Daffodils, Pancakes and A Patron Saint

Hello Friends!

DAFFODILS FOR SAINT DAVID'S DAY

It's been quite a busy few days in the village as it is March 1st, and that means it is Saint David's Day, the day we celebrate the Patron Saint of Wales.  You can read all about it here and here  where I have previously shared several of our events and a little of the history of David himself.

I was unable to attend in person at any of the events this year, however, I did manage to take a few photographs of some of the many windows that have been so beautifully decorated in celebration of Saint David. Here are a few of them, a bit shaky as it was like standing in a wind tunnel out there today in 50 mph winds ~~~

I love these quirky pottery Welsh ladies

Here are some of my personal things, some table linen, a Welsh lady doll that is dressed in traditional costume that someone lovingly knit by hand, and a few towels and oven gloves with Welsh patterns ~~~

and a plate of delicious Welsh Cakes, a yummy treat to have with tea on St David's Day ~~~

We also have dear friends living Across the Pond who celebrate Wales and they share their lovely pictures and celebrations with us ~~~

Yesterday was Shrove Tuesday, which you can read about here, however, many of you celebrate this day yourself in one of its many forms as it is celebrated across the world and I'd love if you'd share your stories in the comment ~~~

I don't like calling it Pancake Day as I observe it as Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, and the start of Lent, although, as a child, we sang the following little ditty all day long in school, in eager anticipation of delicious pancakes, fresh from the frying pan, for our tea when we got in from the cold, and often wet, walk home from school ~~~

Pancake Day! Pancake Day!

Mother's Busy Baking 

Toss the Pancakes! Toss the Pancakes!

Turn the Pancakes Over!

I always remember my mother, slaving over the hot stove which stood in the corner of the tiny room where we cooked, ate, and sat around the fire of the evenings, making the pancakes one by one so each of us got a fresh, hot pancake slathered in melted butter, sprinkled liberally with sugar, and drizzled with lemon juice. She would serve everyone first before sitting down to her own, then start again giving each one of us a fresh pancake in turn, ending with her own, until all the batter was gone! My goodness, they were tasty treats with all the sugar and butter!

We sat, in eager anticipation, not only of the delicious pancakes, but waiting for The Toss! No meal of pancakes is proper without the successful toss of at least one pancake!  I pride myself on my expertise in this field!

Here is my recipe for crêpes which I learned in school, many decades ago ~~~

4 oz plain flour, sifted with a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and into this crack two large eggs. Gradually incorporate the eggs into the flour, slowly drawing the flour into the eggs. When all the flour is absorbed by the eggs, slowly pour in 1/2 pint of full cream milk beating constantly using a hand held electric whisk. You may, of course, whisk by hand using a balloon whisk should you require to burn off calories before eating your treat!  Set batter aside for a minimum of 1 hour before using. Immediately before using, pour 1 oz melted butter into the batter and whisk well.
To cook the pancakes, heat a heavy flat based pan and lightly grease with butter. When the butter begins to give off a blue smokey haze the pan is ready. Pour about 1/6 of the batter into the pan and swirl around until it reaches the edges. When the top is dry and the pancake slides freely in the pan, flip using a spatula, or toss if you are brave enough and cook the other side until golden brown.
Transfer the cooked pancake to a warm plate and flavour or fill with your choice of toppings before serving immediately. Repeat with remaining batter, which makes approximately 6 pancakes of 10 inches diameter. Bon Appetit!

Our traditional Shrove Tuesday pancakes are globally called crêpes, those heavenly, paper thin French confections of pure, soft, melt in the mouth delight which I love dearly. Today, pancakes will be made in many shapes, sizes, and filled with all manner of treats.  These are mine ~~~

I don't mind savoury or filled sweet pancakes at any time of year, and love them filled with garlic mushrooms; roasted Mediterranean vegetables; broccoli in a cheese sauce; ice cream and chocolate sauce; fresh fruit and a brandy sauce; you get the idea ~ but on Shrove Tuesday they are simple fare served in remembrance of the day.

Did you have pancakes yesterday, or do you have other ways of celebrating Shrove Tuesday?

Until next time ~~~
~~~ Deborah

St David's Day Celebrations~~~March Came in Like a Lion ~~~

 Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus

Happy Saint David's Day

Gentle Reader ~~~ First, I wish you all, wherever you are, whatever your roots, but especially to everyone of Welsh heritage, Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus ~ A Very Happy Saint David's Day ~~~ for today, March 1st is the Feast Day of David, the Patron Saint of Wales ~~~

Let's talk about the weather for one moment ~~~ one thing I love is the weather ~~~ no matter what it throws at us, and yes, sometimes I complain about it, but in general I love it all {except for the scorchio heat of high summer}. You have to take it as it comes, and there isn't much you can do about it so you might as well find something to like about it. I love the weather for so many different reasons ~ how it marks the slow turning of the seasons, the windswept and tormented beauty that lies within the heart of a raging storm; the calm that follows the storm; the gentle breezes of a late Spring morning as the world wakes up after a long, cold Winter; the bold colour palette of nature's paintbrush at work in Autumn ~~~ how the land looks in the different light; the billowing cotton puff clouds; the shimmering world after the rain as it sits, shining and glistening in the sun; the ever changing colours and moods of the sky; I love each season, each weather, in turn ~~~ although, as many of you know, my most favourite season of them all is Autumn ~~~ but this is not about Autumn, not today ~~~

So, I gather up all those little snippets of weather folklore along the way~~~ you know the one about red skies at night, or in the morning; or the one about Candlemas, or Groundhog Day, and so on ~~~ well, here is another one ~~~

If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb

But if March comes in like a lamb, it will go out like a lion

Of course, unlike some sayings, there is very little foundation to this one, and if the weather comes to pass according to the rhyme then it is more a coincidence than the science of meteorology at work ~ mind, they did mention it on the weather forecast and said it could be a subtle hint! 

• Sun

  46°F37°F32MPHSOUTH WESTERLY

• Mon

  43°F39°F25MPHWESTERLY

• Tue

  45°F41°F29MPHWESTERLY

• Wed

  46°F43°F20MPHNORTH WESTERLY

• Thu

  48°F45°F18MPHSOUTH WESTERLY

• Fri

  48°F46°F19MPHSOUTH SOUTH WESTERLY

• Sat

  50°F46°F21MPHSOUTH SOUTH WESTERLY

• Sun 8th

  50°F45°F15MPHSOUTH WESTERLY

• Mon 9th

  48°F43°F13MPHWEST NORTH WESTERLY

• Tue 10th

  48°F45°F15MPHNORTH NORTH WESTERLY

Sunrise 07:08 Sunset 18:00

Last updated 07:33

  

Weather forecast details for Sunday 1 March. Each column contains hourly forecast details for weather conditions, temperature, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, visibility and pressure.

TIME	0800 HOURS	0900 HOURS	1000 HOURS	1100 HOURS	1200 HOURS	1300 HOURS	1400 HOURS	1500 HOURS	1600 HOURS	1700 HOURS	1800 HOURS	1900 HOURS	2000 HOURS	2100 HOURS	2200 HOURS	2300 HOURS	0000 HOURS MON	0100 HOURS	0200 HOURS	0300 HOURS	0400 HOURS	0500 HOURS
Weather Conditions
Temperature (°F)	45°F	46°F	46°F	46°F	46°F	46°F	46°F	45°F	43°F	43°F	43°F	43°F	43°F	43°F	43°F	41°F	41°F	41°F	41°F	41°F	41°F	39°F
Wind Speed (mph)	23MPHWESTERLY	22MPHWEST SOUTH WESTERLY	23MPHWEST SOUTH WESTERLY	25MPHSOUTH WESTERLY	32MPHSOUTH WESTERLY	34MPHSOUTH WESTERLY	32MPHWEST SOUTH WESTERLY	28MPHWESTERLY	23MPHWESTERLY	20MPHWESTERLY	18MPHWESTERLY	18MPHWESTERLY	19MPHWESTERLY	20MPHWESTERLY	23MPHWESTERLY	24MPHWESTERLY	24MPHWESTERLY	23MPHWESTERLY	23MPHWESTERLY	24MPHWESTERLY	28MPHWESTERLY	27MPHWEST NORTH WESTERLY

See those numbers in the circles? Those are the average wind speeds for the day, so, this year, March decided to come in like a lion ~~~ a rather big, roaring, very noisy, and very wet lion at that ~~~ the winds came in by tea time on the last day of February and blew February away with such gusto and March came hurtling in on it's heels, with every cobweb in every corner blustered away on the wuthering winds from the west ~~~ and this morning, there is a very mixed bag of strong winds, bright sunshine, and short, sharp, sudden downpours, catching out those unprepared ~~~ 

This is not particularly brilliant news, for March 1st is Saint David's Day ~ the feast day of the Patron Saint of Wales ~ and there are always plans to celebrate the day in style ~~~ many of these events take place outside the words 'damp squib' spring to mind ~~~ many are also held indoors, and most of the outdoor ones went on despite the atrocious weather ~~~ we are a hardy breed in Wales ~~~

The events for St David's Day do not change very much from year to year, so if you click here it will take you to what I wrote for St David's Day 2013 on my other blog Tales from a Celtic Heart {which I no longer add to, but you may like to read and see the photographs when you have time}. 

We are striving in our small village to mark the day with more than just a couple of church services for the schools, to turn the eyes of the world to celebrate the place where David was born and to bring people in to the village to learn more about David and the community he established.  Cardiff, the capital city, is where the main attention is focused, but in truth they do very little to mark the day, whereas, this year, for example, we have four days jammed crammed with a varied programme of events.

This year, there was an Eisteddfod in the City Hall on Friday, followed by lots of things on Saturday, including traditional Welsh refreshments {Cawl, Welsh Cakes, and Bara Brith} served throughout the day with an accompaniment of harp music; an exhibition by the local Historical Society; a Twmpath; the Annual Parade of Dragons; a market on the Cross Square; Community Hymn Singing in a local Chapel; lots of different guided walks by different organisations; and folk concerts in the local pubs and hostelries. The Annual Window Decorating competition was organised, ensuring windows full of daffodils and Welsh themed miscellany making the village look bright and beautiful, despite the grey days.  We are even featured on the BBC's Countryfile on Sunday evening {the link may or may not work for overseas readers, sorry if it does not}

Permission was given for arrangements of daffodils ~ our national flower ~ to be placed in the cathedral.  As it is Lent, all floral arrangements are stopped for the six weeks, but a special waiver was given to allow daffodils for the four days of celebrations of the life of David, without whom the cathedral, nor the village where I live, would be.

On Saturday, the Annual Parade of Dragons took place with the parade led by the 948 Squadron Air Corps Training Band ~~~

followed by one of the longest parades we have ever had ~~~

In fact, the parade was so long that there was nearly a traffic incident as the 948 Squadron Air Corps Training Band arrived back at the top of the Cross Square before the tail of the parade had cleared the High Street ~~~ disaster was averted at the last moment as the band held back, but I can just imagine the backlog of parade as it filed around the corners ~~~

Here are a few images from Saturday ~~~

Some delicious looking Welsh themed cup cakes on the Shalom stall on the market ~~~ I think they are really rather splendid ~~~

Everyone takes part ~~~

Window display at Mathias Hardware ~~~

Second place window display by the Candles and Crafts shop ~~~ with a handmade, wooden harp ~~~

The winning window ~ Oriel Albion Gallery ~ complete with a signed photo of the great J.P.R. Williams {one of our greatest heroes of rugby}

Close up showing the photograph of JPR and the Winner's Tropy ~~~

The Trophy, a hand carved piece of Welsh Slate ~~~ I happened to be in the Gallery visiting my friend who owns it when the Mayor, Cllr David Halse came in and surprised her with the award and tropy ~~~

This is one of my very special treasures ~ my bead bracelet. Some of you will recognise, and own, the Girlfriends bead from Susan Branch, but to day I want to focus on my Clogau gold charms, which contain a touch of rare Welsh gold.   One is the Cariad charm, the other is the daffodil.  Cariad is Welsh for Sweetheart, and my beloved Daddy called me 'his little cariad' so this charm has deep and very special meaning for me. The daffodil, of course, is the national flower of Wales, so again a meaningful charm for my bracelet.

Since I took this image, I have added the Glyn Rhosyn charm to my bead bracelet. One day, I will share an updated photo, and the reasons why this particular charm is so important to me ~~~

Finally, here is a plate of traditional Welsh Cakes for you to enjoy ~~~