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Ynys is a new project by Dylan Hughes, ex Race Horses and Radio Luxembourg. The songs of Ynys combine Dylan’s melodic gift and adventurous playful song craft into a rich collection of melancholic harmonies and off-kilter psychedelic pop songs that mirror the vulnerability, yet assured, classicism of alternative touchstones such as Velvet Underground, Elliot Smith and Teenage Fan Club. This Aberystwyth exile based these songs on hundreds of voice recordings collected over the previous four years. They reflect moments and ideas captured in a dream-like state in a twilight suburbia, where the ordinary and mundane become the extraordinary and magical. – Libertino Records

‘Caneuon’ (Songs) is the first material recorded and released by Dylan since his days in Race Horses and it’s been worth the wait. With an open and big chorus that envelopes the listener into his world; ‘Caneuon’ is inviting and unforgettable. It’s a hymn to the power of an ‘unexpected song’ saved from the past and it overflows with longing for the pure joy that music brings. Caneuon was recorded in Tŷ Drwg with renowned Cardiff producer Frank Naughton and mixed and mastered by Iwan Morgan (Gruff Rhys, Euros Childs, H Hawkline, Cate Le Bon, Meilyr Jones) in Liverpool.

CANEUON (Songs)

Verse

Like the friend, who’s gone away,
Lost, and far away.
Another year behind your eyes,
Still waiting for something to return
Like the key under the stone, waiting for the door
Another reason to meet, and run away

Chorus

I was listening to Gegin Nos,
When it all came back.
The old lost melodies, are always here for you.

Verse
It starts to happen, one day at a time,
The voice I’ve heard a thousand times.
Sometimes when you’re lost, and no one understands.

In another dream, I’ll hear you singing once again,
Another reason to meet, and run away

“Welsh Language emo heroes Breichiau Hir are one of the best kept secrets I reckon, combining urgency and melody and leaving you want to cry and learn Welsh” Huw Stephens

Welsh punk band  Breichiau Hir deliver an urgent call to arms with their new single, ‘Penblwydd Hapus Iawn ' (A Very Happy Birthday). An unflinching three minutes of punk aggression powered by a wall of three-pronged guitars and cathartic screams, underscored by brittle melodic interplay, reminiscent of the band’s early influences, Sunny Day Real Estate, At The Drive In and The Get Up Kids , it proves that Breichiau Hr's visceral prescient sound is primed for wider attention. Steffan Dafydd the band’s lyricist and vocalist explains: " the setting of the song is a catastrophic birthday party I attended a few years ago where I witnessed the worst in some of the best people”.

It's Breichiau Hir’s third release on West Wales imprint Libertino records, home to the most exciting emerging Welsh acts( Adwaith, Los Blancos, Silent Forum ). If ever a band was needed to soundtrack these unhinged times, where there is a lack of political and social responsibility and accountability, Breichiau Hir fill that void with passion and honesty.  

Breichiau Hir are a cult Welsh language six-piece with a rich history spanning over a decade that depicts just how committed they are to their cause. They met in 2008 when they were schoolmates in Cardiff, inspired by the post-hardcore, punk and emo bands of the 1990s. They released a handful of self-produced DIY singles and played numerous shows throughout their university years.   "In 2015 we recorded our EP Mae'r Angerdd Yma Yn Troi Yn Gas.”  Says Dafydd “We were still experimenting and seeing what fits.  This was the first time we had recorded a collection of songs all in one studio with Mei Gwynedd who also released it via his label Jigcal"  The singles  'Toddi'  and 'Ti A Dy Ffordd' both received airplay and critical acclaim. Ti A Dy Ffordd was picked out as 2015's song of the year in Golwg magazine.

In 2018, they signed to Libertino Records and released the dark melodic sound of double-a side,  'Halen'  and   'Mewn Darnau', rounding off the year with the speak/shouty punk single, 'Portread O Ddyn Yn Bwyta Ei Hun.'

  Translated Lyrics:

OK, I’d like to say that I have nothing better to say
I’ve already used these words
I don’t want to do anything
I’d say that’s worse for me than it is for you

Biting tongues and keeping things to yourselves
Someone here deserves anything better but being here
OK, she didn’t do anything
But here you are, staring, completely still.

And I have nothing more to say
So I’m getting out of here fast
A very happy birthday to you

Thank God, I have to leave now
Your face has turned white, your veins tight
You’re black magic that only works on me I hate every day
 I’m an overflowing glass of juice, and everyday sips away at me

 What a very happy birthday to you

Week 5 of 52 - Tommy Jenkins

This week Tommy Jenkins allows us an insight into the musical life story of one of Wales’ most unique folk singers. His work in the folk scene in South Wales is unparalleled as a solo artist and in various bands including Cromlech. I have an album of theirs in my collection, Igam Ogam on the Sain record label.

A self-taught Welsh speaker, he gives us an in depth view into his career. I wanted to edit the video down to ten minutes so that more viewers in this digital age would watch. It’s well known that the short attention span of the You Tube generations want an experience that is quick and short. Tommy comes in at nearly thirty minutes, I urge you sit, relax and listen to Tommy’s story.

Tommy has released several albums over the years including Songs of Swansea and Gower. By the end of April he is hopefully releasing a new album

I’m off tonight to watch coracle fishing on the River Towy in Carmarthen, a 9.30 p.m. start. We will be filming them soon and putting together a documentary on the history and folklore of the unique fishing craft through the ages.

Next week Mother Bear are off to film in a recording studio in Gorslas, Carmarthenhshire and capture the unique sound of Ron Savory and Liz Crippin before they set out an extensive tour of post-Brexit Europe.

Here’s a link to a performance at the Laugharne Festival in 2017 -

Here’s a few we hope to bring to you soon:

• Kidwelly Castle
• Boss Brewing, Cardiff
• embrokeshire Beach Food
• Rhondda Heritage Centre
• Surfers against Sewage
• Tin Churches of Pembrokeshire

It’s a wonderful hobby travelling around Wales getting to know people from different walks of life and Americymru gives us the focus to continue.

BBC Cymru Wales and Arts Council of Wales are today announcing that the search for Horizons artists to join its 2019 project is now underway.

Celebrating its 5th year this year, Horizons has given a platform to over 48 emerging artists from Wales giving them opportunities to reach new audiences in Wales, the UK and beyond. And now they’re looking for 12 new artists.

The application process is now open. The 12 successful acts will be supported in various ways over the next 12 months – with opportunities to appear at festivals and events, on the radio including BBC Wales’ national services - BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Wales and on social media.

The Horizons project aims to showcase promising talent in Wales. Highlights over the past five years include recording at the world-renowned Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, Maida Vale Studios in London, and an exclusive collaboration with partners like the Football Association of Wales who are currently showcasing Horizons’ artist’s music as the soundtrack of Welsh football.

As the Horizons project celebrates its fifth year, there are plans to work with new partners as well as bring a host of new and former Horizons artists together to create some extra special moments across 2019.

Bethan Elfyn, Project Manager of Horizons at BBC Wales, said:

“We’re looking forward to welcoming 12 new musical talents to the project. In this fifth year we’ll be on a mission to celebrate the role the project plays; we’re proud of everything from the grassroots work we do to the larger scale collaborations, representing a wide range of diverse musical styles, talents, locations and backgrounds. Horizons is a crucial injection into an already energised, and prolific Welsh music scene.”

“By supporting a group of artists, not only do we help nurture new talent but create a window on Welsh music at home as well as further afield. Our vision continues to be to bring a new, fresh sound to represent a modern Wales – and some of the stories from the Welsh music world are having a huge cultural impact at a crucial time.”

Lisa Matthews, Portfolio Manager at Arts Council of Wales, says:

"We’re proud to support Horizons for a further year and see another 12 artists have a creative and potentially career changing year. There’s been some incredible opportunities created so far and we’re looking forward with excitement to enabling more developmental music experiences."

Applications are open from April 4 to Midnight, May 1, and announcements will follow in June. Acts who want to be considered fill in a form online via bbc.co.uk/horizons . Horizons acts will be selected by a panel of experts from within the partnership and the wider music sector.

Please follow Twitter and Facebook - @horizonscymru - for all the information.

Horizons acts have been showcased at some of the biggest festivals at home and internationally from Glastonbury, The Great Escape, Festival No.6, Focus Wales, to Eurosonic and SXSW and performed sessions at the legendary Maida Vale Studios. In the four years of the project previous Horizons alumni include Himalayas, Candelas, Swnami, Casi, Hannah Grace, Violet Skies, Adwaith, Afrocluster, Baby Queens, Kizzy Crawford, Seazoo, Reuel Elijah, Danielle Lewis and many more who have benefitted from the Horizon’s Project.

Eadyth, one of the artists from the 2018 project says:

"I was so thrilled to be selected last year for Horizons, and the year has given me the encouragement to keep on with my music. I’ve done all sorts of things including a gig in the woods at San Ffagan and streaming a show live from the Assembly building in Cardiff Bay to an event in New York for Welsh Language Music Day. Another honour was to be the first artist to be chosen to soundtrack the Horizons partnership with the Football Association of Wales’ women’s team campaign. Best of all, I’ve got great gigs lined up with Horizons for the year ahead too."

2018 Horizons band Adwaith added:

"Congratulations to Horizons on their 5th year Anniversary. We started our year with Horizons playing at the Radio One Academy in Swansea last May, and then live on BBC Radio Cymru from the fringe. One of the highlights for us this year was recording at Rockfield Studios – they’re iconic! Another highlight was a gig in London, which started at a networking lunch with Sony. We’ve enjoyed the journey with the Horizons team and met some amazing people on the way too. It's been fun!"

Ian Gwyn Hughes, Head of Public Affairs, Football Association of Wales said of the Horizons/FAW collaboration:

"We're excited to be heading into the new year with Horizons. Music and football are two very special parts of Welsh culture and we’re eager to support new talent from Wales in the music industry by being one of the platforms for bringing new music to a wider audience."

Mae BBC Cymru Wales a Chyngor Celfyddydau Cymru heddiw’n cyhoeddi bod y chwilio am artistiaid Gorwelion i ymuno â phrosiect 2019 bellach wedi dechrau.

Yn dathlu ei 5ed flwyddyn eleni, mae Gorwelion wedi rhoi llwyfan i dros 48 o artistiaid newydd o Gymru gan roi cyfleoedd iddynt gyrraedd cynulleidfaoedd newydd yng Nghymru, y DU a thu hwnt. Nawr maent yn chwilio am 12 artist newydd.

Mae’r broses ymgeisio nawr yn agored. Bydd y 12 ymgeisydd llwyddiannus yn cael cymorth mewn gwahanol ffyrdd dros y 12 mis nesaf – gyda chyfleoedd i ymddangos mewn gwyliau a digwyddiadau, ar y radio gan gynnwys gwasanaethau cenedlaethol BBC Cymru Wales – BBC Radio Cymru a BBC Radio Wales ac ar gyfryngau cymdeithasol.

Nod prosiect Gorwelion yw arddangos doniau addawol yng Nghymru. Mae uchafbwyntiau'r pum mlynedd diwethaf yn cynnwys recordio yn Stiwdios Rockfield byd enwog yn Sir Fynwy, Maida Vale Studios yn Llundain a chydweithrediad unigryw gyda phartneriaid fel Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru sydd ar hyn o bryd yn arddangos cerddoriaeth un o artistiaid Gorwelion fel trac sain pêl-droed Cymru.

Wrth i brosiect Gorwelion ddathlu ei bumed pen-blwydd, mae cynlluniau i weithio gyda phartneriaid newydd yn ogystal â dod â llu o artistiaid newydd a chyn-artistiaid Gorwelion at ei gilydd i greu eiliadau hynod arbennig ar draws 2019.

Dywedodd Bethan Elfyn, Rheolwr Prosiect Gorwelion yn BBC Cymru Wales:

“Rydyn ni’n edrych ymlaen at groesawu 12 dawn gerddorol newydd i’r prosiect. Yn y bumed flwyddyn hon byddwn yn mynd ati i ddathlu’r rôl a chwaraeir gan y prosiect; rydym yn falch o bopeth, o’r gwaith ar lawr gwlad i’r gwaith a wnawn ar y cydweithrediadau mwy, gan gynrychioli ystod eang o arddulliau, doniau, lleoliadau a chefndiroedd cerddorol amrywiol. Mae Gorwelion yn gyfraniad pwysig i’r sîn gerddoriaeth Gymreig sydd eisoes yn hynod gynhyrchiol a bywiog.”

“Drwy roi cefnogaeth i grŵp o artistiaid, nid yn unig yr ydym yn helpu i feithrin doniau newydd ond hefyd yn creu ffenestr ar gerddoriaeth Gymreig yma yng Nghymru a thu hwnt. Mae ein gweledigaeth yn parhau i ddod â sain newydd, ffres i gynrychioli Cymru fodern – ac mae rhai o’r straeon o fyd cerddoriaeth Cymru’n cael effaith ddiwylliannol enfawr ar adeg hynod bwysig.”

Dywedodd Lisa Matthews, Rheolwr Portffolio yng Nghyngor Celfyddydau Cymru:

“Rydyn ni’n falch o gael cefnogi Gorwelion am flwyddyn arall a chael gweld 12 artist arall yn cael blwyddyn greadigol a allai newid eu gyrfaoedd. Mae cyfleoedd anhygoel wedi cael eu creu hyd yma ac rydyn ni’n edrych ymlaen yn fawr at alluogi mwy o gyfleoedd datblygu newydd.”

Bydd modd ymgeisio rhwng Ebrill 4 a Hanner Nos, Mai 1, a bydd cyhoeddiadau'n dilyn ym mis Mehefin. Dylai artistiaid sydd eisiau cael eu hystyried lenwi ffurflen ar-lein drwy bbc.co.uk/horizons . Bydd rhestr Gorwelion yn cael ei dewis gan banel o arbenigwyr yn y bartneriaeth ac yn y sector cerddorol ehangach.

Dilynwch ar Twitter a Facebook os gwelwch yn dda - @horizonscymru - i gael yr holl wybodaeth.

Mae artistiaid Gorwelion wedi cael cyfle i arddangos eu doniau yn rhai o’r gwyliau mwyaf yn y wlad hon ac yn rhyngwladol, o Glastonbury, The Great Escape, Gŵyl Rhif 6, Focus Wales, i Eurosonic a SXSW ac wedi perfformio sesiynau yn Maida Vale Studios chwedlonol. Yn ystod pedair blynedd flaenorol y prosiect, mae’r rhai fu’n cymryd rhan yn cynnwys Himalayas, Candelas, Swnami, Casi, Hannah Grace, Violet Skies, Adwaith, Afrocluster, Baby Queens, Kizzy Crawford, Seazoo, Reuel Elijah, Danielle Lewis a llawer mwy sydd wedi cael budd o Brosiect Gorwelion.

Meddai Eadyth, un o’r artistiaid ar brosiect 2018:

“Roeddwn i wrth fy modd o gael fy newis ar gyfer Gorwelion y llynedd, ac mae’r flwyddyn wedi rhoi anogaeth i mi ddal ati gyda fy ngherddoriaeth. Rydw i wedi gwneud pob math o bethau, gan gynnwys gig yn y coed yn Sain Ffagan, a ffrydio sioe yn fyw o adeilad y Cynulliad ym Mae Caerdydd i ddigwyddiad yn Efrog Newydd ar gyfer Dydd Miwsig Cymru. Anrhydedd arall oedd bod yr artist cyntaf i gael ei dewis i ddarparu trac sain partneriaeth Gorwelion gydag ymgyrch tîm merched Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru. A’r peth gorau un, mae gen i gigs gwych wedi’u trefnu gyda Gorwelion ar gyfer y flwyddyn i ddod hefyd.”

Ychwanegodd Adwaith, grŵp Gorwelion 2018:

“Llongyfarchiadau i Gorwelion ar eu 5ed Pen-blwydd. Fe wnaethon ni ddechrau ein blwyddyn gyda Gorwelion yn chwarae yn y Radio One Academy yn Abertawe fis Mai diwethaf, ac yna’n fyw ar BBC Radio Cymru o’r ffrinj. Un o’r uchafbwyntiau i ni eleni oedd recordio yn Rockfield Studios - mae nhw’n eiconig! Uchafbwynt arall oedd gig yn Llundain, a ddechreuodd mewn cinio rhwydweithio gyda Sony. Rydyn ni wedi mwynhau’r daith gyda thîm Gorwelion ac wedi cwrdd â phobl wych ar y ffordd hefyd. Mae wedi bod yn hwyl!”

Meddai Ian Gwyn Hughes, Pennaeth Materion Cyhoeddus Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru am y cydweithio rhwng Gorwelion a’r Gymdeithas:

“Rydym yn gyffrous wrth ddechrau blwyddyn newydd gyda Gorwelion. Mae cerddoriaeth a phêl-droed yn ddwy agwedd arbennig ar ddiwylliant Cymru ac rydym yn awyddus i gefnogi doniau newydd o Gymru yn y diwydiant cerdd drwy fod yn un o’r llwyfannau ar gyfer dod â cherddoriaeth at gynulleidfa ehangach.”

Mae Gorwelion / Horizons yn gynllun a redir gan BBC Cymru Wales mewn partneriaeth â Chyngor Celfyddydau Cymru i ddatblygu cerddoriaeth gyfoes annibynnol, newydd yng Nghymru.

Ahead of the release of their third album for Bubblewrap Collective, The Crack And What It Meant , Quiet Marauder are unveiling the LP’s second single, What Happened To Science? Narratively conceptual, the wider album describes the emergence of a ‘Crack’ in time and space in the rural suburbs of Kent and the subsequent social panics, economic posturing, divisional blame games and global belief systems that arrive as a consequence. Narrated by the deep drawl of Mathias Kom ( The Burning Hell ), the album’s 30 tracks veer between short War Of The World synthscapes, pop-folk balladry, post-ironic show tunes and shuffling indie-rock; all tied together by the multiple underlying storylines. These include the death (and rebirth) of science, mass media antagonists, the ambivalent progress of global capitalism, the opening (and closure) of the Crack’s Costa Coffee franchise and the rise (and fall) of tramp-turned-soothsayer Daniel alongside his burgeoning, prospering belief system. What Happened To Science? reflects the growing public distrust of science and expertise following the uncovering of the ‘Crack’, profligating wildly in the hashtag-focussed forum of social media. With blame being directed at scientists for not predicting the miraculous phenomenon, its funding routes and expositors come under increasing scrutiny and criticism. Intertwining the high-concepts and broad instrumentation of  Arcade Fire , with the warm, spiky melodicism of  The Wave Pictures  and the wide-eyed, quick-witted lyricism of  Vivian Stanshall ; the single will be released on 29th March 2019 via all digital download platforms. What Happened To Science? will also be accompanied by a music video released on the same day, produced by On Par Productions (Boy Azooga, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Steve Mason). The Crack And What It Meant will be released on 26th April 2019 via digital download and CD with illustrated booklet and cut-out sleeve.

Tour dates with The Burning Hell June 24th – Cardiff – Tiny Rebel
June 25th – Brighton – Hope and Ruin
June 26th - Nottingham - Albert's
June 27th – Manchester – The Deaf Institute
June 28th – Bristol – The Louisiana 
June 30th – London – The Lexington

    SULLY ISLAND (Starting point) <-------------------  (65.1 miles)  ----------------------> LUNDY ISLAND (Destination)      

Competitors from all over Wales and the world will be descending on the small Glamorganshire village of Sully today for the annual Lundy Li-Lo (air mattress) Dash. The event which has been held in the Glan Mor Hafren ( Severn Estuary) since 1966 is a gruelling test of endurance and physical fitness which brings hundreds of athletes together in an attempt to beat the world record for butterfly stroking on an air mattress the 65.1 miles between Sully and Lundy Island.

AmeriCymru spoke to competitor (and last years runner up) David Jones as he wrestled a keg from his locker. When asked why he put to sea with a 40 pint pressure barrel strapped to his back he replied:- "You've gotta stay properly hydrated. It's a long way and it's hard work and you've got the sun on your back too."

RAF Air Sea Rescue captain Llywelyn 'Biggles' Jones said:- "We are always very busy at this time of year and we strongly advise competitors to behave responsibly and observe all necessary safety precautions. So....don't forget the sun screen."

Rescue teams are standing by on the cliffs at Lundy Island in case competitors make landfall in an awkward spot. Most of the island is ringed by cliffs and there is only one safe landing point. Spotters with binoculars and telescopes will also be watching to detect any competitors who, having missed the island altogether, are washed out into mid-Atlantic by the strong tides and currents.

If you would like to take part in next years Lundy Li-Lo Dash please follow the link below to register on the official website.

Week 4 of 52, Trudi Petersen

This week we introduce you to Trudi Petersen who is running an independent shop, Found and Seek in the county town of Carmarthen.

I first met Trudi in a Cross Hands Working Men’s Club at a Spoken Word Open Mic. As a performance poet she is a very able artist with a great stage presence and a cultured use of language. She made me smile and she made me laugh. I’ll let her tell you her story in her own inimitable way.

Last Friday Mother Bear travelled to Trawsfynydd. What a day! A 5.30 a.m. start meant we were up in Yr Ysgwrn in time for breakfast. The last productions of The Empty Chair were extremely powerful and the one-man multimedia show of Hedd Wynn’s life was performed by the national poet of Wales, Ifor Ap Glyn.

The croeso at the bwythyn was warm and welcoming. The bara brith and panedd o de very much appreciated. It wasn’t for the first time in my life that I was sorry for the lack of a fluent Welsh tongue in my repertoire. I urge you if you visit Wales you must go to the home of the poet. http://www.yrysgwrn.com/home .

We’re off this week to meet up with Anna of isea surfwear. An independent bespoke print and design business being run out of a barn in Llanteg, Amroth and if we can fit it in Columbus Campers in Swansea run by the illustrious Jimmy Page. Although not the Led Zeppelin guitarist, James does play a guitar beautifully. Coincidentally, I bought tickets for a Robert Plant show in the Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen in April. It’s not the usual show they put on in the Lyric. We’ll have to try and get an interview and ask him about Led Zep’s impromptu performance at the Silverdales Caravan Club in Pendine in the 80’s!

Well, we beat the Irish and the nation partied. They are an outstanding group of athletes dedicated to their professional sport. For me it is very gratifying to see local players coming through the system and to have coached them at a younger age, Kenneth Owens and Jonathan Davies dedicated their lives to rugby from a young age and they deserve all they get. Llongyfarchiadau.

Perhaps it’s wrong to say it at this time of celebration and optimism but Welsh Rugby isn’t in a good place. I haven’t got statistics at my fingertips but from what I observe amateur grass roots rugby is dying fast. Second team rugby, social rugby is nearly dead and Youth rugby not far behind it. We live in a different world of professional sport and the emphasis of sport for all in rugby has now switched to providing the National team with the highest quality but it is at the detriment of social rugby. Sad to say but rugby isn’t what it used to be. Rugby clubs are fighting for their survival. Could be a video on the subject?

Councillor Phil Bent was in a jam.

He was in a right hole.

He had been given a wedgie on many occasions as Chairman of the Planning Sub-Committee but this was a first.

Buried up to his waist in an old Air-Shaft in Mountain Hare meant he couldn't move a muscle.

Below him a 30 foot drop and above him only sky.

His search for the 500 metre buffet zone at East Merthyr Land Reclamation scheme had proved fruitless.

He checked the Council Minutes.yes there supposed to be a buffet zone.

There was no such thing as a free lunch he moaned as he hung suspended in the air by his three spare tyres.

The human Michelin Man had for once been saved by his preference for cramming as many free helpings that his Council meetings permitted.

As the early Autumn sky changed to grey, he feared that he would be stuck here all night and his expenses ran out at 7.00pm.

His cries for help were only investigated by some curious Ffos-y-Fran ponies and the odd solitary ewe who had managed to evade the impounding truck.

Soon it would be dark he thought and he would miss his free lift home from Keith The Night Porter - the Mayors Chauffeur.

Why oh why did he bother wandering off from the Planning Sub-Committee - it wasnt even like it was his own Ward the proposed scheme affected.

In his opinion twenty years of open-casting dust and asthma was a small price for the electorate to pay for global warming.

A better climate for Wales was the ticket he had been elected on and besides the resulting hole would provide refuse tips for the next millennia and beyond.

No wonder he had earned the nickname Land-Phil by his beloved Cefn Coed electorate.

As he gently patted his money-belt and flab holding him above the Mine Shaft, he wondered if this was the first such occasion where a Local Councillor had been saved by some green for not being green.


Looking through his night vision specs , Zoltan the Environmental Protection Warden, could see lots of glowing red.

Carefully positioned in the gorse bushes on the moorland upwind of Trecatti Refuse Tip , he lay motionless in the coal dust in full khaki combat gear and on full alert.

In the distance he thought he could hear vehicles buzzing up and down the A4060 Slip Road and the gentle hum of traffic heading back up the Valley from their daily commute to the Welsh Capital.

What he could in fact hear was the buzzing of one million fly larvae hatching in Biblical proportions intent on plaguing the good chapel-going people of Dowlais together with the hum of waste from Trecatti Tip wafting back and fore in a visible brown haze above the lead and exhaust-fume layer rising 1000 feet above sea-level.

Zoltans infra-red glasses had tonight picked up more than the Nucleur glow of the Earth below Trecatti.

Zoltan could as see a blob -too large to be human near the old air-shafts of the Trebeddau-Brithdir Coal Seam , and it wasnt the trapped Councillor.

The eco-warden bore more face-paint than Teacher Bessie at its prime but boy did he love his job!!!

Catching and prosecuting Fly-Tippers was his life.

He had once caught more than thirty people in one week dumping their old white goods on Cwmbargoed Common during the Hoover scandal.

After handing in his collection of washing machines and tumble driers he had become the only person in Merthyr to get Free Flight from Hoover for bringing back the empties.

As the blob grew larger Zoltan was puzzled as the blob seemed to become airborne.

Tonight, the term Fly-Tipping was to take on a whole new meaning as the hatchling bluebottles, greenbottles and Crane Fly larvae began to create a swarm so vast that it would make the Mummy Returns look tame .


At Dowlais Rugby Club, the locals looked aghast.

For nearly a decade the Australian-Style Fly-strips suspended vertically from the ceiling had done their job.

The car park behind had developed its own eco-system as Venus Fly-traps had mysteriously sprung up in the grass verges and training area around the pitch.

Even the local dogs were adept at snapping flies out of the Blaen Dowlais air to supplement their sparce diet.

Tonight, however was different, the regulars of Elwyn , Big Dai and Chico sat amongst other bar-flies too numerous to mention.

As they flicked at the flies with their yellow Klondyke tickets they realized something was wrong.

Poor Ralph Twtchs bald pate had become the landing strip for a multitude of insects so much so from the Lounge Wayne Jones pushed in the glasses onto the bridge of his nose as he thought Ralphs hair had been restoredfirst Austin Healy he thought now Ralph Twtch.

How come there are no flies on you? Elwyn ask Chico licking his roll-up cigarette in true Clint Eastwood-style.

Its down to his Old Faithful lucky jacketmused Big Dai

Even local celebrity Maxi , who had been reputed to gobble anything in a fly couldnt cope.

The swarm of pests began to cover the bar ,the lounge and even disrupted the Friday Night darts match.

But still none landed on Chico.

The Polish- Scots darts team decided to abandon the game after three consecutive darts speared flying insects before hitting the dartboard .

Complaints by Wayne Jones that he had scored One Bugshead and eighty were ignored as the participants headed for the open air.



Up at meat factory , the Portuguese workforce looked to the skies as their Iberian intuition told them that something was wrong.

Panic spread as the Autumn sun turned black as the swarm of flies hit town.

Those with green cards hit out at the flying masses whilst those without used the closest thing available to hand to fend off the incoming insects.

Pig Trotters and Cow Bollocks became impromptu weapons to save the Tesco bound Products.

Every Little Helps was the battle cry as the work force fought to prevent Linda McCartney Sausages becoming full of Wings..





Alone in the dark , Councillor Phil Bent began to sweat.

What if there are wild animals up here at night-like the Monmouthshire Panther or worse still the living dead that frequent the Kirkhouse on a Thursday Night (Over 25s nite).

The snapping of twigs ten feet to his right made him start and for the first time that night he felt movement.

The first of his spare tyres gave way and he sunk one rung deeper into the mine shaft.


Gears roaring the L-Passo driving instruction car sped up the Twynyrodyn Hill, flying over the pink tank-traps that doubled as Dukes of Hazzard-Style ramps as the white Peugeot 106 flew to the sound of Roxettes Joyride as the Galon Uchaf duo put their latest acquisition through its paces.

Fitted with He-Man Dual Controls this car was a joy-riders dream, as the two teenagers took turns accelerating and braking in tandem.

As they completed their latest series of handbrake-turns and doughnuts on the Formula One racetrack known as the Goatmill Road the road surface bore more Michelin skid-marks than the underpants of a councilor trapped in a hole.

Having circled the magic roundabout fifteen times the Bogey Road exit was selected being the favoured option of the seasoned car-thief as it offered ample opportunity to dispose of the stolen goods without detection.

The eldest waster ElviS had stolen all kinds of vehicles in the past from BMWs to Mercedes even an ambulance once the time his Nana had nearly been taken in.

He had earned the nickname from his reputation that his car passengers Were all shook up after joy riding with him.

That and the fact he had tattooed the name Elvis on his forehead in Indian Ink with a mirror in Junior School.

The problem is the S was printed indelibly but backwards.

His sidekick Astra (named after his penchant for Vauxhalls and throwing fireworks in letterboxes) seemed kinda quiet tonight, probably because at 14 years old he was soon to leave school and learn the ways of the dark side on a full time basis.

Having relieved himself of the contents of the glove compartment , he non-chalently slung the Spandau Ballet Gold compact discs like frisbies at his Rock-a Billy partner who was fumbling for his lighter fluid.



Dont sniff too muchleave some for me!!! he roared as the car became engulfed in flames.

The red L Sign on top of the car was symbolic of the Hellish World these pair of devils lived in.

The destructive duo waded through the grassland common towards the twinkling lights of the Valley Capital.



The Gypsy family heard the explosion and their heads turned as one towards the sound high up on the common above Trecatti and then back to their inner circle.

They had arranged a bare-knuckle bout of boxing but their sport had been interrupted by the discovery of an intruder in their midst in their turf.

Looking out from his air-shaft prison Councillor Phil Bent could make several dirty faces and by the glow of the make-shift twig fire they looked like wild savages.

Hair all matted and lice-ridden, with clothes all torn and damaged they stared at him like a lion looks at a downed zebra.

They spoke in a Romany dialect which was not English but not quite Gurnos.

It was guttural and reminded him of the film 2001-a Space Odyssey.

The oldest Gippo- Magwar reached down and stole his pocket-watch from his waistcoat and began to tug at his gold tooth.

Be off with you shrieked the trapped Councillor as the circle of scavengers drew nearer .

Fearing the worst , he sucked in his diaphragm and let out a deep breath and this had the desired effect , like a squeeze-box contracting the air moved to nether regions and he emitted the latest fart ever heard by man or gipsy and his remaining spare tyres gave way and he disappeared into the void below.

Magwar actually believed (judging by the sound) that the Councillor had spontaneously combusted.

Landing with a squelch , less akimbo Councillor Bents undercarriage told him that he hadnt yet hit rock bottom.

His soft landing owed a lot to the hand of fate.

He had in fact crash landed on top of a fourth generation Brithdir Pit pony whose ancestors had been abandoned to die in the anthracite after the pit became uneconomic to work.

The pony was blinder and tougher than any Champions League referee and had pounded the narrow passageways and tunnels that riddled the mountainsides surviving on a diet of plant roots and other subterranean vegetation.

Making adjustment for the extra weight the pony continued its perpetual forward motion in the pit shaft pausing only to let the odd one go.

The Councillor knew he was moving , but in the pitch dark couldnt work out how - not that was until his steed backfired.

Too frightened to light a match in view of the circumstances he just went along with the ride until he realized that he had a laser pen he had bought in Harrods.

The novelty pen designed to commemorate the wedding of Peter Andre and Jordan gave him an idea.

As he pressed the top a cheesy grin from Andres teeth appeared lighting up the passage with an incandescent light.

He also discovered that if he unscrewed the top two beams of green light shot out of Katie Prices nipples.

Looking down in the half-light at his Steed, he couldnt help but compare the Pen bride to his current mount as the face beaming back at him had huge white teeth and shaggy hair the only difference was that his own Mysterious Girl smelled of horseshit.

As he bumped his way his way into the night he could help but think Im a local celebrity get me out of here!!!



Staring down from his perch high above the Trecatti Landfill site, a swarthy skinned Portuguese man watched the Slip Road uneasily.

Eduardo Torres-Gracia had only taken the job as Refuse Tip manager because of his bonuses.

His Lisbon-based Agency had lured him to the El Dorado of the Valleys cos they had told him the streets of Dowlais were paved with gold and the Terraces there were named after Portuguese Kings.

The reality of Alphonso Street Penywern was that due to the overcrowding from illegal aliens from Portugal and the Eastern Bloc countries and the number of stray dogs the pavements were covered in a different material.

Since coming to Merthyr he had lost everything he ever had treasured.


When he arrived he had a job in the Meat Factory , a wife, a house and his pride.

Those Solicitors he had engaged had cost him the lot.

His misfortune started when the sub-zero temperatures of the Meat Factory cost him the feeling in all his digits.

Soon his wife Angelica complained in the divorce papers that he was always cold towards her and complained of frost bite and hypothermia of the womb.

His claim for Vibration White Finger was refused on the basis that he was Portuguese and therefore could not possibly have white fingers.

His solicitors fees and his divorce had drained all his assets and he could not raise anything to fund an appeal.

So he had decided to get back at the Factory the only way he could .by freeing their workforce from their minimum wage prison.

He watched intently as the convoy of green trucks snaked their way up the slip road towards the Penygarnddu Slaughterhouse.

As the trucks slowed for the Blaen Dowlais bend , the tail-gates opened and the latest batch of illegal aliens rolled into the hard shoulder and headed up the grassed bank towards their saviour at the Tip HQ.

AS brief handshakes were exchanged between ex pat countrymen and Eduardo Torres Garcia the steady flow of colonists headed towards the Alphonso Street Ghetto amongst them was one individual in a turban who stuck out like a sore thumb.

******************************************************************

From Outer Space, just beyond the dark side of the moon, the spacecraft stopped dead.

The odour filling the spacecraft turned the heads of ZARG and Wazz the Venusian spacemen filling each of their three noses with noxious fumes.

A quick check on their scanners pinpointed the source of the universally offensive stench.

Looking down at the blue planet the creatures the could make out the Great Wall of China, the Himalayas and a strange gold/brown glow from an Island off Europe.

As the mother ship sped towards Earth she feared that one of her offspring was sending a distress beacon .

They had to be careful because the last time they spotted a glow it turned out to be a disaster at Chernobyl in Russia.

And as any self-respecting Russian in Y-Fronts will tell you have to be careful or Chernobyl fallout.

And have three Alien penises it was not a pretty site.




Trudging through the narrow back passages guided by the back passage of his Pit Pony , Phil Bent realized that if he was to get out of the Mine he should follow the pony towards freedom.

The smell was overpowering but he preferred it to the stench of rotting landfill that had grown stronger as he headed North.

He had put away his Pen (which incidentally doubled as a Compass-Jordans breasts being silicon pointed magnetically towards Venus) because he had encountered an ooze of green slime which seemed to glow with a luminousity of its own.

As the smell grew stronger the passageways became more congested as he passed the remains of Oil-covered sea-birds , barrels marked Sea Empress, dead cattle stamped BSE carefully disguised in Old MuckDonalds wrappings, and literally thousands of non-biodegradable Asda carrier-bags which appeared to be breeding.

As he reached a sorce of light he realized that he must be below the core of Trecatti Waste-tip.

Looking up through the Pepper pots he saw a flame burning bright blue burning off the methane and he sat down in a discarded wheelchair staring up surrounding by thousands of MuckDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut boxes..

At that moment he felt like Tanni Grey Thompson holding the Olympic Torch surrounded by the same sponsors.

Wading through unsold Merthyr Rfc Premiership Programmes which had been printed too early in that failed promotion season, colonies of white socks, discarded Muller Rice prototype Cherry Bakewell containers and free Spandau Ballet Gold CDs he trudged West in the hope of finding an exit.

His cries for help went not heeded by the Portuguese Tip Manager as he assumed they were the cries of the resident flock of seagulls flying overhead.

Eddie Torres Garcia had never seen seagulls this far inland and he believed that they were hatchlings mutated from the multitude of KFC boxes and their legs coated in breadcrumbs seemed to testify to this fact.


The Portuguese connection in Alphonso Street were busy checking into their new rooms.

Only ten to a bedroom was permitted and any Polish or Slavic guests were allocated attic or cellar space only.

Jobbi Jabbah the turban wearing Muslim from Leeds was given the coal cwtch on accounts of his religious beliefs.

The mobile ring tone of Eddie Torres sounded the all clear confirming that their escape had not been noticed by the Truck drivers.


High up on the Common , Elvis and Astra the car thieves turned up the collars on their shiny shellsuits and pulled down their baseball hats against the chilly Autumn wind.

Tonight the prevailing wind took the scent of Trecatti towards Gypsy Castle and Rhymney and they were able to breathe comfortably.

Wild Mountain ponies fought and frolicked over the ever decreasing patches of grassland worth eating that had not been contaminated by leachates.

As they reached the brow of a disused red ash tip they spotted a courting couple at play in the dingle below.

The mans teeth glinted pearly white in the pale moonlight and as they crept closer in true Stan Collymore Dogger-style they were startled to see a man being intimate with and talking to one of the Wild Mountain ponies.

Ive seen him before on televisionhis face, teeth and arse are familiar! whispered Elvis.

The only words Astra could understand with all those teeth and the Salt Lake accent was Crazy Horses wah-wah!!1

The man was no less than Donny Osmond back in Merthyr to trace his family roots and see where his past generations had hailed from.

The 1970s singer suddenly realized he was being watched and dropped the rear legs in fear of an Horizon expose.

He rang off into the night with white flares dragging in the coal dust .

That experience has ruined the song Puppy Love for me!!! retched Elvis discharging his stomach contents in the gorse bushes.

The close encounter of the first kind unsettled the pair whilst the second involved a two-headed rabbit with masses of human hair growing out of its head.

The sight of a Mountain Hare with Mounting Hare at Mountain Hare startled the pair as they stood motionless like they were mesmerized by the headlights of a mountain bicycle which thundered down the grass slope straight out across the slip road and under a Green mobile Auschitzcattle truck heading for the shambles in Penygarnddu.

The pair could not believe the look on the face of the Portuguese site manager E T Garcia as his cycle seemed to fly momentarily like a scene from a well Spielburg films.

Amazingly, in the space of three minutes the poor man was run over by four vehicles including a shop keeper, a taxi driver , Donny Osmonds chauffeur and finally a man wearing a Bridgend Nursing Park logo badge who was looking for the Park hospital in Bridgend.

It was ironic that the Asylum seeker should be killed by a fellow Asylum seeker wearing a BNP badge.

The cause of the crash was the Close Encounter of the Third Kind as a giant green spinning spaceship hovered over the heads of the pair.

Landing in a clearing of Gorse bushes the ship came to a stop with a bump and two odd-shaped characters appeared at the top of a light-filled ramp .

Poor Zoltan the Eco-warden had been crushed in his rush to capture the big onethinking this delivery of Fly-tippers was from the Planet Zanussi he had misjudged their landing strip and ended up part of the living landscape.

Elvis and Astra looked at one another in awe and the same telepathic thought was sent from sub-human to sub-human.

Did they leave the keys in the ignition.



Dez Cockney could hardly believe his luckhe had sold his house in Dagenham and bought three for the same price in Merthyr at Old Forge Park Dowlais.

He had rented the other two houses to 200 Portuguese immigrants and was making a fortune off the DSS in Housing Benefit.

He was collecting the rent of his tenant Angelica Garcia the former wife of the Tip owner when he noticed he was under surveillance.

The Ice Cream van parked in Azalea Drive had refused to sell cigarettes to some 14 year old truant rugby players which raised his suspicion that it was a DSS plant.




The DSS were watching the home of Mrs Garcia at the behest of Mr Gracias Divorce Solicitors.

As he opened the door of his other house he realized that his elderly incontinent tenant Mrs Runny had been trapped overnight in the Stairlift and the carpet below was ruined.

His years of roller-shutter door repair was to finally pay off as he proceeded to clear the jammed mechanism.

Kneeling in effluent he held his breath long enough to force the stairlift to continue its descent to the floor.

As he raced for the patio doors, he inadvertently let in a swarm of flies which had been stuck to the exterior glass like a scene from Salems Lot.

As he gasped and wheezed for air in the garden, his sharp London Eye noticed a glint of metal in the vegetable patch.

Where the carrots should have been he found different carets eighteen to be precise in the shape of a nugget the size of an egg.

After pocketing the item he made his tenant a cuppa Rosie Lee after her ordeal on the apple & pears .

She told him to take what he wanted from her allotment patch.

Des, beamed a broad grin as the Pearly King had found another goldmine in Merthyr.



Deep beneath the ground, Phil Bent thought he had discovered the source of the Nileor Morlais Brook at the very least!!!!

He had come to the confluence of three passageways and by his calculations he wasnt far from Caeharris House in Dowlais High Street.

The tunnel he had followed had been filled with Green ooze and lead away from the Tip under the Dowlais RFC pitch he had figured the same because of the stud-marks in the turf above and the fact that unlike the Scarlets rugby posts topped with sospansMerthyr Council Leisure Services had buried the posts upside down and the dragon emblems were below ground.

Coming face to face with Mary Twtch and Gwyneth Hopkins in that tunnel had scared him to death.

Tunnel two was filled with two kinds of cocoa solids which appeared to eminate from a certain chocolate factory and a cesspit formerly known as Morlais Brook.


Tunnel two was filled with all kinds of iron ore and phosphates from the old foundry site upon which Old Forge Park was built.

At the meeting point of this crossroads the soil and ground glowed with a yellowish hue the like of which Bent had only seen on the fingers of the nightmarish gypsies

No wonder those miners from Dowlais had emigrated to Canada , he understood now why the area of Blaen Dowlais was known as Klondyke .

Shoveling as much gold into his pockets as he did at his post-committee buffet lunches the Councillor tried to figure out what had caused the sudden bout of alchemy.

It seems that the merger of chemicals from the tip had combined with the base metals from the foundry site had fused with the cocoa solids creating a product made of Oxides and potassium with the chemical formula of OP-OK.

Whatever had caused it meant rich pickings for Councillor Bent.

Bent decided his best way out was to tunnel up through the pitch.

As he climbed through the hole in the centre-circle of the pitch he realized too late that the Uncle Festa lookalike bearing down on him was in fact the legendary Mark Onky Palmer and the resulting tackle was to put the councillor in hospital for the evening.

As the paramedic Dai Sullivan closed the ambulance doors he made a careful note of the cause of the accident.

Onky.

The third one this month he mused as he drove off at high speed towards PCH.



Aliens Zarg and Wazz could not believe their three eyes.they had only parked the ship up for three minutes to check out the glowing they had seen from space.

Thinking it was a fellow Venusian craft with its hazards on they had realised that they had made the same Chernobyl mistake again.

It was a semi-nuclear refuse tip surrounded by Wind Turbines and worse still they had been space-jacked by two-spaced out punkswho had displayed their own glowing middle fingers to their intergalactic cousins before screeching away at 100 miles per second.




Des Lynam was in shock he had received a Solicitors letter from the Divorce Solicitors of the Tip manager Eddie Torres asking for the return of their Ex-Gracia payments.

They were claiming that as Tip owners they held the mineral rights to the land upon which his houses were built.

They were no flies on that lot he thought but Im not giving up easy Ill make a big stink about the tip claims he thought.


Elvis & Astra had mastered the controls of the Venusian craft easily.

Compared to an ambulance it was a doddle - even the red laser beams and light on top were working.

As the spaceship shot raced over Gellifaelog, Galon Uchaf and the Gurnos at 3 Gs they passed over the three Gs Community Centre.

Pressing a button on the dashboard Elvis managed to buzz Dai Sullivans ambulance but sound like a helicopter.

Speeding passed Penydre High School the two vehicles raced at breakneck speed .

Sully and Elvis telepathically sent each other a message that the winning post was the speed camera outside the Penyfan View Police Station.

As the Police officer in the station eagerly pressed the button to fine the joy riders the camera flashed missing both vehicles but catching an unlucky Caeharris Taxi driver Fred overtaking the ambulance.

The joy riders decided to get their own back on the police who regularly buzzed their homes in Chopper Drug raids.

Hovering above the Police Station flashing their lights and lasers it was like Thursday Night in the Kirkhouse and some of the regulars now living in Ty Gwaunfarren Nursing Home left their beds in hope of a Cocoon style regeneration.

Down below Female Inspector Dawn Raid look worried.

The plods were panicking big timesome even stopped beating their prisoners momentarily.

Landing the spaceship with precision on the roof of the Police Station they began to spray-paint the roof with the letters UFO before legging it across the remaining gardens of Penyfan View and Forsythia Close that hadnt been exhumed




Two weeks later Councillor Phil Bent had recovered fully from his injuries.

He had recovered from his Onky tackle within hours but Dai Sullivan had dropped him off the stretcher on the way into casualty breaking his wrist.

The Council Chamber was silent as the future of the East Merthyr Land Reclamation Scheme hung by a golden thread.

The vote was tied at 32-32 and Councillor Bent as chairman had the Open casting vote.

As a short adjournment was called .

A buff coloured envelope was pushed into the hands of Phil Bent.

Like Neil Hamilton and George Graham before him he had a difficult decision to make.

The envelope was returned to the solicitor with interest and all the celtic energy he could muster.

Thanks for the tip! but no thanks.its an ecological time bomb waiting to go offI vote No.
*********************************************************************
The cheer from the people of Dowlais and Twynyrodyn was heard at Trecatti Waste Tip.

Jobbi Jabbur the newly appointed Trecattis Site Manager sat dozing on an empty Cardiff furniture flat pack-backpack in place .

The Al Ikea sleeper was in place!!!!!!

THE END

In the summer of 2012 musician Delyth Jenkins walked the 186 miles of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path over a period of 17 days. With her she carried her Welsh harp and hoped to give a series of impromptu path-side concerts. That Would Be Telyn (Y Lolfa) is an inspiring account of her adventures and the people she met and played for along the way.

Delyth set out to challenge herself both physically and creatively and combined three things that she loved: walking, playing the harp and the Pembrokeshire coast.

“The walk itself was a creative process. I had no idea when I started the walk that I would end up writing a book. I have also composed new music inspired by the walk – one of the pieces, Cofio , is on DnA [her instrumental duo with daughter Angharad]’s album Llinyn Aur ,” said the Delyth, adding:

“People seemed genuinely moved to hear my music. A couple from Spain felt that my music had magically  managed to dispel the mist and bring out the sun. I played ‘Happy Birthday’ to someone who was absolutely delighted to be able to celebrate his birthday with the expected song but in the most unexpected of locations!”.

That Would Be Telyn   is an account of the journey, but also a memoir. As she walked, she thought and remembered and the text is interwoven with autobiographical flashbacks including memories of her childhood, her life with her late former husband, the poet Nigel Jenkins, and her career in the world of theatre and Welsh traditional music. The book also includes a hitherto unpublished poem by Adrian Mitchell.

“What I discovered was that my music was not merely a form of expressing myself, but it also gave me the extraordinary privilege of having an insight into other people’s thoughts and emotions, and brought home to me that music is not just about the performer but just as much about the audience,” said Delyth of her experience.

Since completing the walk, Delyth has given several performances about the journey, including a show in collaboration with the poet Emily Hinshelwood called Salt On Our Boots . The overwhelming response from audiences has been that they would like to read about what was described during performances.

“I realised with some force that I don’t want to let life pass me by, and I am keen to take on more physical and creative challenges whilst there is still time. But probably my main reason for writing the book was that I wanted to write it. I felt very much that I had a story to tell, which I wanted to share,” says Delyth.  

That Would Be Telyn has received high praise:

“A musician’s miniature odyssey, full of epiphanies, gentle meetings and haunting personal reflections.” - Stevie Davies  

“Delyth writes just as she lives and plays music: with honesty, humour and a warm curiosity in other people and in the ancient land she travels through.” - Andrew Green  

“Her descriptions lead the reader to wish they’d been there – had chanced upon this wandering minstrel and heard her play the Telyn while the waves crashed far below and the seagulls swooped overhead.” - Jo Mazelis.

Delyth Jenkins was born in Oswestry. She studied at University College, Swansea and has lived in the city ever since. It was here, in her early twenties, that she started learning Welsh and the harp. She started her career with the Swansea-based folk band Cromlech, and then went on to form the pioneering instrumental trio Aberjaber. She has made many albums both as a member of groups and as a soloist. She has toured extensively in Britain, Europe and America. She has also worked as an actor, composer and musician for various theatre companies, and has collaborated with poets and storytellers. But it is perhaps her collaboration with her daughter Angharad Jenkins that gives Delyth the most pleasure. Delyth and Angharad released their second album Llinyn Arian in 2018.

Delyth Jenkins will be reading extracts from the book and performing pieces inspired by her walk. Tickets are £5 can be ordered from Mission Gallery (01792 652016 | info@missiongallery.co.uk ) and will include a glass of wine or soft drink. For more information about the event, please contact Delyth Jenkins delyth.harp@gmail.com or Gwenllian at Y Lolfa gwenllian@ylolfa.com | 01970 832304.

That Would Be Telyn by Delyth Jenkins (£8.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.