Hi Raymond (@yorkshireend ), I have now heard back from both Eileen and Carys (from Australia), as agreed, so we have the final two ticks in the boxes.
So @Deborah-SSi, the Leeds meeting will now flip to the 2nd Saturday of the month. As per the post there will be a shorter meeting of a smaller number of members on the 14th December because of the Carol service, details also above. I will be there approx 11.30, train permitting, and we will need to be gone by 1.30 at the latest to get to the service.
I think Raymond will probably want to post a list of dates of the Saturdays as he usually does - so it is all nice and clear and easy to look up.
For those new to the group and anyone who may be interested in coming along we meet upstairs in The Brewery Tap from 11:30 onwards and the meeting usually fizzles out around 14:30.
If you arrive in Leeds by train come out of the station by the main entrance and turn right towards where the taxis wait in front of Evans Cycles. Walk 100 yards and you will seeThe Brewery Tap on the left across the road.
We meet on the second Saturday of each month so for 2020 our meeting dates are:
11 January
8 February
14 March
11 April
9 May
13 June
11 July
8 August
12 September
10 October
14 November
12 December
There was a date planned for 28 December but early in the year no-one was interested in it. Things have changed a bit since then and now one or two people may like to meet on that date. If you wish to meet in Leeds on 28 December could you let everyone know by posting on this thread so we will be able to decide whether to join you?
To encourage the use of spoken Welsh can we bear in mind the general plan of our meetings? Itās not rigid; itās an outline and is flexible but it has worked for a long time now.
11:30 to 12:30 - meet, food, chatter.
12:30 to 13:00 - Chance for everyone to speak for a few minutes in turn. You can prepare notes if you wish.
13:00 to 14:00 - Activity/game.
14:00 to 14:30 - Dim Saesneg. This allows everyone to ask and answer questions.
If you are not yet able to say it all in Welsh then say as much as you can in Welsh and fill in any gaps with an English word or two. It is a bit on the scary side for many of us so donāt worry about it, just do what you can.
We can extend this time beyond the 30 minutes if the need arises.
So, for January 11th could you prepare a few sentences to tell us, in Welsh, what you would have whispered in Santaās ear if you could have sat on his knee and whether it happened for you?
Our group activity is going to involve items of clothing but thatās OK because you have plenty of time in which to memorise the names of them all in Welsh!
ā¦there will be a shorter meeting of a smaller number of members tomorrow - Carys is back from Oz, Geraint and Emma will also be there, before we go to the Carol service. I will be there approx 11.30, train permitting, and we will need to be gone by 1.30 at the latest to get to the service.
It would be great to see you, if you can get thereā¦even if itās for a few words!
Hi Sorry I wonāt be able to come to the meeting tomorrow but hope tp make it to the Carol Service. Gobeithio fydda iān medru dod iār cyfarfod nesa ym mis Ionawr. Hwyl Chris
See you all on Saturday. Have you prepared a few sentences to tell us what you said to Santa? Never mind, youāve still got time to do it!
And while you are at it you can learn the Welsh for all your items of clothing. After all, you have had four weeks to do it while little else was happening!??
By the way, Liverpool Reserves 1, Everton 0, today. Hooray, dead gear it was! Just my completely unbiased opinion.
Hope you are as happy as I am.
Raymond
Hello Raymond. Iām really sorry but I wonāt be able to make this Saturday, due to 2 other clashes. I will try and encourage Geraint to come, and hope to see you all in February.
Carys
Well, there were nine of us yesterday and mostly in Welsh until peopleās brains gave up the struggle. But that was after more than two hours, so pretty good, and greatly helped by Helen and Geraint.
We didnāt really have a noise problem yesterday but because the room at The Brewery Tap can get quite noisy any time after about 2pm we had another look at the public bar of The Queens Hotel, just the other side of the railway station. It was much quieter and the barman said we would be welcome to meet there and they would put some tables together to accommodate a larger group if we wished. Drinks and snacks are available but more expensive (about Ā£2 for a cup of tea). Maybe that is the price of being able to talk and be heard. Anyway, we decided to have a discussion when we meet in February with the intention of giving it a try in March. Then we should be in a position to make a decision what we want to do from April onwards.
It was great to see so many people again at the meeting!
I am hoping that someone rescued my Welsh walks book?
I nearly picked it up earlier on (I had been reading it on the train!) but I think someone was looking at itā¦and then when I left to watch the rugby, I forgot to pick it up!
Iām fairly sure somebody would have taken it for a quick look through.
Hi Raymond. Sorry, but with the virus news being ramped up every day, I think that I will probably not be coming to Leeds this Saturday because of the 2 bus journeys. I did though have an hour long conversation in Welsh with someone in our choir in York for the first time today!
Carys
So, calling all Leeds go-ersā¦or anyone else who wants to join in - itās āthe more the merrierā as far as Iām concerned!
There will be a Skype session at 12 on Saturdayā¦sort of in lieu of the Say Something In Welsh meeting in Leedsā¦but potentially allowing everyone to connect up and chat separately afterwards.
We are using Skype because it seems more people have got it than anything else, at this point. With Skype someone needs to send an invite to attendees - so Iāll do this.
So the question is - would you like to join the meeting?!
My Skype name is Richard Bowering Harrogate if you want to connect to me - or just PM me yours - and Iāll find/ connect to you.
Raymond is poorly with the virus at the moment - we wish him a speedy recovery - not sure if he will be on the call. Iona has had it too but is recovering - just spoken to her!