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MIKE's MUSES...

"A little of this, laced with a little of that, from around and about..."

The items that follow in this collection of bits and pieces are not necessarily all of local origin..

Please feel free to respond to any queries which may be raised in this column.

Last of The Summer Wine

I hope this isn’t a tombstone…….

Was Last of The Summer Wine actually filmed in secret in the Rhondda?

Where is “Smiler” now?

Strange that Owens should also feature in the programme.

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Does anyone remember?

The picture opposite is of a feature on Nant-y-Pentre, adjacent to Pentre Road bridleway.

Note the remnants of dry-stone walling surrounding a flat area, and what looks like a damn on the stream in the foreground.

I’m told this was the site of a pool built by miners for their kids.

Is this so, or is it a tall story?

If true does anyone remember it?

Are there any pictures or sketches in existence?

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The Englishman who went up a hill and came down a mountain…

...well sort of!

I like to stroll for the sake of exercise, weather permitting, around the high ground surrounding the valley.

From quite early in these wanderings I came to wonder when does a hill become a mountain. I like to stroll above the Ty’n-y-bedw Quarry, with its views over the valley, and over the other side of Mynydd Maerdy past the triangulation marker, with its views towards the Beacons beyond Aberdare and down on Maerdy..

My cheap dictionary has a rather odd way of defining a mountain, and I give its rather vague descriptions of hills and mountains below:

Mountain. An elevated mass larger than a hill. Moving downwards –

Hill. A natural elevation of less size than a mountain. And going on down –

Hillock. A small hill. Unless of course its round in shape when it’s a –

Knoll. A little round hill.

All this is very useful, at what heights do hillocks become hills and hills become mountains? All I really have discovered is that the first part of any ascent always seems to be the steepest!

At the top of the hill, sorry mountain, some 1,563 feet (or if you must use those infernal Euro-dots - 481 metres), above sea level..

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My Early Welsh

Recent news reports on the possible closure of many public toilets in Gwynedd, reminded me that this area was the first that I visited in Wales.

It also reminded me that the very first words of Welsh that I picked up were Merched and Dynion! Women and Men – how’s that for class distinction? – it’s Ladies and Gentlemen in English – I see another letter campaign coming on in the Western Mail!

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And finally – The Weather

A little less refined than the Cwmparc Weather Station, this is how they forecast the weather on St.Agnes, Isles of Scilly. Strangely, it’s usually right!

It reads:

Rope Moving – Wind;

Rope Still – Calm;

Rope Wet – Rain;

Rope Dry – Sunny;

Rope White – Snow;

Rope invisible – Fog;

and

Rope Gone – Force 10!

Mike Ash, Pentre - January 2008

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