The Beauty of a Courgette Flower

Hello Friends!

Well, there is weather we are having!  One day it's a blistering mini heatwave and we melt, the next day the temperature nose dives and we're thinking about putting the heating on during the evening.  It poured during the night and is now a beautiful blue sky morning, but it could be another hot one, despite the stiff breezes that blow bouncily across the land.

Oh! The irony of hosepipe bans in effect across certain regions only to be finding themselves on the receiving end of torrential downpours delivering a month's worth of rain in a day.   Mind, it will take more, much more, than a week's worth of torrential rainstorms to top up some of the reservoirs, and we are told that the hosepipe bans will be in place for up to a year, or even longer.

I am very tired of late, the tweaks to my medications have not resulted in any of the hoped for changes, so I have been through the mill for the last few months in vain.  Still, it could have worked out that things could have improved.  As it happened, they didn't and I can honestly say that I have not felt well for months, not myself at all.  I miss being me.  Consequently, today I slept until midday and the I began sorting out photos on the laptop.  Here are a handful of courgette flowers I photographed using my macro lens some several years ago when I was still gardening and able to hold the camera, pre Pandemic and pre Parkinsons. 

Courgette flowers are simply beautiful to look at, as well as making a casing for delicious stuffing mixes to make a light lunch with a twist!  

My late neighbour, Maggie, and I used to have a friendly rivalry over our courgettes.  She would sow her seeds in April or May in pots in her greenhouse, potting on and nurturing the seedlings for weeks, before planting out in June, whereas I would sow mine directly in the soil in late May.   Within a few weeks, mine had germinated and grown well, caught up with hers, and come harvest time we were both starting our harvest in the same week!   I suppose the growth of Maggies plants was slowed down every time she potted them on, which was two or three times before they actually arrived in the garden, whereas mine just had to focus on growing without adjusting to root disturbance and new pots ever couple of weeks.

Do take your time with these, look at the incredibly detailed lines, the fine hairs, the subtle changes of colours in the bright yellow petals, the tiny spikes that do not deter slugs as one might expect!  These flowers are miniature works of art, and most of the time go unnoticed as they tend to bloom half hidden under the much larger leaves of the courgette plant.

Until next time,

Debbie xx

It's A Tad Bit Warm

Hello Friends!

Like most of my fellow countrymen and women, I melted last night in the 30 degree heat.  My living room, the coolest place to rest {note, not sleep} was a balmy 28C at three a.m. despite the multiple fans blowing on me. 

With Parkinson's, and other medical conditions, such conditions are doubly dangerous as we cannot regulate our body temperatures, so have to be extra vigilant during heat waves and, equally, the cold days of winter.  I have done all I can: wet flannels kept in the fridge, lots of cold, plain water, curtain chasing and window opening/closing as the heat rises outside, resting and not exerting myself, wearing loose, natural fibre clothing, and other measures to try and keep myself from overheating.  I also have to be cautious over storing my medication as the temperature goes over 25C.  Can't put it in the fridge, it's a bit like a bowl of porridge, must be just right.

I did take a couple of snaps on the phone, of some flowers in the garden, but it's too hot to stay outside for more than a couple of minutes and my tremors do me no favours holding the camera.  

I am not going to bleat on about the difficulties with the local authority and paperwork!  Finger's crossed recent lost in the post, lost in the office, and other issues are now resolved and I can move forward getting much needed help.

Instead, I shall tell you about the ragwort plant that is growing in my border.  Before anyone says to pull it up, I  have researched it online, and I do not have livestock, it does not jeopardise livestock, I will dispose of it properly at the end of the season, and finally it is a valuable source of food for about 40 species of wildlife, most notable the Cinnabar Moth caterpillar, so it's staying put!  

Until next time

Stay safe and stay cool!  Be sensible in this heat!

Debbie xx 

What a Story This Rose Could Tell . . .

Hello Friends!

Many long years ago, I grew up in the next street over in a house that had been in my family for three or more generations.  Along one hedge was a massive rambling rose that in Spring and Summer was covered in thousands of tiny pink flowers.  

I recall my mother telling me that it had been planted there by my Great Grandmother.  Even if she was wrong and it was my Grandmother, that rambler has been there for nigh on seventy years, maybe closer to eighty.

Until recently, I was able to peep over the wall of an adjacent garden and see that ancient rose still there, giving it's all.  In the last couple of years, the new owners have built a high fence, and I can no longer see where the rose blooms.  I can only hope now that it is still there.

A short while ago, I noticed a pink rambling rose flowering on a neighbour's fence. I told the neighbour how very like the rose we had in my childhood home this looked.  She then shared with me that her rose that I admired so much as it reminded me of the one from my childhood had come from the same garden. Indeed, it was a cutting from the very rose that was growing there in my childhood, that I knew and loved so well.

Much to my delight, she gave me a cutting that she had taken a few weeks earlier that was already established in a little pot. I brought it home and looked after it while it established, and the following year, I potted it into a larger terracotta pot. It didn't do too well last year, but this year it is put on some considerable growth and for the first time, has produced a single flower.

I am going to have to make an effort to try and find out if the new owners of my childhood home do indeed still have that rose on the hedge, because I think they might like to know its history.

Here are some photos the one along the wall is growing on my neighbor's wall. As I call it, the Daughter of Great Grandma's rose.  I hope mine will continue to flourish!

Do you have any inherited plants, or ones you know to be old in your garden?

Until next time

Debbie xx

All or Nothing

Hello Friends

First, for those who signed the Parkinson's petition I shared, Thank You.  Here is a transcript of the debate.  It's a start.

Parkinson's Charter Debate

It's that time of year again when ICAD takes over my desk.

I am not following the prompts.  Here's the first few days

Title Card

1/61 mixed media collage using some very pretty paper that was wrapped around some Easter eggs.  I did two slightly different versions.

2/61

Mixed media incorporating an ATC and Nuvo drops

3/61  Made using up scraps from a previous project

4/61 Mixed media incorporating an ATC. photo does not do justice to the vibrant colours or the gilding wax 

It's not easy this year and with the unpredictable nature of Parkinson's I know each card might be the last I can manage.  Then again, I could go on for months, even years, being able to do art. That's the nature of the beast.

Since I last wrote things have changed. Here's a quick update. As I told you my medication was changed. I had a consultation with the doctor on May the 6th. On May 9th he wrote to my GP. It took until may the 28th for the GP to get back to me regarding the letter. in the meantime, I had already changed my regime based on what we had discussed. The GP was way behind and having to play catch up.  Then just this last week, I've had another phone call, my Parkinson's doctor is tweaking my medication again. Is this going to take another month now before my GP catches up?

Finally, a care package has been put in place.  The agency started with me last week. I have one hours help a day. However, I am to be reassessed for more help up to three more hours a day.  

I have lost count now of how many people have been sent by the council to assess my bathroom. I am entitled to a grant for conversion, and every little, no matter how little helps.  It's just taking forever!

Suddenly, after months, even up to a couple of years, of frustration and waiting, I've got people throwing themselves at me from all directions now.  Carers, cleaners, general help and companions. It's an all or nothing situation.  My head is in a spin!

Until next time

Debbie xx

Medication Mayhem Misery

Hello Friends!

Thank you all for your kind comments on my last blog which was a bit of a Pity Party.  

While I am trying my best not to wallow, it isn't easy not to.  A sad fact compounded by the events of last Tuesday afternoon.

I had a long overdue consultation, if you can call it a consultation, via video link with the doctor who is overseeing my Parkinson's treatment and management.  I say this because his title is Doctor for the Care of the Elderly.  In other words, he looks after the over 60's and does not specllialise in any one field.  I know he was seeing my dear friend for COPD, a far cry from Parkinson's.  This in itself does not instill me with confidence.  Anyhow, I digress.  The Parkinson's nurse was also supposed to be linked in to the video call but she failed to show up.  

I had to put up with the usual diatribe that I should consider moving house, leaving the area and uproot hundreds of miles away to be nearer to better care provision than is offered in my remote area.  This would also offer me better socialising opportunities {do I want that?} with no thought for the few friends I have here, or the stress that would come with looking for somewhere else to live, buying, selling, moving and so on.  Most of us have done that, would most of us want to do it when we were already not in the best of health?  Uproot our entire world where our roots run deep in exchange for pastures new?  Giving up what few friends you have and be dropped in some strange and alien community miles from home.  No, not for me, thanks all the same.

Then came the discovery that for many, many months I have been near overdosing on a tablet that was prescribed to be taken five times a day and which should have been no more than twice a day. Heigh ho, just when you think your management can't take any more twists and turns.  I take copious notes during such consultations, and during this one the Doctor made a minimum of three changes of mind as to what I should be taking and in what combination.  This is par for the course, and I wonder if it doesn't lie behind me being given the incorrect dosage instructions.

So, effective immediately, I'm now on this new, lower dose and guess what?  My tremors are now twice as bad today as they were at the start of the week.  

No one knows who is to blame, everyone is blaming someone else, and I'm stuck in the middle.  I have already started making enquiries.  I don't want to get anyone into trouble, Lord knows the department could do without that, but my faith in the system is totally shattered now.  First things first, I have been advised to request to be copied in to the results of the investigation.  Now, I have not asked for this but have been told that when any mistake is made it must be investigated,  So, Monday morning I will be in touch with them over this.  Then, I will request a complete transcript of my medications since the beginning of my diagnosis. After that I will decide how to proceed, but right now I am stuck with a team of medical providers whom I can no longer trust to do the best they can for me.  

Watch this space!

In the meantime, there have been no applicants to my advertisement for assistance at home.  This is worrying indeed.  I need help at home desperately now.  My case worker on the Direct Payments team at the Council left and somehow my case file got misplaced.  If I hadn't phoned to follow through, I would still be missing in the cracks that seem to be everywhere.

Sometimes I feel as if I am in freefall over no man's land.  It is making an already stressful time even more difficult and more stressful. 

At least I have a gardener!  We've planted up some osteospermum Purple Sun, so hopefully they'll be providing some stunning colour soon.

Until next time
Debbie xx

That Which I Hold So Dear . . .

Hello Friends!

Happy May Day!

I haven't been around for a while as I'm not in a good place at the moment.  There are times now when this horrible medical condition is overwhelming and I am hoping next week's much needed appointment will help sort something out to enable me to resume some degree of normality.

I have been trying to think what aspect of Parkinson's to address but there are so many it is difficult to know where to begin.  There are the day to day living experiences and changes, the challenges of adapting, of not being able to adapt, the financial burden {something all people with any sort of disability get lumbered with}, transportation issues, mobility issues, mental health issues, finding reliable help, even finding unreliable help, or just plain pouring out my angst and misery at the position in which I now find myself issues.  There's an endless list.  I promised myself I wouldn't wallow, but these days it is sometimes difficult not to.  Add to all of the above, the ever increasing worries over our NHS and medication shortages and a perfect storm is brewing.

The last few days have been particularly difficult with the arrival of such gorgeous weather at long last. Yet, here I sit, unable to go outside for very long because I am unable to put my sun screen on evenly, and all I can do is watch the listless clouds drift slowly by and ponder on what I would have been doing in these glorious spring mornings and evenings {afternoons are too darn warm}in what should have been the fun years of my retirement.

I hadn't planned to retire upon reaching State Pension Age, but it has been forced upon me.  My plan had been to either work a small part time job or work from home selling my makes at craft fairs or on Etsy. I was to have plenty of free time to carry on hiking and rambling across my beloved Shire.  It was not to be, ah! the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, indeed they do, in my case they went awry and away.

It was not to be, and it is starting to become difficult in accepting that I will never be able to do again the things I hold so dear.

Oh, but what a difference in a week!  Ten days ago I sat huddled under a blanket keeping warm, now the last few days it's been a struggle to keep cool!  At 5:30 a.m. this morning, as daylight began to creep over the east facing hedge, I was opening the windows of my cottage wide to let in some cooler air, trying to keep the living room as cool and comfortable as possible before the midday heat arrives.  I've still got my vest on; I've cast not a clout but might today as it's already hot indoors.  Ironically, next week it seems we shall be glad not to have cast those clouts as colder days are predicted again.   One thing that is helping me keep hydrated is my new water bottle by Rhiannon Art

A little pick me up treat that will be useful in the hot summer days. It comes with a choice of caps, straw, flip top, or wide mouth and holds 750mls of hot or cold liquids.  Proud to be Welsh!

Until next time

Debbie xx

April 1st 2024

Hello Friends!

Happy April 1st

Another month starts today, this one is if April showers do come your way, they bring the flowers that bloom in May . . . 

Late to the party, the pink camellia is just now coming into full bloom and the red one just opening up!

I actually did some gardening yesterday, well not gardening proper but I trundled around my borders using my rollator/walker to keep me upright, and with a pruning shears in hand and a long handled pruner too, I did a teensy, tiny bit of tidying up.  I know I will never garden properly again and it does make me sad, but it was something out in nature and it felt oh! so good to have the sun on my face if only for a short while.  Hopefully there will be more to do in the coming days, it isn't much but it is better than nothing and, like I said, that feeling of warmth from the sun, after the horribly, long, cold and wet winter was just amazing.

I sprained my wrist and might have made it worse by pruning!  Yikes.  

Your responses to my last blog have been amazing.  Thank you all, and especially if you were able to sign and share the petition.  Every signature counts and matters!  There will be more coming on Parkinson's in the near future as I sift through everything.  As some of you said in your replies, we all of us know so little about it.  Education is a key word!

Until next time

Debbie

Into The Unknown With Parkinson's

Hello Friends!

It's been a while since I've been on Blogger.  I have decided to change tack and write about my Parkinson's journey {don't like using the word "journey" but it'll do for now} although it's more of a voyage into the unknown, like the Spanish Conquistadors and Christopher Columbus and all the other explorers who sallied forth into the great unknown.  Only they had a choice, I don't.

So, what is Parkinson's?  First things first. You may know it as Parkinson's Disease, but there is a move now to drop the word disease which gives the impression that it is contagious. It is not contagious, and it is now being known simply as Parkinson's.

Parkinson's is one of the fastest growing neurological conditions.  In the UK alone there are approximately 145,000 people diagnosed with this condition {around 83,000 men and 60,000 women between the ages of 50 to 89} and it is calculated that by the year 2050 there will be over 25 million cases worldwide.  It is more common amongst men than in women. It is progressive and debilitating, it robs you of being able to do the simplest of tasks, and there is no known cure, and it remains one of the most underfunded and under researched of medical conditions.  Try to imagine what it is like for your brain to be telling you to pick up that book but your arm and hand just will not comply and you hover above the book unable to grasp it.  Or when you are walking along, something that is automatic but all of a sudden your feet are rooted to the ground, your torso maintains momentum and over you go on your face.

It sneaks up on you and awareness of changes in your own body and discussing them with your GP it's about the only way of obtaining a diagnosis. There is no definitive test for Parkinson's, yet there are about forty different indications that can manifest years before the condition is suspected, never mind diagnosed.  Little things we might blow off as something else.

This is my story.

As many of you know I was a caregiver for my mother for several years. During this time, in 2015 I developed a frozen shoulder in my left arm. It was unexplained, I had no idea what was causing it, but because I was caring for my mother, I pushed my own medical needs aside to continue caring for her. Time passed and there was no ease to the frozen shoulder, but I pushed through the pain and mobility issues because I had to. Sometime in 2016 my left wrist started to hurt, and at that point I started to think perhaps I had a trapped nerve, or possibly arthritis. The pain was intermittent and became more of a minor inconvenience that I tolerated and ignored. Had I known that these two things were early symptoms of the onset of Parkinson's I would have probably gone to the doctor far earlier than I did. In 2017 the frozen shoulder finally started to ease but then I notice my little finger started twitching from time to time. Over the coming months the twitching started to spread until it was my whole hand from my wrist down. People were starting to notice, but still I refused to go to my doctor. My mother's condition deteriorated she went into hospital in early 2018 and from there she went into a care home. I was travelling for about eight hours a day, back and forth to visit and as a result didn't even give my tremors a second thought. She passed away in the autumn of that year and I focused on trying to rebuild my life by going back to work trying to pick up where I had left off 12 years earlier.  I had noticed I was getting slower, but I put that down to being older and less fit than I had been, and to my body's reaction to the cumulative stress of fourteen years of being a caregiver. I was incredibly tired and often found myself having to push hard to get through the day. It was winter and our bodies react differently, and I kept telling myself I'd get back on track properly after a winter of hibernation and self-care, then come the spring I would be able to start walking on a regular basis, regaining my former fitness. Of course, the next thing to happen before I had a chance to even think about putting myself back on track was the pandemic. We all know what that did for so many of us, no need to explain further that it knocked my intended recovery for six.  Of course, I know now there will be no recovery for it is incurable and progressive.

I muddled on, there was no improvement to my tremor but it wasn't getting any worse and I genuinely started to believe that it would heal itself eventually because nerve damage can take a while and there was no need to bother the doctor with something that would heal itself in the middle of the pandemic when appointments were conducted over the phone. However, in the summer of 2021, I noticed a tremor in my left leg. That was when I realised there was probably something that would require medical attention happening and I went to visit my GP. Everything was still very much about wearing your masks and keeping your distance, so off I went only to be told that he was very concerned and there was a high likelihood that I had Parkinson's.  He was thorough examining me and in questioning as any GP could do without being specifically qualified in neurological conditions. It seemed that so many things over the past four years or so were indicators. Sudden onset of an unexplained frozen shoulder being one of the major early indicators, even before tremors started to develop. The slowing down of movement and the increased tiredness, again both indicators. So I had evidence of four indicators and ignored them all through self-diagnosing. He sent a referral off to the local hospital and by the end of September I had been seen and officially diagnosed.

Since then, it's been like a roller coaster.  I will talk about my experiences over the coming weeks.  It won't be all about Parkinson's, there will be other stuff, but if you don't want to hang around, fair enough.  Thank you for being here this far.

In the meantime, please consider signing this petition to get better recognition, support and funding for research into this heinous condition.

Increase funding for people with Parkinson’s and implement the "Parky Charter" - Petitions

Until next time

Debbie xx

An Update

Hello Friends!

The situation has been a bit rough here lately and I've been on an extended social media break. Thank you to those of you who have noticed me by my absence, and especially those of you who have been in touch checking in on me. I am still here, but changes in my medication mean I'm not up to scratch at the moment.

I hope to be back reading your blogs and writing my own soon again. In the meantime, I don't know why I had this thought this morning, but it seems rather appropriate after seeing the news.

"Thinking if I was one of the astronauts stuck on the ISS looking down I'd just ask them to send up more food, toilet paper, and 6 new pairs of M&S knickers and say I'm staying up here."

Until next time

Debbie xx

Let Yourself Be Drawn . . .

Hello Friends

I came across this quote, one of many of the wise words of the great Persian poet, mystic, theologian and scholar, Rumi. 

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you truly love. It will not lead you astray.”

The love that pulls me is creativity.  I have passed through a crossroads.  I am now being silently drawn by the pull of a different aspect of that love.

I think I was born creative because by the time I was four years old I was already learning basic embroidery, knitting, and baking.  I would create in the evening as we sat around the fireside before bedtime, and I would come down in the morning to discover, to my delight, that the fairies had come in the night and put right my mistakes, picked up the dropped stitches and left little notes of encouragement! 

I used to help my Nanna in the garden, growing and creating new spaces and plants.  In turn, this creativity became growing food and creating delicious and nutritious meals to feed the family.

Now , not through choice, I'm turning away from the creative side of gardening and returning to the creative skills of my younger days.  

These days my creativity is keeping me sane in the madness of the world that spins in a web of deceit, lies, and tragedies of all kinds.  If I did not find solace in my creativity I don't know what would happen.

My latest foray into creativity is dabbling in junk journalling.  I'm not one hundred percent certain in the definition of junk journalling, it seems to be different things to different people, but here's what I'm getting up to with mine.  I started off with a blank spiral bound journal and now I'm basically decorating each page with ephemera, papers, fabric, stamps, images and more. You'll get the drift as the blogs go by.  Here is the cover.

First I did a mock up and took a photo when I was happy with the placements

then, once happy with the arrangement I glued it all in place

I used a mop up paper, ephemera including recycled Susan Branch calendars and some of a prize I won in a YouTube giveaway on Handmade by Shirley, stamps and die cuts.

I have already completed several pages which I will share in the coming days.  I think my blogs will be shorter from now on as I am getting very tired very quickly and must adjust accordingly.  Thank you for your support and understanding.

Until next time

Debbie xx

Hunkering Down Again

Hello Friends!

Well, here we go again, less than 36 hours after we see the tail end of Storm Eowyn, here comes Storm Herminia {named by the Spanish weather forecasters} I am sitting in my living room, in the silence that is broken by the wind that is already howling about the corners of my cottage.

No rest for us in the coming week, this is today's forecast and although the wind speed is considerably lighter it is still damaging and will be like this most of the time between now and Thursday.

Any time we see the black circles we know we're up for another blow.  Time for a hot drink  . . . 

. . . ahh, that's better.  A mug of freshly brewed, hot tea, the panacea to all that ails . . . 

I use social media. I enjoy it, but I have to admit my days on various platforms are now probably numbered because of AI.

In recent weeks I have encountered numerous problems on different platforms. The first time anything started showing up was on Instagram. Every time I logged into my account, I would get a pop up saying that suspicious activity was detected on my account. There was no suspicious activity. It was me. I have two separate accounts and from time to time I log out of one and into the other. Then I switch back. Unfortunately, if I do this too frequently, Instagram logs it as suspicious activity. This has also happened to a few of my friends, several of whom have lost their Instagram accounts. Some have been fortunate and able to reclaim them. Others not so.

One day I was on Facebook, and all of a sudden up pops a message informing me that my latest post has been deleted because it is obvious that it is written by a spam bot.  SPAMBOT!!!! Moi?!  Trust me, the irony of being told by AI that it has identified me as a spambot was not lost on me.  This went on for weeks with me sending screaming messages to FB but in reality I was wasting my time as there was only an AI on the other end not a real person.  Eventually, it let up, until . . . .

 . . . last week on the site I share photos to for publication in the local paper suddenly refused to share my submissions on the FB page.   I contacted the page admins immediately and they didn't even know I had submitted anything much less had it declined!  FB and AI were making the decision for them.  I am getting too old for this malarkey.

Mind, I've not had anything picked for weeks now.  Not that it matters, au contraries, but all the photos being selected now {there's a new person in charge} are heavily post edited, something I am not into doing on my photos.  I don't object to removing blemishes or telegraph poles but do draw the line at changing colours, for example.

Well, that's it for now. I've just discovered I haven't got water. I guess I'd better phone Dwr Cymru to see what they have to say.  We've been having a lot of time where there's been low water pressure recently, but it isn't often we are without water completely as we are now.

until next time, stay safe.

Debbie.

Dydd Santes Dwynwen Hapus

Hello Friends!

Dydd Santes Dwynwen Hapus

Today is Dydd Santes Dwynwen which is celebrated annually in Wales on January 25th.  Her story, drawn from the mists of time that veil myth and folklore, is often equated as a Welsh Valentine’s Day.

Dwynwen was a 5th century Welsh noblewoman, the fairest and most beautiful of all the twenty four daughters of King Brychan Brycheiniog. She fell in love with a prince named Maelon Dafodrill and he with her. They wished to marry, but her father doubted Maelon's integrity and, despite the heartfelt pleadings of both Dwynwen and Maelon, he forbade them to marry. Unable to disobey her father, and distraught by his disapproval, Dwynwen ran away into the forest and prayed to God for divine guidance to help her fall out of love with Maelon. She fell asleep on the forest floor and while asleep she was visited by an angel who gave her a potion to erase all memory of Maelon and to turn him into a block of ice. The angel then granted her three wishes.

For her first wish, Dwynwen asked that Maelon be thawed and life restored to him.

Her second wish was that God meet the hopes and dreams of all true lovers.

Her third wish was that she would never, herself, marry.

The three wishes were fulfilled and thereafter Dwynwen devoted the rest of her life to the service of God.

With her father's blessing, she left the court of Brycheiniog, and taking her elder brother Dyfnan and her sister Cain, crossed the sea in a small boat and eventually landed on a small island just off the coast of Anglesey. Here Dwynwen build a small cell of mud and wood, and over the years that followed many young women joined her and so founded a convent.

On the island is a sacred well {as so often happens in the ancient Welsh folk tales} sometimes depicted as a cauldron, and therein swims a sacred fish with the ability to predict the fortunes of couples. Another tradition says that if the water boils while you are present then good luck in love will follow.

At the end of a long life of devotion to God, Dwynwen lay on her bed and prayed for one last glimpse of the sea that had carried her to the island. Legend says that a large boulder blocking her view split asunder and she once more looked out on the ocean that had carried her here.

After her death, aged 80, in 465 A.D. the church became a place of pilgrimage. Dwynwen's belongings were placed in a chest known as Cyff Dwynwen and pilgrims would bring a white pebble and place it on the chest in memory of Dwynwen.  Later, money was donated and nearly one thousand years after her death it was used to build a small stone church on the site and was called Llanddwyn, or Church of Dwynwen, the ruins of which can still be seen today.

Dwynwen became the Welsh patron saint of lovers and, according to some, friendship. The most famous quote attributed to her is “nothing wins hearts like cheerfulness”. Over time she became  associated with healing of sick animals, a purpose for which she is still invoked today. 

Unlike St Valentine, there are no traditional ways to celebrate her day, but of late the commercial practice of card giving seems to be increasing in popularity, if only in Wales.  We do not have the hype and hoopla of Valentines Day on Dydd Santes Dwynwen, just a quiet and personal observance of a little known Welsh woman and I think that is a fitting way to celebrate her life.   However, we do have one other unique tradition to do with love and marriage and that is the Love Spoon.

The Welsh Love Spoon is the traditional symbol of engagement or betrothal was given by the young man to his future wife.  It is hand carved by the young man from a solid block of wood and is full of symbolism to his commitment.  For example:

A Bell: togetherness in harmony, marriage

A Ball in a Cage {difficult to carve from solid wood}: each ball represents the number of children he hopes to have

A Chain {difficult to carve from solid wood} the number of links relate to the number of children hoped for, or a symbol of togetherness

Cross: Faith in Christ or God

Heart: Love

Diamond: Wealth and Good Fortune

I hope you have remained safe during Storm Eowyn, who viscously unleashed her wrath across most of the British Isles yesterday, wrecking havoc and leaving mayhem in her wake.

Until next time

Debbie 

{pronounced Dwee~n~wen or Dweenwen}

Hen Galan and the Mari Llwyd

Hello Friends!

I am putting this up a day early to give you a chance to read it before tomorrow.

It seems that Pembrokeshire is becoming quite the place to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. According to Tripadvisor, St David's is one of the best places in the whole of the United Kingdom for Father Christmas to come and visit for we have some of the best proper working chimneys in the country, which means Father Christmas doesn't encounter problems over access as he does his parcel dropping rounds on Christmas Eve.

Several places in Pembrokeshire host New Year's Day charity swims, which attract many people to don their peculiar fancy dress swimming costumes and take a quick dip in the chilly sea to raise funds for different charities. Two particularly famous ones now are held in Saundersfoot and Tenby, with lots of smaller ones dotted around the coastline.

Fishguard is in the top 20 places in the United Kingdom to celebrate New Year's Eve with their mahoosive street party on the square.

And the celebrations don't stop until the middle of January when one small village celebrates Welsh New Year's Day, or as it is known, Hen Galan, on the thirteenth day of January.

Cwm Gwaun is a beautiful, picturesque, small valley to the east of Fishguard in north Pembrokeshire and they celebrate New Year's Day on January 13th, two weeks after everyone else.  They aren't two weeks late, they just celebrate on the old Julian calendar which was abolished in 1752 when it was replaced by the Gregorian calendar {still in use today}.  However, the people of Cwm Gwaun resisted the change which is why to this day the children of Cwm Gwaun get the day off school to go from door to door singing in exchange for sweets and money.

A traditional verse such as this is sung at each door:

Blwyddyn Newydd dda i chi / A happy new year to you

Ac i bawb sydd yn y tŷ / And to everyone in the house

Dyma fy nymuniad i / This is my wish

Blwyddyn Newydd dda i chi / A happy new year to you

Another seasonal tradition which occurs between Christmas and Twelfth Night is the Mari Llwyd or Grey Mare. A horse's skull on a pole is decorated with greenery and ribbons, and paraded around the village, this time by adults, going in and out of houses, accompanied by singers or wassailers who traditionally exchange "pwnco" or rude rhymes with the residents. If successful entry is gained, the household is guaranteed to have good luck in the coming year.

You can read a lot more about the history and possible origins of the Mari Llwyd HERE

Until next time
Debbie

photos from the archive of the National Museum of Wales