Tag Archives: Wales

Counting the milestones from cards, cake and jelly to hitting 74

Warning: may contain politics Sorry it’s been such a long, long time but let’s hope I can do better than I have done in the first half of the year. It has been an odd six months during which I marked my 74th birthday. I know it’s not a landmark birthday (that’s next year atContinue reading “Counting the milestones from cards, cake and jelly to hitting 74”

Never mind the Six Nations – our eyes are on the World Cup 2027

If I was a churlish oaf I could possibly say that the boys let me down today, especially when you consider it is my birthday and I had high hopes of a victory in Cardiff against Italy. I am not, however, churlish or an oaf and I can honestly say that Wales made me proudContinue reading “Never mind the Six Nations – our eyes are on the World Cup 2027”

Sorry to see my top teams lose but a young Welsh side shows promise

Getting a double dose of rugby this weekend – well a dose and a half really because I watched the second half of the France/Scotland match before settling down to see the dragons lay siege to Fortress Twickenham. In fact the England/Wales match was not so much a siege in the first half as aContinue reading “Sorry to see my top teams lose but a young Welsh side shows promise”

I’ve seen them at their best and at their worst but I still love Wales XV

It’s quarter to five, it’s Saturday, 3 February 2024, and I have just watched the kick-off in the third Six Nations championship of the weekend as my beloved Wales host my second favourite XV, Scotland. I have supported Wales as far back as I can remember and often sat with my father in our loungeContinue reading “I’ve seen them at their best and at their worst but I still love Wales XV”

You can take the boy out of Wales but you can’t take Wales out of the boy

When I joined the team at the Basildon Standard Recorder I believe my editor, Tony Blandford, saw a chance to inject some fresh blood into features about the new town. What was even better, as far as he was concerned, was that I was not just not from Basildon but I was not even fromContinue reading “You can take the boy out of Wales but you can’t take Wales out of the boy”

Tears of sorrow for a Welshman in exile

My time as a journalist in Basildon was not all politics and crime, although I did spend a lot of time in the council chamber and the magistrates’ courts. The Arts Centre, just off the town square, was a cultural centre for the district and, as well as hosting concerts and professional entertainment, it providedContinue reading “Tears of sorrow for a Welshman in exile”

A great day to be Welsh and proud

Today was a very good day to be Welsh. The chariots headed to Cardiff and were destroyed by the dragons. A Triple Crown already won and a Grand Slam on the horizon. It takes me back to those glorious days in the 60s and 70s when if we couldn’t make it to Cardiff a groupContinue reading “A great day to be Welsh and proud”