Sh’mae!
I’m stranded down in the French Riviera and was wondering if any other SSiW students might be based around here too… I read of mention of people based on the border between France and Italy which would be nearby… Anyways I live in Antibes so if anybody is around here please let yourselves known! I’ve also created a Facebook page called Riviera Welsh Misfits in the hope of rallying people around for special occasions such as the big game this weekend… So if you’re round here it would be great to practice some Welsh in the flesh! I’m up to course 1 lesson 21…
Diolch yn fawr!
4 Likes
And you expect sympathy…? Heh heh…just kidding.
Croeso, gyda llaw.
And I hope you find some people down there.
3 Likes
Hi Gael,
Eirwen and I live on the French Italian border. Eirwen is a native Welsh speaker and I am an SSiW learner.
If you know the area we live on a mountain in Camporosso overlooking the sea. The hamlet is called San Giacomo.
I play tennis not far from you very often, so if you are a tennis player we could play tennis in Welsh - it’s not terribly expensive to play, for example, at Cap d’Ail.
We are in Wales at the moment at a wedding where half the guests are English and half Welsh. No doubt the wedding will be in danger of becoming a battle-ground during the big match today. I am wondering what the world record is for the shortest marriage or for casualties during a wedding!!
Anyway, next week Eirwen and I are back in San Giacomo. We’d love to get together with you and join your group of ‘‘misfits’’. We feel we are natural misfits.
Weleis i ichdi yn fuan - dwy’n gobeithio,
Justin
2 Likes
Hello Gael
Please send us a link to this great sounding Facebook page. I tried to find it but being a misfit I misfired!!
Justin
Here you go @JustinandEirwen. Riviera Welsh Misfits I found it in no time. It’s the right one as I’ve seen @Gael is the admin.
Pob lwc i chi pawb nawr! 
1 Like
Hey, thanks Tatjana! Sorry I’ve not been on to reply in time! Justin, I do swing a racket with more or less success so it could be fun to meet up one day for a game. Though I don’t play regularly at all.
Good luck with the mixed wedding today! I’m sure it’ll be colourful and I hope they show the game. I was at a wedding last week and had to stream it all under the table during the speeches…
Will get in touch with you guys.
2 Likes
They are showing it on a big screen knowing full well that if they don’t everyone will stream under the table!!
1 Like
You’re welcome. I’m always happy to assist (Hope no one sees my “rush” as that I want to compete. I just waste no time to help, that’s all).
Thank goodness we had a big screen - and WHAT A GAME. We had two small Welsh flags with us and they were put to good use with renderings of ‘‘Calon Lan …’’
It was a great wedding even though ‘‘Y Saes’’ were a little subdued after the final score in favour of the Welsh.
We are still a little dazed and over-excited - too much booze and suspense!!
Justin
2 Likes
To pawb: I do hope you are all OK despite the terrible floods.
@Gael and @JustinandEirwen, please pass on what I am sure are the best wishes and support of all in SSiW. 
2 Likes
I’d rather want to know if @Gael and @JustinandEirwen are OK aswell. This was the first thing came to my mind when I woke up at the morning and saw the news.
Hope both are OK and of course best wishes to you all there from me too.
2 Likes
Thanks for all the concerns! I just got back from Cardiff today as I we went to the Fiji with my family (brilliant results this week ).
Thankfully we weren’t affected as we moved up the hills 20 yrs ago since we used to get flooded before hand. However our friends at our old village got flooded heavily and the local retirement home lost a few of its pensioners in the flood. Terrible stuff. Assessing the situation and will see in the coming days how many friends need help cleaning up.
Thanks for you concerns, hope Justin and Eirwen are fine too. I’m not sure of the situation in Italy…
2 Likes
Glad to hear you’re OK @Gael now waiting for @JustinandEirwen to “check in”, much hopefully! I’m sorry for the situation in your old village and for the people who died and their families. If there’ll be any page online raising money in aid or so for your village and international payment is possible, let me know. This is the only way I can contribute and help in a way. 
1 Like
We are also very fortunate to be on high ground and unaffected by these particular floods. So sad for those in the path of the flash floods or with poor roofing.
Thank you so much for thinking of us - we are absolutely fine.
Justin
1 Like
Now I can sleep peacefully as much as concerns you and @Gael.
Anyone else here on SSi from Riviera?
1 Like
So glad and also that @Gael is OK. I do not wish to be a doom-sayer, but sometimes high ground is dangerous due to landslides… so I hope you are all on ‘safe’ high ground!! I believe the Brit who died was in the retirement home. How awful for those running it, trying to save the inmates…
when destiny calls, be it earthquakes, landslides or forest fires!! There’s no such place as 100% safe unfortunately is there …? Terribly sad nonetheless whoever is affected. We’re fortunate to still be here. I was nearly swept away in a flash flood in Spain during my late teens. I had tried to rescue a car and rope it to a tree. The force of the loose debris under the torrent was incredible. I barely survived but the car was swept t5owards the sea.
Justin
In 1936 our village clubbed together to get clean water on tap from one of the many springs. They made a little reservoir and water works to put a bit of chlorine in, I think, and one family was rehomed as their home (rented) was in the way. Their new home had a pump outside but not the indoor tap!! It had no gas or electricity, of course, but, unlike most, still had none when I knew the dear, clever, self-educated son of the family. He died in the 70s or 80s When Maggie T. privatised water, Dwr Cymru were not willing to pay someone to maintain the village waterworks. Instead, water was brought from somewhere else. But nobody paid any attention to the effect of taking away the demand from the original spring. Holes appeared in a road because it was finding its own way and bursting small run-off pipes. In the end, a cottage was hit by a flood which came in the front door and out the back!! A car fell into a hole in that road…
So you can live in one of the least likely flood risk places in the world and idiots with money motives can still flood you out!!!.
2 Likes
http://www.cantorioncolinjones.co.uk
I found this and thought it might interest you.they came by my local village last night but I will unfortunately miss all of it as I’m working this weekend. I’m unsure if there are still tickets though…