Is it right? Are we lost? Well, if you have a minit, look around...

     The only thing I remember, living in Wales, of St David’s Day, (Gŵyl Dewi) is my, well ours of course, wedding anniversary. In any case there was precious little. No flags, all very quiet. Bearing in mind I feel that the bit about Welshness is being lost. Slowly but inevitably. Don’t ask me why, Pam? Well, I will leave it to your own opinion. But take the Rhondda, it seemed just another mucky Sunday. I am not sure what the people of the Rhondda feel about the degradation of their environment? Rubbish floating all around. I have mentioned all this before of course but people generally have lost their sense of pride in their environment. You get words thrown at you when pointing out we have bins at home or plastic refuse sacks, whatever but they will tell you whilst throwing out the Big Mac wrapping from a moving car, ‘It’s a job for you, innit boyo? Even yr ieunctydd lleol who are quick to protest will have no problem leaving the family ci’s emanations for all to enjoy on the busy pavement. The other thing I noticed whilst watching S4C but not just that one, it’s all of the main channels, the blandness of the content. Political chat programs that tell you absolutely nothing, game shows when the contestants do not know where Nelson’s column stands or what Caws Cymraeg is. It beats me why Owain Glyndŵr even bothered to become Tywysog Cymru.

    Yet, is all lost then? I would sincerely hope not. There are still pockets of local history, even main history to be researched, to make known. It shouldn’t be just left to Yr Amgueddfa Werin Cymru to be the only place where you can hear and experience yr Iaith Cymraeg. Or ‘feel’ how the fermwyr lived. Or even the deprivations of the glowyr Rhondda, yn ystod yr Oes Fictoriaidd. Even to the way the mine owners built the rows of houses all along the narrow streets winding up on the hills. Talking about these houses, mine and many others built yn ystod 1863, are now falling apart. The air quality thanks to the millions of cars that are needed to get to work as you cannot rely on the buses or can afford the ticket price, are eroding the stones. These stones that were used were mostly quarried locally and are sandstone and limestone. Easily etched by the acid rain. It is no wonder people, youngsters mainly, escape to travel forgetting of course they are just adding tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere.

    The big question is – why is it just like that? This general malaise in attitude and slovenliness? You ask me, I haven’t the foggiest. Is it money? Is it the governments, national and local? Perhaps the TV or even social media? Probably they are all to blame. The governments for lack of attention of what is really important, social media for the utter rubbish they spout, banal is the word and then the work ethic. The 16 or 20 hour week because employers don’t want to pay NI. The most jobs that are available in the area of the Valleys are shelf stockers in the super or hyper markets. All at national minimum wage or if you are willing, just a few pence more. There we go, that’s our wonderful society. We like sheep, just bleating in the toilet or shout at the poor cat and take it like the good citizens we are. Don’t we just love it. The only thing I regret is Wales didn’t win any rugby games, again! When will we again stamp the Sais into the hallowed ground of the Stadiwm Cenedlaethol Cymru yng Nghaerdydd? Oh, just asking.