Diolch yn fawr pawb for all your lovely comments. This year will be 9 years since I went to the Eisteddfod in Cardiff and realised that I needed to learn Welsh. Its been a fantastically interesting journey and I’ve been fortunate to make a lot of wonderful friends along the way. I’m looking forward to seeing lots of you at the Eisteddfod next month. 
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I was on holidays this week and previous week I was more or less ill so the time drove over me. Not to have much time for doing my Diolch my way I will just say humble Diolch to @S_J for everything she did and does for the forum. Apart from that she is one of SSi Angels I don’t know much but as she’s one of them I surely have to thank her for being kind to me even when I wasn’t the best behaviour one too.
Diolch yn fawr iawn am y bopeth Sarah-Jane. (Thank you for everything)
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I’ve been a bit lax in visiting this thread, but I’d just like to say that when I first met @S_J she didn’t dare speak to me in Welsh. I think she was just doing that perfectly normal thing that we’ve all done from time to time of assuming that everyone else in the world speaks better Welsh than you. Then, a couple of years later, she had the confidence to apply for and get a job with S4C. That’s a pretty impressive turnaround!
It’s always a pleasure to bump into SJ and Gareth at various events (usually Tafwyl or the National Eisteddfod - often with all of us feeling quite self-consciously old in Caffi Maes B) and I’m hoping to be able to catch up with them in August!
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Gareth and I will be at the National Eisteddfod this year. I’ll be there from Wednesday to Saturday. Gareth will be working for CorCenCC and wandering looking for volunteers to record. Looking forward to seeing you @robbruce
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I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while…
Seren yr Wythnos #17
Geraint Scourfield
Geraint, or @gruntius as you will probably know him, has a beard.
To be honest, everything else I say is just going to be gilding the lily.
Oh, sure, I could tell you how I first met him at the Hwb/SSiW stand in the Learners’ Tent in the Eisteddfod, and how he said ‘My wife’s wearing an SSiW T-shirt, aren’t you going to look at it?’ and then ‘Why are you looking at my wife’s chest?’ (except, of course, he didn’t phrase it that politely) - allowing me to form an immediate wary dislike of him.
Or I could tell you about his many and varied adventures on Bootcamp, and the miles he logged as our official minivan driver - his endless enthusiasm and support for other learners.
Or I could tell you about his frankly insane habit of waking up in the morning in Wrecsam, deciding that it was a nice day to go to the beach in Pen Llŷn, which is NOT near Wrecsam, and then phoning us at random and saying ‘I thought I might call round for a panad’, ‘Oh, sure, when?’, ‘In about five minutes? We’re already in Mynytho’…
Or how many times he’s gone miles out of his way to help us as a family - sorting out and putting down laminate, failing to teach Beuno to play drums, demanding chocolate cakes from my wife…
Or his advancing career as a Welsh celebrity, cropping up on so many TV programmes that people are starting to mistake him for Eleri Siôn…
But none of that matters.
All that matters is the beard.
Iestyn ap Dafydd
Catrin Lliar Jones
Cat Dafydd
Dee McCarney
Spenny
Jeff Lewis
Ifan Baines
Kev Smith
James Mahoney
Louis van Ekert
Rob Bruce
Huw Jones
Diane Owen
Leia Fee
Sionned
Sarah-Jane
Geraint Scourfield
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Geraint, or @gruntius as you will probably know him, has a beard.
WHAT!! 
No-one told me!
I’ve always enjoyed reading him on the forum and meeting him in person. I even met his wife at a recent Eisteddfod but I made a point of looking her directly in the eyes. 
Llongyfarchiadau @gruntius
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Lovely to see Geraint as star this week. The first of the ‘stars ’ ( apart from Catrin of course) that I have met in person. Like @hewrop I always enjoy Geraint’ s contributions on the forum and it was great to meet him at boot camp last April. Llongyfarchiadau/ congratulations Geraint
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Great contributor to the forum and does do much for Saith Seren. He regularly makes me laugh reading his contributions!!
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He regularly makes me laugh while he’s driving…
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I must say it was a relief to finally meet Geraint. That’s when I knew I’d arrived in SSiW land! 
The beard was as impressive in real life as in the mythology and to top it all off Gerain’s not a bad bloke either. 
I was so sad not to have caught up again while staying in Llangollen but I’d stuffed up the dates (story of my life) and I had to leave early. However, I will see the beard again I’m certain.
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I can’t say how envious I am of that beard. Its owner is a very nice guy, and very committed to the cause of the Welsh language.
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It’s been an absolute pleasure each time I’ve met Geraint - one of the world’s true gentlemen! He just sees what needs to be done and gets on and does it.
Looking forward to catching up at the Eisteddfod.
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I always look at what Geraint has to say on the forum; whatever the topic, it’s always interesting and supportive.
This also gives me a chance to thank him for the lovely welcome at Saith Seren a few weeks ago (and doing the name badges at the party, which made it easier to talk to people that I only knew from their forum name). The other thing is he is instantly recognisable himself.
Why is there no smiley with a beard?
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Congratulations, Geraint. You have been such an encouragement to me on the forum.
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Congratulations, Geraint. You have been such an encouragement to me on the forum.
Ditto. And your badges were awesome. Beards. Badges. What else does this man excel at that begins with b?.?
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Beer drinking?
Just a wild guess
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I’ve gotten a bit behind here…llongyfarchiadau to @Sionned, @S_J and @gruntius! I don’t know you, but diolch for all that you do/have done, and for your helpful posts.
Sionned, thank you especially for the map, it’s such a great resource.
Sarah-Jane, Jodrell Bank - wow! 
Geraint, The beard is clearly awesome in and of itself, but even better, it makes it easy for me to find you those many television appearances
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Thank you so much @aran , I was out yesterday when I got the alert email for this then promptly forgot by the time I got home. I blame Brexit.
Thanks to everyone else for the (mostly) kind words, brilliant and just slightly embarrassing 
I haven’t been on here regularly for a while and, after reading this, I feel a little ashamed. I always think that learning Welsh is a journey shared and not a competition so any help I can give others is only as payback for all the help I’ve ever, and will ever, receive.
We’ll hopefully be in the Eisteddfod again this year but earlier in the week, Monday or Tuesday I hope, so anyone that wants to check out my wife’s chest just keep an eye out for the beard.
Oh, and there’s a new program starting on S4C in a few months by the name of “Profiad gwaith”. Just saying.
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Geraint, 2017
I love this
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I’ve only just started learning Welsh, the SSiW forum is my first venture into posting on an online/social platform and I’m not even on here most days, but everytime I log in it’s just one big supportive love fest. Well, it’s official. I have to hug the lot of you. I’ll need to start saving for bootcamps and Eisteddfodau.
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