Since Christmas...

In this last week:

Wonderful...



Beautiful...

Profound...



Surprising...

1 Year Ago:

Twin town...

Victor Spinetti...

Victor Spinetti died yesterday. He was a Welsh actor, writer, director and raconteur. He found fame with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and in the films he made with the Beatles. He performed for the RSC, in the West End and on Broadway and was a talented mimic.

I was lucky enough to meet him a few times during my time as an actor. He always told a good story:

Victor was working on a play in Paris and his mother and sister were visiting from Cwm. Rehearsals were running late and so he rang up his good friend Marlene Dietrich to ask if she would entertain them at his hotel until such time as he could get there.

After rehearsals had finished and he dashed across town in a cab, he walked into the lobby of his hotel to find his mother and sister sat in the bar with Dietrich. They were dressed identically in homemade dresses, the material having been bought in Pontypool market and there they were; giving Marlene Dietrich beauty and fashion tips.

He had hundreds of funny anecdotes, many of which found their way into his books and into his one man shows. Here's the BBC News obituary. Here's the Guardian's obituary.

R.I.P. Victor Spinetti 1929 - 2012

To be played at maximum volume...

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is 40 years old today. At the age of 10, this was the first album I ever bought. I was a precocious child with an ambition to look like David Bowie but bearing an uncanny resemblance to Jimmy Osmond.

Judging from the images of Bowie in 1972, you'd be forgiven for thinking that we all wore shiny space suits and lived in plastic modules. We didn't; we lived in grubby backstreets, wearing man-made fibres in garishly patterned colours and chain smoking Embassy all the while.

I must've spent hours gazing at the back cover to this album (above); the world of Ziggy Stardust was so removed from mine. While Bowie sang about a crumbling future, I was trying so hard to escape the crumbling past. I would have gladly swapped my life in a small Welsh backwater for his dystopia.

Bowie added to the mythology of Ziggy with each appearance and every turn. The press went wild for Ziggy; this androgynous bisexual alien who practiced fellatio on Mick Ronson's guitar. We were shocked, outraged and in love with him. Here he is performing Starman on Top of the Pops. It's hard to imagine now the sense of wonder we all felt when this burst on to our TVs in 1972.

One nation...

We're nowhere near the start of the Olympics or the Jubilee and I'm already fed up with Union Flags everywhere. So much merchandise is carrying the Union Flag theme: t-shirts, underwear, jewellery, bedding, cushions, mugs and biscuit tins. The thinking being, I guess, that we are all to get united behind the flag for these two events that are set to dominate the Summer.

In reality, nothing quite divides us like the Union Flag. Many are unable to look at it without imagining racist overtones because of its adoption by far right, nationalist organisations, half the Northern Irish use it to provoke the other half, the Scots would prefer that their beloved Saltire weren't part of it and the Welsh aren't represented at all.

Ultimately, I'm left feeling as if I'm outside, looking in on a party I don't quite understand.

Today's run at 16:10
Distance	5.01 km	Time	27:03
Pace	5:24 min/km	Cadence	81 spm
Comments: Bright and sunny.

An Englishman's home...

Wales has some of the finest examples of medieval castles in Europe. It's been said that Wales is the castles capital of the world. Although the Principality is littered with some 400 defensive monuments from iron age mounds and ditches, Roman forts and right through to 19th Century follies; it is the flourishing of stone castles after the invasion of the Normans in 1066 for which, perhaps, we are best known.

Caerphilly castle, built in 1271, is one of the largest in Europe and Raglan castle, built mainly in the 1460s is, I think, one of the most romantic. Perhaps the finest examples are those built by Edward I during the Welsh Wars of the late 13th and early 14th Century; Aberystwyth, Builth, Flint, Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy, Harlech and Rhuddlan. Other notable Welsh castles are: Kidwelly, Llansteffan, Chepstow and Monmouth. Have a look here for a list of  Welsh castles.

Beautiful though they undoubtedly are; before we get too proud of these Welsh castles, let's remind ourselves that they are, for the most part, English castles, designed and constructed to oppress the Welsh.

Suspicious and unexplained...

The inquest continues about the 31 year old MI6 officer, Gareth Williams, whose naked dead body was discovered in a padlocked holdall bag in the bath at his London flat back in August 2010. Speculation has been rife after police said that £15,000-worth of unworn women's designer clothing was found at his flat. This was in addition to tickets to drag shows and mobile browsing records of visits to online bondage sites. This week it has emerged that his landlady had once had to untie him from the bed, after he'd shouted for help, having been tied there in his boxer shorts.

I've been following the story for months and was reading the latest installment in work today. Swimming tonight, I couldn't help but think that it's too early to tell what actually went on leading up to his death but it's hardly a straight forward case. The press is bubbling over with hints and nudges of the "exotic life" he may have led; reading between the lines, they can hardly contain their prurient excitement. It must be hugely upsetting for his family hearing this salacious speculation played out in public.

Given the "nudge, nudge; wink, wink" attitude of the press, it's small wonder that a female friend is explaining the women's clothes as probable gifts for her or his sister, along with refuting the idea point blank that he might have been gay. This denial seems a little forced but understandable, given that some hack's imagination is running wild on the front pages every day.

Whatever the outcome, whatever the circumstances; it's sad that a 31 year old man with everything to live for should have his life cut short at such an early age.

Gay theatre, Welsh nudism and a liberal Church in Wales...

Throughout today I have pondered on what to write for tonight's post. During my swim tonight I was unable to settle on anything and equally when trying to shape tonight's post over dinner, I failed. I've sat here and looked for inspiration online but no one thing seems to present itself. I am therefore going to brain dump a number of unconnected thoughts that have passed through my mind in the last 24 hrs:

My first job as an actor was with Gay Sweatshop; a London based, gay, political, theatre company. The play, Compromised Immunity played the Drill Hall before touring nationally. It introduced me to many friends and got me my Equity card. As such, I was interested to read this piece in the Guardian entitled, Q is for queer theatre, which paints an all too brief sketch of gay theatre and asks what next?

Carmarthenshire council seem at odds with themselves over nudism warnings on their beaches. With signs erected stating that nudism is not permitted and warning nudists that they may face prosecution, it's been pointed out that being naked in public is not illegal. Seemingly contradicting themselves, a spokesperson for the council said, "If genuine naturists turn up and aren't causing distress, life goes on". I think they're trying to ward off those nudists who are looking for more than a game of volleyball on the beach. Another spokesperson said, "It is something we are policing religiously and we won't tolerate it!" For those that can...



I knock the church and its leaders enough when they're being homophobic (lots of opportunities there) so it only seems right to praise the voices of reason within the church when they speak up. This week the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan has called on the Church in Wales to support gay people, adding, "Very often homosexuality is talked about as if real people were not involved, and gays and lesbians complain of being talked about rather than talked to in church". How refreshing.

My apologies for not tying these stories together in a seemless fashion with a common thread but my befuddled brain won't allow that today. I hope the nude volleyball video made up for my failings... ;-)

Zut alors...!

I don't get French; it's like a foreign language to me. I studied it for two years whilst in school before admitting defeat. I couldn't pronounce its nasal twangs and I didn't understand its grammar. I still can't and don't.

Cardiff, this weekend is awash with the bouquet of Bordeaux and awhiff with the fume of Gitanes. The soundtrack is the babble of expressive chatter in a gallic tongue. As I ran this morning, I couldn't help but notice an air of sophistication in the Bay, with groups of French fans enjoying the early morning Cardiff sunshine. I swear I saw Maurice Chevalier and Édith Piaf by the Norwegian Church.

Judging by the barriers I saw outside outside St David's Hotel and the hoards of blue clad men looking like the cast of Asterix the Gaul, I'd say that the French rugby team are encamped there for this weekend's Six Nations match against Wales. By the time many of you read this, the match will be over and Wales will be Grand Slam winners of the Six Nations, or not.

There is, in my mind, a difference to rugby games involving the French. I'm not talking about the behaviour of the players on the pitch but the behaviour of the fans during the weekend around the game. They are more like tournaments than matches. There is a relaxed loucheness that is unattainable in the routs with our Celtic cousins and a gentrification that is only aspirational in the clashes with our Anglo Saxon opposites.

I'll leave you with this: Your Mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.

Today's run at 08:24
Distance	4.01 km	Time	23:19
Pace	5:49 min/km	Cadence	81 spm
Comments: Bright.

Less is more...

The Welsh government are to introduce a scheme whereby minor ailments can be treated at pharmacies for free. I think this is an excellent idea. It'll make life easier for patients and doctors alike by freeing up time for both parties. You can read this BBC report for further details.

This, along with the organ donation presumed consent legislation and the recent carrier bag charge, places Wales way ahead of England in terms of small, neat and innovative policies that make a real difference. And what was it that Cameron was saying when he last visited, that Wales should follow England's lead? The arrogance of the man...?

For some reason it reminds me of the wonderful Jan Morris book, A Machynlleth Triad - a fascinating read based on the role played by the small Welsh town, Machynlleth - in the middle ages, the 1990s and at some point in the not too distant future. 

Today's run at 17:54
Distance	4.02 km	Time	21:13
Pace	5:17 min/km	Cadence	81 spm
Comments: Cold and still.

St David's Day...

St David is the only patron saint of a UK country who was actually born in the country of which he's patron saint; St Andrew was from the Middle East, as was St George and St Patrick is thought to have been Welsh.

St David is thought to have been born about 500 AD and died on March 1st 589 AD. To commemorate his death, March 1st is his feast day. He was a tea total vegetarian.

His flag, consisting of a yellow cross on a black background, is often used as an alternative to the Y Ddraig Goch (The Red Dragon). Neither flag fits in easily with the other flags of the UK and is one more reason why Wales is not represented on the Union Jack.

On St David's Day, it's traditional for Welsh people to wear leeks or daffodils. Towns often stage St David's Day parades. Young girls dress in Welsh national costume (a 19th Century invention) and school children sing Welsh songs.

Rock 'n' Roll...!

Welshcakes...

225g self-rising flour
60g margarine
60g lard
pinch of salt
75g sugar
75g currants and sultanas
1 egg

Sift together flour and salt. Rub margarine and lard into mixture to resemble breadcrumbs. Add sugar and mixed fruit. Mix in egg to form a soft dough. Chill for 1 hour.

Roll out to 5mm thick and cut into 5cm rounds. Bake on a hot griddle or a heavy frying pan greased with a little lard until lightly browned on both sides. Place on cooling trays and sprinkle with a little sugar.

Best eaten tomorrow on St David's Day, accompanied with several cups of strong tea.

Today's run at 16:30
Distance	4.01 km	Time	22:33
Pace	5:37 min/km	Cadence	80 spm
Comments: Clear and sunny.

Triple Crown...

What a wonderful, heart in the mouth, happy, exciting, intense, controversial, stressful, thrilling, relentless, unpredictable, pressured, frantic, ferocious, frenetic, heart stopping, Triple Crown winning, success of a match that was for Wales.

An enjoyable afternoon watching Wales win over England in the pub with friends.

Today's run at 15:26
Distance	3.99 km	Time	21:41
Pace	5:26 min/km	Cadence	80 spm
Comments: Clear and sunny.

The National Museum of Wales...

I have always liked the National Museum of Wales. I like its setting in Cathays Park in Cardiff, I like its architecture and I like its art collection. I also like the fact that it's completely free to view most exhibitions.

The art collection at the National Museum of Wales is world class. You can find there works by Honoré Daumier, Jean-François Millet, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Auguste Rodin, Augustus John (that's his portrait of Dylan Thomas on the right), Gwen John, Ceri Richards, Kyffin Williams, Jacob Epstein, Eric Gill, Stanley Spencer, L. S. Lowry, Peter Blake, Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach and many others.

If you work in the centre of Cardiff, it's not a bad way to spend the occasional lunch hour; drifting through the serene galleries gazing on these masterpieces. Let's face it, its got to be better than dodging the chuggers on Queen St in the rain

You can take the boy out of Penclawdd...

...But you can't take Penclawdd out of the boy - or so the saying goes. But then, it's been said about so many places, it's a cliché. And clichés become clichés because they express a truth; my inability to extract Penclawdd from me, try as I once did, is one such truth.

Penclawdd is a village on the northern coast of the Gower Peninsula. Once a thriving port, it was famous for it's coal mining and copper smelting. It faces Llanelli across the Loughor Estuary and all heavy industry has long gone and it's now known for it's shellfish.

For years cockles have been gathered on the estuary and sold at local markets. It was a trade dominated by women with their donkeys, carts, rakes and riddles (my grandmother was one). It's now an industry led by male gatherers with their landrovers and their worldwide cockle sales.

I left Penclawdd in 1983 and I've returned there many times over the years. However, whenever I think of the place it is always through polarized 70s sunglasses and I never think of cockles but whispered gossip and a vague feeling of claustrophobia.

Today's run at 17:16
Distance	5.02 km	Time	25:45
Pace	5:08 min/km	Cadence	83 spm
Comments: Clear; still & cold.

Toilet humour...

Surely this poster found in the toilets at Swansea University giving instructions of how to use the toilet is a joke, right?

Not according to the Swansea Evening Post.

If a student can't use the toilet, it does beg the question as to whether they are entirely ready to enter tertiary education.

Today's run at 17:29
Distance	4.01 km	Time	21:04
Pace	5:15 min/km	Cadence	82 spm
Comments: Overcast; cold.

Castell Coch & The Queen: Art and Image...

I spent a very enjoyable day today with a friend at Castell Coch and then later at the National Museum of Wales.

Castell Coch is the Gothic Revival castle, built by William Burges in the 19th Century near Tongwynlais just north of Cardiff. I'm always surprised at how many people living in Cardiff are surprised by it's existence. It deserves more publicity than it gets.

There are lots of narrow steps to climb and towers to peer out of, some great views of Cardiff in the distance and a nice little tea room (avoid the coffee) that sells home made cakes. It makes for a good day out, especially by bicycle via the Taff Trail on a summer's day.

The National Museum of Wales in the centre of Cardiff is currently hosting The Queen: Art and Image, a touring exhibition bringing together 60 of the most striking images of Elizabeth II to mark her Diamond Jubilee. I'm no monarchist but this exhibition is enjoyable and often funny. Well worth a visit.

Demographics...

When I was a kid in school I was always told that the UK population was a seemingly unerring and steady 52 million. That was the figure quoted from the time I entered primary education until I left secondary education. If it changed during those 14 years, nobody mentioned it.

Today, the UK's population is estimated at 63 million with the welsh population of 3 million making up a mere 4.8% of that. London's population is more than double that. As you might expect the death rate in the UK has decreased over the last 50 years but so has the birth rate. The only year where the death rate was higher than the birth rate was 1976 - perhaps it was the heat?

According to the United Nations, the world population reached 7 billion last October. That's a lot of people. You often hear the phrase that there are more people alive today than have ever lived. That's one helluva claim and, according to this BBC article on demographics, a false one. For every person alive today, it asserts, there are 15 persons dead.

For more information, you could look here for UK demographics and here for world demographics.

Today's run at 15:32
Distance	4.01 km	Time	22:21
Pace	5:35 min/km	Cadence	80 spm
Comments: Sleet. Slippery.

Prepare for take off...

Cardiff International Airport has had its ups and downs. Lately, it seems, the downs have outnumbered the ups. News last year that Bmibaby would cease to operate out of Cardiff was a major blow to an already ailing business. Calls for the scrapping of the £8m public subsidy for the route between Cardiff and Anglesey (humorously known as Ieuan Air after keen support from Anglesey Assembly Member, Ieuan Wyn Jones) have been numerous and are another threat.

News this week that Spanish budget airline, Vuelling has announced additional routes between Cardiff International Airport and holiday destinations in Spain is most welcome. This follows closely on the news last year that the same company was introducing flights from Cardiff to Barcelona.

This is great news for an airport that has lost more passengers over the last three years than any other UK regional airport. Airport bosses are calling for the Welsh public to support these new routes and there are calls from local politicians for the establishment of some long haul business routes, such as to New York and Dubai.

What no-one seems to arguing for, however, is better transport links to the airport. Yes, new routes are an important factor in turning this airport into successful and thriving venture. However, people need to be able to access the airport to take advantage of these routes and not everyone is able to nor wants to drive there. The frequency of buses is appallingly scant and the facilities for those electing to use public transport is, in a word, shit.

I've written before, criticising the facilities at Cardiff International Airport. Despite this, I would love to write about how it had turned around this sorry image and now lived up to its description, international. Sadly, that seems a long way off. If Wales were facing a referendum on independence we'd have to take into consideration that anyone wishing to fly to a newly independent Wales would probably want to fly to Birmingham or Bristol rather than Cardiff International Airport.

Today's run at 09:19
Distance	4.02 km	Time	22:54
Pace	5:42 min/km	Cadence	82 spm
Comments: Clear. Still.

The anticipation of Spring...

Sometimes the Winter gets me down; dark and damp and cold. I go to work in the dark and I leave work in the dark. There are days when I don't open the curtains; what's the point? Despite its beauty and charm, Wales can be an uninspiring place in the Winter.

The Winter solstice fell on December 22. This was the shortest day of 2011 at 7 hours 50 minutes and 03 seconds with over two thirds of the day spent in darkness. Since that date the length of the day has increased. In Cardiff on January 1st 2012 the sun came up at 08:18 and set at 16:14. Today it rose a full 5 minutes earlier and set a good 16 minutes later.

By the time January is over, the sun will rise at 07:53 and set at 16:59 and the day will be 9 hours 6 minutes and 3 seconds long. By the end of February, the sun will rise at 06:59, set at 17:52 and the length of the day will have increased to 10 hours, 52 minutes and 39 seconds. Things are looking up.

And there's plenty more to look forward to. The double bank holiday weekend for Easter falls April 6th and 9th, the Mayday bank holiday falls on May 7th and the Diamond Jubilee double bank holiday falls June 4th and 5th. Average temperatures start to rise in February and rainfall almost halves by May.

On balance, Wales ain't that bad...

Today's run at 18:05
Distance	4.38 km	Time	23:51
Pace	5:26 min/km	Cadence	81 spm
Comments: Crisp. Fresh.

Arses and elbows...

I can still remember wincing when I read, some years ago, the story of the surgeons in a Welsh hospital who accidentally removed a healthy kidney, leaving the diseased kidney in the patient's body. Hot on the heels of that story came the next tale of welsh surgical horror. This confession tells of woman who had a right knee joint inserted into the left knee. Yet another case of cutting edge surgical skills here in the land of song.

Today the welsh news is reporting the story of the surgeon in Wales who mistook a woman's liver for a cancerous kidney he was trying to remove. There are 17 year old lads working as butcher's assistants that could have got this right.

Any doctors or surgeons working in large Welsh hospitals might like to cut out and keep this handy anatomical reference I've provided on the right.

And I know it's not easy, this right and left business but your right hand is usually the one you write and wipe your arse with. This is not always the case and perhaps it's best if you check it out with a friend.

Today's run at 18:17
Distance	4.09 km	Time	22:33
Pace	5:31 min/km	Cadence	81 spm
Comments: Clear. Fresh.