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A course in Welsh on Duolingo , the free language-learning platform, was launched earlier this year. There are now 405,000 registered Duolingo users from around the world learning Welsh – this compares with 18,000 adults attending Welsh language classes in Wales. There are also 499 virtual Welsh language classrooms in Duolingo serving schools and colleges.
Duolingo includes a language-learning website and app for mobile devices, and provides extensive written lessons and dictation, with speaking practice for more advanced users. The app is available on iOS, Android and Windows 8 and 10 platforms and there is also a Facebook group where Welsh learners can discuss matters related to the course. For more information, visit the Duolingo website on https://www. duolingo .com or download the mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Congratulations to the developers of the Welsh language course in Duolingo on the success of the enterprise, and in particular to Draig Werdd committee member Richard Morgan, who is one of eight contributors to the course.
Lansiwyd cwrs Cymraeg Duolingo , y platfform dysgu iaith am ddim, yn gynharach eleni. Erbyn hyn mae 405,000 o ddefnyddwyr Duolingo o bob cwr o’r byd yn dysgu Cymraeg – mae hyn yn cymharu â 18,000 o oedolion sy’n mynychu dosbarthiadau Cymraeg yng Nghymru. Mae yna hefyd 499 o ystafelloedd dosbarth Cymraeg yn Duolingo sydd yn gwasanaethu ysgolion a cholegau.
Mae Duolingo yn cynnwys gwefan ddysgu iaith ac app ar gyfer dyfeisiau symudol, ac yn darparu gwersi ysgrifenedig ac arddweud, gydag ymarfer siarad i ddefnyddwyr profiadol. Mae’r app ar gael ar iOS, Android a llwyfannau Windows 8 a 10 ac mae yna hefyd grŵp Facebook lle gall dysgwyr y Gymraeg drafod materion sydd yn ymwneud â’r cwrs. Am fwy o wybodaeth, ewch i wefan Duolingo ar https://www. duolingo .com neu lawrlwytho’r app symudol o’r Apple App Store neu’r Google Play Store.
Llongyfarchiadau i ddatblygwyr y cwrs Cymraeg yn Duolingo ar lwyddiant y fenter, ac yn arbennig i aelod pwyllgor Draig Werdd Richard Morgan, sydd yn un o wyth o gyfranwyr i’r cwrs.
Cai: My pleasure, it's very cool to be answering questions for you. Thank you for the opportunity to talk to your readers.
Gwaed y Cymry means 'the blood of the Welsh people', and music really is the lifeblood of Wales. The idea of recording a solo album came about after being away from home for a few years. For almost four years now I've been adventuring out in the countryside and wilderness of Minnesota; camping in the forests, staying on farms with friends and family and living in small towns surrounded by lakes and forests, and I am at my happiest when I'm outside, miles from anywhere. I'm very much an outdoors person, my soul is rarely at ease when I'm inside or walking on concrete city streets. But when I'm out in the woods or next to a lake, after a day cutting firewood or fishing, the first thing I want to do is get out an instrument and make music. There's nothing better than playing an accompaniment to the nightscape. Yet music is a thing to share, and music really is alive in many ways - it wants to be shared, and it will whisper in your ear and sneak inside your head and it can drive you to do its bidding. So the music told me to put a little studio together, and for the most part it makes itself, I'm just a vehicle for the tunes. And these Welsh tunes are so old that they have gathered a lot of power. They've been jumping from generation to generation and heart to heart for so long that they have their own will to live and to continue proliferating, and they have become strong. With each new host they gain more resonance. So these are the tunes that have been wandering with me for years, with my own little spin on them. This is the sound I make when I'm out in the wild and playing for the birds. They're pieces my grandfather carried with him and used to sing to me, that I used to play out in the landscape back home, and songs I play now when I'm missing the beaches and mountains of Wales.
AmeriCymru: You are a multi-instrumentalist. What instruments do you play on the album?
Cai: On this album I used the harp, the guitar and whistle as the core of the sound, I was planning to play fiddle as well but as fate would have it I snapped a string on the first day of recording so the violin parts are played as if it were a ukulele - three stringed pizzicato chords underpinning the guitar, which had a good feel so I let fate lead me on that. There's also a pibgorn, the ancient Welsh woodwind instrument, which was made for me by the excellent piper Gafin Morgan. For the song Y Fari Lwyd I used a lot of percussion, as well. The Mari Lwyd tradition is something that happens in pubs late at night, with family and friends, after a few pints, and it's a raucous, spectacular, lively affair, so I wanted to try to capture some of the energy and chaos of a real live Mari Lwyd; I wanted the noise and clatter of a country pub full of excitement and beer, the atmosphere of the winter rain outside kept at bay by a log fire and a band of drunken musicians. So for percussion there's a washboard, a set of bottles and glasses, and I used the dining room floor and dinner table as a drum kit to give the impression of a pub full of people clapping and stamping and hammering on the bar. The harp takes the lead for most of the album, backed up by the ensemble though I've included a couple of solo harp pieces, the pibgorn takes over from time to time as does the whistle and there are a few guitar solo spots here and there, and I also sing on four of the tracks.
AmeriCymru: You currently reside in Minnesota. How did you come to relocate there? Any plans for gigs in the area or the US generally?
Cai: My wife and kids are here in Minnesota, they hail from a farming town north of Minneapolis, and I've really fallen in love with the area over the last few years. I'm playing for the Saint David's Society of Minnesota on the 4th of March, they're hosting an event in the Twin Cities for Saint David's Day focusing on the work of Meredydd Evans, who I've always been a big fan of. I'm also hoping to arrange some shows further afield in Chicago and Milwaukee soon. Ive explored a lot of Minnesota in the last few years, America is a magical place with some fantastic people and I'm chomping at the bit to get rolling and investigate the rest.
AmeriCymru: Care to tell us a little about your Welsh and musical backgrounds?
Cai: Well my grandfather sang in a male voice choir, he had a superb voice and he adored anything Welsh, so the old songs were a big part of my childhood. His family were farmers and coal miners, and of course poets and bards as well. So when I hear their language and the sounds of the harp it feels like home to me. My mother's a big fan of Jamaican music, and plays a lot of ska and calypso which I'm sure has influenced my style. Growing up my dad was always buying me folksy stuff like the Pogues and Django Reinhardt, which gave me a hunger for traditional music. In school I experimented with a broad range of styles, my taste has always varied from early jungle/drum & bass through punk and rock to classical and jazz. When I went off to music college in England I was very lucky to have been tutored by a list of big names, one of whom was the late, great Eric Roche. Eric was an acoustic genius, and he was an amazing teacher. He did a lot to influence my musical direction. For theory lectures his style was to half hyptontize the class in his soft Irish accent and implant the music theory into our subconscious minds. That way, when I need a scale or a chord I don't have to think about it, it's just there. For practical lessons he'd bring in his Lowden acoustic guitar, always set up in some strange alternate tuning, and his skills were jaw dropping - he would play a bassline, two or three guitar parts along with a melody and drum on the instrument all at the same time. He treated the guitar like an orchestra and opened my mind to new ways of playing. And I've been very lucky to have been able to watch a lot of really excellent musicians up close, so when it comes to learning a new insrument I already have a fair idea of how it will work. I've learned a lot just by watching people like Robin Huw Bowen and Gwenan Gibbard play harp. Through my travels I've encountered lots of different musical worlds, from the vibes that the Jamaican and Indian immigrants brought to Britain and the Welsh Gypsy harping tradition to the music that Indonesian and African friends introduced to me when I was living in Holland. The way I perceive music has a lot to do with my mother's indigenous roots which are in northern Scandinavia, and through the work of Sámi musicians like Áillohaš and Mari Boine I've come to see music as something spiritual and much deeper than just a form of entertainment - for me it's more than a pass-time, it's an act of worship and a sacred medicine as well.
AmeriCymru: You formerly played with Welsh band Calan. How would you describe your experience with them?
Cai: Working with Calan was an awesome experience. They're such a very talented group of musicians and wonderful people, and we got to play the music we love in some supreme venues. Recording at Sain's legendary studios was an absolute privilege, and working alongside Maartin Alcock as producer was a massive honor, not to mention Paul Burgess of 10cc fame who played drums for us on the first album. The show that sticks in my mind as my favorite was on a tour in Italy - we were out in the countryside, the venue was a little stage looking out over a tiny village and a backdrop of steep wooded mountains, the day had been very hot and we'd been fed home-cooked Italian food with local wine and cheese and we played our show watching the sun setting behind the hills with a cool breeze in our faces. Playing at the Lorient Interceltique festival in Brittany was a lot of fun, too - one day we were invited to play at a party in the mayor's mansion, where we were filled with salmon, caviar and fine champagne before playing for the movers and shakers in a great, chandeliered marble hall; that was a pretty swanky gig. And then there were the small venues all around Wales with cozy atmospheres where it felt like the audience was all family, those were very happy times. And the audience we gathered are so enthusiastic and appreciative, the fans gave us a great deal of encouragement and inspiration. Making music with Calan was truly joyful. Most importantly, playing with Calan gave me the chance to give something back to Wales, and before Calan came along there was a perception of Welsh music as being kinda slow and sleepy and it was great to be able to show the world that's not the case.
AmeriCymru: Who are your favourite Welsh musicians/bands at the moment?
Cai: Right now I'm loving Elfen - a new trio I haven't yet met who have just put out a record called March Glas which has been going round and round my head for a couple of weeks. New on the scene is also Kizzy Meriel, a solo singer/songwriter act I'm really enjoying, and Patric from Calan is working with a new group named Vrï who are putting out some fantastic stuff. Of course I'm following Calan with glee - their new material is just brilliant, and last year I went to see them play in southern Minnesota when they were touring the States and was pleased to meet the new members and see the line up gels really well. Angharad from Calan has been doing beautiful work with her mother, the harpist Delyth Jenkins, under the name DnA (as in Delyth'n' Angharad). I'm very excited to see what all these guys come out with in the future.
AmeriCymru: What's next for Cai ab Alun? Any new recordings in the works?
Cai: I'm currently looking into starting a show on public access radio, focusing on Welsh music but not exclusively, and maybe there'll be some comedy thrown into the mix. Alongside that I'd like to set up some Welsh language classes, because the language is an important part of the culture and it would be very good to help reconnect the Welsh diaspora here with their roots. I'm beginning work on another album now, and for the next one I'll be adding some new instruments to the line up, though I'll be drawing on the same inspiration as before I'd like to open up some new horizons and augment the sound I've crafted with something more. I'm hearing drums, a double bass and perhaps accordion too. I'm adding flute and recorder to my wind section, I'd love to get hold of a crwth and I may do some experimentation with tuned percussion like steel pans and xylophone. There are lots of tunes and songs I wanted to do for this first album but I felt some of my absolute favorite pieces deserve to be given more considration, a little more rumination and some additional colors on my palette. I'd love to try collaborating with a couple of other musicians over the internet, as well - with modern technology it would be easy to do a duet with someone on the other side of the world and that could be fun. So I am planning to make a lot more music in the next few years.
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?
Cai: Only that I'm looking forward to getting out there and meeting a new audience here in the States!
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AmeriCymru: Hi Susan and many thanks for agreeing to this interview. How and when did you first become aware of your Welsh heritage?
Susan: I'm a history nerd from a family with quite a few history nerds, so I don't actually really remember "learning" that I had Welsh ancestry. I've always known my surname was Welsh, but my earliest memories about it are sitting in my great aunt's living room and going through some genealogies and family history materials when I was probably about eight or nine years old. And I remember learning that we supposedly came from Brecon (which I have been totally unable to document!), so I always wanted to go there.
When I was in college, I had a Welsh flag on the wall in my apartment, but I've also always been a Britophile, generally. I always read as much as I could about Britain and wanted to live there, since I can remember. Like a lot of Americans, I've always been interested in when, where, how, and why my ancestors came here--and from where. I still haven't been able to make the jump across the pond on my Floyd line, but I have--thanks to the ability we now have to search, view, and share primary source documents using the internet--found out quite a lot about various ancestors, including immigrants to Virginia on my mother's side who came from Monmouthshire and Carmarthenshire. So that's all very exciting.
But , I also have to add: some of the most inspiring, most successful dysgwyr Cymraeg are people with no known Welsh ancestry. They learn the language because they moved to Wales, or they got into Welsh music, or they encountered Welsh literature, or they fell in love with a Welsh person, and then with the language. Welsh is for everybody.
Susan: I was fortunate to do a study abroad exchange at Lancaster University through UT-Austin as an undergraduate. While there, I joined the mountaineering club, and we went on weekend trips, alternating between the Lake District and North Wales. Our group leader was a Welshman named Huw who always took us to the best places. I especially remember climbing some (what seemed like) 200-foot rock face near Porthmadog and looking back over my shoulder to a sweeping view of the sea. I can't believe I did that now!
I also spent New Year's Eve 2000 in Cardiff, on a little road trip. I went to Britain twice on vacation during college with my best friend, because we were able to get some unbelievably cheap student airfares in the late 90s. So we somehow ended up in Cardiff for New Year's. I still need to get back there and see the city properly--our tour was confined to pubs, a B&B, and external views of the castle!
Then I lived in England for another four years in my early/mid-twenties. I went to Wales a couple of times on weekend trips. I finally made it to the Brecon Beacons in 2005, right before I returned to the US. I'd like to go back there, as well. It was lovely.
Finally, I went to Wales this past November/December on what turned out to be the trip of a lifetime. We've had a direct British Airways flight from Austin to Heathrow for about a year now--such a luxury, very exciting. So when there was a ticket sale, earlier this year, I bought one. I initially planned to just visit friends around England and have a low-budget, low-key trip. But then I started studying Welsh and realized I shouldn't pass up the opportunity to go there, so that became a big part of my trip.
I rented a car in Liverpool and drove around the perimeter of Wales, all the way to Swansea. It was absolutely amazing. I met up with some folks I'd "met" on Twitter during the Euros, one of whom took me on what turned out to be one of the best pub crawls I've ever been on (and I've been on a lot! Ha!). And I caught up with a new friend whom I'd met in Austin at our local Irish pub; she had been over here on holiday during the Euros, and we kept running into each other again and again as Wales progressed. We kept in touch on Facebook and ended up spending a day together, driving around Caernarfon and Eryri! Anhygoel! I met some other folks who had previously been online acquaintances, and they were all lovely--being shown the sights by locals gave my trip an entirely different flavor, and made traveling alone a lot more fun. I also walked about ten miles of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path on my own. I lucked out--the weather the entire time I was in Wales was sunny and gorgeous! I highly recommend visiting Britain in general and Wales in particular during the off-season. At several tourists hot spots I was one of the only tourists! This allowed me have private access to Bryn Celli Ddu on Anglesey, be one of about five people wandering around Caernarfon Castle on a Monday afternoon, and enjoy a very quiet sleepy weekend in St. David's (well, except for the local talent night at the pub, which was another highlight!). And, twenty years after writing my first English lit paper on Dylan Thomas as junior in high school, I finally made it to Laugharne. I also went to an Ospreys match in Swansea (they won). Those are just the highlights! Like I said, it was really the trip of a lifetime.
AmeriCymru: Many people in America were excited by Wales performance in Euro 2016? Can you give our Welsh readers some impression of the excitement that was generated by the contest here in the US?
Susan: I go to a couple of pubs in downtown Austin regularly to watch Liverpool matches with our devoted and rowdy LFC overseas supporters club; Fado Irish Pub shows all of the Premier League fixtures as well as CONCACAF, USA national games, the Euros, and World Cup. The Euros are always my favorite tournament to watch there, though. They decorate the place in the flags of all the competing teams, and give away T-shirts for all the participating countries. One of my friends in the Liverpool group is also a former Swansea academy player. So we planned ahead and took off work on the days Wales was playing. I'd been looking forward to it for months. So that was a blast. We started out with about 10 Wales fans but ended up more like 50 by the quarter-final. I'd say it was about half Welsh folks and half American Wales fans--most of whom, like me, seemed to have some Welsh ancestry but never the opportunity to even see the team play, never mind in the Euros! I still can't believe they made it to the semi-finals. It was just fantastic--like a dream. And also the catalyst for me becoming a Welsh learner.
AmeriCymru: What advice would you give to Americans who want to learn Welsh?
Susan: Americans who want to learn Welsh should know that there has never been a better time to learn the language! Thanks to the internet, it's easy to connect with other learners and Welsh speakers, most of whom are excited by the interest and are therefore very encouraging! I have met some truly astounding, friendly, wonderful people. And AmeriCymru has been an absolutely wonderful resource. As far as actual learning tips, I've just started, but I'd say that taking an actual class has made all the difference. Even though we meet online using Google Hangouts, the regular meetings and expert tutelage keep me on track and motivated to stay serious. It's hard to fit in second language acquisition as an adult--both because of the many demands on your time and the sluggishness of your brain. But practicing daily makes it more of a delight than a chore. I find listening to BBC Radio Cymru is invaluable--just hearing the language spoken as often as possible (even though you necessarily won't understand all that is being said!). If you can locate a real, live person to speak to in person , that's even better! Again, the internet can facilitate connections. I also listen to Jason Sheperd's Learn Welsh Podcast.
So if you're thinking about learning more about the language or doing a course--start now! I've only been studying for eight months, and seriously for only about five, and it's been so fun. To an Anglophone, Welsh looks very difficult. It's not the easiest language. But it's not impossible, either. You'll be surprised how quickly you start making sense of things. And every time you understand a phrase or exchange, you'll want to learn more. Conversations lead to poems lead to songs. It doesn't hurt that the spoken language is quite singularly beautiful.
And, of course, if you can--go to Wales! Flights from the US have been historically cheap for the past year or so, and the exchange rate is still good for Americans traveling to Britain. Who knows what's going to happen with the political situation. But I will say this: walking through the ancient landscape of Cymru and--especially--hearing the living language being spoken all around you... well, it really helps keep things in perspective. Yma o hyd, and all that.
AmeriCymru: AmeriCymru offers an online Welsh class - AmeriCymraeg. As a current student how would you rate the course?
Susan: The course--and especially John Good, our teacher--has been excellent. I am really impressed, especially considering the course fees (very reasonable!) and only one required textbook. Gruffudd's Welcome to Welsh is really user-friendly. I've enjoyed the way John brings his expertise as a musician and music teacher to his methods. I'm so glad there are multiple levels, so that I can continue taking these classes with AmeriCymru. I look forward to Monday nights and missed the class during our Christmas hiatus.
AmeriCymru: You were recently interviewed by the Western Mail Online. How did that come about?
Susan: I'm friends with a lot of other dysgwyr Cymraeg online, and particularly on Twitter. We've all been reading and enjoying Carolyn Hitt's adult learners column for the Western Mail. She saw the photos I posted from my recent trip, and we got to chatting, and then she asked if I'd be willing to be interviewed for her column. I hope to see profiles of more distance learners soon. I know there are a lot of us in the US. Because of the interview being published on Wales Online, numerous people have contacted me. I'm now in contact with a Brecon historian, was asked to do a radio interview in Welsh about my passion for football (maybe in another year!), and have a new weekly standing meeting to speak Welsh with another learner right here in Austin. The internet has made the world very small in a lot of ways, and I'm finding that the Welsh internet is especially tight-knit. It's nice.
AmeriCymru: What's next for Susan Floyd? How do you intend to further pursue your Welsh studies?
Susan: I'm going to continue with the AmeriCymraeg class as far as possible, and I hope to do an intensive wlpan in Wales sometime this year or next. I'd like to do two full weeks. I'm leaning toward Nant Gwrtheyrn, but suggestions are welcome! Just trying to save up the money.
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?
Susan: I think I've said enough. The most important thing is to never give up! And come say hi on Twitter at @Texarchivist.
A Message From Iwan Roberts of Y Byd ar Bedwar
I'm hoping to make a Welsh-language programme about the Trump presidency and his policies. What do people think so far? We've spoken with a few already, but I'm looking for other possible contributors.
In an ideal world, we would locate the program in California and meet people who live there - but it all depends on someone's story. I'm firstly looking for Welsh speakers who have something to say; they might have first hand experience with what Trump's policies mean to them. Or we would like to speak with someone who could take us and show us an element that might be affected by the new president. For instance: a nurse or doctor who would show what Obamacare means and how things would be without it or possibly its failings; a policeman, showing us the work that they need to do day-to-day; or someone who lives on the US/California and Mexican border and how this affects them (is the wall a good idea? Is the US dependent on migrant workers or not, and do they believe that US jobs need to be protected etc.?). Individuals who can help offer the people at home an insight.
We are looking for Welsh speakers, although if there are Welsh people with something to say, but who don't speak Welsh, that would be good as well.
I'm looking to make contact with as many people as possible at the moment.
I would be grateful for any help that you can offer. People can send me a message on Facebook, email me iwan.roberts@itv.com or call 00447789270021 .
Penny Lane and All That by Camarthenshire author Ann Carlton is a celebration of growing up in Liverpool’s Penny Lane neighbourhood during the 1940s and 1950s – the same era as the Beatles and Quarrymen.
Ann Carlton grew up at Penny Lane. Her father rose from a poor background to become a senior local government officer; thus giving her unique insights into both poverty and affluence in the city at the time.
From first-hand experience she describes the Penny Lane area itself, the squalor of the city’s slums, the treatment of needy children and unmarried mothers, the glamour of civic events and the cultural diversity of the city – including the writer’s own Welsh background.
‘The Welsh would call my unrealistic longing for my Liverpool home ‘hiraeth’. It is a feeling shared by many among the Scouse diaspora’ says Ann.
‘Yet I always knew I was Welsh’ she added, ‘My parents and all my grandparents were born in Liverpool but tales of Wales were part of my family folklore’.
Ann describes her family’s Welsh background and Welsh connections in the city including the now demolished Welsh chapel that overlooked the Penny Lane roundabout and the Liverpool Welsh Choral which was often conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent.
‘Liverpool’s Welsh immigrants brought with them the Welsh language and a love of music. They went on to build numerous chapels in which they promoted both’ says Ann.
‘In my childhood Liverpool was known as the capital of north Wales. Every Thursday was Welsh day. It was the day people from north Wales travelled to the city centre by rail, coach and car to visit relatives and to shop’ Ann explained, ‘My mother’s favourite childhood photograph was taken on St David’s Day. For it, she was dressed in Welsh costume, complete with tall black hat.’
After studying sociology at the London School of Economics, Ann had a career in politics and journalism. She was one of the first UK Government Special Advisers and, for a time, a Western Mail columnist. She lives with her husband, the former MP Denzil Davies, in Pembrey, Carmarthenshire – a seaside village in her husband’s former constituency.
Penny Lane And All That by Ann Carlton (£9.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.
In Pursuit of Saint David by historian Gerald Morgan follows the life of Saint David, looking at how the myths and traditions that surround the historical figure have come to be and how he eventually became such an important part of Welsh history.
‘His is a most remarkable story’ says Gerald Morgan, ‘Everyone in Wales knows something about Saint David, the patron saint of Wales – that he lived long ago, that Saint Davids was his home, and that the ground in Llanddewi Brefi rose up from under his feet so everyone could hear him’.
‘But who was David really? What did he do? The purpose of my research is to help people know about the many-sided figure who was and is the patron saint of Wales – Saint David – through the centuries.’ explained Gerald, ‘It will attempt to determine what we can know about David – man, saint, patron and legend.’
And Gerald says that there will be some unexpected surprises along the way.
‘St David was and is a man for all seasons. His was a shadowy figure who became a major personage in the medieval British pilgrim movement. This is a saint whose name was a war cry on the lips of the fierce Cambro-Norman invaders of Ireland in 1176’ he explained, ‘To others, David was a figure of significance at the Reformation, when some claimed him as a representative of Christianity, uncorrupted by Roman Catholic teaching, at a time when England was pagan. To the fantasist-historian Geoffrey of Monmouth, David was a nephew of King Arthur, the successor of Dyfrig as archbishop of Caerleon and then St Davids’
‘He became a favourite of the Welsh poets until the Reformation, as well as of Henry Tudor’ added Gerald, ‘Every generation has refashioned David to fit the times and he has survived in the consciousness of the Welsh people to this day’.
Saint David’s name is now given to hundreds of colleges, schools, clubs, business centres, concert halls and hospitals worldwide. He is celebrated in Wales and in societies around the world on the 1 st of March.
Gerald Morgan is a teacher and historian. After teaching English at Ysgol Maes Garmon and Ysgol Gyfun Aberteifi , he became headmaster of Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni and then Ysgol Gyfun Penweddig, Aberystwyth. He has published a substantial number of books and articles, most particularly on the history of Ceredigion and Wales.
In Pursuit of Saint David by Gerald Morgan (£5.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.
A chuckle for all you technophiles out there. The following is an extract from a tech support ticket I opened earlier today.
@ceri
12 Feb 2017 05:10:28PM
Here is the url:- https://americymru.net/**********
But basically ALL sitebuilder pages (including existing ones) are affected similarly. When I copy code from a functioning page I usually press 'Save Changes' rather than 'Close' to shut it down. Don't know why....I just do. BUT I have noticed that perfectly good code blocks on functioning pages will not close in template code or html editor without generating the above error. Of course If I just shut the page down in the browser the page is working fine. BUT I cannot click 'Save Changes' anywhere without the syntax error message displaying. Existing pages continue to display correctly but new widgets on new pages even though they are syntactically identical to existing ones elsewhere on the site ....will not save. Hope that makes sense.
@brian
12 Feb 2017 05:12:41PM
This should be fixed now. Root cause was that you had BANNED your own server IP address:
**.**.**.**
Which meant Jamroom was not able to "call itself" to test the template. I removed the IP address from the Banned Items module and I think that will fix it for you.
Let me know if that helps.
@ceri
12 Feb 2017 05:15:26PM
???????????????? Really....**** thats a first even for me! I gotta stop working on here after a sixpack of Natty Ice. 
Many thanks for sorting that. Please tell me I'm not the only one
@brian
12 Feb 2017 05:15:56PM
No worries - glad it was an easy fix
Never let it be said that we don't take security seriously here at AmeriCymru. I have posted myself on 'Clients from Hell' .
Listen to "Tough day for the Trains"
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John MOuse releases “Tough day for the trains” His first new material since the release of “The Death of John MOuse” back in 2015, which received plays and plaudits from BBC Radio 6, Radio Wales, and XFM. In “Trains”, John sympathises and tackles the big questions again, this time, the rail service. “Trains” also features some guest vocals from John’s children Maggie and Gruffydd.
John MOuse Selected Press & Praise
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“The blend of unpredictability, wit and sharp reminiscence contained within is the real joy of this latest offering by this highly original artist… a Welsh indie pop hero… reminiscent of a South Wales David Gedge” Louder Than War
“A Welsh Weezer… arty and not afraid of whopping melodies” The Line Of Best Fit
“Possibly our favourite new football record” Steve Lamacq on ‘I Was A Goalkeeper’
“An extraordinary piece of poetry” Mary Anne Hobbs on ‘Robbie Savage’.
“There is only one John MOuse” Tom Robinson
www.facebook.com/
www.twitter.com/johnmousemusic
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