Cardiff Times September 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021

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CARDIFF TIMES

PUBLISHER Cardiff Times

EDITOR Louise Denning 07903 947594 FEATURES EDITOR Mark Denning 07758 247194 SALES & MARKETING Beth beth@cardiff-times.co.uk CONTRIBUTORS Wyn Evans, Vince Nolan, Sara John, Molly Dutton, Carl Marsh, Michael Fogg, Kellie Williams, Ralph Oates, Jen Abell

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EDITORS LETTER

Welcome Hi All, and welcome to our September issue.

It has been increasingly difficult to find advertising for this month’s issue. Without it, the magazine wouldn't exist, so it goes without saying it's been challenging. We are so grateful that we have so many loyal advertisers and new advertisers coming on board also.

This magazine only exists because it's supported by you, so a huge thank you to all of you for keeping it going.

With a magazine like ours you need content to appeal to all ages and tastes. Our contributors take so much time out of their busy working lives to create something special each month. We are so grateful to Wyn Evans, who is struggling with Parkinson's, yet continues to write for us. It hasn't been easy for our dear friend but month after month he is still creating outstanding columns for our readers. Vince Nolan has been our longest serving columnist, and never fails to crack a joke or bring a smile to our face. Vince can find humour in the simplest of places such as visiting his local supermarket or eavesdropping on strangers at his local pub with his wife Lorraine. He really needs to write a comedy book or sitcom one day. Finally, Carl Marsh is able to bring exciting, sometimes jaw dropping interviews month after month. He never holds back with his honesty and is able to find a different edge to his interviews which is certainly unique in its own right. We'll bring you more from our talented writers in the next issue.

This issue we have decided to dedicate to Alan Coulthard, who sadly passed away in August. Alan wrote many reviews, mainly specialising in music alongside Carl Marsh. Our thoughts are with his partner Kevin and family at this time. He was certainly a talented man who has gone far too soon. Carl has written a fitting tribute to Alan which can be read on page 18.

We've turned to humour in these strange times and in doing so have just read a book by John Donoghue called ‘Tails of the Unexpected’. If you need a pick me up, this is a MUST READ. John has served his country in the Royal Navy and Armed Forces, and is now working in the Police Force. The book is refreshingly funny, with so many laugh out loud moments too numerous to mention here. We shall be purchasing ALL of John's books after this read.

Please continue to stay safe everyone, and until next month, happy reading.

Louise & Mark Follow us on Twitter @CardiffTimes

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4 44 CARDIFF TIMES

September

CONTENTS

6 Thirty-two anniversaries…and counting

by Wyn Evans 8 Welcome back to St David’s Hall!

12 Don’t Forget to Spell - Czech

by Vince Nolan 15 When was the last time you woke up without your alarm clock, feeling refreshed and not needing caffeine?

by Lisa Pryce-Jones 17 Amgueddfa Cymru Digital Food Festival 18 In the Words Of

by Carl Marsh 22 A Salmagundi of Memories

by Sara John 28 Fashion Done Your Own Way

by Molly Dutton 32 20 Years of Cardiff Culture – Happy Birthday TactileBOSCH

by Jen Abell

34 Jacob’s Art Gallery hosts its first showing following the pandemic

by Kellie Williams 37 Music Lessons – you are never too young!

by Forte Music 38 Joe Calzaghe the Undefeated

by Ralph Oates 42 Protect Your Wealth

by Michael Fogg

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CARDIFF TIMES 5

Thirty-two anniversaries... and counting byWyn Evans I’m writing these lines on the day The Boss and I celebrate our thirty-second wedding anniversary.

In fact, we never quite know whether to focus our celebrations on our wedding anniversary (23rd August) or the anniversary of how long we have been together as a couple (which was some twenty months before our wedding). Either way - thirty two years or thirty three and a half - it’s a tidy sum and worthy of celebration. The trouble is, it’s one of those ‘in-between’ anniversaries isn’t it? We consulted Wikipedia to see what we could glean.

We learned that ‘the names of some anniversaries provide guidance for appropriate or traditional gifts for the spouses to give each other; if there is a party these can be brought by the guests or influence the theme or decoration. These gifts vary in different countries, but some years have well-established connections now common to most nations: 5th Wood, 10th Tin, 15th Crystal, 20th China, 25th Silver, 30th Pearl, 35th Jade, 40th Ruby, 45th Sapphire, 50th Gold, 60th Diamond, and 70th Platinum’. It seems that ‘the modern tradition may have originated in Medieval Germany where, if a married couple lived to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their wedding, the

6 CARDIFF TIMES

wife was presented by her friends and neighbours with a silver wreath to congratulate them [on their] good fortune’.

It seems that the origins of the current gift conventions date to 1937. The original lists that were drawn up in the 1920s linked themes to the most recognised anniversary years. The first ten years of marriage were picked out for recognition followed by every fifth marital year; thus only the 1st-10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 50th, and 75th anniversaries had an associated gift. What happened in 1937 I hear you ask? Well, as far as I can tell, shopping and marketing happened. The American National Retail Jeweller Association introduced a more comprehensive list for wedding anniversary themes, and this is the one that is commonly followed today.

Apparently, ‘each of the themes has been chosen for a special reason and represents the various stages that you pass through in your marriage’.

So, just as much of the Christmas celebration has slipped away from its religious roots and become a shopping festival, so the ‘traditions’ surrounding the celebration of wedding anniversaries are strongly

influenced by commerce. As one of the websites referred to in the footnotes puts it: ‘when it comes to the best anniversary gifts for her, your special lady wife, you can use the list for inspiration’. Gee whiz, ya don’t say?!

The Boss and I then spent some time looking at what such lists recommend. According to the modern list of anniversary themes compiled by the librarians at Chicago Public Library in 2000. There are gift suggestions for every year, right up to the fiftieth anniversary, after which it becomes a little more spread out. They assure us that ‘there should be no problem finding a gift that matches the relevant theme, should you decide to follow the modern list of anniversary gifts’. For a thirty-second anniversary, the theme is ‘conveyances’. The Boss’s eyes lit up: “it means you have to buy me a second home; one of our solicitor friends can see to the conveyancing!”.

I was quick to put her right. “It says here”, I said, quoting the list, “that conveyances in this context means ‘modes of transport’ not buying another house. Besides, there are whole villages in west Wales, like Cwm-yr-Eglwys, where all bar one of the village properties are owned as second homes by outsiders. The resident locals cannot afford to bid for the properties when they come on the market. Either richer townies move in which usually means local young families moving away and Welsh-speaking communities being destroyed, or the properties are

kept vacant as holiday lets for large parts of the year. Nobody needs a second home”, I concluded dogmatically.

We turned back to the suggestions on the lists. Time for my eyes to light up!

“It says here you could get me a Ferrari love.” The Boss snorted her disapproval: “In your dreams!

Or rather, on your bike! Is that conveyance-based enough for you?!” The website notes that ‘conveyances’ does have a symbolic meaning. “The happily married pair have journeyed together on life’s path for 32 years. They have travelled across every type of surface from the rough to the smooth and have experienced the same joyful sights and the same frustrating delays. A gift that is connected to this traditional theme reminds the pair to look towards the journey that they have still to make together and the road that they are still to travel.” I don’t know about you but that sounds to me more like something a sales and marketing focus group would come out with than an inspiration for an anniversary message or gift.

There were a few suggestions however: a hot air balloon ride with a delicious champagne breakfast included; a sightseeing trip on a steam train, maybe with a romantic meal thrown in; a short helicopter buzz flight; a segway tour in their local area or a day at the roller or ice rink. We ruled these out. The Boss is bad with heights and is allergic to alcohol; the words ‘romantic meal’ and ‘steam train’ should never appear in the same sentence; a segway tour requires balance that neither The Boss (Multiple Sclerosis) nor I (Parkinson’s) possess.

In the end, rather than give up hope, we settled upon a nice meal out with our daughter, The Girl, at her favourite Chinese restaurant, in Canton; some flowers; and a quiet night in with slippers and a good book each. After thirty-two years we’ve maybe become set in a comfortable furrow but it suits us and we don’t need to invent reasons to enjoy our life as a family. And, well, there’s always next year!

CARDIFF TIMES 7

Cardiff Times September - Page 1 Editorial_Layout 1 28/08/2021 18:06 Page 1

WELCOME BACK TO ST DAVID’S HALL! On behalf of everyone at the venue, we would like to extend a huge thank you for your continued invaluable and loyal support especially over the last 18 months. We hope that you are well and are looking forward to a safe return to the National Concert Hall of Wales to enjoy our diverse range of live entertainment, which we have all missed so much.

Renowned for its world class acoustics, there’s no better place to experience the thrill of live music than the Hall, and our new and exciting Cardiff Classical season features some of the UK’s finest orchestras, conductors and soloists starting with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (Thurs 30 Sept & Fri 12 Nov). Before the end of 2021, the season also includes powerful performances from Philharmonia Orchestra (Tues 5 Oct), as well as virtuoso classical guitarist Craig Ogden (Mon 18 Oct), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (Thurs 28 Oct) and the Welsh National Opera Orchestra (Sun 21 Nov).

Our classical music offering doesn’t stop there. Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra capture the epic moments that bring down the house in Opera Spectacular (Fri 15 Oct) before returning with A Night at the Movies (Fri 10 Dec). On a similar theme, London Concert Orchestra celebrate two of the greatest film composers ever in The Music of Hans Zimmer vs John Williams (Sat 13 Nov) including cinema classics from Star Wars to Harry Potter. Plus, two of the best classical crossover vocal talents grace our stage in Russell Watson (Fri 29 Oct) and Katherine Jenkins (Thurs 18 Nov).

We also have an impressive selection of rock and pop starting with Scottish indie icons Del Amitri (Mon 13 Sept), who present their Greatest Hits and songs from Fatal Mistakes - their first new album in nearly 20 years!

Likewise, the revered songwriting duo of Nick Cave & Warren Ellis (Sun 26 Sept) perform tunes from their latest record Carnage, while legendary Queen drummer Roger Taylor (Weds 6 Oct) hits the road in support of his new solo work, Outsider. Elsewhere, there’s The Waterboys (Sun 17 Oct), Billy Bragg (Sat 30 Oct), Clannad (Sun 31 Oct) and Richard Thompson (Mon 1 Nov). Daniel O’Donnell (Weds 13 Oct) and Collabro (Thurs 14 Oct) are back by popular demand, and Jason Donovan (Mon 22 Nov) returns with Even More Good Reasons. Plus, there’s stunning soul from The Stylistics (Tues 23 Nov), folk favourites Show of Hands (Sun 28 Nov) and sing-along sea shanties with Fisherman’s Friends (Thurs 2 Dec).

As ever, the Hall is the place to be for comedy courtesy of Jonathan Pie (Sat 18 Sept), Phil Wang (Thurs 23 Sept), Ross Noble (Thurs 21 Oct) and Kevin Bloody Wilson (Thurs 11 Nov). If you’re still after something a bit different, then why not try the awe-inspiring Banff Mountain Film Festival (Tues 7 Sept) or A Celebration of the Music from Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (Thurs 16 Sept)? TOWIE star Gemma Collins (Sat 16 Oct) brings her dazzling one-woman show The GC’s Big Night Out to Cardiff, while there’s a fascinating evening in store as Alice Roberts (Weds 10 Nov) explores the history of our Ancestors.

Dare we mention Christmas yet?! Raymond Briggs’ enchanting tale The Snowman (Thurs 9 Dec) comes to the Hall for two captivating performances for the whole family, while Kate Rusby (Weds 1 Dec), The Sixteen (Sun 5 Dec) and The Rat Pack at Christmas (Thurs 16 Dec) will get you fully in the festive spirit. The year closes out in style with two weeks of magical productions from the Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of Siberia in Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Romeo & Juliet (Sat 18 Dec - Sun 2 Jan)!

Cardiff Times September - Page 2_Layout 1 25/08/2021 15:42 Page 1

BILLY BRAGG 30.10.21

RUSSELL WATSON 20th Anniversary of The Voice 29.10.21

PHIL WANG Philly Philly Wang Wang 23.09.21

THE WATERBOYS 17.10.21

CINDERELLA, THE NUTCRACKER, SWAN LAKE, ROMEO & JULIET

18.12.21 - 02.01.22

NICK CAVE & WARREN ELLIS Carnage 26.09.21

KATHERINE JENKINS Cinema Paradiso 18.11.21

ALICE ROBERTS Ancestors 10.11.21

GEMMA COLLINS The GC’s Big Night Out 16.10.21

JASON DONOVAN Even More Good Reasons 22.11.21

DEL AMITRI Greatest Hits & Fatal Mistakes 13.09.21

ROSS NOBLE Humournoid 21.10.21

Was it all Glitz and Glamour?!!

   

    

    

   

My Journey as a Belly Dancer is Elizabeth’s true story of the dangers she experienced whilst dancing in the Restaurants and Clubs as a Professional Belly Dancer. By day she worked as a Legal Secretary, finding herself in two very different worlds.

Many years later, Elizabeth received a letter delivered by a courier.

Someone from her past tracks her down saying he has such fond memories of her but does she dare meet up with him as he has become a Famous Celebrity.

A fascinating and compelling read AVA I L A B L E TO O R D E R AT

CARDIFF TIMES 11

‘And Another Thing...’

Don’t Forget To Spell-Czech

byVince Nolan

Having returned to the daily commute we have taken to van spotting to pass the journey time into Cardiff every day. The Current Mrs Nolan was riding shotgun when we pulled up behind a van which was properly sign written on the back and sides with the legend: “Indepndamt adaptions carried out.” Ignoring the obvious spelling error, I always thought they were adaptations and not adaptions but maybe I was being a bit picky (my version of road rage).

We then saw a van with “Black Lion Construction” written on the side whose logo was a white lion on a black background?

Maybe it was a photographic negative? Then we were behind a sewer cleaning tanker which carried the strap line: “We are number 1 at number 2’s” which was clever.

To finish off this fest of word and image strangeness, I recently read an article written by a Uni student which went thusly: “I graduted with a 2:1 today. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my lecturers and personal tutors who have taughted me many wonderful things.” Seems like they had not quite taughted you enough!

Herewith a mortar board for the smaller-headed gradute.

I had a Teams call with a London based client whom I was “meeting” for the first time. When asked by a Government official, who was also on the call, where the wellheeled clientele might 12 CARDIFF TIMES

come from to stay at his proposed luxury hotel development he said: “I have got Madonna on speed-dial.” Pregnant pause and a stifled laugh on my part which is difficult to hide on a Teams call. It went downhill from there. He claimed to be a self-made man and I thought it was very nice of him to take the blame. The ego had truly landed. I am beginning to wonder if it is me?

It is me. To illustrate the point, I was invited to a Webinar to discuss funding for businesses. I thought they said Wine Bar and hence my overeager acceptance. The organisers then sent me an email confirming my booking and also asking whether I had any specific event questions like transport, parking and dress code. Given the event will be conducted over the internet I will not be driving and could easily be wearing my unicorn onesie.

interruptions andcould a stream “furious debate.” ruled he turn itofdown if he wanted With held. scene, 5pm on a sunny rp the tin was. By eyes a spooky ourinsocially local, The Funky Furlough, in a hunting accident? No eye deer. this mind Idistanced have collated some quality put-downs ed to.

No pleasing some folk. weekday evening at theyou side had arthritis?” “I don’t How have whencomics a ladylong close byused to usto asked the Barmodern Manager I have decided that when Trump dies, I will give cidence, Guinness was which have deal with day entrance the Brewery on ained have to arthritis, Father,” the drunk said, “but I if theCaroline toilets were still upstairs.

He ofany course hiswas eulogy.

I will the say: “He it isthat today how was aswarmed hecklers: Street where four nded exactly time tried to Yard) to ensure we hadhe properly up since we didn’t want to pull drinking dies, in 1759 which just read in the paper that the Pope does.”

Continuingconfipensioners who could barely rmed that they were thought this to be a make-up lying muscles. only sixinoffront us turned up and a minimum ofbut tenI were required or the me nearer to myPresident……….wearing maker. I drank theUnfortunately, other three and entify “What size shoe does mouth take?” stand wereof seen hanging ontoyour Following my previous report of a couple of this case we rapidly concluded they must have Staying with the drink, there has always the rope very stupid question.

I would have said something of us. Amen.”

Ricky Tomlinson visit was off.

I engaged four old-timers who were in the bar (could have been the ared s for health“senior and safety reasons. a lamppost, for support, rather Four attendees with moments”, She Who Must Be Obeyed been the local undertakers. been much snobbery attached toknow wine. like: “I don’t I was recently asked by the son of from a good theme: “This is what comes drinking on an empty aforementioned ones thefriend Taff Vale) and asked them whether they fancied having a than illumination.

An from he and II decided to renew our stock of low cut one strident boss who make was clearly the Alpha I know have written about sell-buy dates before Indeed, people a living from it, afternoon they would when madam was of mine if I would write a urology his Dad’s head.” brewery tour and freeforbeer forSoap the afternoon.

Fearing some kind of honey trap, they took nd on She showed had bought fortrip thetoSummer to wear with trainers.

We Female. but I am makingoffa that standshe because of the the but asocks recent mysome local on offer aeulogy Friday ve discovered that there are only 3supermarket shops I that really never…… remember. but wethe funeral. I didn’t have the heart to say convincing my genuine. Cautiously, they agreed tolast joinwith us.usPicture e awas rope “bouquet” to present togiving thewhen escapee well-all purchased packs of six pairs each but make neither of who lockdowns.

I’m up wine, everyahanding day, “Iisknow where you were they from were revealed almost noZoom perishables that would the I recently had a great call with Mark Dacey (on the leS) the dynamic CEO of d during lockdown: Specsavers, Boots and scene, 5pm on a sunny moved them out to but I knew what he meant. Anyway, here is urer A drunk who smelled like that’s a Pope onknown a brains month.

No wait, not it. princely I’m giving the out………getting an extra helping ofup. budget supermarket for the sum us had our glasses with us so had to myopically following Monday.

In fact I had some doubt whether Neath Port Talbot Group of Colleges.

It does not need me to suggest the uncanny ggs. specs and drugs and sausage weekday evening at the side brewery got on a bus and sat the filled My life is justwhat car park many I wrote: Wine every dayThe all occupational month! mouth.” £3.99.

To continue the theory, it sizing.

On return to Towers theyguess wouldthe make ittotoactor the Ricky car for theNolan journey home. rope of down next to a priest. resemblance he has Tomlinson or vice versa. entrance months to the Brewery .tely I don’t know about you, butMike I have had of ago as aon My favourite tale, (heenough was affectionately lookeddrunk's like itpeople had recently lifted from one of mine fitted perfectly whilst She had What is going on because it’s nothing to purchased do with EU shirt wasbeen stained, hisa first date.

Two out on “Do you Caroline Street where four “Do you know, ifbright you wore soundproof trousers no direct consequence known as Gaddafi because of his likeness lockdown malarkey.

We don’t have to home school face was full of red Isupply know I have wriKen about sell-buy dates before but a recent trip to my local supermarket their dearly departed clients.

Said leaver arrived socks for a Closer 5-year-old insteadofofthe size 5. My Ihow issues? inspection packaging like Merlot Tammy?”

“Yes, but you don’t pensioners could Perhaps barely once owned one of the chewed pencils which one would hear word saying.” lipstick and he a had a half-you’re of who Covid19.” to the former Libyan leader), involved a tripmake nything like that but when highlight of the no fanfare, emotion, welcoming or leaving laughed! on a we Friday revealed almost no perishables that thetofollowing Monday.

In fact I revealed countries ofthe origin for fruit and vegwould like pronounce the “t.”

“Oh,seen Ok.”hanging Looks at stand were onto empty bottle of wine sticking used to write his famous works. used this is why I He dothen not run to Paris to watch Wales play France.

WecarShakespeare speeches and a date. glass of She was Tanzania and Argentina.

So these comestibles some doubt whether they would make it to the for the home.

What is going one journey day“Is leSthat on the sell-buy It takes anfor inordinate amount of skill to supply goods k washad taking the car for an MOT then it’s serious, real face orcola. are you still celebrating out ofyour his pocket.

He opened waiter: “Two Merlots me and Ammy.” a lamppost, for support, rather to chew on it so much that I couldn’t tell whether it was a pub. had developed a 20 year relationship with Who was the most famous footwear in-@me” with 24 hours to spare.

Waste levels must be astronomical. his newspaper and started are cultivated in exotic climes, picked, packaged, told that one of their number had left her card because it’swent nothing toado with supply issues?

Closer inspec@on of the packaging icularlyonas we both along for theEU excitement. and minimum of ten were required or Halloween?” than illumination.

Andog Daisyon Our friend Drthe Hpost has trained her reading.

A couple of minutes later, he asked theorpriest, "Father, whatand causes arthritis?" philosopher?

Sockrates.

Ato wife sent her a port French side and played themaround home and 2B not 2B. Staying with Bard, in days taken to the or airport, distributed UK their desk would it her whereupon countries ofthe origin for fruitoff. and vegliving, like Tanzania and Argen@na. these Staying withwomen, food,So I have been doing some research into gone what is by, no longer manufacture visitit's was engaged fourwith old-timers afternoon they would "Mister, caused

by Iloose being cheap, wicked too much alcohol, andof to bring her a bottle redLater, wine.

No surprise ave revealed “Your bus leaves in 10 minutes...

Be under it.” husband aquote romantic away ondelivered French international weekends.

On warehouses then to the shops and put on she downed her drink and left. another in order to attract women, I used to use this from Smar@es (Can the UK. The list is endless but here is a small sample: Pringles (Belgium), who were in the bar (could have been the comes@bles are cul@vated in exo@c climes, picked, packaged, taken to the port or airport, contempt for your fellowwe man," the priest replied. "Imagine that," the drunk muttered.

He remember. never…… really, she’s a Bordeaux collie.

I was sat and HP (House e’s one, what about skew-whiff?

A phrase Son and Heir and I were talking the other day. text message.

She wrote: “If you are sleeping, send particular trip (Mike’s fi rst), we did it in the the shelvesthis with one day left on the sell-buy date.

It Colman’s English Mustard ( Germany), Terrys Chocolate Orange (France) of their cabal joined them, ordered champagne returned to reading his paper.

The priest, thinking about what had said, turned tofor the him..IV, aforementioned ones from the Taff Vale) “Well, it’s aShe night out and night off for his Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act III, Scene linea 82: around UK warehouses then delivered to the shops and put he on the shelves with with Who Must Be Obeyed the other You he lives Long Beach, New nred hear.distributed Apparently, itrecall comes from the 18th Century Sauce (The Staggering. man and apologised: "I'm sorry, Iferry didn't mean to Parliament) come onme so strong.

HowNetherlands). longIf have you had takes anmay inordinate amount of skill toDover, supply goods your you are laughing, sendlike me old-fashioned way, ain bus to crossing to be told dreams. that he had missed the “fun”.

The and asked them whether they fancied family.”

A drunk who smelled ayour day whilst she sipped a glass of wine me York.

I was telling him about our 80-degree arthritis?"

"Ito don't have arthritis, Father," the drunk said, "but I just read in the paperreturned that me aunopened. “just-in-time” with spare.

Waste levels ving industry when something not straight was was then No “LiKle old lady wh smile.

If you are eating, send bite. you are and then24 onhours to Paris.

I was sitting next to him.

AtHere’s one for you: knock.”

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Thelive know.a Icourt don’tdown knownext howtoI could ever weekend awayStaying on Nantucket Island up always in Cape was reading about case where the accused judged it to be a lucky escape on her part. with the the drink, there haspassports been theysaid: took some convincing that Imy offer was your tears.

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Her husband texted back: “ as our bus and “Just hold up your drunk's shirt was stained, his I am a man of a certain age so my tolerance threshold does work as well it used to rse, this Staying should not be confused with related without you.”local I said, thatMoaning you or the wine I walked into our bar,“IsThe Monet and with food, I have beenattached doing some research Cod where it was degrees andthey lobster all the much80 snobbery to wine.

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Cautiously, agreed to join us. par@cularly when being asked toface embrace new technology.

I was therefore heartened w I’m in the toilet, please advise.” guys and I will come along and count them and was full of bright red talking?”

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I wampus (look it up, I had to). into way. what Bad is noluck longer manufactured init,the The a people make living from but UK. I am making seems to afollow him around.

JustMust read this from Jeremy Vine which Icalled think Picture the scene, 5pm a sunny weekday She Who Be Obeyed suggested Ithis download new app quite disappointed to learn that had to doWhat3Words. This is lipstick and heanothing had a halfyou.”

Mike turned to me and said “Ion didn’t know wine.” shouted “Hey Vince do you want a drink?” stand because of the lockdowns.

I’m giving up list is endless but here is a small sample: Pringles ood friend and neighbourevening of ours,atlet’s call her Dr is excellent: “We the navigate rear-view naviga@on aid which divides World intothrough 3 metre squares and gives each square a un theand side entrance to the empty bottle of wine wine, every day, month.

Nofor wait, not Happy New Year Dear Reader, the Year sticking of the we needed a me passport I haven’t got one.”

I Brewery with camping.

However, sent faball voucher a that’s dozen Smarties (Canada), Colman’s English combina@on ofFinally, three words.

I s@ll“No drive about a lot for business, believe it or not and I atrying blessing for the drink: God, to ingot his one or that (Belgium), is her name, ishewalking outa with Dr every Rwhere who mirrors always to find our way back our on Caroline four pensioners He shouted back: thanks, I’ve already it. I’m giving up.Street Wine day all month! out of his pocket. opened Ox. this is going toHe be lucky said “oh spiffi orChocolate wordsDay to that effect. Then, a Mustard (Germany), Orange bottles of wine asTerrys ang” Father’s present whichin assured that Apparently this system would beyear much more accurate than using our sat nav. I used it goodness, sent the grapes, to cheer both youth, blaming everyone around us when we who could barely stand were seen hanging ear.” o stranger to TV and radio presenting.

We recently Finally, sad@me news, myrepresenting friendhis David has lost ID. was looking for was “Y newspaper andhis started Two out a first date.

“Do you like the Ox diligence, persistence scene reminiscent aon World War 2 prisoner of war (France) and HP (Houses ofof Parliament) Sauce (The the firstwith the other day and the unique three word loca@on was both kind andpeople Having ordered my great and small.

Little fools will drinkI too find the horizon only ever recedes.” onto apractical. for support, rather than Merlot Tammy?”

“Yes, but you don’t pronounce reading.

A couple of minutes later, the priest, "Father, what causes arthritis?" ked past their front door where alamppost, note was pinned.

Nowhe heasked isAdios just Dav. Are Lost!”

Design fault or user error? and honesty.

Not for going to be Trump’s year escape story, Mike ducked down into the footwell Netherlands).

Staggering. wine choice, we then played the delivery merryAmigos much and great fools none at all. My round. illumination.

An afternoon they would the "Mister, “t.”

“Oh, Ok.” Looks at waiter: “Twobeing with cheap, it'shis caused by loose living, wicked women, too much alcohol, and id: “Pleasego-round leave next parcel at foot of door.

Live Radio oftowhen it might arrive.

I left specific then is it? me and I piled coat and mine on top of Sayonara.

Merlots for meremember. and Ammy.”

Hasta La Vista Chums never……

Here’s one for you: “Knock knock.”

“Who’s there?” contempt for fellow man," instructions thenot carrier toyour leave thewere box both inthe priest replied. "Imagine that," the drunk muttered. He gramme Being Recorded.”

Not to be outdone we him. I with told him to move, whilst we Ta Our friend H to has trained her dog toThe bring her a bottle of redabout wine. No surprise “Little old lady.” “Little old Dr lady who?”

“Ilike had no idea returned reading his paper. priest, thinking what he had said, turned to the A drunk who smelled aDaisy brewery got the front garden, behind the high hedge should reducedthe to laughing uncontrollably.

ThesatCustoms hed home I penned following note:collie.

“Please really, she’s a Bordeaux I was with She Who Must Be Obeyed the other day whilst of youand could yodel.” man and apologised: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come on so strong.

How long have you had on a bus and sat down next to a priest. we not guy be at home. thatcount, the wine and walked theFearing bus, did the missed Mike arthritis?"

"I don't have arthritis, Father," the drunk said, "but I just read in the paper that The drunk’s shirt was stained, his face I might never see each I arrived home I am a man of a certain ageother, so my tolerance wasthe fullPope of bright red lipstick and he had does." between meetings, to find boxtoon the threshold does not workonly as well as itthe used a half-empty bottle of wine sticking out of front doormat.

Whatasked is wrong with people? particularly when being to embrace new his Staying pocket.with He opened histhere newspaper and been the drink, has always technology. I was therefore heartened whenofShe started reading.

A couple minutes later,Indeed, much snobbery attached to wine.

So, I thought if you can’t beat them; join them, Who Must Be Obeyed suggested I download awhat new asked the “Father, people make a living from it, but causes I am making a I started ahe new job asisapriest, man. app and called What3Words.

This adelivery navigation aid arthritis?”

“Mister, it’s caused by loose stand because of the lockdowns.

I’mliving, giving up When I gotthe to World my first address was and a divides into 3 metrethere squares cey which being with cheap, wicked women, too much wine, every day, all month.

No wait, that’s not little sticky note left on the door saying, “Dear a unique combination of your threefellow man,” Talbotgives each squarealcohol, contempt for it.we’re I’mand giving up. Wine every Mr Delivery out, please hide in day theitall month!

I still driveMan, about a lotreplied. for business, believe est words. the priest “Imagine that,” the drunk garage.”

Eight hours went by, nobody found or not and I was assured system behis“Do Two that people out on atowould first date. you like muttered.

Hethis returned reading paper. me.

Stop Press: Just heard thatsat there will be much more accurate than using our nav.

I you used ithadpronounce Tammy?”

“Yes, but don’t TheMerlot priest, thinking about what he said, a round of applause for courier and delivery the to “t.”the “Oh, and Ok.”apologised: Looks at “I’m waiter: “Two turned man drivers tomorrow.

It Iwill be some time between Merlots formean me and Ammy.” sorry, didn’t to come on so strong.

9am and 5pm.

Our friend Dr H has trained her dog intolerance, Daisy to bring hertoabelieve bottlethat of the redterm wine.

Nooriginated surprisefrom the tex@le trade, I am led heckler really, she’s aatBordeaux collie. sat with She was Who Obeyed otherfibres. day The whilst There we were on the patio our local, TheI waswhere to heckle to Must tease orBe comb-out flaxthe or hemp modern meaning wa coined in Dundee in the early 19th century. As the hecklers toiled in the factory, one of Embalmers Arms. Which reminds me, what team would read out the days’ news and the others would buK in with constant do you call an Irishman who sits around your back garden all day? Paddy O’Furniture.

Anyway, we witnessed a works leaving bash.

These are often fun and emotions usually run high so great comedy potential. However, in

CARDIFF TIMES 13

umney udy en re Search 'Kumon Rumney' kumon.co.uk/cardiff-rumney

When was the last time you woke up without your alarm clock, feeling refreshed and not needing caffeine?

by Lisa Pryce-Jones enough sleep.

The most common causes of insomnia includes: • Stress, anxiety and depression • Noise • A room that is too hot or cold • Uncomfortable beds • Too much alcohol, caffeine or nicotine • Recreational drugs • Jet lag or shift work

In today’s busy world many people suffer from not being able to sleep properly which is known as insomnia. Research has shown that two thirds of adults throughout developed nations fail to obtain the recommended 8 hours of sleep nightly and the World Health Organisation have declared a sleep loss epidemic through industrialised nations. Scientists are even lobbying doctors to prescribe sleep to their patients. The importance of sleep cannot be underestimated as natural restorative sleep is essential in order for us to function at our optimal level and for our body to heal itself. Inadequate sleep, even for short periods, disrupts blood sugar levels profoundly and increases risk of heart disease as well as contributing to anxiety and depression.

You are likely to have insomnia if you regularly experience some of the following:• Find it difficult to drift off to sleep • Awake during the night • Lie awake at night

Some people obtain sleeping tablets from their GP to help with insomnia. However, whilst it may help in the short term it does not address the underlying problem and people often experience negative side effects from the medication.

How can hypnotherapy and healing help with insomnia?

Difficulty sleeping can have many causes and hypnotherapy can be an effective way to identify the causes, address them and re-programme the mind to get back into a healthier sleeping pattern in order that you can start to recharge your body naturally.

Healing activates your body’s immune system and balances your energetic body allowing you to enter deep relaxation.

To find out more on how I can help you with hypnotherapy and healing to improve your sleeping and quality of life just get in touch now as I will be delighted to help you!

Lisa Pryce-Jones Hypnotherapy & Healing www.hypnotherapyandhealing.co.uk Lisapryce-jones@outlook.com 07427 451992

• Awake earlier than needed and then can’t go back to sleep • Still feel tired after waking up • Feel tired and irritable during the day • Find it hard to nap during the day even though you’re tired • Find concentration difficult because you’re tired Symptoms can be present for just a few nights, to several months, or sometimes even years. If you’re constantly tired during the day you probably don’t get CARDIFF TIMES 15

hil eer 1 /09/21

each oyz tribute 1 /09/21

ioness my inehouse Experience 18/09/21

ulie uly and Songs o Sandy enny 19/09/21

Mark Radcli e 23/09/21

ueen Tribute /09/21

ohn McCusker 26/09/21

Merrill smond 29/09/21

ink loyd Tribute 01/10/21

Roxy Magic Tribute 09/10/21

Schmoozenbergs 06/10/21 Supertramp Tribute 08/10/21

Edwina Hayes 03/10/21

Thea Gilmore 10/10/21

SC M

Holy Moly and the Crackers 11/10/2021

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Martin Taylor and Martin Simpson 13/10/21

.....

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Culinary courses, cookalongs and cocktails all on the menu for this year’s

Amgueddfa Cymru Digital Food Festival

9 September. Bands will include Bandicoot, Hannah Grace, Kima Otung, Eve Goodman, Lewys and Gwilym.

Amgueddfa Cymru Producers – young people who work with the Museum to give their voice to various aspects of the organisation’s work– will also be producing a gig on Wednesday 8 September, giving a stage to some of the best emerging acts in the music scene. Acts will include TELGATE, Thallo, E11ice, Niques and Asha Jane.

An online marketplace will take place on Facebook featuring over 40 Welsh food and drink businesses including Welsh Sisters, Sorai, Little Black Hen, Celtic Country Wines and more.

Amgueddfa Cymru’s second Digital Food Festival will return on 6-12 September 2021. The digital event, taking place across the Museum’s website and social media channels, replaces the food festival usually held at St Fagans National Museum of History and will feature a host of exciting courses, talks, music events and cookery demos.

Want to improve your skills in the kitchen? There will be a wide range of culinary courses to suit all ages including a patisserie course with Thibault Courtoisier, one of the winners of Bake Off: The Professionals 2020. Learn to make bread with Crwst, or join a seasonal cookalong with chef, author and television personality Nerys Howell. Get the whole family involved in a family cookalong with Beca LynePirkis and learn to make your own pizzas and fruit kebabs.

Celebrate the weekend in style and join Blasus Magazine A series of talks and panel discussions will run throughout the week and explore the hot topics in the industry.

There’s plenty for families to get involved with too. A special resource pack full of fun foodie activities to do at home will be available to download.

Whatever your interests, and wherever you are in Wales, there’s sure to be something to tickle your taste buds.

Amgueddfa Cymru Digital Food Festival takes place on between 6-12 September, on the Museum’s website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The event is free, with some ticketed elements. For the full programme, see www.museum.wales founder and editor Rob Jones on a journey around Wales through three delicious cocktails.

Michelin starred chef, Hywel Griffith of The Beach House, will also be hosting an exclusive online cookalong on the Amgueddfa Cymru Facebook page on Sunday 12 September. Hywel has been exploring the Museum’s food collections and will be cooking 2 dishes – a main meal and a dessert – using the best local and seasonal ingredients to present a modern twist on traditional Welsh recipes.

Amgueddfa Cymru have once again partnered with Tafwyl and BBC Horizons to showcase some of Wales’ finest musical talent in an exclusive online gig on Thursday

CARDIFF TIMES 17

In The Words Of

by Carl Marsh

I do hope you are all enjoying your summer? For me, it’s been a tough one as my good friend Alan Coulthard passed away in August. And then only this morning (when typing this up), I heard my best friend’s Mum has died overnight. So I want to avoid my usual little reviews section and what I have done this month to dedicate the column to Alan, my go-to guy for all things Cardiff. I have two interviews on the next couple of pages, but the rest of this page will be about Alan Coulthard, but my thoughts are also with my best friend Carl’s family since losing their Mum. Alan was many things careerwise, but one of his best bits was being involved with the DMC and was the first ‘mixer’ for them. He has remixed so many of these ‘megamixes’ in the charts in the 80s & 90s that it is probably easier to name the few he wasn’t involved in!

Coming from Barry, he worked hard at school to get a first-class law degree from UCL, and I am sure he went to Oxford after this. After that, he worked as a Lawyer and Barrister whilst still doing the music!

He also had a flair and skill for writing reviews (some done for Cardiff Times) and often came with me to gigs or musical productions to write the review. He was better than me.

I last saw Alan only a few months ago; he popped round to my house to tell me he was standing in the Welsh Elections. I voted for him. He got a tremendous vote but didn’t

18 CARDIFF TIMES

win. He told me then that he had to have a medical procedure. I wished him well, and Kevin J Saunders too, as I know he was Alan Coulthard’s rock.

Sending my love and regards to his partner, Kevin J Saunders and the rest of Alan’s family.

I’ll miss you, you talented man.

Look after yourselves, Carl Marsh Twitter - @InTheWordsOf_CM Facebook - @InTheWordsOf YouTube - InTheWordsOf

The Toll is an incredible little ‘Western’ type film that was filmed and set in Wales. Starring Michael Smiley, Iwan Rheon, Paul Kaye and Annes Elwy, speaking to one of these was a must for me.

So I got to chat with Iwan, perhaps one of Wales new wave of already established actors.

Carl Marsh Although your character has an unpleasant ending, I liked the film, perhaps not on a par with the one you had in Game of Thrones where dogs destroyed you! [Laughs] Iwan Rheon Yeah, yeah, he had a rather fitting, grisly end. He really deserved it! [Laughter].

Carl Marsh What sort of challenges did you have filming The Toll here in Wales, and also, what things did you love?

Iwan Rheon It was pretty challenging filming in Pembrokeshire in November. Basically, because of the weather, anyone who knows Pembrokeshire will know that it can get pretty windy down there. It was sideways rain and all that stuff. [Laughs] But, it was also one of those lovely things as it gave it that real sort of beautiful scenery, you know, to see Wales being showcased in that film. You get a sense of the area and how wild it is, in a way. I mean, it is the Wild West out there, pretty much. You do feel like that when you’re out there. It was absolutely stunning. So the hardest and the best thing about it was the location itself.

find it quite interesting and learn quite a lot from it. But now I just sort of cringe quite a lot and hate it - especially in a room full of other people. It’s not so bad for you on your own because you can be a bit more critical and be like, “that was rubbish.

I’m not doing that again!”. But when you’re in a room full, I find it quite embarrassing, to be honest with you. [Laughs] Carl Marsh It’s not like you can sit there with a pen and paper making notes about what you maybe didn’t like. Can you?

Iwan Rheon Yeah, it’s quite a harrowing experience to be in, especially if you haven’t seen it. But you know, I think the films come out really well, exactly like how it was written. It’s kind of that fascinating, nonlinear storyline, where the characters get a lot of screen time, even though it’s a very, very short film, and the scripts very short. I remember the script being really short when I read it the first time, but you get a lot of intrigue and slow character development. But in a concise space of time, if you know what I mean. And I think the way the story is told is very clever. And there are lots of really interesting reveals. So you never really know what’s going on until right at the end, which is excellent storytelling.

The Toll is in cinemas and on all Digital Platforms.

Carl Marsh The film was filmed back in 2018, so have you seen it recently to reacquaint yourself with it all?

Iwan Rheon I watched it probably about six months ago. But I will watch it again as they’re playing it at the Green Man Festival [August 2021]. I’m going to watch it then, but I find it quite difficult to watch myself these days.

I’m getting worse at it. I used to be okay. I used to CARDIFF TIMES 19

Cardiff through and through, Captain Accident creates his unique blend of roots reggae, ska and rocksteady at his studio in our capital. His latest album [Bad Press] is out now, and with a hometown gig not until Friday 18th February 2022 at The Globe, I thought that I could not wait any longer to chat with this outstanding artist.

Carl Marsh Reggae music can be quite politicised, yet there is always a message in the lyrics even though the funky melody is there. So, when you write the songs, do you always aim to write about something detrimental in the press or around politics?

Captain Accident I haven’t always written as openly politically. I think it’s in the last five to eight years. The last album, Wake & Break [2016] that had a few political nods on it and this one [new album] also have about the same ratio of heartbreak songs and upbeat songs about other things and stuff. I think with the climate we’ve had in the last five to eight years, it’s been impossible to not write about politics, and I think it’s been quite hard to avoid.

I think it’s something that we all feel so strongly about at the moment. It’s impossible to not let that flow into my songwriting, I guess.

Carl Marsh On the album, you’ve got a track called ‘Run Rabbits Run’; for me, it’s something I think is written about all the press scaring us too much about all what’s been going on these last 18 months?

Captain Accident I actually wrote that song around the time of the Brexit vote. It was very much prose to how The Sun newspaper had very much turned a lot of people that may have been on the fence or that they’ve not understood anything about Brexit. So, I think it [The Sun] turned a lot of those people to vote for something that we didn’t maybe want. They did the same thing in a General Election where they had a picture of Jeremy Corbyn dressed up as a Russian spy. It’s all about that stuff, but I was a bit worried 20 CARDIFF TIMES

as the album is coming out now, and since I wrote that song, Covid has happened! And I had a sort of anxiety that people might think that I am suggesting that Covid is not a real thing, but I wrote this song over three years ago. And I’m not saying Covid is a lie! [Laughter] Carl Marsh I get what you say about the press, though, as I think George Orwell wrote in 1984 about the media being controlled by the ‘Party’ or something like that. So if I can change momentum here, how does a guy from Cardiff end up making the reggae music that he does?

Captain Accident - Adam I was brought up by hippies in Cathays. And the music that was constantly on - when I was growing up, my family - was always reggae music. So I suppose that’s why I got into reggae in the first place. I’d also go to the Bute Town carnival. Cardiff has a really rich and diverse culture, so growing up around that has influenced reggae music to be my chosen music. I feel with reggae that you can feel the rhyme and the vibe, and it’s the music that feels right for me to be writing and performing.

Captain Accident has announced a belated hometown album party at Cardiff The Globe on Friday 18 February 2022 for his fourth album, the highly acclaimed Bad Press, which was released last week.

A SALMAGUNDI of MEMORIES Salmagundi; A mixture, an assortment, a pot pourri.

by Sara John

I came across an interesting word recently, salmagundi, and, on checking up on the correct spelling and on its meaning decided it was a good title for this article.

Memories of experiences long past, nowadays often triggered by long conversations with old school friends (the old refers of course to the length of the friendships, not the age of the chums), or a movie from the past on television that reminds you of a cinema, a film, or leading actor, and maybe also a companion from that time now long gone, can send you into a reverie of long ago.

For people lucky enough to be blessed with a good memory and reasonable recall, and I put myself in that category, there is a price to pay. For me, especially after a visit to any large electronics outlet, often so big that on entering you cannot see the back of the shop, selling a wide range of clearly popular items just short of an actual spaceship, I am made aware of being out of kilter with the world around me.

22 CARDIFF TIMES

The shops these days, for me anyway, are often well stacked with goods I cannot identify and do not require, or do not think I want, particularly if I do not know what they are. We know none will have an instruction booklet. Often abandoning a shopping trip empty handed, and disappointed. I recall recently that I could not buy the printer clearly on display for sale (and it was the one I had already decided on), because it was the last one they had!

I had to face reality. I have not been paying attention to what has been happening in the world, probably since decimalisation.

In the meantime I can daydream. I can remember and share so many magic moments from the past events and occurrences from life, work, and travel.

Many of these fondly remembered moments and warm memories will be familiar. Those moments in time which were never actively sought, but just happened when you were ‘there’ at that spot on

That same year, as I was making our porridge, one morning I heard strange noises outside. Although we were living on the road down to the beach, it was always very quiet. The most traffic it carried was the single decker occasional bus going to either Tenby or Pembroke depending which way it was facing. Like the Circle line in London, but we only had the one bus! Close to Bank Holidays there were frequently visitors ‘From Away’ in their cars who were utilising sat navs to find their holiday destinations. Frequently they would find themselves in a dead end, often in field facing a large herd of cattle with other ‘strangers’ following them because they had been travelling along the country roads as if they knew what they were about.

Anyway, these noises were quite different.

Earth when something you will “always remember” took place.

We went outside to be greeted by the most wonderful sight imaginable.

We were walking across a quiet beach on the south coast of Pembrokeshire one summer evening when we were living in Manorbier. Down at the water’s edge we heard shouting and squealing from, what seemed at a distance, young voices. Looking behind us and up the beach we saw and heard not panic, danger or an emergency, thank goodness! It was a scene that could have illustrated a children’s story book in the 1930’s. The tide which was going out quite rapidly had, with the aid of a stiff breeze, cut a long, fairly deep broad pond from well up the beach down almost to where the tide was at that moment.

The pond dip, which had been hidden under the sea earlier in the day was full of retained sea water.

About thirty or so glossy jet-black horses of the Household Cavalry clearly on their holidays, and ridden bareback by their grooms were heading towards the beach. We, us, the neighbours, customers at the shop (there was only one shop) and passing on-foot visitors spontaneously started clapping. What a sight. It moved many of us to tears.

It was sheer beauty, all the more so as both riders and horses were out of uniform, and so clearly enjoying themselves.

A family or two had exploited this natural occurrence and had brought with them a jolly large, serious looking dingy full of assorted sized children who were shrieking with glee. Why? They were being towed around in circles by a very serious large black Newfoundland dog who had taken the loose ropes that were around the dingy in his mouth and, by the look of sheer determination on his handsome face had no intention of letting go. If he could have shouted over to, by now, a large group of onlookers he would have explained in a dark and growly voice, “It’s what we do!”

The sea, the setting sun, the sand, the children and the star of the whole event, the Newfoundland dog, all remain in a perfect picture book memory.

They all stopped to say good morning. They had come from London and were staying at the Military Camp on the promontory at Manorbier. Normally it was empty, locked, and secure. For some of the younger horses this would be their first sight of the sea, the grooms explained, the younger ones would wait back and follow the older horses who had enjoyed seaside holidays previously.

The grooms explained that they were bareback because experience showed in the past that once the horses were in the sea they would rather expertly, apparently, tip their grooms off their backs.

We admired the condition of the horses and how immaculate their coats were. One of the lady grooms explained it would take about two weeks back in the stables in Kensington when their holidays were over, to get the horses looking ‘perfect’ again. They would not be seen by the public during that time! One of our neighbours organised a whip round so horses and grooms could have ice creams from the Manorbier CARDIFF TIMES 23

Beach Cafe after their games and sea bathing.

We followed the Troop down to the beach and watched enviously as horses and soldiers enjoyed wonderful time disporting themselves in the sea.

All the village were invited to their holiday stables, on the promontory, on the last day of their holidays for ‘A HORSE SHOW’ for us, only us, from the village, and we could meet all the staff who cared for the horses, and most importantly the horses themselves. A very special treat. We all hoped the horses enjoyed their hols as much as we enjoyed meeting them.

When I was working in television in Cardiff, years ago, staff were told that a new series of Animal Magic with Johnny Morris would be recorded over the next few weeks on site. We were told that, “on no account should ANYONE not connected with the production go anywhere near Studio C1, as there would be a number of young animals there”. As I had responsibility for staff working on the show, I reckoned that I would be failing in my duties not to go and make sure everything was alright. (I wrote that down and learnt it off by heart in case I was apprehended, told I had to obey orders and instructions and then dismissed).

I had, shall we say, an indirect route from my office around to an entrance to the back doors of the big studio. Off I went at the first chance. I passed a large 24 CARDIFF TIMES

van with two gentlemen, a lot of luggage and a baby in a cosy blanket. They were clearly heading into a dressing room to get ready for programme rehearsals. They did not know the way and there was no one else around so I offered to help. When we arrived at the dressing room allocated to them, I asked if I could peep at the baby. “Yes of course” they said, “do you want to hold him?” The other gentleman was busy unpacking, but I had already seen Boots bags, disposable napkins, tissues galore, baby foods, rattles and so on being set up on the table. In those days seeing two men and a baby was unusual but far from out of the question and I assumed one of the gentlemen was going to be interviewed for the programme.

I was handed the baby.

It was a six-week-old gorilla.

From Bristol Zoological Gardens His name was Sacha, short for Alexander.

His mother had abandoned him and he was being hand reared, night and day by these two devoted keepers. Sacha opened his dark brown eyes. If he could have spoken, he would have said, “I am ready for my close up, Mr de Mille.”

The following week I was on location in Barry, we were filming some inserts for a new comedy series at Barry Zoo. The two gentlemen who owned and ran the enterprise showed some of us around

during our lunch break. We were taken to a peaceful verdant meadow with lots of wildflowers. And a lioness! She, safely on the other side of the fence, came over at once when she saw the two owners.

They spoke to her, and she was very responsive.

Her name was Cara and six weeks previously she had given birth.

By this time my colleagues had returned to adjacent fields to prepare for the next scenes to be filmed. I was asked if I wanted to see the new arrival of which everyone employed there, was very very proud. One of the owners went into a small cabin in Cara’s field and emerged with a bundle in a blanket. He called to me to come in and meet the cub. Cara also made her way over to where we were standing to check up on her baby. Cuddled up in a snow-white woollen blanket was a golden miniature lion, the same size just about as six-week-old baby. She was fast asleep; I was transfixed to the spot. I was in another world, Paradise. Until I realised that I was standing admiring a lion cub with her mother, Cara, a fullgrown lion two feet away.

On another memorable occasion I had read in the paper that an important visitor was coming to Cardiff the following Saturday to open a new Bookmakers on Queen Street. I wondered who that could be? Not the sort of thing the BIG names would be involved in. How wrong could I be? Very, as it turned out.

The following day a new Bookmakers business was going to be opened by one of the best looking, truly handsome, athletic, and famous of male persons at that time. I had to go. Husband said, “Yes. Of course I will come along.” (“Anything for a quiet life” was left silently hanging in the air).

wiped with a damp towel because he was covered with kisses, including those of an elderly Irish gentleman who hugged him saying in the direction of his ears, “tanks for everything”.

Red Rum had only recently retired and had been overwhelmed by invitations for guest appearances, openings, and garden parties. He was, it would appear pleased to be The Winner wherever he went.

Later on that year he won The Sports Personality of the Year 1977. In 1978 he retired but as it said in the many, many articles written about him, he loved people and people loved him. So, he built a new career opening supermarkets, schools, and took part in many, many events including going to Blackpool to switch on the lights.

He died in October 1995 aged 30.

That sad news was the lead story on the BBC News that evening.

He was buried at the Winning Post at Aintree.

These memories not only bring back moments of joy but can be useful tools when coping with some of today’s challenges, particularly when we hear so much about the problems of stress and anxiety in these troubled times. A retrospective look at life.

Remembering a moment which always makes you smile. This often eases moments of difficulty and relaxes the mind and body.

These memories may be sufficient to help you to fall asleep.

And dream some more.

When we arrived in Queen Street the following Saturday morning a very large crowd had assembled. And there in the centre, looking like an equine version of every handsome film star ever was the most beautiful, serene, gentle racehorse, RED RUM. The most famous racehorse of all time. The prize money he generated during his career amounted to hundreds of thousands of pounds. With such a warm and loving personality and an eagerness to participate in all these exciting events he was always surrounded by adoring crowds of fans.

That morning in no time at all his neck had to be CARDIFF TIMES 25

Fashion Done Your Own Way

by Molly Dutton

August is in its final weeks, and I cannot believe how quickly the long-awaited summer season has come and gone. As many of you will know, autumn is my absolute favourite season, mostly due to its deep tones and cosy fashion items which will be in full force in the upcoming fashion landscape. Whilst I could delve into the dos and don’ts of cardigans and winter boots, I have decided to explore a topic that might be more suited to my new life in the city; club outfits and how to stay sensible and protected whilst dressing exactly how you want to. Now I know clubs aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but the advice that I’m going to give can be applied to any outing, whether it be a trip to the pub or a girls’ night out at the local bar. As lockdown has eased, public places have become extremely busy which requires all of us to think more carefully about our outfits and how they can be suited to our new and much busier lives. Whereas previously we were able to carry our phones and cash freely (since there was no one within a two-meter distance), the times have changed, and we have to re-learn the social and personal fashion rules that can keep us safe. As I only just turned eighteen last year, I haven’t had much experience in the clubs, but I would love to offer some support to any younger or older readers that might venture into those exciting settings!

Colour is everything in a dark space like a club, particularly if you know that your social group are prone to getting split up once you’ve all started dancing and enjoying yourselves. It had never previously crossed my mind that wearing light, neon or recognizable items could help your friends 28 CARDIFF TIMES

locate you in a busy room. From my recent nights out, I have discovered that white is the most sensible option as it almost glows underneath the bright lighting, making it easy to spot you in a crowd.

Another fashion phenomenon that was brought to my attention last week by a lovely girl in a bar was LED clothing; clothes that light up and become almost fluorescent underneath the lights in bars and clubs.

I can see why this might be slightly off putting to many readers (no one wants to look like a walking glow stick), but you can include maybe one or two items of this style in your outfit choices which would subtly make you identifiable in the crowds of dark clothing. In some of my previous articles I have discussed the brand ‘Prettylittlething.com’ in regard to fast fashion, however despite this, the brand itself produces an array of patterned, colourful clothing that is absolutely perfect for nights out in crowded places; all of which are affordable and can be worn multiple times, eliminating the impact of trend renewal as the items can be kept for a long time. I recently bought a couple of items from their ‘going out range’ consisting of orange, pink and yellow tones organized in tropical patterns that stand out much more than a little black dress.

The infamous bum bag may be something you associate with sixteen-year-old boys in black puffer

your phone, keys, and purse; as you can see everything quite clearly in the bag, there’s no need for stress.

jackets, but they are the accessory of the season in my personal opinion. In my younger years, the thought of wearing a bum bag was completely repulsive and did not appeal to me in any way but, as my tastes have matured (in some cases), I have grown quite fond of this fashion item, especially since it can really improve your personal safety in a lot of different situations. My lovely mum gifted me her Calvin Klein bum bag when I started needing it for nights out and busy day trips, but there are many cheaper options available everywhere as festival season has begun. The beauty of the bum bag is that you can keep it close to you at all times without having to frantically grab onto it every second (you can picture me attempting to do the macarena whilst trying to ensure my bag doesn’t fling itself across the room). Another benefit is that it leaves your hands completely free to dance and manoeuvre through the busy crowds to find the best dancing spot! If the standard black bum bag doesn’t appeal to you, there are colourful and clear options that can be matched to your chosen outfits. The clear options are also very useful in overcoming that horrible ritual of rummaging through your handbag to check you’ve safely secured

Over the past couple of years, I have accumulated a rather large selection of heels to be paired with my outfits for clubbing, bar drinks and the occasional dinner outings; there are blue heels, red ones and of course the classic nude heels for those hard-to-match dresses.

Despite this, in the past two weeks I have learnt the hard way that this was a very impractical decision as clubs and heels are potentially the most dangerous combination. This makes perfect sense when you think of the amount of people in these popular places combined with the spilled drinks, dark floor, and exposed toes (not forgetting the immense talent that it takes to walk in heels, let alone dance). Instead of putting ourselves through that pain, there is an obvious and very simple solution, trainers. But not just any trainers, ideally, they need to be leather or faux leather (so that they can be wiped easily), and cheap so that there will be no tears if they happen to get ruined. I would suggest popping down to your local Primark and picking up a pair of £7 trainers to throw in your bag for your next evening out, I promise you’ll thank me later!

CARDIFF TIMES 29

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CARDIFF TIMES 31

20 Years of Cardiff Culture: Happy Birthday TactileBOSCH!

by Jen Abell

TactileBOSCH, experimental Cardiff arts collective, this year celebrates its 20th birthday.

Penblwydd hapus TactileBOSCH (tB)! You are jolly good fellows indeed. Dear reader, I’d like to give you a neat and accessible history of these Cardiff art stalwarts, but there isn’t one story. There are thousands of colliding, colluding and interlocking journeys that have and continue to shape tB’s course. And Oh Mildred! It’s anything but neat. By way of introduction, here I give you a shortened, edited (read- dry cleaned) version of how I came to know the BOSCH and the BOSCHettes.

When I first laid eyes on Kim Fielding, half the founding Fathers of TactileBOSCH, he was the coiffured, snorting, over sharing guest speaker of the then Swansea Metropolitan, now Swansea College of Art, 2009 degree show. Yes, I vaguely remember him talking about the work, the tutors, the Uni. But what I remember most is his mischievous, coercive cackle and incessant foot stomping, relaying the hilarity of his travelling companion traversing the event with a broken leg. A full re-enactment was given to said person’s attempt and failure to exit the car with dignity.

Suited and booted graduate guardians were bewildered, I was intrigued.

He didn’t plan, he didn’t think about the audience, and he didn’t have any notes. He didn’t need to. Every artist pumped out of South Wales art schools for a decade crossed the TactileBOSCH threshold. He, Simon Mitchell (founding Father) and gallery volunteers let artists try, let them fail and let them try again. As well as being a photographer and performance artist himself, Kim was an expert, with great instincts. He didn’t need a finished product, a concluded project, a ‘creative practitioner’ or an essay on ‘reach and audience profile’ as a password to public participation in the culture of Cardiff.

TactileBOSCH’s first and most permanent home inhabited a damp, multi level maze of a former Victorian laundry on Andrews Road, the Llandaff North exit of Hailey Park, from

2001 to 2012. Serendipitously, within a week of seeing Kim at the degree show, my brother, artist John Abell, text me with instructions to come (NOW) to see a show by David Sopwith in tB. I ran for my coat. The work was wonderful.

Waves of sculpted wood rolling overhead from rickety pigeon coop windows which must have had purpose when the site was a laundry.

Kim visibly brightened when I told him which work was my partner’s, artist Geraint Ross Evans, in Swansea’s degree show. ‘Oh! The car crash kid?! Get him down here, we need to talk’. Talk they did, and TactileBOSCH’s next exhibition, Auxesis, saw Geraint’s degree work; large scale drawings of car crashes and an actual crashed car determinedly negotiated from a reclamation yard, installed in prime position at the entrance of the gallery.

Sadly, a fully subscribed 12-24 month exhibition schedule featuring proven and established artists is standard across most galleries in Cardiff and indeed beyond, now.

The flexibility of Kim, TactileBOSCH’s space and the BOSCHettes; a rotating team of dedicated volunteers, meant the energy of contemporary work by new artists could be exhibited immediately. Importantly, artists could experience instant audience feedback and gain momentum.

Auxesis was an audience success and hugely important for my partner, fresh from his degree. Two mornings after the show’s opening, we got a call from Kim. ‘Uhhh, Gezza did you move the car?’. We hadn’t. The sculpture had been stolen in the night. For scrap. A perfect microcosm of contemporary art commentaries and found wildly funny by all involved. More wonderful collaborations followed; Citizen, Moist, Unchartered Perspectives (Blowback), Tenure. I met creatives, misfits, eccentrics, and geniuses. People making work for work’s sake. Geraint rented a studio and our participation in this welcoming and energetic community deepened. Despite visiting the studio most days, I still don’t think I uncovered all the rooms in the labyrinth. And always Kim urged me, ‘Jen Abell, you’re a writer, you should WRITE’.

2012 came, and with it, the news that our incredible piece of Cardiff Victorian history and indeed, contemporary lives was to be torn down for Kim declared ‘Wimpy Homes’. With this, our safe space to experiment, for artists to cut their teeth and inhabit affordable Cardiff studios was lost. Llandaff North will never house such a weird and wonderful Mecca again.

We have a serious problem in Cardiff. Box room studios start at £400+ a month. Fine if you’re a maker, not if you’re an artist. Cost of living is increasing. Galleries don’t show unestablished artists and grants are biased towards creative practitioners, audience participation and community engagement. Impossible for artists that need to work alone or that find 12 page grant applications anxiety inducing.

Difficult also for artists working such long hours for their day

32 CARDIFF TIMES

jobs that composing applications is unfeasible. If we continue to provide hostile ground, we will suffocate our creative and diverse voices. It’s vital that experimental arts collectives continue to flourish, and receive our support, even if they don’t get it right every time. That’s the joy of experimentation and development, after all.

TactileBOSCH lived many lives with Kim after losing the building, including; Milgi warehouse takeovers, studio spaces at the Wells Hotel, and touring to Bath Contemporary. In 2014, just as he was truly coming to terms with the loss of the laundry building, Kim had a fatal heart attack. The Cardiff, New York, San Francisco, and Berlin art scenes that Kim had participated in for 30 years held their breath, collective hearts bursting with the loss of our self proclaimed ‘Instictator’. Thanks to sustained and determined efforts

by Helene Roberts, performance artist Beth Greenhalgh and the BOSCHettes since 2014, the torch remains lit, Cardiff remains on the global art map and tactileBOSCH’s silken web of collaborators remains unbroken. Recent TactileBOSCH exhibitions of note include ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’ and ‘Paradise Lost’ in the old Custom and Immigration Building in Cardiff Bay, ‘Under The Counter Culture’ on Cathedral Road, ‘Black and Blue’ in Rosalux Gallery, Berlin and the first ‘National Museum Late: Space’ in 2019.

25/09/21 sees a special exhibition event featuring a saxophonist and poetry- all are welcome.

People of Cardiff, make the most of these creative happenings whilst you can. At any point, an organisation could sign a rental contract with Capitol. When the inevitable happens, TactileBOSCH and the myriad of people they support will be on the hunt for another space once again.

Follow @tactileBosch and tactilebosch.co.uk for news, respond to call outs and let them know if you’ve got space for artists, however weird and wonderful.

To the dreamers, explorers and experimenters I’ve met on my 11 year segment of the 20 year TactileBOSCH journey; you truly make my city shine brighter. I, like so many BOSCHettes, wish I could (and often do) tell Kim our news.

I would love to celebrate the prophecy he gave me back in 2009. You were right Kim, here I am, writing. Where would we be without your encouragement ringing in our ears?

Happy 20th birthday to a Cardiff cultural institution and long live the BOSCH! X The Management X @ffotojenic

I’m relieved to report that thanks to Axis web’s Vacant Spaces programme, which matchmakes artists with empty buildings, tactileBOSCH is currently housed in our very own Capitol Centre. From 10/09/21, you can visit ‘Materials From the Garden’ by Penny Hallas and Allen Fisher. This work is inspired by time spent in Pontcanna allotments over lockdown featuring projections, drawings and installation.

A glimpse of paradise in the midst of climate disaster.

CARDIFF TIMES 33

Jacob’s Art Gallery hosts its first showing following the pandemic Vivacious art pieces attracting a new type of customer

by KellieWilliams Hidden away on the top floor of Jacob’s Antiques you’ll find the exquisite art exhibition at the West Wharf Art Gallery hosted by Liz, the owner of the gallery who celebrates contemporary art designed and created by locals in the city.

The gallery launched its first showing and reopened its doors to the public on the 26 August 2021 following its closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Featured on the white walls is the work of model, artist, and photographer Maria Vasquez from Peru, who finds beauty in self-expression and her own femininity.

Maria’s vision is to show off and embrace the power of the female body and explore freedom with her self-portrait photography.

The beautiful Maria Vasquez, on the first day of the gallery opening. Image credit: Kellie Williams

Liz, the owner of the gallery said, “Maria really brings sexy back; she’s a strong feminine woman, who takes back control of her own sexuality. She’s truly inspirational to women.”

She added, “Maria has really brought the gallery to life!”

In the eye of the beholder

Artist, model, and photographer Maria Vasquez, proud of her new collection. Image credit: Kellie Williams

34 CARDIFF TIMES

Specialising in both black and white and coloured pieces showing off her sensual and promiscuous nude silhouette, Maria captures powerful stories that are fun, vibrant, and full of energy.

images using a self-timer feature on her camera, a woman of many talents.

“As an artist, I appreciate light; Light is important in the form of art, it leaves mystery,” said Maria.

Maria’s collection exuberates confidence, she added, “I do the art for myself, it is self-expression, so I don’t seek approval from other people.”

The limited-edition artwork will take you on a journey of sexual exploration and leave you curious to see more. Maria’s pieces can be purchased for £33 for small prints and range up to £2600 for her larger 40 x 30-inch pieces.

The gallery exhibition is available to the public till the 30 September 2021 and its owner Liz encourages everyone to head upstairs and take a look.

Self-portrait artist Maria Vasquez on the posters for the gallery’s re-opening event. Image credit: Kellie Williams

One story that stands out in Maria’s collection is her Little Red Riding Hood two-piece set. In the first image Maria is captured in a red cloak facing away from the camera and pushed up against a wall. Maria said that it represents hiding from the male gaze, embodying innocence and being submissive.

In the second, Maria expressed that she is portraying a sense of taking back control of her sexuality. In the piece, Maria is nude and facing towards the camera, still wearing the red cloak.

She explained that within the story, she is facing the “wolf” head on, unafraid and in control.

She said, “I tend to hide my face, it’s not about my face; it’s about leaving a mystery, exposing but not giving it all; teasing.”

Capturing empowerment Maria feels empowered by natural light to create playful shapes with her body and captures the

Siân Cann presenting her emulsion-crafted polaroid pieces. Image credit: Kellie Williams

CARDIFF TIMES 35

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Joe Calzaghe the Undefeated

by Ralph Oates

had taken his first step in the punch for pay code on the 1st of October 1993 when he stopped Paul Hanlon in the first round of four and had worked his way through the rankings to a deserved shot at the world crown.

When the bell sounded to get the Eubank Calzaghe contest underway, the Welsh boxer had a dream start flooring his opponent for a count in the first round.

However, if anyone thought this was going to be an easy night for Calzaghe they had to think again.

Eubank was an experienced boxer and was not going to fold that easy, that was not his way. Eubank hence fought back, and while Calzaghe won on points after a thrilling encounter after twelve rounds, he knew he had been in a fight with a real warrior. In the past many boxers have been over hyped and had not lived up to their earlier expectations. Calzaghe had shown that in this meeting with Eubank he was the real deal and that his win over Eubank was just the beginning, and there was more to come from this classy boxer.

Photo courtesy of Les Clark.

On the night of the 11th of October 1997 Joe Calzaghe stepped into the ring at the Sheffield Arena to contest the vacant WBO world super-middleweight title against Chris Eubank (the title had been vacated by Ireland’s Steve Collins following his retirement). This was a match where a Calzaghe victory was expected. The Welshman was undefeated in twenty-two bouts and had won the British super-middleweight title along the way leading up to this point in time. Eubank, a former WBO world middleweight and super-middleweight champion, may have seen better days but he was still a tricky operator with the experience of forty-nine fights behind him; winning forty-five, losing two with two drawn. This would not be an easy task for Calzaghe, he would need to concentrate all the time during the fight against the man opposing him. Calzaghe, who boxed in the southpaw stance, was born on the 23rd of March 1972 and was duly trained by his father Enzo Calzaghe. When in the amateurs, the Welshman served notice that he was special when winning the ABA title on three occasions in different weight divisions; welterweight (1991), light-middleweight (1992), and middleweight (1993).

Make no mistake that takes some doing. Calzaghe

38 CARDIFF TIMES

The Welshman hence became a major force in boxing and defended his world title seventeen times from 1998 to 2005. In America there was a boxer who was also making big waves in the division, his name was Jeff Lacy who was the holder of IBF version of the super-middleweight championship. Many felt that he was the main man at the weight and there was excitement when Calzaghe and Lacy agreed to meet in a unification contest. The two fighters met at the M.E.N Arena in Manchester on the 4th of March 2006. Going into the fight Lacy came with a resume of twenty-two bouts which included one no contest result, he too was yet to taste defeat in the professional ranks. The American was tipped to beat Calzaghe and duly end his undefeated record, which then stood at a perfect forty victories. Those who backed Lacy to fly back to the States as a unified world champion were wrong. On the night the Welshman produced one of the best performances to be seen in a UK ring for a number of years and took the American apart. Giving him a boxing lesson in the process, it was only the courage of Lacy which saw him reach the twelfth and final round in what was a breath-taking contest.

Calzaghe was now the WBO and IBF world super-middleweight champion. That year Calzaghe returned to M.E.N Arena and defended the titles against the tough Cameroon born Sakio Bika, who was fighting out of Australia and came with a resume

of twenty-three fights; twenty wins with two drawn.

Calzaghe defeated Bika by way of a twelve round points decision, in a contest which took place on the 14th of October 2006. Then on the 7th of April 2007, Peter Manfredo from America stepped up to challenge Calzaghe in a contest which took place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. By this time Calzaghe had relinquished the IBF version of the crown but kept the WBO title which was at stake in this contest.

Manfredo, with a record of twenty-nine bouts with three defeats, was no match for the Welshman and was stopped in the third round of a slatted twelve.

A more dangerous challenge for Calzaghe took place on the 3rd of November 2007, when Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler entered the ring at the Millennium Stadium to fight the Welshman. The Dane was an outstanding boxer who held the WBC and WBA versions of the super-middleweight title and was undefeated in thirty-nine bouts. This would be a unification contest with Calzaghe’s WBO title also on the line. The general view was a win for the Welshman, but it certainly wasn’t a confident pick.

Kessler was a real threat to Calzaghe. While modest in demeanour, the Dane felt he had the skills to defeat the Welshman and would return to his country victorious. There would be no doubt that the winner of this meeting would be the very best in the division.

The fight promised a great deal and it really delivered in no uncertain manner. From the first bell the two boxers freely exchanged punches and would not surrender an inch of ground in the ring. This was a battle between boxers who knew their craft. It was a difficult encounter for Calzaghe, but he was clearly taking control of the fight as the rounds rolled on. At the end of the twelve round contest Calzaghe was a worthy points victor. It was far from being easy, but the home hero did not expect it to be a walk in the park.

It was now time for the Welshman to show his wares in the USA where he was also recognised as one of the most outstanding fighters in action at that time. Calzaghe moved up to the light-heavyweight poundage for his first assignment in America which took place on the 19th of April 2008. His opponent was not an easy touch, far from it; he was to meet Bernard Hopkins, a former undisputed world middleweight champion. Hopkins came into the contest at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada with a record of fifty-four fights; winning forty-eight, losing four with one drawn, this included a bout declared a no decision. This was a risky encounter for Calzaghe against the American who was confident of beating the visitor from the UK. The scheduled twelve round bout started badly for the Welshman when the American floored him for a count

in the opening round. Confirmation if any was needed that Hopkins was a dangerous opponent. Calzaghe got back on his feet and showed the heart of a champion; he had not travelled across the pond to lose his undefeated record. The two fighters engaged in a hard-fought battle. At the end of a taxing fight, Calzaghe was declared the winner on points. This was another fantastic win for the Welshman in his forty-fifth bout.

A second contest in the USA took place on the 8th of November 2008, at Madison Square Garden in New York, against another formidable opponent in the shape of Roy Jones Jr; a boxer who had won a staggering number of world titles in different weight divisions these being the IBF middleweight, IBF super-middleweight, WBC, WBA & IBF light-heavyweight and the WBA heavyweight crown and in so doing had comprised a record of fifty-six bouts; winning fifty-two and losing four. Jones Jr was considered to be past his prime. However, the American was still a serious threat and in defeating Calzaghe he would add to his legacy and give his career a further lease of life. Once the fight got underway Jones Jr, like Hopkins in the Welshman’s previous contest, put the visiting boxer on the canvas for a count in the opening session. If any of the American fans thought that Jones Jr was going to put an end to Calzaghe’s undefeated record and hence slay the Welsh Dragon, they were selling him short.

Calzaghe got off the canvas and showed that he was far from being defeated. In the rounds which followed, Calzaghe showed why he was an undefeated boxer.

Jones Jr too showed his abilities during the bout and made a fight of it. The contest went the full distance of twelve rounds of which Calzaghe was a clear winner when the final bell rang.

This was the last professional fight for Joe Calzaghe; soon after he announced his retirement from the sport. It was good to see Calzaghe go out on a winning note with an undefeated record of forty-six victories, hence adding his name to the greats in boxing. In 2014 Calzaghe had the honour of being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, a fitting tribute to his achievements in the ring.

Ralph Oates is a former amateur boxer who has maintained his interest in the sport by writing a number of boxing books over the years.

He is an historian on the sport and a former boxing consultant for Guinness World Records. Ralph was a regular contributor to the British Boxing Board of Control Yearbook for 18 years.

His latest book can be purchased here: A Question of Boxing www.jmdmedia.co.uk

CARDIFF TIMES 39

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Protect Your Wealth

by Michael Fogg

the surviving spouse remarries and the Will they made with their original spouse is revoked by this marriage (this is an area of the law governing Wills which is often overlooked and can cause some difficulties after the Testator passes).

In some cases, a variation of a ‘Single Will’ or ’Mirror Will’ may be a sensible solution, potentially with some additional protection for some or all of the assets being left. This could take the form of one or more Trusts.

Alternatively, I may suggest a different way of legally capturing a client’s wishes and ensuring that their assets are passed to their chosen beneficiaries.

As a solicitor I am often asked for advice on a variety of areas of the law. These questions range from contract disputes to employment problems, personal injury and property matters with a variety of other questions added in.

I do my level best to help everyone who asks me anything, although quite often the questions fall outside of my area of expertise. Therefore, this month, I thought I’d give a breakdown of what I specialise in as a ‘Private Client’ lawyer.

Will Writing Making a Will is usually a very simple thing to do.

Anyone over the age of 18 can do so, and it is almost always advisable to put a Will in place. However, well over 50% of adults in the United Kingdom do not have a Will, and this can have negative consequences on their death.

I advise clients on the most appropriate Will, or Wills, to suit their needs. This could include a simple ‘Single Will’ for one person, or a simple ‘Mirror Will’ for two persons, leaving everything to each other and then to their ‘alternative’ beneficiaries. I advise on any risks which are easily avoided and which could otherwise take a lot of their hard-earned money out of the family. I also advise on the risks of ‘sideways disinheritance’, where

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Settling Assets into Trust In addition to using a Trust to take effect after they have died, many clients are also interested in placing some of their assets in Lifetime Trusts.

Unlike Will Trusts, which are created after death, Lifetime Trusts (also known as Land Management Trusts or Wealth Security Trusts) are created immediately. I advise on the pros and cons of taking this step, for example by settling a property (either their home or an investment property) into the legal ownership of a Trust. Clients may be surprised, for example, to discover that they may need to pay some rent to the Trust to maximise its tax efficiency if they continue to live at the property.

I also advise on the limits to what a Lifetime Trust can do. For example, a client cannot use a Trust to “hide” their assets for Estate Planning purposes, as there are rules which HM Revenue and Customs have to offset some assets placed in Trust with Inheritance Tax paid in the future. Likewise, should they need to receive professional care, either at their home or by moving into a nursing home, their contribution to these fees is based on the value of your assets. Should they put some of their assets into a Trust, a Local Authority (“LA”) might decide that this is a ‘Deliberate Deprivation of Assets’. If they do, the value of the Trust property could be included

as the client’s assets when the LA calculates how much the care recipient needs to pay towards care fees.

Lasting Power of Attorney (“LPAs”) This involves assisting clients who wish to nominate trusted family or friends to make decisions on their behalf, either relating to their property and finances, to their health and welfare, or both.

in to several distinct elements, which are set out below and which can sometimes overlap: 1) Arranging the funeral; 2) Valuing the Estate; 3) Obtaining legal authority (if required) from the Probate Registry; 4) Paying off any Estate debts; 5) Distributing the Estate to beneficiaries.

Often, people who lose the ability to make decisions for themselves can leave their loved ones in a very difficult position as they may not be able to do such basic things as discussing a utility bill, or far more weighty matters such as deciding on where their loved one should live.

If the Probate Registry need to provide legal authority for the Estate to be administered by my clients, any Inheritance Tax (“IHT”) due from the Estate will need to be put in hand before the Grant is issued.

I advise clients on how to apply for their powers to be donated to their chosen Attorneys, when LPAs are able to be used, and on the process for registering the LPAs with the Office of the Public Guardian (amongst many other things – everything is pretty straightforward to understand when explained clearly).

If you would like any help or advice on anything mentioned above, we would be happy to answer any questions by phone or email.

Estate Administration (AKA ‘Probate’) Here, I help clients who have been left with the responsibility for finalising the financial and personal matters left when a loved one dies. As I explained in a previous article, this work can be simply broken down

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