On to Spean Bridge

As you can see from the photograph, our Pauline likes Castles. This one was Dunstaffnage Castle And Chapel near to Connel and Pauline is striking a typical Blonde pose letting you know where the castle is. Well we had to get in at least one castle with so many fortifications throughout Scotland. This was quite a nice imposing Castle, but a tad too much building work going on for my liking. Plus Pauline thought that the wooden staircase was a bit scary and declined the ascent. After enjoying chocolate on the ramparts, we headed towards Spean Bridge, with a stop off at Fort William.

Distant Hills Guest House at Spean Bridge in Inverness-shire came in as a recommendation, and a good one at that! The accommodation and the owners were lovely. We were greeted with fresh coffee, tea and biscuits in the lounge. A tad up market from the last place we stayed at, as at that guest house guests did not appear to be welcome in the lounge. Strange I know, but sometimes people are unable to separate business from other activities. I have stayed in several lovely guest houses in and around Carmarthen and Kidwelly and what sets them up above the rest is that the guest feels as if he is integrated into the family. Distant Hills made the grade and Pauline and I were very pleased. Address: Spean Bridge, Inverness-shire. SatNav Postcode: PH34 4EU. Telephone: 01397 712452. Please mention the Blog if you make that call. Recommendation: It could be worth booking in advance on Laterooms.com as Distant Hills appears to be extremely popular.

But probably not as popular as Russell’s Bistro, a delightful truly up-market restaurant located just a few hundred yards along the road back towards the village. Wow, we were bowled over by the Service, cuisine and price point. This meal was astonishingly good value at only £75 for three superb courses, half a bottle of decent wine and the tip. A memorable experience enjoyed by one and all, more so as the maître d' likened me to Tom Jones. Well done matey, if only I could sing and then see the Rhondda one more time. Not one of Tom’s songs, but nevertheless a favourite Welsh ballad of yours truly. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I couldn’t sing for toffee, but I really did appreciate the compliment. Unfortunately for the other restaurants along our ‘Pauline isn’t cooking this week journey’, Russell’s was simply too good, too up-market and too cheap. Russell’s is probably my number one dining experience of all time. And you don’t get to be this size without dining out a lot. Address: Spean Bridge, Inverness-shire. SatNav Postcode: PH34 4EU. Telephone: 01397 712335. As with Distant Hills, please mention the Blog if you make that call. Recommendation: Definitely book in advance. Website: http://www.russellsrestaurant.co.uk/



I like military history almost as much as I like food and Spean Bridge was not to disappoint in that regard either. The local Hotel has quite a few images etc relating to the Commando units that trained in the area and we managed to visit the Commando Monument the very next day after popping into the Clan Cameron Museum. With one member of the Clan becoming a VC winner, visiting the Museum was also a must to do. A nice military, scenery, food, chilled out experience that was Spean Bridge. We now headed further north towards the real Highlands and probably in terms of scenery the highlights of the trip.

Easdale

The Tourist Info people suggested a trip to Easdale. This turned out to be a good choice. The stunning scenery was complimented by my first opportunity to enjoy the Scottish single track roads with passing points. This experience stood me in good stead for the long journey through the Highlands planned for later in the week. The scenery was enhanced slightly as we moved slowly over the Atlantic Bridge enroute to Easdale. Wow, we simply couldn't see beyond the bonnet of the car as we crept over the apex. Not a place for a recreational vehicle. Having driven past yet another Loch, the view of Easdale and the coast was stunning. Time for a short nap before heading into town. Now that is something that I did miss while in Ghana. It's nice to have a 15 minute break each day. It's the only way to turn off the brain and to relax the mind. Pauline and I got good at this throughout our week in Scotland. We simply pulled over and had a nap whenever we felt like it. I suppose that's the benefit of being on Holiday and moving at your own pace. A pace that suited me at this moment in my life.



Easdale was a delight. It was almost like stepping back in time. As you can see by the photograoh, Pauline had nabbed my windproof water resistant fleece and was nice and cosy for yet another boat trip. This time it was on the Seafari out of Easdale. A tad pricey, but hey ho. What the lady wants, the lady gets. The 2.5 hour trip lasted over 3 hours as the Skipper was customer rather than profit orientated. We were on our way back when another boat spotted three blue nosed dolphins so he turned around and headed back out, very kind of him. The Seafari included moving close to isolated bits of the headland. So I enjoyed watching the Brown Mountain goat high up on a rock, the pair of Scottish Sea Eagles and the four deer on a deserted cove as much as the other sea birds and our quest for the elusive Whale. The Whirlpool was fun as well, but although our boat could cruise at 25 knots and reach 40, the Whirlpool was still a bit scary and somewhere that I did not want to hang around too long. The seats of the ribbed boat were good fun as well, almost like sitting on a rocking horse. Albeit a very fast and turbulent one!

Oban

Day two at Connel meant that we had the opportunity to visit the nearest town. Oban like Accra is a coastal community. Fortunately, unlike Accra, the shore off Oban was calm. This meant that I could chance my arm with a boat trip. No mean feat for yours truly as I suffer from chronic sea sickness. We skipped the pleasure boat running from the Station Pier and instead took the more sturdy looking trawler type boat from the North Pier in Oban. That was a good choice, as the crew were friendly and a little old lady from the United States joined the trip. Lucky us, as this old dear has been visiting Oban for the last 25 years and provided an extremely informative commentary as the boat chugged across the bay. We learnt about the Watch Tower where the locals looked for signs of the Viking invaders. The lovers island where a very naughty girl got caste off in a small rowing boat on a stormy night by her husband. Mind you it was worse for her lover, as he got run through with a sword for his troubles. And we saw the monument that was erected in memory of some clever chap who made Oban what it is today.

We even managed to catch sight of the Ferry running from Oban across to the Islands. Brilliant, as this particular Ferry is the star attraction on a television programme watched religiously by our grandson. "What's the story in Balamory" is a constant theme tune in our home. Well the ferry doesn't run to the fictitious Balamory, instead it plies its trade to the Tobermory community just across the bay from Oban that is the real life setting for what is after all a great childrens programme.

Well one exciting boat trip should have been enough. I'm not one for taking risks and we should have quit while we were ahead. Nevertheless we tucked into fish and chips sat down in the port. It was quite an expensive park bench as the fish and chips came in at £13 for the two of us. £7.50 for the boss and £5.50 for me. Well I know my plaice in the pecking order.

The sun shone through and we headed to the Tourist Information Office for inspiration

Dining in Connel

We stayed at aGuest House in Connel for two nights. The first of which was spent in the pleasant company of a young couple away for the weekend. Well, that’s what young couples do isn’t it? But when you get older your stamina increases and you make the break last a week. They were a lovely couple. She a nurse and he a rich farmer, he denied the richness of course, but we all know that you rarely meet a poor farmer. Well his recent holiday across Canada says it all. We met in the restaurant at the Oyster Inn Hotel in Connel near Oban. And we followed on from the excellent meal with a drink in the Ferryman’s Bar next door. Address: The Oyster Inn, Connel, by Oban, Argyll, SatNav Postcode: PA37 1PJ. Telephone: 01631 710666

It was a lovely evening. The food and service was excellent and the view was to die for. They sat Pauline and I side by side with a joint view through the extensive glazing out onto the Loch as the sun set. A perfect setting for dining, complete with excellent food, and for only the cost of a few pennies. We began with their Haggis Tricolour consisting of Layered Haggis, Neaps and Tatties served with a Whisky Cream and then parted on the main course via Pauline’s Chargrilled Scottish Rib-eye steak served with chips, mushrooms, onion rings and tomato. While I went for the ‘catch of the day’ consisting of a fillet of Haddock in an exquisite sauce containing butter, lemon and lime. My meal was superb, simply superb. But what we didn’t know at the time; was that this meal would be trumped later in the week. This was surprising really; as I would place the Oyster Inn at Connel, amongst my all time favourite dining experiences. And one that I would recommend to anyone heading to the West Coast of Scotland. It's touch and go whether or not the fish at the Oyster Inn was as good as the fish served by Jeffers and Tamara or the one that we had on the coast that hot, hot evening back in Ghana.

Connel? No Bennett… Roger Bennett

The journey between Loch Lomond and Connel was not without incident. The weather was atrocious with apparently a mini hurricane loitering around that part of Scotland. At one point driving the Volvo S60 D5, I thought that I was James Bond… for the duration of the 007 theme music pumping in my head, ‘da da dra da dra, da da daa, da da daaaaa… the Volvo aquaplaned.

‘Slow down’ shouts Pauline, I can’t I explain, none of the wheels are touching the ground. Thankfully for us, it was a straight line on a straight road with no oncoming traffic or sheep. It had to be 200 yards if it was a foot. Wow, film making must be really exciting!

We went to Scotland looking forward to seeing the many falls. No one explained that the waterfalls would appear at the side of the road as we drove through the evening to our first overnight destination. We spotted the bridge in the distance and pulled effortlessly onto the Guest House drive. The owner flashed us a glance and greeted me as I got out of the car. ‘Mr. Bond?’ she said, ‘no’ I replied, ‘Bennett, Roger Bennett’.

The long, long road ahead

We started our 8 a.m. journey with a stop off at our local petrol station for a natter with the owner and some goodies for the long, long road ahead. Our plan was to head towards North Wales, cross over and travel the M6 motorway up through England and stop off at West Moorland Service Station and Farm Shop for lunch. West Moorland is probably the or at least one of the best Service Stations in Britain. The weather was windy but dry and given that it was a Sunday we managed to make good time. Our first stop was not at West Moorland but at a roadside seller just north of Wrexham. Although it was windy, it was good to get out of the car. We had just come across a road traffic accident involving a car and a caravan over turned on the dual carriageway. We were one of the first at the scene and therefore were static for quite a while. So the bacon and black pudding sandwich and mug of tea a mile or so further on was a welcome treat. The strange thing was, we were getting tired before West Moorland and pulled over for a lunch break that Pauline had prepared before we reached that far north. Well rested after a nap and a bit of fresh air we pressed on to Loch Lomond. Well to be exact, the village of Luss on the west side of the Loch. A location that will be familiar to anyone who has watched the television series ‘Take the high road’. We always eat at the lovely Coach House Coffee Shop. Address: Loch Lomond, Luss, Alexandria, Dunbartonshire G83 8NN. Telephone: 01436 860341. Always a lovely treat and this time it was coffee and a cream scone for me and ice cream for Pauline. Mmmm yummy, and a great start to our holiday.

Welcome Back

It has been over a month since my last post and it is probably the right time to restart the Blogging and to continue with the social and other commentary. We have just been away for a long week in Scotland. The driving was less than that which we completed on our grand tour of Europe two years back, but it was still long enough to provide some solitude and to remind us just how big the United Kingdom is. I have always thought of Scotland as a beautiful country full of lovely people. But until now my experiences have mainly been limited to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and the countryside in between. We have had lovely holidays in all three locations. Glasgow drew us as it is the home of a good friend of mine; Jim Mann. Edinburgh because of its culture and architecture, while Aberdeen was an accident. A fortunate accident, but an accident nevertheless. It was a while back and we were booked in for a weeks holiday at a caravan park on the coast near to Glasgow. We pre-paid and arrived to find that the park matched the marketing imagery. The problem was that if you turned around, then instead of the lovely scenery you were met by what looked like a power station. We probably could have managed that disappointment, but the roaming dogs and the copious amount of dog litter along with the barbed wire fencing was enough to put us off. We left the caravan park and stayed in a hotel at Glasgow Airport. Jim stepped in and we stayed for several days at his sons house on the east coast of Scotland near to Aberdeen. Followed by quite a few hotels across Scotland and a family holiday that is remembered by all as 'the best holiday ever'. Pauline and the girls referred to that trip as 'living like rock stars'. The next time that we ventured north of the English border we headed for Aviemore and toured amongst other places; Lock Ness and Inverness. I didn't spot the monster, but I did gain a good liking for the Haggis. A liking that is shared by my wife Pauline. And one that was probably enhanced by the standard of the food some three years back that we enjoyed while staying at Crubenbeg House near Newtonmore. That was a good holiday and the most recent one was also good. Therefore the next sequence of posts might just help those of you that intend to venture north of the Welsh and then the English border.

Zulu

What astonishes me about my Zulu studies, more than anything else, is how little I knew. Yes, I had a vague understanding of the horns and body formation of the main attack plan, and through conversations with Michael, I knew about herbs and rituals to prepare the warriors. Albeit Michael is from an Ashanti warrior tribe and not the Zulu region of southern Africa. Nevertheless, he tells a good story about his grandpa and the tin bath and his ritual immersion as grandaddy wanted him to experience the warrior preparation. That story ends with Michael's Mum chasing and shouting at the old man. Certainly a good beer story and one for the women, almost as funny as the 'stumbling into the elephant story' while out hunting. Maybe story telling is an African thing. It certainly engages the fairer sex, but of course story telling is an important part of maintaining a record and handing down the history. European encroachment into Africa brought with it a new dimension to the record keeping. But not necessarily a more accurate copy, as traders and others had their own agenda when relaying the story relevant to tribe or leaders concerned. Much of that approach was about how to secure land and resources for further exploitation. So, genuine people who cared for their kin were portrayed as the devil. Military defeat was blamed on poor hardware or lack of resources. It was difficult for the European to accept that the native Zulu warrior were better prepared, better fighters, and often had better leaders. Warriors who adapt to the terrain, and could plan with expertise. There are examples of European and Boer cavalry being drawn onto land that was unsuitable for the horses but enabled the Zulu to rush forward on foot with great success. Engagements, where the Zulu picked the terrain to channel superior resources into small openings and the effective use of guerrilla warfare. Unfortunately the Zulu cause was doomed from the outset, as England in particular had superior weapons, and significant human resources to reinforce their army. Once a decision was made to exploit the land and the people, there was little that could be done to stop the rot. Albeit there were some stunning successes by the Zulu army, although their most significant victory at Islawanda was also their greatest defeat, in that the army was badly mauled and the leader was criticised for not paying full attention to the ritual. The English success at Rocke's Drift was more about secondary commanders ignoring the instructions issued by their leader, and like Islawanda, warriors being to keen to engage without careful preparation. Given the last major encounter where the English fought off the Zulu in open ground while formed in a square, the barricades at Rorke's Drift sought of add to the inevitability of that outcome. Mind you, the significant number of 11 VC's were awarded at that minor engagement in 1879 (and military heroics is another interest of mine). If you think that heroics were restricted to the English as commented upon by their military historians then you are very much mistaken. Valour during battle was equally displayed by the Zulu, often with the award of livestock and land. Although unlike the Europeans, a lack of valour by the warrior could and often did result in execution. And although this is a downside of Zulu military history, the social aspect of a post campaign analysis and punishment did maintain a sense of order and power. The Zulu leadership held the Power Monopoly amongst their people and warriors who did not perform sufficiently (or were accused of a lack of valour even when they fought well) were dispatched. That aspect of the intricacies of tribal relationships is still prevalent throughout the World today. Not 'tribal' as in Africa, but within any group of people that are formed for whatever reason. Those who are liked are often safe, and those that fall foul of the monopoly holders live in fear of punishment.

Family

It is always important to provide a good welcome to friends and family. And I suppose that link provides an excellent opportunity to upload a current picture of one of my three lovely daughters. Someone who always looks after me when I visit her place and we get out and about in the City. And I enjoy providing a good welcome whenever she visits us on the coast. Hospitality is important, but sometimes you don't get what you bargained for and I will explore that point in my next post about Zulu leaders. Sound Commanders, whose military ability was as good as the best, that Europe had to offer.

Warmer

The warm weather reminds me of Africa. It has been a lovely weekend, mainly because the forecast rain held off. This meant another few days of shorts and sandals, chatting to friends in town and the odd meal out. Even the 112 lengths of the swimming pool across Saturday and today was a relaxing joy. The cool water with the warm air outside, brought a total of 218 lengths completed this week along with 2 hours and 29 minutes of walking. I even managed to cut the grass and do some model making and airbrushing in the garage. And tonight I started painting again after a long lay off. A Katherine Jenkins Music DVD, my acrylics and steady progress towards completing a 'Heroes' painting that I promised one of my daughters some time back. Although, it is hard going indoors and a storm must be brewing. But however 'close' it gets, or however high the temperature sores, the 31 degrees of the other week pales into insignificance compared to the heat in Ghana. The very heat that the 44th President of the United States of America has just enjoyed. I wonder if President Atta-Mills made Barack Obama as welcome as Jeffers and Tamara made me?

During his visit to Ghana, Barack Obama told the Ghanaian Parliament that "Africa must take charge of its own destiny in the World" and that good governance was vital for development. I believe in fate, and only this week I was searching what was meant by good governance. It can mean many things to many people, but one thing that is certain, is that it includes maintaining democracy and the upholding of the democratic process, be it at local or national level. Governance also applies to organisations and public bodies and the need for them to function albeit with support, in a transparent and equitable manner that is open to scrutiny and challenge by the communities that the group, politicians, authority serve and in true democratic style are answerable to. The First Lady visited Slave Castle, a pilgrimage that I had intended to make during my visit, but unfortunately circumstances took over, and the intended trip along the coast was put off. For me, that would have been the highlight of my African odyssey. Alas it was not to be, but maybe that will be the reason why I return to Africa at some point in the future.

Democracy

And of course following on from my last post; achievement is a great thing. The election of Opposition leader John Atta Mills as President, was a great achievement and a new beginning for Ghana. The fact that the election was in the main without incident (given the circumstances surrounding the voting), is a credit to Ghanaian's. The success of Ghanaian democracy is an example to all on the Continent of Africa. But who would have thought that America's 44th and first Black President Barack Hussein Obama, would pick Ghana as his first port of call for an inaugural African visit? For Ghanaian's and Africans everywhere, this must be regarded as a historic moment within a historic year, and further strengthening of the values of democracy in Ghana.

Social networking

The 35 minute walk is not too long. It's just right for a healthy lifestyle and to fit neatly into the lunch break. The hill work raises the heart rate, but the total distance is probably not that far. However, distance is always relative. And whatever the walking distance, the length of road journeys and the duration of a flight - what never ceases to amaze me is the way in which Social Networking sites and mobiles phone connections really do shrink our World. I just received a tagged photograph on Facebook of Jeffery A. Adjei, AKA Jeffers. It is really nice to see Jeffery and Tamara looking so happy and enjoying time with friends. It was also nice to receive a text message from Jeffery in Ghana the other day at just gone Midnight. Albeit the circumstances of the text message was not so good as he was enquiring about the Michael Jackson news. What was good, was the ability to instantly interact across Continents, and all in all it really is quite inexpensive for what you are actually achieving.

Hills

316 lengths is good, but of course it's not the be all and end all of the physical activity regime. Today I managed that walk during my lunch break. Out of my current office and up a hill, down another hill, up a third and much steeper hill and then back down the original hill and into the office. 35 minutes in all and that really got the heart and lungs pounding. I cannot remember seeing that many hills in Ghana. They were there as I remember the trek by taxi through the pot hole ridden roads to and from Mrs. G's in the severe rain and flooding, but whenever I was walking it was always on the flat.

316 Not Out

Well the weekly target tumbled this morning. Another 50 lengths and the 300 barrier was broken with a weekly total of 316 lengths of the University swimming pool completed. Not bad considering that my weekly target is now 200 lengths in total and a few hours walking. Each of the 5 sessions at the end of the week consisted of 50 lengths or more and the early morning swimming on the way to Carmarthen at the start of the week each brought in over 30 lengths. Tomorrow it's a hill walk during my lunch break in work. That will get the heart and lungs working, and is a nice way to break up what after all are very long days with the 3 hour commute.

Targets Tumble

Bula matari or not, one myth that has been broken is the number of lengths that I am capable of swimming in a single day. The previous high was 80 lengths, 40 in the morning and 40 in a second session later the same day after a significant break. That value was replaced with the current high of 84 lengths in one morning session last Saturday. But even that target tumbled when I managed 60 lengths yesterday morning with a 0730 start before work and another 52 in the evening starting at 1730. For me, an astonishing single day total of 112 lengths. To cap it all, although it was the weekend, I got up early today and arrived at the pool for 0900 and another 54 lengths. My single session target has fallen, my daily total has fallen and with 266 lengths completed so far this week it looks like my weekly maximum number of lengths will also tumble. Bula matari folks, we can all do it if we are motivated enough.

Bula matari

The African words "Bula matari" translate to English as; "Breaker of myths or rocks" and comes from the African language Swahili. This is spoken in Eastern Africa in regions or countries such as; Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda etc. Michael from Ghana has used this phrase many times when referring to me. Which of course can only be regarded as a great kindness considering the value he places on the phrase and its use.

"Bula matari" is in fact a Kenya wise saying or phrase. Very wise indeed, especially when accompanied by Ghanaian Michael Appiah's favourite phrase "keep Hope Alive". Well as a "Bula matari", hope must always be kept alive. So it will come as no surprise to note that I managed the 70 lengths that were required on Sunday. In fact I surpassed that figure and managed a total of 72 before I popped out of the pool in order to make contact with a friend that I had heard has had a bad week. Hope and myth breaking must always including caring for others. But I had to complete the target before I could calmly make contact. You too can become a "Bula matari", it just means pushing yourself a bit more, maintaining a sense of purpose and direction and thinking of the bigger picture.

The 70 Minute Mile

I managed to break all boundaries on Saturday and for the first time swam a mile. The pressure was on as I had only managed 46 lengths due to the conference in Lampeter and although 46 is good for a single session, it fell far short of my 200 lengths per week target. When I arrived at the pool on Saturday, I mentioned to the attendant that even if I was to swim 75 lengths that day and again on Sunday; I would still fail to reach my target. A quite daunting prospect and maybe what drove me on to dig even deeper from my personal reserves. Two 75's were not enough and 46 is quite difficult. The most that I have ever swam in a day was 80 lengths. 40 early in the morning and 40 some ten hours later. I didn't have twelve hours this time to complete the lengths and have the breathing space. It was Saturday and the pool opens later and closes earlier. Important decisions that require action also require people. Someone who understands the importance of the situation and is willing to push themselves. I pushed hard, very hard indeed. The first 40 were tough, the 46th was tougher. Then they fell, 50, 60 and on past my single swimming record of 66 lengths in a 25 yard pool. I stopped for the first time at 70 lengths completed, and had a well earned 60 second rest. Then I pushed off again; 75 lengths and then 80 and then a final push to 84 lengths. Very pleasing indeed, and I only needed to swim 70 the next day to meet my 200 lengths weekly target. But lets put that into context. 70 will be my second highest ever number of lengths. I was exhausted from walking some 4.5 hours during the week and swimming 130 lengths. I was tired from the Conference and warn out after the single session that hit 84 lengths. But you can't break myths and stones by sitting quietly to one side can you?

Exercising the mind

I managed 3 hours and 25 minutes walking and 46 lengths of the swimming pool so far this week, but that exercise pales into insignificance compared to the exercising of the mind that I completed at a PSMW conference from Monday to Friday in Lampeter in the County of Ceredigion. For me, the Conference was a stunning success. Not only did it afford me an opportunity to broaden my understanding and horizons, it also lit a burning desire to make a significant difference. The next phase is to determine how, and to see if I can become the 'Breaker of Myths', a term that Michael has assigned to me since 2007 when he told me and has often reiterated that I am destined for great things. That would be nice, as we are all placed on this Earth for a purpose, and I can think of no other wonderful thing than to contribute to the greater good. My passion is improving the wider safety and social agenda. I am not constrained by trying to achieve that in Wales or the UK and would be as happy to invest time and energies wherever change for the better was needed or useful.

During the week I heard many World Class speakers. This conference success is down to the hard work of those that work for Public Sector Management Wales as it is for the speakers themselves. It was lovely to be part of such a stunningly successful week of learning and growth. I engaged with a range of subjects that included; diversity, cultures, communication, economics, solution focus, and so on and so forth. All of the speakers, workshops and special events were delivered within the context of Leadership in Turbulent Times. And delivered with passion. The PSMW Summer School Webpage is worth a visit; http://wales.gov.uk/psmwsubsite/psmw/ss09/?lang=en

The Human Rights speaker from India spoke with Passion, as did others. It was a privilege to be part of the event and to look forward to next year. One speaker in particular hit home for me. Both in terms of the complexity and relevance of the topic and because of the passionate way in which it was delivered. I drew comparisons with Norbert Elias, and for those that have read this Blog, this will not come as a surprise. As a disciple of Elias, I often see links that may not always be there. But this is trivia as what matters is the speaker. Nick spoke passionately at the PSMW Leadership Conference in Lampeter and both enthralled and engaged his audience. I enjoyed a short chat with Nick during the evening about Elias and Insiders. Well that was what I was talking about as I exercised my mind but of course Nick's work is complex and his understanding goes far beyond mine. What struck me the most was the passion and conviction that he brought to the Conference, and how that passion rubbed off on me. In particular I intend to embrace Nick’s proposal that I need more fun.

I also hope to cross paths with Nick in the future as well as looking forward to reading his Blog; http://www.life2point0.com/2005/12/whats_here.html

And of course, writing in this Blog about Nick. Diolch yn fawr iawn Nick a gwela i chi yn fuan dwi’n gobiethio (thank you very much Nick, and I hope to see you again soon), Roger

Links

Well as you can see so far, each Blog entry has to have a link. Today's link is Balls, not any old balls mind you, but meatballs. I'm away in Marlow in Buckinghamshire and just had beef and pork meatballs in a nice Italian Restaurant on the main road. The beer was a bit steep at £5.95 for a bottle, but quite nice thank you very much. This is the place of £1M+ houses. If you have a house worth that much, then you can afford £6 for a beer. A far cry from Africa but very nice nevertheless. The African ball was played with quite a lot at the party yesterday. You know the one, the one that has a mind of its own and doesn't necessarily roll in a straight line. That's nothing to do with whether or not you put spin on the ball. It's an inherent quality from its original slightly ball like shape when I bought it from the street vendor in Haatso. It was never round to start with, although it's great fun to play with as one of the toddlers realised at the party. But link or not, time is moving fast and the Grandson was one year old yesterday. That year has flown by and there has been little time for Blogging. Well it's all relative isn't it? The faster he moves the slower things become for me. The slower movement of others speeds up our own movement or the sense of movement. And I suppose in many ways my renewed interest in physical activity has also sped up time. Over 2,000 lengths in the University Pool have been completed in the last three months. Along with over 30 hours of walking and many good books. Well you have to exercise your mind, don't you?

Balls and more balls

The Grandson has lots of Balls. The African one, a fish face one that worried him at first, and some Disney styles. He is going to like footy but he doesn't know it yet! The next ball and the football net have already been bought. The thing is, time moves on so quickly and with a new lease of life for yours truly; there has been little or no time for Blogging. African memories are great, African friends are better still, but family must always come first.

Daylight hours

Football is big in Africa. While in Ghana I came across many groups kicking a ball about up until the daylight failed. I even came across a street seller walking along the main highway through Haatso, carrying a large net containing an array of footballs. Needless to say, I bought one and brought it home for my Grandson. All the way from Africa, an odd shaped ball; not quite round. But very colourful and I suspect when it is played with, it is good fun. The bonus being that we have electricity and street lights and playing is not restricted to daylight hours outside of Accra. Mind you in some parts of Wales, the County Councils are starting to turn off the street lights in order to save money. So maybe we are not that different from Africa after all?

Still Running

Maybe to the surprise of some readers; the jog and walk has been maintained. I went out for around 24 minutes each day for three days and then put in a good walk on the fourth day and again on the seventh day with 40 lengths in the swimming pool following the two rest days. The swimming was at four sets of ten lengths with a breather in-between each set.

Today’s walk was good fun, but the driving rain was hard work as was the cold wind. I am nicely settled down with a good beer at the moment and enjoyed the last hour playing with my Grandson. All in all no complaints, other than to ask; ‘where is Match of the Day?’ I do love the footy, but not the International matches. I don’t know why but they seem to lack something. The Premier League or to be more specific, Match of the Day is a bit ritualistic for me. The familiar music, the chance to check the news between games, my lack of interest in the post match analysis. It’s all good stuff.

Although to be quite honest I often fall asleep after the first two or three games. But not tonight as it’s International night. This is good news for the blog, as I was able to write this entry.

Run Roger Run

Well it’s great to be back after a gap of 8 years; running that is. Well, more like a jog and a walk. But 22 minutes nevertheless, and to make matters better, this included the enjoyable company of my eldest Jodi. I bought my new running shoes in Cardiff the other day. I bought them from a lovely lady in a running shop opposite the Railway Station called Run and Become. The shop is in Wood Street, Cardiff and the lady made me try on a test pair and run up and down along the pavement outside of her shop with my trouser legs rolled up while she judged my running style and what I needed in a good quality pair of road shoes. Well she got the prescription spot on as the shoes fit a treat! A high and deserved recommendation from me to all you runners out there.

So the fitness is slowly coming back. Although I have been poorly for the last two weeks I have managed a walk each day. This includes walking to town as part of my lunch break in work and a walk along the promenade after the long journey home. So the jogging walking addition should make a great difference.

The difference should be exponential when we factor in the renewed Gym membership in order to go swimming, and my intention to get my Road Bike out of mothballs. A new me, and it’s not even a mid life crisis. I think it’s all about my Grandson and the need for me to keep up. The running is great and thankfully it is in the cool of Ceredigion and not the heat of Africa.

Grandson

My eldest has been kind enough to upload a few more pictures of our Grandson who still enjoys watching the n-gauge model railway. Maybe I should upload a few model railway pictures as well! There is no getting away from it; a larger layout has to be built in the garage. And as readers of the Blog and friends will know; I have been trying to clear out the garage for a while and for that purpose.

Unfortunately though, the garage clear-out has been on hold as I have been poorly for just over a week. I intend to pop back to the Doctors on Monday and then hopefully refocus for next week and the following weekend. There is so much that I want to do, and being unwell places all of that on hold. Mind you I have managed to get quite a bit of fresh air as I have had difficulty sitting for long periods due to the pain. There is nothing worse than pain, so the fresh air was a nice bonus as the weather in the UK is very pleasant at the moment. I even managed to do a lot of office work, but that had to be done on my terms and at various times into the late evening. Life is a balance, and I supposed that scheduling is as well. So the garage clear out isn’t done, but the photograph’s of our Grandson have been uploaded. So it’s not all that bad, is it?

“7 out of 10 Coffee lovers prefer Costa”

Well, I’m not surprised. They do make a superior brew, and staff in the Aberystwyth Costa coffee shop are always friendly. I think that the Mecca had the edge, but unfortunately that closed down. The coffee and the owner in the Mecca were really nice.

I tried my hand at the Orangery for a long time and even took Princess Patricia along to indulge in their drinks and ice cream, while she was visiting Michael. It was a favourite of my African friend Michael and me. Anyway, things for me tapered off with the old Orangery and I tried my hand with Costa just as the old Orangery closed down. I deliberately differentiate between the old Orangery and the new one with the same name. I like Costa like I used to like Starbucks. The coffee is reliable and the people are friendly. I went to my first Costa in Egham, when my eldest was an undergraduate at Royal Holloway University College of London. The coffee was consistently good there as well. Consistency is sometimes important, but we must be mindful that sometimes it can mean consistently bad or to a consistently mediocre standard. But in Costa Aberystwyth the coffee is consistently good and staff are consistently friendly. Well done to the Manager, I say. Bravo, bravo.

Now the coffee in Africa was OK as well. Nescafe coffee granules contained in a small tin with a resealed lid. Very expensive compared to wages, but it’s worth spending out for a good cup of coffee. I remember liquid Camp Coffee when I was younger, and have had some terrible cups of coffee throughout my life. Bitter, burnt, cold, and tasteless: these are some of the terms that come to mind. Not that any of these terms apply to Camp Coffee if it’s still going. It’s just that for a quick brew Nescafe stands head and shoulders above the rest. Now as you can see, I like Nescafe a lot, but not as much as Costa.

The Big Clear Out

The last few weeks have been taken up by clearing out my garage and with it a lot of my past life. Enough paper to fill several sacks have been shredded, and twelve rubbish bags removed along with a lot of card. Gosh I feel good. It's important to have a good clear out now and again. Mind you, I could have picked the Summer rather than the worst Winter in the UK for the last twenty years to work outside.

Only yesterday I had to drive through snow across country to attend an important meeting in England. The weather was so bad that I had to slow right down on the Motorway, and many roads appeared to be un-gritted. Then again there has been a shortage of road salt in the UK and everything costs money and there is a credit crunch going on.

Mind you, financial crisis or not, I was able to afford to buy a huge array of 90litre clear plastic boxes complete with lids for my garage clear out. Now things are to hand and those that know me, know that I like to be organised. No more wondering where the bubble wrap is when I complete that all important scenery model. No more searching for the used envelopes to send the model and no more squeezing along through what was a narrow opening running the whole length of the garage. For the new Roger Bennett; there is space and time. And we all know what we get with space and time. For me time has slowed down, because it is all relative and I no longer have to spend time moving items, searching and moving items again.

Yes, the big clear out has been a success and now back to the Blogging.

Snowy Feb

The drive home from Carmarthen was very Grey last night. The snow clouds loomed and parts of Mid Wales were hit badly. Luckily the snow stayed away from Ceredigion, but I heeded the travel advice and stayed away from those treacherous roads. The good news is that I managed to clear a lot of work and emails and now feel on top of the World. The bad news is that all of the snow will soon be gone, the picturesque landscape will change and summer will be upon us. That’s good news for those looking forward to the Summer break but bad for me as I haven’t decided where we will spend our holiday this year.

Snow, snow, and more snow. Brrrrrrrrrrr

It may have been -10 when I last blogged on the 7 January 2009, but gosh it’s getting cold today. The snow hit the UK like a runaway bus; whoosh and the roads were clogged. Mind you, with chaos all around – I managed to travel from Aberystwyth to Carmarthen, onto Milford Haven, back to Swansea into Cardiff and up through Merthyr and Builth Wells and across what I affectionately know as the Khyber Pass. For those of you who live in Canada, the States or Ghana, it would be worth looking the route up on a map. Some 350 miles with various roads closed at various times. But not closed for me when I ploughed my way through for work. Strange isn’t it, I wonder how many people stayed at home and claimed that they were snowed in when I travelled the length and breadth of West and South Wales and across some notoriously difficult tracts of land.

The snow has taken the UK by surprise and some County Councils are now using Table Salt to grit the roads. Whereas in Canada you are probably thinking; “that’s not snow”. While in Ghana a few people are probably wondering; “what is snow?” A strange World indeed as I believe that it is now the hot season in Accra. Well it’s certainly hot when Michael gets in touch. Not so much the four seasons, but one. Well, varieties of one; hot, very hot, and blinking hot over here mate.

Take care everyone and just to let you know it’s nice to be back! I have been poorly and very tired for about six weeks and only now emerging out of hibernation. And just when I think it’s safe to venture out, bang – it snows.

-10 and a New President

It hit -10 degrees Celsius yesterday morning when I started up the car at 0715 and the temperature stayed around -7 all the way to Carmarthen. Now that's nothing new for Patricia and Michael with their new home in Canada and seasonal weather at -10 daily, but this is Wales. I have had a car with a temperature gauge for 5 years. Well two cars over five years and both with a temperature gauge. The lowest that I have ever seen the temperature hit was -5 and that was rare. To find -7 last week on my way to Carmarthen and -6 outside the house before I started off, was a first. The new -10 and -7 all the way is a new low, or is that a high?

Well it's certainly a high in Ghana; especially for the new President; John Atta Mills. A great result for Democracy and an even better result for President Mills.

I can think of no better way in which to relay the result other than to repeat the current CEEFAX listing from the United Kingdom that appears on page 115 of today's listings: "Ghana's new leader takes office. John Atta Mills has been sworn in as Ghana's new president following a cliff-hanger election victory. Mr Atta Mills, 64, took his oath of allegiance in front of thousands of people in Independence Square for the inauguration in the capital Accra. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate beat the ruling party's Nana Akufo-Addo in a hotly contested poll by a margin of less than 0.5% of votes. President John Kufuor has stood down after serving the maximum two terms."

I have visited Independence Square, albeit not with my friend Michael as he was a bit busy when I travelled over to Africa. It was a lovely quiet and sunny day. Only disturbed by an armed guard marching his prisoner to the prison bus. I bet there were a few armed guards in place for the inauguration. We must now hope that President Mills is allowed to serve his term of office unhindered and is able to instigate improvements for the welfare and future of Ghanaian's in line with Elias's cycle of continuous improvement. Congratulations Mr. President. I thought that I would throw that one in, just in case he ever reads this Blog. Well, it has two followers and who is to say that they are not the two most important new Presidents to take their place firmly on the World stage this year. I suspect that it is a great time to be American, a great time to be Ghanaian and a great time to be Black. But hey ho, things aren't that bad for this Welshman. Yes, there is a recession, but we live in a democracy with free elections and choices. Something which we share with the States and Ghana.

-7 and the Result is still not in

While the election hots up in Ghana, the weather is really cold in the United Kingdom.

The BBC World News for Africa reports that the Ghanaian Presidential Election Polls closed some five hours ago (at 1700 GMT) in the district of Tain. This is the last of Ghana's 230 constituencies to cast a vote. Tain could not vote in last week's run-off because of problems distributing the ballots. Soldiers and police were deployed across the district and the final result is not expected to be announced until tomorrow at the earliest. At the time of the BBC report the leading candidate was 23,000 votes ahead with Tain to be counted. The current president has called for calm.

You need a bit of calm, especially when driving on the UK roads at this time of year. It was -5 outside while I defrosted the car at 0700 GMT to set off on my trek to work, and the wind speed and rising sun caused the temperature to increase to -2 at one point; but it then dipped for the last hour of my journey to -7 degrees Celsius. That's the coldest I have ever seen on my car temperature gauge. So cold that I tip toed my way to work and stayed on those roads that looked as if they had been gritted with salt by the Council. With Christmas music playing, the car heater and my hat were both on throughout the journey. My mind a million miles away from the heat in Ghana. A long lingering heat, and one which is hotting up for two candidates as they come to terms with the final result, the appeals and the realisation for one of them that the dream is over.

Happy New Year to Everyone

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bawb oddi wrth fi. Pob bendith i chi am 2009.

It's too close to call

The Presidential Election - The Electoral Commission have stalled announcing the result until this Friday so that they can conduct an audit on some disputed results and permit one area to vote that is still outstanding. Apparently the position is so close that the single area votes could swing the result in favour of the current second placed candidate. I suspect that any disputed results that are altered could have a similar affect. In the UK we have heard of one party giving away ice cream and drinks to cool down the angry crowd that gathered outside the Commissions Headquarters and a story about the military firing warning shots into the air to disperse angry protesters. Given that Ghana is an example of African democracy it would be a grave pity if the country was to slip into any form of violence as a result of election difficulties. This is the fifth election since Ghana returned to democracy in 1992 and it is essential that the losing side accept defeat and that the victorious new President is humble in victory. Given Ghana's new found oil wealth, maybe this is a time to build political bridges and to find a place for the unsuccessful candidate within the new administration so that Ghanaian's can join together to shape the future strategy for the good of the people.

Yr Neges Nadolig

Nadolig Llawen i bawb oddi wrth Roger yng Nghymru - Merry Christmas to everyone from Roger in Wales

Statistics

Election and Statistics go together very well indeed. I have mentioned a few Stats about the Blog and earlier today my friend and IT Guru sent me the following message: "...Just read your latest blog entries, and I thought I'd let you know how
I read them, in case others are doing something similar. I use Google Reader (http://www.google.co.uk/reader) to subscribe to all the blogs that I follow. Further, I do almost all of my web browsing through the Firefox web browser
(http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/) with add-ons that prevent javascript running, block adverts, and take various other measures to increase my online security and privacy. Many other people take similar measures. So, I'm not sure how the statistics for who is reading your blog are compiled, but, it might be that the number of visitors/followers/subscribers is being underestimated because of
various intermediaries, and security and privacy measures..."

So the Blog Stats that I have provided for you so far may be an underestimate of the real situation. A bit like the Election Farce in the States the last time around (8 years back and not this years fantastic result). Miscounting, misunderstanding and confusion. Maybe we should arrange for a re-count. My friend also attached a screenshot of what this blog looks like to him in Google Reader. It is totally different and just goes to show that not everything is exactly as we think it is, and things shouldn't be accepted on face value. Now Einstein and others would sign up to that, as I suppose the losing candidate in the Ghanaian Presidential Election will as well. Especially when he reflects on the exit poll results rather than the actual election poll. And that folks is the problem with Statistics; they can be manipulated to display or lean towards what the originator truly desires. And desire will lead us nicely onto the next post when I update you with this evening's fantastic news regarding Jeffers who is suffering 30+ degree heat and the other fantastic news about Patricia and Michael who have to endure -10 at this time of year. I will Facebook them all and ask for permission to release the news in some subsequent Blog posts. Meanwhile, continue to enjoy the read and Nadolig Llawen i bawb - Merry Christmas to everyone.

And more Elections

Ghanaians face a presidential run-off as poll results showed that the ruling party's candidate came out on top in the first round; but just failed to knock his main challenger out of the contest.

According to AFP, Nana Akufo-Addo from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) won 49.13 percent of the vote, ahead of John Atta-Mills of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) with 47.92 percent. The third placed Candidate was way behind on 1.3 per cent of the vote. The winning candidate had to achieve 50 percent of the vote plus one vote in order to win the election. The next poll between the two front-runners, takes place on December 28th. According to the Electoral Commission Chief Kwado Afari Gyan; turnout in last weeks Election was a healthy 69.52 percent. A turnout of this magnitude indicates that democracy is alive and Well in Ghana. Although there was one small hiccup in that the announce results were based on 229 out of the country's 230 constituencies as Ballot Boxes in one constituency had been tampered with. 229 out of 230, 1 tampered, 1.3 per cent and we realise that numbers do matter after all. Worse still, time has to be set aside to prepare for the second round on the 28th. Given that time is relative, I suspect that this Christmas will go slow for the two contenders, but that time will move too fast for the Party faithful who try and rustle up more support for their chosen candidate. But what really matters is that neither candidate is vying for the top job at the end of the barrel of a gun. It is democracy, and a close hard fought campaign will only go to strengthen the value and credibility of the successful candidate. It would be lovely to meet the Winner and to hope that Ghana can continue to enjoy the peace that it has had for so long.

The Elections

According to the BBC the main contenders to succeed President John Kufuor are; ex-Foreign Minister Nana Akufo-Addo and the opposition's John Atta Mills. Like in the United States; President Kufuor has to step down from holding the office of President having served the maximum of two terms.

Time waits for no Man

Einstein said that Time waits for no Man. Well, if he didn't then he should have. As time certainly doesn't wait around at all. I haven't seen my friend Adam for quite a while and we met up yesterday. What was really interesting about that meeting is that Adam felt, that as a regular reader of the Blog he had in fact kept in touch. Which is quite cool as he is not one of the two listed followers, and I didn't have to spend a lot of time bringing him up to date with what is happening in my life at the moment. Well answers on a postcard there then, as not much is happening at home or in work. Even the studying has been put on the back burner for a while. Especially with Christmas looming and the demands of the 'n' gauge railway build. But the Blog readership is good news, as Adam's declaration means that the Blog now has three Followers and 3 is my lucky number. Well, it ain't quite as lucky as the number 4 but then again that is another story. I suppose Luck, like Time plays an important part of everyone's life. And if it's not time, then it certainly is timing. You only have to look at President elect Barack O to work that one out. But while the United States Elections drew everyone's attention across the World, back in Africa another election was about to take place. The Billboards in Accra displayed lots of pictures of the potential candidates in what would appear on face value to an outsider, to be a system of personality politics. But my conversations with others showed that this was not the case and the election was about who would be best for the Country and why? The Ghanaians embraced their election long before Barack made voting popular. The number of voters was even reported in the UK on the Ceefax and Teletext systems. Lots of text there then; but I wonder what the winners lucky number is? And if that number and the timing of their candidacy had anything to do with the outcome?

Non Linear Activity, Einstein and all of that

It's only when you jump in the car that you realise how BIG our tiny Country actually is! I attended a meeting in the deepest England today and the journey out of Wales took 6.5 hours yesterday and the more direct route return journey took 5.5 hours today! If indeed there is something as the direct Linear route across Wales. Bends, hills, narrow lanes, more bends and even one that went back on itself. That one took two attempts to negotiate given the size of my car. Don't get me wrong, I don't like to brag, but it is a big car. You drop your speed and you save fuel. You increase your speed but you don't necessarily go any faster. I suppose that is the nature of a long journey. And for me it has been two very long journeys over two extremely short days. Einstein told us about time, and the speed of light. Well my car ain't that fast, but one of my daughters does call me 'The Rocket Man'. Long journeys get you to think; and I can now explain Einstein's Theory of Relativity. For some of my friends that won't come as too much of a surprise, but for me given the long journey that I had with Hawkings 'Universe in a Nutshell' it comes across as a triumph. Although I suspect that this particular bit of knowledge won't help me with my forthcoming interview. But it does at least put it all into context. We are all insignificant, it's just that some of us think that we are important when we are not. And one of the trappings of self belief and importance is the car. But however big and powerful it is; it can't make the bendy roads of Wales - Linear. Only Einstein can do that!

Warming Up

The sun is out today, but not as much as in Accra. My friend Michael sent me the following message "Most often it is 28 degrees celsius. Just last week we had 30 degrees. It's hot here mate; it the season of the hot sun and it's getting hot as early as 8am..."

Bbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Gosh it's freezing in the U.K. ! The big chill was -5 degrees this morning when I had to defrost my car in order to travel to work. I managed to get the windscreen so that I could safely see and drive, but the bodywork took almost all of the 55 mile journey to defrost. It was -4 on the campus, but one area I drove through was up to 0 degree and that allowed the car to thaw. The chill continued in work and I spent most of the day in a t-shirt, shirt and jacket. Thankfully my bro had sent me a windproof, waterproof, breathable technical fleece as a gift over the weekend. That was really nice of him and a great addition for me to keep warm this Winter. I can only imagine how warm it must be in Accra at the moment. Patricia and Michael will live in Canada, but I don't know where exactly or how warm/cold it is at this time of year. Although, it will not be as warm as Ghana, it probably is warmer than Wales, but then again maybe not. I will have to send a Facebook message to find out the weather in Ghana and Canada. Meanwhile, I shall continue to huddle over the heater and sit here blogging and watching TV. Mind you, chill or no chill I have to get on with building the 'n' gauge railway. Thankfully it is in-doors and does not involve serious labour or the cold weather.

Rydwy'n wedi blino nawr

Well it's been a tiring week so far and I am already looking forward to the weekend. I was in work on Monday and attended a Conference in Cardiff Tuesday. Travelled to work and back again on Wednesday with a series of meetings and Welsh all day today in Llanelli. Another 4 hours on the road today, but it was worth it to practice the language and chat to friends. The problem for me when I study; is that I get hungry for more. So Welsh language here I come, but at the moment I am a bit worn out. I have exchanged messages with my African friends and received some wonderful news, so although I am tired - it has been a great week yet again! Hwyl, a rydw'n gobietho i weld chi yn fuan (Cheerio, and I hope to see you soon)

Readership Stateside

A big Welsh 'Croeso' and African 'Akwaaba' welcome to those readers from Illinois, Washington, North Carolina, Massachusetts, who have looked at this Blog.

London calling

Email can be a bind. Especially in a workplace where colleagues can offload tasks with a click of the mouse. There are email exchanges, where you are cc'd for no apparent reason. Sometimes there is a reason; the originator simply decided to use a random 'select all' and send approach.

Lots of time, spent opening and reading large volumes of email. Copious amounts of information but quite often for no valid reason. Everything has its place, and I recognise the value of Information Communication Technology, but the sheer volume of the email traffic can drag you down. Poor emailing clogs up an organisation and can deflect people from their real task. However, email amongst friends, especially those living in another Continent is a joy. I often email Michael, sometimes Patricia, sometimes Jose, Francis and Dominic. A new kid on the block is Reuben. The mobile phone has switched to email. A lot less costly, so thank you Reuben. Slowly but surely the round of emails is becoming like the World Service. "This is London calling, and the news is..." Now Accra, Hong Kong, Saint Brieuc, and the others have to respond. And the best part is; it's nearly always in English.

My Followers

I must take the opportunity to say hi to my two followers: (1) Cymraes, and (2) PapJeff. It's really nice to know that someone is returning to read the Blog updates and that you have been following the Blog for a while. i Cymraes, rydwy'n gobiethio eich bod chi'n mwynhau y darllen. For those that do not read/write/speak our native language this short message was about enjoying the read. And to PapJeff, akwaaba, na wo ho te sen? which should mean, welcome and how are you. If it doesn't, then please Facebook me ASAP so I can change the message!

Activity

It is interesting to note that the Blog site activity has not diminished even though my time is taken up travelling to and from Carmarthen and it is difficult to find time to write up the Blog. Birmingham and London head the City list with Newport propping up the bottom of the League Table. That's Newport Gwent, so nothing new there then. The only professional football game I have ever watched was between Newport and a long ago forgotten opposition. I can't remember the score, but I do remember that there was a lot of kicking the ball high into the air for everyone to chase after. The players that is, and not us in the Stands. Intersting in that the 'Stands' became the 'Chairs' but never became known as the Chairs. A strange thing language. Many, many years after the Newport game, I became a football referee and even made promotion from a Class 'C' to that of Class 'B'. Verbal abuse, caused me to give up being a referee. A sensible decision in that verbal abuse eventually escalates into physical abuse and I am not a violent man. Indeed, the Ghanaian's that I met in Accra are more akin to my kind of people. Gentle, friendly and quiet. I wonder if their footy team is any good? But with all the activity of the daily grind in Accra Central and the sprawling market with their traders frantically going about their business, I suspect there is no time for football. It must all be about making a living and providing for your family. So, good values there then!

Hello, hello?

Unlike the lovely weather that my friends are experiencing back in Ghana, it has been a long cold and dark week here in the UK. I have been worn out by the darkness and the travelling and have been determined to relax and enjoy some quality time. Model making and listening to good music are key to my relaxation techniques. Music and model making from waste materials is equalled by spending some time in the Orangery; with a nice coffee and a good book. Unfortunately the credit crunch has hit this part of Wales and along with a host of other businesses the Orangery is no more. So the darkness descended even more and the model making increased. So did the volume on my current favourite album. The ‘n’ gauge railway set at high chair height for my Grandson is coming along nicely. Blogging was not. I’ve also spent some time Ebaying. Selling my handmade handpainted models and buying new items for the railway. An extremely time consuming pastime when you are searching hard for a bargain. Although, as my wife points out; it’s only a bargain if you need it. Well I did need those 5 oil tankers for the fuel train didn’t I? So there I was Ebaying, when I thought that I would check out Facebook. And low and behold, there are two messages from two of my friends in Ghana. One message from Michael, writing to celebrate the success of the President-Elect, and the other from Patricia suggesting how we can get the present to Jeffers without paying £150 or there about. Nothing coincidental there then as they are after all; Husband and Wife. The real coincidence was while I am reading and responding to the messages, another friend called me on my mobile from Africa. Now it was really nice to hear from Rubens, but I wonder if he realises how much the call costs? I suspect the charge is levied this end as well, and for Rubens it must have cost a small fortune to place the call.

So cold and darkness brushed aside and the warmth of true friends in Africa comes to the fore yet again. Lovely people the Ghanaian’s, but don’t just take my word for it – pop on a plane and find out for yourself.

The Followers and Food

Well its been a great day out today. I went to town with my Grandson and his Mum and met up with some colleagues from work who are more like friends than workplace acquaintances. We all had a lovely lunch in Aberystwyth's Number 1 spot - Ultracomida. No scenic view like the hut on the beach in Accra, but a lovely place nevertheless. We all had a great nosh up and I must say darling "I was absolutely stoofed." Great food, great room and great people. Not just the family and friends, but the owners as well. I popped on line tonight to update the Blog and noticed that I now have two followers. So it's two followers, seven countries, three Continents and almost with Christmas looming - a partridge in a pear tree. Well there was no tree, but Sez indulged in Pear poached in red wine, whereas I went for the Spanish tart. Well those who know me won't be surprised as that, I always have had a sweet tooth. Writing about teeth reminds me to mention that the Grandson is cutting his at the moment. Ah bless him I hear you say, ah bless him indeed. So followers, thanks for tagging along and don't forget to let me know if there is anything that you would like me to add.

The Book Shop

I mentioned in the last Post that I tend to read several books at a time. My current active book stash consists of: Britain's Last Tommies (Richard Van Emden), The Partisans - Secret Armies of World War II (David Mountfield), For Valour - Victoria Cross and Medal of Honor Battles (Bryan Perrett) [which I finished yesterday], and The Sociology of Norbert Elias (Steven Loyal and Stephen Quilley). There are another 10 books waiting to be read at home and about 6 in work. I managed to restrict myself to one book while I was in Africa, but I suspect that if I had stayed longer then I would have dived into a lot more. In particular because of the mosquito's at night and the earlier sunset. Elias probably found Ghana a joy. Friendly intelligent people to pass the day with, and nighttime solace to catch up on the reading and writing. The only disturbance being the singing frogs and birds, or if you are fortunate enough to live near a gaming reserve then the occasional roar of a lion. Back in the UK, the silence of my nighttime is only broken by our Grandson or the occasional car passing by the house. Quiet really, and that is probably why I liked staying at my mates house in Bristol. There were no quiet nights in the City. The sound of sirens and vehicles continued throughout the night, and were only broken by the occasional bit of snoring.

A Grand Day Out

The Weather has turned for the best again and it just happened to coincide with a Bank Holiday that I had booked to take the day off work. Wonderful, exactly what the Doctor had ordered as we say in the UK. I managed to wash the car before packing my daughters off on an epic journey to see the Ballet some 120 miles away. A few cups of tea and coffee and Mrs. B and I set off for town with our Grandson. A lovely walk along the seafront and the fresh air meant that we had to indulge in a really nice breakfast. They called it the Monster Breakfast and I must admit that it was too big for me. Something which unfortunately I cannot say too often. Breakfast or should I say late Brunch, was followed by some shopping and chatting to some friends. Which was particularly nice as we got to see their Wedding Photographs. And of course, the chance for me to reminisce about my time in Accra at Michael and Patricia's lovely Wedding. Nanny Poop Poops took the baby home, but only after dropping me off to see another friend. It was great to have a chat, and then a nice walk up to town in the lovely sunshine. Thankfully along a pretty good pavement, unlike the dirt track and tarmac roads of Haatso back in Ghana. My favourite haunt the Orangery beckoned and yet another chat with a friend but this time I also managed to read two chapters of one of my current books. I tend to read at least two books at a time, usually three across a variety of subjects. This one was on Victoria Cross and Medal of Honour Battlefields and the two chapters were the very last two of the book. It has been a Grand Day Out and now I am back in the house enjoying my new album and a nice cup of tea.

The Netherlands

The weather has turned cold in the UK and it is dark when I set out on my 3 hour round trip daily commute in the morning and dark when I return home in the evening. But my day has warmed up when I noticed on Google Analytics that Sint Annaland in the Netherlands is a new city and country to add to the blogging list. Better still, I have been able to track down my good friend Jose in Hong Kong and congratulate him on his success. I have emailed Francis and Dominic as well but haven't picked up a reply yet. Such is life, my home computer had crashed and it took a while to extract their email addresses from my system. I have been using Webmail in the interim and the address book was empty. Maybe this is why I have such a fascination with pens. As pens are in the main, reliable. Unless of course it is a leaky gift to your Professor! Which Blog readers will know all about from a previous post. Even with the cold dark weather, there is always a bright side. Mine is my forthcoming Annual Leave and the intention to build a working 'n' gauge railway layout for our Grandson. Choo choo Bloggers...

Phew it's warm!

The African summer continues in Ceredigion. Today was so hot that I managed to get myself sun burnt. Lots of E45 cream has been applied this evening and I have an aching thirst for a few beers. I managed a beer while I was walking along the sea front this afternoon. Well not exactly while I was walking; as that is illegal because Aberystwyth seafront is an alcohol free zone. No that doesn't mean that someone hands out free beer as you saunter along, it simply means don't drink in public or you are nicked! With probably a £80 on the spot fine to boot. But I did pop into the Olive Branch for a nice sausage sandwich and a bottle of Greek lager. Very nice indeed, "the same again please Sir", hic.

Posting Costs

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m learning to spend money but you could have knocked me over with a feather duster earlier today. I popped to the Post Office just before they close at 5.30 and yes I really do appreciate the accommodating and long opening hours. But £77.59 Sterling for one average sized parcel and £64.79 for the other? You can’t be serious… The Post Mistress was, and I wasn’t. There was no way that I could justify spending 280 Cedis on posting Jeffers present. Worse was to come. The lady explained that I could send the items at just under 2kg for £2.80 now that did seem like a good deal. I know that I can split what I was sending into even smaller parcels so Plan ‘B’ was taking affect. £2.80 to post to Ghana, “not bad at all” I was thinking as I got back into the car. “Sorry Rog, I missed a decimal point. I typed in 1.95 instead of 1.950 and the cost for just under 2kg is £20”. So Plan ‘B’ had failed and I was quickly moving to Plan ‘C’. No problem there then, as I have just completed a Social and Economic Masters degree in Strategic Studies and I understand that no plan survives engagement with the enemy. The problem is, Jeffers ain’t the enemy; he’s my African friend.

Cardi

In the post about the sellers in the middle of the road in Accra, I mentioned that I wished I had not become a ‘Cardi’. The term Cardi comes from the word Cardiganshire which is an old County boundary name for part of the area of land adjacent to Cardiganshire Bay of which Cardigan is one of the towns. The term Cardi apparently refers to a person who is tight with their money. It is not said in a derogatory way, but when it is said – everyone knows what is meant.

The association with a lack of money, or a determination to hang onto whatever the person has in their pocket or the bank probably emanates from the timeline immediately after 1815. Ceredigion; which covers the former Cardiganshire – was and is an agricultural area. Nowadays there is also a heavy reliance on tourism and academics to generate wealth for the community. The latter appears in the form of the mass of students that study in both Aberystwyth and Lampeter Universities. Prior to 1815 livestock farming produced essential ingredients for Napoleonic warfare. Wool for the military uniforms that were needed to keep the soldiers warm as they tramped across Europe. As well as fine horses for the gentry who formed the Cavalry. The need for wool and horses had never been higher than during the period of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of demand, land prices in Cardiganshire were exceptionally high. Those with good quality land could meet supply and demand through the provision of quality grazing. The significant amount of land also meant the successful breeding of good horses, and on this point demand had never been higher. Cavalry men required several and not one horse each, and a gun limber (depending on the type and size of the canon) would require ten or more horses.

The defeat of Napoleon by the allies, led to a significant reduction in military strength across Europe. This meant that supply simply outstripped demand. This led to an economic downturn and a corresponding significant fall in the value of land. A little like our current recession, money becomes tight as property/land prices diminish. Those who lived in the area or held a close economic association had to keep their money in order to survive for the foreseeable future. Reduced or no income, meant little or no spending and hence the coining of the phrase ‘Cardi’. But back in Wales, I really wish that I had bought more of those lovely ties that were being sold by the street seller back in Accra for less than £1.50 each.

The Closet

I have a bit of a Pen fetish. I just had to come out of the closet and tell you all. To be quite honest there is a colour ink for every fountain pen and a pen for every day. I own a Montblanc 149 Piston Fill Fountain Pen and 149 Desk Stand coming in at around £600 as well as a Montblanc Monte Rosa, a Concorde VIP Fountain Pen, a variety of rubber sack and other filling system pens. I even have a Sonnecken and on more than one occasion; I have gifted an expensive pen to one of my many friends to mark a special occasion. The last time was to my Professor, he had a German Piston Filler fountain pen from the 1930's to mark the occasion of my Graduation. The pen was German and from the 1930's to link in with my academic hero who those of you who have read the blog will know is Norbert Elias. The Great 20th Century German who published his main Civilizing Process work in the 1930's. That pen was wrapped up to look like a cigar, the downside being that the pen had leaked in the weeks that I had kept it in the boot of my car while waiting to catch the Prof. Hey ho, there's a lesson there. Don't fill a pen with ink and then leave it in a hot boot during the Summer. The leaking ink probably diminished the present a tad at the point of giving, but the pen soon cleaned up. Other gifts have included an early version Monte Rosa to a colleague and a Green Sheaffer pen and case to Michael when he was leaving Aberystwyth. I chose that coloured pen for Michael as I thought that the colour was a typical African colour and what I would expect a future President of Ghana to use when he is signing something on the World stage. I am now in the market for a Pelikan Pen, probably an M1000 if I can afford it and an M800 if not. My preferred choice is a Green pen, but I would cope with the Blue or the Red. You have to mention these things on-line just in case Father Christmas is having a bit of a nose at the Blog. At circa £300 new and maybe more for a Vintage one; I was foolish enough to think that I was going to pick up the Pelikan or a Montblanc 146 while I was in Ghana. Not a chance, Africa really wasn't like anything that I had prepared myself for. And for that reason the trip was probably far better than I could have ever imagined as well.

But back to the pens; I would like an earlier Montblanc 149 Piston Filler with Brass fittings and two silver bands around the cap. That would come in at £1,000 plus. Unless I get lucky. The best price that I have ever seen was three of them sold in a single LOT for $1,000 in an auction last year. I spotted them after they were sold, which for me was bad news, but for the successful bidder was very good news indeed. So for now, a Pelikan M1000 will have to suffice. I have already bought the ink for my intended new fountain pen purchase; Pelikan Violet. You see, as I mentioned earlier, there really is a different coloured ink for every pen, and a pen for every day.

Google Analytics Update

I have analysed Google Analytics and there have been 46 unique visitors to the Blog with 5 readers yesterday on Friday the 3rd October 2008. Readers come from a total of 6 countries from across the World from as far afield as Canada, Hong Kong and Vietnam. As well as readers back in the United Kingdom, and Ghana and the USA. 19 Cities are represented with the people of Birmingham United Kingdom and readers from London heading the list with 46 visits each [it’s a coincidence that this is also the value of unique visitors]. I cannot determine exactly where the 46 unique visitors are from, but in all 5 Continent sub regions are represented: Northern Europe, North America, West Africa, East Asia and South-Eastern Asia. In the readership table by City, Birmingham and London are in the joint lead with Cardiff following closely behind on 23 visits. The remaining Cities are:

Redmond 12
Chicago 8
Accra 7
Manchester 5
Smethwick 5
Tsuen Wan 3
Seattle 3

Some of those on 1 visit include: Toronto, Teddington, Aberystwyth, Sudbury, Watford, The Great Lakes, Newport, and Hanoi

It’s a pity that I don’t yet have a way of interacting with the readership. Maybe that is something that I can develop in the future, especially when I can analyse the locations and other detail concerning the repeat visitors. Meanwhile; thank you for taking the time to read the Blog and sincerely I hope that some of the content is useful, amusing, interesting, or in some other way of value to you.

Le Grande Dadio

Our Grandson is wonderful, a real character. But tonight I have come to the conclusion that he wears his bibs like most people wear a pair of pants - all the time! He has a Granddad bib, one that says "I only cry when I am being held by ugly people", a bib for every colour that you can imagine, a bib that has sleeves like a jumper. Plastic bibs, cotton bibs, plastic and cotton bibs. Bibs, bibs, bibs, bibs. And now that he is moving towards solids, his food stash is bigger than mine, and that is saying something! The food supply is huge but the spoons are tiny. It's a wonderful time, and unlike many of the small chidlren in Haatso; our Grandson doesn't cry everytime he sees me. Indeed, it is quite the opposite. I am greeted with a huge smile, and a real desire to be hugged. It's great to be wanted, and it's great to be the Grande Dadio. :-)

The New Pic

The new photograph at the top of the Blog was provided by my eldest daughter using her digital SLR Camera.

I also have an SLR, it cost me £800 in the 1980's and it uses that strange stuff known as FILM. It is a Canon auto everything model and you auto focus by half pressing one of the few buttons. Well, you auto focus on a nice bright day as it doesn't do dark. Or cloudy for that matter, or vague images. Nice and Sharp images in bright colours with distinctive outlines; that's what it does. And all for the price [then] of a small car. The strange thing is, you see the image as you press the button, but you have no idea if the photograph will look the same when you get around to developing the film, several weeks or sometimes several months later. The pace of modern technology is quite astonishing, and my current mobile phone takes a better picture than my SLR. And I suspect that a modern disposable camera would be just as good. Now that is something that I couldn't find when I visited Accra - a modern disposable camera. Hey ho as Pauline says, as my digital point and shoot and my mobile phone done a good job while I was in Africa.

Greetings to my Chinese readers

你好

Well the good news is that the Blog has now reach 6 Countries. With Hong Kong coming in at number 3 in the league table (according to Google Analytics) of the country with the most visits to these Blog pages. So for all my Chinese visitors: Hi - 嗨 or maybe hai. Grammatically maybe I should write Hello - 哈啰 or the accurate ha luo for a general greeting as there is more than one visitor. Just in case I have got it wrong, then 你好 - ni hao. Ni or 你 means 'you' and hao or '好' means good. This is a bit like the Welsh language in what you see isn't always what you get. So Good You everyone, and enjoy the read. And maybe when and after I visit Hong Kong in 2009, I can continue the Blog with both a Chinese and African theme.

Mr. Posty

Well I managed to send Cudjo's present to Africa. For the sum total of £2 something, that's for the postage and not the present! I priced up sending the two parcels to Jeffers and that came in at £40 to £50 per parcel. Phew! A Plan 'B' is urgently needed. Apparently anything under 2kg in weight is a lot cheaper. Lucky for Jeffery that I don't have to take a saw to the present! Instead, I can separate the bits into their component parts and look to send 8 parcels in all. Gosh, I feel like a right Mr. Posty with all this packaging and labelling. Still, that's what friends are for.

Pressies

Well it has been a great weekend. I managed to complete some DIY in the bathroom, get out for a posh nosh up with my wife on Friday. Met my friend Nigel for an omellette, coffee and a chat on Saturday. Bumped into a few people on both Saturday and Sunday and enjoyed chatting to them. The grass got cut and I even managed Coffee and that promised cake with my eldest. And, to top it all, I packaged up Cudjo's and Jeff's presents.

The former I shall be able to send out later this week, but as for Jeff his house details are a bit complicated. I photographed the wall plate outside his home while I was in Haatso - just in case I got lost. But I also know that in Ghana, the house address is not the postal address. Mainly because house location details are complicated and the postal service doesn't appear to be geared up for door to door delivery. Yet another thing that we take for granted in the U.K. and often moan about. Astonishing really when we realise that some of the things that we take for granted, simply don't exist elsewhere. As for Jeffers and the present, Facebook beckons. I shall send him another message and ask for his postal address. Then I shall be able to send all of the items, but with work this will probably not be until the weekend. I wonder when they will arrive?

The Long Summer

The glorious weather continues in Wales with yet another sunny day. To make things better; my eldest daughter is home for the weekend and has promised to treat me to coffee, and hopefully a cake. The downside is (if there is one when your family are around) the number of cars outside the house and on the drive. Four in all and I have to tramp outdoors in my slippers and shorts and move them around so different people can pop out at different times. The drive is quite small, even with the extra portion that I added to one side. The road is narrow, especially if someone parks half on and off the payment opposite. I suppose that is the joy of a poor public transport system in that people place a reliance on a car. It's the same in Wales as it is in Africa; you need mobility and you get a car if the transport system is poor. Some days there are no buses in and out of the Village, and on most days the bus times are poor and I have waited to find that a bus doesn't show. When it doesn't arrive, you try phoning someone to find out why. Poor and unreliable bus timetables, and poor customer service means that a car is the only way to travel. Not that I have used a bus for some time. Well that's not quite true, I used the "African Bus" quite often when I stayed in Haatso. For me the cramped African Bus appeared to be safer than a taxi. In fact I cannot recall getting into a taxi in and around Accra that appeared to be roadworthy. The same is probably true for the majority of private cars in Ghana; in that people struggle to buy a vehicle and thereafter there is every reason to keep the vehicle running for as long as is possible. Especially when an African Bus journey without air conditioning can take two hours from the centre of Accra to one of the many outlying communities. Gosh it was hot, and for me it still is. Not African hot, but hot enough to be pleasant. It's due to rain from Tuesday, so we have to make the most of the weekend. I am looking forward to a long walk along the sea front, chatting to the odd friend or acquaintance that I will inevitably bump into, and meeting up with one of my daughters for coffee, and of course; that cake.

All over the World

I use Google Analytics to check how the Blog is doing and to make sensible adjustments to the content to improve searching etc. As of today; there have been 43 Unique Visitors to the Blog from 5 different Countries.

The latest Blogger is from Vietnam. Other Bloggers come from Ghana, Canada, America and the United Kingdom. 15 visitors have been referred to the Blog by Google. The search string "Roger Bennett Africa Ghana" [without the Quotation Marks] brings up 22,000 entries on Google, of which this Blog is Number 1 on Page 1. I am chuffed with that result. Other search strings relevant to the Blog content also provides good results on Google. These results improve when words or phrases are within quotation marks as Google then looks for the exact text string. It would be nice to see the Blog reach quite a few more countries and to somehow obtain feedback from the readers. Currently, my Welsh, British and Ghanaian friends can contact me via Facebook. Maybe if the number of hits continue to grow and people return; then there would be an opportunity to expand the Blog and place some relevant, language specific welcome and other messages.

Words and Phrases

The previous Blog post was about Christian names, second Christian names, Surnames and other words. This Blog post is about certain words within one of the Ghanaian languages. The Ghanaian Embassy [in Japan] Website lists the following greetings that are pronounced using the "Akan" Dialect. Please Mepaokyew. Good morning Maa Kye. Good afternoon Maa-ha. Good evening Maa-adjo. Good night Da-yie. Farewell Nantee-yie. Welcome Akwaaba, and Thank you Medaase. I already knew what Akwaaba meant, after reading the word on a large sign as I arrived at Kotoka International Airport. 'Thank you' was added to my vocabulary when Jeffers sent me a text with Medaase together with a string of words meaning 'how are you'. It was pretty difficult my end when that text arrived as I had no idea what was written. In fact it was worse than when I was learning the Welsh language as at least then I had a dictionary to fall back upon. Mind you; that fabulous social network site known as FACEBOOK came to my aid; and after a swift message to Jeff and a prompt response, all was revealed.

Names

Cudjo means a boy that was born on a Monday. Michael's middle name identifies that he was born on a Thursday and the spelling for Michael's middle name is the same as the Welsh spelling for Thursday although in Wales we place 'Dydd' before the name to denote that it is a day of the week. In Wales we often identify or associate people with a specific place or occurrence. So if someone worked on a farm for a long time, then it is likely that everyone would know them by their Christian name and the name of the farm instead of their family surname, e.g. Huw Pencarreg instead of Huw Davies. African's appear to adopt a similar approach to the Chinese in that almost everyone has a European name as well as their traditional or language specific name. Albeit that sometimes the European name is not as European as was originally intended. My youngest daughter as a Welsh middle name that translates into the English word 'love'. Another name variation in Wales is that many people use their second Christian name and not their first. My second Christian name is Bernard, so named after a close friend of my fathers who was shot and killed by the Germans during the Second World War. Although I do not use that name, I understand the importance placed upon it when it was added to my Birth Certificate by my parents. I am also aware of the many people that I have known for twenty or so years and have addressed them daily, to find out recently that the name that everyone uses is not their first Christian name. Often I do not recognise who a document is referring too, as the name that appears in front of me is alien to the one that I know. But I do know the name Cudjo, Tamara, Ruben, and Jeff and these names like those of my other African (and Chinese) friends will never be forgotten.