Cardiff Times - March 2024

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2 CARDIFF TIMES

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Letter writing; October 7th 2023

byWyn Evans

To have one love song written for or about you must there’s a lot been written on these questions and I’ll be an ego-boost. To have three love songs written for leave it to your good selves whether you want to seek or about you by, two different people, is something out such social anthropological research. Because, else again. When one of those songwriters was a for this piece I am more interested in whether people Beatle and the other was God a whole other level of will actually write love letters and I am assuming ego might be justified. And when those songs were as that social media will not do away with the genre fine as ‘Layla’, ‘Wonderful Tonight’, and ‘Something’ but probably will have a significant impact upon the then it would be worth paying attention to what writing of and look of such letters. perfume you were wearing back in the 1960s. Yes, I’m talking about Patti Boyd, about whom George Harrison In my teenage generation (born 1958) we wrote wrote Something and Eric Clapton (AKA God) wrote love letters, that’s for sure. Worry not, I don’t intend the other two. She was married to Harrison and to share with you examples from my own life was wooed by Clapton who was one of Harrison’s experience (neither sent nor received). However, closest friends. Mark Savage, the BBC’s Music I do remember that we put a lot of effort into what Correspondent, explains that Boyd originally rebuffed we wrote and how we wrote them. To hand would Clapton’s advances but, after her marriage to Harrison always be a dictionary and a thesaurus, a book of faltered in the early 1970s, the musician invited Boyd famous quotations, Shakespeare, the Bible, books of to join him on tour. Their romance flourished and they Hollywood vignettes by David Niven and Frank Muir, married in 1979 - with the blessing of Harrison, who that week’s Sunday Times, history and poetry books, took to calling Clapton his “husband-in-law”. The and at least six different coloured biros. And because story ends not with love conquering all but in divorce these letters were written in longhand manuscript one in 1989, Clapton’s alcoholism and infidelity having would always have to be prepared to re-read what undermined the marriage. This is in the news because we’d written so far tear it up and start afresh. (Minor Boyd is auctioning the two men’s love letters via editing could be managed using Tippex but anything Christie’s. major needed a total rewrite – there are advantages to using word processing packages on computers, as This got me thinking. Will my daughter’s generation we all do now: copy, cut and paste!) (born 2006) send and receive love letters? Rest assured, I shall not be asking advice from my These were works of art as much as they were daughter – I shall spare her blushes. (Though I did correspondence. And one looked forward to posting note that she told her mother she intends to get a them because sending the letters meant we’d receive boyfriend when she goes to college.) What will be the a reply all the sooner. And then the moment would TikTok generation’s take on love letters? And what has come and one would hear the letter box open and the been the impact of social media more generally? Well, solid thud as that reply hit the floor. I’d pick up 4 CARDIFF TIMES

with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) conducting air strikes on the Gaza Strip, followed weeks later by the incursion of ground troops and armoured vehicles. The Israeli government has been accused of intending to inflict genocide upon the Palestinians.

It seems to me that the October 7 attack has been all but forgotten by the majority of the broadcast and print media. A senior member of Hamas has hailed the systematic slaughter of civilians in Israel on October 7, vowing in an interview that if given the chance, the Palestinian terror group will repeat similar assaults many times in the future until Israel is exterminated(1). It is also the case that it is the Hamas Charter of 1988 (revised in 2017) that calls for genocide. The charter defines the struggle to be against the Jews and calls for the eventual creation of an Islamic Palestinian state in all of former Mandatory Palestine, and the obliteration or dissolution of Israel. The charter has been criticized for its use of antisemitic language, which some commentators have characterized as incitement to genocide. Hamas’s 2017 charter removed the antisemitic language and clarified Hamas’s struggle was with Zionists, not Jews(2).

Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre[1] is a compilation by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit of raw footage from the Hamas attack on Israel. The film includes footage captured from body cameras worn by Hamas militants on October 7, and contains scenes of extreme violence recorded during and after the incursion (3). treasure and retire to my bedroom, open the letter and pore over its contents, reading and rereading it throughout the day and, that evening, start writing the next instalment.

I am writing this on February 27, 2024 and there is still no agreed cease fire (whether temporary or permanent). But, as we hope and pray that people of good will will find peace, I urge readers not to turn their backs on the events of October 7th 2023.

Ah, those good old days! ************ To close, a change of tone Holocaust Memorial Day took place in January. On October 7 2023, Palestinian militants, especially Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), launched a land, sea, and air assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The October 7 attack resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, primarily Israeli citizens, making it the deadliest day for Israel since the Holocaust. More than 240 people were also taken hostage during the attack. The next day, Israel declared itself in a state of war. The war began

Footnotes 1.https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-official-saysgroup-aims-to-repeat-oct-7-onslaught-many-times-todestroy-israel/ 2.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Hamas_charter 3.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearing_Witness_ (2023_film)

CARDIFF TIMES 5

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‘And Another Thing...’

The Yorkshire Pudding Monkey

byVince Nolan

She Who Must Be Obeyed. In the online arranging of an appointment I emailed their lug-hole representative and said: “I look forward to hearing from you (no joke intended).” The silence was deafening or maybe I just couldn’t hear properly. In related matters, I was recently musing about the honours system with The Current Mrs Nolan.

It struck me that if I had an OBE and was then made an Earl that would make me an earlobe. Just saying.

I saw this recently and thought it worth sharing with you: Don’t ever take down I have no wish to start an argument between a fence until you know the reason it was the sexes since that would be fruitless put up. Talking of something that leaps and one-sided (interpret that as you will). fences, did you read the tale of the Japanese However, I recently witnessed a husband Macaque monkey called Honshu who and wife swap six tables in one hour at our recently escaped from a wildlife park in local home for reformed alcoholics because Kingussie in Scotland. He had much fun the wife wasn’t sure where she wanted to sit. for many days helping himself to the varied They then looked in the bar area rather than fare on numerous bird tables in the area. He the restaurant and finally settled for my table was finally trapped by a strategically placed as I vacated it. My table was the same size Yorkshire pudding which he leapt upon only as their most recent one, was adjacent to it to be darted by his keepers. Quite how a and equidistant from the fire, bar and toilets.

Japanese monkey living in Scotland had They must have completed 5,000 steps developed a taste for Yorkshire pudding was inside the pub before they finally sat down. not made clear by the papers.

Exhausting to witness and confusing for the waiting staff.

All of which reminded me that I got a birthday present once and when I opened There is a lot of it about. A confused young it a Yorkshire pudding fell out... it was from man was in a difficult situation. He couldn’t Aunt Bessie! So I went to the Doctors decide whether to marry Kathryn or Edith. and said: “I’ve got roast beef in one ear, Even though he tried as hard as he could, he Yorkshire pudding in the other ear and gravy was unable to make up his mind. Not willing all down my legs!” The Doctor said: “I don’t to give up either, he strung them along for far think you’re eating properly.” too long. This indecision continued until both young ladies got tired of the situation and left Staying with ears, I had mine dewaxed him for good. Moral of the story: You can’t recently or had micro-suction if you prefer. I have your Kate and Edith. had feigned a problem when trying to hear 8 CARDIFF TIMES

Just tohanging. beten clear: Didrefused youorhear about the urologist a pardon inpostulated 1833 ortunately, only six of us turned up and abeing of wereHe required theelectric inminimum thedue early 19th century.

As the hecklers toiled in the Stereophonics and Tom Jones a fractional charge, under 14’s t bad news forold-timers the Cardiff a carrying grave error?

Between typos and autocorrect Ig,engaged four who were in the bar (could have been the who was eaten by a bear?

He was a meteorologist if I were illegally hunting for at the Principality Stadium which had sold as building blocks of the hadrons.

Quarks Andrew Jackson andthe from President derhosen Formation Slap Dancing Ensemble it’sone getting harder to post stuff read these out days.

One the whether factory, of the team would days edout ones from Taff Vale) and asked were them they fancied having a Citythe hotels.

The concerts then have not been directly observed but theoretical (meaty urologist, oh please yourselves).

I have questionable morels? ho will the no longer be slapping each other as tiny mistake and your whole post is urined. news and others would butt in with constant was executed after Supreme Court and free beerand for the afternoon.

Fearing some kind of the honey trap, they tookonthe found athey centre hotelasked predictions based their have rt cancelled ofa their routines are given I was nextwe tounless alost ladyboth inCity Morrisons who something very much moreexistence Anglo Saxon in in The Leader of the Opposition and I were sitting all deer who has ingfor that myhurrah! offer wasHowever, genuine. the Cautiously, they agreed to join us.

Picture theit interruptions and a has stream of “furious debate.” fickle finger been confi rmed experimentally.”

Oh The world taken a down strange –please! at leastWith ruled he could iftwist he wanted ecial £80, dispensation by ourwould Firsthelp Minister. her husband if he her carry the origin that he turn might better understand. scene, 5pm onasa for sunny our local, The Funky Furlough, ccident?

No eyetodeer. of fateshopping (presumably thecar. middle one), then And mesons and baryons, we could be the parts I collated seem to occupy.

Iquality have been this insocially mind Idistanced have some put-downs their He said no!

Don’t to.

No pleasing some folk. weekday evening at the side How long have you had arthritis?”

“I don’t intervened and cancelled thespecials offi ce lunch here allabout night. aw this Trump ineven a local pub their board: reading a proposal for the 2027 Rugby start me.Ion Similarly, a husband and Another tale which caught my attention was when a lady close by to us asked the Bar Manager when dies, will give whichentrance comics have usedonto deal with modern day to the us were toand wander lonely as some clouds We leaving Love wife Local local farms World Cup which will prevent any team red I have arthritis, Father,” thedescribed drunk said, inchampion another supermarket when the from aBrewery local journalist who the in “but iffacilities theCaroline toilets were still upstairs.

He ofother course “He it is today how he asofwarmed hecklers: IStreet was at the hairdressers the day for my where four ey: time tried to around the Castle and itswas bar husband picked up a outdoor case Budweiser and window blowing out of a Boeing 737 Max 9 densure fisheries.”

All very laudable but the first shirts and green shirts playing each other that we had properly up since we didn’t want to pull any drinking just read in scalping the paper that the Pope does.”

Continuing January when the Jimmy song pensioners who could placed itgot inand the trolley.

“What do Olives. you think passenger jetbarely as “thousands of miles above until frostbite the better of us forced usand confi rmed that they were but Ipeople thought thisNail to be ato earing make-up lying front m on their menu was Mediterranean because colour blind often struggle . Unfortunately, only sixinof us and turned up a minimum of ten were required or he other three “Ain’t Nohanging Doubt - She’s Lying” came on thethe “What size ofseen shoe does your mouth take?” you’re doing?” asked hisrope wife.Much “It’s on sale. the earth and just after take-off.”

This plane stand were onto back to a the hotel we did not need. fun, but verheard in same pub: “Every time we distinguish between the two.

Not criticising Staying with the drink, there has always the very stupid question.

I would have said something mlinson sme off.

I engaged old-timers who were inthem the bar (could have been the wireless.

Totally unscripted, we, the masked Only £10 a four case,” he replied. cannot fly faster than mph and they ahow lamppost, for rather we quickly found out that there is a“We limitcan’t to here we come here.”

You don’t say. of support, course but this529 would affect Wales, been much snobbery attached to wine. like: “I don’t know d by the son of a good friend singers in the chairs and our masked stylists theme: afford it.

Put it back,” said his wife.

They usually stay within the Earth’s atmosphere, “This is what comes from drinking on an empty entioned oneswine fromone the Taff Vale) and asked them whether they fancied a much mulled can drink before falling than illumination.

An Canada, Ireland, Tonga, Russia,having South Africa tyrite sell-buy dates before Indeed, people make a living from it, continued shopping and a few minutes later in my experience.

Who proof reads this all started to sway and sing to the music in a over. afternoon they would and Japan.

This had me in mind of that quote when madam was a urology forbeer his Dad’s head.” tour and free for the afternoon.

Fearing some kind of honey trap, they took Soap on the wife put a £20 jar of face cream into the rubbish?

Not this rubbish, that rubbish, you scene reminiscent from The Full Monty when butfrom I am making a stand because thewho supermarket on offer aeulogy Friday 3onvincing shops I that really BBC snooker commentator Ted of Lowe never…… remember. with us butat we e the heart to “What say my was genuine.

Cautiously, they agreed tolast join us.

Picture the trolley. do you think you’re doing?” know I mean. they allwhat started dancing inof the queue the a rope famously said during one his commentaries: lockdowns.

I’m giving up wine, every day, all “I know where you were when they were handing les that would make the with Mark Dacey (on the leS) who is the dynamic CEO of oots and asked the husband.

“It’s my face cream.

It job centre.

Fortunately all sharp implements scene, 5pm onare a them sunny moved out to meant. Anyway, here is “And for those of you who watching in black A drunk who smelled like a Pope onthe a thebrains month.

No wait,forthat’s not it.minutes I’m giving makes me beautiful,” wife. out………getting an extra helping ofup. adand some doubt whether were downed a is few short and then Itsausage does notlook need me toreplied suggest the uncanny and white, the pink next to the green.” seges. weekday evening at the side brewery got on a bus and sat the car park many “So does the Budweiser and it’smouth.” half the Winewithout dayThe all month! further comment, just like in a musical, r for the journey home. rope down nextevery to a priest.

Tomlinson or of vice to Brewery price,” replied theversa. husband. ekyhad months ago aslike aonthe ale, (heenough was affectionately everybodyentrance wentwe back to the their day job Interesting lyric heard on the wireless s nothing to do with EU drunk's shirt was stained, his Two people out on a first date.

“Do you Caroline Street where four nothing had happened.

Lockdown has a lot to no other day: “Sports bra and aconsequence Maserati car.” you know, ifbright you wore soundproof trousers direct because of before his likeness e-buy to home school face was full of red myself devoid of ologies a time dates but a recent tripat“Do to my local supermarket ction ofI found the packaging answer for but that was very funny. like Merlot Tammy?”

“Yes, but you don’t Who would thought of which that combination? pensioners could barely I once owned one of the chewed pencils one would hear a word saying.” everybody seemed to have developed lipstick and he had ahave half-you’re of who Covid19.”

Perhaps nperishables leader), involved a trip light ofwhen the that make the following Monday.

In fact I or fruit and vegwould like Apparently many have including a poet called pronounce the “t.”

“Oh, Ok.” Looks at a few overnight. SoShakespeare I went to the Doctor who stand were seen hanging onto empty bottle of wine sticking usedDave to his famous works. used Thewrite Leader of The Opposition andI He I were this is why do not run ales play France.

We Cox whom I have just “discovered”. these comestibles gave me a thorough examination and he Apparently the Michelin Man’s name is would make it to the car for the journey home.

What is going one day leS on the sell-buy date.

It takes an inordinate amount of skill to sup hen it’s serious, “Is that real face or are you still celebrating outwaiter: ofyour hislistening pocket.

He opened “Two Merlots for me and Ammy.” to Michael Ball on the wireless. a lamppost, for support, rather Intellectual property rules prevent me itquoting said he thought I was suffering from Bibendum.

Who levels knew?

From Latin toprobably chew on it so much that Istarted couldn’t whether was atell pub.

0th year relationship with in-@me” with 24 hours towas spare.

Waste must bethe astronomical. his newspaper and s, picked, He interviewing Donny Osmond who EU supply issues?

Closer inspec@on of the packaging the excitement. mum of tenpackaged, were required or Halloween?” than illumination.

An any of his work here but I encourage you to NQED (Not Quite Enough Dosh). phrase ‘Nunc est Bibendum,’ Now is the time Our friend Drthe H has trained her dog Daisy uple of minutes later, he asked theorpriest, "Father, what causes arthritis?"

A in wife sent her played themaround home and had been appearing in panto at the London not 2B. Staying with Bard, days gone by, distributed UK2B recent WalesOnline article bizarrely claimed look up. real genius and hugely to him drink!

I’ll A drink tocomedy that. fruit and veg like Tanzania and Argen@na.

So these Staying with food, I have been doing some research into what is no longer ma as off.

I engaged four old-timers afternoon they would aused by loose living, being with cheap, wicked women, too much and to bring her alcohol, a bottle ofhusband red wine.

No asurprise Palladium. was speaking about “Your bus leaves inDonny 10 minutes...

Be under it.” aquote romantic ernational weekends.

On at GPs were working 40 an hour refreshing.

Before we startput onmonths matters controversial, I is women, o the shops and on in order to attract I used to use this from the UK. The list endless but here is a small sample: Pringles (Belgium), Sm in the bar (could have been the o@c climes, picked, packaged, taken to the port or airport, your fellow man," the we priest replied.

"Imagine that," theformer drunk muttered.

Hethat never…… remember. acting mentor ofmany his who told him sat the really, she’s a Bordeaux collie.

I was phrase we am sure that would all like safer roads This reminded me years ago ertime.

I have no doubt they are ridiculously text message.

She wrote: “Ifhim.. are sleeping, send Mike’s fiones rst), weThe didpriest, it in Taff the on the sell-buy date.

It Vale) Colman’s English Mustard (Act Germany), Terrys Chocolate (France) eading his paper. thinking about what had said, turned tofor the following: “Theatre isyou the only place where ioned the “Well, it’s night out and aOrange night offyou forand his Shakespeare’s Hamlet, III, Scene IV, line 82: Ia have also been reading Mortimer’s Recent crossword clue: “Brush under the but thatfrom is the responsibility of the driver and our son started work as aBob trainee chef at other ses then delivered to40 the shops and put he on the shelves with etched at present, but months an hour? with She Who Must Be Obeyed the he 18th Century Parliament) Sauce (The Netherlands).

Staggering.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come on so strong.

How long have you had can dream in public.

Your job as an actor is of skill to supply goods me your dreams.

If you are laughing, send me your aogised: bus to Dover, ferry crossing autobiography which I also strongly not the speed limits.

I have been pretty quiet a Michelin starred Indian restaurant.

On carpet 5 and 4.”

The answer was “gloss over.” them they at’s overwhether three years an fancied hour. The only way day whilst she family.”

A drunk who smelled like a sipped a glass oftovery wine tohis deliver thatthey dream” which we thought was don't have arthritis, Father," the drunk said, just read infirst the paper that thus far about the 20mph limit butsmile.

I "but now Ifeel day showed him how make recommend.

Funny, poignant and clever, Picture the poor student trying to maybe learn English. o spare.

Waste levels straight was do would be to time travel so If you are eating, send me a bite.

If you are s.

I this was sitting next to him.

At Here’s one for you: “Knock knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“LiKle old lady.” rewery tour and free beer for the brewery got on amuch, bus and sat “LiKle o and she said, “I love you so you rather good.

Oh yes it is. s." the need to comment.

I understand that the perfect Indian flat bread but he said but enough about me.

In it he recalls a tale “Hello.”

Student – try it in a German accent: “If I ey were referring to Dr Who. In “Imy world this “I need you like Van Gogh needed stereo.” had no idea could yodel.” drinking, send me adown sip.

Ifme you are me Offi cer cameof onto Fearing kind trap, pCustoms and weft).

Of thesome limit iscorrectly, 20mph 10% (22mph) plusyou he couldn’t give the recipe though. next to acrying, priest.

The about having chronic flatulence asever asend child understand zis inhoney ze place you know.

Icourt don’t know how I could live ould be like driving at 40 plus hours afirst mile which I was reading about a case where the accused Thanks to my cousin Lawrence for this joke. heHer had shirt to signwas a naan disclosure a special dispensation ofoffer +4mph making the drink, there has always been some convincing that my which was both embarrassing and atwork times tears.

IApparently, love husband texted back: “ as Just hold up your passports brushing benease your carpet zen drunk's stained, his ould be quite slow but not unlike towalked I trying amand awas man ofyou awithout certain age soyou.” my tolerance does aswine well thare the related you.”

Ion said, “Isthreshold thatMoaning you or the Iyour into our local bar, The Monet anit een doing some research What do you call a Frenchman wearing agreement appointment.

Sorry. it over 26mph before we all are booked. ery attached to wine.

Indeed, very painful.

During one particular attack he add shiny paint over it.

You British!” was described as “having murderous intent.”

I was Cautiously, they agreed to join us. the recent traffic carnage in Cardiff par@cularly when being asked to embrace new technology.

I was therefore I’m in the toilet, please advise.” egotiate along and count them and face full ofon bright red talking?”

She said, “It’s me talking to the sandals?

Phillipe Flop!

Quickly by a I h saw Van Gogh sitting atwas the end afollowed bar stool.

Now areUK. that Councils the init,we the The aactured living from but I told am making alaneshave went to the Doctors who managed to “release ty Centre as they impose bike on the e scene, 5pmword atosunny weekday She Who Be Obeyed suggested Ithis download anothing new app called what I writ: Finally, I have reading about the recent discretion not impose limits whilst quite disappointed topoem learn that had to doWhat3Wo lipstick and hequotes had athe halfost me and said “Ion didn’t know Staying with games, I completed aMust wordwine.” shouted “Hey Vince do you want a drink?” emall of the lockdowns.

I’m giving upthese the pressure” forbeen him.

He Doctor sample: Pringles of us. et’s call her Dr national seabird census (I know, I need some 500,000 Welsh citizens have signed naviga@on aid which divides the World into 3 metre squares and gives each s the side entrance to the Brewery myNophone I correctly guessed asRoses saying: “Better an empty house than a empty bottle of wine sticking ay, all month. wait, that’s not Happy New Year Dear Reader, the Year of the ortpuzzle and Ion haven’t got and one.”

I camping. with a), Colman’s English can be red, Violets are purple.

Just to go out more) Seabirds Count, which I a petition objecting to the whole thing. combina@on ofFinally, three words.

I s@ll“No drivethanks, about a lot for business, believe it or atenant” blessing for the drink: God,good. ingot his one theevery they were looking for was with Dr Rword who ee that Street where four pensioners He shouted back: I’ve already Sainted Mother-In-Law was looking for car noisy which I thought was very up.

Wine day all month! out his pocket. opened saying. thought was aof rather neat self-explanatory Meanwhile, Welsh Gov is reviewing this butsystem Ox. Apparently this year is going toHe be lucky words to that effect.

Then, inassured a Having Chocolate Orange Hadron as in the Hadron Collider. no that this would be much more accurate than using our sat na goodness, sent the grapes, to cheer both surance now that her stunt driving days are Presumably this was in the days before the barely stand weretheseen hanging ear.” ing.

We recently Of course this has is as opposed toID. See, has appointed same person whonews, helped mytitle.

Finally, friend David lost his newspaper andhis started out on awhat first date.

“Do you this was really alllike about Isad decided with the Ox representing diligence, persistence of aclue War 2 prisoner of war Parliament) Sauce (The the first @me the other day and the unique three word loca@on I was looking er.

IWorld managed to find a reasonable policy, Doctors were working 40 months an hour. a top which bathroom tip: leave your greatFinally, and Count small.

Little fools willvery drink too Birds would notNever be PC and introduce it in therather first place.

Gamekeeper mppost, for support, than y?”

“Yes, but look itpinned. up.

I don’t wishforIpronounce hadront (see .ducked Atocouple ofyou minutes later, he asked the priest, "Father, what causes arthritis?" ote was rted it out and paid it.

She bovvered inAre turn Now he iskindly just Dav. Lost!”

Design fault or user error? pile ointment next to your toothpaste! and honesty.

Not for going to be Trump’s year down into the footwell would mean something entirely different. turned poacher.

However, the main issue Adios Amigos much and fools none at all. My round. n.

An they would Oh, Ok.” Looks at waiter: “Twobeing what Iafternoon did there): “Any member of a class of Hasta la great Vista. mbursed me with this immortal covering it's caused by loose living, with cheap, wicked women, too much alcohol, and with this limit is that bloke, permanently door.

Live Radio then is it? ed his coat and mine on top of subatomic particles that are built from quarksI Chums eremember. and Ammy.”

Yamas Chums Hasta La Vista mail: “Thank you, Monet isspleen in the Au Revoir Mes Amis behind me,the venting his atbank.” me kpt knock.”

“Who’s there?” for your fellow man," the priest replied.

"Imagine that," the drunk muttered. He and thus react through the agency of the be outdone we ocourse move, whilst we were both countered this with “There was really because I am driving within the limit.

I want H has trained her dog Daisy to bring her a bottle of red wine.

No surprise dy who?”

“I had no idea dneed to reading his paper. priest, thinking strong force.

The hadrons embrace ho smelled like apriceless brewery got toan give me a impressionist electronic sign onThe back of themesons, car saying about what he had said, turned to the gng uncontrollably.

The note: “Please Bordeaux collie.

I was satCustoms with She Who Must day whilst baryons and their many resonances.”

Trouble “20 mph"I'm is notsorry, my or perhaps but thank you anyway.” dinting apologised: I didn't meanBe toObeyed come the on other so strong.

How long have you had and sat down next to fault” a priest. , did is I the thencount, wantedmissed to knowMike what a quark was. ?" shirt "I don't arthritis, Father," the drunk said, "but I just read in the paper that ’s washave stained, his face when people type ewe sohave my observed tolerance

ebright does."red lipstick and he had well as it used to pty bottle of wine sticking out of ed to embrace new .with He opened histhere newspaper and been the drink, has always

CARDIFF TIMES 9

Contains at least one RGB ColorSpace

If you would like to arrange a free hearing assessment, please call their Whitchurch branch on 02920 250121.

A: 66 Merthyr Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 1DJ

World Hearing Day takes place in March, and reminds us that our hearing health is crucial to a happier life According to the WHO, there are about 466 million people worldwide who have disabling hearing loss, and this number is expected to rise to over 900 million by 2050.

Hearing loss can have a significant impact on the quality of life of individuals and their families, as well as on the social and economic development of communities and countries. Hearing loss can also affect communication, education, employment, health, and wellbeing.

As a result of this huge impact, the WHO hold World Hearing Day in March each year. Its aim is to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss, and to promote ear and hearing care across the world.

The focus for World Hearing Day 2024 is on overcoming the challenges posed by societal mis-perceptions and stigmatizing mindsets, through awarenessraising and information-sharing, targeted at the public and health care providers.

"Hearing loss has often been referred to as an 'invisible disability', not just because of the lack of visible symptoms, but because it has long been stigmatized in communities and ignored by policy-makers," says WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

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However, hearing loss can be prevented, treated, or managed in most cases, and ear and hearing care can bring many benefits to individuals and society. Some of the benefits of good hearing health include: - improving cognitive functioning and preventing or delaying the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have shown that hearing loss is associated with accelerated cognitive decline and increased risk of dementia, as the brain has to work harder to process sound and compensate for the loss of auditory input. By restoring hearing through hearing aids or cochlear implants, the cognitive load can be reduced and the brain can function more efficiently.

- enhancing social engagement and reducing the risk of isolation and depression. Hearing loss can make it difficult to communicate and participate in social activities, leading to feelings of loneliness, frustration, and low self-esteem.

By improving hearing through ear and hearing care, individuals can enjoy better social interactions and emotional well-being.

- increasing safety and independence. Hearing loss can impair the ability to hear important

sirens, doorbells, or phone calls, which can pose a threat to personal safety and security. By improving hearing through ear and hearing care, individuals can be more aware of their surroundings and stay safer when alone.

All of this reminds us that World Hearing Day is an important occasion to raise awareness and advocate for ear and hearing care for all - it can bring many benefits to individuals and society.

By changing mindsets and making ear and hearing care a reality for all, the quality of life and well-being of millions of people around the world can be improved.

If you are in North Cardiff and are concerned about the hearing health of yourself or a loved one, Viney Hearing Care are on hand to provide first-class expert assistance to address your issues.

They offer guaranteed impartial and professional advice for a complete solution to your hearing difficulties. They are also able to select hearing aids from a range of internationally recognised manufacturing companies worldwide to ensure that you can confidently receive the most up to date technology and advice available.

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In The Words Of by Carl Marsh March 2024 The month of March and, for some, after your Birthday and Christmas Day, the 3rd most crucial day of the year: Mother’s Day on Sunday the 10th. It can even take precedence over your Wedding Day if you are married, hahaha!

I have done several interviews this month and needed to get five over three pages. It could have been more interviews, but I had to say no to many.

As stated last month, I am bringing you my review of Michigan. It is over two pages and done in diary style.

I didn’t mention this in the review. Still, walking around Detroit, I didn’t feel uneasy at all, especially as I’d watched a Ben Fogle documentary a week before I came, which only reflected on the negatives, especially around the 8-mile area of Detroit. I felt safer here than I’ve ever felt in London.

Granted, no place is secure, and you need to keep your guard up wherever you are, but still, negative press is often [always?] majorly blown out of proportion.

TV REVIEW Mr Inbetween - Disney+ The show originally aired on FX in the UK, but now it’s available to stream on Disney+. It is a black comedy-crime drama TV series set in and around Sydney, Australia. It is a serialisation of the 2005 feature film ‘The Magician’, written by and starring Scott Ryan. In ‘Mr Inbetween’, Ryan reprises his lead role as Ray Shoesmith, the gun for hire with a heart. The show flows from scene to scene, and the cast is Australia’s finest. I don’t think any show of this type would ever come close to ‘Breaking Bad’, yet here I am, talking about a show that does just that. I want to watch it all over again. The episodes aren’t that long (roughly 28 mins each), and there are only three series of less than ten episodes each. To think Scott Ryan created, starred in and wrote the film and had a break for over a decade before this series got commissioned is beyond mind-boggling. I wish I’d watched the show when it was on FX a few years back, but there we are. I’m proof that it’s never too late to watch anything.

This series will stay with you long after you’ve watched it.

SPORT REVIEW Cardiff City FC v Stoke City FC I don’t do many sporting events, yet when I do, the home team tends to win. And rightly so, Cardiff won 2-1. I don’t think I’m some lucky mascot; perhaps it’s that I get to see not the best opposition. Regardless, my trip to Cardiff City Stadium was effortless. It was a great afternoon; the staff was of high quality.

The only gripe is the car parking costs at the stadium (£10) and food and drink costs inside! It’s no wonder supporters leave their cars outside the stadium and walk it. Surely if you’re paying good money for a ticket, car parking should be less than this. And £8 for a burger! I didn’t drink anything; I was too annoyed at the food prices. Still, the football was a good watch.

Enjoy March!

Carl Marsh Twitter - @InTheWordsOf_CM YouTube - InTheWordsOf

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Interview with Paloma Faith

With a new album out now, Paloma Faith has a UK tour starting in April, with a date in Cardiff on April 19th at the Utilita Arena. I thought it wise to notify you a little in advance before tickets all go, and I got a chat with her for you to enjoy.

Carl Marsh Your new album, ‘The Glorification Of Sadness,’ is such an emotional and personal record for you after your breakup.

Can you envisage how you think you’ll feel touring and performing it?

Paloma Faith I don’t know because I’m not telepathic. [Laughter] I guess when I wrote this album, it was very healing and cathartic.

But going onto do this promo for it is proving to be a bit more difficult than I anticipated because I’m talking about it all the time, and it is still quite sad. It’s an interesting one because it healed me in a way, but now it’s making me slow down by just going over and over it again. But, hopefully, when I get the songs out, I’ll be like, “This is cathartic and amazing.”

Carl Marsh The first track on the album is ‘Sweatpants’, a song with lyrics that have a lot of meaning to you and anyone who listens to it.

Words by Carl Marsh

Paloma Faith That’s just about that feeling - and what it looks like - when you’ve got a big ending. You’ve done - and been involved in - something that’s affected many people because I’ve also got two kids. It’s about losing your identity to that trauma and feeling like you don’t know who you are anymore. And just looking in the mirror and saying, “I need to remember who I am”.

Carl Marsh The track ‘Let It Ride’ has more of a positive vibe to it in that it seems you want to move on from what’s happened in your life.

Paloma Faith That’s a bit about letting go. I think many people find it difficult to let go of stuff in life and once you learn that, you’ll be in good stead because nobody owes you anything. Sometimes life can be disappointing, but it’s just about freeing yourself from being defined by your trauma or by the sadness and just moving on. You’ve just got to let it ride. You’ve just got to work through this feeling of sadness and move on.

Carl Marsh And what sort of things are helping you to move on?

Paloma Faith It has to do with not trying to distract yourself from your feelings. The last time I was single, I didn’t have children.

Paloma Faith So, I did a lot of distracting myself. I’d just jump onto another As that’s the album’s first track, I start by saying, “Nobody’s relationship or go out and get drunk, but you can’t really do perfect. At least of all me”, which I think is how I feel about that when you’ve got children. And I think it’s about accepting the human condition. And it’s about self-forgiveness, as well. that life will be full of disappointments, and if we make our I think it’s a song about being in a relationship, mistakes, we’ll feel misunderstood. Accepting that as part of worrying about what the future holds and whether you can it, but just knowing that time is a good healer. And it takes a be loved with all of you and your transitions. lot longer when kids are involved. It’s been quick for me in the past, but I’m two years in, and I don’t feel healed.

Carl Marsh And with ‘Say My Name’, what’s the underlying message Paloma Faith - Utilita Arena, Cardiff - April 19th. you want to get out with that?

CARDIFF-TIMES.CO.UK 13

Contains at least one RGB ColorSpace Interview with Mobeen Azhar

The new BBC Studios and 5 Live podcast, ‘Gangster Presents... Catching the Kingpins’ details how police across Europe gained unprecedented access to the secrets of organised crime following the hacking

by French police of EncroChat, an encrypted phone network favoured by drug traffickers, hit men and money launderers. I chatted with BBC presenter Mobeen Azhar, podcast host and investigative journalist.

Carl Marsh I know you’re not averse to touching on topics that most journalists would shy away from, so when did your involvement commence for this podcast?

Mobeen Azhar I’ve done a fair few UK and international true crime-type stories. I remember the first time I actually heard about EncroChat was towards the end of 2018. I was covering a drug trial in Leeds for a series I also made for the BBC. It was called ‘Hometown’. And as part of that, I remember one of the co-accused was asked about the fact that they had possession of an EncroChat phone.

At the time, I remember thinking this sounded new, and it sounded different. So, I started doing a bit of research into what they were. I recall the co-defendant when he took the stand, and it’s quite funny; he said he had this encrypted phone because many girls asked for his number, and he didn’t want to give them his actual number. So, he used an EncroChat phone for that.

[Laughter] I got more curious, and I remember going into this kind of, you know, off-the-beaten-track type phone shops, and asking about EncroChat phones, and them saying, “You know, there’s only a certain type of person that would use that. They’re really expensive, and we can get you one. But that’ll take a bit of time. And they come from London or Liverpool.” I remember them saying that.

And then, in 2020, I saw the initial reports that the Met Police had been involved in some hack and were using these messages at the time to secure arrests. I just knew that it was a story that I wanted to cover. And then fast forward a couple of years later, and BBC studios, you know, had helped negotiate this amazing access.

Then, I just had to get involved.

‘Gangster Presents... Catching the Kingpins’ is available as a podcast now.

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Words by Carl Marsh

Interview with Huw Stephens Huw Stephens launched his new BBC Radio 6 Music show from 4-7 pm every Tuesday to Friday from the BBC Cymru Wales radio studios in Cardiff. I chatted to Huw about his big ideas for the show.

Carl Marsh How will your new radio show differ from anything you currently do or have done in the past?

Huw Stephens Well, we got live sessions on the program: a daily pop quiz and many interviews. I suppose I’ll try to reflect on the music I’ve grown up with and the music I love. But what I love about 6 Music is that it’s so eclectic. There’s a lot of different styles and genres. And the show is 100% about the music that we play. We choose interesting tunes that we haven’t heard on the radio in a long time, that kind of thing. So a lot is going on in this programme.

I’m a massive fan of 6 Music as well as being a presenter.

I absolutely love the show and will do the one that I would want to listen to between four and seven.

Carl Marsh That’s also the magic of music, isn’t it? You can be a fan of one genre, but BBC Radio 6 Music will bring you out of your audio comfort zone and introduce you to new genres.

Huw Stephens Absolutely, mate. You know, it’s about gigs, supporting new music and bands. We all know about amazing bands, but the others need that spotlight and that platform. So to have a show where I can say, “This is Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, The album was amazing. Go listen to them”, for example. And to play them next to big songs that we know and love. It works well. But 6 Music is important in putting in artists through all genres. And with people paying attention, I’ll try to respect that with every show.

“Hear Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Sounds every Tuesday – Friday, 4-7 pm.”

Interview with Reginald D. Hunter

Words by Carl Marsh

Interview with Tom Houghton Legendary comedian Reginald D. Hunter is back in Wales at The Glee Club Cardiff on 17th March.

Perhaps one of the best comedy exports from the US, Mr Hunter doesn’t suffer fools likely; heckle him if you dare!

Carl Marsh When it comes to your live shows, do you ever anticipate any audience comments for anything you’ve said on social media or in the press?

Reginald D Hunter Yeah, man. Well, I mean, I know that most people who come and see my show come to have a good time. But there’s a group of people who come to see my show, and they are into being recreationally… offended. So I hope to have something for everybody.

Carl Marsh You’ve got to expect it.

Reginald D Hunter [Laughs] I remember my sister told me a long time ago: “One of the problems with democracy is that idiots are encouraged to have opinions too”. [Laughter] Carl Marsh What main topics will you be touching on for the Welsh crowd?

Comedian Tom Houghton brings his new show, ‘It’s Not Ideal’, to The Glee Club Cardiff on 21st May. After a fantastic break-out year, the multi-viral, social media sensation, star of Netflix’s “The Circle” and host of “Very British Problems: Live” and “Bad Manors” podcast, I caught up with him for a chat via Zoom.

Carl Marsh Besides the title, which inherently gives nothing away, what’s the theme of your new tour?

Tom Houghton Last year, the show was called ‘Absolute Shambles’. This one’s called ‘It’s Not Ideal’, which suggests that things are getting a bit better, even though they’re not perfect yet. And it’s a show I’ve had a year of tackling a couple of my shortcomings as a person and sort of reinventing myself a bit. So, I lived in the Tower of London for six years, and I’ve moved out, and I’m now in my new flat, which I’ve lived in for a year.

I also went through a breakup as I moved in. So it’s been like finding myself and who I am, living on my own and being on my own again. It’s one thing having your own place where there aren’t Beefeaters and Queens [Kings] Guards running around anymore. Now, it’s just drunken students outside my house. I’ve also got house keys for the first time in six years, that’s quite interesting.

Carl Marsh That’s enough to talk about! Surely nothing else?

Tom Houghton I also had a long period of time going sober this year Reginald D Hunter because I realised that I was - I think - maybe verging on Part of it is about mothers and sons. You know, as men, we going the wrong way with alcohol. So, I tackled that one may love our fathers, but we have an almost pathological and reframed myself. And then also, I believe this having a protectionism towards our mothers even if we grew up to second wind of a reimagining of my identity has come at the hate women, date women, or become women. So, there’s same time as everyone else in the country. I suppose we’re a little bit of that. And… I’m 54 years old, so I’m an old dude having an identity crisis. We’re moving on, we’re progressnow. I’m a rookie old dude, but I’m still an old dude. So, I ing. We’ve got a King now instead of a Queen. So, I tackle will talk about some challenging things you recognise from the Coronation. My Dad was part of the Coronation, which the 70s and 80s. And they’re coming back around. And was a very proud moment. So yeah, I think it’s a show about you see through that, but then you know, you wonder if the accepting yourself and the reality of things and then moving world is spinning faster than it ever has. Or it just could be forward, progressing, and bettering yourself. because you’re getting old and you’re getting more resistant to change. So, you know, stuff like that.

Catch Tom Houghton at The Glee Club Cardiff on 21st Reginald D. Hunter - The Glee Club Cardiff - 17th March.

May.

CARDIFF-TIMES.CO.UK 15

Travel Review - Michigan

When people think of Michigan, they instantly think it’s the birthplace of the Ford Motor Company and Motown - and rightly so - yet it’s got so much more than that. I got to experience a small amount of what Michigan can offer, as the State - like most of America - is vast. My trip was only for a week, but by the end of it, I wished it had been for a month or more!

Day One My first destination was Detroit, having flown in from Heathrow Airport directly with Delta Airlines. My accommodation was the stunningly restored former Book Tower, now called the ROOST Apartment Hotel. Located in Downtown Detroit’s Historic District, it had only been open a few days, so the restaurants weren’t open until after I’d left. The rooms are more like a mini-apartment.

I had a washing machine and a full working kitchen! Dinner that evening was at Union Assembly, where I got to sample a few house cocktails and enjoy delicious food while listening to the Major League Baseball game that was going on over the road at the Comerica Park stadium. The Detroit Tigers were playing against the Chicago Cubs, and unlike UK sports, Baseball games are played over a few nights.

Words by Carl Marsh

he was assassinated, even the Lincoln Continental that John F Kennedy had his life prematurely ended on that dark day in Texas; the Wright Brothers bicycle shop and Edison’s laboratory are there too. It also houses some of the most enormous trains I’ve ever seen!

That night, I saw the Detroit Tigers v Chicago Cubs on night two of their home games. If Baseball is not on your wish list, within walking distance around the Comerica Park stadium are Detroit’s NFL, NBA and NHL teams. So, if American Football, Basketball or Ice Hockey are your thing, and time of season/home games permitting, you could be spoilt for choice in Detroit.

Day Two After a very early morning tour of Downtown Detroit, where I learned its history and its current restoration via hundreds of millions of dollars worth of investments, I visited the Detroit Institute of Arts. Located in Midtown Detroit, a vast place, it has over 100 galleries spread over 658,000 square feet. Home to one of the world’s most extensive and significant art collections.

And it’s not just paintings to see; if you look for it, you will find the original Kermit the Frog!

Quickly stopping off at the original Motown House [Hitsville USA] - now a museum - it felt surreal walking around where the likes of The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and many others started. From there, I journeyed to the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum, where Henry Ford started making his original cars, then visited the Ford Motor Company Dearborn Truck Plant to witness today’s Ford F-150 constructed on a live assembly line with robots and humans working side by side. A shuttle bus took me to the Henry Ford Museum Of American Innovation, where the Ford family has collected many items over the years, not just cars made by themselves! You’ll be able to see the theatre chair Abraham Lincoln was sitting in when

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Day Three From Detroit, I travelled to Holland, which was named thus by Dutch immigrants who settled in America in the 1800s. This town has more than a name and descendants to its credit, as you’ll find a De Zwaan windmill, Friesian horses and an authentic street organ from Holland at Windmill Island. The windmill was purchased in Holland and shipped over. It is a working mill, with wheat ground into flour like it has been for centuries in Europe.

Holland (Michigan) is as picturesque and quintessential of an ideal US town. And it is, by far. Accommodation was at The Courtyard Holland Downtown, which ticked all the boxes for a relaxing stay. It also has an indoor pool.

Day Four My following location was Grand Rapids, only a short distance from Holland. It got its name from the rivers’ rapids before dams were brought in. Just outside of Grand Rapids is the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Created by the superstore conglomerate Meijer family to house and show their vast collection of sculptures from artists like Anish Kapoor, Rodin and Degas. The highlight for me was ‘Leonardo da Vinci’s Horse: The American Horse by Nina Akamu’. Set in bronze, this sculpture is 24 feet (7.3 m) tall and is a joy to behold.

In the afternoon, I went on a beer aficionado dream trip [for the record, I don’t drink beer] to a tour of Founders Brewing Company. Learning about the whole process of making beer from start to finish was fascinating. I was impressed at how the company had solved any issues making beer on a grander level once they’d wanted to expand and how they implemented bespoke equipment or building alterations to solve those problems. A visit to the Grand Rapids Downtown Market is a must. Seeing all the fresh meat and fish, various hot/cold food offerings, and popcorn sellers… I wish I could have brought full suitcases home, but it would have sadly gone off!

My stay was at The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel Grand Rapids, a very opulent hotel, yet very welcoming and extremely relaxed.

My room had floor-to-ceiling windows that looked upstream of the Grand River. I had a fillet steak at Bistro Bella Vita for the evening meal. What a meal. What a place!

Day Five Today was the long drive up to Traverse City. Situated on the top left of the State of Michigan, it’s renowned as the ‘Cherry Capital Of The World’. And having tasted some there, I can’t disagree!

After lunch in the picturesque town where I ate at the Grand Traverse Pie Company, I didn’t leave a morsel of the pie and dessert. Check this place out if you are in town.

In the afternoon, I went to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, an area of walks and biking trails that follows Lake Michigan to its left. The sand dunes are something else, rising over a hundred meters from the water’s edge, but sadly, even though I could have rolled down, the walk back up would have been impossible for me!

Before a perfect evening meal at Artisan, perhaps the best restaurant in Traverse City, enjoying glorious lakeside views over Lake Michigan, I went on a wine tasting to Black Star Farms.

Open to the public, you can pay to sample the wines. Just don’t drive! I also learnt that their wine is not exported internationally as demand nationally outstrips supply. This seems to be the case for all the wine produced in Michigan. If you love golf, then my stay at Grand Traverse Resort & Spa is for you. It also has a casino.

It’s huge.

Day Six Saugatuck is a few hour’s drive south from Traverse City and the one place of this trip that, if money were no object, I’d want to have a holiday home here. It’s as old-worldly as it comes and so relaxed and friendly. After some free time exploring what the town and shops were like. I checked into my hotel, one of the town’s oldest buildings. Originally from the 1930s, it was restored to its former glory into the Judson Heath Colonial Inn. The owners are your hosts and are full of information about how this project was and is their life.

Following lunch at the Waterfront BARge, looking at all those fantastic boats, I went on a paddle boat [Star of Saugtuck] cruise out of the marina to Lake Michigan. I was surprised to find out and feel - that the lake is tidal, and the waves certainly cemented that for me! Afterwards, I went wine tasting at Modales in Fennville. I can get used to sampling all of Michigan’s outstanding wines. In the evening, dinner was at Borrowed Time, where live music was played, and I then watched the sunset at Oval Beach.

This was the perfect end not only to the evening but also to the holiday. www.puremichigan.org www.visitdetroit.com

CARDIFF-TIMES.CO.UK 17

GET EXCITED

BY SCIENCE! 100+ hands-on exhibits Live science shows Star Tours KLA Lab workshops

OPEN 10am – 5pm every weekend & throughout the school holidays

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techniquest.org

Spring into Science in Cardiff Bay

Techniquest • Cardiff UK • Science Discovery Centre

There’ll be some egg-straordinary science at Techniquest this Easter as the doors are thrown open from 10am to 5pm every single day of the holidays.

With over 100 hands-on pieces and puzzles to explore — including recent additions like a Coloured Shadows exhibit in the low-light zone, and a new Hot Air Balloon — there’s never been a better time to get egg-cited by science!

Take a look online to find out what else is happening at the science discovery centre this month: live science shows, Star Tours and workshops in the KLA Lab are all waiting to be discovered.

18 CARDIFF TIMES

Feed inquisitive minds with something even better than chocolate this Easter, and remember to book ahead at techniquest.org to avoid disappointment.

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CARDIFF-TIMES.CO.UK 19

Joshua John

by Ralph Oates

Image courtesy of Umbreen Khan In this edition of the Cardiff Times I spoke with Joshua John, an exciting fighter who gives his views on various aspects of the sport.

Ralph Oates In which year were you born?

Joshua John I was born in 1994.

Joshua John Fairfield ABC, it’s now called Briton Ferry ABC. Ralph Oates Can you remember how many amateur fights you had?

Joshua John I had 99 fights.

Ralph Oates Have any members of your family ever boxed?

Ralph Oates Where in Wales were you born?

Joshua John No other members of my family ever boxed, I was the first to do so.

Joshua John I was born in Port Talbot.

Ralph Oates Who was your first amateur opponent?

Ralph Oates What made you take up boxing?

Joshua John Huwie, he was from Pappy’s brothers gym in Trostre in Llanelli, I boxed him in my 6th fight as well.

Joshua John I started boxing because my coach Pappy Jones opened a new gym just opposite my childhood home and there wasn’t anything like that around us, so me and all my friends joined the gym and I never left.

Ralph Oates Which amateur club did you box for?

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Ralph Oates Who was your most difficult amateur opponent?

Joshua John It’s got to be either Luke McCormack or Samson Sykes it’s difficult to split them.

Ralph Oates Who has been your most difficult professional opponent to date?

Joshua John I would say Mark McKeown.

Ralph Oates In which stance do you box - southpaw or orthodox?

Joshua John I box in the orthodox stance.

Ralph Oates How do you feel about there being so many world boxing organisations like the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO in professional boxing?

Joshua John I have never given it too much consideration to be honest.

Ralph Oates Which is your favourite weight division?

Ralph Oates How do you feel about fighting southpaws?

Joshua John Since it is the division I box in; it’s got to be super-bantamweight.

Joshua John I feel no difference in boxing a southpaw from one who boxes orthodox.

Ralph Oates Who is your favourite old-time fighter?

Ralph Oates How many professional bouts have you now had to date?

Joshua John Muhammad Ali, he was outstanding. The first fighter to win the world heavyweight title on three separate occasions.

Joshua John At the time of this interview I’ve had 10 professional fights.

Ralph Oates Who is your favourite modern-day fighter?

Ralph Oates How many have you won?

Joshua John 8 Ralph Oates Who is your manager?

Joshua John My manager is Chris Sanigar.

Ralph Oates What has been your greatest achievement to date?

Joshua John My biggest achievement to date as a professional, is having two title shots which unfortunately, I came up short in. However, I hope to have other title opportunities in the future whereby I will be more successful.

Ralph Oates Are you pleased about the progress women are now making in boxing?

Joshua John Yes I’m pleased about the progress in woman’s boxing. I’m happy they are getting the recognition they deserve.

Ralph Oates How do feel about there being so many weight divisions in professional boxing?

Joshua John I think it’s good that we have so many weight divisions it makes the sport safer in my opinion.

Joshua John Vasiliy Lomachenko another outstanding fighter whose record both amateur and professional highlights this very fact.

Ralph Oates Do you have a favourite boxing movie?

Joshua John It’s got to be Rocky with Sylvester Stallone who of course played the title role.

Ralph Oates What is was the best advice you have been given with regards to boxing?

Joshua John Work hard and believe in yourself but most of all enjoy it.

Ralph Oates What are your ambitions for the future?

Joshua John Win as many titles as I can and show the world just how good I am.

Joshua is full of ambition which of course is a must for any boxer looking to become a champion. Joshua is competing in the super-bantamweight division which is a tough category containing many outstanding fighters.

However Joshua can succeed in time and add his name to the list of the many Welsh boxers who have achieved championship status. We at Cardiff Times wish him every success for the future.

CARDIFF-TIMES.CO.UK 21

22 CARDIFF-TIMES.CO.UK

THE PUMPING STATION

ANTIQUES & INTERIORS

With more than 35 different traders under one roof it is easy to while away an entire afternoon at this welcoming destination - you can even enjoy a coffee at the onsite coffee shop.

Here at The Pumping Station you will find so many wonderful examples of clothing, jewellery, antiques, furniture and home furnishings from the Victorian era right through to modern day, there really is something here for everyone.

info@thepumpingstation-cardiff.co.uk

02920 221 085

Monday to Sunday 10:00am - 5:00pm Penarth Road, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, CF11 8TT

CARDIFF-TIMES.CO.UK 23

A WORLD OF SUPERSTITIONS SOME STRANGE - SOME SINISTER

The Rev. Alexander Macgregor (writing in 1922) explains that ‘Superstitions’ is a Latin word whose secret has been lost, so that except for a guess, the meaning of the word can never be recovered!

However, he adds, the mere fact that it was once a living force commends it to our interest, for even when we laugh at old beliefs, and try and explain them away, they still intrigue us and win our interest.

In another dictionary, the everyday Readers Digest Universal Dictionary, tells us that it means: a) An unfounded belief that some action or circumstance completely unrelated to a course of events can influence its outcome. b) A fear of the mysterious or unknown. c) Any belief, practice or rite unreasonably upheld by faith in magic, chance, or dogma. d) A fearful or abject dependence on such beliefs.

When I was a child living with grandparents, they introduced me to a fund of recollections from their past, my grandmother’s past in particular. She was born in the 1880’s into a strong Welsh community and worshipped in a Welsh Baptist Chapel called Moriah. From her and at a fairly young age I linked many of her firmly held beliefs to the influence of the Welsh Baptist cause, remembering now, of course that many of the leaders of her community were 24 CARDIFF TIMES

by Sara John

themselves born in the 1850’s, and spent their lives never leaving that tightly-knit community or ever living any distance from where they were born and brought up, either in the rural countryside or in the Welsh industrial valleys.

There were larger families in those days, poor circumstances, and low wages for the father, likely to be the only paid employee in the household, were not the best of backgrounds to raise children. My father, as one of thirteen children, was raised with his siblings in a family well used to poor health.

Houses, although spotlessly scrubbed and polished, were too small for purpose, and many working-class households even took in lodgers who, for a little extra income, with shift working as the norm, could share sleeping space with another man. Furthermore, it was only towards the end of the nineteenth century that doctors became available to tend to the poor. It had been agreed that miners and others working in the local colliery would contribute a penny or more each week, to an “Insurance Fund” in exchange for medical help when needed, for their families and for themselves. The earliest beginnings of the National Health Service!

These depressing circumstances affected Childrens’ education, beliefs, and potential opportunities. The expectation within the household was that at the first opportunity, when the boys had reached their fourteenth birthday, they would work alongside an older brother or their father underground.

The work was hard, the hours were long, it was unlikely that any young boy would be tempted to study mathematics, physics, or geology after the end of their working day.

There was a pattern, a tradition, having received only the bare bones of an education that youngsters looked to their reputations as strong boys, likely to grow into strong men for their future security. The downside was they did not seek answers from books, they were not good at finding answers to problems, they were often suspicious of learning of any sort. This might be why it took a number of educational acts, newly built schools, and better training for teachers before this new generation could let go of what they had learnt not from their parents but from grandparents.

Up until the early years of the last century there were no hospitals in the valleys, so they probably had to help look after a sick child. The seriously sick were whisked off to the infirmary in Cardiff. It was spoken, in whispers in front of children that if you were taken to Cardiff, the likelihood was you were going to die. For many it turned out to be true.

Gradually funds were raised in the Valleys of South Wales and cottage hospitals were built. There was a fever hospital in Ystrad mostly for children with diphtheria, scarlet fever, whooping cough, and measles. The cottage hospitals were small, immaculate, well run and very efficient. I would go so far as to suggest that young girls going to visit relatives who were patients there would make up their minds that they too wanted to nurse the sick. In those days, of course, most of the actual training of young nurses took place at the patients’ bedside and on the hospital wards.

This would have been in complete contrast to sick children being forced to drink a concoction grown and mixed up by Granny from an old family recipe. This was at a time at the beginning of the last century when the older folk preferred what they had known all their lives, and the younger ones welcomed the bright, new, and sunny cottage hospitals with kindly and trained staff who knew what they were doing.

The world was changing rapidly and old beliefs, family legends along with other folktales were being set aside.

With the new emphasis on children’s health, vaccinations were compulsory and if you did not agree with or organise an appointment for vaccinations for your children you could end up in court, and possibly be fined for non-compliance with the law.

The laws regarding compulsory vaccinations were less likely to be welcomed by the older generation. They

would have been fearful, suspicious, and worried about what was in the nurse’s hand as she was injecting the little patients. Sadly, some of that suspicion is still being discussed and argued over even today.

Today there is still a market for books about the abnormal, the suspicious activities of others, in particular groups of people who form an association with aims, rules, and beliefs that are outside the mainstream, often seen as cults. Newspapers often offer articles about how to “deal” with disputes with such groups who proclaim a different approach to life’s problems from what has been, in the past, the norm.

Closer to home, differences of opinion often erupt between the generations within families, frequently as the younger generation reach an age where they have confidence in their own opinions. Parents and grandparents can have difficulty in keeping up with changing fashions in new ideas, music, sport, clothing, education, jobs and future planning, often fed by online services.

Slowly the lack of reliable research, coupled with the difficulties in appreciating the younger person’s argument.

Some parents would by this stage wonder whether their expensively educated offspring can actually read and write. Questions arise as to who in the outside world is ever going to employ them?

This is where many of the old ideas, memories, habits, previous means of dealing with problems reemerge. Suggestions from grandparents (starting off with ‘Before the War’) and recall of their own past efforts are dismissed by the younger generation. Gradually the reliance on memories of home-made medicines, natural cures, self-sufficiency and so on have become eroded from everyday living as the new age beckons.

Against this background, the modern world has no truck with old ways, and particularly the dark forests of superstitions. Halloween has become a commercialised event and may not survive. The same goes for November the fifth. In mid-December of last year, I saw Cardiff shops almost overwhelmed with customers who were being reminded of the need to purchase enough food, candles, cards, presents, perfume, drinks to take them to December 27!

Any mention of the Baby Jesus??? No! Who? Back to the title, back to the fascinating (perhaps only to my generation?) topic of superstitions. Topics for further coverage range from the “Little people”, ghostly houses, the dark, items disappearing, dreams and nightmares and, of course, the supernatural.

Nowadays, grandchildren have little knowledge of what, CARDIFF-TIMES.CO.UK 25

for example, a wet Welsh Sunday was like.

Older folk were obedient to the still fresh, to them, instructions from their own childhoods. You went to church or chapel three times on a Sunday, or just once in the afternoon if you were a youngster. My grandmother forbade me to look in a mirror on a Sunday, you could read the Bible but no other books, magazines, or newspapers. No homework could be completed. No dressmaking, embroidery or sewing. No drawing or painting, no games, no housework apart from the basic essentials. No letters written.

These forbidden activities were adhered to in all seriousness. As I grew older, I did not ever observe terrible mishaps befalling those who dared sew a button on a garment ready for the following day. Also, you could not take the children to the park because there was a heavy iron chain and lock on the gate!

Activities were further curtailed because everywhere was shut. Barred. Locked up. Shuttered, closed, and forbidden.

The radio in my grandparents’ home belonged to my grandfather and he and only he switched it on and off.

He only listened to the one o’clock and six o’clock news broadcast and The Archers. That was during the week.

Wireless listening for anyone else, at the weekend was out of the question. Well, you did not ask, the answer was always “No.” The only exciting incident that I remember, and it happened more than once, was the likelihood of a heavy thunderstorm in the summertime, frequently on a Sunday.

My grandmother then demanded that the front door and back door, which led to the garden, stay wide open. This was to aid a thunderbolt, if it appeared to roll into the hall from the front door, over the hall rugs, through the house and aiming for the back door would disappear, or so they told me, and would come to rest in the garden. I pictured this “thunderbolt” never ever seen by any human being to be the size of a football, silver coloured and powered by some internal mechanism. Clearly it intended to blow itself up if any human went anywhere near it. But, disappointingly for me, it never came.

Traditionally it was mothers who laid the foundations for behaviour, play, interaction with other children, fair shares and so on.

However, in my case very much affected by the heavy presence of an elderly woman who believed so much nonsense, (my grandmother) yet was quite unaware of the effect these superstitions had on little ones. I welcomed a 26 CARDIFF TIMES

visit with my father to my other Grandma, (his mother) a perfect example of a fair-minded, very kind and patient lady who had had thirteen children. She was much loved and told stories of fairies in green satin dresses in the woods of her native Pembrokeshire where she grew up, the fairies lured young men to dance with them on the green grassy hillsides. The young men wanted to stay, and thought they had, for at least the evening of the dancing.

When they returned to their own homes, they were shocked to hear they had been away for a year and a day.

Their families had been worried and feared the worst.

Rural communities were widely scattered over a map of the area. Communities were linked by tracks and roads, often these led to other tracks and roads and on to another not dissimilar church and village community. Up until the first World War, the Welsh did not travel far, we were not explorers. Families would all share their own ancient superstitions often based on a tale of either good luck or bad luck befalling a family member who risked starting a project on a Sunday, or collecting, cooking and eating the ‘Wrong’ mushrooms!

There are any many aspects to this topic including a favourite among young girls: stories about preparing to meet your ideal partner (tall, dark, and handsome), often by utilising tea leaves left at the bottom of a cup. The arrangements for a tryst, avoiding pitfalls, village gossip, and tears of disappointment when eventually realising no such person existed - for the moment perhaps. Later, if a union was on the cards, methods of avoiding any interference from the Little Folk had to be found.

This apprehension is still the subject of books even today for brides to be although the fairies may be disguised by using other terms.

Another area of concern would be preparations for the arrival of a baby. Clear instructions from senior relatives that the expectant mother MUST NOT use a New Cot. The sleeping arrangements for the new arrival must have been used by a previous incumbent!

I mentioned sickness and illness, the weather, travel arrangements, childbirth, the bidding, and so much more.

All to be rediscovered in future articles in this magazine hopefully by not walking under ladders, not stepping on the lines on pavements, keeping my fingers and toes crossed, that I am spared by the Almighty to survive long enough to find out more; remembering how to spell, and, recalling accurately, where to place the commas.

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International Day of Happiness

By Natalie McCulloch

across time. So, perhaps the real question is, what does being happy mean to you?

In her book ‘The How of Happiness’ positive psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky describes happiness as “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile” Aristotle amplifies this explanation by stating “Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and the end of human existence”

It is said that as a child, John Lennon, was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up.

Do you know what he answered?

•To be 1/4 of one of the most influential bands of 1960s? NO! •To have millions of copies of his songs sold worldwide? NO! •To be idolised by fans globally? NO! In fact, his answer was quite simple (but possibly unappreciated by teachers): “Happy” They told him he didn’t understand the assignment and he told them they didn’t understand life.

A thought-provoking response perhaps.

But what does being “Happy” mean and how achievable is it?

Being happy is difficult to define. Some theorise that happiness is not a fixed objective goal, but an individualised subjective state, some theorise, it’s more of a collective, than an individual pursuit.

Being happy is also said to differ within cultures and across generations as well as on an individual basis 28 CARDIFF TIMES

In terms of achieving true happiness, research suggests that what people think will make them happy quite often doesn’t play as large a role in happiness as people believe. For example, people equate holidays to exotic hot countries, high paying jobs, lavish lifestyles, and a perfect bill of clean health, as equating to happiness whereas research suggests the correlation between these things and a state of happiness in not strong at all.

Sir Richard Branson stated: “Too many people measure how successful they are by how much money they make or the people that they associate with. In my opinion, true success should be measured by how happy you are” Some of the factors that have actually been most closely linked to happiness are: • Having strong social relationships whether this be peers, friends, family, religious groups, or spouses.

• Genetic predispositions or personality traits such as having a stable personality, being outgoing, assertive, and sociable.

• Not comparing oneself to others.

• Having realistic and achievable goals and aspirations.

• Emphasising inner enrichment over material satisfaction.

A lovely visual explanation of this is the happiness pie, which is a model for the factors that determine happiness. It proposes that 50% of happiness is due to genes, 10% due to life circumstances and 40% due to personal choices we make and activities we engage in.

not just growing the economy, should be a priority as it is directly linked to the prosperity of the planet.

So, they declared 20th March annually to be a day dedicated to just that!

11 years on The International Day of Happiness is not just another date on the calendar, but a global movement towards a happier, more inclusive, and resilient world.

How achievable a state of true happiness is, is questionable, but the goal of happiness is something many people strive towards and the research behind why, speaks volumes…

Alongside the positive feelings that being happy gives us thanks to the ‘happy hormone’ serotonin and the ability to experience increased productivity, some of the health benefits of happiness are said to include: •A stronger immune system •Stronger resilience in the face of stress •Less cardiovascular disease •Quicker recovery times from illness or surgery •More positive lifestyle choices (such as drinking moderately, eating well, and exercising healthily) Considering this, why wouldn’t we all want a little more “happiness” in our lives?!

Of course, with anything barriers and obstacles to being happy can arise such as comparison, excessive worry, lack of gratitude, traumatic life experiences or burnout/overload.

Ask yourself this, ‘When did you last reflect on your own happiness?’

Why not take a moment or two to reflect now?

If, on reflection, you are not in a state of true happiness, do not fear, there are strategies, support, and small steps you can take to give your life a bit of a happiness makeover!

And guess what?! Now is the perfect opportunity to start becoming more aware of your happiness as March sees International Day of Happiness being celebrated!

But what is International Day of Happiness?

In 2013 the United Nations recognised that happiness and wellbeing should be a fundamental human goal and that increasing human happiness,

… and guess what?! YOU are invited to get involved!

SO, on March 20th why not give it a go: Some ideas to boost your happiness are: •Build strong relationships or strengthen existing ones (and don’t be afraid to filter out toxic relationships - as they say “some people bring joy from entering our lives, others from leaving).

• Start a gratitude diary – list 3 things every day you are grateful for.

• Help others, do random acts of kindness, volunteer (this actually helps to help you too!).

• Learn a new skill (It will help with a sense of achievement and boost your self-confidence).

• Review your goals or set new ones - become more reflective and mindful of achieving this day to day.

• Reflect on any stressors or unhappiness or fearful feelings that are compromising your sense of happiness and vow to make small changes to resolve them.

• Treat yourself to something nice – whether this be a nice walk somewhere, a bubble bath or watching a favourite film – you deserve it after all!

If the thought of these things feels a bit unfamiliar or overwhelming, fear not, you are not alone. Luckily there is plenty of support if you need it, such as online resources, self-help podcasts, groups that offer engagement with others or services through the charities such as MIND. A great example is the ’Action for happiness’ website which offers a free online programme to boost your wellbeing, free coaching, free online talks and much more, simply log onto the ‘action for happiness’ website https://10daysofhappiness.org/ Of course, we all have our own definitions of happiness, so, however you choose to celebrate the day it is the right way! Make March the month to make your happiness your priority!

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