I want to hang out with you guys at some point in Caernarfon please!! Such mischief but mostly about friendship, support and belonging. This thread is what SsiW is all about.
I am so proud to be a part of it. xxx
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Thank you—that sounds like a great plan. We certainly look forward to getting to know you too and having a wonderful time together.
Andrew, my husband, is not a Welsh-speaker but a great guy and good sport. I have been trying to teach him the bare essentials—he can manage ‘please’ and ‘thank-you’ but is having a problem with ‘beer’. The best idea I could come up with was to remind him of the Canadian comedy duo Doug and Bob McKenzie whose signature tune is ‘cookoo, cookoo coo-cwrw’ so you should be able to find us if you listen out for that plaintive cry 
Cheers,
Mari
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Newydd dysgu pigeon? 
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Brilliant Sean, how did you guess? 
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Dwy’n siarad yn rhugl pigeon, a Corvid…
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‘A Covid’ you say… I’d better watch out then, because my maiden name was Wren, so am just a timid little thing 
Oh, I had never realized the 80s Italian hit might refer to this! 
(the author is known for playing with words and sounds a lot so I always thought he had just made it up).
Most of the lyrics are in Italian, some are in English with Italian accent 
but I’m going to post the link in case @MarilynHames would like to try something more challenging with her husband for the cwrw sound. 
Franco Battiato - Cuccurucucù
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When I was starting out, I remember reading a piece of prose and was stumped by why a beer-can suddenly appeared (very much out of context) in the story. Took me a while to realise cangwrw was not beer-can at all, but kangaroo (which did actually fit the story much better!)
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We are on to it Gisella—but he can’t quite deliver the line with the correct panache yet
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I guess Andrew could just hop up to the bar…
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Practice makes perfect. 
By the way, it’s curious that you used the word panache. I had never heard before in English, with this meaning, but in Italy and France panaché is a drink made of limonade and…beer!
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Are you kidding me? That is amazing! The things we learn here—very handy!
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Turns out the title of this thread couldn’t be more appropriate, by the way-
Now he can go and order coo-cwrw, cangwrw, cuccwrwcucù and panaché for everybody! 
p.s. just found out panaché is called shandy in the UK (is it?)
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Yes Gisella, you are absolutely right on three counts—the appropriate name of this thread, the chance for Andrew to really strut his stuff ordering a round at the bar, and the blend of beer and lemonade being called shandy.
I tasted my first glass of shandy when I was about 4–strictly illegal, and I suppose the publican could have lost his licence serving me on the back stoop, but there we’re extenuating circumstances… My gran was taken very ill, so my mam was looking after her and my grampi (grandfather) was given the awesome responsibility of ‘amusing’ me, to keep me quiet…
Now he was a saddler, a brilliant story-teller and one for the ‘sauce’—if you take my drift. After letting me loose with his lethally sharp half-moon-shaped knives to cut strips of leather, I slipped and the blade almost cut one of my fingers off. Not to worry my mam any further, he ‘mended it with vinegar and brown paper’ (straight out the nursery rhyme), bound it tightly with twine coated in beeswax and tar, then marched me down to the ‘local’ (aka pub). Having explained to the barmaid what had happened, she took me a out back to sit on the step in the sun, then returned with something to ‘set me up!’ (Believe me, you can’t make this stuff up and the whole traumatic incident remains indelibly etched in my brain). I was served a huge glass of fizzy brown liquid and a ‘doorstep’ of bread and dripping that attracted a huge fleabag of a moggy which became my immediate best friend.
Shandy? I’ve had one thanks—just one—never again
Mine’s a ‘gwin plis’ and don’t let Andrew come back with anything else,… although… a few days ago, I sliced into two of my fingers very badly with a new kitchen knife. I refused stitches because we will be travelling. Twice in 65 years isn’t too bad, but maybe they may want to consider issuing me with plastic cutlery for the parti 
Hwyl,
Mari
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Grampi had a peculiar way to keep you entertained, Mari, but maybe now we know where you’ve learned the story-telling skills? I really enjoy reading your posts! 
So…enjoy the parti, stay away from sharp knives and, since unfortunately I won’t be there, I hope to meet you next time. 
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Love this…made me smile!
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Talking about shandy reminds me of being persuaded to try a lager shandy with coke substituting for the lemonade. Once only kind of trial…
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