through the streets than previously What should I do? Make a return trip to Bridgend Town? What idiot would think that on a windy day like this a trip to the Porthcawl coastline would be a good idea?

So that's where I went.

Now in terms of a coastline must be honest and say that as long as it doesn't get into flooding mode I prefer watching the waves crash into an area. Porthcawl yesterday, heavy winds, cold, dark clouds  November in July, didn't disappoint.

Drama Without The Commercial Breaks

It really was as bleak as this

I did have the idea of stopping and reading a bit more Dostoevsky here. But, well I'm not that mad.

Must admit I like this

Opposite the coastline there is a Bed and Breakfast called The Foams Edge. Not quite today.....

....but close

And if you want the juxtaposition of the angry sea and the town?

Not sure this would be in the postcards

Decided that I did want to read a bit more Dostoevsky by the coast. There was in this weather a perfect place for it. A small enclosed place directly along the sea called The Piccolo Bar. So having bought a cappuccino I took my seat.

This was my view

It was it has to be said the first time I've ever felt seasickness whilst on dry land.

Two more pictures of crashing seas before I go on. Firstly from the Ministry of Obvious Signs Porthcawl Division.



And then this, the end of the harbour wall in Porthcawl. I could have gone further, but not being a lunatic or the French Lieutenant's Woman felt discretion was the better part of valour.



Like last week in Bridgend Town I felt for old times sake I should buy a book. Went to my favourite the Porthcawl Animal Welfare Shop (PAWS) and on entering saw a guy pay for a group of books....including vintage Penguins!!

Nonetheless went upstairs and there was a number of Penguin paperbacks to chose from. But as it happened a different,non Penguin caught my eye. Moranthology by Caitlin Moran which is an anthology of You may remember I wrote about how she helped pass the time for me on Christmas Day at work when I was reading How To Build A Girl and how I was impressed by it. So partly being excited, part out of state of gratefulness and mainly out of it being a hardback selling for just 60p I bought it.

Time then for lunch. Went to a café called The Esplanade.Decided on a all day breakfast with a cup of tea.

As a quick aside I should mention that the European British Open Senior Golf Tournamnet was being played nearby. In the café there was a woman with that sort of bright pink golf top and visor that you see being worn by the wives of male golfers or female golfers. The look and her tan suggested that she was American. I looked at her and thought. "You've never been to Porthcawl before have you"

Who Says Civilised Living Is Dead?

Despite the Moran book being on the table it was Fyodor's book I continued reading. And I've almost finished it. As said it's an entertainment. The closest way I can describe it (and it's not quite correct) is as a comedy of manners. But I enjoyed the novel and it shows a range in what he could write about that I hadn't realised before.

So when it comes to classic Russian writers I'm still wit team Fyodor.

Until the next time.

The Bridgend Town,Porthcawl and Maesteg Farewell Tour....Probably

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Today I wasn't at work and had to go to the solicitors with regard to do various things about the house. Both the one we'd sold and the one we're hoping to buy. But once all of that was finished, and given I'd nothing left to do for the day. I decided to do a quick trip around the three towns I've been blogging about since this all started. As although I'm still working in the area I'm unlikely to visit them for a while.

So let's start with Bridgend Town, and two quick asides. I had to make a trip to the local ASDA. Noticed this.

Magazines are in trouble

The rack on the right has reduced even further since I last posted about it. The shelves on the left have reduced as well. Magazines really are in trouble.

If you recoil from tacky gifts...look away now.

There is tacky...and then there's this

These are bride and groom garden gnomes......yes I know.

So let's talk about the latest shops to close down in Bridgend Town

If you look at the block at the centre of the street and the shop on the right. That was a barber's cum tattooist. Unfortunately no more.

Wife asked me to get something from the local Poundstretcher. I didn't get it.

That tagline is ironic now

Now for the Shopping Centre. What I didn't know was that it was actually under administration and a property company has taken it over today promising new investment and stores. I never thought I'd ever wish a property company well. But I do today.

There is a new clothing store in the centre. But a shop has also closed since I was last there.

Greggless

Now there is another Greggs in Bridgend Town but they've both coexisted for years. Now though it seems that even in the hot food market austerity bites.

And finally let's just remember the Mcdonalds in the town. Closed for seventeen years and with no sign of anything being done to it.

Next I went to Porthcawl. I tell you it must have known that I wasn't going to be visiting for a while. It gave me a view of the sea I hadn't seen in a while.

Excuse the finger

After lunch (sausage sandwich and a cappuchino) tradition mixed with the modern. Went to Maesteg.

Still the winner of the best view from a car park.

You know I think if I have to pick something from these three towns I'll miss the most. I think it's just the selection of breathtaking views from Maesteg and the surrounding villages that make me just want to stop the car and take it all in. This is all from today.

Having written all of the above. I'll probably find out I've got to go back to one of them again tomorrow. But anyway I'll remember them with affection though regarding Bridgend Town added concern.

Until the next time.

Do Tablets Have Feelings? Did Porthcawl Library Miss Me? Can You Be Hammered Twice In A Month? And Other Deep Thoughts

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Firstly it appears that the situation in Bridgend Indoor Market has become even worse than when I spoke about it in October (http://sopralalunawithpenguinsintherain.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/perhaps-maesteg-is-not-only-indoor.html). Even more stalls are closing and today the situation even made the front page of the local newspaper. Next time I'm in the town I'll have another look.

I have to report a death, well I think it's a death anyway of my Samsung tablet. Tried to switch it on this morning, nothing. Not a Kindle of the Fire of life. Speaking of which good thing I'd recently bought the Amazon Fire. Probably the most foresightedness thing I've done in a decade.

Of course the question I need to ask is whether the Samsung felt somehow offended by the arrival of the new younger, quicker, faster pretender and was just so upset it committed tabloid suicide? The timing seems to suggest that it couldn't bare a rival and just gave up.

Must admit that apart from trying to see whether it can be resuscitated to get out a couple of photos I'm not particularly bothered by the situation. Though that's due to luck than judgement.

In an action which again may seem premature (there's a viewing on the house tomorrow) returned to Porthcawl library. It has been a week since I'd put books on the counter and quietly walked out. Assuming that I'd be leaving the borough shortly thereafter. Well that fell through so wanting to avoid the celebrations and parades of the prodigal book borrower arrived there early.

My intention had been to reborrow the two books I'd returned last week. But while Marian Keyes collection of articles Under The Duvet was an easy find it appeared that someone else was interested in Mark Chapman's recollections of trying to instill sport to his children so it was not there. A need arose then to get a football book and the one I eventually decided was.....

Sven Goran Eriksson - Sven My Story

Leaving aside his private life (to be honest I'm not bothered with what consenting adults do in private as long as there are no issues of hypocrisy) the thing which both Eriksson and England's other foreign manager Capello had was that early promise led to extreme disappointment. It should be an interesting read.

It is according to the front cover blurb quoting The Mail On Sunday it is the book "Everyone's Talking About". Don't remember my mother mentioning it to me .

After that memorable return to the book borrowing fold I went to the PAWS charity bookshop and bought four Penguin paperbacks for a pound (Penguin book budget now £2.07).

These books were:

R K Narayan - Tales From Malguidi

This came from the Penguin 60s of pocket books produced to celebrate their sixtieth anniversary.

Nadine Gordimer - July's People

I've read a couple of novels by this writer and she didn't disappoint so this will be interesting.

Ernest Hemingway - Green Hills Of Africa

This is an account of a "big game safari" in East Africa in the nineteen thirties. I ummed and arred about buying this book because I'm assuming he's hunting these animals. Ultimately though I felt it was important to read something from the man who tried to put a sort of romantic tinge in hunting and well aim to shoot it down. That's right I'm going to do a hatchet job.

Finally it's that man again:

The Rainbow - D H Lawrence

Well we'll see what I think of this when it comes amongst the great unread.

Twenty six days ago on a Friday night I watched West Ham lose five nil to Manchester City in the third round of the F A cup. It's happened before. About four years ago they lost to the same score in the cup to Nottingham Forest. The TV cameras cut to a small boy crying his eyes out. Remember thinking that I'd just turned fifty and I felt like crying too.

Well this evening there was a league match between these teams and in view of West Ham's good performance since that match there was a good chance the result wasn't going to be the same this time around.

Well it wasn't . It was four nil.As I sat down with my coffee in front of the TV I watched open mouthed as the team I followed capitulated as they did earlier this year.

I've had better evenings.

Until the next time.