7th January 2013 - Mabonogion - lost Sculptures

Monday in January.

The Wales Coast Path website proudly proclaims :

Sandy Water Park & The Mabinogion Woods Sculpture Trail
Millennium Coastal Park, Llanelli SA15 2LF.
Large lake with interesting birdlife and numerous Swans, including a trail through the woods with Mabinogion inspired sculptures.

This morning I strolled across the Agen Bridge into Sandy Water Park, once home of the Steelworks, now part of the coastal cycle path SUSTRANS, and part of the Millennium Coastal Path, the "Carmarthenshire Bit" as they say on the website. Considering that we have had the wettest year in history according to the pundits, this was the seventh day of the new year where I managed to walk without need for waterproofs. 

But this morning I was concerned with the heroic age or mythological past of the British Isles, the eleven stories of the Mabinogion, and the path that winds through the woods at the eastern edge of the water park.  

Entrance to the Path

It would be quite easy to miss the entrance to the path if you are unaware of its location. It is by the car park - but there are no signs pointing to the entrance. Just a single post, and you have to get right up to it to find the writing thereon..

The carving is not very clear - but at least you now know that you are on the right road. A closer look at the post and you can see that there are further carvings at the top of the post.

 As you enter the path, through the clearing you can see the first of the sculptures. A cast iron boar.

He is well weathered and I have visited him often as I walk the dogs - and he only improves with age.

The Boar

The boar is in a small clearing with a two small benches suitable for sitting and contemplating the 'whichness of the why', but for the busy dog-walker it is back to the path and through the trees. The whole site used to be the Steelworks, and the trees and features have all been planted and grown in the time I have lived in Llanelli. I used to drive through the area in a police car in the early eighties. The Duport Electric Arc Furnace at Pwll was one of the finest in the country they say, though I recall it mainly for the sound of the locomotive pulling the metal from the interior in the early hours of the morning as I tried to sleep in the police house opposite. But the trees are fast growing and now well established.So I walked on in search of the remainder of the sculptures. I remember the stag, and the owl, had I missed any in my previous perambulations?

And so, as I got half way through the path, I came to the sad sight of the post that once held the Stag. Similar to the boar, it stood in pride of place atop another post...   but all I was met with was the broken stump of the stand.

Through to the end of the path, and no sign of any other sculpture. the Owl that I recalled was nowhere to be found. No other animals or relics of Mabonigion tales to be seen . Only the simple post at the other end of the path. this too held the legend of the path...  but no suggestion that the path had been denuded.

As I left the path, I met with one of the groundsmen, clearing some rubbish from the site. I asked about the stag.
"It is safe" he told me. "The post was vandalised but we managed to keep the stag and it is in the depot while we wait to see what we are going to do with it."  I will try to visit the depot and see where it is...
"But the owl", he confided, "we never found.... The post was broken and the owl stolen. We haven't seen it since"

Once more, I leave my walk a little saddened.

6th January 2013 - History is damp...Ghosts or Players?

I walked across the old grounds of Stradey Park Rugby Football ground.
That is not difficult, as it is only a couple of hundred yards away from the house, in fact it used to be rumoured that I would lean out the back window and yell "Can you keep the noise down - some people are trying to sleep here !" when a match was on...  But though I used to walk that way regularly, I have not been that way since the fences went up and the buildings started getting knocked down.

Now, I do not consider myself to be much of a Rugby fan. Before you jump down my throat, I live in Llanelli, I have lived here for 35 years, but I am not Welsh, I was born in Glasgow and raised in London. I am not native Llanelli, and it is quite possible, though difficult, to survive in this town without having a religious fervour for the game with the funny shaped ball. There - I have said it!!! But then most of my friends know that about me already.

As a young constable in Llanelli, I tried hard to fit in and enjoy the game. But there was a tendency for one policeman to be watching the crowd when on "Crowd Control" duty. It was partly because I did not wear contact lenses in those days - they were rather new technology. And my glasses really never fitted very well under my cap. Yes, we had caps in those days before we had the "Bobby" helmet. Dyfed-Powys Police were different that way. They called us "Pongos" in training school. So watching the game was rather pointless as I could not really see the action on the field. So I watched the spectators instead.

After a few months I thought the whole matter through.
Saturday afternoons were Rugby Afternoons. This involved getting to your traffic "point" for traffic control about 2 hours before the match. Best to remember to go to the loo before taking point. There is very little opportunity to relieve yourself once you are at the junction  directing traffic! No extra cup of tea that morning! Then after the game starts the van pulls up and you get a lift to the ground, sneak in the side entrance by the South Stand and make your way around to the Town end, more affectionately known as the Tanner Bank.  Twenty minutes before the end, regardless of how exciting the game was, you were once more in the van heading for another two hour Traffic Point, hoping that someone would remember to pick you up - or face a long walk back to the station..

Yes - I thought it through - all self respecting Llanelli criminals were naturally Scarlet Supporters! They were little different from any other member of the populace other than their criminal activities, so they would of course be at the match. Thus, likelihood of any criminality during the match was marginal. Domestic Disputes would not really flare up until at least half a dozen pints after the match ... most shops were shut, and there were no vehicles on the road. So it seemed only natural to volunteer to "look after the town" while the match was on - an act of selfless altruism which allowed all my rugby fanatical colleagues to watch the match while I took on the arduous task of finding a nice warm place with a cup of tea, radio by my side, to ensure that the town was "Safe".

And so it was for many years that I found the quietest time of the week was match day in Llanelli.

Tanner Bank

But walking around the grounds now, there is a mound where the tanner bank used to be. Temporary fencing around the whole site - but gaps where the fencing has fallen and the once verdant turf is now indistinguishable from the rest of the tufts of course grass. Local complainers always said that there would be trouble trying to build housing on this site due to the drainage problems - the ground is wet but there is still history here. You can almost see the score boards in the puddles.

9 - 3

As you walk past the old North Stand area there is nothing to show that fans have stood in all weathers, muffled from the cold. There is no sign of the building or the lines. Looking out over the pitch towards Pwll End there is only the expanse of cleared ground and a distant line of houses.

Sadder still is the sight of rugby Posts, denuded of their famous Saucepans, lying rusting on the ground amongst a tangle of broken railing and an old flood light.

Walking past the main entrance to the ground, the Leylandii trees have grown but there is no Electricity Club hidden behind anymore - that has also been demolished. Once this was the car park and entrance - now some rubble on the left and mud on what was once the road and shop.

To complete the walk back from the ground, the entrance to Stradey Park Avenue, the rails and gates are the same, but now there are blocks preventing access.  

So now I do not have to lean out and ask them to keep the noise down. But it is almost as though sad ghosts of the past were by my side as I wandered along the touchline once more. They were no more distinct than the players I failed to see in the past, but now as then - I feel sure that they are there..

5th January - What do you mean it is Saturday??

Where did that come from ???
I mean - I know that I was only lamenting yesterday - um, a couple of days ago, that my "Daily" blog was turning into an "occasional" blog, but Christmas has only just gone and tomorrow is the 12th Day.

How did that happen??
They say that as you get older the days go quicker. I can understand that, even though I am not getting older, maturing - yes, getting older is not the option I took!! But loss of a week without reason of excessive alcohol abuse is just plain ridiculous.

No, I did not make any New Year resolutions. In fact, this New Year was the quietest we have had in living memory. No sudden influx of party goers after the midnight hour, and had there been they would have been sadly disappointed as the drinks bill for the festive season was about 10% of previous years, and mostly still stacked in the kitchen. Wine consumption is not necessarily down at all, but the stocks of home made Susie Wine are diminishing fairly rapidly. Luckily for me, Susie has a 5 gallon barrel on the go this time.

No, I have not set out to be fit and young and blonde, but the dogs are slightly surprised by the opportunity to wander around the environs of Llanelli at unearthly hours like 8.30am. Not a resolution, I don't do them. Just seems a reasonable idea if I am awake at that time - I may as well put the boots on and take a camera out and see what is happening. Actually, the camera is not really needed, at that time of the morning it is mainly misty, almost still dark and foggy, and very little to find as a source or target.
Worse than that, this morning's trip around the old hallowed grounds of Stradey Rugby Ground had to be retraced, as I managed to drop the camera case at the main gate, and did not find out until nearing the end of the walk! The dogs are useless at this sort of game. They have never been able to find anything dropped, can't even retrace their steps. times like that I started to wish that I had put my contact lenses in before going for a walk - at least I may be able to see more than 5 feet in front of me. And, of course, it is not my camera I have with me!!  But luckily, at the main gate, the small case is lying on the ground - so all is well that ends well. The dogs don't seem to mind that we came back the same way as we went.

So, it is Saturday. I can come to terms with that . I suppose I can live with that. Tomorrow we will take down the tree and the decorations, up for the 12 days of Christmas, no more - no less. They will go back in the box for next year - hopefully at another house, another room, and another Christmas.
Only another 51 Saturdays until next New Year ....

2nd January 2013 - 2013 and Beyond....

Occasionally, one can find oneself in a quandary.
It is a new year and the festive high points have passed, and sometime in 2012 you have set yourself the task of what you declared to be a "daily" blog. But, is it a lack of discipline that allows you to go a couple of weeks without writing, or is it just good sense that you really had very little to say ???

Is there greater value in the Blog being "daily" and containing little of value, or "occasional" and filled with "gems".  Of course, the value of the gems may leave something to be required!!!

So, a Happy New Year to any who may pick up this missive.
And the first "gem" I have gleaned in this new year is that 2013 placed backwards almost spells EROS:

Well it can if you have the right font and lettering.

The second thing that I found that seemed of value was an article on how to make bacon candles.

Bacon Candles  [link here]

Unless you are hopelessly vegie, (and don't get me wrong - I have nothing against Vegies, some of my best friends are Vegies, come the apocalypse we can eat all the Vegies - that is what they call the Food Chain...)
then this seems like the best of all worlds. The light of a candle and the smell of bacon, brought together in one stroke of genius.

So with two little gems to start the year off, I will attempt to turn this "occasional" blog back to a daily one ...
2013 and beyond....

well - it is a start...

22nd December 2012 - of Sex Lies and Scandal

Nothing to do with Christmas - but then I have gone on record about my views of premature decoration, and am surprised that all those Nigerian spammers have not also decided to suggest medication for my lack of Christmas Globes in addition to comments about my apparently publicly known medical conditions.

No, nothing to do with Christmas, but following a recent Blog post upon Americymru (an excellent website /  for Welsh Pats and Ex Pats if you are not in the know!!), it is more about Christine. Christine Keeler to be exact - and the continuing story of 1963, a scandal that "rocked the government". Oh, it would be an insignificant oversight in the light of modern governmental frailty, but in the sixties the press was at its peak in "investigative journalism" - pre-dating mobile phones, computer dating and Britain's third TV channel BBC2, which would not arrive until 1964, and then only after  delays due to power cuts.

Now, in 2012, Christine is in her 70's, living with her cat and spurning men. After a brief residence in Wales where she thought the fresh air would assist her emphysema she now lives once again in London, estranged from her mother, her two sons and most of the world - still carrying her legacy with her photo sitting upon a chair, apparently naked - though she claims she had her knickers on at the time.

By comparison, the "disgraced"  John Profumo (family motto: Virtue and Work) endured only a brief spell of ignominy. His wife stayed with him until her death in 1998. By 1975 he had been awarded a CBE for his charity work in London’s East End; at Margaret Thatcher’s 70th birthday party he was not only a honoured guest, but he sat next to the Queen. When he died in 2006, aged 91, the great and the good attended his funeral: reputation had been redeemed; his status restored.

But this is about Christine and not Christmas.

But as I cast my mind back to 1963, it is with a more personal recollection. At 9 years old I had only a little interest in politics and world news. This was before "Craven's Newsround" brought current affairs into the minds of minors, with John Craven carefully explaining complex issues into single syllables - I think there is still a need for such a  programme though incessant repeats of Sky News will have a similar affect upon the feeble minded.

No, at 9 years old I was more interested in a family holiday in Portugal. My family had always been inventive in finding holidays that were slightly different. My father's view was that a good holiday was worth saving for and was better than a new three piece suite. He rarely liked the concept of package tours or pre-arranged bookings. 1963 was not different. Gibralta still had open borders with Spain at that time. Flights from London to Gibralta were available and at reduced prices - and as I recall the flight into Gibralta, where the runway extends out into the water and crosses the main road were highly interesting. I vaguely recall the Barbary Apes on the rock - how and when we saw them I do not recall - but see them I did!!

But more memorable was the hire car that we took from Gibralta - and then drove across the whole base of  Spain heading for goodness knows what in the next country. Memorable. yes - because the hire car unfortunately sprung a leak in the radiator. Of course, now  we would call an international roadside assistance with our mobile phone or iGadget. Not in 1963!!  A simpler solution was a regular stop at garages and shops across the whole of Spain to beg for a refill of water. Which in those days, meant doing the polite thing and buying something at each stop !!

My Sister and I drank more Coca Cola from small bottles purchased at roadside stops than I have at any time in my life until 2 litre bottles started marketing at 3 for £3 in the lead up to this Christmas. But this is nothing to do with Christmas !!

The basis of the family holiday in the 60's was that they would last until the money ran out. This would normally mean a couple of days of luxury somewhere, and then downsizing and nurturing resources to ensure the longest period away. It was quite reasonable to expect a two to three week holiday in Portugal.

As we limped across the border into Portugal, our battered car, steam pouring from the bonnet, limped up to the Vasco de Gama hotel - an oasis of luxury in the undergrowth. Swimming pools, Doors that opened automatically except for the large glazing near the dining rooms where uniformed porters held the door open for a 9 year old and called him "sir".  We stayed two days as I recall - only remember the swimming pool and the porters calling me "sir". I was only 9 !

In normal fashion, we  moved on from Fantasy Island into a bed and breakfast hotel/guest house overlooking a glorious beach and deep blue seas. I would have more memories, but it seems that British Newspapers were delivered in Porta de Wherever - l failed to learn to speak Portuguese  though I did play some beach football with some local lads - GOAL!!!  is universal in the Glorious Game .....

Newspapers would not be a problem in a normal family - but mine was a Fleet Street family. As Daily Mail Parliamentary Correspondent and lifelong self made journalist, my father always read every newspaper - our paper boy hated us at home as our one house was the equivalent of a full street of deliveries - I am sure our papershop loved us for the same reason.... We probably paid for his holidays in a real hotel.

But the Newspaper cried out a scandal in the making!!   Early days - perhaps just the day the story broke - I was playing football on the beach and failed to understand the subtleties of the situation, but the political ramifications were clear to my father - and so the holiday was abruptly cut short.

I do not recall - but I am sure that we must have ditched some suitcases and added a barrel or two for spare water in the boot - because I do not recall multiple stops on the way home - I know we drove through the night !! I barely remember the argument at the Spanish Border trying to get back into Gibralta or the flight home..

But I do remember the song we sang as we came home. It was a family tradition to write a holiday song on each of our trips - and this one was no exception - and it was to the tune of "Oh Mr Porter""

I still recall to this day :

"Oh Mr Profumo - What did you do??

We have to leave old Portugal and its all because of you

We have to get back to England 

As Quickly as we can...

Oh Mr Profumo - You are a naughty Man "

So, nothing to do with Christmas - but all to do with Christine.  As she looks after her cat in her later years and looks back upon her life 60 years ago - when as a 17 year old she tried to make her way in the big city -  I feel a little sorry that even in our holiday song - she did not get a mention... but that is the way of sex, lies and scandals

20th December 2012 - Last day of the World

As the Mayans seem to have identified that the world ends on the 21st December, I look with some satisfaction at the posts on Facebook from friends living in New Zealand - who are pointing out that it is already 21st December there and they are still there. Well, at least their posts are still there.

Of course, I have never really convinced myself that when they said that it would end on the 21st,  that meant at the beginning of the day, after breakfast, (or second breakfast if you are part of the current Hobbit Appreciation Cult) tea-time or at the stroke of midnight after the day is complete. If the latter is the case then I have to wait awhile to check that our antipodean friends made it, and we may still be in trouble...

However, as I prepare for my "Viking" style concert tomorrow night at Crosshands, I was gratified to read the following verse:

MAYANS & VIKINGS

Despite all the hullabaloo

‘Bout Mayans predicting the End

I know that what I know is true

So heed what tell you, my friend:

While Asgard is under his rule

Old Odin would never allow

That Ragnarök happens on Yule

So bring on the beer and the chow!

I think I will stick with good old Odin the All Father on this one .... after all, if not I wasted £30 on tickets!!!

19th December 2012 - Not a lot happening

Forgive me readers I have prevaricated. It is a week since my last confession and nothing much really seems to have transpired. Such in the laziness of the double retired.
Of course the Lyre is taking a certain amount of time, now have a basic repertoire of 10 songs with original arrangement which I  am working on, which will probably end up on Youtube in the New Year. Seems strange but there are still no videos for the 16 string Lyre out there at all!!

Otherwise - it is preparation for the Solstice at the Cinema for Friday. After a number of changes in the line up - it seems that I will now have a 25 minute spot to myself  rather than singing in the round as originally intended. Which places me sort of in the same position as the headliner, Amy, which is nice, but rather challenging for a performer who has not actually been on stage before !!!

Have worked upon the stage setting - something needed to be easy to get into place - I only have a couple of minutes for the changeover, luckily I am single guitar connection and microphone, so the electrics are simple enough, and decided upon taking the Crimson Moon as my setting - after all it is the place where I am most comfortable!!  And some Mead of course!! One bottle left!!

and so....  built in my living room is a art of the Crimson Moon - all based upon a clothes rail so it will roll into place and a couple of boxes and barrels for good luck !! Of course - in the Cinema/ Theatre it should have a black backing and the full lighting which may make a difference - sort of imagining it as ...

Well only another day and we will know how it all went!!!..