Hi. I’m staying with my good friends in the Mumbles from Friday night to Sunday night at the end of October and wondered if there were any SSiW-ers who fancied meeting up somewhere in that area? I haven’t yet had a chance to practice my pigeon-Cymraeg with a real live Welsh-speaker as yet, so I’ll be nervous as anything if anyone takes me up on this, but I’m feeling willing to give it a go. I’ve been doing the SSiW lessons in the car on my daily commute since March and am up to Level 2 Lesson 18 so far (yes, I know I’m slow!)
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Hi David
You should pop along to ty tawe on the saturday morning 10-12 for a ‘sgwrs a paned.’
If you have no better offers, and I’m not working, I could rustle up a non-scary crew for you to chat with. I just don’t know my off duty for that period yet.
Ali.
Thanks, I may well pop along to Ty Tawe on the Saturday morning if I am back from a Welsh parkrun in time! Good recommendation!
Hi David.
I live near Swansea, but will be away at that time. Otherwise it would have been great to meet up for a chat.
I can definitely recommend Ty Tawe and hope that yoy enjoy your stay.
I didn’t know about Ty Tawe. I will definitely keep this in mind for when I’m visiting my folks next in Maesteg (and I also do parkrun).
Ah shame. I’ll be back in Mwmbwls again before long though! Maybe next time.
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Yes that would be nice. Also, for anyone visiting or living in the area, dont forget that there are also meetings in Bridgend, Port Talbot, Cwmavon, Lanelli and Carmarthen 
I was at Ty Tawe this morning. It is all quite informal and you would be welcomed I’m sure.
Thank you Ken. I will try to make a point of visiting it on the Saturday morning.
Hi Emma. I will almost certainly visit Ty Tawe at the end of October now, after injuring my foot right at the end of a 10k race yesterday (sadly it’s plantar fascitis so I’m told will stop me running for most of the rest of the year - so it will be volunteering-only at parkruns for the rest of the year for me!).
But on the plus side I don’t have to choose between a new parkrun and Ty Tawe now - so I can give it a go for sure when I’m in Swansea on 26th October!
Which is your local parkrun?
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Oh, nothing worse than plantar fascitis - i had that a few years ago, so annoying. My home run is Fareham in Hampshire where I now live but usually do Maesteg when I’m back visiting my family. I try and visit every 5/6 weeks, I’ve done Maesteg, Gnoll, Porthcawl and Bryn Bach in Wales and a few in England (and 1 in Scotland), I’m a bit of a parkrun tourist!
I am a bit of a parkrun tourist too. My wife and I like to do different ones whenever we can (although I guess we won’t be doing any new ones together for a while now). I haven’t done Fareham nor Maesteg but have done those other Welsh ones on your list. And now I am doing SSiW I know how to pronounce Llyn Llech Owain parkrun! (I think) which is another Welsh one I’ve visited. Done nearly 80 different parkruns now but none in Scotland. It’s become an integral part of our Saturday mornings! Will be a strange few months not running any now…
My Saturday morning revolves around parkrun now. Well done on almost 80 different events - i think I’m on 24 different ones. I have quite a cluster near me in Fareham so I don’t have too far to travel on a Saturday morning for tourism, though i need to venture further afield now for some new ones.
Hi David
I live in Gorseinon, not far away from town centre or from Mwmbwls. Send me a reminder when you are here and as long as I’m not away we could catch up
OK will do! Perhaps if you’re around on Saturday 26th October we could meet in Ty Tawe as I am definitely going to pop along there between 10 and 12 that morning.
I’ll try to remember to remind you nearer the time too! 
Well I took the plunge and went to Siop Ty Tawe in Abertawe this morning. I was a right bundle of nerves and after standing for over half an hour at the Learners section of the bookshop looking at some material (but half also watching the England v All Blacks World Cup SF) I nearly chickened out of going through to the coffee area at the back but decided I’d give it a go. When the nice lady in charge started talking to me I immediately forgot everything I knew, and panicked about how many different ways there were of answering ‘Yes’ to a question that I said ‘Oui’! I just wanted the ground to open at that very moment and swallow me up, never to be seen again! I can report, however, that it got a bit better (well, there was only really one way it COULD have gone from there) and although I answered ‘Llundain’ when they asked me what my name was (almost as embarrassing as answering the first question in French, but at least this time I answered something totally inappropriate but in the correct language) they were very gentle with me and patiently accepted me speaking mostly in English. My goodness, I think I aged 15 years in that first few minutes! I was amazed how much nerves can make one lose complete control of one’s memory. Thankfully a lovely lady called Helen John (a recent SSiW joiner but not new to learning Welsh) managed to engage me in some simple conversation and I started to remember one or two bits and pieces. But honestly, I was such a bundle of nerves I couldn’t even remember how to say something in the simple past tense like "o’n i’n mynd i’ - THAT’S how bad I was.
BUT - I did it! And I will be back at Siop Ty Tawe on a Saturday morning next time I am in Swansea. Hopefully not too long until next time. And I bought a couple of books by Heini Gruffudd, whose writing style I found I quite liked.
Now I am rooting for Wales to win THEIR Rugby WC SF tomorrow morning as an England v Wales final would be awesome. Even though I’m not a massive rugby fan. But come on, it IS the World Cup, after all. I don’t even mind who wins, i fod yn onest…
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Fantastic. Its all about finding your feet, which it sounds like you did, rather than being man of the match. My first conversations were almost non existent, but got me started. So well done.
By the way, did you meet Heini? He is such a nice person.
No Heini wasn’t there, but his books were!
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