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.

In Which I Strayed With Cheryl And Chat About A Few Russians (Only Books I'm Afraid)

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Now that I'm a member of the local library I decided to go back to the ebook I electronically put to one side for a while Wild by Cheryl Strayed. In it she tells the story of how she undertook the Pacific Crest Trail (which starts in a desert) as a sort redemptive process after having gone off the rails emotionally following her mother's death.

Well it was finished and well it was a good read. Not a great read you understand. This notion of redemption is very American and the mere thought of walking a long way involving a desert is not my idea of fun (after all hot weather in South Wales makes me go into hives).

There is apparently a film of Wild starring Reese Witherspoon. This surprised me given that it's a rather slim tome. Perhaps it's a marketing ploy for those of us who've read the book to be tempted to watch it ready to mock should the movie be different in anyway. Well it's worked for me.....when it's on TV.....or Netflix anyway.

Next book randomly selected was The Seven Who Were Hanged by Leonid Andreyev. It's about people facing the death penalty and how they react I'd never heard of him before. But apparently he was a contemporary of Tolstoy and could be compared with Dostoevsky. Having read this book (the first of his I've ever read)....possibly.

This is not a whodunnit. All of those condemned to hang committed the crime. What the novel shows is their various and changeable reactions to their impending fate. It was compelling reading.

One of the points Andreyev does show is that you might not think you're Napoleon but being just this side of sanity doesn't mean that you should be hanged if you commit a murder (as opposed to life imprisonment you understand). Really this is an equally slim time as Wild but affected me much more.

So now the next book on the eBook pile turns out to be The Idiot by Dostoevsky. Again the kindle is revealing a sense of humour. And for the moment so far so good.

Until the next time.

Things To Do in Bridgend Town On a Wet Friday Morning

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

In the end it became all very sitcomesque. A few weeks back I had booked MOT test for the car in a garage near where I work in Bridgend. Not living in the area anymore it was booked for about one o'clock last Friday before starting my afternoon/evening work shift. The wife would later come down to pay the bill.

However some days after that realised that I'd forgotten to book for a service as well. Not a problem. Contacted them to arrange it. On confirming that it was booked the garage added a sting.

"Please bring the car in at eight thirty".

Where I live in near Penarth is about a thirty five minutes car journey to Bridgend. On public transport however it's an eternity. I had I realised roughly five hours to spend in the town. A place without any museum or some place of entertainment for the morning. What was worse was that it was raining. And when I say raining it was as if it was auditioning to become a monsoon. Indeed just to add a sprinkle to the general deluge when I left the garage stepped into a puddle. So was going to be spending the time with a sodden right foot before doing anything else.

This is remember July

This was going to be fun.

Here then. If you have to spend five hours in Bridgend Town on a wet Friday morning is a guide of Things to Do.

Look For Changes Since The Last Visit: Regular readers of this blog will know how I've monitored the decline of the town mainly due I would argue to the arrogant incompetence of the Labour council since I last chatted about this there have been some differences. In the good news category Bridgend Town has resumed its status as a two Greggs the Baker town and there is a new bar/coffee place/lounge that is where the Queen Victoria pub was which had been closed down for years.

In a pub context what is a lounge

However

This was either a sweet or one of those smelly soap shops

There is this.

Not Closing But Moving

This clothing company is moving with the local Poundland. Whilst I don't know how they will handle this cohabitation what it does mean is that from the middle of next month a major retail space will be empty.

Was mainly a clothing store

Must admit had been suspecting this store was going to close for a while now as it was offering half price on everything in stock. Still sad to see it go. It's been around for years.

Not a closure I know but you may remember that I've spoken previously of the Nolton Arcade in the town. The small shopping arcade where apart from the two shops that back along to the street every shop has been closed down. Well nothing has changed. But when I went to have a look noticed this.

"Thank you for visiting the arcade" it says. How sad is that?

And of course what is probably the oldest disused McDonald's is still there.

Popular with Penguins

Have a breakfast: In Bridgend there are many cafes that will sell, depending on your viewpoint, a full English,Welsh or large breakfast. Not an easy choice but eventually went for Ty Coffi near the bus station.

Ty Coffi

The View From Ty Coffi

So what should you do whilst waiting for your full English/Welsh/Large breakfast?

Read a Russian novel of course

And as for the breakfast itself.

Large it certainly was

Not only was it so full I couldn't finish it. I was too full to have lunch later afterwards. And for the record very tasty.

And after you've had a full breakfast you need a walk. Bridgend Town can provide such a service. Thankfully the weather was dry for about two hours in the morning for me to do this.

The Library Walk: I have written before of how Bridgend Labour Council moved the town centre library to outside the town centre. I decided to walk between the two buildings.

From Here

To this. Part Leisure Centre Part Library

It took me ten minutes.

Now I'm not going to say that I took the quickest route. You might be able to do it in nine. Still that means that if you live in the other side of town a walk to the library could take at least twenty minutes and possibly more. A decision of Bridgend Labour madness.

River Watching: Bridgend Town has the rivers of Ogmore and Ewenny that runs through it. Sometimes it's rather therapeutic just to cross a bridge and watch the river flow through.

Worth Hanging Around For A While

Visit a Church: Even for an atheist like me. I do prefer traditional looking churches. Bridgend Town has a worthy one in Saint Mary's

Now that's what I call a church

When I visited there was a service being performed there. Sparsely attended. Must admit I wish I could believe in an afterlife. But no. Once we are gone we are gone.

And inside

Seagull watching: Regular readers of this blog will know that I'm not a fan of seagulls. Still when you see them as far inland as Bridgend Town it's a warning of bad weather to come. And must admit to admire the fact that they're not afraid to wander the streets even when humans are present.

Bridgend Town Seagull Action

And even more seagull action

Buy a part owned Penguin paperback and have a capperchino: Must admit for old times sake I wandered around the charity shops in the town looking for a vintage Penguin paperback. Amazingly I found one. Go Down Moses by William Faulkner. So went to a nearby café to celebrate.

Civilised Living

It was about this time twelveish that the weather turned on the taps again. Indeed it poured so much there was a moment when I wondered whether the town would be flooded.

Nervy

Amazingly the five hours flew drenchingly by and even better the car passed with flying colours.

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.

Apparently McDonalds Is Now The New Beacon For Lost Old Ladies

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It was all supposed to be so simple. My mother, coming down for her birthday from Essex (daughter still being at school) would, not knowing how to get to our new abode, go to Cardiff West services on Junction 33 of the M4. There she'd give me a ring, I'd go and drive there whereupon she'd follow me on the way to the apartment.

However at 8:30am the phone rings. I knew instantly something was wrong. It was my mother. There had been roadworks at junction 25 where all of a sudden she found herself forced to leave the motorway.

But where exactly was she? Lime Road Newport she was told. In a car park between a pub and a McDonalds. Frightened and alone she asked me to come and pick her up. Not having a Satnav or knowing the area that well of course I said yes.

Quick check on the internet revealed that the M4 closure was caused by work on the Bryn Glas tunnel in Newport. Now perhaps me or my mother should have checked on this, even so, what is the logic of roadworks on a Sunday in summer? If the weather was fine then my mother would not be the only person caught up in all of this.

There was another problem. I put Lime Road....then Lyme Road onto route planners. Nothing. Why was this? There was only one thing to it. Take the same turnoff as my mother and look for a Mcdonalds.

Still out of the apartment first thing I did was to get some petrol. Now a quick aside here. What is it about marketing types and the naming  of petrol?Went to Texaco where their fuel is called Premium and Supreme. This begs the question Premium to what? It surely can't be Supreme because if you're Supreme then you're all powerful.

BP is the same. They call their top oil Ultimate. Which suggests it will never be bettered. We all know though that it will be. So what will they call the new stuff "Ultimate Plus"? Don't think this has been thought through.

Anyway off I went. It was a journey of about half an hour and when I reached the junction I followed the signs for a diversion.....and went the wrong way to Pontypool. Turning back went back to the turnoff and going west instead. Took the first turning. There there was a Sainsburys and a sign with a big curly M on it. I was close.

But the road is a mix of residential and industrial estate. No sign of the big M and it's produce anywhere.

Lost in Newport

More Newport Lost Action

The road became a dead end. It was then I saw a road sign. Mcdonalds it said was open. But Lyne Road was closed, My first reaction was "Ahh Lyne Road" My second reaction was "closed?" Still I was clearly within spitting distance. But where to spit was another matter.

Decided to go back where I came and take the next turning along. It's there saw the big M and my mother waiting patiently.

She is grateful. I start to describe myself as the geriatic rescuer as I did for the rest of the day. We drive home.

Newport seems like an interesting place for a visit. Part new part old. Part Shabby part shiny. This contrast in a space closer than I've seen before in Wales. Worth a look for the future but not today.

So thankyou Mcdonalds.The new beacon for lost old ladies.

Doesn't mean I'll eat there more mind.

Until the next time.

How Welsh Independence Could Ease Inflation And the Consequences Of Brexit

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I know I no longer live in Bridgend, though it appears constantly in this blog as if I'm trying to relive the old hits and indeed next week I might have to spend a long time doing nothing there (which I'll explain should it happen at the time).

However though working near to the town I've genuinely tried to wean myself off chatting about it. One thing I haven't done, that is until yesterday, is to go near to the house we used to live in. That is the personal past and though occasionally I go against my own rule, for the most part do not believe in looking back. Do not see the point.

Yesterday however I had to go to a shop in a small shopping area nearby as I promised my wife I would given that was working the afternoon evening shift. Did what I had to do and then felt the need for a drink. So wandered into the local Tesco Express.

A quick aside here. Tesco Express is only express depending on the time you enter. It's the only place where, should you be unlucky, it's express to shop but slow lane to queue

I'd regularly visited the place when living nearby, it was let's face it a store of convenience for the singular item...mainly milk. Now however it was odd wandering in. Felt like a stranger in a strange land. Everything seemed familiar, people, layout, offers for things I rarely wanted but it was just unreal.

Shaking that all off went to get something to drink and well was shocked. Knew that inflation was on the rise, but as I looked everything that my eyes could gaze on seemed to have risen. Noticed that San Pellegrino mineral water was up, should I have some crisps with it? Well they were up as well. No I thought. Just go for what your tastebuds wanted. A small bottle of Tropicana orange juice. Last time I'd bought one of these they cost £1.

Now they cost £1.19.....£1.19!

And of course whilst invidually there may have been reasons for specific increases we all know that the main reason has been Brexit and the fallout from it. People who were misled into thinking that walking from the EU meant a bright new world of a better NHS and wonderful trade deals are now seeing that life alone is just lonely and expensive.

This current Conservative coalition with the DUP, a party that seems to have as its mantra the philosophies of a witchfinder general have started negotiations under the delusion that Britain still has an empire to back it up. It appears that rather than negotiate and accept the inevitable compromises that it would bring the government would rather bang their heads on a brick wall of hard Brexit saying that it would be "better for Britain".

People may have voted to leave the EU. But people were voting on the destination. At no stage has there, or apparently will there, be a vote on the route to get there. Life in Britain is actually tough enough already for a lot of its population. A hard Brexit will push it on a course which, for the social wellbeing of the country if nothing else, may lead to uncharted dangers. I've recently chatted on the dangers for the Ford factory in Bridgend that Brexit might cause. A hard Brexit may spread that across the United Kingdom, causing it to be even more fractured and disunited as it is now.

Hence for Wales as well as Scotland independence suddenly becomes an economic and social issue as well as a political one. For a minority Conservative government that has to be propped up to survive to force through tactics that are unpopular will cause resentment. Perhaps, the people of the Celtic regions should be independent and negotiate their own deals. Perhaps the people who care about falling off a cliff rather than those from a privileged distance away who would rather they jumped free fall from it as long as they felt morally pure should be in charge.

If Wales was independent and negotiated from its perspective alone. Then compromises will be made, but it will also be the case that the looming disaster will be avoided as well. That will ease inflation as well social unrest that is bound to happen should hard Brexit occur.

Welsh independence may need to come quicker than we think.......the clock is ticking.

Until the next time.

Disappointment At The Library, Dilemma At The Supermarket

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

You may remember that last week I attempted to join the local library in Sully, the closest where we live at the moment in the Vale of Glamorgan. However because of the installation of "new systems" I couldn't borrow any books from the literary prefab but was assured that today, Tuesday, it would be ready.

The Prefab Library Sprout

So I walk in, ready for some hot book borrowing action, ready to have get some books. I give my name, say was promised a library card, prepare to receive it and off I go.

But....

The three lady librarians look at me amazed that someone who last week applied for a library card wishes to actually use the miniature services it has to offer.

A woman with long blonde hair who I assume to be the lead librarian tells me that they have just finished installing their systems.....but there is a backlog of applications to be put through.

I mention that there was a promise that this would be done in a week. Didn't show my anger, I'm a reader rarely a fighter. Don't think that I hid my frustration well mind.

Nothing could be done though. Saturday is it appears the next possible day that the card will arrive. They've promised to ring me when it does come. We shall see.

And you know what, much as I'm grateful to my Kindle I miss a paper book and going to  library these are the sort of things that won't be truly appreciated until they're gone. Yet I can't go back to appreciating these things because of something, Vale of Glamorgan council, that isn't my fault.

Angry,frustrated, disappointed and most of all bookless I travel to the nearby LIDLs ( aka along with Aldis the supermarkets people will go to after Brexit as everything else will be too expensive) to do a quick shop. Not a lot. Just a basketload of mainly things I forgot to get yesterday.

So I'm at the checkout. The stuff is on the conveyor belt and so I'm about to put my basket in the pile of empty baskets at the end of checkout before I can indulge in the game of filling up the carrier bag before the cashier has given you the cost or will he/she and the queue behind mentally tut at your tardiness. However empty baskets are not the only thing there. For in the previous basket there's a packet of ham and some white fillet of fish.

What to do? Put it back myself?  Tell the staff thus creating more delayed time and increased tuttiness from those behind me? Inform them about food probably made inedible by the lazy so and so before me.

No I was terribly,terribly British and said nothing. Just created a new pile for the baskets and let the sanctity of the queue continued unabated.

Civilisation is not destroyed yet.

Until the next time.

Is There A Welsh Labour Plan For Bridgend If Detroit Pulls The Plug?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

When it comes to this blog and Bridgend Town I feel like Frank Sinatra. I've moved away from the Bridgend area, (though I still work there) and rarely visit the town but sometimes events come along and make me want to write about it's decline even more.

I haven't been writing for a few days now simply because I've been on the early shift at work and on returning home the work jet lag just hits me and the urge for a nap is stronger that that to write. On Friday after finishing for the day needed to go to the solicitor at the town to pay off the fees owing for the aborted house purchase.

I genuinely,genuinely, had no intention on writing anything about the town. But as I was walking to the solicitor's office saw that there was another place that had closed down and for me it came as a shock.

No Longer Cooperative

Now the Cooperative bank has been in Bridgend Town to my knowledge for at least seventeen years, But not now. Mainly due to I'd argue to Welsh Labour mismanagement at both local and national level.

You will query how I could say that. Given the bank's well documented problems caused I would also argue by its abandonment of its core socialist principles of organic growth in favour of acquisition. But, rather like the Post Office's ultimately unsuccessful attempt to close the general Post Office if the town is perceived as unattractive it will receive less footfall of customers which consequently makes it venerable to closure by head office, an easy target as it were.

Shocked by the bank's closure decided after paying the solicitors' bill to visit the indoor market where I had heard that further stalls had closed. Indeed they had.

Mirroring The Town

In this row there is just one stall (the nailbar on the right) which is actually open.

There was a thriving stall here once

Regular readers of this blog will tell you I have spent a long time detailing the decline of Bridgend Town under the Welsh Labour administration. However awful though it is, things could get even worse post Brexit. As control moves from Brussels to Detroit.

As in explained in an earlier post the future of the Ford factory in Bridgend is under review. Now no one wishes for the factory to close, or for production to be radically reduced. But let us ask ourselves what will happen not just to the people who work there and their families but also to the surrounding area if that is what happens? The consequences will be disastrous. and in terms of Bridgend Town because it's in such a dire state already the effect will be to make the decline terminal as families with much less money, struggling to make ends meet will spend less. This leads us to the question what can the Welsh government in the national assembly and the local council, both run by Labour do?

Whilst how effective it could be is debatable, what Welsh Labour should do is ask the question "what if?" and see if they can make plans accordingly for such a scenario. What the proposed closure of Tata Steel showed last year and forthcoming closure of the Tesco call centre operation is that the assembly in particular was caught unawares and were reactive to events. Setting up a committee and reacting to news is not good government. It's politics being assisted by a white stick and a Labrador. The fact that Theresa May is doing the very same thing at the moment should not comfort us.

Both the assembly and the council know what the consequences for the people in the area and beyond as well as Bridgend town itself of even a reduced production in the plant. So, whilst I repeat again, no one wants the Ford plant to decline, Welsh Labour have been warned of the possibility and need to plan now for what they do if this occurs. They owe it to the people of the Bridgend area, and especially so in terms of the town, given that it's current state is the result of their mismanagement.

They have been warned. They need to prepare.

Until the next time.

On Reading In The Early Morning, When You Know You've Won The Argument Over Your Wife And The Old Man And The Sully Sea

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well I woke up at three thirty am in the morning. If this was tomorrow I'd be screaming blue murder at how late I was given I'm working the early morning shift for the next four days. Today however I just can't sleep once my eyes emerged from its slumber. Just have to get out of bed.

Now if I was still living in Bridgend I'd have turned the television on and watched some sport. That pleasure is however a thing of the past. In fact looking at the TV guide I'm set to record in the next week a couple of the recent Planet of the Apes films, a bit of Boxing and reruns of Castle and Columbo....and basically that's it. Nothing to watch now.

Outside dawn is slowly beginning to break. It's quiet. The world is asleep and you're having insomnia. The day appears to be bright.....unlike my mood

So I turn on the Kindle and finish off the collection of short stories The Safe Man by Michael Connelly and to be truthful nothing has changed from the position I chatted about on Saturday. This was a book best summarised by the phrase "Is that all there is"? I'd expected a lot more. No question the leader for the title of the most disappointing book of 2017.

I've decided not to buy anymore ebooks for a while and just go through the ones (in their hundreds and mainly free) already on my Kindle. Now that soon the library will be back on stream and I'll be reading two books on the go there's no need to purchase anymore for the moment.

Just starting then on an alphabetical basis the next book is Hannibal Makers of History by Jacob Abbott, which as far as I can tell was written in the nineteenth century. We'll see how I do.

I know it's hard to belive but from time to time me and the wife argue (yes shocking). But occasionally I'm reminded of the tell tale signs when I've won an argument. Yesterday the wife was looking at available houses in the Penarth area when she started speaking about a house she and our daughter had already visited when I was at work last week.

She encouraged me to go and look at the house online. Did just that. But as I went through this three bedroomed at the edge of our budget a large problem with the house was making itself clear...or rather the large field next to it.

For fields can include all manner of wildlife, including, as I said to her, members of the rodent family. My wife has a phobia of mice to the same extent that I have of dogs. Doesn't matter if we'd exchanged contracts and had moved in one sight of a mouse and she's packing off to her brother before you can say semi detached. So I go on. I'm not going look at a house that I know we're not going to buy.

And there was silence.

It was the silence of someone who couldn't think of anything to counter what I'd just said. I won't say it was silence was golden but it unspoke volumes about who was right.

For the first time today was able to walk to the sea around the village of Sully I mentioned yesterday. There was no beach where I was. Just rocks. Still it's an impressive view (though must admit my preference are the Valleys).

Remember not the South of France but South Wales

Must remind myself to take a picture when the weather is wet and windy and cliché Celtic. Perhaps then from those rocks Celtic gods will come to me and say that I must undertake my true purpose in making Wales a free and independent land again.

But for today after I took the picture went to do some shopping at Lidls...majestically of course.

Until the next time.

The Return Of The Library......Not Quite Yet

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I had discovered last week that there were no issues to joining a library near where we now live, even though we were renting. Much as I'm grateful to the Kindle for keeping me sane during the past few months, I'd missed the quiet pleasure of turning a page as opposed to swiping it. I wanted proper books back.

So where I live the nearest library is in the village of Sully, just outside both Penarth and Barry Town. And let's just say the first about it that it's a little on the small side.

And when I say small......

Not only does it make Porthcawl library seem like Wembley Stadium by comparison but when you go inside not all the space is filled with books either. Still, it's a library, and that's the important point. So (trying to state this with a straight face) size doesn't matter.

The other thing that needs to be mentioned here are it's opening hours. Only open on three days, Tuesday,Thursday and Saturday and all that book action commences at eleven o'clock. I'm too new to the area to know why that is, but picking those three days seem odd to me.

Still I had come prepared. My tenacy agreement to show that I lived in an address in the area and my driving licence to show that I am who I say I am. The kindly librarians gave me a form to write and I answered the questions. There it was done, easey peasy  those soon to be expensive because of Brexit lemons squeezey. Grab a couple of books, wish the ladies well and off I go to read by the classic method.

But.....

"I'm afraid we can't let you borrow books yet" said the blonde librarian with what sounded like an East European accent. "We're installing a new computer system and it's not quite ready. You'll need to wait for your card".

And when will my card be ready? Thursday came the response.

The trouble with that is from Thursday until Sunday I'm working the early shift. What that means is that by the time I'm driving home from Bridgend I'd be too tired to stop off and pick up a card and choose these books. I'll have to wait seven days time.

So, let's be clear here. New technology has meant I can't enjoy old technology because it's not ready.

Typical.

Until the next time.

A Saturday Morning Before Work, Featuring Outlander/Michael Connelly With After Work Extras Of Dead Ringers,Richard Branson And Mark Steel

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

If you work an afternoon evening shift in a weekend then your day is  bit topsy-turvy. On a weekday it's different because as I drive my daughter to school (for the moment anyway) I have to wake up with everyone else and throw myself into the day.

On the weekend however it's different. Whenever you wake up is up to you. No school taxi journeys. No need to remind the wife who's going to her work what time it is. You are in control of your sleep. You are the duke of the drowsy, the sultan of slumber.

I woke at six am.

Must admit thought I'd been transported to world of animation...

That Is The Simpsons Sky

So out of the bed I go leaving the wife asleep and wander towards the open plan kitchen/dining room of our rented apartment. Throwing cereal to the bowl and myself to the sofa begin to watch the only thing I've recorded for a while.

A quick aside. Have discovered can't have BT sport in the apartment because of copper wiring. I knew copper was expensive but it seems to have cost me watching sport on TV (and I'm NOT watching SKY....not even listening to Talksport now Murdoch has his hands on it). One person happy about this state of affairs is the wife. One less excuse for me to use in case she wants me to do something.

Anyway back to me watching TV....and specifically the one thing on the hard drive. Outlander. It was on Amazon Prime a few years back and now appears on More 4. It concerns a woman transported in Scotland from the end of the World War two to the times of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Why did I record it? Well it had curiosity value.

Having now watched it. Must admit should have tried to stay in bed longer. Found it surprisingly dull. Now there were a few moments when the lead actress took her clothes off. and I know this series is a few years old. But still it was as if the TV could see my reaction. As if it was saying "He's nodding off.....quick clothes off time or we'll lose him".

The strategy worked for a while. But even occasional nudity didn't hide how boring this show was. Should also mention that it seemed to have been filmed in a new technical process called Scottish gloomivision. The idea to show days in Scotland could occasionally be bright and sunny seemed too radical. Perhaps that's for people with the patience to go on and watch episode two.....not  me though.

After that well....nodded off in front of the TV....once awake again switched it off to continue reading The Safe Man, a collection of short stories by Michael Connelly. Now I must admit I haven't finished, but my current reaction is to say "is that all there is"?

Perhaps a collection of short stories is not the best way to start judging a writer but as I've said before if I was a vlogger not a blogger I'd have illustrated my reaction to this book with a shrug..

Boy I was in a grouchy mood yesterday.

And in all of this the clock is ticking. When I'm doing the afternoon/evening shift the feeling of a countdown is constant which is never the case when it's the morning. Presumably because I'm conscious that there is no time to relax whilst getting ready for work.

It's about ten. Wife/daughter are making stirrings. Won't disturb them whilst I'm having a shower. Then. Showers are quicker than baths, but they are not as relaxing..

Baring in mind that my journey to work takes forty minutes there then comes that period where there's nothing to do before lunch (taken at 11:30) and what you could do would take too long to complete. Can't really remember what I did so not really worth writing about.

Now I don't mind the forty minute journey to/from work. But when I've come back am finding that once I have had my meal almost immediately the body seems to be in shut off mode. Have been known to fall asleep on the kitchen table in my brother in law's house when we stayed there for a week. My wife told me he 'd wondered what I'd been watching on the tablet by my side. He even apparently suggested pornography.

My response was to laugh and say that chance would be a fine thing. If only because despite the fact that he apparently was on the highest Virgin media internet tariff there was only one room where you could be assured of having a good signal. And the kitchen wasn't it. As it happens I was listening to a downloaded programme of the Radio 4 series Dead Ringers. Last night (Saturday) it was Mark Steel's In Town where the socialist comedian visits a town and chats about it to a local audience. History with comedy, education with a laugh. The most educational but funny half hour you'd possibly find in a long while. As educational but good humoured as a Tranmere Rovers football chant.

And so to sleep. Another day knocked off my life. At time I'm writing this it's 8:04 on a Sunday morning. Not at work but have no idea how I'm going to spend the day.

Perhaps I should have tried to work today as well.

Until the next time.

Welsh Voters Might Have Thought They Voted For Corbyn's Labour....but in Wales In Truth It's Blair's

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

The British general election was an odd thing we'd all agree. The winner lost, the second place guy won a sort of victory and the Tories as I've explained yesterday have proved that austerity can be beaten if we all suddenly become Northern Irish.

And what of Wales? Well Plaid Cymru did gain an extra seat but it was Labour that made the most gains despite early predictions of a Tory advance .

But the thing is this. Those in Wales who voted Labour probably had Corbyn in mind when they put their cross on the ballot sheet. However those issues which he was advocating against Tory rule such as health and education are English issues. In Wales they have been devolved to the Senedd. And who controls the Senedd? Labour. Not Corbyn Labour with its 100% full content beer brimming full with Socialism that is deepest red. But the "new Labour" (how dated that phrase is now) of Tony Blair which is rather like the the non alcoholic lagers that used to be around years ago ( As a non drinker I tried one and it tasted like washing up liquid).

Let us not forget that Welsh Labour have made cuts to the NHS, or have made such a hash of education that a Libdem is currently education minister. We need to reflect on that. The "socialists"  have to call on a member of a centurist party for help in what appears to be it's biggest national failure.

Welsh Labour were in the forefront of the attempts to unseat Corbyn last year. Who can forget the attempts of genetic baldy Stephen Kinnock to imply that their demorcratically elected leader was electoral cyanide. Or Owen Smith, the man who stood against Corbyn last year now this year grovingly worming himself into the cabinet as shadow Northern Ireland secretary.....good luck with that.

And what of the elction? Occasionally Corbyn made an appearance, but Welsh Labour's general election campaign was mainly that of a "Where's Waldo?" as it was notable by the general absence of the their leader

As I've tried to explain in the past Welsh Labour either through assembly or local government level have ruled Wales with an incompetence mixed with arrogance. But it has survived this time would appear to be because it's considered to be the best chance of getting rid of Theresa May.

So they just got lucky.

Labour have made gains in Wales through smoke and mirrors than for true Socialism. It's Plaid Cymru who are now the representtitves of true Welsh socialism that Labour happily threw away in the past. What the party of Wales need to do is to bang that message ever harder. Because Plaid know that if there is a chance to get rid of the Conservatives next time voters may be swayed. It will be a danger for Plaid in the short term. Though looking further ahead Labour's natural Welsh patronising ineptitude will reassert itself  and so Plaid can still appeal to the disaffected Labour voter.

We just need to be patient.

Until the next time.

It's Been A While

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well it's been a while. Have found it difficult to blog for a few weeks now. But now things have returned.

So let's start with the bad news. The house we were going to buy has fallen through. Various reasons that I can't really go into. But the hunt begins for a new place. In the meantime we're renting an apartment just outside Penarth. A bit isolated, but for our needs fine for now.

And whilst this upheaval occurred my reading time declined. Indeed I electronically have put Stranded by Cheryl Strayed to one side during this process. Will return to this, honest. It's worth all the praise it got.

For the moment though have turned my reading eyes to The Safe Man by Michael Connelly. Will chat about that when finished.

And of course there's been an election. Do you remember I remarked that Theresa May was incompetent in everything except the gaining and holding on to power? As well as when I said she was going to have an increased majority? Well I was wrong on the second and almost wrong on the first. So desperate has she been for power that she's sewn up a deal with the Ulster Unionist DUP. Causing the amazing situation that the cure to austerity is that we all should become Northern Irish. And as for Plaid Cymru? I'll chat about that tomorrow.

So I'm back, properly, and for a while at least there shouldn't be any upheavals. But then again the right place might suddenly appear.

Until the next time.

More News Of Bridgend Town From A Distance and How For The Future I Saved The Man In The Football Shirt

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Although no longer living in the Bridgend area I still work there. And it doesn't mean I no longer care about the decline of the town. Yesterday heard news that suggests the downward spiral continues. I've mentioned before of the decline of the indoor market. Well news has come in that three further stalls have been, or about to be closed down. It includes the stall that sold pre owned books though it had branched out to other items.

Now let me be clear. I didn't shop there. The charity shops were cheaper. But all three stalls gave the reason as the decling footfall in the market and the reason for that is the way that Bridgend Town has declined under the Labour council. Shop closures and other issues /I've posted about in the past year have meant that you only go to the town centre when you have to It is a spiral of urban destruction that has now seemed to have had a momentum all of its own. What's worse there's no obvious plan the council are using to try and stop it.

I might need to visit Bridgend Town on Monday to visit the solicitors re the house purchase. If I do I'll take some pictures of how the market has further emptied out.

And now for something more humourous.

Yesterday saw a man I knew dressed in a football tracksuit top. Given that the man was Welsh and that we're not talking about a major Premiership team it was an unusual club to see being worn in South Wales.

"How is it." I asked him "that you're wearing a Sunderland top? Do you support them?"

He explained that he had a friend who had no need of it and offered it to him.

I felt compelled to point out that Sunderland were relegated last season (to which he laughed) and, more pointedly they would be playing Cardiff City next season.

The man responded by saying that he didn't realise it was a Sunderland top. He thought it was for the Welsh national team. Despite the shirt saying Invest In Africa on its chest and badge mentioning  well, Sunderland.

So now he knows better. And when next season Cardiff play Sunderland at home. They'll be at least one man who'll leave the red top on the hanger. Thus saving himself bluebird abuse.

Until the next time.

When You're Late For The Party And More Books Read

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

You might have noticed that despite it being staged in Cardiff this weekend I haven't mentioned anything about the Champions League final. Well the reason was simple. I was at work.

Now would admit that could easily have taken the day off, but to be honest wanted to save my time for the moment when we do, eventually, move house permanently. So it all passed me by.

Sunday however had the day off. And I decided to go to the Champions League Festival being held in Cardiff Bay. Wasn't sure whether it was a good idea at the time but ultimately thought that as it was going to be the closest time I'd be anywhere near a Champions League final again it was best I should go.

Trouble is of course that the match was on the Saturday. What this meant was that all the glamorous people had long since gone. All that was left was, well people like me.

"The Champions!"

However there were things to do. You could kick a ball in the goal with virtual Gareth Bale. Play on a PlayStation 4, pretend you're a commentator. All very good.....if you're ten. Being Fifty three however I went to the exhibition of the Uefa Champions League at the Millennium Centre.

Where you could see photos....

Photos

Or Shirts...

Football Shirts

Which regular readers know I like collecting but in all honesty in an exhibition setting was dull. And there wasn't all that space either.

So went outside and saw the floating pitch. A match was playing. Wasn't to be honest close enough to recognise any of the, shall we say, older players. Or as they're branded now "Legends".

Floating

Noticed that Juventus had their own stall in the festival. Would have been interested to have gone in. Unfortunately it wasn't open on the Sunday, which was rather unsporting of them, even if they were defeated.

Apparently #ITSTIME doesn't apply to the day after the final

They had a concert stand where bands gamely performed to small crowds as if it was the Millennium / Principality Stadium. When I was there Captain Accident was singing his heart out. Never heard of him. That though is an old man (ie me) issue.

The day was bright it has to be said

And to  top it all on a particularly depressing day I give you this picture.

The Picture

The statue to the right of this picture is of the songwriter Ivor Novello. I have this theory that before the Champions League weekend it was facing the sea. However in a Night in the Museum style the statue turned towards the Champions League shop to the left in disbelief as to the prices it charged. £10 for a less than thumb sized replica of the trophy,£15 for a baseball hat, £25 for a T-Shirt and to
top it all £65 for a football shirt!!!

Needless to say I bought something.

A Mug...Impressed Eh?

It cost me £10. I have the slight comfort that I know I'll use it. Still it probably showed that the biggest mug was me.

One thing I know is that until I make the move this blog will continue but the posts will be more sporadic. Since my last post I've read SEVEN books. So here's a quick review of all seven.

The House Of The Dead : Fyodor Doestoevsky: As previously posted I am a fan of Team Fyodor. The book ended as brilliantly as it begun. Highly recommended.

By The Ionian. Sea Notes of a Ramble in Southern Italy: George Gissing: This book,published in 1905 really was rubbish. He seemed to like Italy and its history but not Italians unless they were "cultured". Snobbish pretentious racism.

Earthwork Out Of Tuscany Being Impressions and Translations Of Maurice Hewlett: Maurice Hewlett: Though not racist this book about Tuscan art was equally snobbish and pretentious.

Adventures Among Books: Andrew Lang: The most disappointing book of the seven. What started as a man telling a story of his love of books turned into a series of rather dull essays.

And speaking of essays....

Selected Essays: Karl Marx: Am I a Marxist after reading this? No. Whilst some of it was interesting most required a knowledge of German history / figures of that time which I don't possess. Hence it's not Marx's problem but mine. I'll give him a pass.

The Third Reich A Chronicle : Richard Overy: As I remember it I bought this to clear an Amazon giftcard. It had nothing really new to say.

Paris Under The Occupation: Jean Paul Sartre: Other than the Doestoevsky this was the most interesting book of the seven. This essay explains that life under Nazi occupation was for the most part not how TV/films now portray it. The only real criticism is his denigration of those people in the resistance who lost their lives fighting for a free France. Otherwise it is certainly worth a read.

So the book I'm currently reading is Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Will see how I do with that soon.

Until the next time.

More Chopin, Arguing With Len And I'm With Team Fyodor

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So it appears that yet again I begin this blog the day after a terrorist atrocity. Yet again the world turns digitally medieval. Yet again for what it's worth my sympathies goes out to the injured and dead in these London attacks (bar three). But yet again I say this. No one should change their lives for fear. For fear would mean that the terrorists will win. I intend to go out to Cardiff Bay today. Am not going to alter my plans. Not at all.

So I will continue in this blog to chat on the books I've read yesterday. Terrorists remember don't like people who read avidly. They don't like books outside of their own sphere. And when we're talking about Islamic terrorists they wouldn't like Kate Chopin. She is first a woman, then a woman with a voice of her own and a woman who would not have believed that her place is in the home serving a man.

The Awakenings and other stories have now been finished. As I explained yesterday this has come as an unexpected surprise. The stories were a fascinating read. They were all best described as a slow burn. You wonder what's going on in the beginning and then you find yourself being drawn into the tale she's telling. Will look forward to reading her again.

Kindle do a series called Kindle Singles. Short fiction/non fiction on various subjects. When I first bought it one of these ebooks I bought was James Bond : My Long And Eventful Search For His Father. Essentially this was focusing on the battle which eventually involved in the (for want of a better word) "rebel" James Bond film Never Say Never Again.

Before this book I've read three Len Deighton novels. The Ipcress File, SS-GB and XPD. In all cases I had the same view. If Len and Deighton were an ice dance couple then they would score largely on the technical but not as well on artistic impression. His characters leave me cold. As I remember reading James Bond as a teenager Ian Fleming was much better in engaging your emotions. And of course nobody does the crime novel better than John Le Carre.

This book doesn't change my view of him one iota. It was rubbish. It's biggest problem was that it was just too short. It needed a lot more detail. Also his conclusion at the very end is just useless. I won't tell you what it is but let's just say that it doesn't matter what TV/Film does to change an iconic character (eg Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Inspector Morse) it's parent is the author who created it in the first place.

The novel I'm currently reading is House Of The Dead by Fyodor Dostoevsky published in 1860. It reminded me of why I'm with Team Fyodor and not Team Chekov. You find yourself interested in the people and their lives in the Siberian prison camp they're living in. With Dostoevsky I find myself wanting to go on rather than swiping the page at a sense of reader duty.

Until the next time.

On Enjoying Italian Crime with Camilleri, Shruggable Neutrality on Chekhov and A Little Bit Of Chopin

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Have finished The Montalbano Mysteries by Andrea Camilleri . An omnibus of the first three novels of the eponymous Sicilian detective. Well I loved it. Everything you'd want from a crime genre is here. A hero you'd root for, a sense of place, characters well drawn, a good plot. I finished the book wishing that I was a brilliant Italian detective with a love of food living near the coast who could take a swim everyday should he wish it.

And the thing about this omnibus was....I didn't get to feel it was an omnibus. There was no sense of a hard slog. I just moved from one novel to the next with ease and was only disappointed when they were all finished. Don't know when I'll next get round to reading a Camilleri novel but I do know I'll be looking forward to it.

Which is more than I can say for Anton Chekhov.

You may remember sometime back I suggested that for some writers a reader can be in literary Switzerland. In that he (or she) didn't dislike a writer but at the same time could not understand the mantle of greatness that is thrust upon them. The main author I used for this was F Scott Fitzgerald but I included Chekhov in this as well.

Having now read The Duel And Other Stories I now realise that my views on Chekhov are slightly different. I'm still neutral but I finished each story thinking "Is that all there is"?

NOTHING MUCH HAPPENS. And even when it does it seems to resolve itself quickly and for the most part quietly enough. Leaving aside the duel of the main story the only real action seems to involve people flouncing off or acting in a turn of the century huff at something or another....and that's just the men.

So clearly I just don't understand why he gets the high literary reputation that he has. There are two conclusions to this. The first is that I'm the bookish equivalent of the little boy pointing out that king has no clothes. Suddenly I'm viewed as the most perceptive reader ever. Fame at last.

The second is more simple. That I'm an idiot who has not grasped the nuances of the Russian master. Either is possible.

Which leads me to the third book I'm reading now The Awakening and other stories by Kate Chopin. When I started to read the title story was thinking "This is like Chekhov. Nothing much is happening". But what Chopin does is to lead you slowly through the issues faced by the main character. This is interesting stuff. I think the phrase is "a slow burn". Must admit am impressed.

Until the next time.

On A Short Trip Through A Town Called Barry And The E Book Buying Game (June Edition)

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well yesterday I visited Barry Town properly. It wasn't one of the great treks of the world. A ten minute walk from where I'm currently living. And I couldn't do a proper wander either, basically because I had my daughter with me who'd done the walk with my wife on Tuesday when I was at work (that's right the sisters beat me to it) and didn't want to go around again when there was the internet to entertain her. Still at least I did go and will do a proper lookaround when there isn't a teenager by my side.

Barry Town for the uninitiated is not to be linked with the nearby funfair/amusements that is Barry Island in terms of how you should view it. This is a town for the inhabitants and judged on first viewing it seemed to make it clear that's what it wanted to be. There was nothing that suggested seaside jollity's. To me that was a good thing.

(Barry Island is to come. Weather permitting I'm planning to go with wife/daughter on my next day off Sunday).

And if there is one place I'm definitely going to investigate further in the future.

Always judge a place by its library

Now this is not just where the central library is. It has an art gallery as well. But the key point is that the Barry Town library is in in the Town Centre. Bridgend Council please note.

In terms of shops the town centre appeared to be a line of outlets. On an admittedly cursory look it didn't appear to suffer the considerable closures suffered by Bridgend town centre. Wife/daughter did say to me that they thought that Barry Town was better than Bridgend Town and that is what it appeared to me as well. In fact I cannot think of any town centre worse that I've been to in Wales than Bridgend Town and here is just another example to compare it by.

All in all this was a good first trip. More in depth (ie teenage daughterless) wanderings to follow.

A Town Called Barry

And so to the temporary series (until we move in to a new house) ebook buying game. The rules are these. Armed with £5 and whatever loose change I try to buy as many ebooks on my Kindle (other ereaders are available) starting with the Daily Deals and from those purchases see what type of books it tries to offer me from then on. The key thing to remember is that it has to appeal and that it's as cheap as possible.

This month's monthly total (with the carry over change from last month) is £5.22.

Nothing from the Daily Deals interested me. ("Social Media Marketing Tips?" It's title alone would induce me to sleep). So I move on to the Monthly Deals. There I see Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon a book which is subtitled "a happy life with mental illness". I seem to vaguely remember a radio interview she did on this. It seems interesting. 99p. Bought.

Nothing on the books recommended from buying Mad Girl interested me. So I went to the next row. Books recommended for me based on "Literature and Fiction". The first one on the row is "Single and Single" by John Le Carre. 99p. Bought.

Again nothing recommended from buying the John Le Carre interested me. So back to those recommendations based on what I bought in Litrature and Fiction. There's a complete collection of books by the American writer Theodore Dreiser. 92p. Absolute bargain. Bought.

Looking at the list then there is another collected works of Willa Cather for just 49p. 49p!! Needless to say bought.

It leads me to another collected works. This time by Edith Wharton. Another author I've wanted to read but life never got me round to doing it. This time though chance comes my way. 91p. Bought.

The next compilation is of Nicholas Gogol. 49p again. Yes of course I bought it.

Finally the main author bought when I played this game last month was Michael Connelly. Book 3 in the Harry Bosch series The Concrete Blonde is available for 99p. As I already got books 1 and 2 this was a must. Bought.

So 35p is carried forward to next month. Not only that but I've bought some female writers which I didn't last time. So pleased with that.

Until the next time.