Blogs

A number of people have expressed consternation and exasperation with the 'Top Blogger' algorithm. And I believe they have a point. Over the last two months it has become clear that the algorithm which ranks blogs on the site, only rewards posters for the number of comments on their posts and fails to take account of other significant factors. Consequently from now on, we will be awarding 10 points in each of the following categories to complement the rankings provided by the algorithm.

1. Quality - We will award ten points to the post or poster we think attains the highest quality standards each month.

2. Quantity - Ten points will be awarded to the most active blogger on the site OR to the person who contributes the most substantial posts. There is no objection to 'snippeting' or to short posts which are links to offsite articles or resources BUT this will allow us to recognise more consequential and significant posts.

3. Popularity - Based on perusal of the log files and taking into consideration Facebook 'likes', Tweets etc, we will award ten points to the post or poster who drives most traffic to the site each month.

The new adjudication system will be implemented for the first time this month ( January 2011 ). Hopefully it will constitute an improvement on the previous arrangement. If anyone has any ideas for making Top Blogger fairer, livelier or more interesting please let us know in the comment box below.

The extraordinary events in a doctors life the miracles and tragedies which reflect the complexities of our bodies and life in its entirety are reflected in a new autobiography by a leading Welsh doctor.

Gerwyn Elias is an experienced doctor and his autobiography gives us an insiders view of some curious incidents: some grave, others amusing but many disastrous, such as the story of the 60-year-old who was convinced that she was expecting a baby, and the young woman who was terrified of eating after seeing her friend choke to death whilst eating chips. These harrowing stories reveal the remarkable way in which a doctor can treat his patients physically and psychologically.

The author has experienced the joy of being able to save lives and the sadness of seeing lives lost. He discusses difficult medical matters in a straightforward manner and offers plenty of sensible advice on how to live a long and healthy life. He advises, There are three ways to stay healthy and help the finances of the health service: avoid overeating, excessive alcohol intake and dont smoke. We would all live longer and feel better throughout our lives. Moderate exercise should be added as a fourth.

Gerwyn Elias is a descendant of the Cilie poets and was also born in Ceredigion. He has enjoyed an illustrious career, winning the Gold Medal for Surgery at Cardiff Medical School, before moving on to work at a number of prominent hospitals. He worked as a GP for 34 years in Penarth.

A Doctors Tale is published in December by Y Lolfa and retails at 7.95.

AKA My 2010 Christmas letter to my Welsh friends: (will add more photos soon!)

Nadolig 2010

Pob bendith i chi dros yr wyl,

I hope this season finds you and yours safe and happy. It has been an incredibly busy and very Welsh year for me. While I continue to volunteer with an older, mostly-homebound man (unless we take him out), I have also been driving regular dog rescue runssort of an underground railroaddogs, and sometimes cats, are rescued from bad situations and taken to the safety of a new home or shelter,with many people driving an hour or two and then passing the animals on to the next driver.

All year long, I was kept busy with my new duties as Chair of Publicity and Marketing for the North American Festival of Wales, which was held in Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest,i n September. Besides the work at home, it entailed two road trips to Portlandone in March and April and one in August and September. Both were 3-4 weeks and about 5500-6500 miles. In March, I combined my trip with a Board meeting of the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Project, in Wymore, Nebraska, and an Easter visit with our daughter, my aunt and cousins in Southern California.
If you are familiar with US geography, you will know this was not the most direct route to Oregon! I took my dachshund, Macsen, with me. (In the US Macsen rhymes with dachshund.) We had an enjoyable trip driving up the Coast through the Redwoods, and on the way home drove along the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, and followed the Lewis and Clark Trail through Washington, Idaho, Montana and North Dakota. We even slept two nights in a B&B shaped like a beagle!

But before that trip,we (my husband and I, not the dog!) attended a Burns Night supper (and ate haggis, again); three St. Davids Day eventsone with the Chicago Tafia; one in Racine, Wisconsin; and one here in Madison. Luckily, they were all scheduled different days! I had the pleasure of meeting Dafydd Wigley in Racine, as he was the guest of honor. He had family that immigrated to Racine.

In May, I attended the Wisconsin Welsh Weekend for Everyone, in Wales, Wisconsin. Saturday was full of family-friendly events, including a fabulous rugby demo by the womens rugby team from the university. I sort of understand the game now! Sunday we finished up with a wonderful gymanfa ganu in the Welsh Church.

I took some Tai Chi classes in May and went fishing for the first time with the man I volunteer with. Although we went four times during the summer, no one caught anything, but we had fun being on the lakes and taking in the views. We also took him out on a pontoon boat to watch the Fourth of July fireworks from the lake.

In June, I had another Board meeting in Nebraska, and stopped in Chicago on the way home to join the Tafia at a pub night and we watched the US premiere of the film, A Bit of Tom Jones.On returning home, I had to have surgery, unexpectedly, just before I was due to drive to Canada for my friends wedding! I made the trip anyway, and enjoyed the wedding, but could have done without the surgery! This was a couple I introduced in 2009 and they have since moved to Wales, which brings me to myJuly trip to Cardiff for Cwrs Cymraeg and my first National Eisteddfod.

I was gone about 3 weeksone week for Cwrs; one for the Eisteddfod; and one for visiting and sightseeing. What a fabulous experience it was to spend so much time on the maes, hearing Welsh spoken everywhere, and speaking as much as I could. I did feel sorry for the people who had to listen to learners all week, though! I was delighted to have my friend from Holyhead come down, as I would not have known what to see and do on the maesthere was just so much to take in! It was so much fun to see friends from Wales at the Eisteddfod! I also toured the Penderyn distillery (yum!), spent a day in Swansea and on the Gower, and shopped so much I had to borrow an old suitcase from my friend to bring everything home in!

I was home 2 weeks and I had to get ready to leave for Portland again, for the NAFOW. This time I combined the trip back with a visit to Mt. St. Helens (this was the 30 ^th anniversary of the eruption); a visit to my nephew on an island in Puget Sound; a quick trip to Vancouver, BC, to see the totem poles in Stanley Park (they were amazing); a drive through Yellowstone, where I not only saw Old Faithful go off, but got up close to a bison that decided to walk along the shoulder of the road right next to my car! Then I had a one-week stopover in Rapid City, South Dakota, where I attended a museum conference for the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Centre. It was very useful, but I ended up with pneumonia by time I got home.

By the end of September I was mostly well, and went on a one-day riverboat cruise down the Mississippi with the man I volunteer with. The next day I headed to Nebraska again for another Board meeting.

When I got home, I began working with an illiterate man that I worked with about year agohe had dictated a book to me and now it was published and he wanted to learn to read a short bit. We did that and he was great. I went to his book reading and talked about the whole process and read some as well.

All year long, we have been going to doggy playgroups and in October I went to six dog Halloween parties! Three of our dogs (a hound, a beagle, and one of the dachshunds) won $20 for their costumesthey were a hotdog, and Mustard and Ketchup!

In November, I joined a Womens Scrabble Club and have been enjoying playing over coffee and chit-chat. We also had our state Christmas Gymanfa Ganu, but I was very disappointedit was all English, except for four verses! Our local Cambrian Heritage Society had our fall meeting with 4 members sharing experiencesone talked about university student exchanges with schools in Wales; one talked about working on his Masters degree in Celtic Studies from Lampeter, mostly on-line; one told about his experiences directing cymanfoedd ganu in various states (he was NOT the one who directed the mostly-Saesneg one!); and one person talked about and modeled traditionalWelsh dress from the past.

I made one last road trip to Tennessee to see an ailing cousin and visit other relatives over Thanksgiving. It was quite cold here when I left (37F) but 75F there! I am glad I went, as my cousin is now in the hospital with his son at his side.

Since Ive been home, Ive continued the regular activities, including taking our friend to see the Nutcracker Ballet and helping with his Christmas shopping, wrapping and card-mailing. Now its my turn to get my holiday things done!

My husband left yesterday for 15 days in California to spend Christmas with our daughter. It was his turn to go and my turn to stay home. However, it is now very cold (minus 9F the other day and weve had one blizzard already!).

I hope your year has been as full of magical moments and friendship and adventure as mine has. If you dont hear from me for awhile, that is because 2011 will be just as crazy as 2010 was, but I am (mostly) enjoying all of it! I think of you all often as I travel lifeshighways and hope we see each other soon!

Gyda ddumuno iechyd a hapusrwydd i chi yn 2011,cyfarchion cynnes,

I have just revised a poem to include a Welsh reference. I hear the Welsh are especially adept at pointing out flaws. Have at it...

Valentines Day Tomorrow

Behind the Portuguese men-of-war
through their dragging tentacled rain
hides a hunchback moon.

On sloped cement the color of the storm
he turns the vice down
on something wrapped in a rag.

A spoon handle cut from its cradle
twisting it round to fit a finger.

The Welsh give wooden spoons
before engagement rings.
He teased, trying to milk

the silver spoon she found.
She turned it on him giving
the spoon with a well here.

Using the hammer to pound
the vice tighter to round out
the flat spots in the ring.

It is scarred by the pliers
he first tried. But it is
impossible to file them down

without losing the inscription.
Gone already is the t in "Eternally Yours".

By Mona Everett

Previously printed in Ninnau

All hail Johnny Depp! So began Terry Brevertons seminar on Welsh pirates during the 2007 North American Festival of Wales.. Drawing from his several books on pirates and privateers, Mr. Breverton entertained and educated his audience with lively anecdotes about swashbucklers and scoundrels during the Golden Age of Piracy.

Life on board a pirate ship was infinitely more attractive (and generally longer) than what awaited men pressed into service on other vessels. Pirate ships were democratic, with captains only having ultimate authority when under attack. Riches were (supposed to be) divided equally, and what riches they were! Multi-million dollar treasures were plundered on the high seas. Privateers were given letters of marque by various government officials, which gave them permission to loot any enemy ship, with the proviso that a percentage would be turned over to the government. When privateers grew tired of taking all the risks and sharing the bounty, they often turned to out-and-out piracy.

Due to time constraints, Breverton focused on two of the most famous Welsh pirates, Sir Henry Morgan and Black Bart Roberts, but his books and research paint a broader picture of the impact Welsh pirates and privateers had on world governments at the time. He made the case that privateers saved King Charles reign from being a total disaster, and certainly piracy took a heavy toll on merchant sailing and trade in the Atlantic and Caribbean.

Not just outlaws, pirate captains like Morgan and Roberts were gifted strategists, thinking their way out of seemingly hopeless situations. Frequently taking on much larger ships, and even small fleets, when they were outgunned and outmanned, they still managed to give the enemy the slip time and time again.

These were extraordinary men. Back home in Wales, they were heroes, and today, thanks to Brevertons work, we can relive their adventures and learn a bit of history at the same time.

So, enjoy Hollywoods pirates, but for the inside scoop check out Brevertons books including Black Bart Roberts: The Greatest Pirate of Them All; Admiral Henry Morgan: King of the Buccaneers; The Book of Welsh Pirates and Buccaneers; and the Pirate Dictionary.

What Board positions must be filled this year?

There will be several vacancies on the 2011-2012 WNGGA Board ofTrustees. We are asking for names of qualified candidates, who will be voted on at the Annual Meeting, Sept. 3, 2011, at the North American Festival of Wales, in Cleveland, Ohio. Trustees serve a three-year term and may be elected for a second term.

Who is the ideal Board candidate?

There is no ideal Board candidate. Instead, WNGGA is looking for dedicated individuals with diverse skills to complement the current Board.

What criteria will the Nominating Committee use to select Boardcandidates?

The only requirement of Board candidates is that they are WNGGA members and have been a member for at least one year. Six trustees shall be residents of the Western United States west of the Mississippi River. Nine trustees shall be residents of the Eastern United States east of the Mississippi River. Five trustees shall be residents of Canada. One Trustee maybe elected from Wales. In certain cases, a member or members may be elected from any other region, to fill the vacancy or vacancies in another region.

What do Board members do?

The Board is responsible for planning and carrying out the annual North American Festival of Wales.

How much time does Board service require?

Board members must be willing to invest time in preparing for and thoughtfully participating in Board meetings. The Board meets twice a year.Also, each member of the Board serves on at least two committees and should therefore be available to participate in regular committee work and respond to communications.. Finally, Board members are expected to attend the NAFOW

May I nominate myself?

Yes. WNGGA members may n omina te themselves for the Board of Trustees by following the same procedures they would use in order to nominate someone else.

How do I nominate a candidate?

If you know of an individual who meets the Nominating Committee's criteria, and who might be willing to serve on the WNGGA Board of Trustees, please complete the nomination form below.

Mail form to:

WNGGA International Headquarters, Stacy Evans, Executive Director, PO Box 410, Granville, OH 43023. or email it to: president@wngga.org . One of the Trustees will then contact the candidate. WNGGAs Nominating Committee will accept Board nominations by post until August 20, and at the NAFOW through Sept. 2, 2010.

Visit our website for more info: www.nafow.org

Thank you!

WNGGA Nominating Committee

NOMINATING FORM

Your name: _____________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Phone: __________________________________________________________

Email: __________________________________________________________

Check here if self-nomination

Name of the person you are nominating:_____________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Phone: ______________________________________________________________

Email:__ _____________________________________________________________

Have you discussed this with the candidate? __________________________

How long have you known this person ?_______________________________

How has this person been involved in Welsh activities? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What skills can this person bring to the Board of Trustees?

Writing Public speaking Technology skills Publicity

Marketing Graphic Design Accounting

Legal background Fundraising Other___________________ _

Writing poetry the modern way, the free verse way, the no-pain-no-gainless way is not difficult. Writing poetry which merits its reading is. Because English is largely spoken in a natural iambic meter (allowing for regional accents) one could in practice jot down ones thoughts on any given subject, apply line breaks where speech would naturally pause and voil, a poem is written. Put another way:
one could in practice
jot down ones thoughts
on any given subject,
apply line breaks
where speech
would naturally pause
and voil,
a poem is written.
That is to say, this nave and facetious example, which has all the appearance of a poem on the page, simply follows the harmonic cadences of Western speech. It needs a title of course. Ill call it . . . Cop Out. Now sit back for the obligatory nerdy paragraph:-

The Latin word cadentia unhelpfully means a falling off, more applicable to musical cadences. The typical iambus follows the pattern of a short or weak syllable followed by a stressed or long syllable, though it can be the other way around. Some think that it replicates the heart beat as in der dum, der dum, der dum as if chancing on some profound insight. And heres another nerdy bit - the iambic trimeter was first used by Greek satirists iaptein meaning to attack verbally. Good. Weve got that out of the way.

So, much of the poetry presented online and also often published in Small Press publications adopts this modus operandi. The poetic conventions of rhyme (whether perfect, internal, half rhyme or assonant), sprung rhythm, alliteration, metaphor, simile and imagery are happily omitted, and why not? They demand imagination, the creative juices, fine judgments and decision making. The labour -intensive, time-consuming use of the thesaurus and dictionary, the tedium of crafting lines and the frustration of ditching ones darling phrases to make a rhyme are utterly avoided; as are those endless revisions thank many a god for the back spacer in my case (I darent permit myself freehand no human would ever read it).

What it comes down to is that free verse (mostly unstanza-ed) is just too easy to write, and whereas it might encourage almost anyone to write poetry one is reminded of Lears Nothing will come of nothing. That said, free verse can work well but there has to be a bloody good original idea within the poems plainsong. Generally however, much modern free verse rarely says anything worth saying and, without the element of crafting, it is rudderless. I suspect that, given modern mans natural propensity to short cut virtually every effort, if crafting was de rigueur many who write poetry now would no longer do so.

And yet the mainstay of almost all modern verse is a given the rhythm. By aping speech patterns rhythm and basic line breaks can be naturally achieved. And certainly, as a skeleton draft, the plainest of language will help the poet to sketch out the structure of the poem, to work through its consistency and test its basic concept for leakage. As this is done the poem will often shape itself. The length of the first line for instance might dictate the length of all others. The build -up of the narrative or descriptive passages may suggest stanzas or free flow. And if stanzas are used, the line count of each may evolve as creative cogs turns.
But, with the rhythm and structure achieved and a central concept mapped out, is that then it ? Is the free versers offering now destined for the Keats-Shelley prize, or is it a suit of clothes fit only for a myopic emperor?

So, what else can be avoided because it is too much like hard work? The decision to rhyme or not to rhyme would be an obvious candidate. And if to rhyme, what scheme to use; whether to locate full or half rhymes at the end of lines, or to embed internal or assonant rhymes as mortar to bind the poem. Decisions, decisions. But they can be by-passed; as can the need to root around in a rhyming dictionary and, finding nothing suitable, to rewrite a choice descriptive phrase because nothing rhymes with purple or orange. Also, the necessity to assess a readers patience with half or quarter rhymes. Neither would there be a requirement to discipline oneself not to invert the customary word order simply to accommodate a rhyme. Nope. The emperors transparent finery requires none of this.

Nor does his suit need the epaulettes of metaphor or simile. A few buttons of course but no gilt braid or piping to raise an eyebrow or stroke the imagination. No unstoppering the heart to release the creative spirit; to let loose the impatient genie makes words jump through hoops of fire and can girdle the globe in search of the rare, and risky, bon mot. Do todays free versers fear such alchemy, or cant they be bothered with all that tosh ? Too, too much hard work involved (toil, exertion, effort, strain, stress, pressure, struggle, labour, travail, sweat, swink, operoseness, fagging, drudgery, hammering, pains, trouble, limae labor, energy, vigour . . . puff, puff! . . . I have it! Too, too much hammering).

Dont get me wrong. Im not anti free verse. I use it myself often (rhyme and alliteration should be used with circumspection or they work against the serious poem becoming a distraction.) Poems short on craft are short on poet, and definitely short change the reader. I hope I will never be accused of not using the most felicitous word in every instance. Each word in a poem from first to last should, in my opinion, be tested against all alternatives. Many of the poems which I read today suggest that the poets thesaurus (if he or she has one) needs dusting. There are too many obvious, first choice plain Janes in them. Its not so much the application of imagination, structure or concept which is missing but the evidence of effort and revision. I cant hear much hammering these days. Maybe Im going deaf.

Nigel Humphreys
The Hawk's Mewl (Arbor Vitae Press, London)
The Flavour of Parallel (Arbor Vitae Press, London)

http://www.nigelhumphreyspoet.com

My Kind Of Heaven - by Geoff Knott

Images and editing by Alan Evans ( reproduced with kind permission from the Sancler Times )

Garnffrwdd Lake Trout Fishery Google Map & Directions

The sun was a fiery orange, soon it would start to go a deeper shade of amber and ever so slowly dip below the mountain. In the far distance, there was no wind at all and the surface of the lake was like a sheet of glass. I still had a good couple of hours before I would have to see about moving from this idyllic spot. I had a backdrop of trees that came down to the waters edge and as I looked above the trees from the stern of my boat I could see various species of birds returning home for the night. Far above the tree line was the unmistakable shape of a red kite as it continued to scour the land for its evening meal.
Close to the shoreline I could see the unmistakable wake of an otter in the margins. Coming towards the boat in all his majesty was a regal swan. I am sure he was hoping that I would have something for him. The heat had gone out of the day. I sat there with a cool drink in my hand. I had to stop fishing to take it all in and gaze upon Gods creation in all its beauty.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a trout rise close to the reeds. I knew that with a good cast I could reach it. The trout was working along the margins and I suspected it was feeding on the rising midges that could just about be seen. I lifted up the rod and prepared to cast taking time to anticipate where it would come up next. I cast my fly to where thirty years of experience told me the trout would surface next. The fly alighted the water like gossamer to exactly where I wanted it and after a pause I started a slow retrieve. A minute later the line went solid. At first I thought I had hooked the bottom but then the bottom started to move and I knew I had something. I was into one of the over wintered trout that had grown on to a substantial size.
The tip of the rod bent right over as the trout steamed away. I knew there would be little I could do in controlling this beautiful fish until later in the fight. All I could do was apply as much pressure as possible and just hope if would not find an underwater obstruction.
Ten minutes later I felt as if I was in control. The fly line was in the water and I had little backing line left on my reel but ever so slowly I started to gain the line back on the reel. Another ten minutes went by but at that moment it seemed that time had stood still. I now had the end of the fly line back on the reel and I knew that thirty yards away a trout in pristine condition was doing its very best to part company with my fly. The trout was trying to get the upper hand but I knew in my heart that I had already won the battle. I just had to rely on my experience, stay one step ahead of the trout and hope and pray that the fly held.
It was another five minutes before I could slip the net under a very nice brown trout. As I lifted the net into the boat the adrenalin was still running strong. I wondered if this thing of such great beauty would beat my previous best. I despatched the fish straight away and after removing the fly with my hands still shaking I weighed it. The hand on the scales didnt quite reach ten pounds but I was well pleased, it was a very fine specimen.
I had to sit down for a good ten minutes and make a cup of coffee from my flask. Any fish is a bonus but I didnt think that I would catch another like this one. Fish of this size do not come out every day. I look upon fishing as a day out and a time of relaxation where you can unwind from the stresses of this hectic world in which we live. Finishing my coffee I eased the anchor out of the lake bed and let the boat drift to another favourite spot. I gently lowered the anchor and eased out some more rope and the boat came to a gentle stop. Any noise makes the fish scatter but I had not spooked the fish that I knew abounded this particular part of the lake. As I sat there contemplating my next move a moorhen with her chicks moved along the waters edge by some bushes that grew out of the water. The mother kept her brood close to her and a little distance behind the chicks their father kept a watchful eye out for predators. I changed my fly for a damsel nymph I had made the day before. I had actually made a dozen and I was very pleased with the representation. It was as close to the real thing as I could make. I just hoped the trout would think so to and take it with confidence.
I could not see any trout rising but I knew they were there. I started by casting to my left deciding to work the fly line in a fan pattern ending far to my right. The first cast failed to interest the trout but the second cast did. I had allowed the new fly to sink towards the bottom and had worked it back towards the surface when the line went solid. As it did so I lifted the rod into a fine fighting fish. I allowed the fish to swim out into open water so it did not disturb the other fish where I hoped to catch another. I stated to put the pressure on and as I did so the trout leapt into the air in an attempt to shed the fly. I could see it was a decent rainbow trout and after a few more minutes I had it in the net. I did not weigh this fish, I knew it was around the 3lb mark from experience and it would make a lovely meal for two at a later date. I inspected the fly for any damage and found none. I was so pleased as the trout had not hesitated in taking my new creation. It took with confidence convinced it was a real Damsel nymph. Sometimes when a trout sees a fly it may hesitate if it suspects that something is not quite right. Sometimes you feel a series of little tugs as the trout half takes it and then spits it out. There was none of that with my fly, just a solid take that oozed confidence. I went on to take four more trout including another brownie of four and a half pounds. It had been a good days fishing. Soon after the last fish slid over the rim of my landing net I decided to call it a day. I dismantled my rod and put everything away. When I had stowed the last piece of gear I pulled the anchor in and headed for the landing stage.
The bailiff was there to meet me as I eased the boat alongside the pontoon. The bailiff helped me unload the boat and he could see I had some nice fish. I had a really nice brown trout so photographs were taken for the angling press. I stood a chance of winning the fish of the week prize, which would be very welcome. Having filled in the log book and loading all the gear in the car I drove home at a sedate pace still feeling the glow and the adrenalin from the days sport. It was a great feeling, like a job well done.
So this is my kind of heaven. It is my means of escape. When I am fishing I am away from stress, there are no phones ringing, no clocks, no schedules to meet. I completely switch off from everyday life and I am at peace. The day before I go fishing I am excited and quite often the excitement of what is to come keeps me awake. Have I got the right flies, what will the trout be feeding on, will the weather be good and so on. My experience usually tells me how the day will go apart from what fish I will catch that is. Even if I blank I will still have a good day. I am in another world, a world where peace reigns. I am alone with my thoughts and I have time to think of other fishing venues.

There are some venues where I have yet to wet a line. I am happy and my heart is filled with joy. This is my thing, it is what I do and without wishing to boast I do it well because my heart is in it. I give it everything I have and after more than thirty years I still get that same wonderful feeling as when I caught my very first trout. It is immensely satisfying when the trout are rising to take the fly, which I created at home. Tight lines and good fishing.