The friendly people in West Wales | If SSIW is helping you, why not help us? Get DAILY lessons: Become an SSIW Member!

[Ali]

NO! NO! Please don't go! Cardiff will not be the same without you. I am thinking of kidnapping you and keeping you in a cupboard in my flat, only to be taken out to the Mochyn Du or the Diwc!

In your new home you must have a spare room with my name on it, or in the summer a camping spot in your garden for my tent!

Yes! Yes! Ignore Ali, we want you here!
Plus, I know what houses Dee's looking at, so I can say that if all DOES go to plan, there should be room for you to visit, Ali. If not, you can always come and stay with us, do a spot of babysitting, AND see Dee - bargain!

Bargain indeed! I am a very experienced babysitter now! Having had 4 children, three of them very close together, and now 3 grandchildren I have eyes in the back of my head, can see through walls, smell mischief and read little minds!

Call Rent-a-Granny if you need me!

[Colettet]

I am working on it too but I need to stay in Liverpool a little bit longer - not bureaucracy, but money (or lack of it) getting in the way !!! I still need to work, I have my own business and all my contacts are here. I did the Lottery over Christmas (NEVER do the Lottery) and got quite excited the next day to get an email saying "we have news about your ticket" -- I started imagining my Ceredigion bungalow/cottage but no …… I had only won £5.10

Anyway -- when I eventually "arrive" there will be lots of lovely SSiW-ers already there for me to join with

[Aran]

I had only won £5.10

Only?! When Catrin wins that much, she splashes out twenty quid or so on celebrations...

[bontddu]

Since moving down here from Cardiff I have been constantly surprised by the warmth and friendliness of the local people towards Welsh learners. I think I have already mentioned the friendly butchers in Newcastle Emlyn, but last night I went to our local pub for the quiz night (in English). (Coopers Arms in Aberarad on the way into Emlyn from Carmarthen). I knew the landlady from dog walking quite well already but assumed that she didn't speak Welsh. Got chatting to landlady's mum outside the pub during the evening and turned out she spoke Welsh and so did her daughter. The mum was so encouraging and when we went back in she dragged her poor daughter over to our table and told her that she could only ever speak Welsh to me from now on! What really struck me about her mum was that she apologised to Tim for speaking in Welsh to me (he doesn't understand it) but said that she was going to carry on in Welsh because it was important, then she proceeded to say everything in Welsh and then once again in English in case I hadn't understood. She seemed to have a natural ability to speak slowly and clearly for learners. Turns out she was also looking for a way to teach a couple of youngsters to speak Welsh - she was very interested in SSIW as a teenager-friendly way of him learning and wanted to know loads about it. I LOVE West Wales! (almost as much as I love North Wales!)

It's a beautiful part of the country that I know very well and you're lucky to have access to people like that!