Blogs

Craig Weatherhill's book (photographed below with its author), already proving to be a best seller, was launched during a packed occasion at the Red River Cafe, Heartlands, Pool, Redruth.

Francis Boutle Publishers informed that literally dozens of copies had been purchased by Cornish folks around the globe, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, as well as in North America.

Christmas is coming fast and what could be better than singing carols in Cornish? There will be Christmas services entirely in Cornish at St Ive (near Liskeard) on the 16th December and at St Euny (Redruth) on the 30th December. It’s great for fluent Cornish speakers to sing and hear a service in Cornish, but also for beginners and those who don’t speak Cornish, it’s a good opportunity to experience the beauty of our language! For further details, see Kalender Kernewek

Christmas in Liskeard

The first of December was the proper start of Christmas in Liskeard.

On the Friday, Golden Tree, Liskeard Town Council and Devon and Cornwall Railway Partnership organised

‘Christmas trains’.

The first train was for children and was completely full.

Father Christmas was there teaching the children a few words of Cornish and giving away sprouts! In the other train afterwards, everyone sang Cornish carols all the way to Looe and back to Liskeard.

The Welsh tradition of the the Mari Lwyd is a custom performed during winter celebrations around the dates of Christmas and New Year. Although performed over the Christmas period, the Mari Lwyd is thought to be a pre-Christian tradition believed to bring good luck. The strange and frightening horse-figure, that in the past was often made from a horses skull, but now mostly artificial, was mounted upon a pole. Which was carried by a person hidden under a cloth, which had ribbons attached, from door to door.

Dating back beyond written records, the ancient Tradition of "Hunt the Wren" (Manx: Shelg yn Drean) takes place on December 26th, Saint Stephen's Day. One of the Isle of Man's oldest Christmas traditions has now being celebrated with the issue of an Isle of Man £2 coin. It is said that the tradition goes back to pre-Christian times, the origins of which are now not clear. However, it is seen as a way to ward off evil and to bring good luck in the year ahead. The tradition of 'Hunt the Wren', is celebrated particularly in the Celtic nations of Ireland (Éire) and Isle of Man (Mannin). 

The State of Birds in Wales 2018 study has found one in three types of bird in Wales is in significant decline. Farmland and woodland species were especially vulnerable according to the report which was produced by Natural Resources Wales (NRW). British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), the Welsh Ornithological Society (WOS), and RSPB Cymru. Researchers pointed to loss of habitat and climate change as factors and called for urgent conservation action.

Neil Lambert, RSPB Cymru Head of Conservation Management said:

Just 24 hours after Edouard Philippe, the French prime minister, said the tax rise would merely be “suspended” for six months, the French government has announced it will  scrap its proposed tax on diesel and petrol due to be imposed in the 2019 budget. It is an increasing sign of panic by centrist President Macron, whose popularity has slumped to 23 per cent after three weeks of unrest in France. Protesters say they can longer afford the raft of taxes and charges imposed by his government. However, the latest back down by Macron may not be enough to satisfy protesters.

Three Cliffs Bay has been named in the top 20 beaches in Europe for 2018. Three Cliffs Bay is a bay on the south coast of the Gower Peninsula (Penrhyn Gŵyr) in South Wales. The bay takes its name from the three cliffs carved by the sea from 300 million-year-old carboniferous limestone that jut out into the sea. Individual beaches make up the bay each with their own names, including Pobbles Bay to the east of the Three Cliffs, and Tor Bay to the west. Although the beaches are separated at high tide, they are accessible to each other at low tide on foot over the sands.

There has been dissatisfaction with the performance of a number of Manx politicians for some time now. Not least in their unquestioning timidity in following the economic agenda of the Manx Chamber of Commerce. Whose primary aim appears to be to the desire to reduce labour costs and drive down the living standards of Manx working people.

High winds and heavy rain have been battering Wales recently due to a storm named Storm Diana. A casualty of the weather was a tiny Otter cub. Thought to have been washed away during the flooding after the storm, the tiny cub, weighing just 1.3kg, was found at the side of the busy A470 road near the village of Ganllwyd  in southern Gwynedd, Wales. The Otter cub was weak, thin and suffering from serious hypothermia when found by a member of the public.  The Otter was taken to a veterinary practice in Dolgellau and then taken into care by the animal welfare charity RSPCA.