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

Off to London today to collect my London 2012 Olympics uniform - 28 days to go before it all starts.

Apologies for lack of activity. Finally finished editing my little Carmarthenshire tourism project - 21,500 words edited down to 11,721 (the 1 is very important!). Now, I can get back in the 'zone'.

News in brief from the Llandeilo Jazz festival team . . .  Individual ticket passes are required for all events taking place at indoor venues. Please note that passes do not guarantee admission to a venue. Space is limited, and admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Passes are not required for the Sunday lunchtime concert in Penlan Park. Tickets are available from the White Horse (125 Rhosmaen Street), the Angel (62 Rhosmaen Street), AJ’s Retro Diner (44 Rhosmaen Street) and the Antiques Shop (1 Crescent Road). Tickets, programmes and T-shirts will also be available at the Jazz at Llandeilo shop, located in the former Dylan's Wine Shop (99 Rhosmaen Street) from June 29 onwards. There will be street music in Market Street and in the top of the Crescent Road car park on Saturday from 11-7 and on Sunday from 12-5. More than 2000 tickets have been distributed to date. The festival is still recruiting street musicians and volunteers. Anyone who can help, should cont...

The latest 'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen Town AFC column from the Carmarthen Journal newspaper - Preparations are continuing for this year’s Junior Football Festival and Fete which takes place on Saturday 7th July at Richmond Park, home of Carmarthen Town AFC. Executive committee member Paul Ashley Jones has issued the following appeal - “This is an important part of the Club’s Community Programme and as always your help is needed. Without the help of our supporters the event cannot take place. There are many ways, large and small, in which you can help. “Specifically we need help in the following areas: Programme sales – we have a small number of supporters currently going door to door selling Programmes at £1 each. “If you are able to spare a couple of hours to help out over the next two weeks then please call Paul Ashley-Jones on 07775 820864. Many hands make light work and your help would be very much appreciated. “Bottles and tins – these are required for...

Nice story in the Llanelli Star today about Cor Meibion Llanelli's annual concert with Wynne Evans on Saturday - http://llanellimalechoir.co.uk/Latestnews.html Nice story in the Llanelli Star today about next weekend's Llandeilo Jazz Festival - http://www.jazzatllandeilo.co.uk/ Nice story in the Llanelli Star today about Burry Port delivery firm Celtic Couriers @CelticCouriers working with Mencap Cymru. Nice story in the Llanelli Star today about millionaire Kevin Green @KGWCoach @kevingreenwales launching a new wealth app for mobile phones. Splendid full page spotlight in the Llanelli Star today on Llanelli-based architects the Lewis Partnership Ltd @Lewis_Architect Check out today's Carmarthen Journal for a 'news extra' two-page special feature on the Llandeilo Jazz festival - http://www.jazzatllandeilo.co.uk/ Nice feature in the Carmarthen Journal's Out and About section today about next weekend's Llandeilo Jazz Festival - http://www.jazzatllandeilo.co...

The latest Iechyd Da beer column written by Llandeilo brewer Simon Buckley in the Carmarthen Journal - Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I am writing this column as I make my way up to London I’m not going to see The Queen, but off to yet another meeting. As I look out through the train window, all I can see is rain. I know it’s summer and that this what we expect in Wales, but where is the sunshine? All we want is just a hint of a real summer. If we don’t get a real summer, all us chaps in brewing will have been wrong-footed again. All the work we have put into creating summer beers will be for nothing. So what makes a great summer beer? The summer fad started about 15 years ago when the clever marketing johnnies in the big breweries thought that here was a chance to create a series of new beers that would act as cross-overs between the lightly hopped golden lagers and a new style of golden ale. The theory was to try and replicate the lighter flavour of lager and ...

Looking after business, the business page column from the Carmarthen Journal. By David Butler, of Carmarthen-based accountants and business consultants Clay Shaw Butler Sport is bound to be high in all of our thoughts this summer – Wimbledon, the Euro 2012 football tournament and the Olympics are just three of the events dominating press coverage. I am proud to be involved with a charity called SportsAid Wales, which supports some of our most successful sportsmen and sportswomen. A few weeks back, the ‘team’ at Clay Shaw Butler also turned out on a Sunday morning to cheer the Olympic Torch Relay as it moved up Lammas Street in Carmarthen. It seems that, no matter where you turn, sport is one of the major topics of conversation. But does sport matter when it comes to business? Well, it can teach us valuable lessons. For example the dynamics of sport can have parallels in the world of business. In both areas you need – Leadership  Group cohesion (or teamwork)  ...

Top acts at next weekend's Llandeilo Jazz Festival include - EDDIE MARTIN Saturday, 7th July, 8pm in the White Horse London’s What’s On Magazine said of Eddie Martin, “Easily the best blues guitarist this country has produced since Clapton.” With 12 rave-reviewed albums to his name, Eddie Martin has a reputation for updating blues traditions with wit, skill and energy. Whether playing as a one-man band, in a trio or a big band, he’s one of the UK’s most dynamic performers and a live act not to be missed. We are delighted he is headlining Llandeilo’s first ever Jazz Festival. www.eddiemartin.com WHISKY BUSINESS Friday, 6 July, 8:30 pm in the Cawdor Producing a fresh, new, and unique sound, Whisky Business are putting the feel good factor back into live music, with a bold vibrant brass section and creative guitars all held together by solid but subtle bass and drums. Overlay all this with vocals ranging from soulful to hard hitting and Whisky Business are laying down the best in...

Five people have been fined £75 by council environmental enforcement officers for dropping cigarette ends. The fixed penalty notices for littering were issued to a man and two women in North Road in Whitland, a woman in Guildhall Square, Carmarthen and a woman in Pentre Road, St Clears. All four were seen dropping the cigarette butts onto the ground and walking away. Failure to pay could result in prosecution in the magistrate’s court and a maximum fine of £2,500. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said enforcement officers regularly carried out patrols across the county. He added: “Anyone caught throwing litter will be fined. Cigarette ends in particular are very difficult and costly to clean up as they fall into grates and cracks in the pavement and are almost impossible to remove by normal cleaning. “The council is taking a firm stand against littering as well as dog fouling. Hopefully people will take notice of these latest fines and think...