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I'm a fan of Roy the 'Orb' - ('Cry- ah- ah- i-ying over you').It's a private passion and Peter's

probably relieved; we have different tastes in most things, which does not necessarily make us incompatible.

Roy is full of rainbows, dreams, lost loves, mean women, good-byes, tears: he's singing heartbreak andI love the tremble in his voice, the octave range.

I was thinking of Roy this morning. Know the song 'When it's right, it's so right, but when it's wrong, it's all gone'?

There'sa bitter divorce battle, labelled 'toxic', inthe newspapers this week. They're rich, they're powerful and she's gonna get him, whatever it costs (and it's cost him half a million so far). In her own words'I'll nail him'.She loved him once andthey have children but though'it's all over, all over' she can't see that it is.

In the US you may not haveheard of Chris Huhne, the ex-MP who left his wife andchildren for another woman. They'redivorcingandhis wife sayshe forced herto take his speeding points.

They bothheld highly paidjobs but seemcompletely lacking inemotional intelligence. Texts from their teenage son, revealed in the newspapers, show he sides with his mother, not wanting to see his father again. 'Experts' have jumped into print, freely throwing intheir advice about howthe divorce should be conducted, bearing in mind the needs of the children.

One person I know, with a Cambridge degree, was forty when her parents divorced and her father quickly took up with someone else. The forty year old did all she could to cause trouble in his place of work, so furious was she with him. It took her years to forgive him, if she ever has really.

Recently, another couple, both lawyers with two young children,fought each other through the divorce courts until they had spent most of their million pound fortune, leaving them homeless and penniless.Granted that most marriages are a power struggle, how big are these people's egos? Are they completely bonkers?They seem to forget the financialsecurity of their children,leave alone their professional integrity.

OK. I'm not divorcedso I can't advise.I've been married for more than fifty years and I'm no expert on staying together, either. I hope Peter's not thinking of leaving mebut if he did, I'd remember my mother's words when someone wouldn't play with me when Iwas young:

'If they don't want to play with you, you don't want to play with them.Go and find something better to do.'

In short, walk away andsay, likeEdith Piaf, 'No, no regrets, no regrets,rien', becausethen you won't look a pathetic saddo.

Bernard Cornwall has described writing a book as akin to climbing a mountain. Apparently he gets so far, looks back, sees a better route, retraces his footsteps and begins again. I certainlyidentify with this analogy even if I never get to the summit anywhere near as many times as he has done. One of his preferred tactics is to throw his main character into a situation in the first chapter and see what happens.A bit like real life really

How do you approach writing a book? Are you methodical and organised or do you lean towards Bernard Cornwall's trial and error method? One thing I must mention about Bernard Cromwell's approach is that at least he knows where he wants to end up. In the case of his current novela particularly significant historical event, the Battle of Poitiers. As Yogi Berra once memorably said,

"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you
might not get there."

I think I know what he was trying to say!
Ben Kane, another successful historical novelist takes the oppositeview. It has to be said that this was the result of bitter experiencewhen engaged on his second novel which required a major rewrite.Now he plans his work out chapter by chapter.

El Doctorow used this striking analogy.

Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.

A meeting I had with that remarkable Welsh artist Nicholas Evans many years ago perhaps best illustrates my particularattitude to writing.

Nicholas Evans began painting when he was in his late sixties. In his obituary inThe Guardian newspaperPeter Wakelin wrote:

The art world dreams of discovering the genuine original: the self-made, solitary visionary. In 1978 it found one in the railwayman and painter Nicholas Evans, who has died aged 97.

I was afforded the tremendous privilege of being invited by the artist to view a painting he was currently working on. Something, his daughter Rowan told me, he had never done before. We talked and I asked how he planned outhis striking paintings. He told me he didn't. They were already there. He simply approached the blank canvas and began to paint andthey appeared.

Now I understand what he meant. Although he was a painter bordering on genius and I am a simple storyteller our ideas flowed from within straight onto canvas or paper. In fact Nicholas Evans rarely painted on canvas. He order his material directfrom the local hardware store! His wife, particularly unimpressed by his latebrush with fame, told me, "I wouldn't mind so much if he'd paint the house!"

Each writer and artist must find his own way. In the end it doesn't really matter how you reach the summit. What reallymatters is that your writing flows from within. That the route you take is your own.That it is you and not what you believe others want you to be.

Billy and The Pit of Shadows Community
An experiment in creating a community of readers.

Last week our theme was school assemblies. Thanks to Eiry Rees Thomas for her contribution. I would love to know who the noted academic was but she won't tell me!

"It's an early memory actually and happened at our village junior school where we had a gathering twice weekly before lessons for prayers:
A male classmate, as it transpired, had been desperate to use the outside lavvies, but felt obliged to wait. The appropriate sound alerted us to the fact, wherby the teacher in charge of such things switched to sniff mode and made her way towards the row where I stood next to my embarrased classmate. She wore bangles on one arm from wrist to almost elbow level. These jangled in the silence and I felt rooted to the spot, lest she chose the wrong perpetrator.
The 'culprit' was ceremoniously directed to the lavvies, head bowed and blushing. Such a thing would never happen these days, thankfully.
I'm so pleased that my classmate rose through the ranks to become a prominent academic."

This week our theme is Games.
Are there games you once played that seem to have been lost. We'd love to hear about them. Why not join our community and take part in the experiment that will hopefully provide us with a template we can all work from.

"It had been a sunny day in late September and the conker season was already in full swing. Billy and Ross Tudor, encircled by an expectant crowd of children, were eying each other warily. Hector and Achilles preparing for battle before the glistening walls of Troy could not have been studied with more eager anticipation. What Billy remembered most about that morning however was the communal gasp of astonishment that greeted one of the rarest events ever witnessed at Valleys County Primary School."

From Chapter 13: The Great Conker Conflict

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Next Week:Countdown To Launch.

On this day 2010 St Mary’s Church, Tenby celebrated the 800th anniversary of Gerald of Wales's appointment as the first Rector of Tenby in 1210, following his passionate, although failed, campaign for Wales to have its own Archbishop.

Gerald of Wales (Giraldus Cambrensis) was born some time between 1145 and 1147 at Manorbier, he was the youngest son of William de Barri and Angharad (daughter of Gerald de Windsor and Nest, daughter of Rhys ap Tewder), making him of both Norman and Welsh descent.

Gerald received his early education from his uncle David Fitzgerald bishop of St. Davids, after which he went to study at the University of Paris. On his return in 1172, he was tasked by the Archbishop of Canterbury with collecting church taxes on wool and cheese for the diocese of St. Davids and came into conflict with Jordan, Archdeacon of Brecon, who he subsequently replaced, an office he held it until he retired. After his uncle David Fitzgerald's death in 1176 , Gerald expected to succeed him as Bishop of St Davids, but King Henry II refused his nomination and in his disappointment Gerald went to Paris where he spent three years as a very successful lecturer

In 1185, he was appointed to accompany Prince John (the future King John) to Ireland, after which he wrote his Expugnatio Hibernica and Topographia Hibernica and in 1188, he toured Wales with Archbishop Baldwin to recruit soldiers for the third crusade, an account of which is given in his Itinerarium Kambriae.

In 1198, he was offered the Bishoprics of Bangor and Llandaff in Wales and Ferns and Leighlin in Ireland, but refused them as he was still determined to become Bishop of St Davids. However, once again the King and the Archbishop of Canterbury objected to his appointment and Gerald saw this as a struggle for the recognition of St. Davids as independent of Canterbury.

The conflict lasted for five years and Gerald to Rome three times to put forward the case for St Davids to Pope Innocent III. He was ultimately unsuccessful and the story is told in his autobiography De Rebus a Se Gestis and his Dialogus de Jure et Statu Menevensis Ecclesiae. He devoted the remainder of his life to his studies, but in 1205, he went on a final pilgrimage to Rome. Gerald died in 1223 and was buried at St Davids.  

On 7th February 1301, the future Edward II, who was born at Caernarfon Castle had his appointment as Prince of Wales formalised by the Parliament of Lincoln, becoming the first non native holder of the title.  

Born this day 1945, in Llansaint, Carmarthenshire.

Gerald Davies  -  former Wales and Lions international Rugby union player, who has has been called one of the best wingers of all time.

Davies did not tour South Africa with the 1974 Lions because of his opposition to apartheid, but later in 2009 managed of the Lion's tour there.  After his retirement from playing, Davies became a respected rugby journalist and was a member of Tasker Watkins committee looking into the reform of Welsh rugby. 

Born this day 1936, in Brithdir, Bridgend

Keith Rowlands - former Wales and Lions rugby international.  He later became the first Chief Executive Officer of the International Rugby Board.  

Born this day 1935, in Swansea

Cliff Jones,   former Welsh soccer international, who was capped 59 times and a member of Tottenham Hotspur's 1960 - 61  Double-winning side, being widely considered at the time as the best left-winger in the world.  

Born this day 1933, in Cilfynydd

Stuart Burrows  -  operatic tenor.

Burrows began his working career as a teacher in Bargoed, but his magnificent singing voice soon saw him change career, to become one of  world's finest operatic tenors, he is particularly well known for his performances of Mozart's works.  

On 7th February 1916 , the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Cardiff was established.  

Born on this day 1930 in Swansea.

Peter Jones - broadcaster, best known as a sports commentator on BBC radio.

Although predominantly a football commentator, Jones also covered events such as the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games and World Cups, and also the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer. 

He was commentating during the Hillsborough disaster of 1989 and was emotionally so deeply affected by it, that it is thought to have contributed to his collapse whilst commentating on the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race of 1990 and his subsequent death the following day.

I sometimes believe that the term 'Chaos Theory' shouldbeapplied to my brain, rather than mathematical concepts - not that maths was one of my strongest subjects -how could it be-the brains of girls whose parents divorce have been found in tests to do less well in maths. than other girls, but on the other hand I worked in a finance department of the Civil Service for three years and was promoted andwhen the milkman's bill in school varied by a pint,I was calledto do the mental arithmetic, so?

My mind has been particulalrly mashed lately, hence the following jumble:

Dr Brian Cox, a physicist, explains complicated complexes in a simple way. (He's popularon UK television.) On Sunday morning Iread, between checking the slow roast shoulder of pork, which had to beturnedbecause it cost 10 and I wanted it to be succulent, and Peter would look at it from all angles and prod the beautiful flesh suspiciously before he started slicing it, tied up inhis striped apron thatI bought him for the purpose of carving,that Prof. Cox believes the earth formed overbillions of years, and will crumble away, thus disproving T.S.Eliot's assertion in 'The Hollow Men' that the world will end'Not with a bang but a whimper'. In other words, it will crumble, like a fresh cookie in your mouth, or cinder toffee from the County Show, of which I am particularly partial to, not caring over much for chocolate, but Ilove Montelimar Nougat, too, the way you have to work your jaws, but I'll keep off it for now, because Ionce pulled a new filling out with a Mintoe and the dentist laughed, redrilledit and charged me full price again and yesterday I had a seventy pound filling, so I'll go easily for now..

I'd heard in Sunday School, when I was about seven, that 'Heaven and Earth shall pass away', soIcould have savedEliot and Cox a lot of bother but I couldn't linger on the thought because there werecarrots topeel and chop, to go with the pork, plusthe apple sauce to prepare (with cloves, of course), sage and onion stuffing, too, andPeter doteson potatoes and I insist on a green vegetableand he can't eat brassica because he has thyroid problems and they interfere with his tablets, and then there's the gravy,(Manna from heaven for him), gallons of gravy,so I multi-tasked and jumped into the Time Machine, back to my College Days, where I read Saul Bellow, who read Koestler,who wrote that every society moves from spring to winter. And then I took another quantum leap, still in College, to the recruiting sergeant from Papua, New Guinea, whowas looking for teachers.

I watched the faces of the other students, straining to hear everything, their eyes bulging, cheeks moist with the excitement of new opportunityandthe only place I wanted to be, right there, right then, was on my way home, to cook chops and chips for tea for Emma and Kate. (I was a 'mature' student, or that's what we were called anyway, and I was thirty three.)

Thepsychology Lecturer,who was with us, read my thoughts. When the speaker stopped for water, the lecturer caught my glance, acted smartly and and said: 'Students with other lectures to attend may want to go now'.

I gathered my bags, apologised and ran for it.

On this day in 1958, Kenny Morgans   was found unconscious amongst the debris of the Munich air disaster involving the Manchester United soccer team, he was the youngest player involved in the crash and the last survivor to be rescued from the mangled wreckage, five hours after the official search was called off.

Born in Swansea, Morgans signed for Manchester United in 1955 and was soon the club's first-choice right-winger.  He recovered physically from the crash and was back in the side before the end of the season, but his playing form was never the same and left the club in 1961 to play for Swansea Town and later Newport County before retiring and returning to South Wales to run a pub, before finishing his working life as a ship's chandler.

Born this day 1960, in Cardiff

Jeremy Bowen ,  journalist and television presenter. He was the BBC's Middle East correspondent and has been its Middle East Editor since 2005.  

On 6th February 1890 an explosion at Llanerch Colliery, Pontypool killed 176 miners.

When the explosion occurred the blast was heard two miles away and willing hands came from neighbouring and distant mines but there were only ten survivors.  The inquest into the disaster reported that the cause of the explosion was the gas firedamp ignited by the naked lights of the men who were working there and it strongly recommended the future use of safety lamps.  It was also found that on the morning of the explosion, the mine had not been throughly checked for gas.

Firedamp is the name given to a number of flammable gases, especially methane, which is present in gaps in coal seams, which when released, can trigger explosions.

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We are extremely pleased to announce that the AmeriCymru Trail Cruise Special is now available online. Please click on the links below for details of this exciting program:-

AmeriCymru has been working in partnership with Alwyn Griffiths and Celticos to establish and publicize the full two day AmeriCymru Trail Tour. The Cruise Special has developed out of this work and is aimed at passengers on coastal cruises around the UK who are visiting Holyhead on their itinerary:-

This shore excursion has been specially prepared for our North American guests; it will be of particular interest to those with Welsh Ancestry.

The tour has been carefully planned within the time constraints allowed to enable guests to experience a mini version of the AmeriCymru trail. (Further details of the full tour can be seen in our Links ).

Alwyn Griffiths, fresh from an interview with S4C's 'Newyddion' program had the following to say about the Cruise Special:-

"The Chairman of the Isle of Anglesey County Council, Mr Robert Llewelyn Jones, formally opened this new business and Iwan Huws, Head of Tourism, discussed the importance of cruise tourism to the area, and how it can be used to the benefit of tourism businesses in the Mn / Anglesey area.

AmeriCymru featured in a big way during the launch as an example of the quality that needs to be achieved with these tours. S4C TV News this evening ( Monday 4th Feb: Ed ) featured the launch of the new website and I was interviewed and discussed the mini version of the ameriCymru trail tour (cruise special). It was a lengthy interview promoting the tour. The program also featured an interview with Iwan Huws, Head of Tourism, Anglesey. We hope all AmeriCymru readers will check out the new website and consider booking for either the full 2 day tour or the new Cruise Special."

CLICK HERE TO WIN A PLACE FOR TWO ON THE FULL TWO DAY AMERICYMRU TRAIL TOUR

My grandsons are taking a 'gap' year. (Peter was surprised-'How many "gaps" have they had already?' he asked.)

'Last year does not count because they were on anArt Foundation course', I reminded him, but he only snorted.

One twin, Ollie, isstarting an architecture course in September. (My daughter, Emma,tells menot to hold my breath: we'll see how he goes.)

The other, Harry, is off on the 'Grand Tour', not of Italy and the Swiss Alps, but he's following the sun, Australia first stop.

The boys arenot an entirely idle pair. They arefull-time LifeGuards, in between relentless partying. At the moment they operate on the principle 'Money In -Money Out', as in 'out most of the time'.

When Iwas theirage, nineteen coming up to twenty, I had been married for a while. I worked to have moneytosave fora house and we had rent to pay andfood to buy.

Harrythought for a moment when I mentioned my teens: 'Don'tworry.I'll keep a diaryand send it to you each month. Then you'll know I'm fine.'

He enlarged on his theme:

'After Australia, it's Hawaii. There'sthis manwith a boat. For ten pounds he'll take you out -about three miles? -and the waves'llbe big.' (Yeah, the surf boards are going, too).

I was getting the hang of the conversation now, while Emmawas listening but pretending not to, anxious to know the plans.

'And, then?' I prompted.

'You know Papua, New Guinea?' (I nodded, not that I knew the place. There was something, once, about head hunters but if I'd said anything I would only have been wrong.)

'I'll head there then.' (The intrepid traveller again and I was glad I hadn't mentioned the heads.)

'Isn't this going to cost?' (Me)

'Not really.' (Oh! the confidence of youth, the joy of certainty, knowing you are always right.)

'What if the money runs out?' - (Silly old me.)

'I'll find a temporary job or Mum can lend me something till I get back.'

(Emma pursed her lips rather tightly).

That night I wrote in my diary:

'Life is really simple but we insist on making it complicated' - the quote is Confucius's, but it might have falllen from Harry's lips if he'd lived in another age.

I shall keep you posted.