Originally Posted by Lothianlad

One of my closest friends while at uni was a lad from Sir Fon - aka Anglesey, in North Wales - paradoxically a lad with a Scottish name (Andrew) but thoroughly Welsh and a fluent Welsh speaker, like many of his neighbours in the village where he lives with the magnificent but virtually unpronounceable name of Llanerchymedd.

I have visited him at his home several times and enjoy the drive down there from Edinburgh and I always find it interesting driving over the border into Wales from England and see all the road signs becoming bilingual and all the place names turning from Anglo Saxon into Celtic Welsh. Even the "Slow" signs painted on the roads are bilingual and one of the first Welsh words I ever learned was "Araf" - which is the Welsh equivalent of the English "Slow".

It was interesting to note that once over the border into Wales the English word takes precedence of the Welsh, but the further you drive into the more Welsh speaking parts of Wales "Araf" takes precedence over "Slow".

I think you really do have more of a feeling of being in a "foreign" country when you drive out of England and into Wales than you do when driving back home to Scotland from England....no bilingual signs and no "funny looking" place names.

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl

We lived just over the Cheshire/Clwyd border into Wales. I don't know if it's still the case but it was compulsory to learn the Welsh language at school from year 1.

Even my old pink driver's licence was printed in English on one side and Welsh on the other.

Many of the older residents would speak Welsh amongst themselves and many resented the English living in North Wales.

Originally Posted by jaxslad

well lisvane/cyncoed today is the beverly hills of cardiff south wales now...very snotty...well the residents think they are anyways..

Originally Posted by tonrob

Just found out that a tidy little pub near Borough Market called The Rake is kicking off it's 3rd annual Welsh Beer Festival a week from today.

http://therakeblog.wordpress.com/201...beer-festival/

How fortuitous that I'll be in London and free that day!

BE meet-up anyone? I've got about as much chance of Poppy Girl turning up for this one as the last...

Originally Posted by coastieexpat

Well I'm not Welsh but my Grandmother was from Cardiff. I have a couple of mates here from Wales ( Cardiff ), and I will be spending a week with one of them when I go back in August. he plays in a band called the super Furry Animals, ( ever heard of them ? ).

Originally Posted by coastieexpat

Well I'm not Welsh but my Grandmother was from Cardiff. I have a couple of mates here from Wales ( Cardiff ), and I will be spending a week with one of them when I go back in August. he plays in a band called the super Furry Animals, ( ever heard of them ? ).

I am from Manchester UK. originally and I now live in Manchester CA. ( pop. 200 ).

Confuses the hell out of my Mum

By the way, do they make a welsh scrabble game ?

Originally Posted by taffie77

I remember seeing SFA play at Blackwood Institute circa 1995. It cost about £3 for the ticket - those were the days

Originally Posted by soap addict

I'm gutted as well - I hope we can make the top two this year as they dont seem to be too good at the play offs.

Come on you bluebirds

Originally Posted by tonrob

Love SFA. Probably seen them play at least a dozen times now, including a few in the US! SFA OK!!!

Originally Posted by jaxslad

Happy St Davids Day to my Fellow Taffy's