17th August 2021 - Fishing and Visitors

Thought for the day :"Friend called in the house where they grew up and asked if they could have a look around. The door was slammed in their face! Parents can be so cruel”

Rain stayed off after the start of the day - so managed to get the fly-mo onto Tolly's Slope which was in dire need of cutting and found that I could get the fly-mo down to the fishing pontoon and get that part of the garden down to grass instead of general weeds -  Seems that cutting the lawns will be a three day system - day one sitting on the wolf garten mower, then the hand held motor mower, day two the fly-mo - and day three to get the brush cutter strimmer out ..  That is a task for tomorrow. I think that the second two days may be able to be every other cut - but we will see.

Susie attacked Tolly's waterfall which had overgrown a lot.

But it was another day with Scarlett and Bunnie. Scarlett counted 61 piggies most of which had wings!

Also Scarlett had a go at fishing with Oma!

Also had a visit from Bunnie's old friend Marlena 

and the photo of the day ...

In other news:

Llanelli - 17th August 1911  - The first National Rail Strike

On 17th August 1911, Llanelli was the venue for the first ever national railway strike.

The strike was caused by compulsory overtime, poor wages and a 70 hour working week. Talks between the union and management soon broke down and there was an immediate "walk out," by the Llanelli railway workers, which was joined by thousands of local tinplate workers. All train traffic was then stopped by a 1,500 strong picket, placed at the station’s two railway crossings.

Magistrates panicked and requested troops from the then home secretary Winston Churchill, who dispatched 700 of them to the town. To control the crowd, a bayonet charge was ordered against the unarmed workers, which resulted in one of crossings being cleared.

Then on the evening of Saturday 19th August a train, driven by strike breaking railwaymen, was moved from the station until it was forced to stop by barricade of 250 strikers. Another bayonet charge was ordered, which cleared the line. However the crowd moved up onto the embankment and hurled stones at the military. The Riot Act was read - the last time it has ever been read in mainland Britain and Major Stuart ordered the troops to open fire. Two men were killed, one being the local rugby star, John – Jac. The soldiers then moved back to the station to cries "Murderers" and the situation became increasingly more tense, with shops being looted and railway trucks attacked. Tragically one of the trucks contained detonators and exploded, killing a further four people.

Sadly, what was not known at the time of the shootings was that the strike had already been settled, with Churchill declaring "They have beaten us."

And so - time to do some birthday cards for the next month 

Cheers !