My birthday

It was my birthday during last week and colleagues kindly gave me a card. I then left some crystalised ginger for them in the kitchen which some were definitely not keen on, and some devoured with relish. In the light of this I decided I would bring spring onions next year but Fran said I would be better bringing fresh chillies instead. It is good to have something with a bit of oomph!

Mothing Sunday - Marley and Me

Mothering Sunday (Mothers' Day) today so we linked up with various friends with youngsters and went to the cinema to see 'Marley and Me'. It is a good film, particularly for the children. Pete and I joked about going to see Lesbian Vampire Killers instead, but we didn't.
I am too tired to phone the USA this evening but my brother, Peter of Florida, phoned and left a message on Friday, which is appreciated. I look forward to speaking with him and have sent him a few words on Skype.

Anglesey island - Ynys Môn

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I should have mentioned our trip to Anglesey last weekend, which was a great minibreak. We stayed in a guest house in Benllech called Woodlands, which was comfortable, then went to a surprise birthday party of an old school friend of Rosie's. It was cheerful and fun.
On the Sunday we drove around the island, had a huge cauldron of mussels for lunch and messed about on the beach at Cemaes - actually we had an extra bowl of mussels because th first lot were inadequately cooked. Risky, or what? We got away with it though.

travel fatigue

I have been travelling this week, initially to Merthyr Tydfil for my first GwirVol partnership meeting, the youth volunteering initiative in Wales. Then I dropped down to Companies House in Cardiff for a meeting with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for a discussion about volunteering and people on Job Seekers Allowance (JSA). The very next day this was being discussed on PM on Radio 4. Topical.
Today I have been to the North Wales Economic Forum where the Deputy First Minister of Wales, Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, was answering questions.
I am tired.

Farmers' Market

On Thursday, my colleagues Francesca Hughes, Eirian James and I shared a hire car to Llandinam in mid Wales for a meeting of the policy staff in WCVA. Afterwards we went to a little farmers' market in the village hall and I bought some eggs, sausages (yum) and cheese. I told the woman selling the eggs that I was going to keep hens and she advised me to light the hen coop at night in winter to encourage the laying of extra eggs. I didn't tell her I was only going to have a little Eglu and a couple of hens. She obviously thought I was setting up a whole barn for mass production. Not yet!

Evita

We went to Evita tonight at Venue Cymru in Llandudno. We thoroughly enjoyed it, although it wasn't a top class performance.

Rotary International

I enjoyed going to what I thought was my first Rotary meeting last night, as a guest and prospective member, at the cricket club in Colwyn Bay. However, it brought back hazy memories of one I must have attended as a speaker when I worked as a Toc H Development Officer years ago. In those days I used to smoke and I remember reaching for my cigarettes and the chairman of the meeting grasping my arm to stop me and to say that it wasn't allowed before the loyal toast. The what? The toast to the Queen. Then I was able to smoke myself silly! I don't remember my speech, just that incident.
Last night we had the loyal toast after dinner, of course, but nobody reached for any cigarettes. How times have changed. The speaker was someone talking about a textile machinery factory in Oldham, brass bands and a Japanese car manufacturing company called Toyota. They were all linked but I will leave to you to guess how.
Do you know what this reminded me of and therefore made me rather melancholic? An old Toc H men's branch. The only thing it lacked was the Cermony of Light and there was rather more interest in one's professional status than would have been appropriate in Toc H, which is/was open to everyone. Most Toc H branches became mixed, but a few men's ones hung on in there - and some women's ones too, though fewer. Technically Rotary is mixed, but there are no women in this one.
I hope to go again as a guest and I will decide on anything else later. I do approve of the 'helping others' aspect of this, which is also like Toc H.

doing a lot

I am very pleased to say that we have made the two GwirVol WCVA youth volunteering appointments.
I have also submitted nearly all the necessary paperwork to the Department of Work and Pensions about somethignWCVA is trying to do. Now I can try to catch up on all the things which had to be put on one side to make room for the DWP stuff. The whiteboard in my office is covered in reminders!