• I was very confused when I arrived at Blaengwawr Primary School this morning. I was greeted with a, “welcome back.” I didn’t recognise the school. I’m normally very good at remembering schools I’ve been to before. But this morning I came in a different entrance.

    I’d just started talking to Yrs 5 and 6 when it all came flooding back to me and I remembered when I last came. I was won in a Read a million Words in Wales competiton!
    I remembered sitting exactly where I was and had a strong feeling of deja vue and was worried they had heard it all before – I hate repeating myself to an audience. But it was okay.

    I was being filmed for the RAISE project too, which is slightly distracting. Anyway, we got an iidea together for a Viking Vik story and I left them to get on and write it while I felt my way through my first Monster Boy session. At the end we came up with a great idea for a story involving a shark living in a lake in the Forest. it has a taste for meat rather than fish fingers. so Monster boy got him a job flipping burgers – fun.

    At the end of the day I got to read the new Viking Vik stories. All ere based on the same plot, but fascinating in their subtle differences in both plot and style. A great day fro me – thanks to all at Blaengwawr.

  • I’m staying across the valley from Aberdere in Cwmbach. This late afternoon I went for a walk up the mountainside following a trail made very muddy by horses, crossing streams by stepping stones and taking care not to slip and hurt myself so far away from civilisation!

    At the start of the footpath the hedge is made entirely of Japanese Knotweed! According to the news this morning, they have found a weevil that can get rid of it. It will probably move on to eat something else and devastate another area of wildlife if they release it.

    I’m very attracted to lichens at the moment. They seem very fractal in their design. maybe that’s what I like. I came across a dead sheep too. I’m not sure if I’m meant to report it or who to.

    turning back into the lane from the footpath I noticed the woodpecker on the telegraph pole. It turned out to be plastic! What a wonderful bit of street art!

    A lovely walk on a lovely mountainside. I don’t suppose this area is high on the tourist trail ratings, but it certainly has a lot to offer.


  • Last time Paddington Bear appeared on an advert it was for Marmite. What was that all about? everyone knows that Paddington likes marmalade sandwiches. The advert wasn’t even ironic – it wasn’t even post-ironic!

    Paddington is now to promote Robertson’s Golden Shred Marmalade. Hooray! This is as it should be. I felt it was almost sacrilegious making him eat Marmite, when there was lovely marmalade out there to be eaten.

    Personally I like home made marmalade. My lovely wife and I share the job each year. I love chopping and she hates it. One year she put all the peel in the food processor and whizzed it to little bits. That was a sad year. Every year since, we have about three sessions at marmalade making in which I slightly obsessively, cut the rind nice and thin in longs slivery slices. Mmmm! delicious. There is nothing quite like it.

    My Mum wouldn’t let me come away without a little jar of her own home-made seville.

    I still have a golly badge somewhere and I think we have a golly teaspoon and a toast rack somewhere too. Politically incorrect but very collectible. I believe you will be able to collect Paddington badges. Great idea. I think most Gloden Shred marmalade used to be eaten so the eatrs could collect the gollys.