CASTLEHUNTING AGAIN! # 10

Today was a beautiful sunny day, so off to Llansteffan! What an amazing site! Perched atop a tump overlooking the entrance to the Towy (Carmarthen, not to be confused with the Tawe, Swansea). 

It's another Cadw site, but is very low key - the signposting to the castle is dreadful, and it seems the preferred way to see it is by parking in the beach side council car park, and taking a walk. The last bit being quite steep. Motorcyclists can park at the bottom of the private lane leading up to the castle, tho, as they are all very cheeky. It's worth the effort though, as the views over the estuary are breathtaking. You can just make out Worm's Head in the distance.

Stunning drone footage to be had if you are not afraid of little Chinese gremlins taking over your computer & stealing your wife:-

 https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRaBC1AQ/

Otherwise here's some of my snaps. 

THEY DON'T WRITE THEM LIKE THAT ANYMORE PART 2?

 Gotta love the lyrics 

"It's a Mexican custom, to take hats and bust'em...."

THICKIES RULE KO?

Whilst chatting to Kim about Welsh politics this morning, I had a St. Paul moment, and realised that Fascism is the powerful elite's way of stealing the votes from the lower half of the middle & lower income voters who should be supporting socialism & a fairer distribution of wealth. They use Fascism to stay in power & increase their wealth while we watch. 

I.e. they manipulate stupid people to maintain control. 

This is demonstrated by the recent results in Salford.

There was a 17% turnout, leading to a fascist win

Reform won barton & winton by 33 votes

The votes must have come from Labour voters, voting for reform because the press tell them :-

Labour are doing a bad job,

All politicians are liars

All parties are the same, apart from Reform, who are new, & will "drain the swamp" ( to quote trump)

Therefore its time for change.

Also, what is the point in voting.

Trumplethinskin won twice using this strategy 

The beauty of this lie is that promises cannot be measured until after the event. The Fascists can claim anything they like & not be challenged. 

The reason Tories flock to Reform is to allow them to promise the moon, without being measured on what they actually did in the past - all bets are off, no history to measure. Simples.

There is scary similarity panning out in Wales now. Reform are on 29%, neck & neck with Plaid Cymru. Ironically, Plaid are reaping the benefits of the above points! 

If we only get a 50% turnout, generous c/f recent years:-

By definition, 50% of the voters are below average intelligence, 30% thicker, so 20% really thick, that means that Reform just need the thick vote to win. 30% of 50% being 15% of the population. If you get my drift. God help us. 

W R USELESS

 

The latest news from the Shitshow that is the WRU here:-

I'm tired of writing about how crap the handling of the game in Wales by the WRU executives is. It now looks as if nothing will change for at least 2 years. 2 more years of chaos. And she is suprised that she is trolled....

MONK DE WALLY DE HONDT

Interesting times yn Cymru. 

The Welsh Senedd elections happening on May 7th will be different. They will use the "D'Hondt" method of PR, 16 year olds will be able to vote, there are new fairer constituencies, and an increased number of MS's. 

The new constituencies are:-

We are in Gwyr Abertawe, and the candidates are:-

I've spotted the odious Richard "turncoat" Lewis's daughter heading up the Reform list. Her dad was variously Liberal, Tory, Independent, and Now Reform. Principles, eh?

I'm surprised she married an O'Brien - Irish immigrant boat people descent? 

The voting polls intention from yougov. is scaring:-

Reform & Plaid neck & neck. The only saving grace is that it doesn't look like Reform can form a government. 

https://www.pollcheck.co.uk/senedd-polls

Looks like my best vote to keep Reform out will be Plaid. 

From https://willhaywardwales.substack.com/p/breaking-major-new-polling-for-wales

FRUSTRATION

 

More frustrating than the board game, is the game of ¡HOUSESALE! 

It's not SLAM-TASTIC, doesn't have a SLAM-O-MATIC, but it is a chasing game that drives you mad.

Kim's parent's house has now been on the market since mid November (2025), and is still in the process of being sold. 5 Months. We accepted an offer 8 weeks ago, and we still don't have a date for exchange, let alone completion. The purchaser said he had no chain and a mortgage in place. WTF takes 8 weeks? He only had a survey done 9 days ago. 

I guess the really frustrating thing is that there is no guarantee that he will actually complete, and could back out at any time with no consequence to himself, whereas we have been off the market, in spring, for 2 months. 

Would it be difficult to have a goodwill deposit system, with a sum to be paid on offer? It could be held by the estate agent or solicitor,  and only returned in specific circumstances. This could be a compensation for being off the market & potentially missing a sale. Just sayin. 

AVEROMODEWLING

Really impressive stuff again from my good friend Dr Bob -  

His latest build is outstanding, as always  HMS Minerva

Apparently from his Blog:-

A Sea King landed on HMS Minerva on the last day of the Falklands War after suffering fuel exhaustion.  The only known (or admitted) case of a Sea King landing on a British Leander Class Frigate.

An American Sea King landed on a New Zealand Frigate HMNZS in 1978 with the only other alternative being ditching due to fuel exhaustion.  The Captain that allowed it was commended by the US Navy and reprimanded by the New Zealand Navy!

Side note:-

Dr Bob lives just outside Bath, and :-

Sulis Minerva was the Romano-British deity worshipped at the Roman Baths in Bath, Somerset, combining the local Celtic healing goddess Sulis with the Roman goddess of wisdom, Minerva. A gilt bronze head of the goddess, discovered in 1727, is a centerpiece of the Roman Baths museum, highlighting the site's significance.

CWRW WYTHNOS PEDWAR DEG UN

 If you have to drink Lager, then this ain't a bad choice. A blast from the past reminding me of sunny days on a greek island

MEXICAN OR MEXICANT? NOT

I have been informed by family & friends that my gameshow idea of Mexican or Mexicant? could be construed as a little bit racist.

So I'm sulking today

BUT! 

Then I found this, & all is well in the world. If only all opera was like this, perhaps i'd like it

HAIR. ON. END.

WHAT'S THE CASTORE MORNING GLORY?

 

I couldn't help but notice that this brand is everywhere at the moment. So I wondered where they came from. Reading up on them, it sounds a bit like a ponzi scheme, with everyone & their dog jumping onboard. The company was founded in 2015 by brothers Thomas and Philip Beahon, when they were 25 and 22 years old respectively. Two clever chaps indeed.

In January 2019, Castore became the official kit partner to British tennis champion Andy Murray, who also became a shareholder in the company in March of that year. The company brands Murray's products as AMC, and it became the official apparel partner of the Lawn Tennis Association. Marlie Packer, who plays for England's women's rugby union team, is a brand ambassador for Castore. 

Castore has expanded rapidly in rugby union, supplying kits to major teams including England Rugby, Rugby Australia (Wallabies/Wallaroos), Bath Rugby, Saracens, Harlequins, Leinster, and Scarlets. The brand, known for "better never stops" apparel, partners with several Premiership Rugby and United Rugby Championship sides. 

You can read the rest here:-

J. Carter Sporting Club Limited, operating as Castore

4 -3 - 2?

How many sides of top flight Rugby Union can Wales support? 4? 3? 2? 1? See this organ passim for more on this.

I don't know, but I have a sneaking suspicion that with the right people in charge, funneling the revenue into Rugby, and not huge salaries, vanity projects & "support staff", we could manage 4, like Ireland. I still can't see how we should lose Ospreys, Scarlets or Cardiff. For me Dragons are the only club in question. 

Looking north, there is a valid debate about how can a national side really thrive with so many players playing abroad. Good article here. With 4 strong sides, perhaps playing in the English (&Welsh?) Prem, we could keep good Welsh players playing in Wales.

WHEN THE EVENING SUN GOES DOWN - MORE FROM CAMMELL LAIRD SOCIAL CLUB

I shout all my obscenities from steeples,

but please dont label me a madman,

I'm off to see the Bootleg Beatles,

as the bootleg Mark Chapman,  - (my favorite line)

Cafe bars, idiots and pidgeons,

there's far too many in this town,

so me and the ombudsman,

are gonna do what we can,

when the evening sun goes down.

Yes, some of my pull-overs are roll-necked,

It kind of breaks up the ennui,

But your experimental side project,

Must have put 10 years on me,

Opposite the Bannister and Shamrock,

Which used to be the Rose and Crown,

I like to play Pat Boone,

On the county bassoon,

When the evening sun goes down,

etc

There are questions in corners of my mind that lurk,

Like How do the road gritters get to work?

Answer me that, and you could win a cruise,

And here's Judy Tzuke to take us up to the news,

Are these my ultimate Pajamas,

Is this my final dressing gown,

I'm sending on this rhyme,

deep in injury time,

When the evening sun goes down,

etc

Source: LyricFind

The Half Man Half Biscuit Lyrics Project

https://halfmanhalfbiscuit.uk

When The Evening Sun Goes Down — Lyrics and Discussion

A lyrics transcription by fans of 'When The Evening Sun Goes Down' by Half Man Half Biscuit, from the band's 2002 album, 'Cammell Laird Social Club'.

MY KIND OF PUB

An excellent few hours was had @ Firebrand Brewing Company in Launceston this weekend. Is there now a craft brewery in every town in the UK? I certainly hope so. Every beer was excellent, the taproom vibe was fab, there was a full range of brews, merch, chobbly bits, and even a pizza van outside. 

However I'm not sure why they didn't want anyone called Charlie being "done" in the bathroom. Perhaps they are anti-monarchists.

CWRW WYTHNOS PEDWAR DEG

JAMAICA? NOPE, SHE WANTED TO

 

Just checked in @ the Jamaica Inn! Tales of Wreckers, Smugglers & pirates abound! 

From the Wiki:-

The Jamaica Inn is a traditional inn on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, England, which was built as a coaching inn in 1750, and has a historical association with smuggling. 

The inn was the setting for Daphne du Maurier's 1936 novel Jamaica Inn, about the nocturnal activities of a smuggling ring, "portraying a hidden world as a place of tense excitement and claustrophobia of real peril and thrill." In the novel, it was transformed into a rendezvous and warehouse for smuggling.

Room is quite comfy, and as its 5pm, I'll see if I can persuade Mrs H to join an away team to https://firebrandbrewing.co.uk/ just up the road....

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS KNOCKS THRICE?

The story of Please_Mr._Postman? Is quite an odd one. From the wiki above:-

It's famous for being the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100

The song has been covered several times, including a version by the Beatles in 1963. It became a number-one hit again in early 1975 when The Carpenters' cover of the song reached the top position of the Billboard Hot 100. 

In April 1961, the Marvelettes (then known as the Marvels) arranged an audition for Berry Gordy's Tamla label. Marvels' original lead singer Georgia Dobbins needed an original song for their audition and got a blues song from her friend William Garrett, which she then reworked for the group. Dobbins left the group after the audition and was replaced. 

So, it is now credited as being written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. Some of whom re-worked the song into its final form.

Since the original version hadn't made it into the British charts, few in the UK knew the song "Please Mr. Postman", allowing the Beatles to make it their own among all Liverpool groups.

Beatles author Mark Lewisohn reflects: "Without even realising it (and they'd have been thrilled to know), the Beatles broke the Detroit 'Motown sound' to the British listening public."

Who knew?

DISGUSTED GENTLEMAN DOESN'T RIDE

 

Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride returns for 2026 to mark 15 years of dapper charity fundraising

There is actually a Swansea Run! From The Pier, to the Brangwyn Hall, on to Oxwich Bay, and returning to the pier. Sounds like a fun way to raise some £'s for Men's Mental Elf & Prostate Cancer Charities.  

I quite fancied this, however, we will be in Cadiz... poo. So, I've signed up for 2027!

IT'S A HARD LIFE

 

Sitting outside the National Waterfront Museum, on a 20℃ day, drinking a very acceptable flat white from their Cafe. Just me & my dog. 

There is something about boats at anchor, calm moorings, and the gentle chatter of other coffee drinkers that is very relaxing. 

Dylan looks quite alert, though. Perhaps thinking "Isn't that a statue of Captain Cat over there?"

'ER NEXT DOOR

 Looks like my 6th great grandparents lived next door - well, next Village actually. William Metcalf b.1698 in Aysgarth, married Margaret Lupton b.1700 in Carperby. Deep in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. 

I'd love to know their story.