Shameless Plug

A good friend of mine is being published.

Buy it here bitches or kittens will die.
Slowly.

Croeso

Today marked my either my third or fifth Welsh lesson ... depending on whether you count the online videos we have to do away from class as lessons.

A few people have asked why I am doing this now. Do I need to speak Welsh for work or to live here? No. I very rarely come into contact with the language, without an English version of whatever publication being on the reverse. I have dealt with the Welsh Language Board for work, but everyone has been bilingual, so its not as if Ive ever had to sit in a conversation and not know what was being said around me.
Even most Welsh people I know consider it to be a dying language and find the enforced bilingual nature of things by the WAG to be a waste of money.
Again, when you look at my class, I am the only English person. The others are all Welsh but are learning as beginners - and some doing as badly as I am!

I cant say I finding it easy, like say French was at school. Is that due to the nature of the language or that I was taught French from 11 - 16 and i am now 38?

I cant say that I am massively worried whether I pass or fail at this. Just having had a go and picked up a few things will be enough for me - because its an understanding that I want to gain.
I'm not doing this to be able to write blogs in Welsh. Or hold a conversation (although that would be nice) .... but its helping me pronounce words and places that do crop up in my daily life.
Road signs are bilingual - which is fine when you see a sign to Newport/Casnewydd ... because I can read the Newport bit and know where I am going. But the overhead matrix signs will often be one or the other - again fine if you drive for 10 miles and see both versions, but there have been occasions where I have only been on the main road long enough to see one or the other.... so a basic understanding there would be advantageous.
Its knowing how to say Yrstrad Mynach without looking like a cock.
Knowing why a Y can be about 6 different vowels sounds and when each applies.
And its just good manners.
One thing I notice in a lot of comments from friends and family, particularly those in the London area more than say Manchester... is that they are actually have a very racist attitude to Welsh people and don't even realise it. On more than one occasion, one chum in particular has shown massive ignorance in this way, and made comments implying that Wales is a bit backwards, behind the times and its population maybe not as intelligent as English counterparts - and one of my most pc friends, whom I would usually watch my P's & Q's around.
As Blon Fell Fotch Passameer Day Slitheen said, the whole of the south wales coast could fall into the Bristol channel and London wouldn't notice.

I'll say one thing, its one fucked up language though..........

Diolch N fawr.

I'm A Slacker.

yes, I have just re watched the Back to the Future films.
They look fucking awful on an HD ready TV on DVD - Blurays please Universal!

So yeah.

Where was I?

Had I been to see Avatar? Wow. Totally loved it. Yes, the story was clearly written on the back of Cameron's hand while he was having a wank. I suspect he had his target audience in mind though ... the American Public, and while I really shouldn't generalise .... oh you know what I am saying.
That and I would watch Sam Worthington read the phone book and love it..... and by it I mean him ... and by love I mean willy fun.

I am guessing I had made the transition to bluray and bought the 37 inch 720 thingy telly?

Had I done the End of Time? Bobbins wasn't it? But fun bobbins all the same. I always say that Festive Who needs to be bobbins. I know a lot of the educated professionals don't agree ... but the 12/13 million viewers ever year seem to put me firmly in the 'right again' column. So that's that.

Matt Smith eh? Looking good I think ... although 'sources' say there's trouble at mill ..... we shall see.

Alice in Wonderland? Been yet? Not as good as you hope but nowhere near as bad as they are saying, I think you will find. While The Red Queen seems to draw more attention, it was her White counterpart who stole the show for me....... for all her airs and graces (hilarious) I found something actually very sinister lurking there and was disappointed that it didn't actually come to anything. The whiter than white hair, skin, frock, with black lips and dark eyes & eyebrows. Then her vile ingredients for the spell....... a wasted set up or am I seeing what isn't there?
Gotta love Fry's Cheshire Cat too.

Of course, we are now on the path to hopefully becoming Foster Carers too. We had a very initial assessment and went on a course as an introduction ... now waiting to be assigned a caseworker before we go to panel and make the grade or not .....

And the flowers I planted last Autumn have a semi success rate .... the crocus are up and lovely .... not sign of my snowdrops or Narcissus.... but I think I planted them in too much shade. That will teach me.

Are you up to date with Ugly Betty? If not .. at least catch the episode with the Drag Wilhelmina .... hilarious. I have watched Pushing Daisies in its entirety too. Can see why it didn't last but I did love it.

And you MUST be following RuPauls Drag Race....... season 3 needs to be the UK Race........