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Reproduced with kind permission from David Western's Portland Lovespoon Blog

In a fit of spring madness, I decided to dust some of the lovespoons that hang in every nook and cranny of my house. This one was a particular pleasure to clean up because it has been a companion ever since my wife and I took our first backpacking and youth hostelling excursion to Europe many, many, many years ago.

We had been fortunate enough to spend a little bit of our time travelling with a friend of ours who worked for a European travel company and who had access to some accommodation just outside Firenze. As it turned out, the place was a little gatekeeper's cottage near to some very swanky villas, so we were feeling pretty highbrow...despite our tinned ravioli and jam sandwich budget.

One morning, I awoke to the sound of chainsaws and the smell of the most fragrant smoke I have ever inhaled. It was like Christmas pudding you could breathe....amazing!! I toddled outside to discover the groundskeepers busy pruning the Olive groves which surrounded the neighbouring hillsides. They had very kindly piled some of the larger logs just up the path from our digs, so I moseyed over and had my first look at olive wood. WOW!!! The figure of the grain was magic and the rich aroma of the freshly cut wood was wonderfully overwhelming...I had to have some!!!



But it wasn't that easy. First I had to 'acquire' a log without running afoul of whoever was planning to take the wood away, then I had to figure out a way to cut out a piece which could be transported all over Europe in a backpack without killing me. Thankfully, a rummage through the kitchen knife drawer provided me with an old cleaver which despite having seen much better days was perfect for a logging operation. A loose brick in the path provided the necessary 'bashing' implement for thumping said knife through the log .... I was in business.
Despite the olive wood's tendency to display a rowey, interlocked grain, I managed to batter that poor old knife through my little log a couple of times and successfully milled out a nice little board to accompany me on my further travels. Once packed away, it even made my clothes smell wonderfully 'fruitcakeish' (which I suppose made a nice metaphor for me and my lovespoon obsession!).
That lovely little chunk of olive spent months travelling with us all over the European continent and throughout Great Britain. No doubt I could have just bought a bit at a lumberyard when I got home, but there was something very romantic about the circumstances of its acquisition and of lugging it around from pillar to post.



Once home, I confess that it sat quietly unnoticed amongst a pile of my old clothing and Euro souvenirs for quite some time before I finally decided that it would make a great memento of our engagement (which had occurred during our European sojourn).
It was wonderful to work that olivewood and I still have a couple of the offcuts which I have used to make little inlay hearts for spoons carved for some of my Italian clients. Some of the unsuable offcuts I save just to touch against the belt sander when I get nostalgic and want to smell that lovely olivewood aroma filling my shop once again.
Maybe one day I'll get back to Italy during pruning season, but until then, I have this lovely, simple little spoon to set my memories off and to remember a happy little adventure!

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

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I haven't come up against it yet because I haven't pushed myself hard enough but I am dreading my first encounter with the much feared side-stitch. Back in the 80's when I did most of my running the received wisdom was that you could not 'run through' a stitch. It was thought to have something to do with an insufficient supply of oxygen to the blood stream and consequently too dangerous to ignore. Of course in those days we did not have the shining light of the Wikipedia to guide us and currently there are other theories to account for this phenomenon including the following:-

1. The pain may be caused by contracting the liver or spleen, which squeeze extra oxygen-carrying red blood cells into the circulation. Although there does not appear to be much muscle in the capsule of the spleen, there is direct and indirect evidence that its size does change with exercise.This autotransfusion, (which is much larger in some animals) increases exercise capacity but the associated pain may be severe, relieved only by rest. A plausible mechanism for the pain is that high internal pressure in the liver or spleen restricts blood flow, causing hypoxia.
2. Diaphragmatic Ischemia
3. Imbalances of the thoracic spine
4. Irritation of the parietal peritoneum

No mention of deficient oxygen supply here and elsewhere I have come across advice for beating side-stitch by "changing your breathing/striding pattern"

Does anyone have any thoughts on this or better still direct experience? Certainly when I have tried to 'run it off' in the past I have always failed and been forced to concede defeat. Can it be done? Should it be attempted?

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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

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A couple of people have asked me recently why it is that if I was once capable of running for 13 miles I never entered a half marathon event before. There are two reasons for this. Fistly I was never that fast and consequently in no danger of winning. Secondly I like to run mainly in order to 'dissociate'.

It's been a while since I considered exactly what that term means and so I decided to google 'running dissociation' and see what the search turned up. A blog from The Running Laminator posted in 2008 pretty much sums it up:-

One of the things I like to do when Im running, especially after a long day at the office, is to work out problems and resolve issues that I didnt have time to attend to during the day. In fact, its become a habit of mine that as Im lacing up my shoes in anticipation of a run, Id pick out one or two problems to specifically work on while I run with the intention that Id have the answer by the time Im back in my apartment. Its becoming clearer to me, more and more, that I am a dissociative runner (as opposed to an associative one).

You can read the rest of the post from the link above. Of course if you are looking to dissociate and solve the days petty problems while you run there are two main preconditions. You will need to be physically comfortable and as free from distractions as possible. You will achieve the first condition by regular training and the second by running solo as far away from other people as possible. Repetitive late night circuits around playing fields or deserted athletics tracks are ideal for this purpose.

SO....running in an event will be a new experience for me. There will be people cheering and showering us with water etc. Hopefully I will be able to ignore it all and lapse into a running trance and attempt to solve some petty detail of WCE financing or resolve some code issue on the site.

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A new picture of the bridges at Aberdaron, this view taken from an antique postcard.

The award-winning West Wales brewer Evan-Evans is reporting record sales in the lead up to the Easter break.
Despite the dramatic change in the weather, it seems that licensees across Wales are hoping for a busy weekend.
Evan-Evans Group Chief Executive Simon Buckley said: Easter has been a busy time for us with record demand for our beers and customers searching for our new Easter Ale.
We have just completed a rebranding exercise, with a total rebrand of our Evan-Evans products.
Over the winter months we have been trialling a host of new beers for the Welsh market, and Easter Ale is the first of the new seasonal beers.
We have six new seasonal beers for our customers to try in 2012.
We now have reputation for brewing some of the best beers in Wales and for having the widest range of seasonal ales from any one brewer in the Principality.
We will be increasing our brand range with a new organic beer range, which will be priced at the same price as traditional beers.
Despite the recent increase in duty, customers are determined to have a good time. We are seeing increasing demand from all over Wales.
Cask ale is still outperforming the UK beer market, and the large international brewing companies are looking to us small brewers to produce the beers that they cannot produce for this market.
We hope to announce further strategic brewing alliances in the late spring.
Weblink
http://www.evanevansbrewery.com

Evan-Evans has a reputation for brewing the highest quality cask-conditioned beers. Evan-Evans is Waless largest specialist brewer of cask ale. The company started brewing in 2004 to produce specialist cask ales for the Welsh and national guest ale market.
The brewing heritage of the Buckley family stretches back to the early 19th century after the Rev James Buckley married the eldest daughter of Henry Child who had founded Childs Brewery in Llanelli. It was set up to slake the thirst of the towns tinworkers, who were rapidly increasing in numbers.
Evan-Evans was founded in Llandeilo in 2003 and began brewing in 2004. It is named after William Evan-Evans who married into the family four generations ago
Photo: Simon Buckley.

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

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OK so I'm a week into this and I still haven't said anything about my proposed training schedule. For anyone who's interested, here goes.....

Thinking about this at work today it occurred to me that there are two important facts to remember:-

1. I have three months to prepare for this, and

2. I'm not in it to win it. I do not aspire to win gold , silver or bronze but merely to finish and do the Grangetown Dap Dance for a few seconds before enjoying a victory cwrw.

SO... here is my plan. I will concentrate on endurance and not distance for the first two months. By the end of the first month I propose to be able to run for one hour regardless of the distance covered. At the end of the second month I should be able to run for two hours. In the third month I will cover the 13 mile distance once a week before the event. I will intersperse these distance runs with shorter runs 3 or 4 times a week.

Having researched the average time it takes to run a mile ( 7 to 10 mins according to Ask.com ) the above schedule should mean that I'm just about ready to tackle the course at the end of month two. Month three will be all about "making assurance doubly sure" in the words of the bard.

I have checked the above schedule with AmeriCymru's resident physical fitness expert and he agrees that it makes sense. As I reach each of the above milestones I will post in this series.

Carmarthens leading theatre arts school, Stagecoach, is already planning its summer activities.
Mums and dads planning summer holidays for their children will be delighted to learn that the Stagecoach team will be holding a week-long workshop, from August 6-10.
We all know it can be difficult planning activities for children during the long summer holidays, said Stagecoach Carmarthen principal Liane Davies.
But were making it easy, at least for one week!
Stagecoach Theatre Arts Carmarthen will be staging two different workshops side by side at the Queen Elizabeth High School.
We are very lucky, said Liane.
Julia Donaldson, the author of Gruffalo (a real childrens favourite) has given us permission to stage a workshop for four to six-year-olds.
The children will get a pretty intense week working on the Gruffalo, but we promise it will be fun all the way.
The week will lead up to a special performance of the Gruffalo on Friday, August 10.
For the older children, the six to 18-year-olds, we will be doing Disneys Beauty and the Beast, again with a week of rehearsals leading up to a show at the end.
The workshops are open to all students whether they are current members of Stagecoach or not.
Its a busy time for everyone at Stagecoach.
The popular musical Annie is the groups featured show this year and will take to the stage at The Lyric Theatre in King Street, Carmarthen, ) on Friday and Saturday, July 20 and 21.
Its the schools third annual production, following on the successes of Billy Elliot and last years production of Oliver.
The school recently marked St Davids Day by launching new bilingual classes for early years pupils.
And Stagecoach Theatre Arts Carmarthen has also launched a new afternoon school following the success of the morning classes.
Demand for places at Stagecoach is huge and there is a waiting list to get places, said Liane.
We put the accent firmly on quality teaching here at Stagecoach and we limit class numbers to 15 pupils per class.
That philosophy of making sure that the quality of teaching is at the highest level does, of course, mean that we cannot always accommodate everyone.
But we are doing our best to expand our services.
The new afternoon classes will be for the six to 18-year-olds age group and will run from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. We already have morning classes between 10am and 1pm.
Stagecoach Theatre Arts Carmarthen has its main base at the Model Church in Wales School.
The school opened in May 2009 and became an instant success. The school now attracts students from the three counties of Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
Principal Liane added: Our aim is always to nurture and develop four to 18-year-olds to fulfil their potential through dance, drama and singing.
If you want to find out more about Stagecoach Carmarthen, contact Principal Liane Davies, phone: 0845 604 1422. Email - carmarthen@stagecoach.co.uk.
Website - http://www.stagecoach.co.uk/carmarthen

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

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A short post today as family commitments and others ( work, training etc ) bite into the available time. I thought I'd take a moment to celebrate some of the true heroes of long distance running.

Firstly there's this guy Phil Thomas . He is planning to run 12 half marathons in twelve consecutive days. According to the linked article he "spends his evenings nursing his pains with ice". He finishes on Sunday by running the AirProductsUK - twice!!!! I dont know what level of fitness you need to reach to be able to do that but I'm glad that I only aspire to running once. Will be checking the news on Sunday to see if he made it. Best of luck Phil

Of course if you really want to suffer there is no surer way than by donning a restrictive and cumbersome costume and potentially doubling your fluid loss on warm days. This man is the master:-

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II've finally begun some new wood block prints. It's been a good 20 years since I last did any block cutting, though I've been etching more recently. I have mountains and waterfalls planned. Here first is a view of Yr Wyddfa (Snowden) looking cross Crib Goch with Llyn Lladaw below. The tough part is finding texture in the somewhat even-featured sides of the mountain. Next up will be a waterfall from my home in Connecticut. Perhaps some bridges. They have a definite structure which is easier to describe with black and white lines. Stay tuned.

Entry Fee 10 inclusive of food. Closing date for entries Saturday, April 7.
Boys - 0 20 Handicap (18 Hole Medal/White Tees); 21 28 Handicap (18 Hole Stableford/Yellow Tees).
Girls - 0-36 Handicap (18 Hole Medal/Red Tees)
Starting times will be available online on Monday, April 9. See http://www.ashburnhamgolfclub.co.uk
For further info: Ashburnham Junior Organisers Richard Brice 07917 276741 or Simon Greville 07971 229267
Latest results
Ladies GUW Medal Section2
1, Susan Collard, 87 - 12 = 75; 2, Marie Hale, 100 - 23 = 77; 3, Eleanor Roberts, 101 - 22 = 79.
PGA National
1, Philip Rudall, 41 pts (19);2, Carl Stimson, 40 pts (09);3, Steffan Jones, 39 pts (02).
Ladies GUW Medal Section 1
1, Elizabeth Antoniazzi, 113 - 35 = 78; 2, Barbara Buckland, 109 - 27 = 82; 3, Iris Jacob, 118 - 36 = 82.
Wales Open Qualifier
1, Mark Bathgate, 41 pts (18); 2, Derek William Connor, 41 pts (23); 3, Roger Rees, 41 pts (12).
Junior Stableford Boys
1, Lewis Rhys Morgan, 42 pts (27); 2, Aled Greville, 39 pts (16); 3, Osian Bowen, 38 pts (23).
Stableford
1, Elwyn Hughes, 40 pts (10); 2, Wynford North, 39 pts (20); 3, Brian Beynon, 38 pts (20).
Stableford
1, John Beynon, 43 pts (11); 2, Simon Hill, 41 pts (15); 3, Robert Green, 40 pts (20).
For further information about The Ashburnham Golf Club, contact -
The Clubhouse, Cliffe Terrace, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, SA16 0HN
Tel:01554 832269
Fax:01554 836974
Email:admin@ashgolf.co.uk
Website - http://www.ashburnhamgolfclub.co.uk