Salem Church Reunion

08/04/2026

Not biased in the slightest but what a plane…….

07/29/2026

Did you know that Timbuktu is *actually* a real city? Even more, did you know that it is twinned with a Welsh town?

Many of us will have heard the name Timbuktu at some point. For me, it was probably a threat from an elder as a child - "I will send you to Timbuktu". What many fail to grasp, however, is that Timbuktu is a very real, ancient city situated within the West-African country of Mali.

The Welsh town it is twinned with? Y Gelli Gandryll (English: Hay-on-Wye), Powys. Since 1988, Y Gelli Gandryll has hosted the Hay Festival - an annual literary/book festival which draws tens of thousands of visitors over a ten day period every year.

Perhaps, then, this relates to Timbuktu, known in Africa as the oldest home of the written word. Dozens of public and private libraries housing ancient Arabic and African manuscripts are accessible there, making the two towns worthy twins.

07/28/2026

07/15/2026

07/14/2026

07/13/2026

The humble Welsh cake has knocked the classic scone out of this year’s Wimbledon as a head chef from Wales serves up a Welsh afternoon tea 🎾

Some diners at the championship’s on-site restaurant were unhappy to see the traditional scone, strawberries and cream off the menu, according to reports in the Telegraph

But Bryn Williams says the Welsh cake and the scone are both "British classics"

Lunch at the Renshaw, which costs £467.50 per person, is followed by afternoon tea with Welsh cakes and bara brith, a Welsh bread, with raspberry-lime jam and lemon curd

"We haven't changed anything, it just happens to be a bit different from the scones that people normally have,"he says

📷 Getty Images

07/09/2026

Did you know that the Welsh town of Merthyr Tydfil gets its name from a (possibly historical) legendary figure named Tydfil?

Tydfil, according to legend, lived in the 5th century AD and was a daughter (the twenty-third, to be exact) of King Brychan Brycheiniog of the early Welsh kingdom of Brycheiniog.

The legend tells that young Tydfil was an early convert to Christianity. While there were already some Christians in Britain as early as the 3rd century AD, it wasn't until the 6th when it became so widespread. So, given Tydfil belonged to the 5th century, it is safe to assume that she would have been an early convert and that, certainly, this would have angered some of the Briton society who was not yet ready for this new fad religion.

Anger it did, in fact, as Tydfil (along with her brother, Rhun) was murdered by either Saxon or Welsh pagans - the answer is unclear and varies from version to version. It is believed that her body was buried in the town which would eventually take her name, Merthyr Tydfil (Merthyr meaning "martyr", so "Martyr Tydfil" in English).

The attached image is a depiction of St Tydfil from Llandaf Cathedral, Caerdydd/Cardiff.

07/02/2026

Bore da, bawb.

Here's a favourite poetry quote of mine about the beauty of Cymru. This quote comes from 19th century English poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and his poem "In the Valley of the Elwy".

Have a great day!

06/27/2026

You can taste the Welshness in the air…..