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PLAY LIST
The list below is not arranged in the order that tracks are played in the video but has been posted as a quick reference guide to anyone who wants further information about a particular song or artist. I may add more....but then it wouldn't be a Top Ten 
Carreg Lafar - Glan Mor Heli
John Good ( Tramor ) - Ar Lan Y Mor
John Good ( Tramor ) - Morfa Rhuddlan
Suo Gan - from Empire of The Sun
Moch Pryderi - Gwenno Penygelli
Treorchy Male Voice Choir - Myfanwy
Angharad Gabriel - Dafydd Y Garreg Wen
Catrin Finch & Cimarron - Ar Ben Waun Tredegar
Here are some links to other Welsh traditional songs currently listed with individual entries on the Wikipedia. Not exactly an exhaustive list but includes references to a number of songs not included in the above Playlist.
ABC | C cont.DGL | MSWY |
| | Available from the Welsh American Bookstore |
Stromboli
1 loaf frozen bread dough
1 egg yoke beaten - Parmesan cheese
1/4 lb. Provolone Cheese - sliced
1/4 lb thinly sliced baked ham
1/4 lb thinly sliced pepperoni
1/4 lb thinly sliced capicola ham
1/4 lb mozzarella cheese - grated
1 egg white
Follow package directions on bread dough up to the baking. Roll into a 15 X 8 inch rectangle. Add enough parmesan cheese to egg yoke to make a spreading consistency. Spread on dough. Layer Provolone ham, pepperoni, capicolla and mozzarella. Carefully fold dough over and pinch closed all the way around. Brush with egg white. Bake on cookie sheet in 350 degree oven for 30 - 35 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
Janet Mancini - Alberta Mancini's Recipes - Sweet Potato Casserole
By Janet Louise Mancini, 2012-08-07
Sweet Potato Casserole
4 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
mix ingredients in order in mixer. place in greased dish
Topping
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup soft butter
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
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Had a fantastic time on the opening day of the National Eisteddfod of Wales - held this year in the Vale of Glamorgan. Despite the weather forecast being awful - it was forecasttorrential rain and thunder storms!! - in all fairness the rain held off for the best part of the day and what a day it was!!
For the first year there was a 'Maes Gwyrdd' which offered a whole range of ecological activities and entertainment. There was an electric car on display which was powering a small office, basket weaving, wood carving - using a hatchet - which I found amazing. I absolutely loved the wind harps. Iolo Morganwg was there in the form of a statue. There was Welsh Folk Music being played whilst youtried to take in all that was going on around as well as the wonderful garden displays and other arts and crafts. Hopefully I'll be going back later on in the week.
I've already taken loads of pics of the Eisteddfod, so will post some, that isif my computer skills allow me.
Pob hwyl.
In My Craft or Sullen
Art
Dylan
Thomas
art
night
rages
arms,
light
Or the strut and trade of
charms
wages
apart
write
pages
But for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of ages
Who pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art.
Dylan Thomas is widely regarded as not only my country's greatest poet but as one of the greatest ever. Yet he suffered the same indignity as the rest of us - writers block. He alludes to it in this poem when he speaks of the sometimes painful process of writing as his "sullen craft or art."Apparently hefrequently laboured for a whole day just to produce one line. Having said thatI would happily labour for a wholeyear if I could produce such lines as he produced!
Still the fact remains, all who strive to write havebeen in the same boat. So what do we do to overcome it? I do not claim to have a magic potion. Imagine if you could sell a cure for writers block?
- Forget About The Muse! There isn't one. Yes, there will be times when the words flow more easily but if you wait for the Muse's mythical call you will most likely end up like Greyfriars Bobby.
- Be disciplined. Set yourself a time and place and stick to it. Determine to write and take Winston Churchill's words, "Never give up, never give up, never, never, never," and make them your own.
- Set Yourself Deadlines. Start a blog and commit to writing a post once a week. Enter writing competitions and mark the final entry date in your diary.
- See yourself as an author . If you have committed yourself to write then you are not an aspiring author - you already arean author. Your novels are just waiting for you to commit them to print!
- Begin to build your audience. If you know you have a readership already waiting for your novel that is powerful motivation to persevere. My book Google+ eXplosion will help you reach your target market even as you write.
- Multi-task. This is definitely one for the ladies! If you have more than one project on the go then you can always switch from one to the other if you find yourself getting mentally bogged down and that brick wall is looming closer (pardon the mixed metaphors).
Let's just take a look at a snapshot of a few of my MutualTwitter Followers:
Michelle describes herself as a 'Paranormal romance writer about to take the indie plunge.' good on you Michelle - go ahead and dive straight in! R.W . sounds a bit like me and describes himself as an Epic Fantasy Writer . Gina is an 'Aspiring Best Selling Author ' and this is really positive because shealready sees herself as succeeding. Self belief cannot be underestimated. We should all try to visualise ourselves as being successful. There is one thing howeverI would say to all of them. Don't pigeon-hole yourselves.
First and foremost you are writers whatever your preferred genre may be. In my last post I described how to download and use KF8, Kindles latest formatting tool that will enable you to embed pictures in your Kindle book. It is now possible to write graphic novels and picture books. Many of you have interests or hobbies that you could write about. Non-fiction is actually a more profitable area on Kindle for more people than fiction. If you enjoy say, creating rock gardens but see yourself as a writer of vampire based fiction why not write about both? If you feel yourself getting jaded take a mental break by switching to the other project. This will help you keep fresh and more importantly it will help you to keep writing. Writers write, that's what they do, that's how they master the craft and find their voice. It's how we grow.
Just to illustrate my point here arethe projects I am currently engaged in, apart from my blog:
Billy lives in socially deprived community in the South Wales valley. A family crisis leads tothe the discovery ofan ancientfamily album. The secrets Billy uncovers within it's pages will change his life forever. "A stern gaunt individual stared at Billy from a frozen distance in time. He wore a flat cap and crumpled baggy trousers. A long jacket covered what appeared to be some kind of vest. His dark eyes and hooked nose reminded Billy of a hungry watchful sparrow-hawk. A long drooping moustache made him look miserable, as if he had just missed a kill. He could certainly do with a good feed. Billy couldn't imagine anybody messing around if he was headmaster. But what impressed Billy
most was the fact he was covered from head to toe in what appeared to be black dust."
Ensure Children Succeed At Math
"The program teaches universal math concepts in a way that is totally child-centered. Children discover math is creative and fun. Concepts are discovered through play, games and open-ended tasks and challenges.
The program is designed to compliment the way children learn best and because of this is invariably accelerated compared to children exposed to more traditional or formal methods. Math need no longer be the source of stress or conflict in the home."
Its still well behind Facebook and not yet nearly as attractive a place for the Big Dogs to promote their brand - which for us is great news!
There will come a time when Google+ will dominate the social media universe but for now the little guys, and those taking their first steps into the often confusing world of internet marketing, have the field mostly to themselves.
Although Google+ is not yet as active as Facebook it already has one great advantage. With little or no hassle it allows you to grow a list of followers without having to worry about auto-responders or squeeze pages and the steep learning curves that they demand."
As you can seeI am trying hard not to pigeon hole myself. Let me just say, if you have an idea for a series of books or a trilogy or whatever, good on you. I am not arguing against creating a raft of books on the same theme or around the same characters - that would obviously be stupid - just asking you to consider diversifying to keep your writing fresh and your brain challenged. Billy is probably another year in the making, Google+ eXplosion is available now while Ensure Children Succeed At Math isalso complete but in need of formatting with KF8.I already have further projects in mind and once Google+ eXplosion is completed I will start one of them. This process works for me in defeating writers block but not writers cramp!
In the next postI intend introducing a new feature. I want to showcase new writers' work. This is not intended as a review but more of a showcase. All I require is a paragraph, a book cover and any link you wish to add.I have room for two more on next week's post so if you are interested send me an email with your paragraph - any paragraph you like - a graphic cover and a link to phil@helpyourchildsucceed.com If I don't receive anythingI will choose three people at random. You have been warned.
Now meet this week's featured Indie Author: David P Perimutter
David's book "Wrong Time Wrong Place" has only just been published on Amazon Kindle.
"Having lost everything, I leave memories of a London police cell behind me and head for Spain with its promise of adventure and fun. Little do I know that Im about to be thrust into the most terrifying time of my life. Wrong Place Wrong Time is a gripping true-life story of an unimaginable nightmare and how my ticket to a new life turns out to be a one way ticket to hell."
David's book is available here:
In the next post we'll consider digging where we stand.
Hi, All,
Many of you know that I am on the Board of the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Centre in Wymore, NE. We are trying to put more life in our FB page and could use more "Likes". If you have a minute, would you take a look and "Like" us and invite your friends, too?: It is just "Great Plains Welsh Heritage Centre". Thanks!
PS: We are also a supporter of Americymru!
Reproduced with kind permission from David Western's Portland Lovespoon Blog
Time for some carving! But where to begin....? Well, sometimes that's a little bit of a dilemma for me, but this time, I actually had put some thought into it while I was still working on the design. This time, I'd start at the bottom: the bowl. Then I'll work my way up. I've mentioned before how concerned I have been about the spoon holding up around these frail little cages, so I want to get all that extra pressure from carving away all that excess wood around and inside the bowl before I get started on the cages.
I started with the back/exterior of the bowl. Now, after a few hours' stretch, something usually happens that makes me chuckle. I thought it might make for a good opening picture for this post....
and here's actually the back of the bowl...
Anyway, after the dog returned to his usual spot on the back of the sofa, I spent a few more hours removing the interior of the bowl. This is a pretty simple task (certainly the simplest feature on this spoon), but labor and time intensive. And, the bowl is an important part, too - it deserves careful attention. People always ask me how long it takes to make spoons... so, I think it took around 8 hours of carving to get to this point, just to give you an idea. Yeah - cherry is kinda hard.
One thing I learn in the process of carving the bowl is what this particular piece of cherry is like. Now, I know I pushed for cherry because it's stronger than some other woods, but another reason was that cherry never seems to vary as much in hardness or other carving characteristics as other woods. So, naturally, as I carved the bowl, I discovered that this particular piece of cherry seems to be at least as hard as any cherry I've ever used, and it also seems to be a little more fussy, and likely to tear with certain approaches to the grain. It still carved better than a lot of woods, though, so I do still think it was a good choice.
Please note the size of those chips up there, too.... on most spoons, those would be pretty normal-sized. On this one, however, we won't see many more nice, big chips like that. Normally, for the rest of the spoon, I would use my 8mm #5 gouge for 80-90% of the work. This time, however, I got to use that "big" 8mm gouge for maybe 5% of the carving, if that. I'd end up using mostly my 3mm #5 gouge. Lots of hard-to-reach areas on this one, where the 8mm gouge just wouldn't fit. To some extent, I anticipated this, but I'll give you, I didn't effectively factor it into my estimate for how long all the carving would take. 3mm vs 8mm - well, you do the math. The other big learning experience for me this time: all these different, interweaving vines & knots and third-dimension decisions (that I didn't draw out - I usually make those up as I go) aren't so bad each by itself, but having them all so close together makes a big difference. My spoons are usually so much simpler, the mid-carving thought process doesn't usually take up that much time. This time, however, it may have been one of the biggest factors. It's so easy to get lost in all that detail, especially when you're flipping from front to back, and sides, and the relationships between all those details. I want vines to act like vines, and knots to act like knots... etc.
Well... that was a lot of words. So - here are a lot of pictures, as the cages developed. Still, from bottom to top...
Note the size of the chips.... see what I mean? That's all I'd see for a while...
Oh - and you may notice the light is different here, too - that's because these were taken where I normally carve once a week:
Next to the river. Nice. Then back to my usual arm-chair, and more work on the cages...
Getting into the back.... and now lots of thinking, checking where I am about to carve, following vines through the cages and up the handle.... into the bowl... etc......
And finally, freeing the ball in the first cage... see it in there? now I have a very-large-handled rattle. Ha. This cage was awfully fun. Interestingly, while it took a lot of thought and very careful concentration throughout the carving process, there was a trade-off. One challenge missing from this cage that is often important in other cages - there are no straight lines, and no need to make one part look exactly like another part. Straight lines and symmetry are tricky. However, while I don't have to worry much about symmetry - I do have to think about balance, and making the roots/vines actually look like roots or vines. They are also not as much fun as this organic stuff. So - more fun through the rest of the cages...
Note - I'm having to start working a little higher up the handle to make sure I'm putting everything in the right place - again, keeping that "big picture" view, and overall balance.
A note about caged balls: they are still just a matter of carving away everything that isn't a ball or a cage. At this point, I've freed the ball in the upper-most cage, too. But, I think the biggest challenge with them (especially when you don't have to worry about symmetry) is getting to clean up the inside of the cages, and shaping the ball. I like to try to get the ball as round and smooth as I can before I free it. That usually requires pretty small tools, and certainly very small chips. These cages were all actually mostly a little bit larger and more accessible than I'm used to - the ones I've done before, I put near another element, blocking access on one side, and that sort of thing. Still - with all those vines around them - especially in that lower cage, it was a little tough to see whether the ball was actually round. Then, once I DID free each ball, my fingers didn't quite fit in there, so it's really tricky to secure it for further carving. Eventually, I came up with a solution to that problem, but I'll explain that another time.
So, I eventually freed the remaining balls, and got to a point where I felt like I was finished with the cages. Just a few more pictures of the cages to leave you with, for now. Next time, we can see what happens above the cages. Meanwhile - I REALLY hope you'll consider making a donation to help support the West Coast Eisteddfod (there's a "Donate" button at the right on this page), to get your chances to win this spoon, and encourage the making of more, in future years!
Oh - one more note - I'm pretty certain that I had something different in mind for the third-dimension of the cages, that would have had more connections from vine to vine (more like what's above the lowest cage). I know my original plan wasn't as open as this. I don't remember exactly what that original plan was, so I just made it up as I carved, knowing exactly how strong things actually were now, and apparently, this arrangement is what struck my fancy while I carved.
Patrick McGuinness wins Wales Book of the Year 2012
 | Patrick McGuinness has won the Wales Book of the Year Award 2012. After winning the Fiction category for his novel set in 1989 Bucharest, The Last Hundred Days , he was also proclaimed the overall winner of the three categories, fiction, poetry and non-fiction. The announcement was made at a ceremony held at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff on Thursday 12th July. Patrick McGuinness is already a renowned poet and this, his debut novel, has achieved world-wide recognition, having reached both the Costa First Novel Award Shortlist and The Man Booker Prize Long-list in 2011. |
More News
 | Rhian Edwardss debut poetry collection Clueless Dogs has been shortlisted for the Forward Prize Best First Collection 2012. The winner will receive a 5,000 prize sponsored by Felix Dennis and Forward Arts Foundation. Rhian was delighted with the shortlisting Being shortlisted for the Forward Prize for First Collection is nothing short of a poetical dream come true, after all its the highest accolade for a first collection of poetry. A poet, musician and songwriter, Rhians poetry reflects her engagment with musical rhythm. In 2011 she won First Prize in the John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry, and was also awarded the Audience Prize for her performance. |
Rhian and Jacob Sam-La Rose, who have both been shortlisted for Best First Collection, were celebrated for bridging the gap between page and performance poetry. The Best First Collection shortlist also includes poets Loretta Collins Klobah, Lucy Hamilton and Sam Riviere.
Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru/National Eisteddfod of Wales 2012
If you are visiting the Eisteddfod, why not drop by our Stand (No: 1011) to meet some of our authors, have a chat with the Seren staff and check out the fantastic offers on a wide range of our books. We will be open from 9.30am every day for the whole week.
Authors appearing throughout the week are:
Saturday 4th August, 11am: Phil Cope presenting his fantastic collection of photographs of Holy Wells: Wales
Tuesday 7th August, 11am: Christopher Meredith signing copies of his fourth novel The Book of Idiots .
Wednesday 8th August, 11am: Fflur Dafydd signing copies of her Mabinogion novella The White Trail .
Friday 10th August, 2pm: Tony Bianchi will be signing copies of Daniel's Beetles , a translation of his prizewinning novel, Pryfeta .
Saturday 11th August, 11am: Grahame Davies signing copies of his first poetry collection in English, Lightning Beneath the Sea .
New Titles
 | The Mind-Body Problem by Katha Pollitt The British edition of the latest collection by the much-praised and widely published American poet and essayist Katha Pollitt, who brings a distinctive blend of wit and lyricism to a profusion of subjects. Ranging across jumble-sales, Jane Austen, Chinese poets, New York City in its crumbling glory, mothers in the playground and hermits in the desert, Pollitt gives a modern, paradoxical twist to philosophical and political conundrums. Poem Night Subway was Poem of the Week at the Guardian online (23rd -29th July) ISBN: 9781854115744 Paperback: 8.99 |
Forthcoming Titles
| | Poet to Poet: Edward Thomass Letters to Walter de la Mare by Judy Kendell (ed) This collection of letters from Edward Thomas to Walter de la Mare amounts to over three hundred, running from 1906 to 1917. Inspiring and poignant, few of these letters have been published before and they give a moving account of the growing trust between these two poets; including some fascinating biographical detail and insights into their composing practices, their close and changing friendship and their special influence on each other. ISBN: 9781854115805 Paperback: 14.99
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 | Burying the Wren by Deryn Rees-Jones Poetry Book Society Recommendation (Autumn 2012) In her fourth poetry collection, Deryn Rees-Jones returns to familiar preoccupations but with a new clarity and maturity of vision. Intensely lyrical and elegiac, these poems focus on hymns to small things to set against a grave loss, that of her late husband, the poet and critic Michael Murphy. Above all these are poems of the body, ...the blue heartstopping pulse at the wrist, which are alive to the world and the transformative qualities of love. ISBN: 978185411576 Paperback: 8.99
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| | Keidrych Rhys: The Van Pool by Charles Mundye Keidrych Rhys was one of the most influential writers in Wales in the 40s and 50s who counted Dylan Thomas, Glyn Jones, Vernon Watkins, Emyr Humphreys, Alun Lewis, RS Thomas and many others among his circle of friends and literary acquaintances.This book brings together The Van Pool (Faber, 1942), Rhyss only poetry collection and a wide variety of uncollected and unpublished poetry and translations. ISBN: 9781854115829 Paperback: 12.99
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| | Sean Tyrone: A Symphony of Horrors by Mark Ryan Sean O'Brien left his wife and son in County Tyrone to find work as a collier in the South Wales Valleys. Years later Niamh O'Brien is dying and sends her son Jack on a quest to find out what became of his father. Sean Tyrones last letter came from somewhere called Aberuffern. The brilliantly evoked valleys town of Aberuffern (the mouth of hell) becomes the central motif of this short novel, inspired by the Mexican novel Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo. Sean Tyrone A Symphony of Horrors is based on a play of the same name by the late author, musician and playwright Mark Ryan and tells the story of Jack's odyssey from child to man and from inexperience to manhood. This is lively, blackly humorous and intelligent storytelling. The beautifully produced paperback includes a series of 20 woodcuts also created by Mark Ryan. ISBN: 9781854116475 Paperback 8.99 |
Meet the Author
Saturday 28th July - Friday 24th August, 12 - 5pm: Marking 56 Years: 56 Group Wales / Grp 56 Cymru. Exhibition opened by David Alston, Arts Director ACW. Bay Art, Cardiff.
Monday 6th - Saturday 11th August: Ty Newydd residential poetry course in North Wales. Tutors Pascale Petit andco-tutor Daljit Nagra, guest reader Karen McCarthy Woolf. Ty Newydd, Llanystumdwy, Cricieth, Gwynedd LL52 0LW To book phone 01766 522811 or email: tynewydd@literaturewales.org
Poem of the Month
Mind-Body Problem
When I think of my youth I feel sorry not for myself
but for my body. It was so direct
and simple, so rational in its desires,
wanting to be touched the way an otter
loves water, the way a giraffe
wants to amble the edge of the forest, nuzzling
the tender leaves at the tops of the trees. It seems
unfair, somehow, that my body had to suffer
because I, by which I mean my mind, was saddled
with certain unfortunate high-minded romantic notions
that made me tyrannize and patronize it
like a cruel medieval baron, or an ambitious
English-professor husband ashamed of his wife
her love of sad movies, her budget casseroles
and regional vowels. Perhaps
my body would have liked to make some of our dates,
to come home at four in the morning and answer my scowl
with None of your business! perhaps
it would have liked more presents: silks, mascaras.
If we had had a more democratic arrangement
we might even have come, despite our different backgrounds,
to a grudging respect for each other, like Tony Curtis
and Sidney Poitier fleeing handcuffed together,
instead of the current curious shift of power
in which I find I am being reluctantly
dragged along by my body as though by some
swift and powerful dog. How eagerly
it plunges ahead, not stopping for anything,
as though it knows exactly where we are going.
The Mind-Body Problem by Katha Pollit is out now 8.99
Nut Rolls
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 lukewarm milk (scalded and cooled)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 package active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup soft shortening
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups sifted flour
put warm water and yeast into mixing bowl, stir until dissolved, stir in cooled milk, sugar, salt egg and soft shortening. mix well, stir in flour. turn on lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic about five minutes. round up in a greased bowl. let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. punch down, let rise again about 1/2 hour. place dough on floured board, roll until almost paper thin. spread walnut filling over dough bringing it to the edges. starting at the wide side of the dough roll up like a jelly roll. seal well by pinching edges. baked on greased cookie sheet 13 x 9 inch pan. let rise until almost double. bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes until brown.
