Movers and shakers!

by Wyn Evans

The Easter holidays saw us taking advantage of the fine weather. We managed to get up to the Bannau Brycheiniog national park and fire a few (camera) shots off. Incidentally, didn’t the renaming of the Brecon Beacons cause a totally unmerited culture clash? There were any number of comment pieces in the Daily Telegraph more or less predicting the end of civilisation as we know it. A Guardian columnist meanwhile managed to crowbarin each of the following grizzled old tropes:

• ‘Some visitors to Wales invoke [this] when they reflect on having walked into a pub or bar: “Immediately,” they say, “everyone started speaking Welsh.” This is taken as an affront, an act of rudeness, exclusion or even aggression. Never is it considered that the Welsh clientele may have been simply speaking their own language in their own country. But that’s OK, she was only being humorous, or was it irony?’

• ‘I’m married to an Englishman whose family once owned a holiday cottage in the county I grew up in (before I burned it down!).’

• ‘Formative experiences of being heckled as a Saes (i.e. an Englishman) by blueeyed, dark-haired Welsh girls.’

• ‘I’ll be curious to know how many street parties will be happening in Gwynedd on the coronation weekend.’

Still, she redeemed herself by pointing out that the name change was merely a case of the national park “…dropping its English language name and scrapping its logo of a fiery greenhouse gas-emitting beacon”.

This last weekend we followed the winding roads of the Wye valley up past Tintern and crossing back over the Bannau before ending up in Ystradfellte. This was essentially me ‘following my nose’, as dad used to say, so it’s no surprise that it was a long, crooked journey or that we got lost more than once. My, but what a wonderful place we inhabit: the terrain owing its majestic sweep to the glaciers of the last ice age; the mountain ponies and hardy sheep. Unfortunately, my Parkinson’s was in the ascendant and we didn’t feel we could follow the river walks to the magnificent waterfalls. But we shall be back this summer for sure.

Given its appearance in the previous paragraph maybe I should update on the current state of my Parkinson’s. First, however, for any newbies, I was diagnosed with Parkie’s back in 2016 and I will occasionally comment here about its progress. Unfortunately, its progress can also be measured by my decline. It really doesn’t help much to learn that Billy Connolly, the Scottish comic, Michael J Fox, the American actor, or the late Mohammed Ali also have/had Parkinson’s. What is of greater interest is that six quite well known present-day friends and celebrities have the disease and have banded together to create a weekly Saturday podcast which they call “Movers and shakers: a podcast about life with Parkinson’s.” Each week, this group of friends discuss their experiences with Parkinson’s; the highs and lows, trials and tribulations, and the unexpected changes that have popped up over the years.

The six are: Rory Cellan-Jones, Mark Mardell and Jeremy Paxman (all ex-BBC), High Court judge Sir Nicholas Mostyn; screenwriter and stand-up comedian Paul Mayhew-Archer, and the businesswoman Gillian Lacey-Solimar. Erudite, illuminating and interlaced with gallows humour, this is an entertaining, moving and educational show. It reflects how different personalities square up to setbacks – with Paxman ribbed for his rage at the lack of medical progress and Mayhew-Archer for his Tiggerish optimism. They meet in a pub in Notting Hill and they all seem prepared to be honest about their condition and feelings. If you or a loved-one have Parkinson’s I strongly recommend that you give these podcasts a listen. It’s fascinating to hear about new techniques and the effects of Deep Brain Stimulation. Or being moved by the programme about coping, or surprised by another about lesser-known symptoms of Parkie’s.

As far as my symptoms go the three most annoying pains-in-the-butt are: posture in the lower back leading to a constant ache and problems walking; a runny nose that pleases itself when it’s in the mood and switches itself on and off without reference to my views on the matter; and a sudden need to lie down and crash out. In fact, that’s how I’m feeling right now, so it’s so long from me for another month. I hope you and yours stay healthy or, at least, able to cope.

Footnote

1. https://www.theguardian.com/ commentisfree/2023/apr/21/bannaubrycheiniog-welsh-national-park-toryculture-war-brecon-beacons

2. https://www.instagram.com/ moversandshakerspod/