The closest thing to Anarchy I have ever seen

"From the remotest, Stone-Age antiqity, men must have realised the evils that resulted from letting some of them aquire personal authority-even if they were the most intelligent, the bravest, or the wisest". Pyotr Kropotkin 

Well bois bach,this is the closest thing to Anarchy I have ever known apart from the Poll Tax Riots and the Toxteth Riots and the Riots of August 2011. Now you see if the Brexit vote had gone the other way do you think that the Working Class Baby Boomers would have been walking genteelly around the Capital Cities of the United Kingdom with their European placards? Dim fears sa beryg. They would have been rioting. The Countries of England and Wales have given their Capitals a kicking. Life in Rochdale and Holyhead is far removed from the metro-hedonism of Camden and Cardiff Bay. We in the sticks do not get London Weighting, an artificial construct that keeps the Capitals' economy floating better than the rest of the country! Apart from the less affluent boroughs where are the boarded up shops in the Capital? In towns of the North, it is spot the un-boarded up shop. I voted remain because I believe in the European Union but I don't believe that this was a vote about that. This referendum was a vipers' nest of racism and prejudice and an outlet for the unheard to be heard and it was facilitated by the ruling class. How farcical! Cammo shot himself in the foot with the ammo supplied by Nigel Farage. Two people as far removed from the high rise flats and terraced streets as you could hope to find. They are going to be replaced by that equally great champion of the Working Class Boris 'Anyone for Cricket' Johnson. Meanwhile the right wing Labour Party are trying to unseat a Socialist. So the conditions are ripe for a revolution or a coup by the people but it won't happen because we couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery! We the people could not find our own arse with both hands. Why? because we are desperate for a leader. We must must have a leader of the pack. We cannot move on Westminster as an amorphous mass because there is always one egotistical prick who wants to stand out from the crowd.

Two Films from Offa's Dyke

The Hero's Journey from David Williams on Vimeo.
Ceffylau Clawdd Offa from David Williams on Vimeo.

The View from the Dyke

Blimey, I've only been gone two and a half weeks and in that time, the UK has left Europe and the Prime-Minister has resigned. The Labour snideys are trying to oust Corbyn and Wales are through to the Quarter Finals of the European Championships. I'll have to go away more often. I enjoyed the freedom of the countryside and Offa's Dyke with a new vista and view offering itself up to me every day. My feet are still numb but my Mind is renewed. If however I don't decide on another challenge with another deadline soon, I will lapse into my default setting of lazy fatboy, trundling around Cardiff and Aberystwyth without a purpose. My neighbour said "Try and get a job doing something useful" but he refused to be more specific than that which got me to thinking, apart from those working for the NHS and the Fire Service, how many can actually say that they do something useful as their everyday work. Can you? If you do I would be interested to hear what you do in the comments section of this post. Don't be shy! You are invited to decide whether what you do is useful and has a use. I bring some homespun philosophy back with me from Offa's Dyke. 

Here are my bullet point views from Offa's Dyke.

• People are kind and friendly
• You won't meet kind people unless you go out there. 
• Nationality has nothing to do with generosity and kindness
• Not knowing where England and Wales started and finished was confusing and comforting at the same time.
• Does a country need well defined borders? If so, what for?
• There are very few Welsh Speakers living on the Border. 
• Hay on Wye is not so poncy and pretentious as I first thought.
• Hereford is a nice town.
• Talgarth has always had a high percentage of the population living with Mental Health problems.
• To get to Abergavenny from Talgarth you have to get a bus to Brecon First.
• Never moan about the frequency of City Buses having been out in the Country.
• North Wales is not well served by Cardiff as the Capital City of Wales.
• Once you share your own 'Mental Health' History, others tend to follow suit.
• You must be brave and open up first.
• Suicide is a huge problem in rural Powys.
• Mental Health Provision in Wales is Universally poor.

Nid yw Cymru yn bodoli

Nid yw Cymru yn bodoli! Beth rhyfedd i ddeud tridiau cyn iddynt chwarae Gogledd Iwerddon mewn gem o bêl droed? Dyna wlad arall sydd ddim yn bodoli, y Six Counties i rai, Ulster i eraill. A hyd yn hyn dydyn ddim yn gwybod os yw'r syniad o Ewrop yn mynd i barhau, o oleua yn feddylfryd trigolion y Deyrnas Unedig. Felli beth mae'r Pysgotwr Siarcod yn awgrymu gyda'r frawddeg 'Nid yw Cymru yn bodoli'? Well, newydd ddod nôl o gerdded Clawdd Offa, yr hen ffin rhwng Cymru a Lloegr. Yn amlwg i Frenin Offa roedd Cymru neu'r Cymry yn bodoli ac mi roedden nhw yn boen tin. Pam fynd i'r drafferth o greu wal bridd? Ond croesais y ffin hen a newydd gymaint o weithiau, yn y diwedd doedd o ddim yn bwysig. Roedd pobol y ffin yn garedig ac yn gynnes pa bynnag ochor roeddech yn ffeindio'ch hun arno fo. Mi wedais i wrth gwpl o Seland Newydd jest cyn Mynydd Llanymynech  "Trouble is, you don't know which country you're in" ac ymatebodd e gan agor ei freichiau ai ffin cerdded yn llydan "Who cares"? ac yn lle gweud "I care", wedes i fel sleifiwr nodedig "some people are sensitive to these sort of things" ac yntau ychwanegodd ei wraig "Oh yes, that man was most insistent that he was in England and that he was English. 
Doedd na ddim croeso i mi mewn lle gwely a brecwast yn Llanymynech, y pentref cyntaf yng Nghymru felli cerddais ymlaen i Four Crosses ac mi wnes i bwyso'r gloch y funud wnaeth Cymru scoria’r gôl wnaeth ennill y gêm yn erbyn Slofacia. Wnaeth y drws agor at sŵn bloedd fawr "You'll have to excuse my husband, he's Welsh", "so am I" wedes i ond golwg digon anghredadwy roedd ar ei hwynebau nhw pan wedes i fy mod i'n byw yng Nghaerdydd. Cyn hyn edrychais draw at fynyddoedd y Berwyn a meddyliais "Tu ôl i fanna mae Cymru yn bodoli oherwydd dyna ble mae'r Iaith Gymraeg yn cael ei siarad". Mae yn gwneud i fi feddwl fod cyfuniad o ddosbarth rheoli Lloegr a Sais addolwyr, Rhyddfrydol Cymru, wedi dod i ryw ddealltwriaeth na gadael pethau yn agored ac yn llifo fel yr afonydd ar y ffin oedd y syniad gorau. Tasa na rhyw 'Sentry Box' yn Llanymynech gyda milwr mewn lifrau'r Free Wales Army, fuasa hwn yn atgoffa'r dreifwyr ar ei ffonau ei bod nhw yn symud o un wlad i'r llall ond dwi'n siŵr ar ôl iddynt stopio i gael ei passport wedi checkio fuasent yn gweud fel y dyn o Seland Newydd "Who Cares?"
Ag basa’r soldiwr yn ymateb "Well the Maori do....." 

Welcome Home

I have returned to the Peoples' Republic of Grangetown, Cardiff which is nowhere near Offa's Dyke. It was nice to have a bath and not pay for a night's accommodation BUT there was a letter awaiting me from HM Revenue & Customs informing me that I was not eligible for Working Tax Credits. I rang the Preston number which took me through to Scotland where I foolishly told Angela that I worked voluntarily. I had forgotten what I had put on the form three years ago when I voluntarily came off  J.S.A because it was sending me 'doolally tap mun' applying for jobs that would not suit the sensitive soul that I am. I was meant to be Self-Employed which would have kept my £50.40 a week but "Loose Lips sink Ships" and once again "I've done it again Dad" so I'm back to red buttons again. Do I sign on again for J.S.A where my compulsory attendance every two weeks will see me stick Eeyore hooves in the ground! I am somebody for whom a Universal Basic Income would suit quite nicely thank you but it ain't gonna happen because tut Government want their pound of flesh. They want you dying paying their taxes so after spending 2 and a half weeks and 177 miles tramping to raise money for someone else it appears that now I will have to start raising money for my own charity. Welcome Home to the Charity begins at Home Charity.    

Myfyrdodau cyn mynd dros Mind.

Fy ngofid mwyaf ydy'r hen fag ar fy nghefn! Trosiad efallai i'r penbledd yn meddwl dyn. Dyn ar fin fynd ar ei daith. Mi ddylwn ni orffen o, ond pryd? Dwi ddim am ruthro! Dwi eisiau mwynhau ond y pwysau bondigrybwyll, y babell a'r dillad am bythefnos ond fel mewn bywyd pa ddiwrnod gwell i dad pacio ag ail pacio eto ond y Sul. Allai weld yn hyn tua Pontcysyllte yn taflu'r bag mewn i'r gamlas. Pwy sydd eisiau cario ei gorffennol o gwmpas rownd gyda fo ond dyna beth i ni gyd yn gwneud yn y bôn? Dwi yn un am weld symbolaeth pethau a dwi yn teimlo fel rhyw fath o ffarwel ydy hwn. Ffarwel i'r Ffin, Ffarwel i Gymru, Ffarwel i'r bag ar fy nghefn. Siŵr faswn ni wedi gallu bwcio pythefnos ar y Costa Del Sol neu mynd i Ffrainc fel pawb arall ond beth bynnag mae'r dorf yn ei wneud, mi a'i'r ffordd arall. Mae 'na rywbeth seimllyd, chwyslyd am y dorf. Pawb yn mynd yr un ffordd ac yn gweiddi heb wybod yn iawn am beth maent yn ei weiddi amdano. Mae rhai unigolion yn cario baich y byd ar ei ysgwyddau ag dwi yn un o rheina dwi'n ofni, neu mi oeddem ni tan i fi cael gwared ar y teledu yn 2006. Deng mlynedd heb erchyllterau gweledol yn anfon fi yn benwan. Nawr mae pethau ofnadwy yn digwydd yn y byd ac mi wn i ddim amdanyn nhw. Estrys gyda'i ben yn y tywod a'i benol yn yr awyr. Ond eto mae dyn yn blino gwneud hynny a dyna pam dwi am wneud rhywbeth ymarferol corfforol oherwydd heb her ag llinell amser mi wnâi ddim byd a dyna beth ddwi wedi bod yn gwneud am y ddeng mlynedd diwethaf waith i chi ddeud. Felli cynnar bore fory pan fyddwch chi yn cysgu'n braf fydd y lleidr hapusrwydd yma yn sleifio allan o'r tŷ yn Grangetown i ddal y trên i Brestatyn i ddechrau ar y bererindod nol i'r de ar y ffin. Pedwar awr i fynd fyny ar tren ag pythefnos o leiaf i ddod yn ôl yn cerdded. Efallai erbyn hynny fyddai wedi dewis peidio bod yn sâl fy meddwl a phenderfynu cyfaddawdu a chael job a phriodi ond annhebyg iawn. 

Newport State of Mind

I went to Newport today. I likes Newport. I've always thought that it has character. It's a proper town. I went to spread the word about my sponsored walk of Offa's Dyke starting Monday from Prestatyn. I thought I would take a sponsorship form and a leaflet about my walking and writing talk in Hay on Wye on Friday 17th to the Mind Shop on Chepstow Rd and I was given a warm welcome and a donation. "You've been to our Main Office obviously". No I hadn't but "I will go there now", so I headed to the Offices in Commercial Street where I was wished good luck but was told that Mind Newport are independent of National Mind and that they couldn't raise money for National Mind. I forgot to ask whether they meant National Mind Cymru or National Mind London. Fair enough I thought but then again I thought it's Mind after all. I'm raising for Mind because I was helped by Aberystwyth Mind but there wasn't a Just Giving Page for Aberystwyth Mind so I set one up for National Mind (London) and I then receive an email from Mind Cymru for agreeing to fundraise on their behalf which is making me start to question where exactly will this money be going. I'm not walking 177 miles for the sponsorship money to go into administration and salaries and I'm positive that my sponsors don't want that to happen either. I'm fundraising to make sure that people suffering mental distress get help. I'm sure that this is where the money will go and if it helps people in Aberystwyth, Cymru, London or Independent Newport, all well and good.

 https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RedButton

The only 'Rave in the Village'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cymrufyw/36433243

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-36432246

Well 'eaven for fend', Llandewi Brefi is in the news again. Ravers have been bagging up their own litter after 'an illegal rave', wossat then? a party on privately or publically owned land? kin ell, Daffyd would be quivering in his pixie boots.



"Officers have urged landowners to be vigilant to people enquiring about their land in the guise of hiring it for apparently acceptable activities such as gymkhanas and scouts and guides events."

So who decided that a gymkhanas and scout and guide events were an acceptable activity? Now come up to speed bois bach (pardon the pun) but Llanddewi Brefi is of historical importance to Drug Culture in Wales yet we still have local councillors saying things like this

 "I have had quite a few people in Llandewi expressing their concerns - people driving through the village at very high speeds and perhaps putting people in danger."

That was perhaps the ever vigilant police once they found out that there was a large gathering late on Saturday night.
"This is the site of Llanddewi Brefi. It derives the second part of its name from a local legend involving two oxen. The oxen were hauling stone up a steep hill when one of them collapsed and died. The other bellowed nine times, and because its bellow was so loud, the place became known as Llanddewi Brefi (brefi meaning bellow). The village’s connection with the Welsh patron saint led to the first part of the village name. In 520 AD Saint David (Welsh:Dewi Sant), held the Synod of Brefi here and it has borne his name since; “Llan” referring in Welsh place names to a church or holy place. Legend has it that when the crowd that had gathered to see the saint couldn’t hear him, he raised the ground from underneath himself so that he was standing on a small hill."
I think that in this case it is the local Tories and Ukippers who are bellowing instead of the cattle of old and it sounds as if St David himself had been on a little something if he was able to raise the ground underneath himself so that he was standing on a small hill. Talk about a storm in a tea cup full of magic mushrooms. If anybody died from attending this ILLEGAL RAVE or from taking an ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE then I will delete this blog post. 'Amen'