Our New Patio.

Boxing Day at Cardiff Bay.

You know, the local council always try their best to please. Every November they run a wonderful firework display nearby. August brings the Big Cheese Festival to the town. Now we have the Big Balloon Festival in Blackwood, just up the valley. Here's a video of the event.

Spent the Summer holiday on the tiny island of Sark.
It's just off the French coast, one of the Channel Islands.
Strange place..it has its own laws. In fact, the whole place is governed by a feudal lord.
Here's a picture of the seat of government.

Big day in Wales. All over the land a smoking ban has come into place. Pubs, restaurants, cafes, even railways station platforms. I'm absolutely delighted about it. I've suffered too many years of trying to enjoy myself in smoke filled places, going home stinking.
Now I'll watch all of those inconsiderate people hanging around their streets and nicotoriums freezing.....and I'll laugh and laugh and laugh.

One of my school children built this fantastic Wassail bowl for me last year. This year, another one glazed it.
I should take it out to my garden on Christmas Eve and Wassail my pear tree with a good dose of cider.
It has been invited to a joint Wassail / Mari Llwyd evening at Chepstow next January. Until then, it makes a wonderful Christmas decoration, and causes no problems regarding global warming.

Now, when I was a student, I had a favourite band, and my favourite singer was the singer in my favourite band, and the band was called Steeleye Span and the singer was Maddy Prior. Anyway, I always thought that she was wonderful and I had her picture on my wall and everything.
So there I was, Friday night, playing for Cardiff Morris in Cardiff when somebody sidled up to me and whispered in my ear, "Don't they dance well. Isn't it nice to see so many young dancers." and I looked around, and guess who it was? Maddy Prior !
I was all of a dither the rest of the night and hardly played a good note....but I didn't care.