Help: Wales/Tunguska

Subject: RE: Help: Wales/Tunguska
From: sian, west wales
Date: 05 Sep 01 - 02:04 PM

Leeneia, ... exactly!

The book to which I refer is Evanly Choirs. Come to think of it, it's probably different to the one Bron read, as the village is more agrarian than Blaenau.

sian

Subject: RE: Help: Wales/Tunguska
From: The_one_and_only_Dai
Date: 05 Sep 01 - 09:13 AM

leeneia - National Geographic had a (slim) article a couple of months ago about Wales - it was actually pretty good from the point of view of how things stand there now - from the pov of an expat like me, of course...

In fact, have a look at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0106/online_extra.html which is the online supporting article. HTH

Subject: RE: Help: Wales/Tunguska
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 05 Sep 01 - 08:51 AM

Sian: apparently your reaction to Rhys Bowen is the same as my reaction to the typical British author's attempts to portray Americans and their speech.

I don't remember a story about an opera singer. Are you sure it's the same author?

Nonetheless, the talk will be an opportunity to show pictures of Wales, to teach a few Welsh words, and to do something different. I'll print out your thread so that they get to hear your point of view.

Bron: Thanks for the information on names. I'll also see if I can get some pics of Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Subject: RE: Help: Wales/Tunguska
From: sian, west wales
Date: 05 Sep 01 - 06:52 AM

Leeneia

I tend to use this site for pictures. (I don't always get that to work, so: www.searchwales.com if you need to cut and paste.

Re: the Rhys Bowen - I think I've read the same one as Bronwen and assumed it was in Snowdonia somewhere. It was sent to me by an American friend, who also sent it to various other Welsh friends, and it seems we all thought they were pretty disgusting. About as much like Wales as Dogpatch is like the USA. Major faults in research, and stereotypes which might have held some water in the 30s but now ... very little substance. (if it's the one about the opera singer, it's just as bad about the world of opera as it is about Wales). I think that authors have certain duties to their readers and "Rhys" fails in a great many of them.

sian

Subject: RE: Help: Wales/Tunguska
From: Llanfair
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 12:10 PM

My name is Bronwen, Wyn is the male form...ie Gwen-female, Gwyn-male.
I've read one of the constable Evans stories, and they describe the North-Walian slate villages very well. It made me think of Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Cheers, Bron.

Subject: RE: Help: Wales/Tunguska
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 10:01 AM

Thanks for listening. I plan to do an illustrated talk to the St David's Welsh Society here. There's an author, Rhy Bowen, who writes mystery stories about the cases of Evan Evans, the constable, in the village of Llanfair in North Wales. I would like to illustrate it with slides of things in the stories such as the butcher shop, the post office, the village school, the two chapels, and of course, the pub.

I will check out Sorcha's Google page before anything else. Postcards would a difficult to work with, I'm afraid.

By the way, the schoolteacher that Evan has a crush on is named Bronwyn. Is that any relation to the name Bron?

(Despite what Yahoo thinks, there is no evidence that Evan has ever cracked the mystery of Tunguska.)

Subject: RE: Help: Wales/Tunguska
From: Llanfair
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 03:22 AM

leenia, what is your idea of a Welsh village? are you doing some sort of project? I can send you postcards if you are really stuck.
Cheers, Bron.

Subject: RE: Help: Wales/Tunguska
From: Sorcha
Date: 03 Sep 01 - 10:15 PM

leenia, try some of the links on this Google Search page. Be sure to explore sites fully. Some you need to scroll down..........

Subject: RE: Help: Wales/Tunguska
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 03 Sep 01 - 10:07 PM

leenia, what scenes are you looking for? I lived in a Welsh village (Bryn Pydew about 4 miles from Llandudno) roughly 1967-1973 and 1978-1998 and I can't remember anything looking Welsh there although I do remember that particular community changing.

Part of it was in the language - I'm not a Welsh or a Welsh speaker (Shropshire born and finished my education in Kent after 1973) just my school mates (from the village, Penrhyn Bay and Llandudno was largely English) who's first language was Welsh speak English as the first language in the home.

Another part was property and planning permission. I can remember at least one local being turned down for building a house on his father's land and on the other hand, a mock Georgian "town house" built by a farmer - totaly out of place...

I remember the days, as a kid, when we used to walk down the roads and everyone knew everyone (and probably everrones business) and it was a great treat to go to "taid Willaims" (not my grandfather - a friends) house or where ever - these people as many loved all us kids, even English imports like me.

One of the many thoughts that left me when I left the village was that the Welsh themselves had changed. Those with the ability to remain in the close communtiy had gone down the same routes as those from elsewhere with the money and even sold thier language out and doubtless, behind my back, would blame the English for the changes.

That's my Welsh village scene.

Jon

(Who still loves the old village people that remain there)

Subject: Wales/Tunguska
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 03 Sep 01 - 09:37 PM

Would somebody please tell me how it can be that when I asked Yahoo to search for photographs of villages in Wales that it referred me to a page called "The Tectonic Interpretation of the 1908 Tunguska Event?" Tunguska, as you may recall, is the area in Siberia which suffered a terrific and mysterious catastrophe, thought to be the explosion of a gigantic meteor. But there isn't a crater.

And if anybody can tell me where I could find some photos of a Welsh village scenes on the net, that would be nice, too.