Friday 30 September 2011

John Lloyd of Caerwys

This evening the Caerwys Historical Society held its first meeting of the new season. It proved to be an excellent occasion with Dr Paul Evans lecturing on John Lloyd of Caerwys. John Lloyd is something of a forgotten figure in Caerwys, and it is his daughter Angharad Llwyd that has achieved far more fame. Lloyd was Rector in Caerwys during the second half of the 18th century and deserves far more recognition for his scholarly works. He supported Thomas Pennant on his well-known Tour of Wales, and was widely consulted by authors across Wales. Lloyd fathered no less than ten children and his ancestors are still in the Caerwys area. The only point of embarrassment came when Dr Evans informed the audience that John Lloyd was buried in Caerwys church, and that he was sure we would know exactly whereabouts. Blank faces proved this was not the case; therefore finding Lloyd's grave was set as homework for the Caerwys Historical Society.

The famous daughter: Angharad Llwyd, eisteddfod winner in 1832, but her work was based upon the scholarly research of her father John Lloyd.

Thursday 29 September 2011

Dixie and Kenny

Dixie and Kenny are name synonymous with the Merseyside football giants of Everton and Liverpool. This weekend I have a ticket to see the derby match between these two ancient rivals. To get myself in the mood I have watched the DVD of a film entitled 'Dixie and Kenny' about  neighbouring families, one supporting the blues, the other the reds. Predictably they take their fanaticism to extremes by spraying red flowers in the garden blue, and even having blue tomato sauce. I suppose following a football club is another in the line of Things that Divide us, but despite the extent to which Dixie and Kenny take their support of the teams, most of us know that in reality it is only a game.
 
Bill Shankley: 'Football is not a matter of life and death; it is far more important than that'.

Things that divide us.

It took me seconds to come up with this list of things that divide us:

Liverpool or Everton
Black or white.
Rural or urban
Protestant or Catholic
Religious or atheist
English or Welsh.
Fat or thin.
Men or Women
Private sector or public sector
Tory or Labour.
Tabloid reader or broadsheet reader.
Educated or uneducated
Employed or unemployed.
Christian or Muslim.
Smoker or non-smoker.

I'm sure that there are many more. It is a bit depressing to be honest; I am aware many are just fun and not serious. But many are taken to an extreme point of view and have the potential to destroy.

So what unites us? One thing above all others: Common humanity.

Tuesday 27 September 2011

An Indian summer

The temperatures are soaring, and the newspapers are using the phrase Indian Summer. Many years ago a friend wrote a silly story about me called 'Eddie's Indian Summer'; I won't explain why. So whenever we have warm weather at this time of year I think of that time. However, I had assumed that the term Indian Summer came from the Indian sub-continent, but it instead it refers to the American Indians. Etymologists cannot agree to the origin of the phrase, suffice to say that it is an American import, like pepsi. I suppose after the cool summer that has just gone the notion of an Indian summer is tinged with irony. Indeed there was an item on the radio where a cook was offering advice for suitable foods to use on an October barbecue. I just try to make the most of it; last year severe winter weather arrived well into November, so make hay while the sun shines.

The view from Caerwys earlier this evening looking west across the golf course.

Sunday 25 September 2011

Remember the 1930s

Every now and then I get to thinking about a particular decade. Earlier in the year it was the 1950s, now my attention has strayed to the 30s. Most people think of the 30s as the wasted decade, or 'the devil's decade'. They picture the Jarrow crusade and the hunger marches. The spectre of the Means Test still plays a part in the mythology of the age. Of course desperate poverty was certainly a feature of those years; unemployment reached nearly 3 million and remained persistently high until rearmament brought hope to those blighted industrial regions of the nation.

However that is far from the full picture as in many ways the 30s were a decade of national growth that would be put into the deep freeze when war broke out. Paid holidays were granted legal status for all employees during this decade. Mass tourism began and the holidays camps (like Butlins) were built to accommodate this new demand. In Caerwys this social change became apparent with opening of the White River Holiday Camp. I will quote from my book 'Caerwys Since Victorian Times':

By the 1930s businesses in Caerwys had begun to cater specifically for tourists. The ‘White River’ Camp was perhaps the first Caerwys ‘holiday’ camp to cater for large numbers of visitors. It was designed for the cycle and motor cycle tourists from the major cities of the North West of England. It advertised ‘Excellent Accommodation, Dining Rooms, Recreation Rooms, Latrines, Lavatories, Sports Fields (9 Acres)’. It claimed to have covered accommodation for 250. Interestingly the advertising brochure perhaps suggested it was a place to meet members of the opposite sex. The brochure claimed that ‘White River’ Camp was ‘A complete “Social Rendezvous” where you can arrange TO MEET YOUR FRIENDS (No Irksome Restrictions). It went on to list the added attractions of ‘Dancing, Concerts, Music, Piano, HMV Gramophones’.  In a post card sent to cycling clubs, the owners of the camp described the situation as amidst the ‘LOVELIEST SCENERY in the BRITISH ISLES’. The ‘Camp Log’ offered tourists advice as to what they should bring: ‘Campers should bring their own Towel, Soap, Boot brushes and Polish, also Hair Brush and Comb’. The Camp Log has a number of so called ‘Appreciations’ from satisfied customers; one entry gives an idea of the type of holidays some campers achieved: ‘We walked all day and we slept all night, and at the ‘White River’ Camp its sure all right, not forgetting the girls at Caerwys’.  The price for breakfast, dinner, tea, supper, and a bed was the sum of £2-2-0.

Saturday 24 September 2011

BMI

After another successful week with 'myfitnesspal' (minus a further 2 lbs) I have reached a personal landmark - a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 29.1, which means that I am officially no longer obese. I can celebrate the fact that I am merely 'over-weight'. I think I deserve a four cheese stuffed crust Chicago Town pizza to mark the occasion. Party time.

I think this is very funny.

The end of history

When I was writing my thesis on Herbert Lewis my main sources were letters, diaries, and newspaper-cuttings. Lewis was a prolific letter writer; he even kept drafts of letters he sent to give an even fuller picture of his correspondence. Lewis' papers are kept at the National Library in Aberystwyth and at the Flintshire Record Office in Hawarden. Anybody can go along and read them, and then offer a different interpretation on his political career than I managed to do. That is history. However, an article by Hunter Davies in The Times entitled 'Lovebirds need letters, not fleeting tweetings' reminded me of the difficulties future historians will have when they try to piece together an interpretation of this age. Davies has published an edited volume of Alfred Wainwright's letters and is now working on a collection of John Lennon's correspondence. He makes the point that  letter writing has virtually ceased with the advent of the email and the text. Unless these are printed out (and hardly any ever are) they will be lost to future generations of researchers. In future the hieroglyphics  found on walls inside the pyramids will be more accessible that the musings of men and women made in 2011.

Thursday 22 September 2011

Lib Dems: your country needs you.

The Liberal Democrats have been in conference this week and they make easy targets for ridicule. Rarely has a party collapsed so completely in the polls. Yet it is too easy to sit back and enjoy their discomfiture as a strong 'Liberal' or 'liberal' or even 'centre' party is essential to the preservation of our democracy. Left to themselves the two main parties may well slide towards the extremes - especially, I think, a populist Tory party fuelled by millions of Daily Mail reading voters. The historical parallel I would draw is the destruction of Germany's Liberal party at the hands of Bismarck in the 1880s. It left a void at the heart of German politics for two generations that would eventually be filled by bad men. The consequences we know only too well. So for now we may pour vitriol on the likes of Clegg, Huhne and company but if the Liberal Democrats are wiped off the political map we may all pay a heavy price in the long term. I therefore trust that the guardians of the party will seek to rescue it from the ignominious fate that seems to face the Liberal Democrats next election by reasserting their vital principles.

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Spy

Like most people, I can trace my life through the books I have read. The release of the film based upon John Le Carre's novel 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' reminded me of my passion for his work at around the age of 18, and perhaps a little younger. I managed to read most of his books, many of which had wonderfully evocative titles, such the 'The Naive and Sentimental Lover' and 'The Honourable School Boy'. Le Carre's first description of George Smiley, the main character, still impresses me: 'Small, podgy and at best middle aged, he was by appearance one of London's meek who do not inherit the earth. His legs were short, his gait anything but agile, his dress costly, ill-fitting and extremely wet'.

My 30 year old copy of the novel; Alec Guinness was the perfect Smiley

Saturday 17 September 2011

Moel Arthur

If you have not explored north east Wales then you really are missing something. The beauty of this area never ceases to amaze me. This afternoon V and I walked to the top of Moel Arthur in the Clwydian range of mountains. Moel Arthur has the remains of an iron age hillfort still clearly visible. Part of the walk took us through the enormous ringed defence system built some 2000 years ago. The photograph is of me at the top: it miraculously stayed dry for the walk, but I have used the watery filter on Photo Shop to create this effect to celebrate the dramatic showers that have blown across this locality today.

Friday 16 September 2011

My fitness pal: up-date

My fitness pal is an application for my Blackberry; it sets the number of calories I can eat each day based upon my weight and the amount of exercise I do. For the past 110 days I have followed it religiously, even becoming a diet bore to those that still care to listen. It has been a relatively easy diet to follow as no foods are prescribed; the only rule being that one must not go beyond the daily limit given by the program. Additional calories can be gained through exercise. I have written about this before, but today I reached the landmark figure of having shed 50lbs. I will continue for a while yet before trying to stabilise my weight by adjusting the programs settings. I will try later to formulate a blog on the impact losing so much weight so quickly.

The screen shot from  myfitnesspal showing the landmark 50lbs figure.

Autumnal graves

This has not been a very mellow autumn so far: storms and high winds have been the main feature of the weather. However on Thursday the morning dawned fine with the heavy autumnal dew everywhere creating the impression of diamonds as the sun slowly dried the grass. I took a detour through Caerwys church yard and managed to catch this image; I have altered it using Photo Shop


Euro Billions.

To my mind one of the most noble political initiatives of the 20th century was the creation of the European Union (under its various names). Three European wars in 75 years - often spurred on by nationalism - has been countered by economic unity, primarily between France and Germany. It had been an outstanding success. The European Union has brought prosperity and peace to this once divided continent. The financial crisis of recent years has brought the great challenge to the future of this visionary political experiment.The populist response to the present financial crisis has been for nations look inwards; nationalist and separatist movements have become vogue from Scotland to the Mediterranean. I hope that from somewhere a movement will grow supporting the European Union, even perhaps suggesting that Britain should now make plans to join the single European currency.  This is an important time in the history of Europe.

Wednesday 14 September 2011

My greatest cycle ride: the D Day landing beaches

I have enjoyed my cycling more this summer than I have for years. However it was two years ago that I completed my best ride ever. I entered a solo challenge to ride 200 km in Normandy taking in the main D Day landing beaches. I drove down to Portsmouth and caught the night ferry to Caen. With only a brief sleep I began the first leg of the cycle to Bayeux: that proved a magical experience spinning rapidly through the flat Normandy countryside and seeing the twin towers of the cathedral appear from the morning mists. To prove I did the ride I had to get my card stamped and timed at various shops and offices en route. The rest of the ride went well apart from a spell near Juno beach when I was hopelessly lost and my attempts to get directions in French were laughable and embarrassing. As darkness fell I pedalled back into Caen (or more accurately the port town of Ouistreham) to celebrate with beer and cakes. Then it was the night ferry once again back to Portsmouth.

Countless memorials can be seen marking the allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944.

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Capel y Mynydd Fflint

On Sunday evening Cor Meibion Caerwys performed at Capel y Mynydd Fflint. It was the first time that the choir had sung under their new musical director Ruth Evans. The harvest Cymanfa Ganu held in this chapel is a regular event for the Caerwys choir and is always well attended. The chapel itself dates from the 1890s and, although well looked after, has little changed from that time.

The lights from Capel y Mynydd Fflint have called locals to worship every Sunday evening for nearly 120 years.
Cor Meibion Caerwys is ideally suited to these Cymanfa type events. There appears to be a new confidence about the choir and the audience seemed to appreciate our rendition of around eight popular Welsh hymns. The programme for the choir is set through to Christmas; our next public appearance will be at the Cilcain festival on October 1st.

Cor Meibion Caerwys in fine voice tonight.

Sunday 11 September 2011

My university challenge

Two years ago I brought my son up to Bangor to start his university career. This afternoon I drove him there once again so he can begin his final degree year. Seeing him off to Bangor has become fairly routine, yet the day we brought him for the first time lives in my mind. His leaving home was not a gradual process, rather it happened all at once one Sunday afternoon in September. When we got home he was not there but instead beginning a new life away from everything that was familiar. In the weeks that followed I phoned and text too often; it took me a year to come to terms with it. Of course everything has turned out well: he has enjoyed university and is successfully tackling his academic work. To all of you that will go through a similar experience in the next weeks my best wishes and I trust you will deal with it better than I did.

Saturday 10 September 2011

The perfect storm

Caerwys does not do hurricanes, but if it did the sky might look as black and threatening as it did earlier. I got my obliging passenger to capture this image of the approaching storm. Actually our weather at present is being influenced by the remnants of the major league hurricanes that have blasted the east coast of north America in the last few days. It does produce some dramatic skies so I must be sure to keep my camera with me at all times.

This was taken at around 6.30pm as I approached the Caerwys junction.

Everton 2 Aston Villa 2

This does not feel like a football club in crisis; yet today there was a  protest march before the game by a group called 'Blue Union'. They complain that Everton does not have enough money; they want Mr Bill Kenwright, the owner of the club, to find a rich buyer so that the blues can compete with the premier league billionaires. Nobody it seems wants to invest millions in Everton. Personally I would rather have Kenwright as an owner than some Hedge Fund that did not care about the game or the club. Kenwright comes to every game and is an Evertonian to the core. When his face was shown on the large screen monitors the vast majority of fans applauded.

Everton dominated the game. They deserved three points, but luck was not on their side. The match was pulsating, played at an amazing pace, with skill shown by both sides. It is expensive to watch premier league football yet it is entertainment of the highest order. Somewhere recently I heard football described as opera for the common man: indeed there are villains, heroes, and the unlucky. Like opera it is played on a grand scale and emotion is often raw and visible. All this was on show today and I rather enjoyed it.

Look closely: Baines slots home Everton's second goal from the penalty spot.

Friday 9 September 2011

September cycles

The freedom to cycle where and when I choose went with August. Now it is a quick dash before dark while tea is in the oven. To compound matters this year we have not been granted an Indian summer. Even so there is still wonder to be had from the moody skies and the briefest moments of sunshine. As I pedalled along this evening I noticed a beautiful light set against a perfectly dark sky. I tried to capture it on my mobile phone camera; this is the result enhanced by the jiggery-pokery of photo-shop.

Hillside view of a field just north of Caerwys.

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Always Everton

I don't know what made me an Everton fan;whatever the cause, it began at an early age. I can remember wanting my room decorated blue and always wanting to be in on a Sunday afternoon to watch the football highlights on Granada. I  can't remember the name of the programme, but Gerald Sinstadt was the presenter. Going through some old family photographs I found this shot of me aged 6 wearing an Everton hat. Supporting a football team is a life-long thing (for better or worse).


Sunday 4 September 2011

More hill climb tales.

To prove that I am not just a 'lap-top' cyclist (make of this what you will) I decided to try the route I described in my recent blog entitled 'A wheeler's paradise'. My riding partner MF proved to be a stronger rider so I certainly felt the miles in my legs by the time we finished.

I have already written about the first of the three major climbs at Middle Mill Road. The second climb over 'London Bridge' proved relatively straightforward, apart, that is, from the dreadful state of the road on the descent which made it a little treacherous at times.

London Bridge.


After the gentle lanes of the Vale of Clwyd the next climb called 'The Shelf' awaited. This proved the be the most difficult; the climb is well named with some tough sections followed by short plateaux for a brief respite. The climb took about 20 minutes and these photographs show me approaching the top and the relief having finally made it.

Approaching the top.

Finally off the Shelf.
The final section of the ride over the Llandegla moors was fast and uneventful. My riding partner described the ride as a classic; this maybe hyperbole, but it was amongst the best this region has to offer the road cyclist and I will aim to tackle the route again before too long.