The Old Creamery At Ffairfach

 

 

Every now and then I stumble across a building that takes my eye and for years I have always
marvelled at the buildings known as the old creamery in Ffairfach now the current location of
Mosley Garage
This week I had the opportunity to take a look around and grab some snaps of this charming old building but more so capture a glimpse at the living history that surrounds it.

The group of five men founded the creamery on Heol Cennen, Fairfach, between 1914 /1920. however things didn't work out and after around 10 years the buildings and business was purchased by Co-operative Wholesale Society. From 1935 there was a railway siding from the adjacent Heart of Wales rail line.
The creamery closed in 1959, shortly after the opening of a larger creamery in Llangadog,
 It was used for a time for processing wool it was at this point all the vats and metal was scrapped from inside the buildings
The current owner has owned it for the last 40 years.

 

 

Mosley Garage  http://www.mosleysgarage.org.uk/

 

 

Old Photo Of Ffairfach railway station

The creamery

 Viewed across Heol Cennen (the A483)

 

 Photo taken by me and copyrighted to me
© Sonnet Blogger

 

Photo taken by me and copyrighted to me
© Sonnet Blogger

Inside the creamery
Photo taken by me and copyrighted to me
© Sonnet Blogger

Photo taken by me and copyrighted to me
© Sonnet Blogger

 

 Photo taken by me and copyrighted to me
© Sonnet Blogger

 

 Photo taken by me and copyrighted to me
© Sonnet Blogger

 

 Photo taken by me and copyrighted to me
© Sonnet Blogger

 

 

Photo taken by me and copyrighted to me
© Sonnet Blogger

German Tradition of St Nicholas on the 6th of December

I was born in Germany as my father was in the Army and so I was used to travelling but also embracing different cultures.
On of my fondest happened on the 6th of December..
On the 5th Of December the children in Germany would polish their boots and put them outside their door before going to bed for saint Nicolas to fill during the night, On the morning of the 6th you would wake up early to check your boot. If you was good you would find chocolates, sweets and cakes in your boot but disappointment would come if you were bad as your boot would be filled with twigs and stones... I always got the latter!
Moral of this story is always try to be good or have a parent that doesn't forget to buy the goodies in advance!

You can find more about this tradition on wiki..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas

Book Review: The Drowning School by Dawn Rowe

Here is the moral of not judging a book by it's cover, I was nominated by my best friend to read this book and post a review on Amazon, which I will do at some point.
I am a keen reader and writer so naturally I am a good source for a fair judgement

When the book arrived I looked at the cover and thought oh dear not another vanity published and dreadfully written book to read with stupid typos and 'word of the day' complicated words that no one knows what they mean.

For me a good book should be easy to road, flows, relaxes and allows me to float away to another place..
In short this book did that!

Yes I found the odd typo and spelling mistake we are all human after all but it was indeed a nice book.
The book is filled with lust, romance, magic and a wealthy homosexual and sets scene in mountains of Andalucía and Glastonbury Tor ' Avalon'
The main characters are Evan who's unwilling summer holiday ends him Andalucía with his estranged father while his mother who was repeatedly beaten and raped by his father tries to get her life back on track.
Evan's strong emotions about the past and his fathers constant failings push him in the directions of the other main character Benita but when a tragic event envelopes the sleepy community and a woman drowns in her swimming pool, Evan finds himself haunted by her and has to discover the key to setting her free to rest.

A recommended book for light hearted reading...

Book Review - Dew On The Grass by Eiluned Lewis

I picked this old hard backed book up in our local national trust book store, it caught my eye  as it seemed to be written about life in Wales but also I loved the feel of it, the faded cover, quality thick pages of real paper and Flexiback Binding with patent pending.

First published in 1934 of which mine is the sixth edition printed in January 1935
This enchanting autobiographical novel set in Pengarth with a mid book trip to visit aunty Shan at the seaside.
The book is childhood in it's purity and a vanished way of life through the eyes of nine-year-old Lucy set pre 1935.
She tells wonderful stories off haymaking, harvest, seaside holiday, everyday routines of summer and winter,  beautiful tales for playing in the garden. death of pets and rides on the dog cart
There is the world of the imagination too, which includes the favourite heroes and heroines of childhood. 

I have so many favourite bits but here are just a few..

Extracts from the book.. 
-Where the porter shout "Change Here For South Wales", and there actually is a train waiting to go to South Wales - that unknown country!

-Shan's house stood where sea and river met. Over the water you looked to detectable islands of yellow sand where no children ever built castles or filled there buckets, for at high tide these islands disappeared beneath the waves

-Lucy was roused from a dreaming contemplation of these scenes to find Shan sitting in the bedroom chair of creaking cane, with her feet on the fender and her skirt turned up over her knees.

I have enjoyed this book and toyed with the idea of keeping it to my self but long ago I decided not to have a collection of books in my home as I move to much and books are heavy so I will offer this book for sale and hope it finds the imagination of another avid reader...

 

 

Book Review - A Hundred Pieces of Me - Lucy Dillon

 

 

Gina Bellamy is the main character of the book, she has gone through some major life hurdles, Never knowing her father to losing he step father who she adored. Finding her soul mate in university 'Kit', only to lose him through a twist of fate and now having beaten Cancer she discovers that her rebound husband has been cheating on her and had to leave her beloved home that she spent years decorating.
Gina has moved all those things into her new flat, she realised she has been collecting clutter that she no longer appreciates. So, she sets about sorting out 100 things that she thinks she can keep, 100 things special and dear to her that she can't bear to lose. as she's searching through these items, Gina is reminded of some of the tough times she's had to face, and an uncertain future ahead of her as well.

 

This book was given to me as gift for Easter, I rarely get chance to read newly released book other then proof reading

I haven't read any of Lucy's other books and I enjoyed her style, easy to read nothing over complicated.
I had read half the book in one day and was all set to leave a glowing review but then things started to get boring,
I felt the book had lost it's way. I can see Lucy's was trying for the bitter sweet ending had rushed the final chapters.

Gina over joyed finding love with the sadness of discovering the cancer had return.
As reading the book I thought it would be that although Gina thought the cancer was back in fact it wasn't and that the new love story would remain a mystery.

 

To summaries, The book is enjoyable but I felt let down by the ending. 

 

See:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hundred-Pieces-Me-Lucy-Dillon-ebook/dp/B00DS9G0NG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Time After Time - Vintage Shop in the Heart of The Cotswolds

 

Every now and then I walk into a shop that really blows me away, I have in the past been into many vintage shops, from Bath to London Kings Road but this find made my heart skip a Thousand beats.
I fell in love with it's charm and the charming owner!

The shop 'Time After Time' sits perfectly in the shopping lanes of Stroud. What worries me, is I have been to Stroud many times but never seen it, Why? I am unsure and oddly It was only my daughter pointing it out that drew my attention.

 

Stepping through the door, was like entering into another realm, a time warp, with sparkle, glamour, polished wood and Jazzy music.
A feast for the eyes, mind and soul. I have decided I must go back on my own one day with a few hours to spare and have a good look through all of the bounty this shop holds without the pressure of family watching me.
I was so close to buying a beautiful Art Deco Necklace for a mere £39. I guess I will regret that one! 

 

So if you find your self in the Cotswolds, I totally recommend this place, it's worth the effort and Stroud is a charming little place to, with nice places to eat, have coffee and quirky shops.
(when I return, I will post again with my finds!)

 

http://www.stroudvintage.com

Book Review - The Road To Nab End - William Woodruff

This book is all about growing up in the Lancashire wool mill town of Blackburn through the depression and terminal decline of the cotton industry.
It took me several goes to get through this book, it had nothing to do with the quality of the writing or the stories told just I could not relate to them and the author assumed I knew what it felt like to wear clogs or scratchy woollen clothes, to work all day in a noisy fibre filled factory that I presumed smelled of oil and damp.
However half way through this book I paid a visit to a local wool museum and then all this stories came in focus and colour.
I returned home and buried my self back into the book towards the end I loved the book and with any good book it's closure was saying bye to a good friend!

However what I did find very interesting was on page 386..
Goverment aid through the dole seemed to be deliberately aimed at breaking the spirit of anyone who was proud, thrifty, honest and upright. How could anyone 'genuinely seek work' when there was no work to seek; or accept a means test, which seemed designed not only to lower an already low standard of living, but also to break up family life....

Does this all sound familiar? Yet this is referring to the great depression of the 1930's.
I know so many people who can relate to this and its true it seems over the decades the benefit system set up to protect the weak, fails them too!

I would recommend this book but I think you need to have a interest or a link to Lancashire or the cotton / woollen industry to appreciate it to it's fullest.

See:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Road-Nab-End-Lancashire/dp/1906011265