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An interesting morning. Visiting the lovely old building at Parc Howard, known generally as Parc Howard Mansion for the NSPCC "at Home".
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has been a major charity that I have supported for the last 30 years, and while I am currently the President of the Llanelli and Area District, in practise - my role was much more a reprise of my other main characterisation, that of the Barkeep!!.
And so, as the great and the good, the old and the young, the fit and the infirm all trooped into the great hall my main task was to provide a glass of red, white or blush wine and or orange and apple juice....
Of course my main task revolves around having a louder voice thank anybody else, always good for calling attention to the Chairman, the Mayor, or the raffle draw.
It was then that things started to get a a little surrealistic. I know that Llanelli is a small town, and that we have been there for many years, however, as I examined the excellent displays of Llanelli Pottery and read the history of the development of that industry in Llanelli, I began to see familiar faces...
We have always laughingly referred to our local Mayors as the "Chain Gang" - after all they wear Chains and come n groups. Especially in Llanelli, where we are graced with the Llanelli Town Mayor, the District Mayor, Rural Council Mayor, used to be a borough Mayor and of course the deputies and the consorts.....
It was indeed a delight to see that they all had agreed to come along to our buffet and wine Christmas Celebration and Carol Singing - but the faces were strangely more familiar than I was expecting...
And so it was, that it slowly dawned that the last time I had seen the Town Mayor, Councillor Winston Lemon - also known as the Singing Decorator !! was when we shared the stage on Llanelli theatre (the Classic Cinema for locals which was for years our only theatre in town) , not at a fundraiser or political meeting - but South Pacific!! We both trod the boards and sang our hearts out.
It was about 25 years ago !!!
And then I looked to the next mayor - Deputy Town Mayor Roger Price, and this was a clearer view - I had been singing in the local Llanelli Folk Club in the Queen Vic in Queen Victoria Road only a few months ago. Roger has started a highly successful Folk Train Trip up the Llanelli Mid Wales Train Line form Llanelli up to Ammanford, singing on the way - stop off in the Ammanford Folk Club and back before closing time..
So there in the front row were two of my erstwhile singing companions.
Add to that, a few ex policemen and a couple of magistrates who spent some time recalling my early days as a constable long before I had a pony tail or wore a tie at social events .... and a successful raising of charity funds for my favourite Charity - a strange day ... But that is what being Welsh is all about ...
History made alive, in a great historical building...
Maybe we all belong in the museum....
December dawns, how did that happen? Seems only yesterday that we were celebrating the lack of Summer, recalling a couple of warm days back in April, and counting the floods that formed the period from Summer Solstice to the first leaves dropping from the trees. And then, December!!
That means that Christmas will be on everyone's lips, covering the shops, the news, the streets.
Now, call me a traditionalist, but my tree and decorations go up on Christmas Eve, after the sun has set and not a moment before. Christmas commences with the car being put in the garage, locked away for the duration if possible, and the curtains closed except for the bay window that contains the Christmas Tree.
Once the sun has set, then it is time to set the tree, a family task to get the tree covered with as much sliver, colour and general "tat" as possible. We are not looking at symmetry, we are not looking at design, we are not looking at planning, we are looking at enthusiasm and abandon!!
We have gone through the stages of a star on top of the tree, there was a family Fairy that had pride of place for a number of years, but for the last couple of years I will admit that a small teddy bear in a witch's costume has sat at the top of the tree. Plenty of lights, mainly because I will buy some extra on the assumption that last year's lights will not work, but they often do... But again - colour co-ordination is not what is required.
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So why Christmas Eve and not before?? Because we have always done it that way would be a reasonable answer and quite traditional. It is a family tradition may be another ways of saying it. But mainly, it is that Christmas is a special time of year tome - and I do not like it being diluted by starting it in September. I know families who are taking their tree down on Boxing day - they are already fed up with having the tree there for so long..
For me 12 days is quite sufficient, and therefore Christmas Eve is the time to put the decorations up. In my view they should stay up for a full 12 days of Christmas and be taken down on the 13th day....
When the children were younger, excitement could happily build as we sorted the tree and got the house looking right for Christmas. An exciting evening and off to bed, to allow us to finalise the preparations for Santa to call. As they went to bed, there would be a few presents around the Christmas tree. Each child was invited to bring their presents suitably labelled and stack them under the tree. Likewise, there would be a present from Grandparents that had come through the post, and perhaps a present from Mum and Dad.
Yes, a few presents would be under the tree as they went to bed.... but the look on faces as they see what is under the tree in the morning is one of the great delights of childhood.
I always enjoy my Christmas, but Christmas starts on Christmas Eve with the tree. Christmas morning becomes special with presents being distributed by young "postmen" who have the opportunity to look through the presents and read the names, and then are responsible for trying to distribute gifts in a fair and equal manner. One for Mummy, one for Daddy, one for Sister, one for me.... We normally insist that presents get opened one at a time, reinforcing that the pleasure of giving is equal to the pleasure of receiving. It is as much fun to watch someone open the present you have chosen for another.... Also, present giving lasts a lot longer....
After the joys of Christmas Day and perhaps some visitors and late present giving on Boxing Day, another ten days of decorations and Christmas Spirit seems sufficient to me. After that, the tree can be taken down, needles will mainly be falling off by now unless some imitation tree is at the core of the shining monstrosity in the bay window. Boxes can be filled and stowed away for another year....
Don't get me wrong... I enjoy Christmas, just don't want it to start too early .. Christmas Eve will be time enough...
Oh, and don't you dare come and sing Christmas Carols outside my house before Christmas Eve....
because it may be December - but it is not Christmas yet !!
And so it has come to this at last. For many years the rule of grammar has been clear that conjunctions should never start a sentence. Or so I thought, until receiving a rant from a friendly Americymru guru Ceri who laid the challenge at my door. But, what would I write about I thought if I were to take up this challenge? Or should I just let a stream of conciousness run like drivel from my brain? Yet, a challenge is a challenge and should not be ignored. Nor should the opportunity to post a blog go unchecked... So, that brought me to this opening paragraph. And so we may list the FANBOYS acronym of words that should not be used to start a sentence " For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so"
After starting in this fashion,it is desirable to continue onto thecoordinatingconjunctions. Although there are a number of them!! As much as I would like to list them, as long as they are contained in the sentence I suppose that is sufficient. As though I care !! Because, if we were to just list them, by the time I got to the end I would have a number of bored people. Before that happens, I will try to keep this humorous, even though it is breaking all the rules. If I was to use "in order that" or "in case" I may be breaking more rules, and that I must avoid. Lest I be called a purist, provided that you have read this far,since the purpose was to identify some conjunctions,so that we knew what to avoid, when, whenever, where and wherever they appear. Unless, and until you see these rules, while they have their place in Grammar, it seems that Ceri Shaw does not like them.
Both Ceri and I agree on one thing. Either use conjunctions or not. Neither opinion nor rule should take precedence. Not only is the text important but also the meaning behind it. Whether you agree or not - I think I have lived up to the challenge.
Thank you
and so we have them :
Coordinating Conjunctions
There are only seven of these!
for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
Subordinating Conjunctions
A after, although, as, as if, as long as, as much as, as soon as, as though
B because, before, by the time
E even if, even though
I if, in order that, in case
L lest
O once, only if
P provided that
S since, so that
T than, that, though, till
U unless, until
W when, whenever, where, wherever, while
Correlative Conjunctions
both... and
either... or
neither... nor
not only... but also
whether... or
I rarely think in terms of lists.But occasionally a list will strike the imagination. Particularly when it refers to the art of writing, and so it was with a deal of interest that I read the following list which is pretty definitive with regard to things a prospective writer or blogger should attempt.
- AVOID ALLITERATION ALWAYS
- PREPOSITIONS ARE NOT WORDS TO END SENTENCES WITH
- THE PASSIVE VOICE IS TO BE AVOIDED
- AVOID CLICHES LIKE THE PLAGUE - THEY ARE OLD HAT
- IT IS WRONG TO EVER SPLIT AN INFINITIVE
- WRITERS SHOULD NEVER GENERALISE
seven: BE CONSISTENT
9. BE MORE OR LESS SPECIFIC
After thecountryhas suffered some of the heaviest rains and storms, and flooding warnings reaching the highest level-life threatening storms, it was perhaps understandable that as I lay in bed yesterday morning, I got the distinct impression of dampness...... Now, before the mind goes wandering off intoinappropriatedirections, and to be fair my mind wandered a little in the immediate aftermath, after all I had not been imbibing of noxious alcoholic beverages the night before, and have no history of any lack of responsibility in the nether regions, but it was clearly wet in the bed. Looking to the ceiling, there was no sign of any drops of water cascading down onto the coverlets, which was also not surprising as there are no water pipes above the bedroom, and there is another bedroom between the roof and the ceiling...
Worse still, it seemed to be wet only where I was sleeping... Now this may seem to have taken a few minutes, but the reality was that all these thoughts went through my mind in that brief moment that you have where you transform from a heavy sleep into total awake - and also levitate from the bed and stand looking at the silhouette outlined upon the bed - like a chalk print at a murder scene.
I suppose it is best to mention at this stage that I sleep upon a water bed - and have done so for countless years. No, not one of those bright sixties water filled li-lo's that used to appear in tame B scene romps, but rather a state of the art ( well 25 years ago) frame contained, floatation chambered, heated water bed. And it seemed it had sprung a leak!!!
Of course, one of the finest things about a water bed is that it contours automatically, and if there is more than one person in the bed, it equalises nicely to fit the individual weights of the sleepers. Thus,being the heavier of the sleepers, the mattress sinks just that small amount lower around my torso, allowing a slow trickle to form in the impression.
Well I can't complain really, spending the next few hours looking through the house for the repair kit, one always arrives with a waterbed, we worked out that the last replacement mattress had been bought back in 2005, giving us 8 years undisturbed rest, but no sign of the repair kit.... Also no sign of the leak!! It had to be a small leak, as it required two people to be on the bed to push a drop of water out, and it took 8 hours of steady drip to dampen only one indentation in the bed... A needle in a haystack if you wish to mix your metaphors...
So, where do you find a good repairer for water beds in Wales??? We originally bought the bed from Leeks at Crosshands, when they decided to specialise in such things, and the sales pitch of "Your normal mattress starts failing the day you put it on the bed - and needs replacing after only a couple of years as the supports inside start to breakdown - but your water bed mattress will go on for ever (less leaks of course)...
Your normal mattress gets filled with all thedetritusof the sleepers, whereas the water bed is impervious....."
So we went for the Leek Special, and bought .Strangelyfor all those years we have never had a leak!
Of course in 2005, the flotation chambers were beginning to rot inside, and the bed was losing its firmness, and when we moved the bed into another bedroom, it did notreallymake the journey well, so we splashed out ( no pun intended) on the 2005 replacement ... I have the bill, it was 179 plus carriage...
So not being able to find the leak we decided to research a replacement mattress - and interestingly found that the cost was the same - but with free carriage!!! A sign of the times that this one area of lifestyle has not increased in price over the years.... So with a credit card payment we can look forward to a replacement without Leaks ... and then we found the hole in the mattress!!!
But still no repair kit... A good excuse to turn over the bedroom, and in the drawers I found my medals from the Police, some cufflinks I forgot I had, and 2.27p in loose change.. but no repair outfit....
But in the living room, in amongst all the accumulated "Stuff" that finds its way into various drawers and shelves, there was a pristine, unopened, universal bicycle repair outfit!!!! Well, it was not a water bed repair kit, but there are some similarities in the form of rubber tube/lining, both require a little roughening around the are of repair, apply some of the solvent glue, add a rubber match and grate the chalk over the top to take away all extra glue...... Yup - seemed to be the same process......
So, I did not write the blog yesterday, we spent most of the time running around searching the house.. and then with some trepidation, attempted another night of sleep......
I am pleased to report that the bed stayed dry... I know I sound like a proud parent of a child who has managed to go the night without pampers - but if the repair holds then when the new mattress arrives we can store it for our move to the next house - we know from the past that moving a water bed is not easy!!!
So while the weather remains poor across Wales, at last in one part of Llanelli it is dry....
Also - if your waterbed has problems.... I know of a good repair service - we also do bikes!!
"Sam asked Noah what was 'is business,
And t'ould chap went on to remark
That, not liking the look of the weather,
'E were thinking of building an Ark." Noah builds an ark...
There is a theory that the varied type of weather in the UK lends itself to becoming the central point of all discourse, and the great myth of British "reserve" has been compounded by the ability to talk inanely for hours without ever breaching a personal issue..... Well, I have just put that theory and therefore the statement "there is a theory" is 100% true....
It may not be a good theory, but as I wake this bright November morning and look at the rain pouring downthe bedroom window, snuggle under the bedclothes as I recall switching off the central heating last night in a vain attempt to reduce the forthcoming horrific fuel bills (and thank you Mr Cameron for deciding that we should all pay an additional 95 per household to help the energy companies invest in more green resources!!) my thoughts dwell upon mycolleaguesin the re-enactment and Live Roleplay & Fantasy Trading circles who are out this weekend trying to ply their trades.
Ludlow Christmas Fayre is on this weekend, just over the border from Wales, many still hold that it belongs to us, after all it still says "Croeso i Loegr" as you enter England, "Welcome to the Lost Lands".Many friends are there and by all accounts the rain did not let up at all yesterday and the winds were horrific. Martin, of Martin's Jerked Meat (Newport) lamented that the "Trade has gone cold" and from his ramblings I don't think that was all that was cold !!! Suddenly, finishing trading at the end of October all seemed to make a little more sense, even if the money was not coming in!! Still, Caerphilly Castle at Christmas to look forward to on 8th December - I will give them that long to get the weather sorted out again - I am not an unreasonable person. [ Link to Caerphilly Fayre ]
So, it may not be Hurricane Sandy, or even Hurricane Dai, but the weather reports show a record number of weather warnings including 4 "death threatening" levels.
Though in some senses I prefer this version which has a hint of simplicity about it ...
As I look out of my bay window in Llanelli, it is currently sunny here - I hear that my Granddaughter is holding a memorial service this afternoon for Goldie the Goldfish who sadly passed away after consistent over eating - no flowers please... monetary donations only .... and I wonder whether I should wish that it be dry for the mourners, or wet in memory of poor Goldie......
Never an easy decision for the Barkeep .....
Fact for t h e day... the word "Trigger" used for all our guns originated from the word TREKKER from the Dutch. [Dutch trekker , from Middle Dutch trecker , from trecken , to pull .]
T his may not seem to be a very important fact, but I was more interested that I learned it in the middle of the night while sitting at my computer, on a pop up message from a very nice and attractive young lady who had possibly imbibed a little too much of the Mead, and who decided that the early hours of the morning was a good time to contact her favourite Barkeep and discuss early century firearms. Granted that the last time I met the young lady was at the Battle of Mortimer's Cross when she pointed a very large, and unloaded I hasten to add, blunderbuss sized weapon at me - and smiled with a rather demonical look in her eye .....
It seems that it was not a blunderbuss - her weapon, which she knew with anatomical knowledge predated such a piece of mechanical engineering by a laughable number of years, and though the communication was through the little box called "Chat" upon a Facebook page, with an annoying little "Ping" sound after every T was dotted and I was crossed, it was quite clear that the tone of the missives contained an air of "You don't know even the basics !!! What kind of imbecile would make that sort of mistake !""
I'm even pre matchlock
I suppose that if you are the Barkeep to a Re-enactment and Live Action Roleplay Historical and Fantasy Tavern, then you just have to expect being delighted by the rich tapestry of people that you meet across the country - even if it also involves having the occasional weapon pointed at you.
I am sure that my friends and associated in the USA will support the principle that every young lady in medieval gown should have the right to bear arms. I certainly support that it makes for a more varied lifestyle - life does not get boring when surrounded by people who are involved in their hobby, and though this is the "down" season here in the UK, well for me at any case as I have no intention of putting up canvass and camping out in the rain and snow at the moment - (though arguably I did last year!!) it is a delight to still have access to the varied characters that have been our customers and friends over the last 10 years.
Oh, she also shared another interesting fact - it is the sort of thing that you do in the early hours of the morning - apparently a snail's orgasm lasts 30 minutes.....
Well that was sort of a conversation stopper!!!...
So on this day in 1963, Dr Who first appeared on BBC 1 - a step forward in TV history that would change generations. There have been many Doctors and, like James Bond, everyone seems to have their favourite and though I am an old traditionalist and loved the original story line of a Grandfather trying to get his granddaughtera decent education in a local Earth School who kidnaps two of the teachers.
I can think of a number of teachers today who would gladly up sticks and jump into a floating Police Box and it may be that the original concept was inspired by the desire to escape the classroom.
Indeed - it has inspired the escapist fantasies of generations since that time.
Though I have watched most Doctors from the original back in 1963, the nearest we have come to the TARDIS is Caerphilly Castle a couple of years ago when we took the Crimson Moon Mead Emporium to the InnerBailey and looked up at the main tower to see a Blue Box shining in the most unlikely position!!.
It may have been a publicity stunt - but staying in the old Castle overnight - with the TARDIS as a Beacon shining down upon us was and interesting experience.
The TARDIS on the main tower at Caerphilly Castle and the view up through the arch at the Crimson Moon Mead Emporium and the North Tower.
So back to the present and we spent a night in the UK being battered by seriously strong winds. As one correspondent upon the Book of Faces commented - "We have been hit by Hurricane Dai!!"
But this morning the sun is trying to break through and thought I would not call it warm - we are not subjected to the wind whistling through the dog flap - and stealing all the heat out of the house.
A breakfast of home made bread, with home made cream cheese and home made apricot jam - may not be the most healthy in the "less fattening" style but I can be assured of noadditives, and itcertainlytastes better. A cup of coffee may not be the most healthy either, and is fairness it is not my normal drink - tea being the preference for most days, however - it seemed to be right to go with the breakfast.
So plans for the day?
Just enough time - after all it is Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey...
Taken from the .. Barkeep's Blog
