It has been over a month since my last entry, not that I have been overly busy or anything just not had a great deal to write about.

At the start of the month I took another week off work so that I could take my car in for its annual service and MOT. It passed with no problems so the rest of the week was pretty uneventful and most of my time was spent in front of the computer – continuing the research into my family tree.

While the car was being serviced I visited the local library to gain free access to the Ancestry records. I actually ended up spending just over three and a half hours helping someone research their own tree.

As for my tree I have started to compile individual records for each family member in an attempt to follow them from cradle to grave. Not an easy thing to do but with census records I should be able to build up a picture of their lives. The next stage will be to publish this online and I have already started of a website for this.

On an unrelated matter over the weekend one of the dust caps were taken from my tyre valve, I don't suspect it was children I expect it was someone who was missing one and had the opportunity to steal one off me – I do wonder why as it was just the bog standard plastic one!

Now do I do the same thing and steal one off another car or do I have to go and buy a replacement – I have priced up four for £1.79?

Nearly a month since I last posted anything and for once I can't blame it on me being busy as I've been on annual leave for the last couple of weeks.

Of course I have not spent all of that time sitting in front of the computer doing nothing, I did go to Somerset for the weekend and have been going some more research on my family tree. The weather we have had over the last few weeks has been fantastic and even though my hay fever may have been triggered it has been nice to get out and about. I've taken a few photos and have had two enlarged as I am pondering the idea of selling some photos – have not really thought where I would sell them or if anyone would want to buy them but its an idea.

This photo was taken just up the coast from Watchet in Somerset, I took quite a few photos of the setting sun.

3rd June and I celebrated my birthday, a rather quiet day with me searching graveyards looking for potential relatives. I enjoy walking around graveyards but have to admit to feeling a little sad when reading some of the inscriptions or seeing a grave that seems to have been neglected. One section of the graveyard I visited the headstones had not weathered particularly well and it is a shame and did get me wondering if I should take photos and record the inscriptions so that the resource can be used by others tracing their family trees.

Rather annoyed to get to my car today to find that the local authority have kindly given me a Penalty Charge Notice. I can't really blame anyone except myself as I was the one who parked in a council run car park without displaying a valid ticket. For most of the week the car has left the car park around 8am which is when it operates from but there are the odd few days when the car is left in the car park a little longer and even then it is normally moved before 9.30am and before the car park starts getting busy!

So this week as I am off work I arrive at the car about 9.30am to find that I have been issued with a PCN, open it up to see that if I pay it within 14 days it will be half price and only set me back £25. This is only the 2nd time I have been issued with one of these fines both in the same car park and both for the same reason. However I noticed that this one had been issued at 8.40am, so well within the opening times of the car park but I wonder if this is a new hard line stance by Carmarthenshire County Council to try to boast their coffers now that there is a new privately run car park which I would assume is taking away some of the income generated from the council run car parks in the town.

I will still continue to use the car park and I will still continue to park my car there without buying a ticket, it would cost me £1.10 a day to leave my car in the car park for 2 hours or I could buy a season ticket meaning I could leave my car all day every day for three months for £63.

Looking at it from a money saving aspect a fine of £25 for not having a parking ticket costing £1.10 means that as long as I get away with parking without a ticket for more than 23 days I will not have lost anything. I can't find anything in the archives regarding the last ticket I got but that would have been when I was working in my last job pre 2006 so a fine of £25 is nothing for me to complain about.

I checked one of my email accounts today and saw to my horror that I had 240 unread messages, I guess this gives you an insight into how my online priorities have changed and a reason why this site is not updated as often. A quick look through these messages showed that most were Facebook updates and all the other related spam you get from them. (In fact there would have been no more than 10 messages that involved me actually reading them)

Well I am on annual leave at the moment and am pretty much off until the 7th June so not sure exactly what I will be getting up to for the next few weeks. I did some filing yesterday and it was interesting looking at my various bank statements to see when and what caused my spending habits to change.

Not been able to actually pin it all down to any particular point in time or a reason but November 2008 would have been a pivotal point – I would guess with Christmas approaching more money was being spent on credit cards and since that time I have been happy to pay the minimum amount each month while I have been building up my savings.

Of course I now realise that instead of putting money into savings accounts I should have been clearing these debts (various reasons why I have not done this) so I think once July is over I will be looking to use savings to clear these debts as the monthly interest charged is considerably more than the interest earned all all the savings.

I posted at the end of December last year that I had had attended a funeral for a family member and that it was unlikely to be the last funeral I attended. Yesterday I attended the funeral of my cousin (well second cousin) his parents were not at the funeral in December because he had been taken into hospital. Strange to think that at that time his condition was still undiagnosed, it however was not long before stomach cancer was mentioned. Barry John Rees passed away on the 7th April 2010 aged just 37 leaving behind a wife and two small children.

In the past the services I have always been to have been for elderly relatives who have passed away so to attend a funeral for someone so cruelly taken away so early seems unfair.

FAREWELL MY FRIENDS

It was beautiful as long as it lasted, the journey of my life.
I have no regrets whatsoever, save the pain I'll leave behind.
Those dear hearts who love and care…

And the strings pulling at the heart and soul
The strong arms that held me up, when my own strength let me down.
At every turning of my life I came across good friends
Friends who stood by me, even when the time raced me by.
Farewell, farewell my friends, I smile and bid you goodbye.
No, shed no tears for I need them not, all I need is your smile,
if you feel sad, do think of me, for that is what I'll like
When you live in the hearts of those you love,
Remember then, you never die.

by Rabindranath Tagore.

My sausage casserole was a success and rather tasty as it happens – will be making another batch soon but I shall be making a chicken casserole tomorrow. So tomorrow after work I should arrive home with dinner all ready and waiting for me and there should be plenty left over for the rest of the week – likely to freeze this so that I get some variety.

Had a little sort out last night/this morning nothing major just trying to find a permanent home for the slow cooker and it has become apparent that what is actually needed is actually a major clear out. That however will have to wait for a little while.

Every year I like to post an entry about St Dwynwen’s – the Welsh patron saint of friendship and love. January the 25th is the feast day of Saint Dwynwen the Welsh equivalent of the more popular St Valentine.

A few years ago you would not hear much about St Dwynwen’s Day in Wales with the exception of a few cards on sale in a few specialist Welsh shops, the high street retailers preferring to focus on the more profitable Valentines cards. That was actually a good thing as you could buy flowers, chocolates and go out for meals on the 25th January and not have to pay “Valentine” prices.
I have posted the story of St Dwynwen before on the site but think it is appropriate to add it to this post.

Dwynwen lived during the 5th century and was, by all accounts, one of the prettiest of Brychan Brycheiniog's 24 daughters. (Obviously before the days of TV)

The story goes that Dwynwen fell in love with one Maelon Dafodrill, but unfortunately her father had already arranged that she should wed another. Maelon was so outraged that he raped Dwynwen and left her.

In her grief Dwynwen fled to the woods, where she begged God to make her forget Maelon. After falling asleep, Dwynwen was visited by an angel, who appeared carrying a sweet potion designed to erase all memory of Maelon and turn him into a block of ice.
God then gave three wishes to Dwynwen. First she wished that Maelon be thawed; second that God meet the hopes and dreams of true lovers; and third, that she should never marry.

All three were fulfilled, and as a mark of her thanks, Dwynwen devoted herself to God's service for the rest of her life.
Remains of Dwynwen's church can be seen today on the island of Llanddwyn, off the coast of Anglesey. (North Wales)

Also situated on the island is Dwynwen's well, wherein allegedly swims a sacred fish, whose movements predict the future fortunes and relationships of various couples. Visitors to the well believe that if the water boils while they are present, then love and good luck will surely follow.