Blogs

It's all 'blue' looking out of the attic window. Odds-on for relocation of the 'office' to the Discovery Centre at the beach later . . .

News and pictures from Friday's Carmarthen Town AFC Sportsman's Dinner at the Ivy Bush Hotel - http://www.carmarthentownafc.com/sportsman2012.html

Reproduced with kind permission from David Western's Portland Lovespoon Blo g, 2012 David Western, all rights reserved

Wooohooo!! I'm going to interrupt the flow of the Eisteddfod lovespoon blog to vent some of my excitement about the advance copy of my newest lovespoon book, "History of Lovespoons" which I just received from the great folks at Fox Chapel publishing!!!

With an exhaustively researched section on the history, myths and symbolism of the lovespoon, this book will hopefully debunk much of the fanciful twaddle that appears on many commercial sites. Historical lovespoons from Wales and continental Europe show in rich colour what lovespoon carving is all about! I received wonderful support from many museums throughout Wales, Sweden, Norway and Germany and the beautiful spoons they allowed me to show here are worth the price of the book many times over! This is a chance to see some spectacular collections without leaving your armchair!!!

The book also goes into great detail explaining the symbols found on historic and modern lovespoons. There is even an entire section which explaining the meanings of various spoons part by part. (The photo here shows a beautiful old 3 bowl spoon from the fabulous collection of the National History Museum of Wales at St Fagans.)

Concluding with a lovely gallery of modern work by some of the top lovespoon carvers from around the globe, this is a great opportunity to see what is going on with lovespoon carvers throughout the globe. With spoons by Alun Davies, Mike Davies, Sion Llewellyn, David Stanley, Adam King and Ralph Hentall, there is no doubt that a wonderfully wide range of styles and techniques will be on show!! The lovespoon is a versatile thing and the design possibilities are virtually infinite, so I am super- excited to be able to highlight so many lovespoon carvers whose work I admire so much! Its an absolute treat to have them all here in one place!!

Naturally, I want to show off Laura's page! She and I are putting the finishing touches to our 2012 Eisteddfod lovespoon design and should be posting it very soon. We lovespoon carvers generally work alone, so it is very exciting and challenging to team up and do a spoon which combines very different design styles and very different approaches to carving and technique. But if the last spoon we did together was anything to go by, we'll both have a great time and some very lucky winner will walk off with the fruits of our labour!!

.

Follow the whole nine yards here (a 95 part series) :- Half Marathon Blog

Why I am running:- West Coast Eisteddfod - Bryn Seion Church

For details of how to sponsor see - this post

.

The facts as they stand currently:-

I will be away working for up to 5 days a week between now and July 6th. These away jaunts could prove very lucrative and will contribute the lion's share to the WCE finances for this year. Opportunities for training are few and far between while I am on the road so the chances of my being in shape for a half marathon on July 4th are pretty slim.

There are , however, plenty of other marathons in the later part of the year. I am currently looking at two in September that would fit the bill perfectly. I do not anticipate being under anything like the same time pressure after July 6th and a September date would ensure time for adequate preparation. I will attempt to keep the running blog alive up till the date that I run but please do not expect me to post from a camp ground with no wifi 15 miles from the nearest Starbucks

This is all a bit disappointing for me as I was looking forward to running the Sauvie Island half marathon BUT I had no idea that I would be working out of town for a month and a half when I made the initial commitment. I will run this year but I think it should be later because I cannot pass up the opportunity to make money between now and July.

What does anyone think? Should I go ahead and postpone or just try for the 4th anyway?

.

.

Follow the whole nine yards here (a 95 part series) :- Half Marathon Blog

Why I am running:- West Coast Eisteddfod - Bryn Seion Church

For details of how to sponsor see - this post

.

Getting packed for another week on the road with my clipboards. This time we are going to the Oregon Coast. I must admit that with my rather punishing work schedule I have had thoughts about not being able to get in shape in time for the 4th. However I guess I still have ten weeks and here is a ten week training schedule for reaching half marathon standard:- http://running.competitor.com/2012/03/training/rock-the-trails-10-week-advanced-off-road-training-program_48069

I guess this is the schedule I'm going to need

More tomorrow assuming wifi is available in the area where we are staying.

.

Do you have an upcoming Welsh or Celtic event? Are you looking to sell tickets online? Then look no further. The AmeriCymru Welsh Directory now offers a full online ticketing service at this url:- Add Event

If you are an AmeriCymru Welsh Directory member you have two options:-

1. You can log in and add your event yourself, or

2. You can contact us at americymru@gmail.com and we will be happy to work with you to create and promote your ideal event page.

There are many online ticketing services. Eventbee, Eventbrite, Brownpaper Tickets to name but a few. How do we differ from the competition? As far as I know they all charge 1 dollar per ticket but do not offer any assistance with page creation or promotion. We offer BOTH!

Here is our West Coast Eisteddfod 2012 page:- West Coast Eisteddfod 2012

For 1 dollar per ticket sold ( a cost which can be added to he ticket price ) we will create a similar ( or completely different ) page and help you promote it on the web.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this offer please contact americymru@gmail.com and we will get to work on your page

( All events on the AC Welsh Directory must be Welsh or Celtic themed and will be subject to approval prior to publication )

.

.

Today we are proud and pleased to present the official West Coast Eisteddfod 2012 poster. Designed by Peter Lewis with collaboration from Jen Delyth . Download printable PDF HERE

.

	- For the latest news - For the latest news and updates -

Visit Cardiff Things to Do Accommodation Eat & Drink Shopping What's On Special Offers Maps Travel July opening for Doctor Who Experience Tardis lands at Porth Teigr for official building handover Doctor Whos TARDIS appeared in Cardiff Bay today as BBC Worldwide confirmed the opening date for its new Doctor Who Experience . According to the Doctor Who Experience official twitter feed, the Experience will open on Friday 20th July in a specially-constructed building at Porth Teigr. Tickets on sale from 14th June. The Tardis is parked on a newly-built landing stage dedicated to the Doctor Who Experience. When the exhibition opens it will be served by regular water bus and taxi services. Working closely in partnership with BBC Worldwide and regeneration company Igloo, Cardiff Council has built the 3000 sq metre building in Porth Teigr, next door to the BBCs new Roath Lock Studios. The building was offially handed over to BBC Worldwide today and the internal fit out take place over the coming weeks. Ken Poole, Cardiff Councils Head of Economic Development, said: Doctor Who is a global brand and is something that has really helped boost the profile of Cardiff internationally. It is very exciting that we are now getting closer to the date that this attraction will open to the public and the countdown really begins from today. This attraction will bring millions of pounds into the economy and the benefits to Cardiff will be immense in terms of tourism. Paula Al-Lach, Head of Exhibitions and Events at BBC Worldwide said: Weve worked hard to create an outstanding visitor attraction with the Doctor Who Experience. Its the first ever interactive Doctor Who exhibition and for our Cardiff opening we have some exciting new exhibits to be displayed in public for the very first time. See more photos of the Doctor Who Experience building on our Facebook page . Props start to make their way in The first exhibits were moved into the building, including two original Doctor Who costumes, a section of the TARDIS interior wall and the Van Gogh painting of the TARDIS which featured in the series 5 episode Vincent and the Doctor. Mark Hallett, Development Director at Igloo Regeneration, the team behind Porth Teigr, said: We are really excited about the benefits that the Doctor Who Experience will bring to the wider South Wales region in terms of visitor numbers and are delighted to welcome the exhibition to its new home at Porth Teigr. More of interest... Accommodation Things to Do Eat & Drink www.visitcardiff.com Cardiff & Co,Top Floor, Westgate House, Womanby Street, Cardiff, CF10 1BR Company No. 06246680 VAT No. 928 3574 93 T: +44(0)29 2087 3573 visitor@cardiff.gov.uk

.

Follow the whole nine yards here (a 95 part series) :- Half Marathon Blog

Why I am running:- West Coast Eisteddfod Bryn Seion Church

For details of how to sponsor see this post

.

Adding my blog post today from the public library in Bend Oregon. I have approximately 25 minutes of wifi time before they close so this will be , of necessity, a brief update. Suffice it to say that I will be keeping up my training while I am here although of course I will not be able to measure my progress in terms of circuits around the turnip patch. I will have to devise a new route around the various yurts in the campground where we are staying. The air is a lot fresher and cleaner up here than it is in Portland and that is a big plus for running. I hope to be back tomorrow with a further update meanwhile enjoy the video below- Marathon Thoughts.

.

.