Booking: Tresaith Bootcamp, April 2015

Welsh Bootcamp
#101

I’m sure I learnt more Welsh at bootcamp this year and understood a lot more too. And I think more is sticking with me now I’m home.

I also learnt that I’m more ‘creative’ than I thought - no, actually that I just make things up - and I believe them too! Anyway, it led to a lot of laughing.

After bootcamp, @pollypolly was staying with me and we spoke Welsh until 10.30pm, when it was time to watch Match of the Day. Then, more Welsh in the morning before Polly set off for Edinburgh and I went to Machynlleth for coffee and more Welsh with @Isata. She noticed my arms moving around much more than usual - my miming has improved so much!

Thanks to everyone on bootcamp for their patience - it’s one of the big things about bootcamp that people are so willing to wait for you to get what you want to say out in a mixture of Welsh, pointing and mime. That means that I didn’t need to worry about forming a whole sentence inside my head, before speaking - which is something I suffer from in Welsh classes.

This evening, the icing on the cake; someone telephoned and we had a short conversation mostly in Welsh. Brilliant!

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#102

One thing i’m noticing is that no one is saying what was bad about boot camp.
for me Saturday morning was bad, and some may have thought me rude but
i really didn’t want to say farewell to anyone, far more i hope to see you all in the future.

Hwyl J.P.

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#103

You’d have to have a pretty good aim :wink:

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#104

I also noticed how much your Welsh had improved! You were very good before (way ahead of me) but after a week’s bootcamp you spoke much more quickly and assuredly. It must be an excellent learning experience. I really enjoyed our chat - especially the miming and the jokes!

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#105

Such a great week. Thanks to everyone for being such fun to spend time with.

Who’s now saying “na ni” all the time now? Just me?

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#106

Na, fi hefyd. Not to mention “reit 'te…”

:smile:

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#107

Went to work today, and had conversations in Welsh with five people - three I’d never spoken Welsh with before. Bootcamp definitely did something to help me break through those invisible walls. Now I just need to find ways to keep it up until the next Bootcamp… :slight_smile:

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#108

Siarad efo John a fi (a pwy arall?) efo Skype?
Pob Nos Mercher, 7pm (yn arferol) … ti’n croeso.

“vonderhund” ydw i. (Ond yfory, mae’n bosyb byddai’n hwyr a lein).

#109

Was walking the dog this morning and got chatting to another dog-owner who we’ve met a couple of times before (while the dogs played). He spotted my ‘cymraeg’ lanyard that I wear with my dog whistle, and asked ‘t’in siarad cymraeg?’ and I answered ‘ydw … wel, dw i’n dysgu!’ We had a lovely chat - another person I can practise with - hurrah!

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#110

Thanks Mike. I get home pretty late during the week, but will do my best to skype if I get home early one Wednesday.

Diolch :slight_smile:

#111

Well, I dont know about anyone else, but I’m only just beginning to recover…!

Diolch i bawb for a great week - the weather mostly stayed with us (except for that cold wind!), and I was particularly pleased with how many people agreed with me about the best village / coffee / chinese etc etc in the world.

Fair play, bootcampers are inspirational, and it never ceases to amaze me how much we are able to do / talk about / laugh about in a week when you are all talking your second / third or more language.

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#112

Mae’n ddrwg gen i Steve; I think you told me that in Tresaith, but I’d temporarily forgotten.

Happy to try at a weekend if that might be better.

#114

Yes, the coffee was good, and the scones, but I forgot to leave enough space to try Mario’s hufen iâ. Still, another reason to return… :slight_smile:

#115

Well to be fair, there’s a good chance that I tried to tell you in Tresaith but ended up saying something completely different :slight_smile:

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#116

I’ve realised that over the last week I’ve been telling people interesting things that I learned on Bootcamp, whether that’s the difference between a swallow and a swift, the possible ways that Preseli stones found their way to Stonehenge, the construction methods of a coracle or the history of the Eisteddfod.

And then I realised that I learned all these things from interesting and knowledgeable people in Welsh.

Cor.

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#117

Yep, the thing with boot camp is it’s at least a 10 way thing, all will learn something new and give something as well.

Maybe the best part of this is the diversity of subjects covered in ordinary conversation.
I now remember the Welsh for Hampster, the ice age and space ship. (to name but a few).

Cheers J.P.

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#118

I missed that one, but on looking it up - “bochdew” - “fat cheek” - :slight_smile: - neis!

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#119

Tresaith Beach. Hyfryd iawn!

Lluniau traeth … Helen.

Lluniau traeth … Polly… Dee

Lluniau traeth … pawb

#120

Lluniau traeth … Steve, Elizabeth, Polly, Helen, Elliw, Iestyn, Emrys, Ieuan, Bell, Marged, Mike o Merthyr, Sarah?, Anne-Marie, Dee, Gwenllian.

(Sorry, the picture is not 100% clear…if anyone can ID “?”, I will edit the text later).
(Ah, think it must be Sarah …).

Spinning wheel, at the Wool Museum, near Castell Newydd Emlyn.
Of course, at least one of our boot campers already knew, and demonstrated, all about spinning wheels!

Wool museum videos, showing the different processes. I hope you can read the Welsh words.

Wool museum. The lady in blue is Nia, our super guide from Menter Iaith, Castell Newydd Emlyn, who had also guided us around the park, after a siarad over coffi.

The museum is more than just a museum. The staff keep the various machines running and producing lovely woollen products on a commercial basis.

Outside the Wool Museum (Amgueddfa Wlân Cymru), Dre-Fach, Felindre, with our museum guide, Non.
(Diolch Margaret)

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#121

Hufen iâ mêl yn Aberaeron

Castell Newydd Emlyn - John a “Cefn”/“Kevin” :smile:

We visited St Michael’s church in Penbryn ( excellent name for a church gyda llaw… )

They preach a good sermon at St Mike’s don’t they Gwenllian and Elliw?

Walking back from Penbryn to Tresaith. With views like that, it was well worth the effort.

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