David's blog

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.

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.

  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...

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...

 Every Sunday, at certain times of the day, the church bell use to ring in the village probably to signify a service or something like that, but I remember the sound anyway.  Years went by and I forgot all about it and I came back to live in the village the was not being rang at all for whatever reason.  The church eventually closed and is being done up as building for the community, in this renevation the bell is being fixed and it has just been taken down, and is being a fixed in a foundry in Loughborough which is the biggest bell foundry in the world, which conincidentally I lived next to for a few year.  I am not sure how long the bell will be away getting sorted but it is having a few things done to as can be explained in the link Llan Ffestiniog, Gwynedd. The Former Church of St Michael. | John Taylor & Company It seems to me there will be an electronic chime on and a way to swing chime with the aid of a bellringer.  It is something to do with a magnet...

I just discussed my situation with Google Gemini about the benefit I receive, which is PIP, how it came about, the stress involved, and the change from DLA. I received empathy from Gemini, which felt strange—getting empathy from an AI chatbot—but it seemed to grasp the nuances of the situation very well. Another chatbot, however, wasn’t as good. I wonder what others make of these chatbots

I went to a rally for the Welsh language today, just a short bus ride away. On the way, I stopped at a chippy expecting the usual small portion, but not today—and ironically, I wasn’t even that hungry. Entry to the rally was free, and they handed me some things at the gate. I didn’t want to carry it all afternoon, so I stuffed what I could into my pocket and took the rest back.  I’m not sure why I’m writing this in English instead of Welsh, given I’d just been to a Welsh language rally where they spoke about how precarious the situation is for the language. I had my education, sadly, through the medium of English, and I suppose I struggle with some Welsh words. Sometimes even locals don’t understand the ones I use—like the word for “polite,” which I thought was “fanesol.” When I used it last night, a local didn’t understand me. I’m not sure what word they’d use, but I guess I should ask. I’ve since found another word, “cwrtais,” which apparently means polite. Words in Welsh and Eng...

 Well, the middle of the year is here, and so am I. It’s a nice day so far, but it’s hard to wrap my head around how quickly time passes. I went to a carnival yesterday—it was the first they’d held in about four years, though it’s been around for a long time. There used to be one in the village here, but not anymore. I’m not too sure what the tradition is all about, but there used to be a whole carnival week with different events each day. Those were good times. At the end of the week, there’d be a big parade where people dressed up and marched through the village. Sadly, there are too many rules and restrictions now for that to happen. The best part was always seeing those in costume win prizes. Lorries used to get decorated there were carnival queens, I was waiting for this carnival to start and some dutch folk asked about the tradition and i could not explain its origins or its significence it jsust went on.  This carnival was not very big due to the village not bein g that...

I’ve ordered a new pair of Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, which should arrive this week. I went for the new ones because the Gen 1 version was a bit bulky. I didn’t expect to wear them as much as I do, so comfort wasn’t a big deal at first, but now it is. I chose the Blazer style this time—they fit better with no sliding down my nose.   The new glasses are a bit pricier than the Gen 1s, but they have a better camera, improved microphones, and, of course, a better fit. I’m not sure what to do with the old pair—maybe just keep them in case the new ones break.   I mostly use the glasses for the camera, capturing short videos and posting them on Facebook for the village diaspora to enjoy. Originally, I bought them to use the AI “look and see” command, but I haven’t used it much for that—except maybe for improving recipes. The glasses are also handy for making hands free phone calls and listening to podcasts and -some music sometimes and getting messages from whatsapp, I gue...

I went for a swim in the river again yesterday, having gone a couple of days before. It wasn’t quite as warm this time—the weather, not the river—so I didn’t stay long. The pool isn’t very big and it’s not always easy to find space to swim. The cold water really focuses your mind and keeps you from thinking about all the other stuff going on, and I noticed that when I got out, my head felt clearer. I can’t exactly go to the river every time I want to clear my mind, and today it’s cooler and cloudy. The heat is still lingering in the house, but I guess it’ll fade over the next couple of days.  It is nice to have warm house to get up to for a change though, as its usually cold Regarding heating I am expecting some solar panels well they have said they will give me some we shall see, this company is not the most reliable and can mess you around big time. I would not be able to go swimming this week as its wintery again all of sudden the weather has gone from one extreme to the other. ...

It’s been nothing but chaos on public transport these past few days. Yesterday, we were delayed for about half an hour due to a fire at a petrol station—some campervan had caught fire, and it could have been far worse if the petrol had ignited. Today brought yet another delay thanks to roadworks starting on a bank holiday weekend, which is a ridiculous decision that only adds to the mess. On the way back from the next stop, a woman refused to give way to the bus and eventually had to be persuaded to move—still no idea what her issue was. With the weekend only just starting, who knows what else might happen on this unreliable public transport. I went to the next town to speak with the council about applying to have a piece of land designated as a public right of way. There’s a lot of form-filling involved, and at the moment the access is far from acceptable.  The local councillors are not interested, the parking issue has got a lot worse due to the issue with land too. I have decide...

 I go swimming on a monday morning to a session which is designated as being for the disabled.  I have been going to this session for years and it suits me as I can get there on time and go and swim at the side of the pool which is easiet for me.  Over the last few months the session is not empty when I get there there is overflow from the from the previous session and the centre is not getting rid of the people from that session when they should so I am not able to use the wall, Also other people who are disabled are nto able to use the session as the overflow is clogging up the pool. I went swimming today and nothng had changed but I saw one of the people who work at the centre todayh, he said something about changing the timetable, so I will have to wait and see for a couple of weeks I suggested they could change the wording as they have different wording in the diffedrent centres.I did not think it was going to take this much of an effort to sort things out but it is ...

I went for a walk yesterday along a local river I had not been up and down it for a couple of years, its quite hard going going back up it but it was a nice walk, I was looking also for pool that is quite iconic round here as it is where a lot of local children go swimming in its called Llyn Sgowt, its not a lake just a big pool in the river.  I think I might have found it but I am not too sure, it was made famous round here by the children of the Summer Hill school which here over the years of the second world war, they made it famous by going swimming naked in it, and it shocked the local community. Summerhill School really was evacuated to Ffestiniog, Wales during the Second World War, and it spent several years there. The move was disruptive, emotionally difficult, and marked by illness, loss, and the challenge of running a radically “free” school inside a small, traditional Welsh community.   

Last week I got a text from the housing association saying someone would be coming round to do some plastering, which I assumed was to deal with the damp in the living room walls. I wasn’t looking forward to the disruption, but figured it had to be done, so I agreed. I remember someone coming over to talk about the damp problem, explaining what they planned to do, and we both agreed there was no point plastering until the issue was fixed. On the day the plasterer arrived, I told them they needed to sort the problem first.  They eventually agreed and left, but came back a few minutes later claiming someone would be coming to fix some slates and put something on the roof, and that the boss would call me. I let them go ahead as they sounded plausible enough, but later it hit me they were probably just messing me around. I haven’t heard from the boss or seen anyone working on the roof, which is frustrating and makes me feel conned by these cowboy builders.  Now the job is done, an...

A long time ago, I had a mental health episode and began reading self-help books. I came across a writer named Dorothy Rowe, who discussed mental illness in relation to introverts and extraverts, drawing on Jungian theory later expanded by Eysenck. According to her, people are divided into two types: extraverts and introverts. This book had a real impact on me, and after reading it, I discovered that I am an extravert. This I calculated from a test that was in the book. From what I gathered from the book it was about different realities that people experience, one sees the outside world as real and the other as the inside world, your mind as real, I guess one fact I omitted from my understanding was that this was theory and not actual fact I think I took it too literal   I asked an AI chatbot about this, and they said the theory is correct, but there’s a tendency to box yourself and others in, which can limit growth. I guess, according to the criticisms, it’s a bit too black a...

 I I went for a walk yesterday with a few people around a village not too far from here. When I first heard about it, I had a feeling I’d been on this walk before—well, at least started it—about three years ago, just after I’d been in the hospital for treatment that left me temporarily incontinent. At the time, I hoped it really was temporary, but no one at the hospital bothered to reassure me. It turned out it was, but back then I was still dealing with anxiety over the incontinence. The whole thing had been a horrendous experience, and the hospital staff hadn’t prepared me for it at all. The words “temporarily faecally incontinent” didn’t even begin to cover what I went through, and it messed with my head.   Yesterday, as I started the walk, the route began to feel familiar, and I reached the point where I’d panicked and turned back before. I told one of the guides about it, felt a bit of panic again, but managed to keep going and finish the walk. I’m so glad I did beca...

I played a gig at a venue on Thursday with a few friends, but we were stuck in a corner and had to move furniture ourselves. The person who booked us wasn’t even there, which wasn’t a great start—especially since the place clearly had a lot of money put into it. We played, but hardly anyone paid attention, and we didn’t get so much as a thank-you drink for playing for free—or even a simple thanks—which doesn’t exactly inspire us to speak well of the place.   Lately, I’ve been feeling tired of playing the same old songs, and when no one’s enjoying it, it feels even worse. Maybe that shows in my performance, I’m not sure. I don’t know how to get the group to try different material, but after years of the same routine, it’s starting to feel stale. I wish I could find a new group to play with and mix things up, but there aren’t many music setups around here. Moving is an option, but it’s a big step.   The most disappointing thing about last week’s gig was the lack of gra...

I went out on Tuesday and saw a chap I know who had a stroke a while ago. He was in his chair and doesn’t speak too well, and since my hearing isn’t great, I didn’t stop to chat. I’ve been thinking about how he could manage not being able to speak and came up with the idea of using the Google keyboard, where you drag your finger along the words. Today at Tesco, I saw someone who was his friend and told them my idea. They said his motivation isn’t great, and honestly, if I were stuck in a chair, I don’t think I’d be that motivated either—especially at his age. I might even be wishing I hadn’t been found. I hope the finger thing works and it helps the chap get some control of his life back its very sad to see him like that.  I have seen this chap out and about in his chair which is a stop forward I guess for him, he must be going round the bend stuck in that place all day

Here we go again. Yesterday, someone asked me about an incident in the village. I had no idea what was going on, so I looked into it and discovered it was yet another neighbor-versus-neighbor feud—though this time, they live across the road from each other instead of next door. I’ve had my share of issues with neighbors on both sides, and honestly, it’s no wonder there are wars in the world. Maybe it’s a miracle we get along at all, considering how different we are.   This latest dispute seems more serious than usual, involving assault by someone old enough to know better. It’s tied to another major feud from a few years back, but one neighbor in that issue has since passed away. I guess, as they say, all relationships end in death and acrimony.   I know the person accused of assault well—I know them all. She comes across as a sweet elderly lady, but I guess you never really know. Regarding my own issue with the neighbor next door, I spent a morning cutting down weed...

Earlier today, I saw a van on fire in the street. It’s since been removed after the fire brigade put it out, though they seemed to take ages to arrive, apparently coming from the next town. I’d just crossed the road after getting off the bus and noticed parcels scattered on the pavement, with a man I assumed to be the driver on the phone saying, “my van is on fire.” It didn’t really sink in until I walked past the front of the van, felt the heat, and saw flames. I asked someone nearby if they’d called the fire brigade—they had—and someone shouted at me to get water, but I didn’t want to get too close in case it exploded. Eventually, the fire brigade arrived and put it out. The van’s now gone, and I suppose they’ll be investigating the cause, though I’m no expert. I’d posted a video on social media to warn people and stop them using the road—it spread quickly online—but I’ve since taken it down, thinking that was for the best. The people wh wer expecting parcels have still not got them