The Welsh Assembly Government last night announced the winners of the annual True Taste awards. A couple of companies I frequent got a mention: the Llwynhelyg Farm Shop in Sarnau (near the caravan) won silver in the retailer of the year category, and Ultracomida, a wonderful Spanish-style cafe/deli in Aberystwyth won bronze in the eating out in Wales category.
The Brew Wales blog has lots more on the awards, particularly the alcoholic ones.
If you love Marmite, you'll love the Marmite shop that is on London's Regent Street until early January.
The shop sells everything Marmite-related - from homewares to artwork, clothes to food, books to special Christmas boxes. Apparently you can also get some toast and marmite. You’ll either love it or hate it.
A fine win for Ebbw Vale on Saturday. In windy conditions accompanied often by torrential rain at Eugene Cross Park, they beat high-flying Swansea 14-7. (BTW, it was nice of Wales to move their game against Samoa to Friday night so as not to clash with Ebbw’s fixture.)
A well deserved win as they played the conditions better than the visitors, and the pack showed a huge improvement over recent weeks, especially at rucks where the clearing out meant that there were far fewer turnovers lost. Jonathan Griffiths did some great work in the lineout too, stealing some important ball.
Special praise must go to the half backs. Andrew Williams was every bit as good as Gareth Bowen (3 pens), and Andrew Jenkins had by some distance his best game for Ebbw, clearly man of the match. Olli Halford took his try well, and Nick Wakley looked useful at full back, threatening in attack and solid in defence.
Thankfully the shocking decision by the touch judges in giving Swansea’s conversion despite it sailing wide right didn’t affect the result.
There’s a pause in activities while Wales have a couple of friendlies, and then its a trip to Pontypool on 5 December.
Ava hard at work at the 'puter
Originally uploaded by Martin Veale
Here I am, hard at work at the computer. I need to catch up with my diary, so hopefully there'll be a bit more from me in the near future.
Whilst there's lots of reality TV about, the "reality" approach hasn't yet permeated into children's literature just yet.
Ava and I went to see Ebbw’s narrow (22-24) defeat at the hands of Llandovery the other week. Coming in on the back of a couple of enormous wins, Llandovery were big favourites, but Ebbw gave a very good account of themselves and could have won it. Could have, could have.
Ebbw bested their pack and kept the Llandovery backs starved of ball – which was just as well as they looked likely to run riot every time they had the ball. What centre Joe Ajuwa is doing playing at this level is beyond me.
Centre pairing of Nick Wakley (thanks Graham for the pic) and Shaun Powell looked good, Rhys Williams was as good as ever and Chunky’s work around the field was excellent. But winning is a habit that Ebbw seem to have gotten out of.
Didn’t go to Carmarthen last weekend to see the 3-41 reversal there. Again, a 3-3 half time score didn’t hold up as the team faded in the second half.
Saturday coming it’s the last home game of 2009 (who the heck sets the fixture list?). Ebbw entertain high-flying Swansea. I’ll travel in hope...
The second gig was a different kettle of fish. No new CD to promote, just a band which seems hellbent on having a good time. Without doubt, this is one of the best nights out that money can buy.
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are generally reckoned to be the best bar band in the world, and playing in such a ridiculously small venue as The Globe in Roath, Cardiff. The place was packed (around 300 or so lucky ticketholders), but there were almost as many on stage as there were in the audience.
The venue is so small that the band can’t all get in the backstage dressing room at the same time. Whilst waiting to do their encore the band all have to huddle in the toilets; such is the glamorous life of the rockstar!
The show is a glorious two and half hours of non-stop rocking good time. Rock, blues, whatever, all the classics were there (including my favourite Walk Away Renee), all the singalongs, the audience participation, even down to getting Welsh translations for some of the lyrics.
It’s the fourth time I’ve seen Southside, and he seems to get better with age.
Two concerts (gigs I think the kids call them) in two days earlier this month. First off was the aging rockers Magnum at the Muni in Pontypridd. Really good concert just like the old days, right down to the wind machine blowing Bob Catley’s hair, albeit a bit greying nowadays.
As EyeJay notes, a big chunk of the show was focused on the last few albums (note to self, will have to buy the new one), but some of the classics were there too.
I reckon it was over 25 years ago when I first saw Magnum (at the Student Union in Cardiff, I think), and it’s always a great show. There’s another review here.
A quick note about Liberty Lies, the support act from the Black Country. The lead singer was MeatLoaf-lite, but they knocked out a useful set. Nowadays it seems that word of mouth and gigging is how bands get found out about. Supporting Magnum can't hurt either.
Finally got a chance to spend a little time at the new St Davids 2 shopping centre in Cardiff. Its an enormous extension to the existing shopping centre covering the area that used to be home to Toys R Us, the Library and the Ice Rink. Its now a development to rival Birmingham’s Bullring or Liverpool One.
Whilst not all of the shops and eateries are not open yet, it was very busy. Recession, what recession?
Sad to read in yesterday’s Times of the death of former test umpire David Shepherd. He seems to have been a part of cricket for my whole life, as a player with Gloucestershire and then as a test umpire.
The advent of neutral test umpires means that he didn’t appear in the UK in later years, but I remember watching him in action in an England v Australia game, and Ian Botham giving him grief over his superstitious habit of standing on one leg when the score got to 111. A great character and a really good umpire.
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Ebbw Vale were dismal last weekend against a very average Bedwas team, and duly lost 3-21. Eye Jay’s blog sums it up, “Shapeless, leaderless dross”.
Not expecting much different tomorrow when Ebbw host in-form Llandovery. I’d like to be proved wrong.
Went to Pontypridd’s Muni Arts Centre on Thursday night to see Slaid Cleaves. I’d heard some of his songs on BBC Radio 2 (usually Bob Harris), so I thought, why not? His strapline on his website is
Slaid Cleaves. Grew up in Maine. Lives in Texas. Writes songs. Makes records. Travels around. Tries to be good.
His music is somewhere in the folk rock, roots, country area. Songs featured came from his new album Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away and his 2000 breakout album Broke Down. Brilliant songs about the working class guy in the vein of Springsteen, a stripped-down set of just two guitars, a laid-back feel and a quality show. A top night out. Come back soon Slaid.
He was supported by Dan Raza, a young English guy who sung some really good songs, but took an eternity to retune between each song. It took the momentum away and tested the patience of the audience. Get a second guitar, dude.
Ebbw Vale lost 7-46 at Aberavon this afternoon. I wasn’t there to see it, as I’m currently down at our caravan in Tresaith (isn’t the interweb wonderful, eh?)
So harking back to last Saturday, Ebbw had a great win over heavily-favoured Llanelli, 25-19. A last minute try by fullback Andrew Williams stole it at the death, though we played just about well enough throughout to deserve the win.
Standouts: 20 points from the boot of Gareth Bowen (although he lost composure in the dying minutes with a couple of kicks charged down and he failed to get a key penalty clearance to touch) and back rowers Rhys Williams (pictured bossing a maul, thanks for the pic Gra) and Simon Pengelly.
Good workrate and an improving lineout, but the team seems to be lacking in confidence. Anyway, match report is here.
So close, but yet…
The result of the Visit Wales blog awards has been announced, and the winner is Dalesman’s Welsh Ramblings, which frankly is a far better effort at selling the beautiful landscapes of Wales (especially North Wales) that this blog could ever do.
That said, I reckon it’s a bit of a one trick pony, and it certainly doesn’t a toddler’s perspective of Wales!
Congrats to Dalesman, aka Brian Sherwin.
Shocking news from the University of Glamorgan in the last few days. A first year student was raped at the Treforest halls of residence on Saturday. Police are investigating, and the latest news and a police video clip are here (Western Mail) and here (BBC).
The University has a good reputation as being a friendly community-spirited one, and this incident is all the more shocking for that.
