Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 20 November 2022

Got my fingers crossed for you, Rusty!

Thank you Lindy. It hasn’t appeared on the tracking app yet so I think it will be an afternoon delivery like yesterday.
I am in shock!!! The hygienist was pleased with me!!!!!!!!

Another one from Tuesday for Diane especially. You may just be able to make out Conwy Castle in the centre distance.

Lindybird said:

Depressing news at the moment with a lot of strikes either beginning or being threatened. Do these people not realise that if they all get a rise, the inflation will continue?? It could be an ever ongoing circle of effect.

Not sure what choice they have, if they are in full-time work without their pay covering their necessary expenses.  I wish someone would have a quiet word with those companies making monster profits out of power and fuel - if those costs dropped for us all, perhaps more people could make ends meet.

Good grief   Wrote a long note; got distracted, didn't hit Reply to Thread.   Summary:  Had good time with grandson, new partner and daughter.  OH knocked out by Covid Bivalent shot the day before, but got up in the meantime.  Now doing files tidy up with one eye on the World Cup (Netherlands vs. Ecuador) and the UK/USA match later.   Ms. D will root for US and I of course for the UK.

Diane:  Saw a silly quiz of the 'which would you prefer....." type. One option was "Spend quality time with family...."  and here I was thinking why not "Spend quality time without family."   :-))

LINDY: Thank you!

Diane - as you can see, its beautiful around Conwy. Thank you, Rusty, for the the picture.

We do find Wales quite wonderfully old fashioned. The land itself never changes, and the little towns all appear exactly the same as when I first visited Wales, aged about 10, over erm... ... (does sums....) 64 years ago! There are some modern businesses, of course, and a few road improvements, but it seems set in time. That's why we love it. Nearly all of the residents are bilingual, and chatter away in Welsh to each other - it's completely incomprehensible as there are no roots in other European languages, unlike, say, Spanish or French. In the southerly parts of Wales there are less locals who speak the language and more of a desire, I think, to be 'modern' and more like the English.

Annette - I know you're glad to see your family and probably equally glad to wave them off!!

Hallo All: Well nothing too exciting with the World Cup. While I was watching I went through a lot of our files, most of which ended up in the shredder. I also dumped all my hardcopy files from my assignments for the magazine (still have digital files) Next are the two stand-up files jammed with folders on my desk.

Lindybird: Yes, re family - true on both counts. :-)

Take care all.

Diane - you can certainly get a train from London to Conwy. We have lots of little trains too which are now for tourists but had their origins back in the times of the slate mines. The Ffestiniog Railway being an example. It goes from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The Welsh Highland Railway goes from Caernarfon to Porthmadog. I like the little train which goes from Aberystwyth to Devil’s Bridge. Oh yes. I have been on them all!!! You can get an ordinary train to Aberystwyth from Shrewsbury. That’s a lovely ride too. I did it just before covid when I went to see the starling murmuration at Aberystwyth pier.
Lindy - here in north Wales where I live much closer to the border than the part you go on holiday, it is not such a Welsh speaking area. A lot of us are “incomers.” However, in my town, the post office and banks have counters where you can do your transactions in Welsh and you can hear Welsh being spoken particularly on market day. The schoolchildren have to learn Welsh until the age of 16 and all my “official” documents are bilingual as are the road signs. Welsh is a Celtic language. It is akin to the Cornish language and the Breton language. Many of the words in those languages are similar. Some French words are also similar Welsh. Bont - French Pont meaning bridge, and Welsh eglwys - French église meaning church. I know all this because my French friend’s son did his dissertation on the subject!!!!
You have got me started now!!! I could go on. I have lived in Wales for over 40 years. I also studied at Aberystwyth University.