FATHER'S DAY PRESENT (2)

 

As unique a present as one could get - bespoke!

The logo I designed in a different life emblazoned on a beautiful green tee. 

Chapeau First Born Child

CASTLEHUNTING 15 - OGMORE CASTLE

Off to Ogmore/Ogwr next, to see what another "Naughty Bill" built next. Unimpressive from the outside, but stunning from the inside. Amazing position on the lowest crossing point of the Ewenny River, and a great example of a motte & bailey Castle. 

Keep & Bailey

Drawbridge over the dry moat

Reconstruction

Entrance with Keep

Inside Keep

Commanding view over the Rivermouth

Naughty Bill II

 

CASTLEHUNTING 14 - EWENNY PRIORY

These monks must have been unpopular! 2 portcullises, murder holes & walls to keep out wild Cymro! 

Quite an estate

Gatehouse

Two portcullises & murder holes

Feck off big bastard walls

Stunning church next door, must have been quite impressive back in the day. 

Dead Knights

MORE SWANSEA BLUE PLAQUES

 

I drove past this the other day, on my old school, Terrace Road. She sounds like quite a Lady!

CWRW'R WYTHNOS PUM DEG UN

ANN WIDDICISNT

If you have to ask if it's ok to not be sorry if a person has died, then I guess you have answered your own question about said person. 

Whilst not condoning murder in any instance, I can't say that I'm sad that Ann Widdicombe is no longer. I won't be mourning her. 

She was a nasty, divisive, opinionated right wing nut job, who fled the Tories to jump on Farrasshole's bandwagons of Brexit, and then Reform. We are better off without nasty people like her. How nasty I hear you ask? Well apart from the above mentioned jumping, 

From her Wiki page:-

She described herself as a social conservative and stressed the importance of traditional values and conservatism. As a member of the House of Commons, she opposed the legality of abortion, opposed granting LGBT people legal rights such as the same age of consent as heterosexuals, and opposed the repeal of Section 28. She supported the reintroduction of the death penalty for murder. She was opposed to all forms of assisted dying. 

Nice then.

I felt the same when Tat the Rat died - my only regret was that she hadn't died sooner.

A LITTLE COOL DOWN

 

A little blast to cool down this morning.

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART

So, Gaynor Hopkins, 

You held out for a hero, 

Left Skewen,

Met Bobby,

Moved to Mumbles,

And eventually became 

Lost in Portugal.

It is, indeed, a heartache.

(After E J Thribb.)

EFFI O BLAENAU (Film review - spoilers)

Effi o Blaenau 8.1

Off to see this much lauded Welsh drama @ the Taliesin. I read a glowing review recently, and then it popped up on the Taliesin's schedule. It's in Welsh with English subtitles. 

It's a retelling of Iphigenia in splott, it's set in North Wales. 

The Grauniad review here gave it 4 stars

I'd give it 9/10. Outstanding. Superb acting, wonderful scenery, real, witty dialogue, even though it was subtitled. Sad, gritty & uplifting all in one film. I'm not sure that I catch the links to Euripides, tho. Catch it if you can. 

 

FOOTBALL HAS A HEART?

The next global superstar, (?) Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana (born 13 July 2007) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right winger or right midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team. He is regarded as one of the best players in the world.

Niiiice. 

I have often thought that football is the sport of the underdog, the dispossessed, those from the wrong side of the tracks. Coincidentally, if you plot player birthplaces, the greatest number of players in world cup 2026 come from the suburbs of Paris. You're welcome. 

TOURIST AGAIN

A great article from BBC Sport on TDF 2026, today, including maps of the route. I suppose that after the excitement of the Frank gig, and Wales's 3rd win, I should go back to following Le Grande Boucle again. 

Can Poj win a record equalling 5th Tour? Time will tell.

CWRW'R WYTHNOS HANNER CANT

 

BLAIR MURRY CHANNELS HIS INNER RED PANDA

 

When you're tiny, you have to look as big as possible in the face of enemies.

CASTLEHUNTING 12 & 13

Another epic ride today. Off Castle Hunting for Hari again, but this time ruined Abbeys in the care of Cadw.

Firstly Talley, just North of Llandeilo, then on to Strata Florida, upside of Lampeter. Not much to see @ Talley, but Strata Florida was outstanding. 

Talley

Strata Florida 

The route?

149 miles, 4.5 hours, niiiiiice.

MY NAME IS....

RRS Ernest Shackleton - British Antarctic Survey 

We spotted this little boat on outr trip to Italy. If you look carefully, you can make our the former name:- RRS Ernest Shackleton. It seems that the vessel was leased? rented? from owners, Norwegian shipping company G C Rieber Shipping by the BAC for 20 years. Then it was punted out to the Italians.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER RIDE

 

Took this bad boy for a test drive today. A Yamaha tracer 9GT Sport Tourer. Yamaha dealer offered me a free entry into a £10k prize draw if I took a test ride, and as my ride was in their workshop for fitting of a topbox, I thought it better than sitting, waiting, drinking shit coffee. I asked the salesman where to go, & he suggested Brecon, so, challenge accepted!

Took me 1hour 45mins - I think I need to adjust google settings for motorbike riding :-))

VIIKON OLUT VIISIKYMENTä