Iechyd da
(Good Health)

Now I know why I like Wales so much, it's where dragons live. This week I went to Cardiff to spend some quality time with cousin Carole and her family. When we were kids we used to do holidays at each other places until we, my family that is, left for Australia in 1964. Also part of my week were Phil, Carole's lovely husband and Sharon her daughter, Callum and Kyle, two of the grandchildren and I also met their father Jason briefly too. I didn't spend a full week there and we did a lot of gossiping and eating so there are not many photos although we did manage to fill our time together completely. It is wonderful catching up with people and they made me very welcome.

I arrived on the Tuesday afternoon and we spent the evening doing a pub quiz, we didn't win but it was fun. On Wednesday it was raining and Carole had Kyle and Callum so we went to a shopping centre to have a walk around and lunch. Wednesday we went to St Fagan's, The Museum of Welsh Life which was set out like a village, lots of buildings including iron workers houses through the decades showing the kinds of furnishings and possessions they would have, the older ones were quite austere but as the decades rolled by they acquired more and more furniture and decorations. One cottage had a thing that looked like a three doored wardrobe but the centre door was a slider and inside was a mattress, this bed was near the fire in the parlour and was for visitors who were likely to stop the night or perhaps family who were sick and needed some TLC . They had neolithic houses right through to a modern, energy saving house. Any one who lived in England might be surprised to find one of those old post war prefab dwellings as well. We had a ride on a horse and cart, the horses name was Ernie, and then we walked up towards the castle which turned out to be part of an old castle wall with a manor house built inside it, the gardens were lovely.

Many of the buildings are original and are removed from their locations and re assembled here, there was a pile of stone with numbers on them behind a fence so if I ever get back to St Fagan's I guess it will be completed.

We walked up the top of the keep, it was quite steep with lots of steps so Carole and I found it hard going. We got there in the end though, Sharon whizzed up and down and was leaning against the inside of the keep wall laughing her head off at as us we came down the stairs carefully. Here she is on the right.

Then we had a nice lunch and started browsing the gift shop when Sharon realised she had to get ready to go to Manchester and hadn't even packed yet so off she went up the street walking at olympic pace while Carole and I struggled to keep up. We gave up in the end when I reminded Carole Sharon couldn't drive off without us because she needed a lift to the station.

On the Saturday Carole, Phil and myself went to Barry Island which used to be THE place to go on holidays. We would have gone there when I was a child but I didn't recall it completely, only vague memories of the big pool that Carole said had been filled in and a boating lake. The place was quite deserted, the weather wasn't so good but Carole said even on a nice day there are no longer many people who go there. It has the usual seaside entertainments, game arcades, mini golf, a fun fair but I guess people are going to Europe for the holidays and not to these seaside towns. It is a very nice place so that is a pity. Phil bought me a stick of rock which I scoffed on the spot, I did give him a piece though.

I had a great week with you Carole, Phil and Sharon, so Thank you very much for taking care of me. Phil was very amusing, especially with the kids and we had a lot of laughs. Sharon is coming to visit me in Oz when she finishes her teaching English as a second language course and she sets off on her worldly adventures. Carole gave me a Welsh keepsake in the form of a Welsh Love Spoon as well as two Welsh slate coasters with dragons on them, Sharon bought me Welsh cakes and Phil gave me a\the trophy pen he won at bowls one night so I have lots of mementos.