1st October 2010

6.35am
Had a great day yesterday...although the CC had a terrible cold all day we still managed to finalise the arrangements for out Wedding party at Magnums on the 9th October and finished off the evening by visiting Angelo at Barolo Restaurant in Moordown. Angelo is one of my oldest friends and he hasn't changed much over the years...here he is with his wife Helga last night:-

Angelo and Helga at Barolo's

29th September - Wednesday

3 days of leave left and today I feeling suitably chilled. Parked at Lansdowne and going to wander down in to Bournemouth for a mooch around then back to Wareham to prepare for tonights quiz...

Stopped off in Bournemouth for a quick look (and I mean look!) at the shops. I did get a new Clinique bronzer from Beales though as I'm using much more now with the Vitiligo on my face.

Off to the Orange shop to dream over an iPhone 4 and then heading back home (I promise!)

Now caught in a huge rainstorm in Bournemouth. Taken shelter at the Coffee Republic cafe at the BIC. It's tamping down (very Welsh word "tamping").....Forced into having another coffee. Mmmmmmmmmmm!

Monday 26th September

Mmmmmmm moment!

GeoTagged, [N50.72207, E1.86665]

8.00am
Having coffee at Centro with Mr B before going off to my brother's house in Charminster. Jon is kindly helping mr move a piece of furniture from my old flat to Wareham this morning. Quite a few jobs to complete today. More later....

Monday 27th September

It's 6.00am and The Cockney Warbler has followed me down from Leicester and started shrilling over an hour ago now...

Anyway I'm up and wanted to post a few photo memories from the aforementioned trip to Leicester. We both had a lovely time and were looked after regally by my brother David and his best friend Jen... Highlight for me was the trip to the "Curve" Theatre to watch Matthew Bourne's Production of Swan Lake....

Tremendous Production....Bravo!!

A Masterpiece!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway apart from that David and Jen took us to their favourite restaurant and treated us to a fabulous dinner and this along with their scintillating company and conversation added to the wonderful weekend...a few photos below will help highlight the trip:-

The Curve Theatre

With the CC, David and Jen at the Champagne Bar

Sunday 26th September

Well what a week that was. I think I last chatted briefly on the day after my birthday. So much has happened since, it is difficult to know where to start....

I'm sitting in my brothers lounge at 6.15am in the morning. Woke up early to the sound of a new singing bird, local to Leicester and the surrounding district. The "Cockney Warbler" has a loud, piercing call which repeats every 5 seconds. Anyway it woke me early!!

I want to take you back to Friday this week as this was definitely the day the weekend started!! ...... I woke early (around 5.00am- which I did at least 4 times last week) to start to deliver all the cakes for the Fundraiser at the College.

I think I'd mentioned before that I had been given permission and the full backing of my principal to organise a coffee and cake morning at two main sites of our college.. Well after about 9 days of organising Friday 24th was the day...

At this point I will let the photos from one of the sites do the talking.... :-

One of my nieces prepared some wonderful cakes..

One of the venues at the Lansdowne Campus

Some of our happy customers with one of the Macmillan volunteers

Suffice to say the event was a resounding success and we raised an incredible £260.55p for Macmillan Cancer Support in under 2 hours!!

My relief and pleasure at this success was only outweighed by two things.... the fact that my brothers two sons volunteered to help out at the cafeteria I was hosting in Bournemouth (very proud of them!) and... there was just enough cakes left over to share with a local Hospice and the ward staff from Poole Hospital who looked after me so well last year...A GREAT DAY ALL AROUND!

The following morning (yesterday as I blog now) we were again up early to drive to Leicester, and a much anticipated and cherished visit to my brother, David.

22nd Sept 2010

GeoTagged, [N50.75766, E1.92375]

The day after my birthday... At the Lansdowne (an unplanned visit- but it's quite nice to sit in my usual place without the commitment to get back to work!) a bit of a tired feeling following a lovely birthday yesterday. The CC went all out to make it a special day and she succeeded!

I'm popping over to the Lansdowne Student cafeteria to give Clare (the catering manager) some promotional items for the charity coffee morning this coming Friday.. More about this later.....

Well birthday over and now full steam ahead for the organising of the fund-raising coffee morning for Macmillan Cancer Support this Friday (24th). An idea I had a few days ago was fully supported by the college (especially the Principal) and a small coffee and cakes couple of hours as turned into two simultaneous events taking place at our two main sites.... This Blog is going to be difficult to keep up with over the next few days so apologies now for the gap..............?

20th Sept 2010

GeoTagged, [N50.71659, E1.98228]

Been to the bank this morning to try and sort out some things. Now waiting for my mate Graham to have a cuppa with me at this watering hole in Poole.

Saturday 18th September

GeoTagged, [N50.68036, E2.10914]

At Wareham Market talking to my friend who runs the mobile catering van by the Quay. He just announced that he is selling his van and might look into teaching which he has done before. Interesting!!!

Went to watch my friend Steve's son Rye play rugby from Bournemouth RFU (2nd XI) at Chapel Gate in the afternoon..see pictures below:-

Great afternoon with Steve, my brother Jon who'd had a long night before! and was great company all throughout the game and the beers afterwards...

Bournemouth beat Basingstoke convincingly but I'm not sure of the exact score?

Steve, Rye's girlfriend and Rye smile after the game....












A quiet evening with the CC and then to bed fairly early ready for tomorrow's car boot sale...

Friday 17th September

Bad news!! A number of things have happened which I will describe in full later..


18th September 7.30pm

Update: I found out that the persons buying my flat were con-merchant property developers who offered a silly price for my property yesterday and we believe they've now pulled out of the deal. Really disappointing!

16th September UPDATE

Sorry folks...I haven't been able to get to my blog in the last few days...

Lots to tell you including a new fundraiser I'm getting involved with at The College this week....?

When I have more chance I will update you in full....and there's more news on the IDEA!!

Speak soon

Monday 13th - Review of last Weekend - A Whopper!!!

Saturday 11th September

Left Wareham about 10.00 am and took the "CC" (easier than typing Crafty Cockney everytime!) up to Bath (where she was staying with he old (not that old!) friend Anne. Had a quick coffee in The George at Bathampton...(picture left)













...then it was off to Merthyr Tydfil for the School reunion.

Got to Merthyr about 2.00pm and my cousin Cerys (who looked after me so well all weekend x) took me to ASDA to buy a cheap pair of jeans.... as I've recently lost weight and all my jeans are starting to resemble a bag of potatoes, tied up at the top with a belt that's too long! ~ Pleased to announce I've lost enough weight to get into as pair of 40" waisted trousers (was up to 46" about 2 years ago!!)

Cerys dropped me off at the Red Cow Inn at Ponsticill and the first person I met from my old school was my good friend Wayne Lee. He was probably my best friend through Junior and Secondary school so it was incredible to meet him again after 35 years. he recognised me (through my eyes -he said) as soon as I walked into the pub. We spent a superb hour and a half catching up with each other and filling in some of the gaps..

Later in the evening a number of other friends from School turned up and it was great to have a beer and a catch up with them...although it was my relationship with Wayne which blossomed throughout the evening and I know he will be a friend for the rest of my life now!!

*Wayne Lee on the left of picture

Sunday 12th September

Late to bed then an early start as I had to make tracks for Bath to pick up the CC. Popped in to my Auntie's house for a quick coffee and chat with her (Christine) and her son (my cousin Gareth) and his sister (the a fore mentioned Cerys)




Got to Bathampton and met with CC and Anne where I had dropped them yesterday. Following a run-down of the previous nights experiences we were off to London...more later need a coffee to keep me going!!!

Arrived at Twickenham Stadium at about 4.15pm and parked the car at the Fountain Public house. Got a taxi into the Stadium and chatted to a great taxi driver from India. He gave us advice on how to get back to the pub later by walking as taxi's would be at a premium. (More about that later?)

We got to the stadium and stopped outside in the car park for a ciggie.




While the CC chatted about how excited she was at coming to the "Help for Heroes" concert a young man offered to sell me an official programme. Following the purchase he whispered in our ears that the car we were sat next to was HRH Prince William's Car! I used my camera and snapped him standing next to it...see pic below:-

We then got inbto the stadium and witnessed a fantastic line-up see link and I was particulary impressed with Sir Tom Jones, my fellow countryman although the CC was seen swooning over Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams and surprisingly Enrique Iglesias!!! See photos below:-

 
We left the concert about 10.00pm and tried to follow the earlier instructions (from the taxi driver) to find the car.... Useless....not the instructions, just ME! We got lost and ended up walking about 4 Miles before we were both so knackered that we hailed a taxi to take us back to the car....

Drive back to Wareham was long and tiring although we did make our regular stop at Fleet Services on the M3 for a snack and freshen up....Home by 1.45am and straight to bed...

QE2 Ship: Joe Loss and his Orchestra play "In the Mood"

12,000 views on my YouTube Channel...thanks for watching

11th September - "We'll Keep a Welcome"

7.10am
Up early as I'm off to my first ever school reunion tonight in my hometown of Merthyr Tydfil. I haven't seen any of my old school friends since 1976 (34 years!)......An old school rugby team photo seems apt right now...

Looking forward to seeing everyone who turns up tonight but especially my old friend Wayne Lee seated cross-legged on the right front of the team (on the floor).








Dropping the Crafty Cockney in Bath where she is staying with her old friend Anne for the night while I carry on up to Merthyr. I will be staying with my favourite cousin Cerys (pictured below with me a good few years ago) and her husband Dean in Cefn Coed..

Then I'm of up to place call Ponsticill and the Red Cow Inn for the Reunion..

Off to pack now so will blog a bit more later on.....

Sept 10th - nearly the weekend!

7.35am
Having a coffee near North Road in Poole. Woke at 5.00am again full of the "Idea" and other exciting possible projects. Will be interesting to hear the Principal's address this morning at the College. I'm hoping to bend his ear for a minute or two about the possibility of holding a charity car boot sale in the college car park in Poole. I would like to raise some money for the Macmillan Nurses Charity and if and when the "idea" comes along some of the money will go to them as well. This charity is of particular relevance to me as last year I was diagnosed with Melenoma (skin cancer) and was looked after so well by the staff of Poole Hospital.
Anyway now to drink my coffee.....

6.17pm
In the queue for Fish and Chips in Wareham. Not much time for a big blog. Really hungry and tired following a long day. Lots to talk about but more time over the weekend. Night night!

9th September - sunny and bright!

GeoTagged, [N50.72234, E1.86621]

8.20am
It's my last day of assessments and while I sit here with my coffee and ciggie I'm thinking about my students and all the hurt they've had in their lives. I hope this course will be a stepping stone to a more stable and productive period for them. Looking forward to a busy weekend ahead. School Reunion in Merthyr on Saturday and the Help for Heroes Concert in Twickenham on Sunday! Mmmmmmmmmmm!

5.10pm
Had a great afternoon with Simon, Peter and Brian joining in the Quiz with the students then finishing off most of my end-of-term paperwork (of which there is a mountain!). Now starts the countdown to my leave...
Got a morning in the North ~Road site of the College in Poole. I'm attending one of my Principal's addresses principally (no pun intended!) aimed at the returning full-time teaching and admin staff. The good thing about my course is it runs through the summer which means I have a split holiday:- 3 weeks in June and 2 weeks in September. So in exactly 6 working days I can relax for 2 weeks.

Anyway back to the Principal's address.... I've heard today from some staff who have attended already that his new push ios for a return to "Community College"stuff which will open the door for some of my small ideas I have for charity projects like a car boot sale on the college car parks.. and more importantly might open the doors slightly for the BIG IDEA!...Let's hope it goes well tomorrow/

Having a quiet evening in with the Crafty Cockney so probably won't be updating this blog today. As a parting shot though i thought I would include a PHOTO which might give you a clue as to what the IDEA might be?

Sept 8th

A bit of a wet start to today. Headaches gone thankfully and I'm in my normal coffee venue (8.15am) building myself up for another day at the college. You're probably thinking what does he do at this college. Well I've been working here for 13 years and most of that time I have been a lecturer. I'll tell you some of my other roles here on another occasion, but now I do work with adults who are mainly in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. I absolutely love my job and can talk for hours on the subject. For now though I need to get back to my coffee and ciggie. In the words of Arnie..."I will be back"

10.45am
Just about to start final assessments on my students work. Tough session but I hope they all pass. They've worked hard on the course and I so want them to achieve!! Keeping the "idea" under wraps for a while as I've got a busy time over the next few days and need to be in clear head-space to write about it.... Watch this space?

12.45pm
All Assessed and Achieved! Big congratulations to my hard working students. Quiz this afternoon to lighten the mood a bit!!

7.10pm
Home at last and really tired after a long day. Quiz was a success and the prizes which I provided from last weekends aborted car boot sale went down well. The first prize was a Jeremy Clarkson DVD about super cars etc. Came home at about 5.00pm and went to my local for a swift half of Guinness and a chat with the local. Then up to Weight Watchers (yes I go to Weight Watchers every Wednesday!!) and found out I lost 4lbs this week...a good week! Gone are the days when I looked like this....

Taken in Jersey in 1977 when I was a Head Waiter of Le Couperon Hotel and Restaurant in Rozel Bay..and yes before you say it I did have a long "gringo" style moustache back in the day and was probably 5stone lighter than I am now!!








or this..Taken in 1976 at My parents hotel in Boscombe (The Pines Private Hotel)














Anyway I digress...(I like digressing!!).... back to tonight.
The Crafty Cockney is working late and should be coming home soon with a Chicken Chow Mein from our favourite Chinese takeaway "TOPWOK" so I'd better lay the table and prepare the drinks...

Tuesday Sept 7th - The First Day!

Had a thought. Why not take a photo of a daily paper every day I blog. Not original I know but useful to track back. The good thing about my blogwriter on my iPhone (yes I'm a big fan of all things Apple) is that it can GeoTag my pictures so you will know where I am at all times... Don't hold your breath on the picture though....just found ouit that my blogging tool on the iPhone does not allow the photos to be uploaded to this page....Mmmmmm! need to rethink that one. Anyway it still is the 7th of Septemeber and I've got nobody following me which suits me fine....

Update: 1.44pm
Passed the "IDEA" on to the most important person at The College and he loved it. Having a coffee to celebrate!

Update: 4.20pm
Just got home after leaving early from work with a blinding headache and as much as I would love to let you know about the "Idea", and my successful chat to the man that matters, I need to get to bed and sleep this off first...Now where are those painkillers?

Update: 10.15pm

Slept for 4 hours!! Had a bit of dinner prepared by the lovely Crafty Cockney....a little catch up form the day and a bit of Switzerland v England on telly. Still not awake enough to explain the idea in full but above is a little teaser for you before I say goodnight.....

September - A good month for an idea!

I'm not going to start with those long, tedious introductions.. Suffice to say I'm from Merthyr Tydfil and a human being with a heart and a conscience. I love photography and will endeavour to punctuate my scribblings with a photo or two along the way....

Well this is me pretty much as I am now although I might be a few pounds heavier than when this was taken.

I've started a blog before and didn't have too much to say but at the moment there seems to be a lot going on in my life so it seems a good time to get down to a daily blog.

Why "Prancing Taff" you might be asking. Well for years as a Welshman living out of Wales I have been called "Taff" or "Taffy" so I decided to combine Taff with the sign of the "Prancing" horse on the Ferrari motor car to become "Prancing Taff".

I live in Wareham in Dorset...
a beautiful quiet town... where I live with my lovely wife, who will be known as the "Crafty Cockney" from now on...










...and I work here

...which shows that for some reason clocks and time are "big" in my life right now (more about that later).






...Anyway enough for tonight apart from mentioning the "idea" from today's title. I'm not going to write too much as I'm presenting my idea to someone tomorrow who will decide whether it goes ahead or not and I don't want to get too excited. Just to say though that you will be hearing from a very happy Taffy tomorrow if I get the green light.


Goodnight and hope to be blogging again soon....