Captain Kirk

Happy birthday to James Tiberius Kirk aka William Shatner, and my Brother-From-Another-Mother, Robert John Matthews. 95 & 65 today!

(Thanks to Google Gemini for the montage)

Greengrounds

The Green Grounds are a legendary, now-submerged area off the coast of Mumbles, Swansea, believed to be a former wooded, agricultural landscape swallowed by the sea, potentially during a 1607 tsunami.

Evidence, including a 19th-century court case, suggests it once featured a farmhouse, large meadow, and "Silver Wood". 

Key Details about the Green Grounds:

Location: Submerged land in Swansea Bay, with remnants located near Mumbles Head and the Swansea Docks entrance.

The Legend: Local stories tell of a fertile, cultivated area, sometimes called Grove Island, that was destroyed by a violent storm or tidal wave.

Historical Evidence: In the 1890s, the "Misses Angels" won a legal battle regarding land ownership by producing an old map that depicted a farmhouse on the Green Grounds.

Submerged Evidence: At very low tides, remnants of carbonized earth, tree trunks, and old stone structures have reportedly been visible.

Modern Day References: The area is still recognized in nautical terms, such as the SWIGG (South West Inner Green Grounds) buoy near the Swansea docks entrance.

Association with Disaster: The site is often linked to the 1607 Bristol Channel floods, a devastating event that destroyed villages along the South Wales coast

This event was the backdrop to a novel I read recently, called The Drowned City. Quite a good read, actually. 

In January 1606, exactly a year after the execution of the conspirators who tried to blow up Parliament in the failed Gunpowder Plot, a towering wave sweeps up the Bristol Channel, leaving a scene of devastation. Whole families are drowned, buildings are swept away and farmland is destroyed. As the survivors try to come to terms with what has happened, rumours begin to arise. Some say the wave was summoned by witches, others that it was God’s way of taking revenge for the executions. 

Not a bad review here 

Sources:-

https://www.storyofmumbles.org.uk/stories/articles/landmarks/the-story-of-the-misses-angels-and-their-farm

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/swansea-village-washed-away-tsunami-17058088

Are you Cross?

My manor, West Cross in Swansea, is a 20th-century residential suburb, officially developed by the council from 1945 onwards on former farmland (Grange Farm) to combat housing shortages. Originally part of surrounding areas like Norton or Blackpill, it was transformed into a sprawling estate, featuring prefabricated homes and later, extensive private housing. 

We moved in 1970, on the BMS builder's estate @ the top of West Cross Lane, on the old Whitestone farm lands. It was all new, & I remember playing in the unfinished houses along the road, and hiding in the workmen's shed, building dens & mantraps in the hedgerows. We were surrounded by fields back then. 

I remember the prefab houses @ the bottom of the hill, similar to one on display at St Fagans museum of welsh life. Higher up the hill were 2 story versions, some of which have lasted to the present day.

Key historical aspects of West Cross include:

Development: Following the 1945 compulsory purchase of the 62-acre Grange Farm for £14,500, the area was quickly developed with council housing, including notable prefab and steel homes.

Original Landscape: Before the estate, the area consisted of rural land, including West Cross House, which was advertised for sale in 1807, and buildings like the 1863-built Brynhyfryd House.

Industry & Landmarks: The area formerly had a marble works (closed 1825) near the shore. It was also home to the Currant Tree inn, a 19th-century pub frequented by travellers.

Name Origin: The name is thought to stem from a grange or manor associated with an old religious order, rather than a crossroads.

Community: The area developed rapidly, with Bethania Baptist Church (1851-2001) serving as a focal point for the early community. 

 Sources:-

https://www.storyofmumbles.org.uk/stories/memories/20th-century/the-development-of-the-west-cross-housing-estate

https://sites.google.com/site/ahistoryofmumbles/west-cross-mumbles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Cross?wprov=sfla1

Team Violence

 

Whilst invigilating today I saw this pen. Some little angel had customised it and scratched out the word "prevention".

I think Violence team is far more interesting than the Welsh alternative.

Happy St Paddy's Day!

Happy St Paddy's Day!

All gone a bit Pete Tong

What? What's that? Turn it up can't you? NO NEED TO SHOUT!

As reported today in the Grauniad, Pete Tong has gone a little Mutton. 

I have some sympathy for Pete, as my top range (higher frequency) hearing has degraaded to the extent that I share his affliction. However, I don't think standing next to a soap rolling mill in Procter & Gamble's Madchester factory is quite as exotic as 'Givin it Large' in Ibiza....

It's a bugger, tho. 

Cwrw'r Wythnos tri deg chwech

 

I've probably listed this before, but I'd forgotten how nice it is. So, comin back atchya. 

A phoenix rising?

 

Hallelujah! 

Nuff said

Tempus Fugit

 

If you ever think you don't have time to do something, ponder this:-

"Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time' is like saying' I don't want to.'"
                                                                                    Often attributed to Lao Tzu

Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

'Well,' said Red Jacket [to someone complaining that he had not enough time], 'I suppose you have all there is.'Ralph Waldo Emerson

One lesson I have learnt in life is that it's not that you don't have enough time to do something, it's just that it's not a high enough priority for you. 

Missing

Every now & then, I go to sit down, & want to ring my dad. To tell him what I've been doing today, to ask him what he's been up to, and say I love you before hanging up. 

Attack on titan (TV review - spoilers)

 

Attack on titan IMDB review 9.1!

Arguably the best Anime ever made (according to Dylan & IMDB)

If you want to check out Anime, this is not a bad place to start. It takes a while to get into, but it's worth persevereing. 9.1 on IMDB ain't too shabby. The plot does twist & turn in unexpected ways, with some interesting surprises. 

I enjoyed it. Thx Dyl. 

Is it about the minutes?

 

Andy Jones's contention here is that the problem with Welsh Rugby isn't talent, but it's Minutes played at top level. 

I think he has a point. The WRU has had an opportunity to fix this, and the structure of Welsh Rugby, & has proved to have failed on both counts. We need new ideas, a fresh approach, perhaps looking @ France & the ANZSA Nations for inspiration. 

Last chance for Our Town WNT

 

Get your tickets here:-

https://www.rosetheatre.org/whats-on/our-town-m74x

Cwrw'r Wythnos tri deg pump

 

Chalamet gets it right

 

"I don't want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore.'," Chalamet said.

I couldn't agree more. 

There's a Fat Man on the wing!

 

What a joyous Try! That's what Rugby is all about. Chapeau Rhys Carre☝

That's why the 6 nations is such a unique spectacle - you can never really predict what will happen on the day.

Footnote:-

Scotland 50 France 40 - see above :-)

Also see above. 

Under Salt Marsh (TV review - spoilers)

REVIEW: Under Salt Marsh (S1) The Killing Times

A fair review imho. I gave it 7/10. 

Good, but dragged a bit at times. Top performance by Johnathan Price as "Old Welsh Farmer". I couldn't quite stop seeing the young Richard Burton in the guy playing the male love interest. Amazing flood scenes, filmed in Bridgend in a 50m2 tank apparently. And yes, that's her out of Yellowstone. (Oh & Timothy Spall's son)

Imdb review 6.3 (a bit harsh)

Homage to Mr Burton (Another Dry Day!)

Another Dry Day! So I combined chores with a trip up the Afan Valley to the birthplace of Richard Burton (nee Jenkins).

A sadly depressing place, now, with the mines shut, & shops & pubs boarded up. 

Then as I rode further up the valley to Cymmer, the scene got worse & worse. Croeserw seems to be a housing estate built miles from anywhere. 

Then over to Caerau, used as a backdrop for "Stella" - terraced houses climbing up the valley sides, and then down into the Metropolis of Maesteg. 

Same story here, boarded up shops, boxing clubs & vape stores. Still, the Valley Cafe on commercial street in the heart of the town was lush & cheap. 

The road back to Port Talbot via Bryn, was excellent. Newly surfaced, windey, empty & fun. All this & home before the rain! 

Blue Skies! Yet another Dry day!

Another beautiful day here in God's Country, so off to Ammanford & Moto Wales / Fu3l Stop Cafe.

Look at the blue sky! I must admit to feeling like a poor relation on my Yamaha, amongst all the BMW Beasts outside.

One of my favorite 'Close-to-home' routes, over the Mynned y Gwair mountain, between the Llew Valley & the Clydach Valley, passing Penlle'r Castell. Stunning - 10 miles alone, in the sunshine, on bone dry roads

Another Dry Day at last!

At last! A dry day! So, Chez Grum to Port Eynon, Rhosili, Llanelli, Trimsaran, Pont Ietes, Carmarthen, & back home on the M4. (Cruise control @ 74). The bike rode like a dream, comfy as heck, & more than enough performance to cope with all my needs. Van Grumsig playlist on the Helmet headset, & Garmin Street Nav to guide me home. The QuickShifter is a dream, making clutchless gear changes effortlessly . So pleased with the bike I even washed it! The paddock stand I bought today made lubing the chain easy, too 

3 hours, 90 miles. Dunno how much vertical :-))

A fun time was had!

Mi corazón sangra por Cuba

 

We took this photo on our Honeymoon in 2000

There is an excellent article in The Byline Times today (Hat-tip Kimmy) by the late Paul Conroy.

Veteran war photographer and correspondent Paul Conroy died of natural causes a day after returning from Cuba with this report of another city under siege. He never stopped bearing witness

It seems that Trumplestiltskin & his thugs are strangling the life out of ordinary Cuban's as punishment for choosing Communism as a form of government. 

Cuba is close to collapse. That appears to be the point. With Venezuelan oil cut off, Trump turns to the island’s last major supplier, Mexico, and threatens tariffs unless they turn off the taps. The message has a familiar mobster ring. Nice economy you have there. Shame if anything happened to it.

Last week, Miguel Díaz-Canel, (Cuba's president) in a two hour televised monologue, promised more sacrifice. Fuel rationing. Longer power cuts. Four day weeks for state employees. Shortened hours for schools and universities. Less of everything, for everyone.

The United Nations has described the embargo as inhumane and warned of a looming humanitarian disaster. Mexico has started sending ships loaded with aid. A NOTAM, a notice to all air missions, announces that as of Monday 10 February, José Martí International Airport has run out of jet fuel. 

Why? So the answer must be dogma. Cuba is one of the last communist governments standing. They do not export revolution. They barely export sugar. The average Cuban has about as much chance of removing his government as the average Minnesotan has of evicting the madmen squatting in the White House.

In the end, Cubans are being crushed under the weight of Washington’s hemispheric dominance dreams, layered with a Hegsethian level of paranoia about communists in the backyard.

The oil embargo on Cuba is almost certainly illegal and unquestionably immoral. The international community needs to rummage down the back of the diplomatic sofa, find its mislaid sense of justice, and act before the crisis unfolding here slides from slow-motion emergency into full-blown catastrophe.

Good luck with that. 'The international community', 'Rule of Law' etc. are all broken. Witness Mark Carney's brilliant speech @ Davos. Goodnes help the Cubans.

Dim Cwrw'r Wythnos - Gout Stopped Play

 

Ddyd Dewi Sant

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! 

I wish I could speak Welsh - although not enough to do anything about it.