Puerto Mogan

It’s been a busy day today. Walk the dog then the gym by 8am. Got back then had to call the doctor for my mom. Time for a shower then into the gallery to do a quick painting. At 12 noon I went over to the new gallery where Alex was busy painting the walls.

I then spent the rest of the day helping put up a stud wall and other odds and ends with the odd intermission to check on mom and walk the dog again.
Still its 5.50pm and we are now home for supper and a relax!

The watercolour sketch above is of the harbour at Puerto Mogan in Gran Canaria.It took about 20 minutes. Not much more I can say about it.

River Towy

The painting above is one I have now pretty well finished. It isn’t a very good image as the light has caught it and I was in a bit of a rush. I will have to take it again for my catalogue. Anyway the painting is about 4 feet by 2 feet and is intended to replace a painting in our kitchen. That was 8 feet by 2 feet and is no more. Alex is redecorating so she needed a new painting and to be honest I had seen enough of the old one.

It was an early start today mom phoned at 3.50am so it was out of bed and visit her. She was a bit confused! So was I at that time in the morning. I didn’t sleep after so I took the dog out at 7 and got to the gym for 8. I then started on the painting above. It is a view of the River Towy looking towards Carmarthen.

Alex went to Swansea with grandchildren and her mother to pick tiles?
Tonight we are having a meeting about the new Gallery for the co-operative.

Granddaughter

The sketch above is a quick portrait of one of our granddaughters. I have previously said that I no longer do portraits except for the family. It is a specialised skill and one that needs to be kept up. More importantly it is very time consuming and the market doesn’t really pay except for the very few top portrait artists who charge £15k plus for a head and shoulders portrait (also known as a kit kat).

I find children are particularly hard to sketch/draw paint. You often see portraits, which are completely wrong proportionally for children. (Which tends to age them). They do not have the same general proportions as adults. They tend not to sit still either. It is all about observation and not preconceived ideas. Easy to say but not so easy to do.

Anyway I am quite pleased with the sketch above it is a good likeness and very recognisable to anyone who knows her. It took about 10 minutes observation and 5 minutes drawing. There is a minimal use of line and this results in an unfussy picture. It is unlikely to go anywhere further but will reside in a sketchbook.

Today I helped fitting out the new gallery, walked the dog twice, went to the gym and primed a large board for a new painting to go in Alex’s kitchen.

Druidstone and horses

I finished the painting of Druidstone beach and horses today, shown above. It is quite a large oil which will probably be set directly in a frame without a mount or glass. I also varnished three paintings.

I have been asked if we will exhibit in Swansea in November and as it doesn’t interfere with Newport or Carmarthen exhibitions we said yes. Things are a bit tight as we are expecting our 7th grandchild soon and we are also babysitting for a full week and dog sitting for three weeks along with all our normal caring commitments.

On a brighter note the Rugby World Cup starts soon.

Lifeguard

Yesterday I started a new painting of Druidstone. It is coming on and I hope to finish it tomorrow. Today Alex and I are going to work on the new shop for the co-operative Origin Dyfed in Kings Street, Carmarthen. It is a lovely space and there is a lot to do to get it ready for opening. We have been away but other members have been working hard.

The sketch above is of a lifeguard in Gran Canaria. Alex and I went to the beach. Because the water shelves quickly from the shore she was a bit nervous and only wanted to paddle, which is understandable. So one of our daughters’s persuaded her in while I had a swim not far off shore. It was lovely and I thought quite warm. Judging by the shrieks coming from Alex she didn’t agree. The waves were nothing and just broke gently on the shore. Anyway I was swimming along gently when a large swell suddenly appeared. It was a real one off Atlantic Roller coming in. I swam up it without any problem as it hadn’t started to break but when I looked back to the shore I could see Alex and my daughter standing in the shallows. The wave must have broken about ten feet over them. Anyway they disappeared from view. The next thing I saw was two backsides and legs in the air amongst the breaking wave. They had been knocked over backwards and were washed up the beach. I swam back and got out. Alex was like a drowned rat she had also lost her prescription sunglasses in the sea. She had also hurt her hand but was otherwise ok. At that point I allowed myself to burst into fits of laughter. We found her sunglasses and she recovered her composure and continued to insist through the day that it had been a tsunami! At least she isn’t prone to exaggeration.

Moon in the Morning Gran Canaria

We have been away for a week in Gran Canaria with most of the family. There were 18 of us including grandchildren. It was a great place for the kids plenty of swimming and things to do. It was not the holiday Alex and I would choose if we went away by ourselves but it was really good fun.

The hotel was fine and the area was clean. The hotel had a good mix of British, German, Russian, Polish and Finnish visitors. All got on fine apart from an incident over the pool table when there was a minor verbal skirmish.

I didn’t get any painting done but didn’t expect to. I did do a number of sketches.
The one above is the mountainside opposite our hotel with the moon still showing at 9 in the morning.

We got home late yesterday after a few hiccups. We found that the hot breakfast and packed lunch that had been promised on departure were merely a conceptual idea.
No they didn’t appear. That is the trouble with conceptual things including art they are pretty much of no use or value.

What was even more of a problem was that the transport for 18 didn’t turn up to take us to the airport. A mini bus for 14 arrived despite us checking the day before and having a written confirmation from the company. In the end 18 of us crammed into a mini bus for 14 with luggage.
As an aside on the flight home Alex and I sat on either side of the Isle. Alex bought 2 teas off the trolley when the stewardess came along. The stewardess passed me my tea and some tubes of milk. When I opened the tube and squirted it the milk shot sideways and went down the dress and leg of the stewardess. She looked down at me as I apologised rather embarrassed. Then I nearly compounded the embarrassment. As she handed me a tissue I went to wipe her leg with the tissue realising just in time it was not to wipe down her leg but to put under my tea.

The picture above is just a time filling drawing of an old tobacco tin. I was actually looking for a sketch of a Four Wheeler and came across this.

The other day we were having a day off watching the rugby as I posted. Anyway Alex and the girls (?) popped to the supermarket for more refreshments and the odd ingredient that had been forgotten.
Now anytime I here the words “ I am just popping to …”
I know that is code for, “I will be about four hours”.

So I wasn’t expecting them back anytime soon. The more interesting side of this was that we were left with the children. Now they are all great but surprisingly they have no interest in rugby. They are very interesting in creating an obstacle course and climbing over everything available including me. So it was a long 4 hours.

Anyway I digress from the subject of the post. Our daughter in law was driving a new Landrover for the first time. It was a company vehicle. The female contingent jumped in with shopping bags and credit cards minus children and left for the shops. All went well until the store closed and threw them out. They went back to the car and at that point my daughter in law realised she didn’t know how to reverse the car. She tried pushing and pulling the gear stick to get it into reverse but failed. Alex came to the rescue. We once had an old series 2 Landrover and she handled it like a toy.
So Alex leaned over pushed the gear stick in the right direction and gave a mighty heave.
To the amusement of all her hand came up holding the gear stick and complete housing.

Eventually everything was restored and reverse gear was located.

Today I did some sketching and then read a bit more of Mr Dickens.

It depends

The painting above is one from my small private collection/ It shows the Texaco Jetties in Milford Haven. Moored alongside is Miss Claudia.

I have been often asked if I paint form sketches or photographs. The painting above demonstrates why that question is not straightforward. The answer is it depends.
It depends on the subject. It depends on the location. It depends on the weather. It depends on the type of painting required impressionistic or realistic and the level of detail?

Let us take the painting above as an example. The viewpoint is from the deep-water channel in the waterway. It is not feasible to spend a prolonged period drawing the tanker and refinery hardware bobbing up and down obstructing the shipping lane.
I could draw the subject to a reasonable degree of accuracy given time and a different location. It would also be possible to do a quick sketch with enough information to do an impressionistic painting with not much in the way of detail.

I therefore work from drawings and sketches, photographs and also directly en plein air (i.e. outside painting in front of the subject). It just depends.

What I would add is that working from photographs and other images is no substitute for drawing and drawing practice. This is in my mind the basic starting point of all painting. Photographs should be used as aids or for reference.

Letting go

The sketch above is of a little pony that is in a field on the walk I take in the mornings. I don’t know a great deal about horses breeds etc. You may be aware that although I admire them for their strength and beauty I prefer not to sit on them. I leave that to someone else.

Occasionally our son will accompany me for the early morning walk. I remember when the children were young we occasionally took them pony trekking. Fortunately they never fell off or had any mishaps. I do recall though when our son was about six we went to an adventure park near Borth. We were camping in a tent for our Summer Holiday. Anyway there were mini motorcycles going around a circuit with boys and girls of his age on them. He pleaded to have a go and it all seemed safe enough. So we paid the man and he got on a motorcycle and started going around the circuit. The course was at the top of a sloping field above the main buildings. Bales of straw were placed around the perimeter of the course. After a couple of laps our son hit a bump jerked the throttle and lost control. He somehow found the only gap in the straw bales and shot off out of the circuit going down hill through people towards the buildings and amusements. We were momentarily stunned but then started shouting for him to let go. Fortunately he did and the bike went one way and he the other.

We were very relieved. Although his clothes were worse for wear he was okay and seemed to have enjoyed the experience. I can’t remember if the bike was damaged or if we even checked.

That was the last time however he went on a motorcycle.

Sunset at Sea

I have previously posted about watching the sun go down at St Annes Head in Pembrokeshire.

I came across this painting while we were clearing up before decorating. It shows an Oil Tanker coming in to the West Channel with the sun going down behind.

I have n't exhibited the painting for a while and I am tempted to scrap it. It is a nice painting but I have my eye on the frame for another painting I want to keep for our private collection. The frame is Italian moulding and very expensive. I wont rush into it just yet.

Today I did some work on an oil and then went off with Alex and Jac for a trip to the beach.

John Brown Artist Woodworker Chair Maker

I met many interesting people when I took my degree course one of those I particularly got on with was John Brown.

John was born before the war and when I met he was already in his seventies.
He was an extremely knowledgeable man and had a good library of books on all subjects from art and history to woodworking. John had been a wooden boat builder in America, a chair maker and was now taking up art. I will remember John in his old black coat and canvas bag. He smoked rolled up cigarettes and was always a pleasure to chat to. He took no prisoners in debate. If someone was wrong or he thought they were he told them. John had changed his name at some point. He never told me why and I never asked. He had been married more than once and had lived life to the full.

John was not a well man and on occasions I gave him a lift to Carmarthen hospital but he never really discussed what was wrong with him. He was that sort of man he just got on with life while he had it.

Sadly John died recently. I will remember him in his distinctive clothing with his long wispy grey hair. He will be missed by friends and family.

The sketch above is how I remember him.

Reward without effort

The riots in England’s major cities have understandably provoked a lot of reaction. It has been proposed that one of the causes is the promotion of reward without effort within current society. Merely wanting something is sufficient to obtain it.
These sort of ideas have been promoted by easy credit, advertising and television programs like the X factor.

In art the same theme has been current for many years. People no longer train to become artists. They may go to college but unless they are unusually dedicated there are not required to put in the groundwork. Technical knowledge or ability are not required or desired. It is imagination and “cutting edge” that is important. This is why every year thousands of people graduate Art College striving to find some new gimmick to get themselves noticed and find fame. Painting in elephant faeces, modelling in your own blood are some of the ridiculous ideas that have got “artists”, 5 minutes of fame.

Of course to challenge these notions risks criticism and being labelled among other things, a “stuckist”.


“Your paintings are stuck,you are stuck!Stuck! Stuck! Stuck!"

Tracey Emin

“Maybe Tracey but I can paint.”

Mark Cox


Joseph Beuys said, “Everyone is an artist.” This is just as ridiculous as saying, “Everyone is an electrician.”

Mind you I have been to a Joseph Beuys exhibition, not for me I am afraid. What do you think? http://www.artchive.com/artchive/b/beuys/beuys_kings.jpg

What would make more sense is to say, “Everyone could be an artist.” Yes with hard work and application most things can be achieved.

In this society instant reward is coveted in most areas art being no exception.

The painting above of Alex was once in our living room and was 4ft by 3ft. It is no more.

A great start to the day

This morning’s walk was memorable. I took the dogs up through the woods and down Penlanffos. As we approached the woods I saw a ginger coloured animal sitting under the hedge when I got closer I could see it was a fox. It slowly stood up and walked across the path and disappeared into the wood.

Going through the wood a jay started to make his presence felt. I believe the Welsh name for a jay is screchian y coed very apt as it relates to the scream they make in the woods.

When we cleared the woods and came on to the top field house martins were swooping low over the grass 3ft or 4 ft off the ground. Then as we came down the lane the cows were walking back from milking and swallows were perched on the electric wires.

A great start to the day.

Brecon Beacons

The painting above is an oil of the Beacons which I finished this week. It shows Pen y Fan in the background along with Corn Ddu. We have climbed Pen y Fan many times in the past but it must be 25yrs plus since we last got up there. I keep promising we will have a day out. I’m just afraid it might turn out into a two-day exercise. I am determined we will have a go, but not this week.

I painted in the gallery this morning and had a bit of an accident. I had finished the painting, which involved some detail of a dog and two children. I then accidentally ran a brush through the whole set of figures. This added another 20 minutes onto the painting to put it right.

I admit I had been in a bit of a rush as I had someone coming to the house.

Still there is a moral there.

Haste is the mother of imperfection?

One of the great disadvantages of hurry is that it takes such a long time.

Chance in the Milford Haven

The painting above is of the Oil Tanker Chance in Milford Haven. The jetty has changed now to accept LNG tankers. It is an old picture I have reworked this week. It is unlikely I will exhibit it. It is more likely to find a home on my wall.

Today the view down the valley was grey through the mist. It was nice to stop and look on the way back down the hill. I could see the River Towy zig zagging from the Bascule Bridge (the railway bridge that no longer opens near B&Q) to Green Castle Corner. Closer to me I could see white doves fluttering on the barn roof of Cwm Oernant farm.
Alex framed a painting this morning while I finished the tanker.

No Bull

I didn’t meet this fellow on my walk this morning. (He was at Pontargothi Show).

There are always cows in the field when I walk across Penlanffos. I don’t mind the cows but am always mindful of them particularly as I have a dog or dogs with me

However on the odd occasion there is a bull in the field. It is hard to see as there are a large number of cows and you can’t see all of the field from any one spot. I have sometimes not noticed a bull until I am half way across which is not very reassuring.
I am told that there is occasionally a Friesan Bull which is more unpredictable but I confess I don’t know the difference. Suffice to say I give all bulls a wide berth given the chance.
We are still decorating at the moment but are nearly finished.

Llangennith Beach

Yesterday morning I finished reworking the picture above showing Llangennith Beach on the Gower with Worms Head in the background.

In the afternoon we had family and friends around to watch the Wales v. England game. Needless to say we had a great afternoon and the evening was, shall we say buoyant?

The men watched the game and then watched the recording. Well it was worth seeing again.

Afterwards our daughter in law said, “Who won the first game?”
“Wales did.”
“And how did Wales get on in the second game?”
“Well the score was still the same! It was a recording.”

She then said, “I suppose this will be in your blog?”

Yep!

Mr Timmins

I have recently taken more of an interest in my family history, probably as a result of getting older and also the upsurge of interest with tv programs etc.

On my mother's side of the family it has been relatively (like the pun?) easy to trace my family history. On my father's side it has been a bit of a mystery.The picture above shows my father’s father Harold in his Sunday Best with the family cat Mr Timmins.

My mother was not keen on Harold and described him as sneaky and a bit of a rogue? What I do know is that in 1912 he was working in a jewellers shop in Birmingham when he suddenly left the Country on the SS Mauritania under a passport in a false name. He ended up in Argentina and went prospecting in the mines. He didn’t fight in the Great War and eventually returned to this Country and married. (I still have the passport and letters from Argentina).

Going back further his Father John Cox and family had lived in Heath Mill Lane Birmingham a small lane in the centre. Coincidentally this was also where the artist David Cox lived. My father told me that our family originally came from North Africa whether that is right or not I don’t know but there is genetic evidence to back it up.

Back to the present I have received an email from Josi Spicelli the young artist I posted about previously to look at her work visit:

http://creaturecreate.jimdo.com/the-creative-writing-gallery/poetry/

I have finally disposed of a very large abstract that has adorned our kitchen for a long time. I am tasked by Alex for a large landscape to fill the wall. Still pondering that one. Also currently decorating!

Mistaken Identity

Well we got a lot done today. The electrician completed the wiring and we just had to do the finishing off. We then set about decorating upstairs and the kitchen. I have also had a clear out so a lot of sketch books and some paintings have gone.

I found the little sketch above of Venice and it is really a five minute sketch as we went along in a water taxi. Its got a charm I like although it will never be framed and will one day make its way to the council tip.

When we last visited Venice we were on a cruise (and I bring this up because we have persuaded ourselves to go back there). It was all very charming and picturesque as opposed to Rome which we have stayed in and are not really impressed.

I recall on this Cruise we were in the theatre on the boat watching a show, which was quite good. Unfortunately there was someone talking behind us, which was very irritating. I am quite laid back and rarely say anything. It is normally Alex who wades in (she could start a fight in a chapel). On this occasion I eventually had enough and turned around to a party behind us and told them to be quite as they were spoiling the show for everyone else. I was probably a bit loud as a lot of people turned to look at them.

Two of the ladies burst in to tears and another said, “ It wasn’t us it was the crew behind us.” Who I saw were taking the opportunity to leave the theatre.
You can imagine I felt really embarrassed and a real heal. After the show I apologised to them but now revert to type and let things pass me by.

Mwnt

I finished the painting above yesterday. It shows Holy Cross Church at Mwnt along with attendant sheep.

We have the electrician in the kitchen today and it’s impossible to concentrate on painting due to the constant sound of drilling and chiselling. I tried to watch a bit of cricket but it was pretty slow and the noise really didn’t help.

I put up with the noise for a while but in the end I took the dogs a good long walk and took a trip to the skip. Hopefully he will have mostly finished tomorrow and I can get on.
I remember when we first moved in to this house and Alex asked me to put a can opener on the wall for her. Anyway I found the right location and checked there was no way that any electric wiring could be there. I started drilling and you guessed it for some reason known only to the builder/ electrician a 240v cable ran horizontally just where I was drilling. There was a very loud bang and flash as the dill bit melted. No harm done. I was a bit shocked and it frightened the life out of me.

Llansaint

We had a very pleasant evening in Llansaint last night. Although I don’t like doing demonstrations we were made to feel very welcome. The painting above is one we sold.

Today I was in the gallery doing an oil painting of the Brecon Beacons. Alex has been clearing the kitchen ready for the electrician who is now coming tomorrow.

We are also awaiting the arrival of our daughter’s dog, which is stopping with us. She (the dog) is very bossy and although half the size of our Jac will certainly be the top dog. (Bit like Alex and I really).

Trawsfynydd

We had the family around last night and also Edwin came to collect a library of books we were donating tot the local sailing club. So a busy night.

Today we have the grandchildren and have to clear the kitchen as the electrician is coming in tomorrow to do some work. Our car keys arrived back by post this morning which was helpful!

Tonight I am doing a watercolour demonstration, which is unusual as I rarely if ever do talks, or demonstrations now.I was asked at the weekend if I would consider doing workshops for artists but declined. I have never charged for giving talks or demonstrations but to be honest I just don’t enjoy doing them. Although I am quite a confident person I get no pleasure from being the centre of attention.

The sketch above is of a farm in North Wales near Trawsfynydd.

Laugharne

Today I finished the painting of Laugharne Boat House and varnished a couple of paintings. I have said before there are very good reasons why you should varnish and oil painting. There are also good reasons why you should not. I make the decision on an individual basis some I varnish some I dont. Alex has been making cards and Jac has been relaxing.
We went to our youngest daughter’s for lunch today, which was nice.

I mentioned yesterday that my eldest daughter had managed to take our keys to Clevedon wither yesterday. Well to even things up I will relate what happened to my daughter in law last week. She went to the garage with her two children in the back of the Zafira. She filled up with fuel and went to pay. When she came out of the shop she got in the car thought it was a bit quiet looked around and found the children had gone. She then realised she had got in the wrong car. The funny thing was it wasn’t a Zafira or even a car the same colour as hers. She managed to get back into her car without anyone apparently noticing and left somewhat embarrassed.

It could easily happen to anyone, well in our family!

Clevedon is the key!

Busy weekend, all the grandchildren, kids and dogs here. Very nice to see them all and enjoyed watching the rugby. (I thought Wales played well but a pity about Morgan Stoddard breaking his ankle).

The family have all gone home now so we spent the morning cleaning up. Then a trip to Aberglasney for lunch and see Sandra Phillip’s exhibition.
Lunch was fine and Sandra’s exhibition was up to her own very high standard.
If you can’t get to see the exhibition then have a look at her website:

http://www.sandraphillips.co.uk/

Found out that our daughter had taken our house and car keys back with her by mistake.

Easily done, well it is for my family! So our keys are now in Clevedon hence the sketch of Clevedon Pier.

Exhibitions in Carmarthen

Things don’t always go as planned! I took the dog out at 7am this morning and then apart from a very short interlude for breakfast spent the rest of the morning trying to regain an Internet connection. So the picture today is from my sketchbook showing a Georgian House in Cecilly Hill, Cirencester.

At lunchtime I went to Oriel Gallery in Town to view an exhibition by Roger Cecil (like the tie in to the picture above?). Also Paul Stockle was having an exhibition in King Street Gallery. I confess that I was very impressed by Paul’s Exhibition in the King Street Gallery and I enjoyed reading the comments book in Oriel Gallery. If you get a chance and live locally get along and see them both and make up your own mind.

Tan yr Allt

Busy day today we delivered a couple of pictures this morning including the one above. This shows Tan yr Allt Farm and the River Towy near Carmarthen.

We have also been shopping cleared a lot of work and have now to cut the lawns and maybe start a painting of Laugharne?

Now I know the following is not strictly irony but is more about God amusing himself (or more probably herself) anyway here is "a little irony". Many years ago we lived next door to Pat and Clive with their twins. They were great neighbours and we got on well. Alex and Pat would chat over the garden fence for hours. One day we all decided to go to Borth. We took our own cars and had a very pleasant day on the beach. When we got back in the cars I said we would follow Pat and Clive because their brake light had gone on the car on the way there just in case someone ran into the back of them. So off we all went and here is the irony (or fate playing silly buggers), in Bow Street we were in a queue of traffic behind Pat and Clive when a car ran into the back of us! Fortunately it didn’t do a lot of damage just cracked a lense and scratches.

Austin 7

I finished this painting today. An Austin 7 along with the devoted owners. Its funny holding hands in public can be a bit of an embarrassment factor for some people. Not for me it feels natural to hold my wife’s hand. (It is also handy for steering her past another bargain we don’t want).
Alex survived going to the pictures with 4 of the grandchildren and now its time for lunch. I have a couple of things to get in town and then walk the dog.

Cirencester

Here is another watercolour sketch I did while we were in Cirencester. Today I was in the Gallery and worked on a landscape. It was quite hot in there but I lasted a couple of hours. No visitors but it was a change of scenery. Tomorrow I have an oil to finish while Alex goes to the Pictures.

As a bit of a carry on from yesterday’s blog you will remember (or not) the old buses were open at the back and you used to stand on the platform and hang on while waiting for your stop. Health and Safety would have had a fit. That said I never heard of anyone falling off a bus. It also meant you could run and jump on a bus when it was moving, admittedly you weren’t supposed to.
The only accident I witnessed was when a schoolboy got off the number 8 Bus at Saltley Viaduct and ran straight across the road only to be hit by a lorry coming the other way. It knocked him a good 20ft down the road but amazingly he was okay. I think his name was Cattel or something like that, anyway he was very lucky.

56 Bus from Union Street Birmingham

As I have mentioned before I come from a mixture of Welsh, Scottish and English ancestry. I was brought up in Birmingham and moved to Wales with Alex some 35+ years ago.
One of my memories is getting the number 56 bus from Union Street in Birmingham to Washwood Heath where we lived.

Birmingham City Centre at the time came alive at night with thousands of starlings, which, came into the centre to roost for the night.
There were also the sounds of vendors selling everything from hot potatoes, roast chestnuts to the Evening Mail the local paper. Often of course it would be raining and the lights form the shop windows would reflect on the streets. It was all very atmospheric. I often met my father at the bus stop coming from work and we would come home together. My father unfortunately died at a comparatively young age.

Anyway this painting is one I have done for myself. It is an image that I have been thinking about doing for sometime and finally got around to painting it today (although I did the underpainting yesterday). It didnt take that long to paint as I had a very clear idea of what I wanted before I started.

PS the Bus is a Daimler and the Bus Garage was near the end of Highfield Road where we used to live.

George

The watercolour above was done from the sketch I did on Friday. I quite like the colours although Alex is not so keen. She is actually a better barometer of public opinion.

A man named George.

I have known three men named George all of whom were remarkable in their own way.
The first who was most influential on me was my Grandfather, a real gentleman who had survived the trenches of the First World War. I have posted about him previously but he took me to Cricket Matches (instead of School) and played Chess with me every night.

The second George was the foreman in a factory I worked in. He was in charge of the maintenance and tool room. He was quite a character straight out of the Wild One a James Dean look alike. He had an old soft top Singer in which he carried a hatchet under the front seat. He was pretty wild. He had a good sense of humour but quite a temper. He would happily nail your mug to the workbench and fill it with tea then tell others to stop messing around. He spent a lot of his energy putting his motorcycle parts through the factory stove enamelling plant. To be fair he knew his stuff and could do anything with machines. He was also happy for us to clock in on Sundays then hop over the fence to the canal bank at the back and go home. One person would be left to clock everyone else off. He was constantly at war with the security guard who knew what was going on but was sensible enough to say nothing.

The third George a good friend is known to every one in Laugharne. George knows everyone and everyone knows George. A really nice person who would do anything for you. If you are a friend of George as many, many people are you are fortunate indeed.