When it comes to spontaneous writing I'm crap, James Joyce is NOT me, my stream of consciousness has been dammed (and probably damned) somewhere way back there at the third neutron on the left and it comes out through the sluice gates in short sharp bursts, every three months or so. If my writing abilities were as good as my digestive system is bad, I'd be Sidney Sheldon. Yes, I'm talking Dai O'Ria, at least once a week, the advantage is, I get to read a lot.
Here's my diary entry for this day, 29th September, 26 years ago, I was 14 years old:
"We got called at aout 9.30 and we had weetabix for breakfast when we went down. After I washed and dressed I let one of the gerbils out in the garden while kev and dad cleared out the garage. At about 12.00 we went in and stayed in the living room till dinner. Had sweet and sour pork for dinner. after that I went to Ceri's. We stayed at his house for a while and messed around with his new hamster. Then we walked around. We went down past the joinery and around there. I came in at about 3.00 and I stayed in the garage for a while looking at the gerbils. Before I came in we went to collect some dandilion roots to make more coffee. Then I read in the bedroom for awhile then watched TV and had beans on toast for tea came to bed at 8.00 and kev put the light out at 9.30."
That's how it is sic sic sic, punctuation an all, Jeezus, can you believe it... "messed around with his new hamster.." !!! "...looking at the gerbils..." (for a while even). Move over Samuel Pepys. It was also a Monday but a public holiday by the way in case anyone's wondering why I wasn't at at school. The school day's usually start with... "Got called at 7.30 and after breakfast went to the loo till 8.00..."
Part two of my Identity Crisis story "Y Ddraig Goch" will appear sometime over the next few days. I can see though, that as yet, I have no fans...where are you you bastards??!
Croeso!
Diolch yn fawr Victor for introducing this blog and setting up the biz.
Now I suppose I've some explaining to do...
first of all what the figgin's is yddraiggoch? Splitting the address up into it's proper component words it's -
Y Ddraig Goch. If anyone knows, you're up to win this week's special prize, just send your answer along with a cheque for $R1000 to me and you could win something really amazing!
Well I'd like to speak about national identity....why am I writing in English and why people eat a lot of cod fish in Great Britain.
Here's part one of my best selling novel for YOU entirely free here on internet.
Read and Enjoy:
A Busca do Dragão Vermelho
or
Who on Earth Am I?
How does the foreign visitor feel when he steps into your local for a quiet beer?
When a foreign accent is heard in the local, we're all curious to know where the speaker is from. The visitor will soon find him or herself with instant friends and a whole bunch of questions to answer about nationality, what the figgin's are they doing in Aberbachgenbach and what do they think of warm flat British beer. Gaúchos are as curious as the Welsh about foreign accents. I only need to open my mouth here and I get the same questions. After a visible double-take when they hear my Portuguese (but I don't have an accent, do I?), the questioning usually starts with, "You're not from here, are you?", good observation, very astute. Next comes, "Are you English?" (or "American?") followed by a list of questions about what I do, what brought me to Brazil, do I like it and the one guaranteed to annoy me most, "Are you Gremista or Colorado?", in other words, which of the two local football teams do I support. I live in Brazil and I hate football.
After 11 years the questions are a trifle tedious, I just try to be polite. Whiz back a little and take a look at that first question again. My answer is, "Não, sou Galês, de País de Gales", (and that is NOT pronounced like strong winds) which is mostly met with blank looks, not because they don't understand my Portuguese, but they've only a vague notion of what or where País de Gales is. That vague notion is connected with Pelê's first World Cup goal and Prince Charles and the late Lady Di. Then they more than likely come up with something like, "Ah! País de Gales! That's in England, isn't it?"!
I've lots more if yer interested and someday I'll put on the versão Portugues ;-)
see ya
Hwyl Fawr
