I am feeling sentimental, for I love my Wales

THE WONDERFUL ALEXANDER CORDELL

EVEN IN THE COAL MINES, THERE'S BEAUTY IN MY WALES

Alexander Cordell was one of Wales' most prolific writers, although he wasn't Welsh.
HeAlexander Cordell was born in Sri Lanka, and came to Wales to convalesce during World War II. After the War he moved to Llanelen (a few miles North of Goytre Wharf) where he did most of the research for Rape of the Fair Country, before moving to Holywell Road in Abergavenny, his home for many years.

This tour will take you from the rolling countryside of the Vale of Usk, much loved by Cordell, to the landscape of the industrial valleys, which provided the backdrop for most of the action in Rape of the Fair Country. You will visit some of the more accessible sites which feature in this powerful story about life during the early years of the Industrial Revolution leading up to the Chartist uprising of 1839. It is suggested you use OS Explorer Map 152 and OS Outdoor Leisure Map 13 (Brecon Beacons National Park East) for reference. Route directions are in bold, quotations from Rape of the Fair Country in italics. Key sites are numbered and marked on the map. (Thanks to the Wee reference leaflets I picked up myself.

The Big Pit

If you get the chance to go down the Big Pit, you will never forget it. However be sensible and wear flat shoes and not your Sunday Best Outfit. The last time myself and my husband went down, there was an American couple with us. They unfortunately decided to go down the pit on a whim and as she said "It was a bit daft to even attempt it, in three inch heels and a white summer skirt with navy blouse." Sadly she had to go back to the top after a ten minutes or so. Her husband stayed on the tour, so I guess he was able to tell her all about it. It truly is very humbling to see just what conditions these Welsh men and children had to go through. After leaving the pit, we then went to the cottages, they were the ones that they later used in "Coal House" the BBC One series. "Wow it was fascinating watching the series and knowing that we had been there. Afterwards we went to the museum dedicated to the most wonderful "Alexander Cordell, whom I might have told you already I had the privileged of meeting once. His books, and I think I can say all his books, the Welsh and Chinese ones and the others. Brilliant, I have them all, though I did find that the last couple he wrote in the couple of years before his untimely death, where not as fulfilling as his early books. He had lost his second wife and he was very "dwr" after this and I think coming up to my North Wales, was maybe a mountain to many. He died up on the Llangollen moors, not to far from the "Ponderosa Restaurant." Leaving behind him a few photos and a wee letter. His life ended like many of the steel and coal workers he wrote about, lying in the beautiful Welsh countryside after a hard life's work. May Dewi Sant watch over you My Hero. Dodie x


Beside the peaceful Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal at Goytre Wharf it's easy to imagine Iestyn Mortymer and his family gliding down the canal on the outing to Newport:

Wonderful to be moving on water. The silky movement is a drug to the senses when you are lying along the prow of a barge watching the water-lilies and bindweed waving. Soon Pen-y-fal and the Skirrids were well behind us, and the sun, streaming down through the avenue of trees, cast golden patterns on the barges.

However this quiet backwater was once a busy industrial site. Take time to walk around and view the historic lime kilns and aqueduct, as well as the South Wales Tramway Exhibition. Tramways were crucial in bringing coal, limestone and iron-ore down from the hills to the wharves located along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal - at Llangattock, Llanfoist and Llanelen.

There is also a Tourist Information Point where you can pick up leaflets and advice before leaving Goytre Wharf.

Diary, Bryn Roberts, Monday 28th February 1853.

Today has been one of the worstDraig Goch days of my life. I will be glad to leave this God forsaken canal and the
barge, anything than spend another day like this! To begin with it has been snowing for most of the day, my feet are cold, my hands are skinned to the bone where the damned tow rope kept slipping through them. God how I hate this job. Ha! A job, I don't even get paid for it. "you've got to be fourteen before you get any money boyo". Oh yeah, fourteen before I get any money but six when I started walking the paths, even towing the ropes with my brothers when the damn horse went sick or lame.
No I've had enough, cramped up in a tiny cabin with three sisters, the oldest not yet nine, the youngest not yet walking. Maybe that's a blessing at least one less under my feet. I suppose I should be grateful that I've got under the table to sleep by myself now that Iolo has left for the mines. My heart still grieves for Iolo, still it was his decision. Poor Mam, she was looking very old this morning Gone her lovely black hair, now just grey and going more grey with each rising day.
Old Mostyn Evans died this morning of the Cholera, they say three of his young ones will be gone in the next day or two as well. Poor Mrs Evans I suppose it will be the Workhouse for her and Myfanwy and Rhian, God help them. I counted seventeen rats this afternoon down by the lock gate. It made me wonder if Istyn Morris lost his leg down at Neath or if the rats ate it whilst he was asleep. If the Navvies from England kept their rubbish proper like us Welsh, then maybe there wouldn't be so many rats.
I heard from Marie Lloyd that two children where drowned at Resolven Yesterday, two less mouths to feed. Still t'is sad to think of so many children dying this way and most of them not reached their ninth birthday. Still who wants birthday's, nothing to look forward to there either.
"No money Bryn" Dada would say. "You know what it's like in winter, and now with these railways taking all our business we'd probably do better going on a ship to America along with the Irish."
Well this is me, thirteen in a months time and nothing to look forward to except more blisters and chilblains this winter and more sunburnt backs and arms in summer. Not if I can help it! Not me. I'll follow Iolo down the pit, not good but nothing could be worse than this. But how can I go, what would happen to Mam and Dada.
Still it's nice to dream.
Goodnight Dada, I love you Mam. Time to sleep. Bryn.R.

A small excerpt from one of the books written by the wonderful Alexander Cordell. start with "The Fire People" get hooked and then the first Trilogy, "The Rape of a Fair Country" "The Hosts of Rebecca," and "Songs of the Earth"

Da Iawn, as we say in Cymraeg. Very Good you say in English

December 04, 2009

Christmas is almost here, don't forget to read Journey into Winter, with Princess Cornflower and her friends on a train journey to find Christas.

        JOURNEY INTO WINTER


Heledd CornelThe five Googlenok friends who spent most of their time
having adventures in  



Sarah StonecropJody CornelKayleigh WillowherbAnn Carline
PEPPERCORN GREEN WITH PRINCESS CORNFLOWER
 
Igloo JOURNEY INTO WINTER




 


Chapter One

Porridge and Tangerines


Cornflower in her NightiePrincess Cornflower lay in her bed watching the snowflakes falling gently past her bedroom
window. She sat up in bed and pulled her dressing gown round her
shoulders. She smiled as she heard the sound of the Peppercorn Express
far away in the distance, it would just be entering the tunnel at Sleepy Hollow.
She closed her eyes and pictured the frozen pond that lay at the other end of the tunnel it
was to early in the morning for anyone to be out skating, but it
wouldn’t be long until all the children came out with their skates and
sledges and began to enjoy themselves.
Gosh, she was bored, five
days she had been stuck in bed with marsh flu. Five days of reading
books, running temperatures, drawing pictures and runny noses, but
today she felt really great, she had eaten all of her supper last
night, taken the last of the foul rhubarb tasting medicine that Dr. Cornel had prescribed for her, and done everything, well almost everything she had been told.Chickens in the snow
She had to be allowed up today or she would go potty.
Cornflower climbed out of bed, slipped on her slippers and dressing gown and walked over to the window.
The snow looked beautiful most of the footprints in the courtyard had been covered by the new fall of snow, only Minnie’s and Martha’s could still be seen. A few of the chickens were still trying to find the corn that had buried itself in the snow.
" I wonder if their feet are cold" Cornflower thought, but she didn’t have time to find out for just at that moment the door of the bedroom opened and Minnie Speedwell came in carrying the coal bucket.
Minnie Speedwell" Oh Minnie you did give me a fright, I thought it was my mother" she said walking back over to the bed.
"
Its a good job it wasn’t" Minnie said putting the coal bucket by the fire place, " You might have ruin your chances of getting up today."

Minnie straightened the quilt and puffed up the Princesses pillows. " Come on get back in before the Queen does come up to see how you are."
The
Princess climbed back into the bed and watched as Minnie put some coal
on the fire, Cornflower smiled as the flames began to shoot up the
chimney, " Do you know Minnie your hair is almost the same colour as
those flames, well the darker bits anyway."
Cornflower leaned back on the pillows.
" Do you really think I’ll be allowed up today Minnie? I do hope so I’m so fed up, up here on my own".
" I’m almost certain of it," Minnie replied as she stood up and dusted the top of the
fireplace, " I’ve a feeling something is about to happen, Cook has given us a list a mile long to have finished as soon as we can, and your Mum keeps going round re-arranging things and that’s a sure sign something is up."Martha brings Cornflower her tray
"
Oh I wonder what it could be," Cornflower said jumping out of the bed again " Have you got a clue, there’s only one more week to Christmas maybe someone is coming to stay?"
The door opened again and Martha came in carrying the Princesses breakfast on a tray,
" Cathy is wondering where you’ve got to Minnie," Martha said as she put the breakfast tray on the bedside table.
" On my way," Minnie said picking up the bucket and making a dash for the door. She went out then popped her head back in.
" Now remember what I said, try and sit still till after your mother’s
been up, or you’ll get cold and out of breath and you’ll be staying
here another day "
she closed the door and went down stairs.
The Princess sat on the bed and took the porridge off the tray, it looked
delicious all hot and creamy, there was a tangerine, two slices of
toast covered in peppercorn marmalade and a cup of tea.
She began to eat her porridge. Martha went into the bathroom.
" Do you fancy having a bath this morning, you will feel a lot better if you do?"
Cornflower finished her porridge and picked up a slice of toast.
" Do you think I should ask Mum first?" Cornflower answered.Cornflower finishes her breakfast
" I don’t think your Mum is that worried, she seems to be in one of her flaps over something or other." Martha said as she came back into the bedroom.
" She put a big bowl of water on the dressing table
" Maybe you had better just have a good wash, hurry with your breakfast and I’ll do your hair."
"
Minnie seems to think someone might be coming to stay for Christmas, have you any idea who it might be Martha?" Cornflower asked as she
peeled her tangerine Martha took a clean towel out of the cupboard and hung it over the end of the bed.
" I’m sure I don’t know Princess, you know how mad this castle is at the
best of times, it could be Father Christmas himself for all I know.
" Does Daddy know Father Christmas?" Cornflower said laughing.
" I wouldn’t be surprised." Martha said as she sat down on the window
seat, "All I know is its like bedlam down there, Cathy has had us
cleaning the kitchen since we arrived, loads of extra food has been
ordered from the shops and your Mum is going round Candy Puppyre-arranging things, and you know what that means."
" Hmm, that's what Minnie said," Cornflower said as she took a drink of her tea.
" Now who could it be?"
Cornflower picked up the stool and went and sat by Martha who began to brush her hair. She loved the young Princess very much and everyone had been a bit down in the dumps whilst she had been ill, she bought laughter into the old castle and even grumpy old Barnaby had been worried about her
instead of his old backache.
Martha had just about got the last knot out of Cornflower’s hair when the door burst open and a tiny pink and white ball of fluff came prancing through the door.
" Candy " Cornflower giggled as the ball of fluff jumped up on her knee knocking theImage brush clean out of Marthas' hand.
" You’ll get shot if Cathy finds you up here" Martha said as she picked up the brush and as if hearing her name Cathy Fern came bustling through the bedroom door.
" Where is that little terror?" she said smiling " Who gave you
permission to come up these stairs?" She caught hold of the puppy with one hand and collected the tray with the other and bustled back towards the door.
" The Queen is on the way up little one, best jump back on your bed," she said smiling. " You look more like your old self this morning, are you feeling better?"
Before Cornflower could answer Queen Pepper came into the bedroom, she walked over to her daughter and gave her a huge kiss on the forehead.
" Well " she said taking a step back and looking at her daughter, " You do look better, and it’s a good job for I’ve planned a special surprise for you."
" You have Mummy " Cornflower said sounding surprised; she didn’t want to spoil her mother’s fun.
" Can I guess what it is?"
" Of course you can darling, but you’ll never guess in a hundred years."
Cornflower put her head on one side. " Are we having visitors for Christmas?"
The Queen nodded her head. " But you don’t know who, try and guess?"
Queen Pepper had on her favourite orange skirt, the one with the little acorns on it.
" My skirt should give you a clue." She laughed
" Your skirt, how on earth could that help me " Cornflower frowned.
" No I give up, you’ll have to tell me."
" No I don’t think I will, I think I’ll make you wait till your Father
gets home, then he can tell you," the Queen smiled and turned to leave
the room.
" Oh Mummy, don’t be so mean you know I hate secrets," Cornflower said jumping up and down on the bed.
" And if you don’t sit quietly, I won’t let you come down stairs." Queen Pepper said as she walked out the door.
" Does that mean I can come down then?" Cornflower shouted after her Mother
" Yes, If you want to." came the answer from the landing.ICornflower is allowed down stairs
Cornflower was up and getting dressed before you could say " Peppercorn United."
" Oh Martha I must be one of the luckiest Googlenok’s in the wholewide world, no one could have so much luck as me."
" You deserve it my Princess," Martha said as she helped Cornflower with her jumper.
"
There you look grand, you’ve even got a few roses in your cheeks, though I dare say there there because of all the excitement and not with your feeling better"
" Oh they are Martha they are," Cornflower said as she pulled on her trainers and ran through the bedroom door.




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