Lockdown day #59

I woke this morning just after 6am - had some breakfast and got on with the day.

In the post was a parcel from Shelly (my friend in Wales) - designed to put a smile on my face - and it certainly did.  There were a couple of books (one on Sudoko, which I am not very good at), an orange dragon, a pair of rainbow socks and loads of sweets.  Thank you very much - it was delightful to receive.

I watched on YouTube a concert of music by Schubert and Lizst played by Christopher Hinterhuber, which was lovely, and relaxing.

The weekly acknowledgement of the front-line carers trying to get us through this COVID-19 crisis followed at 8pm.  My phone told me that the Prime Minister and his nation were "leading the nation" in clapping for the carers - that one is a rank hypocrite - I am sure that when the nurses have saved us all they pay gets frozen, while his pay increases.  I have no time for this man.

I watched the second showing of the Eurovision songs - and have found my top 5 favourites - Switzerland, United Kingdom, France, Estonia and Spain.

I rounded off my evening with a diverting and funny film called "Very Important Person"

Lockdown day #40

Today was lovely and sunny.  I should have been in Bury as my dance group was booked to perform at Bury Pride - but that has been cancelled.  There was a 'Bury Pride in the Home' consisting of pop music on a local radio station, but that is a poor alternative.  I am grateful for one blessing due to the cancellation - I didn't have to wear my kilt on such a hot day!

Instead, I downloaded more reading material.  Today this consisted of:

* The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Vol 4, Issue 2

* Nordfrim Great Offers 2020

* New Zealand War Cry 18 April 2020

I also received in the post the Royal Mail Postmark Bulletin Vol 49, No 5 - May Postmarks  

 

What an eclectic group of publications to read!

I watched a video on how to make Bara Brith - now all I need is to find Self-Raising Flour in the shops, and buy dry fruit, and buy some tea .... maybe it is not such a good idea to try and make it.  Bara Brith was originally a traditional Welsh standby thing to cook, because all the ingredients would be readily available to most housewives.  Having to put in most of the ingredients doesn't make it a cheap standby meal.

My exercise today was a trip to the shops (specifically B&M Bargains and Asda) and I managed to buy a box of Jaffa Cakes .. well a big box of Jaffa Cakes (100 in the box) - not that I am panic buying or anything ....

I finished the evening by watching the film "Out in the Dark" - a film about love across the Palestinian/Israeli divide.  Edge of the Seat stuff!

The road to 2013 part 7

May 1969 brought another move, this time to Kidderminster in Worcestershire.  We lived in the Greenhill area of the town at 102 Highfield Road.

My parents were in charge of the Salvation Army corps in the town.  I have a picture of my dad leading an open-air service in Stourport-on-Severn, just down the road from Kidderminster.  He is wearing his red tunic, which was meant to be cooler to wear in summer months that the traditional navy blue worn by members of the Salvation Army.

The hall was in a former Methodist chapel, but is not there now. The side hall was used for a time as a youth club upstairs.  In May 1971 there was a fire in the youth club, which gutted the building, and although the corps continued for a little while they left the premises in search of another.  The picture shows my dad surveying the wreckage of the youth club.

I first started piano lessons when we were at Kidderminster - my teacher was a kindly patient man who I through was quite elderly (but may have been in his 50s).  I enquired of the Kidderminster Historical Society and they suggested my teacher may have been Harry Morris.  He lived in Bewdley Street on the left going out of town just past the Grammar School.  The picture below was sent to me by Bob Millward of the Historical Society, and shows his house.

Our holiday in Summer 1969 was to Hafod in Mid Wales.  From there we visited Devil's Bridge.
The house was located right next to a stream which we as boys used to paddle in.  I remember my Dad fishing in it, and at least one night we had a fish supper.

In Summer 1970 we returned to Hafod.

Not directly linked to my story, but a picture of Kidderminster on August Bank Holiday Monday in 1969.  Who knows I may be in that picture somewhere, we were certainly living in Kidderminster at the time.

Timeline - Sunday 4th August 2013 - Gwenddwr and home

I really lay in on Sunday, not rising until 11am .... a leisurely breakfast and then spent some time reading a book, whilst drinking coffee and watching the persistent rain outside.  There is something relaxing in watching rain when you know you don't have to go out in it.

We went to church in the afternoon - and the church we went to was the chapel at Gwenddwr - http://www.websites.welshhome.net/sidonbuilth/gwenddwrchapel.htm - it is located in a field miles from anywhere, which of course is part of its charm.  A congregation of about 19 people met and sang hymns with gusto.  The only snag was I got mud on my trousers; if you know me well you will know my intolerance to mud.  The chapel was built in the time (or just after) when nonconformity was illegal - and it is wonderful that it is still getting a congregation.

After a bite to eat if was time to wend my way back to Manchester.  I had a Cadfael mystery to keep me company on the journey, but it was a shame to lose the tranquillity of Wales; swopping it with the hustle & bustle of Manchester was a poor swop.

Timeline - Saturday 3rd August 2013 - Montgomeryshire

After a leisurely breakfast we visited Montgomeryshire today.  The first stop, still in Radnorshire, was Rhayader.  It is a lovely little place, with a wonderful clock tower in the centre of the main street.  It is a shame that the main road goes through the town, I am sure it would be more charming without all the traffic.  We had a little look round and visited a couple of antique shops.  There is not much to the town but it was a nice stopping point.

After Rhayader we went northwards to Llanidloes.  This was the purpose of the journey.  I had come across some years previously a mention of a photograph of the opening of the Salvation Army hall there in 1921 which had been deposited in the Powys county archives; I was keen to try and locate the hall if at all possible.  Accordingly the first port of call was Llanidloes Library, and in one of the books of the history of the town there was the picture of the opening of the hall.  Apparently the Salvation Army first went to Llanidloes in the 1880s, and met initially in a room above the Plynlimon Mineral Water Works in Victoria Square.  In 1921 however they moved to their own premises in the Nant.  Sadly both locations are no more. 

After leaving the Library we visited the Llanidloes Museum and the curator, though very pleasant, had no knowledge of the Salvation Army presence in the town.  We looked round the Museum but it did not take long.   I also got a glimpse of a vintage open-top double decker in the ownership of Celtic Travel, which had been hired by a wedding party; what a fantastic way to move from wedding venue to wedding reception.

We got some lamb & mint pies from the market, and I got some bread pudding, and we left Llanidloes moving on to Newtown.  We stopped at a car park in the village of Llandinam and had our eats.  On the way to Newtown we diverted via Caersws, a small railway town, where there was also once a Salvation Army corps; no trace of it remains today and it may be that the work did not prosper.

Taking the back road via Llanwnog we journeyed on to Newtown in the hope of finding the Salvation Army hall there.  We found the Salvation Army charity shop and had a nice chat with Sam, the corps officer in Newtown.  She told us how the corps was faring, and where the "corps plant" started some 25 years ago in Agriculture House near the station.  The corps now meets in a community centre in an estate off the Llanidloes Road. 

 



After a long day we went back to Brecknockshire via Llandrindod Wells and relaxed for the rest of the evening. 

Timeline - Friday 2nd August 2013 - in deepest Wales

After a lazy start, I spent most of the morning reading, and also had occasion to visit Builth Wells - on the very edge of Brecknockshire and Radnorshire.  I visited an antiques shop in a former Methodist Church but it was very pricey and came away with no purchase.  I also visited Builth Castle - a rather grand name for an earthwork which is all that remains of the castle.

I bought some rather sumptuous apple and blackberry tarts for our supper, and all in all had a very pleasant relaxing day.  Later on I helped walk the dogs, but my city shoes were not cut out for long country walks.

It is very relaxing to spend time in good company, without any care for timetables or the clock.  I read my paper, read some books and enjoyed convivial company. 

Timeline - Thursday 1st August 2013 - Journey into Wales

After work I caught the 4.30pm train to Shrewsbury to begin my jaunt into deepest darkest Wales.  The journey down was uneventful, and the connection at Shrewsbury easy.  We were delayed slightly outside Craven Arms because the up train was running late.

If I were to move to another part of England, and monies allowing of course, I would love to live in Shropshire.  It is by far my favourite of the English counties.  The train from Craven Arms into central Wales called at a few of the small stations in Shropshire - Broome, Bucknall and Hopton Heath - all these stations had either someone getting off, or someone getting on; it proves how vital this train service is to these rural communities.  The last station in Shropshire is Knighton; the town it serves is in Wales, but the station is in England.

We trundled on even deeper into Wales until I reached my destination - Llandrindod Wells.  I was met by my good friend, and whisked away to their house high above the Wye in Brecknockshire.  Their dogs gave me a hearty greeting, and it was lovely to be able to relax straight away.