1) It’s the 4th of July - share with us one thing ‘all American’ which you love and tell us why - food/game/resort/country/star/song/law/religion/tradition?
2) What do you look for in a car - apart from the obvious?
3) Is there a natural/alternative remedy or treatment that you use consistently in your life?
4) Have you ever visited the site of a significant event in history and in which way did it impact your life?
5) What was the last book you read, would you recommend it and why?
It’s the 4th of July - share with us one thing ‘all American’ which you love and tell us why - food/game/resort/country/star/song/law/religion/tradition?
I love the second amendment. Why? I live in an area where the rule of law is eroding away fast and I’d like to protect myself and decent people…
What do you look for in a car - apart from the obvious?
It has to cost under £600 have a full MOT and be in good mechanical condition; good mileage too.
Also, it can’t be brown, green, orange, mauve…
Is there a natural/alternative remedy or treatment that you use consistently in your life?
My homemade chicken soup or Jewish penicillin has a Jewish friend calls it. Colloidal silver is my antibiotic of choice…
Have you ever visited the site of a significant event in history and in which way did it impact your life?
I find myself very reflective whenever I pause to read the names on war memorials. It makes me want to be upright against tyrants…
What was the last book you read, would you recommend it and why?
Nid Yr A470 by Ian Parri. It’s a travel book about Ian’s frustration of driving the A470; so he takes the roads less travelled between Llandudno and Cardiff. We visit places like: Llanwddyn, Betws Cedewain, Rhaeadr Gwy…It’s a pleasant travelogue.
Diolch am y cwestiwnau, Catrin
Dydd annibyniaeth hapus iawn i bawb ffrindiau Americanaidd
- It’s the 4th of July - share with us one thing ‘all American’ which you love and tell us why - food/game/resort/country/star/song/law/religion/tradition?
The Velvet Underground - after a decade of not really knowing what to do with itself, the Velvets showed rock and roll the direction it should have been heading in all along.
- What do you look for in a car - apart from the obvious?
My sunglasses usually. They’re normally under the seat.
- Is there a natural/alternative remedy or treatment that you use consistently in your life?
Alcohol? [blushes]
- What was the last book you read, would you recommend it and why?
Tegwen had a book by Caryl Lewis on her shelf called Ffec Tan, Rissole a Tships which she couldn’t be bothered to read, so I read it. It’s not really aimed at fifty year old blokes, to be honest.
- It’s the 4th of July - share with us one thing ‘all American’ which you love and tell us why - food/game/resort/country/star/song/law/religion/tradition?
Woody Guthrie.
- What do you look for in a car - apart from the obvious?
Likelihood to reach B.
- Is there a natural/alternative remedy or treatment that you use consistently in your life?
Er. Does Pilates count?
- Have you ever visited the site of a significant event in history and in which way did it impact your life?
Little Big Horn. Waterloo. Castell Harlech. Um, don’t know.
- What was the last book you read, would you recommend it and why?
Not sure if it was ‘Play: How it Shapes the Brain’ or ‘Free to Learn’, but I’d recommend both of them, because they challenge orthodoxy about what is best for children (and adults).
Getting to wherever safely is good.A stack of breakfast pancakes with maple syrup and bacon. Thought it sounded awful until I tried it!
A comfortable seat with everything you need to use being in a logical position.
Never reach for pain relief for a headache until I have drunk at least two glasses of water. Usually does the trick as the headache is often a sign of a dehydrated brain.
On a cruise (my first and last!) we visited the amphitheatre at Ephesus. It was amazing to think that probably St Paul had stood there and addressed the early Christians of Ephesus.
Almost at the end of Gadael Lennon by Beti Jones. It is the first “proper” Welsh book that I have read and I rarely had to reach for a dictionary. It helps in that it is written about the times when I was a teenager so can identify with some of the issues, although from a totally different perspective - I grew up in a sleepy little rural village not in a great city like Liverpool. But just as the heroine had a passion for the Beatles (as I did!) living nearby, I lived near the Troggs and followed them in a similar way. I also found it a good way to get into the northern patterns of Welsh. It means I can understand them “from up north”, even though the proper Welsh, as we all know, is the southern version!! 
- It’s the 4th of July - share with us one thing ‘all American’ which you love and tell us why - food/game/resort/country/star/song/law/religion/tradition?
All the great humorists and comic actors/film-makers and comic creations there have been over the years, from Buster Keaton to The Simpsons and Family Guy.
- What do you look for in a car - apart from the obvious?
Probably only boring obvious things like reliability and economy. But if I allow myself some schoolboy fantasy, something low-slung and fast looking usually takes my eye Something like this:
http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/lotus7.htm
- Is there a natural/alternative remedy or treatment that you use consistently in your life?
Virgin coconut oil.
- Have you ever visited the site of a significant event in history and in which way did it impact your life?
I interpreted this as historic locations, and first thought of the amazing places in Peru I’ve been privileged to visit. Closer to home there would be White Horse Hill, Uffington, and Wittenham Clumps, Oxfordshire, site of an Iron Age Hill Fort. I’m drawn to both places time and time again, especially on sunny afternoons, when there are fabulous views for miles. We cannot know for sure, but it’s interesting to speculate that the ancient people associated with both sites spoke some form of Brythonic Celtic language.
I’d forgotten about the “historic event” part of the question. Well, it’s a small one, but there is an old bridge just outside Abingdon, on what used to be the turnpike road, where there was a civil war “skirmish”. The Royalists were trying to re-take Abingdon from the Parliamentarians, and failed. (There is a little blue plaque to commemorate it). It’s interesting to speculate that if the Royalists had won, that might have given them control of the road and river routes to London, and they might have had more chance of winning the war, so it might have changed the course of history.
I studied this as part of a little historical project I took part in, and it made me think a lot more about the history of my town and its surrounding area.
- What was the last book you read, would you recommend it and why?
Just coming to the end of “Tri Chynnig i Blodwen Jones” by Bethan Gwanas in the Novelau Nawr series. Great for learners with lots of vocabulary, notes and the language isn’t too complicated.
Gibson guitars
A good driver as I don’t drive myself because of bad eyesight.
Not that I can think of…or it has to be that I drink a lot of tea when I have a cold.
Can’t really name just one. I’m very interested in medieval history and I’ve visited quite a few places in Europe. I think my nexy holiday in Wales will have some impact. I want to visit the place where Llywelyn ap Gruffydd is said to be slain near Cilmeri. And also Kidwelly where a battle took place in 1136 (and that’s going to have some huge impact as I’m trying to write a novel which is partly set in Kidwelly and the rest of Wales as well between 1130-1155 ish. I’m writing from the point of view of a Flemish settler girl and on the other hand from a Welsh point of view as well…It’s a dream of mine to write since I was 10 or so and I thought to make it happen now, although I don’t know when it will be finished and if it’s going to be published…)
Back on topic of this question. Visiting the castles in North Wales last year did have quite an impact too (see question below)
I just re-read ‘The Reckoning’ by Sharon Kay Penman. It’s the last part of her Welsh trilogy about Llywelyn Fawr and Llywelyn ap Gruffydd. The first two parts are ‘Here Be Dragons’ and ‘Falls the Shadow’. It’s those books that kindled my interest in Wales. Sharon Kay Penman’s books are very well researched and she is really good at making her characters come alive.
1) It’s the 4th of July - share with us one thing ‘all American’ which you love and tell us why - food/game/resort/country/star/song/law/religion/tradition?
Family Guy - funniest thing on TV since South Park!
2) What do you look for in a car - apart from the obvious?
Loose change when I’ve accidentally dropped it and it’s rolled under the seat usually.
3) Is there a natural/alternative remedy or treatment that you use consistently in your life?
Not really, but I do think drinking plenty of water is a natural detoxant, along with tea. Probably just placebos but if you believe in it enough…
4) Have you ever visited the site of a significant event in history and in which way did it impact your life?
I probably have, but can’t recall anywhere that made an impact on my life. I do remember being fascinated with the redevelopment of London Docklands when I was a teenager. This was around the time when they had finished building the Canary Wharf Tower (the first one!). One new year, the developers put on a laser light show from the tower, which could be seen from miles away - even from Kent!
5) What was the last book you read, would you recommend it and why?
1000 Gair Cyntaf Sali Mali - it was lying around a lot at bootcamp, so I found myself reading it a lot! I will in fact recommend it if you want to increase your vocabulary in Welsh, this is actually a really good book.
Ryan Adams, Jack White, or Kurt Wagner. All three have the Midas touch.
A really nice gear box.
Water and sleep.
family holiday to Port Arthur in Tasmania before it became significant - a week later there was a shooting massacre. It’s convinced me that whatever else I feel about our government, our gun reform laws in response to that event were the right thing to do.
uh… I guess that would be “Ble yn y byd wyt ti?”, written by yours truly for bootcamp Noson Lawen. Recommend it? Well, it showed nice use of colour
- It’s the 4th of July - share with us one thing ‘all American’ which you love and tell us why - food/game/resort/country/star/song/law/religion/tradition?
Root beer. They used to have it in McDonalds here too when I was 8 and going to McDonalds was an exotic treat because the nearest one was Swansea. My sister says it tastes like TCP but I love it. McDonalds seemed to stop doing it and I’ve only had it once in years - from an Asda in Pembroke Dock of all places…
- What do you look for in a car - apart from the obvious?
Wings…
- Is there a natural/alternative remedy or treatment that you use consistently in your life?
Hot toddies…?
- Have you ever visited the site of a significant event in history and in which way did it impact your life?
Used to do a lot of historical renactment and one of the years that we did a display at Hastings on the anniversary of the battle, and it was so cold we’d stayed awake all night by the fires instead of going to bed and around 4 AM I crossed the field from the campsite to the woodland to get more wood and the mist was curling round Senlac ridge and you could see the fires and hear the voices and laughing and occasional singing of people trying to convince themselves they didn’t really just want to give up and throw it in and go home! It was one of those moments you just had an inkling amid the playacting and squabbles over autheticity of costume that yes I must have been at least a bit like this, and at the same time a sense of how different and much worse. You suddenly realised that these historical figures were real people.
- What was the last book you read, would you recommend it and why?
ITIL for Dummies. Recommended only as the least worst learning resource of the most desperately dull and self-congratulatory qualification I’ve ever achieved!
Agree about root beer. Though it’s Germoline that it tastes like.
You can occasionally buy it in supermarkets in Wales if they have a USA promotion on (often happens after the summer holidays and people are trying to re-live their Florida vacations).
It’s full of sugar, of course, and probably the really bad high fructose stuff, so having it as a very occasional treat is probably about right.
1) It’s the 4th of July - share with us one thing ‘all American’ which you love and tell us why - food/game/resort/country/star/song/law/religion/tradition?
Popcorn, which I consider to be a major food group. And that absolutely everybody has a story of how their families came to be here.
2) What do you look for in a car - apart from the obvious?
Not being gray or silver. I want a color that stands out in a parking lot or an intersection at dusk. So far I’ve had light blue, bright red, and bright blue.
3) Is there a natural/alternative remedy or treatment that you use consistently in your life?
Gargling with salt water for a sore throat. Oh, and I brush my teeth with baking soda, because the foaming agent in most toothpastes gives me mouth ulcers.
4) Have you ever visited the site of a significant event in history and in which way did it impact your life?
Many times – I love history and seek those places out. Bie, I’ve been to Cilmeri, where Llewelyn ap Gruffudd supposedly was killed, and to the wide spot in the road (literally) in southwest Ireland where Michael Collins was shot in 1922, and they both made me think about how one event can change the course of a nation.
More than those, though, my thought immediately went to the site of an insignificant battle called Seven Pines in the U.S. Civil War. I live in Virginia, where there’s a Civil War battlefield around every corner, and because the war was only 150 years ago, a lot of the battlefields were preserved and are now oases of peace and beauty. This one made a lasting impression on me because of how suicidally close the gun and cannon lines were.
5) What was the last book you read, would you recommend it and why?
*The King’s Deception", by Steve Berry, and no, I would not recommend it. I picked it up because it’s a modern-day spy/adventure story about a mystery from Tudor times. Unfortunately it turned out to be (in my opinion) not very well written, confusing and somewhat plodding.
@Leia: I take your rootbeer and shove a dollop of icecream for a rootbeer float, my favourite treat while in America.
@Tahl: you should try Squiggle or Rembrandt anti-canker(?) toothpaste, they don’t contain sodium laurel sulphate. My wife swears by them.
Hearing of the strange taste of root beer, I’m reminded of something they sell in Peru called “Inca Cola”, but it’s not the same colour as Coke, but a vivid clear yellow, and tastes like old fashioned bubblegum! (Took me right back to childhood, and also washed their rather carb-loaded meals - rice and chips - down a treat).
I’ve seen root beer on sale in Waitrose. They seem to have a wide range of soft drinks including some which are less well known generally in the UK.
Pancakes, bacon and maple syrup - tried it for the first time yesterday. Sounded awful, tasted great.
Have absolutely no interest in cars. They’re a temporary blip for a society that’s got far too used to affluence. Bring back the horse…
Am increasingly interested in some of the approaches used in well-being. It all sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo, but is surprisingly effective.
Hard to choose. I trained and worked as an archaeologist for many years which was a great excuse to go and visit lots of amazing places and then write about them. The place that sticks out in my mind most at this second is the Horns of Hattin in Israel, where the knights of the crusade lost a decisive battle against Saladin, effectively ending Christian rule in the east. I remember walking there on my own, standing on the site and wondering how something so pivotal for so many thousands could have left so little behind it. Sobering, emotional, powerful, all those things. How did it impact? It’s an image I return to a lot at unexpected times.
Everything I’ve read for a while has been Welsh language - but I’m not good enough to be able to know whether they actually count as “good reads”. Going back a bit to when I was reading English books, the last I read was “Garden of Evening Mists” by Tan Twan Eng which I would highly recommend. It reminded me a bit of Laurens van der Post mixed with Joseph Conrad. Really lovely stuff.
Absolutely love peanut butter and jelly. Especially a make called ‘Goobers’ sp? I used to be able to get it from the American BX in Germany. Don’t know if you can get it any more, and I haven’t had it for 20 years at least!! It came in stripes like toothpaste.
Longevity. If you are coming to Bootcamp in July you will be able to meet Renee, our ancient Renault Scenic. She has travelled 160,000 fun-packed miles with us, and I am banking on another 100,000!!! Don’t believe in throwing stuff away me…!
St John’s Wort.
I visited Möhnesee in about 1989. Nobody could see that amount of water and the visible repair on the dam and fail to appreciate how devastating the attack and release of all that water was on the local population. The Dambusters didn’t use a nice cuddly ‘Bouncing Bomb’. It was big, nasty and massively destructive. It made a rather ‘gung ho’ young man realise that are two sides to everything…
The last book I read was a book called Wild Wales by George Borrow. I really enjoyed it, it was a kind of Victorian travelogue (1862). George apparently taught himself Welsh and the book is his account of his walking journey around Wales and descriptions of how clever he was, and how the locals reacted to his Welsh. It is full of character,and it is amazing how far he walked and how many of the places that he describes are recognisable today. “He gives a detailed account of his journey and starts his travels into North Wales from Chester, passing en route through Wrexham, Llangollen, Corwen and Betws-y-coed to Bangor, Anglesey, Caernarfon, Bala, Machynlleth and then south, through Mid Wales to Tregaron and Lampeter, Devil’s Bridge, Cwm Ystwyth and Pont-rhyd-y-groes, eventually arriving in some of the industrial areas around the South Wales coalfields, such as Brynamman, Merthyr Tydfil and Pontardawe, before visiting Swansea and Neath and leaving the country via Caerphilly, Newport and Chepstow. (wiki)” Not everyone’s cup of tea but I really enjoyed it.
Oh so did I. I have a very old copy, older than the Everyman series. No publication date or any other clues. It has sepia photos of some of the places that he visited. I loved him-he was so incredibly full of himself with an enviable confidence and energy. Fancy an Englishman of that period learning Welsh because he loved language! (Sounds familiar wouldn’t you say, Aran)
June