Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Crews are clearing grit from town centres, streets and pavements across Carmarthenshire now that the bad weather conditions are clearing. The grit is being collected and will be stored for re-use when needed in the future. It had been used to help keep side roads, footways and town centre areas safe during the heavy snowfall recently. Due to a shortage of salt, with limited supplies being available for main roads, the grit was the most appropriate material to use in these areas. Environment executive board member Cllr Haydn Jones said: “We are now collecting all excess grit from those areas where it was spread previously to help people get out and about. “We will be storing it and recycling it for any future adverse weather conditions when it may be needed. “This is extremely good practice, as not only will it clear all pavements, side roads and town centres, it will continue to provide a valuable resource for future use.”

Games called Off | Welsh Icons News

"I cannot bear to eat anything Buster-shaped" - Lord Hattersley, former deputy leader of the Labour Party, whose dog Buster died recently, declining to take the ham terrine and mutton at a lunch engagement.

Fun-loving policemen filmed using a riot shield as a makeshift sledge were reprimanded for the prank. A passer-by captured the moment Thames Valley Police officers arrived at the Oxford slope in a riot van. One is then seen clambering on to the shield and then travels down the hill towards a ditch, to the obvious amusement of his three colleagues watching. Supt Andrew Murray, Oxford City commander with Thames Valley Police, said: "I have spoken to the officers concerned and reminded them in no uncertain terms that tobogganing on duty, on police equipment and at taxpayers' expense is a very bad idea should they wish to progress under my command."

Llanelli Reds 19-year-old midfielder Ross Jones, who was an integral part of last season's Youth Cup Winning side, has joined Haverfordwest County on loan until the end of the season. Ross has seen his chances of gaining a place in the Reds starting line up hampered by injury this season and now that he is fit Reds manager Andy Legg feels that a loan move to Bridge Meadow will give him the game time that he needs. Ross will be available to play for Haverfordwest in their scheduled Friday night game at Carmarthen Town.

Most of Carmarthenshire County Council’s social care services are back to normal with the improvement of weather conditions. 4x4 vehicles are still being used in difficult and hard to reach areas, although conditions on many roads are now improving. Most of the county’s day centres, day clubs and luncheon clubs for older people have re-opened, with the exception of Llandovery, Llys Yr Ysgol and Llys Y Dderwen luncheon clubs, and Whitland Day Club. Day and respite centres for people with learning disabilities and mental health needs are also back to normal, with the exception of Ammanford Social Activity Centre, on Manor Road, which has frozen pipes. Community meals and domiciliary care services are running as usual, with delays in some areas due to slow moving traffic. Home care staff have taken on additional services to support day centres, including providing lunch calls to clients whose day centres are still closed, and responding to calls made through the Telecare service in some a...

Llanelli cup game off

Flats plan for Gorseinon chip shop site slammed as 'inappropriate'

BBC News - A founder of mineral water firm Ty Nant dies, aged 61

BBC Sport - Rugby Union - Wales scrum-half Dwayne Peel undecided over Sale future

Carmarthenshire County Council park rangers and maintenance staff are appealing for people visiting water features and attractions within the country to exercise care and not go near if they are ice covered. Furnace Pond, Swiss Valley Reservoir, Dafen Pond, Old Castle Pond, Llanelli North Dock and Swiss valley Reservoir have attracting a lot of youngsters who have been walking, skating and have snowball wars on the ice. Two youngsters have fallen through the ice at Llanelli North Dock and Sandy Water and escaped injury because they found themselves in shallow water. But there are huge dangers associated with the sites with reservoir depths of up to 60feet. With Wednesday’s snow on top of frozen surfaces the water features will; be a potential danger to the public and their pets especially as they start to thaw out towards the end of the week. See earlier post - http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/llanelli-skaters-ignore-dangers.html

"If I was offered a knighthood I would probably turn it down. I don't deserve one. Nor do a large proportion of the people who have been knighted. Ninety per cent of them have done nothing for this country" - Formula 1 motor racing chief Bernie Ecclestone.

Claims that two students set up a Facebook group dedicated to an Adolf Hitler drinking game are to be investigated, a university said. Two students at Huddersfield University are said to have created Hitler - The Drinking Game, which involves laying out cards in a swastika shape and "leaves players completely ruined beyond belief". The group currently has nearly 12,000 members and its creators label themselves as "Fuhrers" on the group's information page.

"At no time did I ever ask him to beef up, to override, any of the judgments that he had" - Alastair Campbell denies he had sought to "beef up" the Government's now notorious dossier on Saddam Hussein's supposed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) written by Joint Intelligence Committee chairman Sir John Scarlett.

Two men were plunged into a frozen canal when driving a car along ice covering the water, it was disclosed. Police said the men, aged 22 and 24, were driving on the Union Canal near Winchburgh, West Lothian, when the ice gave way beneath them. They managed to escape but were later arrested and charged with reckless conduct and will appear at Livingston Sheriff Court at a later date.

A Llandovery man wrongly claimed almost £20,000 in benefit while selling scrap metal for a living. Duncan Harold McKenzie-Tolhurst was prosecuted by Carmarthenshire County Council and the Department for Work and Pensions and pleaded guilty to charges under Social Security Administration Act 1992 of making false statements and failing to declare changes in circumstances. Carmarthen Magistrates Court was told that housing and council tax benefit was awarded on the basis that 60-year-old McKenzie-Tolhurst was in receipt of income support for himself and his wife at a privately rented property in Rhandirmwyn. McKenzie-Tolhurst was stopped routinely in Ammanford on July 11, 2008, as part of Operation Beagle, a multi-agency exercise involving Carmarthenshire County Council Environmental Services and Housing Benefit Investigations Section, Department for Work & Pensions and Dyfed-Powys Police. This involved the stopping and checking of vehicles/drivers and passengers carrying waste/scrap ...

A leading Carmarthenshire councillor has called in to visit the staff who are the first point of contact with county residents. Executive board member for customer care Cllr Kevin Madge called in at the Customer Service Centre in Ammanford Town Hall to wish staff a happy Christmas and to thank them for their efforts. Councillor Madge said: “I am delighted once again to be visiting staff who are the first point of contact between residents and the council. “It is important to actually see for myself the excellent services we deliver and to thank the staff personally.” Carmarthenshire Direct will be open for business as usual between Christmas and New Year. The contact centre and Customer Service Centres at Ty Elwyn, Spilman Street and Ammanford Town Hall will open on Wednesday December 30 and Thursday 31. CSCs will open from 8.45am to 5pm, and the contact centre from 8.30am to 6pm on December 30 and 8.30am to 5pm on December 31.

Record numbers of birds are flocking to the Burry Estuary driven west by even colder conditions in the east. It has become the Heathrow of the feathered world with thousands of flights of birds dropping in daily on the Llanelli’s Millennium Coastal Park. Even the normally shy and secretive bittern has been spotted at a Llanelli Town centre pond. Manager of the WWT National Wetland Centre Wales at Penclackwydd, Llwynhendy, Nigel Williams, said he had never seen such numbers of birds at the centre and in the estuary as he had over the last month. He said: “There are many thousands arriving daily. They are all struggling because of the exceptionally cold conditions. Migratory lost flights of birds are calling in and using the centre as a feeding station before feeding uo and gaining strength, renavigating and moving on. “The tidally flooding estuary is also a valuable feeding ground for waders and many other kinds of birds. “We have even had spoonbills coming in but they don’t like the co...

Just been enjoying the CAN 2010 official site for the African Nations Cup soccer tournament. Take this pen picture of Mozambique as an example of what to expect! As Burkina Faso and Malawi, Mozambique is a congener with discreet goals, as its group, lacking of top players. It is, therefore, Mambas wish to go through the first phase. With Tico-Tico and Dário on head, Mozambique cannot afford high expectations, but it is not forbidden, tough. Mexer, who recently signed contract with the Portuguese Sporting, is the promising talent of the squad. See the official Africa Nations Cup website - http://www.can-angola2010.com/index.htm

Schools in Carmarthenshire are being helped to stay open tomorrow despite severe weather warnings across the county. The county council’s Building Services Division is making staff available from early in the morning to ensure there is a clear access to schools. Some 14 gangs have been set up to cover the whole county, each has been given a secondary school to work on initially so that they can open for pupils who are taking exams. The crews will then move onto primary schools and hope to get around as many as possible, if not all, before 9am so that schools can open as usual. The plans have been made following a meeting of the council’s Corporate Management Team today, as keeping schools open is a high priority. The council is making resources available to help do this, in advance of the severe weather conditions forecast for later today and tomorrow morning. All headteachers have been advised of the arrangements and have been given contact details for operatives in their areas. Educa...

The Dylan Thomas Boathouse in Laugharne opened on Tuesday afternoon (January 12th) as the frozen water pipes which forced its closure thawed out. They intend to remain open as normal unless overnight conditions worsen substantially. Garnant Golf Club remains closed for playing as the course has four inches of snow with more expected later today. For up to date information of services and attractions affected by weather visit www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk and check the weather bulletin.

It's hoped that all day centres, day clubs and luncheon clubs in Carmarthenshire will reopen tomorrow, weather permitting. Social care chiefs hope the severe weather being forecast for tonight and tomorrow will have cleared in time to resume normal services. However, there may be localised bad weather conditions so further updates will be made available on the council website and through local radio stations. The facilities were closed today due to a forecast of widespread snow and high winds leading to concerns that service users might not be able to return safely to their homes. Director of Social Care, Health and Housing Bruce McLernon said: “We intend to open all services as usual tomorrow, weather permitting, but conditions may change in different parts of the county. “We will inform people as soon as we can of any disruptions to services, we advise service users and their families to check information on our website or listen to local radio stations.” Regular updates can be f...

Carmarthenshire’s Landlords Conference will be held in Carmarthen later this month. The conference for private sector housing landlords has been organised in association with Davies Parsons Allchurch Solicitors and will be held in the Ivy Bush Hotel on Thursday 21st January 21 from 4-7pm with doors opening at 3pm. There will be guest speakers, information stalls and refreshments. A special feature, Question Time, has been organised with an expert panel answering questions. Please email any questions to SCHBSULlanelli@carmarthenshire.gov.uk There is free entry. The Booking Hotline is 01554 742300, e-mail: SCHBSULlanelli@carmarthenshire.gov.uk

Carmarthenshire’s third sector Health and Wellbeing Forum is due to meet on Tuesday, January 12, from 10am at CAVS, The Mount, Carmarthen. It is open to any third sector group or organisation working in the field of health and social care or wellbeing in Carmarthenshire, whether as service providers, lobbying groups or self-help groups. The forum will give people the opportunity to network and exchange information with other similar groups across Carmarthenshire, the Hywel Dda region and beyond. It also gives people the opportunity to respond collectively to relevant consultations, after which opinions will be fed into the various planning groups and to the Compact Liaison Panel. The forum will be followed by a workshop on tendering and managing tender contracts from 1.30-4.30pm. Cllr Pat Jones, executive board member for health and social care, said: “These forums are valuable tools for meeting like-minded people and sharing best practice in the field of health and social care or well...

Only two schools are closed in Carmarthenshire today. Ysgol Rhys Pritchard will be closed for the remainder of the week due to burst pipes. Hafodwenog closed earlier this morning due to snow drifts. Technical services and education staff are continuing to work with schools to ensure they remain open wherever possible.

All primary routes in Carmarthenshire are clear and many side roads are now passable following treatment over the past few days. Gritting crews were out last night at 6pm treating parts of the trunk road network and again at 4am this morning treating the trunk primary route network. Operatives were again deployed throughout daylight hours treating the secondary routes where possible, including town centre areas, footways, housing estate roads, side roads and other areas where there were specific requests due to emergency access requirements with quarry stone grit to help restore access to these areas. Care still needs to be taken on side roads due to the presence of some snow, slush and melt run off during the day. No salt deliveries were received yesterday, but 300 tonnes from an alternative supply is due in today and this material will be blended with stone quarry grit in order to extend our capacity for treatment over the next few days in the event of the forecast snow arriving. The...

Householders in Carmarthenshire are advised to leave their refuse/recycling out for collection as normal. Crews expect to have caught up with all collections by the weekend, weather permitting. No bulk collections are being booked in for this week, as staff are catching up with previous bookings. All Civic Amenity sites are now open including Llangadog, which has reopened. Blue bags can be taken to skips at all our CA sites as a temporary measure. Staff will be working double shifts all this week to collect blue and black bags wherever possible. They will collect as much as possible but any surplus bags should be taken to the nearest CA site or placed out on the next scheduled collection. The four black bag only rule is being suspended during this time. For more information and for details of today’s collection rounds visit the county council website at www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk .

Inspection called for Ffos Las Sunday's meeting in the balance. If it goes to the wall, that'll be two meetings off the season ticket. Fingers crossed, they will be allowed to pad the calendar out later in the year.

The big freeze has not deterred Carmarthenshire Direct staff from struggling into work – so that there is someone on the end of the line when people phone the county council for help. The Carmarthenshire Direct contact centre and Careline in Llandeilo, and the Customer Service Centres in Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford, have all operated with a full complement of staff despite the weather conditions. They have won the praise and gratitude of the council’s executive board member for customer care Cllr Kevin Madge for their efforts in providing a vital service. He also urged members of the public not to be impatient with staff who were dealing professionally with an unprecedented number of calls. On Monday Carmarthenshire Direct received 3,000 calls, twice the usual number, and daily have been taking some 600 more calls than usual. Contact Centre manager Eifion Davies said: “Staff have made a great effort to get to work, some walking up to five miles through the snow to work, and we h...

Plans are already being put in place to help householders in Carmarthenshire avoid being ripped off when the big freeze ends. The county council’s public protection division is setting up a small team of officers to answer queries from members of the public who need to have repairs carried out to their homes. Head of public protection Philip Davies said: “Our team will be able to offer advice to people who are unhappy about the quotes they have been given to carry out essential repairs to their homes following the snow and ice. We would advise them to use one of our Registered Traders.” Executive board member for housing and public protection Cllr Hugh Evans said: “We are keen to ensure that householders are not taken advantage of and the best way to organise repairs is by contacting one of our Registered Traders.” Members of the Registered Traders’ Scheme agree to abide by the scheme’s code of practice and to trade fairly. Most areas of the building trade are covered as well as the n...

And the music is great, too! You can watch it BIG size on You Tube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

There’s something fishy going on at Myrddin Day Centre, Carmarthen, as staff and service users make the most of a new fish tank donated by town centre developers Simons Construction. The donation was made as a way of compensating service users of the centre for the inconvenience caused by the closure of St Catherine Street, as part of the development scheme. The 15-week road closure meant they had an extra 20-30 minutes added to their daily travel to and from the centre each day. Simons Construction contacted day centre manager Liz Willliams, who suggested that a fish tank would make a permanent feature for current and future clients to appreciate. A plaque confirming the donation by Simons Construction was also commissioned. The fish tank has now taken pride of place in the main entrance foyer to the day centre. Clive Pugh, Simons Construction’s Public Liaison Officer, said: “Simons Construction are aware that work in the town centre has caused disruption and hope that this donation g...

Welsh trainers who have runners today include - Ian Williams 13:20 Southwell Tyrana (GER) S Donohoe 13:50 Southwell Russian Music (USA) S Donohoe

Felinfoel locals are being given the opportunity to have their say about play provision in the village. The Communities First team is working in partnership with Llanelli Rural Council on the development and is holding an open day on Thursday, January 28 2010. The main focus of the event will be to give families the chance to identify what play equipment they would like to be included in a new recreation ground being planned in Felinfoel. Communities First, a Welsh Assembly regeneration initiative run locally by Carmarthenshire County Council, has already carried out several consultation events with local people, and have visited local parks. Development Worker Kathryn Newman, said: “There is already huge support for the project form local residents, schools and organisations. It is clear that many families living in Felinfoel want a safe play environment for their children to enjoy. “During the open day, local community members will have the chance to nominate what type of play equipm...

Llandeilo and Glanaman Community Education Centres will be closed for the rest of this week. The decision has been taken due to frozen pipes and the severe weather warning for the next couple of days. All courses will resume on Monday, January 18.

Meals on wheels are being delivered early in Carmarthenshire today due to a severe weather warning. Social care services and community supervisors have arranged for the meals to be delivered before the weather becomes too bad. It means that people will be able to have their meals, and also drivers will be able to get home safely before the adverse weather affects their journey.

All day centres, day clubs and luncheon clubs will be closed in Carmarthenshire today due to a severe weather warning. Social care chiefs have taken the decision due to concerns about people being able to travel home afterwards. Widespread snow and high winds are forecast leading to concerns that service users might not be able to return safely to their homes. Staff at all day centres, day and luncheon clubs are still required to attend in the morning, and they will be redeployed to other services, as required. The decision was taken at the Social Care and Health Co-ordinating Forum for Adverse Weather which is meeting daily. Director of Social Care, Health and Housing Bruce McLernon said: “We have given full consideration to the issues concerning attendance at our day centres, day clubs and luncheon clubs, and after making assessments regarding the weather forecast for tomorrow, we have decided it would be too much of a risk for service users to travel. “The difficulty is that they wi...

"Buckle up now, guys, but not too tight for it's going to be a long but pleasant ride, I promise. This time I can guarantee there'll be very little if any turbulence at all" - Chris Evans reassures listeners on his first BBC2 breakfast slot.

A terminally ill volunteer is being sought to donate their body to be mummified and possibly placed in a museum for a TV show. Channel 4 contributed a "nominal" sum in early development funding to production company Fulcrum TV to explore the possibilities behind the idea. Documentary makers are working with a scientist who believes they have cracked the mysteries of ancient Egyptian embalming, which was believed to be a necessary process to continue the journey to the afterlife. Adverts have been placed. Fulcrum TV's executive producer Richard Belfield spoke to an undercover Independent journalist posing as a possible volunteer.

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - With the current recession the “third sector” has become vital Interesting piece by former Bishop of St David's Carl Cooper.

BBC News - 'Be neighbourly' plea as more snow is expected Sensible advice. We should all be checking on the elderly and vulnerable.

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Ieuan’s the top dog now says Plaid MP candidate Wonder how many ripples there'll be from this one?

BBC Sport - Horse Racing - Welsh Champ Hurdle plan shelved What a pity, but the weather is rotten. New Welsh racecourse Ffos Las have decided not to run the Welsh Champion Hurdle this year. The revived £50,000 Grade Two race, which has not run since 2002, was to be held at last weekend's meeting but was abandoned due to a frosty track. Ffos Las had hoped to reschedule the feature race for this Sunday's meeting but that has been ruled out.

Frozen piped beneath a dark snow caked sky, the Dylan Thomas Boathouse is closed until further notice. The Boathouse was one of two Carmarthenshire County Council attractions frozen out by the weather at the weekend. The Boathouse remains closed (today, Monday Jan 11)) but the Bro Myrddin Indoor Bowls Centre has re-opened with no heating. The pipes were thawing at the Boathouse but the frozen water supply and hazardous approach path have forced closure until further notice. All other country parks in the county have managed to stay open but visitors are warned to take care because of the frozen conditions especially in the car parks. The parks have been popular with families turning up for photographic opportunities and rangers have been encountering scores of snowmen and creatures created out of the abundant snow. County executive board member for leisure and regeneration Cllr Clive Scourfield said: “The great outdoors is a wondrous place in the snow and we welcome people to the parks...

Only five schools in Carmarthenshire are closed today despite adverse weather conditions. They are Betws, Llangain, Ysgol Rhys Pritchard, Carreg Hirfaun and Abernant. Some secondary schools are open to certain year groups only, these are Coedcae which is open to years 10 and 11 today, and to years seven, eight and nine tomorrow; Q E High School open to years 10, 11, 12 and 13; and Gwendraeth open to years 10, 11, 12 and 13. Some schools are asking parents to supply packed lunches, there are also disruptions to some breakfast and after school clubs and many playgrounds are closed. Most schools are asking pupils and parents to take care on approach roads and within school grounds, many are advising them to go via the main entrances only. The council’s technical services department has offered to grit all main entrances to schools where this would allow them to open. Some 30 schools to date have taken this opportunity and managed to reopen last Friday. For more details on individual schoo...

Gritting crews worked throughout the night in Carmarthenshire, treating the primary route network. Similar gritting actions were undertaken on the main roads for Friday and Saturday nights and about 650 tonnes of salt was used in total over the weekend. In addition to the normal gritting runs, operatives were deployed throughout daylight hours over Saturday and Sunday treating town centre areas, footways, housing estate roads, side roads and school accesses with quarry stone grit to help restore access. A total of 145 staff worked across Carmarthenshire over the weekend from the highways, refuse, building and grounds maintenance workforce to undertake these duties. All primary routes are clear and temperatures are now slightly milder. Many of the side roads are now passable, following treatment over the weekend, but care needs to be taken due to the presence of some snow, slush and melt run off during the day. Approximately 225 tonnes of salt were delivered on Friday, but no further de...

Carmarthen Town Football Club are keen to make new signings during the January transfer window as they shape up for one of the biggest challenges in their history. Next season, the Old Gold will have 10 extra fixtures when the Welsh Premier League streamlines to just 12 teams and each club plays four games against each of their rivals. This will make a big difference to the workload of the club's staff, all of whom - from the groundsman to the chairman and his executive committee - are volunteers. You might not be a speedy winger, a bustling centre forward or an agile shot-stopping keeper but you could still play for the 'team' by giving up a few hours a week as a volunteer at Richmond Park. Chairman Jeff Thomas said: "People think the work starts and ends with a 90-minute game on a Saturday. But that couldn't be further from the truth. We are a community club based in the heart of Carmarthen and the first team is really just the tip of the iceberg in terms of wha...

It beggars belief that, despite all the warnings, youngsters still skate on thin ice. On Tuesday morning nearly half a dozen youngsters were running the gauntlet by walking, running and having snowball fights on Pond Twym, near Llanelli Leisure Centre. The newspapers, television and the radio have been full of warnings about the dangers of treading on frozen lakes and ponds. Last week, two brothers died after falling through ice on a lake in Leicestershire. But on Tuesday the warnings were being ignored. During the current cold spell I have witnessed plenty of barmy incidents – motorists driving too fast or too close to the vehicle in front and pedestrians dicing with death by walking in the main road with their backs turned to oncoming traffic. But today’s ‘skaters’ took the top prize in the idiot stakes. One lad ran around the central island at Pond Twym, ignoring the obvious dangers and the fact that the ice coverage was very uneven. Others, including some young girls, strolled on t...

Blue refuse bags may be taken to four of Carmarthenshire’s household waste recycling centres for the next two weeks. Whitland, Trostre, Nantycaws and Wernddu centres all remain open despite adverse weather conditions. Llangadog household waste recycling site is closed until further notice. Blue bags are being allowed at the sites to help householders affected by disruptions to refuse and recycling collections during the recent adverse weather. Carmarthenshire’s environment executive board member Cllr Haydn Jones said: “We are allowing blue bags to be taken to our waste centres for the next two weeks to help those people who have accumulated recycling waste due to the disruptions in our normal collection service.”

Tonight's Under-19s Llanelli Reds game with Bryntirion Athletic at Stebonheath has been called off. The pitch is still frozen and covered by snow!

Sat Nav to help find good pint of ale - General News - Morning Advertiser What a clever idea!

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Gavin and Stacey fans should be left wanting more, says Melanie Walters Very sensible! See earlier post - http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/walesonline-news-wales-news-fans-want.html

BBC News - Euro cash hope on rural internet About time something was done. Rural areas shouldn't be left out in the cold.

BBC Sport - Rugby Union - Wales fly-half Stephen Jones committed to Scarlets Good news. Great servant to the Scarlets.

WalesOnline - Lifestyle - Arts - It’s going to be a rubbish day for funnyman Rhod New series for Carmarthen comic Rhod Gilbert. Rhod Gilbert’s Work Experience is on BBC One Wales on January 19 at 10.35pm. For a big interview with Gilbert, see the Western Mail Magazine this Saturday. See earlier posts incuding - http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/rhod-gilbert-on-tv-again-this-weekend.html

WalesOnline - Lifestyle - Arts - A TV tribute to Professor Hywel Teifi Edward Excellent programme well worth showing again. See earlier blog - http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/professor-hywel-teifi-edwards-dies.html

BBC News - Chris Evans begins new Radio 2 breakfast show Brighter mornngs on the way . . .

"There is nothing quite as calculated to put you off your rum punch than the news that the sun is splitting the paving stones at home, while the rain is lashing down on the holiday that's cost you a fortune in Barbados" - Sir Terry Wogan.

A luxury houseboat moored in a sought after area of London has been put on the market for £1 million. Foxtons believes the three-bedroom vessel, which even has its own swimming pool, is the most expensive houseboat it has marketed. The boat is 1,388 square foot and boasts three en-suite bedrooms - including one with a dressing room - a kitchen and dining area, a reception room, a study and a utility room, as well as a 577 square foot deck.

The following Welsh connections have horses running today - Alison Thorpe 15:15 Kempton Ibbetson (USA) L Keniry 15:15 Kempton Majd Aljazeera J F McDonald 15:45 Kempton Hammer S J Craine 15:45 Kempton Pearl (IRE) J Quinn 17:15 Kempton Spent E Ahern Ian Williams 15:15 Kempton Tyrana (GER) E Ahern 16:00 Wolverhampton Kickahead (USA) S Donohoe 16:45 Kempton Fandango Boy E Ahern

Parc y Scarlets to the rescue of Heineken Cup? Parc y Scarlets is on standby to come to the rescue of key Heineken Cup fixtures during the big freeze.

"I know that young men are more unbiased, playful and firmer. But they are also more selfish and narcissistic. This is why they never had a chance to go out with me" - Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.

A final year fine art student has created an art installation of over 600 sculptures for an exhibition which takes the viewer on their own personal journey. Pilgrimage 09 is the work of Heather Dobbins, a mature student from Cross Hands. She says “If life is a journey, then each of us is a traveller - someone who journeys. Some of us journey for nostalgic or sentimental reasons; often without realising that we are on a pilgrimage and that we are in fact a pilgrim”. She says that although the exhibition was first installed facing the alter of the University’s chapel, not all pilgrimages are for religious purposes. Pilgrimage 09The artwork draws in the viewer claims Heather. “When you walk up to the piece you join the pilgrimage. As you pass the installation and the crowd you begin to respond to each of the beings there. Eventually you stand and face the crowd and they in turn all communicate with you”. Heather first got the idea from a sketch of a silhouette and this led her to w...

Universities and Colleges from across South West Wales have joined forces to support local businesses in the economic downturn. The South West Wales Vocational Support Initiative funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) is led by Trinity University College Carmarthen in partnership with Swansea Metropolitan University, UW Lampeter, Pembrokeshire College, Coleg Sir Gar, Swansea College, Gorseinon College, Neath Port Talbot College, with the support of Mid and West Wales Chamber, West Wales Chamber of Commerce, Business in the Community, Careers Wales West, Tourism Training for Wales/Gallu and Ffres Food Tourism Group. Meri Huws, Director of Skills, Innovation and Community at Trinity said “The project aims to simplify access for businesses to the full range of practical support and vocationally targeted training offered by the partners to help them manage the current economic crisis. The training and support generated will be specifically developed to meet ident...

See album - http://picasaweb.google.com/robertapvincent/MillenniumCoastalParkJanuary2010#

Tesco's £1m could mean an end to 30-year bypass wait for Pontarddulais, Swansea Boost for Pontarddulais bypass plan.

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Fans want more Gavin and Stacey Aaargh! No. Think the writers and producers were correct to go out on a high! No more. Remember Fawlty Towers.

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Comic Rhod Gilbert stunned by DVD success, but he’s not on the rich lists yet Carmarthen's best comic export on his recent fortunes.

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Tributes as ex-TV chief's body is recovered How sad.

BBC News - Page-turning passion I think books are here to stay. I don't like reading on screen. Much prefer the feel of a book,paper,magazine.

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Weatherwatch: Wales braced for more snow It's times like this I am glad I work from home.

WalesOnline - News - Wales News - Welsh peer slams Iran hostage link Alec Maclachlan from Llanelli was one of the hostages. This story gets more shocking as the weeks go by.

Farewell to five-year-old Jake Wilson who died in tragic motorbike accident Very sad.

Solicitor turned around (From Tivyside Advertiser) Tough lot in Cardigan court!