My short Blog

RYDYM NI GYDA THI AR Y FFORDD, O! DDUW
Rydym ni gyda thi ar y ffordd, O! Dduw. Nid un yn eistedd ar orsedd ydwyt Ti ond un sy'n cyd-gerdded gyda ni, gan droedio trwy'r tywyllwch a'r gwlybaniaeth, ac ar y ffordd diarffordd yn y niwl, ac ar daith ddibendraw. Rydym ni gyda thi ar y ffordd, O! Dduw, oherwydd nid un yn trigo mewn eglwysi wyt Ti ond un sy'n teithio gyda ni mewn pryder amdanom am na fedrwn ddewis rhwng llwybr encil a difodiant. Rhodia gyda ni, a gad i ni O! Dduw, gyd-deithio gyda'n gilydd. Rydym ni gyda thi ar y ffordd, O! Dduw, er nad ydym yn dy adnabod yn llwyr ar hyd y daith. A phob amser, rwyt Ti'n cuddio, mewn deilen rhosyn, yng ngwên crwydryn yn crwydro gyda ni gan ein cyfarwyddo i gerdded a chwilio amdanat Ti. Rydym ni gyda thi ar y ffordd, O! Dduw er mwyn i'r ffordd a'i nod fod yn un gyda thi.
(Cyfieithiad Annette Angharad Strauch o gerdd Dorothy Soelle - diwinydd o'r Almaen )

I intended to write a good Blog about Wales and about my experiences but a good friend thinks many of the Welsh people would mind me saying my sincere views and gossip about it in pubs and most of all attack me and beat me up. I never intended to insult anyone, the Blog served me as a diary last winter when I felt a lonely in the Welsh town I live. S. Minwel Tibbott and Gwen Jones were very good friends and taught me about the culture. Eirian Arwyn Jones helped me with the language problems. Delwyn Tibbott I owe a lot to because he corrected my M.A. thesis in European Ethnology ten years ago, also Alun and Celia Jones from Aberystwyth were very kind. I like Emyr who works in the shop in the Library in Aberystwyth. Cynwil Williams inspired me to read intellectual writers and with thoughts on religion, philosophy and psychology. I used to go to Capel y Crwys in Cardiff and once lived in a chaplaincy house in Cathays w ith students. I wonder what happened to Peter Clark for example?

I cannot help that I had nothing better to write here. Life for me in Wales has been nothing but difficult. I have deleted much many people worldwide would have liked to read but I respect my friend's feelings who said if you do well in the States, people love you but if you do well in Wales and you do not belong to a certain group they hate you. I had good times in the past in Wales, most important for many is that I speak the Welsh language - mae hi'n dda, ond ife? I was thinking about food in Wales, the prices are very high. There are a few supermarket chains like ASDA, Tesco, Morrissons (smaller) but I hardly ever go there. In general I do not like chains. I prefer the small shops but even those are chains now such as Spar or Londis. Marks and Spencer (cheapish clothes but good undies) sell nice food, esp. the sandwiches. Waitrose is a good shop. Lidl is another chain and I said I detest those but thanks to Lidl I survived while I lived in Aberystwyth. The price is okay – and I like certain types of food from there: yoghurt, frozen fish (even though I do not like frozen food really, but fish is okay – and the fish you buy in the local shop in Aber now seems to be frozen, too - and I said before that even though we live near the sea they do not sell fresh seafood from Aberystwyth / heaven knows why not). Lidl. Mmmh. Six years at University and now I still enjoy the joys of Lidl in Wales – great! They have good Chianti DOCG!
If in Wales somebody asks you if you fancy a cheese sandwhich they most likely mean Cheddar cheese – always Cheddar. I think in England it is similar. I do not want to criticize if this is too much for the faint-hearted. It is just an observation. Oh, I have tried smoked cheese - and in the Royal Welsh Show they sell very good Welsh cheeses. The problem is who of the people in Wales buy these cheeses? They are so expensive and they cannot afford buying them. Tourists bring home Welsh cheese I am sure. The few tourist that go there.

Tea – you think in Great Britain people drink the best tea in the world. I can recommend Twinings Teas. Personally, I like Earl Grey. Many people I have met buy the cheapest tea bags and dump those into a mug add milk, sugar according to taste and that is your cup of tea. They drink a loveless brew – absolutely tasteless. The tea suits the lifestyle! I like hot tea, not warm.
Sometimes a PG or Tetleys is very good – esp. with full fat milk, the one with the blue lid on the top of the plastic bottles (gone are the days of the milkmen unfortunately). In the Sunday Times, I read that people have started to become interested in White Tea in Britain…but the Style magazine was probably writing about people in London, Kensington perhaps. On the continent some people drink yellow tea now more and more. I have not tried it myself.
Assam Towkok Second Flush, Darjeeling First Flush, Orange Pekoe – Java OP Superior Malabar, English Five o’clock tea, Welsh five o’clock tea, green teas such as China Royal Jasmine Curls, lemon vanilla white tea, aroma black teas: pineapple mango strawberry cream, banana walnut, raspberry yoghurt, autumn tea, marzipan, O’Connors Cream, Easter tea, Sacher mixture, wild cherry, Rooitea – honeybush, fruit teas like strawberry kiwi, Kalimba Pitahya, cherry banana flip, Mambo No5 – pineapple yoghurt or herbal teas? No sign of Ayurveda with more wellness breaks. No – and you can tell when you look at the people. TV dinners are common and children do not learn to socialize, they learn all about crisps and get bad teeth. Fast food I have not really mentioned but I do not go to places like Burger King or Mac Donalds.

So, I shall now end my Blog: Thelandscapeisstunningtherestyoucanforget - but there are many other stunning landscapes in the world. Certainly I can recommend a trip to Wales, the beaches, the Eisteddfod with the great choir music,
St Fagans Open Air Museum, the mountains - Welshcakes, Scones, Cardiff and smaller towns by the sea.

The Blog was intended only to write down some of my personal observations - and what I have experienced MYSELF, I need to say this again and again. I worry about the ill people, the old age citizens, parents not having enough time for their children and too expensive kindergardens for the little ones, about crime and the police not helping the ordinary people, the lack of recreation possibilities for the teenagers, double standards, no socialising, the law, etc. Other people are not my problem even though I care for real friends. I worry about the above in case something happens to me. I admire the voluntary workers and people who care about the environment. Only once experienced being very ill one can understand and treasure the wealth of every minute, being without pain, the ability to work, just feeling sad about any form of wasting time because life is so fragile.

You are what you do – and I try to do the best. I detest jealous people and I love those who are a good example and support and above all those who show an interest. How often do I hear ‘So what!’ or just sigh.

The title of my Blog is provocative I admit but I preferred it to Reddragonblogspot, Leekblogspot, Brainsbitterblogspot, Calonlanblogspot, Rainblogspot, Welshlifeblogspot, ForeignerinWalesblogspot, Welshlearnersblogspot, etc.

The landscape is stunning is the second part of the title which is a positive thing to say, and in all countries you can forget a lot or you can be disappointed about. I want to forget my past bad experiences, having a good outlook and enjoying my life in Wales or wherever else I shall one day live.

It is good to speak a country’s language I believe but one must not overemphasize the importance of it. It can get on one’s nerves! What matters above all is what is in your heart and how you can live well with and for other people of all classes, ages, nationalities, disabilities, backgrounds, etc!! Hwyl fawr. I shall greet King Arthur and Iolo Morganwg when I see them. Only pulling your leg but some people cannot take it apparently.