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Winner Carey Dietrich pictured with the West Coast Esiteddfod Lovespoon 2011

Carey said:- " I am thrilled to be the winner of this unique & lovely piece. Thank you and all your colleagues for the Eisteddfod weekend. It was a massive undertaking and I hope you are enjoying a well-deserved rest! "

Both AmeriCymru and the WCE organisers would like to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation for all the work that David Western has done to help make the 2009, 2010 and 2011 West Coast Eisteddfodau possible.

Dates for your diary for Cor Meibion Llanelli -
Friday 7th October Concert Theatre Elli Railway Strike
Friday 21st October Fish and Chips Supper Furnace Rugby Club (Ladies Committee)
Sunday 9th October League of Friends of Friends Dafen Church 3.00pm.
Wednesday 19th. October. Meeting Furnace Community Centre 7.00pm.
Tour party visiting sHertogenbosch.
Wednesday 26th October - Sunday 30th October - s'Hertogenbosch Visit to the Netherlands
Sunday 13th November Remembrance Service Town Hall 10.00am.
Monday 14th November Festival of Light St. Elli Centre 6.30pm.
Saturday 26th November Coffee Morning Ladies Committee 10.00am.
Wednesday 30th November Christmas Raffle Draw Stebonheath 7.00pm.
Friday 2nd December Choir Christmas Dinner Stebonheath
Saturday 3rd December Wales v Australia Millenium Stadium
Sunday 4th December Mansion House N.S.P.C.C. (Noon)
Saturday 10th December Winslow Bucks Concert
Tuesday 13th December C.C.T.A. Christmas Service (Noon)
Saturday 17th December Christmas Concert Theatre Elli 7.00
Monday 19th December Christmas Prince Phillip Hospital
2012
Thursday 1st March Concert York House Twickenham
Saturday 3rd March St. Davids Day Concert Theatre Elli 7.00pm.

to americymru poetry comp 2012

Siglo'r Babi Bach

I hold him close,

His weight, heavy as a feather,

Nestled in a silken gown

Hand-me-down lullabies

Darned flannel blankets.

A blue skein and

Veins unravel. Auntie Mali,

Ninety three, threading needles

Recharging batteries on the 'pentan',

Her head alive in the 'News of the World'.

'Bara caws' for 'brecwast'

When I was a girl'

Mamgu in her 'fedog'

Baked the bread on Friday,

Dipped eachchild in melted sunlight,

Buckets brimming from the well.

Henry in South Africa,

Buttoned his dreams in a three-piece-suit.

Often, when the wind was cruel

Mamgu heard him in the shining darkness

Calling out her name.

Catherine, the 'new woman'

Rode her bike to London,

Wore a boater and man's tie,

Sharpened her tongue

On the anvil of language

'Miss Davies, Latin',

Carmarthen High.

Auntie Hannah never strayed.

Mamgu kept her for her own,

Tweezing fluff balls from the rowan

Placing pom-pom dahlias on the grave.

He stirs inside my arms.

'When you were little

What was your name?'

I hold him close,

This child who is and isn't mine.

to americymru poetry comp 2012

Siglo'r Babi Bach

I hold him close,

His weight, heavy as a feather,

Nestled in a silken gown

Hand-me-down lullabies

Darned flannel blankets.

A blue skein and

Veins unravel. Auntie Mali,

Ninety three, threading needles

Recharging batteries on the 'pentan',

Her head alive in the 'News of the World'.

'Bara caws' for 'brecwast'

When I was a girl'

Mamgu in her 'fedog'

Baked the bread on Friday,

Dipped eachchild in melted sunlight,

Buckets brimming from the well.

Henry in South Africa,

Buttoned his dreams in a three-piece-suit.

Often, when the wind was cruel

Mamgu heard him in the shining darkness

Calling out her name.

Catherine, the 'new woman'

Rode her bike to London,

Wore a boater and man's tie,

Sharpened her tongue

On the anvil of language

'Miss Davies, Latin',

Carmarthen High.

Auntie Hannah never strayed.

Mamgu kept her for her own,

Tweezing fluff balls from the rowan

Placing pom-pom dahlias on the grave.

He stirs inside my arms.

'When you were little

What was your name?'

I hold him close,

This child who is and isn't mine.

Aflie Boe with Adele ONeill, the Llanelli Choral Society, Hywel Girls Choir and Hywel Boy Singers at Tabernacle Chapel, Llanelli.
Alfie Boe came, saw and conquered when he ventured into Llanelli, one of the heartlands of the Welsh choral tradition.
There was something of the rock star about Boes appearance cruising up to the chapel vestry at Tabernacle in a shiny blue Bentley limousine and taking the stage in T-shirt and cloth waistcoat.
Well, it wasnt so much of a stage it was a case of the first time Ive sung in a pulpit for the Lancashire singer who is the current holder of the unofficial Britains Most Popular Tenor title.
A pulpit may not be the best canvas to display years of stagecraft (even if Boe did attempt a tap dance at one stage!), but this concert wasnt about showmanship; it was all about the voice.
And, boy, what a voice.
There was a Neapolitan air to Boes first-half appearance with Tostis A Vuccella and Marchiare and Parlami dAmore by Bixio and Ghitarrra Romano by Lazzaro.
After the interval, Boe pulled out the guaranteed crowd-pleasers Some Enchanted Evening, On The Street Where You Live, If I Loved You, Hushabye Mountain and a wonderful duet with soprano Adele ONeill of Tonight from West Side Story.
Inevitably, the show finished with excerpts from Les Miserables. In Llanelli, Boe is known as the second most famous man to have played Jean Valjean: the first being Burry Ports John Owen Jones, of course.
Boes version of Bring Him Home was wonderfully expressive. But better than the John Owen Jones treatment? Its a close run thing.
On the choral side of the evening, it was no contest: The youngsters representing the Hywel Girls Choir and the Hywel Boys Singers comfortably put their older colleagues in the Llanelli Choral Society in the shade.
But on a night of many voices, one soared above them all to the heights of the Emmanuel on the ceiling of Tabernacle Chapel that of one Alfie Boe.

A little known fact but interesting, nevertheless: Sir John Perrot, knight,one-time citizen of Haverfordwest, is said to be the true (illegitimate) son of of Henry V111.

Born in Haroldston, Haverfordwest, John Perrot's mother wasMary, the beautifuldaughter of Lord Berkeley and the wife of the ageing Thomas Perrot. They lived in Haroldston Mansion,said to be one of the loveliest houses in Pembrokeshire.

When he was nineteen, John Perrot took his place at the court of Henry V111, whom he closely resembled; there he proved to be a great favourite.

Perrot receivedhis knighthood from Edward V1.

During the reign of 'Bloody Mary', he had to be discreet, for it was known he sheltered heretics at Haroldston.

In 1583, Sir John was appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland, where he ruled with characteristic brutality, until his half-sister,Elizabeth 1, intervened.

Sir John was Sheriff of the Port of Haverfordwest at a time when piracy was rife. He developed a cavalierattitude to the pirates' ill gotten gains, accepting a share of the booty. Taking his lead from hismaster, one oldretainer requisitioned a ton of Gascon wineforSir John's pleasure.

Encouraged by Sir John's example, three Mayors of the townaccepted gifts from the pirates. This was an abuse of power and it was in vain that Vice Admiral Vaughan triedto stop their activities but, withnoforces of law and order to back him,he was left powerless.

A row of cottagesstill standing in the town are dedicated to Sir John, Haverfordwest's most famous benefactor.The image he leaves is that of a benevolent despot, but his temper was uncertain and he was fond of threatening people with execution. This led one old servant to slit his own throat, so terrified of his threats was he.

Sir John's end was ignominious and he died in the Tower of London.

'Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword', applied in his case.

Jung says our innerconsciousness responds to colour on a deep level.

My tastes areeclectic.I went through a 'white snow' patch, wearing white jumpers and blouses, especially in winter, and I felt fresh in whiteuntil Inoticed itgave my face a pallor.

(White is not termeda colour, as it reflects all other colours. Therefore it is good for keeping cool in very hot climates).

I adored yellow one summer and worea cotton knitted jumper in astinging shade, completed by a skirt in similar hues. I always felt happy and upbeatin this combination.

One dayin Tunbridge Wells, where Emma was living, a Buddhist monk who had been sitting on a wall, swiftly approachedme, chanting. His robes werealmost the same colour as my clothes and I felt mesmerised by him, but Emma nudged me away.

Blue is another colour Iwear, butit can be difficultto decorate with.

I had Wedgwood bluetiles forty years ago and they felt cold in a north facing bathroom. However, blueis good for promoting creative thought and should be used in work places.

Why is green so ubiquitous in factories and offices? Said to be calming it could be too tranquil for places other than the bedroom, but I wouldn't like it in my boudoir - (cream and white).

Orange is ennervating and Ayurvedic medicine advisesdrinking from orange glasses and looking at orange fabric if suffering with gallstones.

I have a Melyn Tregwynt blanket in purple and black another in pink and cream and throws in beiges. My next one is going to be a blood orange red, to warmmysoul in winter-time.

Purple isone of my top colour-pops. Ithas a spiritual connection and promotes clear thinking.Purple was a royal colour hundreds of years ago and costly, too.

Whentired, I prefer pastel colours. I associate black and navy with work clothes and I try to avoid them. (Noticed how Snow White is dressed in red,yellow, white and black? Minnie Mouse, chooses red white and black. Dramatic winter colours, suiting pale skins.)

In mynovel 'Salt Blue', the heroine, Stella, suffers from the tedium of daily life. She needs a colour 'vitamin' to bring her to life.

Stella has recognised, like Oscar Wilde, that : 'Colour speaks to the soul in a thousand different ways'. Sheknows that changing your colours can change your life, if you dare to dare.