Sunday 30 December 2007
Sir Francis Drake as aesthetician ?
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Friday 28 December 2007
Cymru am bydd!
The insert that I sent out with Christmas cards this year concluded with the following rousing
reminder that the Tawe Valley, where we now are, is, despite its industrial past, very different from 'the Valleys' as the English usually think of them. It's a beautiful and intriguing place, and, what's more, very convenient, for the Gower, the Brecon Beacons, and the southern reaches of mid-Wales - the Towy Valley and Brechfa Forest. A whole wide area which anyone with a taste for British landscape and regions should know. Come and see it / us!
If you come by train, it's better to head for Neath, than Swansea. We can meet you at the station.
This is how to find us by car.
From the M4
Take the A4067 Brecon from Junction 45 (it's signed A4067 N on the junction roundabout. The lane markings on the roundabout are a bit of a pain, but basically, coming from east or from Swansea itself, you need to end up in the middle lane.) Follow A4067 Brecon signs throughout these instructions as far as the Church Road turn-off, where you leave the main road. The signing will take you over several small roundabouts (getting into the right lane can be important at at busy times). When you pass a large Tesco, you're getting closer. When you then come to a set of traffic lights, go straight over, but now look out for the Ystalyfera name sign on the left-hand verge, and then immediately for a blue bus-shelter and a left turn into Church Road. Take the turn. Go up the hill and round the bends. At the top (virtually a right-handed hairpin) you'll get a 'Pant-teg' sign. Look out for a large chapel on the right, and then two blue bus-shelters. Turn down the steep little lane before the shelter on the right. There's a small lay-by a little way down. Park there, and come in at the gate a little way back up the lane.
From the A40 (Brecon / Hereford direction)
The A4067 branches off the A40 just before you get into Sennybridge, signed to Ystradgynlais and Swansea. Enjoy a very pleasant ride! Eventually, the A4067 threads between Ystradgynlais and Ystalyfera (it actually comes through Ystalyfera in a cutting, and Ystalyfera is 'bracketed' by roundabouts where the 'new' A4067 intersects with the 'old' A4067). After the second roundabout, look out for the Godre'r Graig name sign on the left-hand verge, and then immediately Pant-teg is signed to your right. You turn right into Church Road just in front of a bus shelter. Thereafter route as above. If you come to traffic lights, you've gone too far. See route from the M4.
There is a curiosity here : the Church Road turn is in both Ystalyfera and Godre'r Graig, according to the roadside name signs ! It's not altogether without meaning - there are many small touching communities in this part of the valley, and it's evident in several locations that the exact boundaries have shifted over time.
reminder that the Tawe Valley, where we now are, is, despite its industrial past, very different from 'the Valleys' as the English usually think of them. It's a beautiful and intriguing place, and, what's more, very convenient, for the Gower, the Brecon Beacons, and the southern reaches of mid-Wales - the Towy Valley and Brechfa Forest. A whole wide area which anyone with a taste for British landscape and regions should know. Come and see it / us!
If you come by train, it's better to head for Neath, than Swansea. We can meet you at the station.
This is how to find us by car.
From the M4
Take the A4067 Brecon from Junction 45 (it's signed A4067 N on the junction roundabout. The lane markings on the roundabout are a bit of a pain, but basically, coming from east or from Swansea itself, you need to end up in the middle lane.) Follow A4067 Brecon signs throughout these instructions as far as the Church Road turn-off, where you leave the main road. The signing will take you over several small roundabouts (getting into the right lane can be important at at busy times). When you pass a large Tesco, you're getting closer. When you then come to a set of traffic lights, go straight over, but now look out for the Ystalyfera name sign on the left-hand verge, and then immediately for a blue bus-shelter and a left turn into Church Road. Take the turn. Go up the hill and round the bends. At the top (virtually a right-handed hairpin) you'll get a 'Pant-teg' sign. Look out for a large chapel on the right, and then two blue bus-shelters. Turn down the steep little lane before the shelter on the right. There's a small lay-by a little way down. Park there, and come in at the gate a little way back up the lane.
From the A40 (Brecon / Hereford direction)
The A4067 branches off the A40 just before you get into Sennybridge, signed to Ystradgynlais and Swansea. Enjoy a very pleasant ride! Eventually, the A4067 threads between Ystradgynlais and Ystalyfera (it actually comes through Ystalyfera in a cutting, and Ystalyfera is 'bracketed' by roundabouts where the 'new' A4067 intersects with the 'old' A4067). After the second roundabout, look out for the Godre'r Graig name sign on the left-hand verge, and then immediately Pant-teg is signed to your right. You turn right into Church Road just in front of a bus shelter. Thereafter route as above. If you come to traffic lights, you've gone too far. See route from the M4.
There is a curiosity here : the Church Road turn is in both Ystalyfera and Godre'r Graig, according to the roadside name signs ! It's not altogether without meaning - there are many small touching communities in this part of the valley, and it's evident in several locations that the exact boundaries have shifted over time.
Sunday 23 December 2007
Christmas comes early
JENNY AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY
Back yesterday from our trip to England, nay, London even !
On Wednesday (19/12/07), Jenny gave an evening lecture in the theatre of the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery to mark the publication of her book (see link top right). Afterwards there was a reception and book-signing. Not an easy assignment, given the (presumably) very mixed audience, but the girl carried it off with some aplomb, I think. Difficult for us to judge, given that she is our girl, and we knew many of the best lines already, but the audience seemed warm and receptive, and not anxious to rush off. We were told some 200 tickets had been sold in advance. I would guess the theatre was about 3/4 full, which probably implies rather more than 200 present on the night. Such is the wide appeal of Van Eyck.
A notable bonus of the setting was the gorgeous theatre-screen-size display of the pictures - not only the actual Van Eycks, but also some of the analytic/comparative detail (e.g. so many versions of what were probably just two or three original representations of the two brothers), and also the many 'popular' images Jenny has dug up, like a set of German 'chocolate cards', dating from 1904, or an engraving of the Arnolfini portrait from the Illustrated London News. To say nothing of the Habitat advert from last year !
I had hoped to lead this with a suitable photo, but all of ours (yes, every one!) have caught Jenny at the worst micro-second. We could have done with Ben's motorised super shooter.
On the Thursday, Jenny and I went into 'the Smoke' again, to meet a small group of her students and then, together at the Barbican, the curator of the current exhibition at the Barbican (of which no more at this point !). And then on Friday, the three of us had lunch at The Barn before walking on the downs with Brindle, returning to a take-away and sharing of gifts with Alex.
Altogether, a very happy three days.
Back yesterday from our trip to England, nay, London even !
On Wednesday (19/12/07), Jenny gave an evening lecture in the theatre of the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery to mark the publication of her book (see link top right). Afterwards there was a reception and book-signing. Not an easy assignment, given the (presumably) very mixed audience, but the girl carried it off with some aplomb, I think. Difficult for us to judge, given that she is our girl, and we knew many of the best lines already, but the audience seemed warm and receptive, and not anxious to rush off. We were told some 200 tickets had been sold in advance. I would guess the theatre was about 3/4 full, which probably implies rather more than 200 present on the night. Such is the wide appeal of Van Eyck.
A notable bonus of the setting was the gorgeous theatre-screen-size display of the pictures - not only the actual Van Eycks, but also some of the analytic/comparative detail (e.g. so many versions of what were probably just two or three original representations of the two brothers), and also the many 'popular' images Jenny has dug up, like a set of German 'chocolate cards', dating from 1904, or an engraving of the Arnolfini portrait from the Illustrated London News. To say nothing of the Habitat advert from last year !
I had hoped to lead this with a suitable photo, but all of ours (yes, every one!) have caught Jenny at the worst micro-second. We could have done with Ben's motorised super shooter.
On the Thursday, Jenny and I went into 'the Smoke' again, to meet a small group of her students and then, together at the Barbican, the curator of the current exhibition at the Barbican (of which no more at this point !). And then on Friday, the three of us had lunch at The Barn before walking on the downs with Brindle, returning to a take-away and sharing of gifts with Alex.
Altogether, a very happy three days.
Tuesday 4 December 2007
Review of the Year
The year has been shaped by family concerns, to the extent that we have made less progress on 'the Street' (as local usage sometimes calls a row like 3 - 9 Clees Lane) than we would have hoped at the beginning of the year.
Nina's godfather Martin, one of her late mother's cousins, died suddenly in February, and we have been drawn into much closer contact with his surviving sister Barbara, with whom we now find ourselves somewhat in loco filio filiaeque. Nina took a lot of the responsibility for clearing Martin's cottage, and Barbara has not always been in the best of health. So there have been regular trips down to the New Forest and Gosport.
Emily gave birth to a daughter, Angharad, our second grandchild, in May, and Nina spent a month with them in Melbourne around June. And the autumn has been taken up by the renovation of no. 2 for my Mum (see previous blog.)
Nonetheless, the demolition of the old back extension of no. 4 and the clearing of no 6 (see two blogs back) has at least set the stage for positive progress next year, and our work in no. 2 has also reminded us what we are capable of , whetting our appetitite for our own spaces.
2007 has also been the year when I finally got into exploiting the computer for music purposes, allied to a strong burst of new interest in jazz. Again, at the moment it's a highly hole and corner business, setting up where I can, but the development of new spaces will give me the chance to set up a dedicated space.
We are currently looking forward to Jenny's book launch at the National Gallery, which we will combine with a pre-Christmas festivity with Jenny and Alex in Guildford. More of that when it's happened!
One of the curiosities of the year has arisen from 'the family' giving me a DNA (y chromosome) test for my 60th. It turns out that I am (haplogroup) I1a U-N in which the U-N stands for Ultra Norse. In other words, my n times great-grandfather (and thereon back) came from Scandinavia, probably Sweden or Norway. Or to put it crudely, I am (distantly) a Viking ! This may ('non-paternal events' - i.e. an unfaithful grandmother (not you, Dora !) - permitting) link with my surname i.e. Graham. Graham is generally derived from 'de Grantham' or 'de Graeg Ham', the name borne by a Norman lord who went north to Scotland in the 1120's. His father or grandfather was one of William the Conqueror's closer associates, so is quite likely to have been of Viking derivation. The finer details of this, which I won't go into, also mean that Tankervilles and Chamberlain(e)s may be very distant cousins. There was a Chamberlain(e) in my Methsoc group at Cambridge.................Hello, John !
Nina's godfather Martin, one of her late mother's cousins, died suddenly in February, and we have been drawn into much closer contact with his surviving sister Barbara, with whom we now find ourselves somewhat in loco filio filiaeque. Nina took a lot of the responsibility for clearing Martin's cottage, and Barbara has not always been in the best of health. So there have been regular trips down to the New Forest and Gosport.
Emily gave birth to a daughter, Angharad, our second grandchild, in May, and Nina spent a month with them in Melbourne around June. And the autumn has been taken up by the renovation of no. 2 for my Mum (see previous blog.)
Nonetheless, the demolition of the old back extension of no. 4 and the clearing of no 6 (see two blogs back) has at least set the stage for positive progress next year, and our work in no. 2 has also reminded us what we are capable of , whetting our appetitite for our own spaces.
2007 has also been the year when I finally got into exploiting the computer for music purposes, allied to a strong burst of new interest in jazz. Again, at the moment it's a highly hole and corner business, setting up where I can, but the development of new spaces will give me the chance to set up a dedicated space.
We are currently looking forward to Jenny's book launch at the National Gallery, which we will combine with a pre-Christmas festivity with Jenny and Alex in Guildford. More of that when it's happened!
One of the curiosities of the year has arisen from 'the family' giving me a DNA (y chromosome) test for my 60th. It turns out that I am (haplogroup) I1a U-N in which the U-N stands for Ultra Norse. In other words, my n times great-grandfather (and thereon back) came from Scandinavia, probably Sweden or Norway. Or to put it crudely, I am (distantly) a Viking ! This may ('non-paternal events' - i.e. an unfaithful grandmother (not you, Dora !) - permitting) link with my surname i.e. Graham. Graham is generally derived from 'de Grantham' or 'de Graeg Ham', the name borne by a Norman lord who went north to Scotland in the 1120's. His father or grandfather was one of William the Conqueror's closer associates, so is quite likely to have been of Viking derivation. The finer details of this, which I won't go into, also mean that Tankervilles and Chamberlain(e)s may be very distant cousins. There was a Chamberlain(e) in my Methsoc group at Cambridge.................Hello, John !
Saturday 1 December 2007
Mum comes to Pant-teg
Our principal activity since sometime in September has been working on No. 2 Clees Lane to prepare it for Mum to move in, and yesterday (30/11/07) was The Day.
The second picture (below) is from the same spot but turned 90 degrees left, which brings our house and garage into view, and the view across the valley:
Rewind briefly to 18th May 2007. Nina had set off to Oz the previous day, leaving a library book for me to return. As I went up the Lane, I noticed a For Sale board at the gate of Nos. 1 and 2 - a pair of houses above (behind) us, about halfway up to the 'main' road. I made enquiries, viewed the next day, (Saturday), emails flew hither and yon, and I made an offer on the Monday. It was accepted, but it was not until September we actually got possession. Mum had first refusal, and did not refuse.
We have substantially refurbished the ground floor, so that Mum now has a ground-floor cloak-room, bedroom, and 2 reception rooms, plus basic kitchen facilities. We have recruited a care team, and here she is. There are also two bedrooms and a decent bathroom on the first floor, but Mum will go upstairs only accompanied, to bath. One of the bedrooms is still a tool store / mini-workshop for me, for the purposes of the renovation (inevitably, although all services are available, there are still some cosmetic details to complete). This room will soon become a spare bedroom in which e.g. Lesley and David could stay. The other bedroom is rather eccentrically 'ensuite' with the bathroom - i.e. you get to the bathroom through it - so of limited use as a bedroom at present, but I shall probably have a desk and some admin storage in there.
The first picture (above) is looking roughly south from the sloping green at the top of the Lane. No. 2 is the further of the two houses, and all the ground to the right of the main path goes with it. You can see the Volvo parked in a small pull-off space and the building to the right of the Volvo is the top of 'our' new ground, and actually a garage, althought the double door needs re-opening.
The second picture (below) is from the same spot but turned 90 degrees left, which brings our house and garage into view, and the view across the valley:
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