David's blog

I went for a walk the other day, and for once, it stayed dry. I headed to the part of the village with farms, crossing the River Cynfal. There’s a well-known old house there called famous locally and beyond as the birthplace of Morgan Llwyd in the 16th century. I’ve been there many times since it’s only about a mile away. This time, I wanted to take a short video for social media, as these little clips tend to get lots of views and fit my theme of interesting local spots. The walk takes me down to the river, across it, and through a field, where I filmed my short video. That evening, I got a message saying a photo of me had been posted on a Facebook page, accusing me of snooping around their house—which would have been impossible given where I was. They were basically making up lies about me. At first, I planned to ignore it, but when the accusations came, I felt I had to act, so I threatened to involve the police, and the post was taken down. It’s sad that such important properties ar...

There hasn’t been any football at the local club lately, mainly because of the weather. The wintry conditions have left the pitch waterlogged. There’s been talk about moving the season to summer, which I think would be better. It wouldn’t be so stop-start — a game, then a few weeks off, then another game, then more weeks off. It just drags the season out when people want to keep it going. Playing in summer would also make grassroots games easier since there’d be no need for floodlights, and matches could be held in the long, lighter evenings. I’m not sure why they don’t switch the season except for tradition. As for the long, dark winter evenings, I guess we could always follow football in another country, like England. This arugement has been gojng on a long time aned is yet to be resolved, it maybe one day hnpeuflly,

Dwi wedi bod yn gwylio rhaglen am yr Alban sy’n cael ei chyflwyno gan hen ffrind i mi. Roedd Ian yn y coleg gyda fi yn Hereford am ddwy flynedd, ac roeddem yn yr un hostel. Fe ddaethom yn ffrindiau’n eithaf sydyn, dwi’n meddwl, gan fod o o’r Alban a fi o Gymru – y Celtaid efo’i gilydd, am wn i. Roedd o’n nabod rhywun arall o Gymru ychydig yn well na fi, oherwydd roedd bachgen o Gaernarfon yn y coleg hefyd ac roedd e wedi bod yno ers blwyddyn. Roeddwn i’n rhannu’r ystafell fyw gyda’r boi o Gaernarfon; ges i fy symud yno i drio gwneud i mi deimlo’n fwy cartrefol oherwydd mynd i’r coleg yn Hereford oedd y tro cyntaf i mi symud i ffwrdd o adra. Roeddwn yn 19 ar y pryd, ddim yn ifanc ond yn dal i deimlo’r torriad gyda’r cysylltiad adra.  Oherwydd yr hiraeth, fuas am fisoedd,  yn mynd adra ar y penwythnos, mam a dad yn dod i fy nôl i Shrewsbury. Aeth hyn ymlaean am ychydig o fisoedd. Yn y diwedd nes i benderfynu aros yn y coleg a dim ond mynd adra adeg y gwylia, fyswn wedi medru myn...

 This morning, I turned on the TV and started watching a program about a place in Scotland, and there was a friend I hadn’t seen since our college days about 40 years ago—where has the time gone? Ian was a year ahead of me in college and a painter back then, but I don’t think he can paint anymore as he has completely lost his eyesight. He was on the show *My Kind of Town*, where he travels around towns in Scotland and learns about them. I’ve never been to Scotland, but after seeing the beautiful places, I might just go someday.

I went for a walk yesterday, and as I was heading down the road, some guy shouted abuse at me. I think it’s linked to a long-running grudge his father has with me. What he shouted was strange and a bit mad, though I suppose it was slightly funny in the end. I wasn’t sure how to handle it at first, but I decided to report it to the police so there would be a record. I filed it online and didn’t expect a call, but the police phoned me, and the officer was very nice. My calls are recorded these days—no idea why—and I’m not sure if that influenced how kindly the officer treated me on the phone. The person who is behind the abuse There's a well known bully in the village He's been beaten up badly in the past but obviously doesn't learn from his mistakes which is a bit sad really I suppose

Where has the time gone? The Senedd election is just a few months away in May, yet it doesn’t feel that long since the last one—though it’s been five years. I remember feeling so disheartened when Labour won again, meaning another five years of the same old mess. My biggest gripe is the failing health board I’m unlucky enough to live under, which I’ve had bad experiences with in recent years. By all rights, there shouldn’t have been a Labour government in 2021, but somehow they pulled it off. This time, though, I think they’ll be out for good—and it’s about time. It’s a chance to make sure they never govern Wales again. I’ve grown to despise the arrogant, high-handed, lazy, and useless ministers they’ve put forward over the years—the “any old thing will do” party.   I know devolved power is still retained power, and independence is a long way off. These days, I’m not even sure I care as much about independence; I just want a new government to bring change after 26 years of dis...