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rogue cop

A rogue cop got away with punching someone in the head nine times while the person was handcuffed and being taken into custody. The incident, filmed by a neighbour in Porthmadog three years ago, was a horrific attack unlike anything I’ve seen before. The cop had clearly lost control and could have killed the defenceless person. Some say it was only with his left hand, but that hardly justifies it. He went to court earlier this year, and a jury found him not guilty on a charge the CPS clearly thought worth pursuing.  Cop captured in shocking footage punching suspect NINE times after gripping his neck during arrest will not be sacked m not sure what the jury thought they were seeing, but it feels like a miscarriage of justice—do police get away with too much? Maybe the cop lost control due to lack of resources or proper training, but he’s tarnished the force’s reputation and will probably be quietly moved on so poor practices can continue. I’m not convinced the police are corrupt, bu...
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Mabinogion

This weekend I met someone from America with a passion for Welsh folklore, the Mabinogion, which she has been studying for a long time. Ironically, the bar was serving Blodeuwedd beer, named after a character from the Mabinogion, and on the TV a Welsh band was playing a song called “Blodeuwedd.” I’m not sure what you’d call that kind of coincidence, but it was strange. I thought she had left and hoped she might come back one day.  A couple of weeks ago she invited me to lunch, but I backed out due to feeling pressured, and I handled it clumsily, hurting her in the process. I regret it, and I think she’s backed off—she doesn’t seem so keen to spend time with me now, which I can’t blame her for, though she says she’s forgiven me. The other day I went for a walk, thinking she had gone home, but there she was—it was surreal. It’s a funny old life. I told her how I liked her, not heard anything since.
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appointment

Bit of a rubbish day, yet again. I was supposed to have an appointment at the hospital today, which is about two hours away by bus, but I booked a ride so it would only take about an hour. The ride turned up, but about halfway there I got a call saying the appointment was cancelled due to illness. I found that a bit odd, as I thought they’d have a replacement. I guess it shows the state of the NHS in Wales—it’s poor. Now I have to go on Saturday, but I’m thinking of changing it. I’d tried to cancel today’s appointment earlier, but they said it was urgent—well, it can’t have been that urgent if no one was there for me today. I just feel messed around. The plan for the day was to go the hospital now I am at a loose end I guess and not sure what to do for the rest of the day.  The saturday one will be by bus unless I change it and then it could be bus too, if the ride is busy. I was hoping to do something else at the hospital too, but I guess its just shit all round today,  ...
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crooks

The bus services around here are terrible. When I first moved back, there were about five different routes, but now it’s down to just one. That service is awful, mainly because it doesn’t connect properly with other routes. Ironically, when a bunch of crooks ran the services for years, they actually connected, probably because they wanted to make more money—but it was still better than what Gwynedd Council has managed. They sadly ended up in prison and the company express motors is no more. A new service starting in October will go to Carmarthen, which could be a nice excuse for a trip and maybe a stopover, with the chance to revisit Pembrokeshire. The bus takes three hours to get to Carmarthen, but the real issue is it might take hours just to connect to it, even though I live only 10 miles away. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
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thieves

I volunteer at a food bank, and lately it feels like more of the visitors are dealing with substance abuse issues than any other group, at least from what I’ve seen. I was surprised to witness one of them robbing a local shop—he always seemed like a decent guy struggling with alcohol, but it turns out he’s a criminal too.  Another person caught stealing from the same shop is the son of criminals; they also use the food bank. He was taken into care but still ended up in trouble, which makes you wonder about the impact of upbringing versus genetics, though it doesn’t seem to be in the genes. Sometimes I wonder if the food bank is just feeding the local criminal population. You could bar these people from coming to the foodbank but all that will do is encourage them to steal even more I guess. Not sure what the wider opinion is on foodbanks.
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Dopamine nation

  I am reading this book, it is quite interesting Here’s the heart of Dopamine Nation — the main message , the core argument , and the key takeaways — distilled clearly and without quoting the book’s copyrighted text. ⭐ The central idea of Dopamine Nation The book argues that we live in a world of unprecedented access to pleasure , and this constant stimulation is creating a society struggling with addiction, compulsive behaviour, and emotional imbalance . The solution, Lembke says, is learning to balance pleasure and pain by intentionally creating space for discomfort, discipline, and meaningful connection. 🧠 Main points (the “big picture”) 1. We live in a dopamine‑rich world Modern life delivers endless micro‑hits: phones social media food porn shopping drugs gambling notifications streaming even productivity apps Our brains aren’t built for this level of stimulation. 2. Pleasure and pain work like a seesaw Every time you get a dopamine spike, your brain pushes back with a di...
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Eisteddfod

I’ve been to many places in Wales—north, south, and east—and a few in the west, but I’d never been to Pembrokeshire. For a while, it seemed like I never would, unless I braved the nightmare of public transport. In Wales, the bus takes about 7 or 8 hours, while the train can take up to 12, so spending all day getting there, staying overnight, and then spending all day coming back just wasn’t worth the hassle.   This year, the Eisteddfod was in Pembrokeshire. I’d gone last year, enjoyed it, and wanted to go again, so I looked into coaches. A friend mentioned one for £55, but I had no idea how long it would take. I assumed it would be similar to public transport and didn’t fancy paying that much for such a long trip. Then I heard about a cheaper coach, which sounded more appealing, but it ended up being canceled due to lack of interest—strange, but not unheard of.   I went back and forth for ages, but the chance to visit Pembrokeshire for the first time and attend the E...
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