David's blog

At the start of the week, a post appeared on social media about a man who had been missing from the village for three days, with no clue about his whereabouts. The post remained up for a few days until yesterday, when it was removed, but there’s still no sign of him. It’s assumed his wife was the one who reported him missing. At the pub last night, someone mentioned he wasn’t missing at all but had actually left his wife.   The wife will likely feel very awkward in the village now and may move on herself soon enough. Apparently, they’ve also been having issues with their neighbors. It seems the move to this village hasn’t been the best decision for these people, and considering they’re not young, you’d think they would have made better choices. On a more serious note, a child went missing on Friday in the next town. Hopefully, they’ll be found soon. I haven’t heard much more about it, which could be either a good or bad sign, I suppose. Here we are again on another Sunday, not...

I was a child a long time ago, and while that doesn't make what I'm about to say any more justifiable, I had parents who would beat and abuse their children. Dealing with one violent parent is hard enough, but having both is incredibly difficult. My father used to hit me with his hands, while my mother used objects such as sandals. My brother and sister suffered the same issues; they were also abused. This went on for years until we were too big or had left home. When confronted about it, my father would deny ever doing anything to us, which only rubbed salt in the wound and devalued us even further. I’m sharing this because I was at the pub last night, and a neighbor I grew up with was talking about how loved she was as a child. I guess it's the luck of the draw. Many people say that the abuse or violence they experienced as children did not harm them, but it’s bound to, as it’s simply not right to beat kids. After all, they’re just kids.

It seems the village fair, as it once was, is gone for good, despite my hopes to save it. Unfortunately, with the council's poor decisions and the villagers' indifference, it’s no longer possible. Maybe something new will replace it—or maybe not—we’ll just have to wait and see. Honestly, I don’t know if I’d even be interested in a new version of the fair. The village’s apathy was clear when hardly anyone showed up to last week’s meeting. Based on the feedback I got during my efforts to revive the fair—which the council has been trying to shut down for years—I thought there was genuine interest, but apparently, I was wrong. I even started the process of filing a complaint with the ombudsman, but I’ve given up on that now due to the lack of support from the village. It feels like there’s no sense of community here anymore. Maybe people have moved on from fairs, but I still feel gutted every time someone brings it up. I loved the fair; it was a real community event. Perhaps people...

Years ago, when I worked at a hospital for the elderly, there was an old tramp who was quite a character. I got a book about him a few years back, but I haven’t read it yet as it’s not the easiest to get through. I’m sure I’ll finish it eventually. Recently, I came across a song about this character, and just yesterday, I connected with the person who wrote it. I hope to see the band they’re part of at the National Eisteddfod in a few weeks. They’re playing on Saturday and Tuesday, but as usual, transport is an issue. I’m planning to look into a coach trip that might get me there. It’s interesting how a down-and-out has inspired both a book and a song, and the lyrics show that the writer really knew him.

There’s a lot of noise right now about welfare—particularly around the financial support disabled people receive. The idea that it costs more to live with a disability isn’t up for debate; it’s a reality. But the conversation around it keeps stirring controversy. having all this controversy in the news is embarrassing for didabled peopele Back in the 1990s, a social worker encouraged me to apply for Disability Living Allowance (DLA). At the time I thought, “Why not?” To my surprise, I was awarded it. DLA came in two parts: the mobility component and the care component. Each had different levels of support depending on the severity of one’s condition. I received the lowest rates, which was what was available to me then. Over time, I met others in similar situations who received more support than I did. But as the years passed and I became increasingly dependent on that money, I grew too anxious to reapply. I didn’t want to risk losing what I had. I also had (and still have) a deep distr...

On Saturday, I took the bus to Porthmadog, intending to do some shopping and head back as usual. However, I changed my mind and decided to go to Caernarfon for a music festival called Gwyl Arall. It was a very hot day; the bus to Porthmadog had air conditioning, but the connecting bus didn’t, though it was manageable. When I got to Caernarfon, I wanted to find the music venue, but there were several to choose from. I grabbed lunch and wandered through the lively town, which offered more than just music—there were activities like walks, lectures, and book reviews. The gig I wanted to see was in Neuadd y Farchnad, the market hall. There was an entrance fee and a joke about my age, as I might have been one of the oldest there. I went to see some new artists on the Welsh music scene because I think it’s important to support them. The first band was decent, though the sound quality was poor, and I couldn’t hear the vocals clearly, which was also true for the second band. The third act, Elid...

**A Bonkers Week on the Buses** It’s been a properly bonkers week on the buses. Tuesday was supposed to be my gym day for some circuit training. I made it to Penrhyndeudraeth, but got stuck in a traffic jam. After a while, I realised I wasn’t going to make it on time, so I texted the guy who runs the session to let him know. We eventually got to Porthmadog—an hour or so later than usual—thanks to roadworks. They were replacing pylons with underground cables. Frankly, it seemed like a massive waste of money—probably running into the millions. People are used to the pylons by now. I did a bit of shopping before heading back to catch the bus home. That’s when someone I knew told me there’d been a crash in town and no traffic was getting through. It felt surreal, really—first being stuck trying to get *into* town, and now stuck trying to get *out*. I went for a bit of a wander to see what was going on. I have to admit, I like seeing what smashed up the poor car—stupid thing looked like it ...

**The smell in my kitchen is amazing right now—I’ve just taken a ginger cake loaf out of the oven.** I made one in class a few weeks ago and thought I’d try it again myself at home. According to the teacher, ginger cake is less hassle than other types of cake, so I figured it should be easier for me to manage. I changed a few ingredients this time—I used margarine instead of butter. It might make it a bit less rich, though I haven’t tasted it yet, so I’m not sure. I was planning to cook it in the Ninja Speedi, but the tin I have doesn’t fit. I’d hoped it would speed up the baking and save having to use the main oven. I’ll need to find a tin that fits the Speedi for next time. Things can definitely go wrong with these cakes—like forgetting an ingredient or overbaking it so it turns out dry. But if I get good at this, I might even start selling them. Homemade cakes are a treat many families miss out on these days, with so much else going on. I’ll need to do some proper road-testing first...

My laptop has been acting up for the past few days, refusing to shut down properly. I suspect it got stuck on an update. I tried restoring it but lost patience and ended up resetting it, which wiped out all my apps and data—a total hassle. On top of that, I got an email today about a pair of glasses I ordered online. Normally, I wouldn’t buy glasses this way, but it was my only option at the time. I had spoken with an optometrist about the order but decided to place it myself since it seemed they were just ordering them online anyway, and no options were available in-store. I searched for my old prescriptions at home but couldn’t find last year’s, so I had to visit the shop to request a copy. I sent it to them, but this morning I got an email saying the copy was blurry and missing key details. They also asked whether the glasses were for reading or distance vision, which I wasn’t sure how to answer because I usually just rely on my prescription. I contacted the optometrist again and fi...

Mae cerddoriaeth Soul   neu enaid yn Gymraeg am wn i,wedi chwarae rhan reit bwysig ym mywydau pobl ifanc Llan dros y degawdau.  Soul yw ffurf o gerddoriaeth boblogaidd a ddechreuodd gan gerddorion duon yn yr Unol Daleithiau o ganol yr ugeinfed ganrif ymlaen. Rhai o’r artistiaid enwog sydd wedi cyfrannu i’r genre Soul yw Aretha Franklin , Otis Redding , Stevie Wonder , a’r rhestr yn parhau. Mae’r gerddoriaeth hon wedi deillio o draddodiadau’r eglwysi yn America, sef gospel , ac hefyd o rhythm and blues . Mae cerddoriaeth Soul yn derm cyffredinol ar gyfer sawl arddull sydd wedi datblygu o draddodiadau’r blues a cherddoriaeth efengylaidd yr eglwys Ddu. Dysgodd arloeswyr Soul y 1950au – megis Ray Charles, Etta James, Sam Cooke, Clyde McPhatter, Little Richard, a Hank Ballard – gerddoriaeth trwy berfformio mewn grwpiau efengylaidd. Wrth i'r artistiaid hyn gynnwys elfennau blues a symud at eiriau seciwlar, ganwyd y genre soul. Yn y 1970au, dechreuodd cerddoriaeth Soul osod y sylfaen...

I heard an interesting cookery class the other day. I was due to get there earlier than usual this week, and in the afternoon, people were invited to come and enjoy what the class had been cooking. I went on the bus, and on my way there, I saw the postman . They gave me a parcel, which contained weighing scales. An Unexpected Challenge On getting to the cookery class, I saw the teacher. I didn't hear her say hello; the reason for that was she'd lost her voice! So, it was going to be a very interesting lesson trying to understand what she was telling the class to do when she couldn't speak. Anyway, she asked me to make a ginger cake, which I did . It only involved following a recipe, so I got on with it . The kitchen was full, and it was a bit awkward trying to find the ingredients , though they were all in a big bag, I found out eventually. Thankfully, I didn't need her intervention that much, and I managed to get the cake done. A Mixed Outcome I think everyone man...

**Is Learning the Welsh Language Difficult?** Learning Welsh can be challenging, especially if your only language is English. Some of the sounds in Welsh don't exist in English, which can make pronunciation tricky. However, many languages share similar sounds with Welsh, so speakers of those languages might find Welsh less difficult than an English monoglot would. Take, for instance, the Welsh "CH"—it has a harsh, throaty quality, unlike the softer "ch" sound in English. Languages like Lithuanian use similar guttural sounds, which makes it easier for their speakers to read Welsh phonetically. I discovered this recently when I asked a Lithuanian man to read some Welsh aloud. He managed it remarkably well, while a monolingual English speaker might have struggled without prior exposure. The takeaway? The more languages you know, the easier it is to learn new ones. But motivation can be hard to find if you already speak English—it's so dominant globally that man...

It’s been a hot one today. It started off muggy and dull, but brightened up as the day wore on. I did my usual stint at the food bank, where there's currently a heap of out-of-date cat food. The lady who helps me on Fridays was reluctant to put it out, in case someone took loads of it and tried to flog it. I really don’t think there’s a thriving black market for expired cat food—strange attitude for someone working at a food bank. When I got home, I went for a dip in the river. It was freezing at first, and I almost bailed, but I persevered—and I’m glad I did. It was surprisingly refreshing. They say cold water swimming is good for inflammation. I probably didn’t stay in long enough to get the full effect, but I’ll definitely go again at some point. I felt nice and clean when I got out and refressed. Parking in the village is getting worse—cars everywhere, even blocking pavements. I guess it’s down to the rubbish public transport from Labour in Cardiff. I think I can leave the wash...

I’ve had problems for quite a while now, and one of them is to do with my eyesight. So the other day, I made the long bus journey—about two hours with a change—to visit the local blind society. Since I was heading that way, I thought I might as well try to sort out another issue I’ve been having with my hearing. I popped into the hospital and saw someone, but the problem’s still not resolved, so I guess I’ll have to go back there eventually. I then made my way to the blind society to see a chap called Nick, who was going to tell me about these Meta Ray-Ban sunglasses. They’re designed to help people with vision problems, using built-in AI that can recognise objects and surroundings—useful for people who can’t see certain things. I also needed a bit of help with the VoiceOver feature on my phone. There’s been a lot of buzz about these Meta Ray-Bans. I wanted to find out if they lived up to the hype—or if it was, well, just hype. (Pardon the pun.) It all seems a bit space-age—music playi...

JUst in case you wonderd  The Changing Landscape of Intimacy: What Sex is Like for People in their 60s For many, the sixth decade of life brings a new chapter in sexuality, one characterized by evolving physical realities, deeper emotional intimacy, and a redefined understanding of pleasure. While the passionate spontaneity of youth may transform, a fulfilling and vibrant sex life is not only possible but common for those in their 60s, often enriched by a lifetime of experience and connection. Physical changes are a natural part of aging and can impact sexual function for both men and women. For women, the hormonal shifts of menopause can lead to vaginal dryness, thinning of vaginal tissues, and a decrease in libido. Men may experience erectile dysfunction, a delayed or less firm erection, and a longer refractory period between erections. These changes are often gradual and can be managed effectively with a variety of approaches. Beyond the purely physiological, emotional and psych...