Gad fi’n llonydd…
Rwy’n mwynhau gwres yr Haul
a Llygad y Dydd
ym mis Mai
ym Mharc Aberdar.
Y tu hwnt i’r waliau
clywaf Byd Dynol Aberdar
yn rasio ceir a pheiriannau
yn rhy brysur i werthfawrogi
yr hyn sydd ar gael
yn rhad ac am ddim…
yn nhawelwch y dydd.
Added Machen War Memorial to the Gallery here.
John Rawlins maintains a website dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Great War. From his website he writes : “Machen is a small village in South Wales that is situated half-way between the larger towns of Caerphilly and Newport
In 1914, the Parish of Machen comprised the villages of Upper and Lower Machen and Rhyd-y-Gwern. The combined population of the Parish was around 2,500. Like many similar villages in Wales, the impact of the Great War on the village of Machen must have been enormous. By mid 1916 there were over one hundred and fifty local men in the armed services, by the end of the war the figure would have been far greater. The loss of the 29 men who died was a massive blow to a small village community. It is to their memory that this site is dedicated.”
Once again Groundwork Trust host another Green Dayz Weekend at the Fedw Hir Eco Centre near Llwydcoed. The event runs this weekend on Saturday 17th May and Sunday 18th May from 10am until 4pm.
The fun-filled ‘green weekend’ is all free with plenty of activities to entertain the whole family including hands-on pottery and ceramic session, handmade twig pencil-making, felt-making, face-painting, willow weaving, hurdle fencing and … welly wanging.
For Saturday only there was grand show of eagles and owls, including the world’s largest owl who was, thankfully, quite placid and friendly.
According to the Groundwork Trust, Welly Wanging is a sport that originated in Britain, most likely in Yorkshire. Competitors are required to hurl a Wellington boot as far as possible within boundary lines.
On Friday morning, upon hearing the news that much of Aberdare and Rhondda Cynon Taf would still be represented by the same old faces, our hearts sank.
With a bird’s eye view of the Official Count at Michael Sobell’s Sports Centre, near Aberdare, we witnessed sombre scenes.
The whole Local Election was a quiet, subdued affair. There was no ostentatious campaigning. With an economy unravelling and spiralling out of control, both the electorate and politicians were somewhat confused.
We left this scene of uncertainty for the rocks and hills of the Brecon Beacons, and a walk to Pen y Fan, the highest summit in South Wales.
This was a balm for a troubled Welsh soul.
We searched for metaphors as our muscles ached. But none came. Stealing rest after rest, we listened to the mountain birds and sat quietly as the wind blew gently to cool our brow.
Near the summit, we reminisced on the words Aros Mae’r Mynyddoedd … the mountain they remain and endure, from the Welsh language poem Alun Mabon by John Ceiriog Hughes :
In our personal vanity we may magnify our struggles and tribulations… but these Welsh mountains give one perspective. The dominance of foreigners and their foreign political ideas on Welsh politics will one day come to an end, blown away in the wild winds of history like a fleck of dust.
