To our wonderful pals over at Creative Cardiff, we bid you HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Creative Cardiff is two years young! And we would love to celebrate with you on Monday, 16 October at ffresh in Wales Millennium Centre from 7pm at our bumper Show & Tell. You can expect truly exceptional speakers, entertainment and, of course, birthday cake! SIGN UP FOR THE PARTY
Creative Cardiff’s ‘Show & Tell’ is a quarterly event that gives a platform to the exciting range of creative people and projects in the city. It brings together Cardiff’s creative community, from emerging talent to old hands, to hear about their current projects and ambitions.
Each of the speakers will give a 10-minute lightning talk. And they’ll bring an object. The object might be the source of their inspiration, a tool of their trade or a comfort blanket. The speakers will share their work and explain the importance of the object they’ve brought along.
Speakers include Karen Mackinnon, Director of Artes Mundi International Visual Arts Exhibition and Prize, Jamie Rees, Director of Marketing at Chapter Arts Centre and star of one man show Oh Hello and Mark Woods, Co-Founder & Chief Technical Officer of AMPLYFI.
Oh, and did we mention that WE’RE DJING? Because we are!
If you haven’t joined the Creative Cardiff community yet, YOU SHOULD, because it’s totally FREE, plus you get year round events, a monthly newsletter with loads of REALLY handy links, job listings, and to take part in cool research about how the city is developing. SO JOIN NOW!
Local outfit Astroid Boys hit a sweet milestone recently, with the release of their Broke album. Photojournalist Aiyush Pachnanda went along to document the night!
In their own words: Rising out of Cardiff’s unlikely CF10 area code, Astroid Boys have cultivated a movement that transcends multiple sub-cultures – a growth that defines them less as a band, and more as voice for the youth.
With a DIY ethos rooted in the punk and hardcore scene, mixed with the raw, narrative approach of grime culture – their sound fuses together multiple perspectives, channeling their aggressions and woes into a platform for creative expression and escapism.
Bringing everything to a climax through their high-energy live shows, the combination of attacking vocals, crushing guitars and Dellux’ signature production never fails to get a crowd bouncing, both cult followers and innocent bystanders alike.
Our lady with her ear to the ground is Joy. Befriend her on Facebook and have a look at the events she’s attending. She is literally going to EVERYTHING.
Also don’t forget, you can follow We Are Cardiff in any of the following places, to get your fill of stories, pictures, alternative news and good stuff from the city!
We’re not quite sure what part of We Are Cardiff Zelda will be working on yet. Possibly Head of Napping and Stress Relief.
Earlier this year I had a mental health run-in that left me thinking that perhaps I needed to add exposure to happy furry things to my life. I registered as a walker with Cardiff Dogs Home and visited the home a few times, taking out various different dogs for walks around the Penarth Road Industrial Estate and over to Grangemoor Park (or Asbo Hill, behind Ikea).
Anyway, fast forward past numerous doggy dates and finding a pooch on Borrow My Doggy to spend some days with. A couple of weeks ago, four ex-racing greyhounds were taken in to Cardiff Dogs Home, and the stars aligned, Saturn returned, etc. We met Zara and Dougie, who were both adorable … flipped a coin … and ended up adopting Zara (who we’ve renamed Zelda, in honour of the magnificent Nintendo series).
Cardiff Dogs Home
Every local authority has a statutory obligation to house stray and abandoned dogs for a period of seven days. After seven days, local authorities may ‘dispose’ of the dog (you’ve guessed what that means). Cardiff Dogs Home has a group of volunteers called Friends of the Dogs, who work tirelessly to make sure no healthy dogs are put down by supporting adoptions and fundraising for the home.
So many wonderful dogs pass through facilities like Cardiff Dogs Home every year – loving animals that could be wonderful pets for people. So this is why they say adopt – don’t shop!
Walking through the kennels is a heartbreaking experience – although the dogs are sheltered, fed, watered and walked, kennels can be a stressful place. All those dogs would much rather be on someone’s sofa. And you can’t beat the feeling of giving an abandoned dog a good home.
How can you help?
Have you got space in your life for some furry joy? Go and wander around the kennels and see if any of the dogs take your fancy and adopt a dog. Alternatively the Friends of the Dogs post photos up on the Adoption Forums, so you can look before heading down there.
Need convincing? These are some of the beautiful animals that went through the kennels that were adopted and given a second chance …
If adopting a dog is too much commitment, you can register as a walker. Just fill in a form online and then head to an induction session, where you’ll be taught how to greet a dog, how to walk them, and a whole range of other things – safely, and with minimum stress to the dogs. Once you’ve been through the induction, you can head down to the home during opening hours and take a pooch out for a walk. More about registering as a walker at Cardiff Dogs Home.
Friends of the Dogs also fundraise, and sometimes have specific roles that you can volunteer for (helping out on the forums, etc). If that sounds like your bag, see how you can volunteer for Friends of the Dogs.
Dogs and mental health
There are plenty of reasons why hanging out with a dog is great for your mental health: they increase the amount of exercise you get, they distract you and keep you in the present moment, petting them reduces stress, and they are always happy to see you. More on this: Psychology Today, Mental Health UK, Psychiatry.org.
Here’s Zelda on her first walk (of many, I’m sure) through the wetlands in Cardiff Bay.
I’m sure you’ll be hearing more from Zelda in the future, but for now, this is her, saying WOOF!
If any of you are on Instagram, you can follow her retirement from racing and integration into society here: @IGZeldaPooch
A treat for you today: Splott resident Tamsin Stirling tells us about her Cardiff edgeland: the fabled Splott Beach.
My edgeland: Splott Beach
When people ask me, as they often do, ‘is there really such a thing as Splott beach?’, I answer an emphatic yes. It’s not your archetypical white sandy beach, but a beach there is, sandwiched between the Bristol Channel and the Tremorfa waste water treatment works.
I’ve lived in Splott for over 20 years and only discovered Splott Beach a couple of years ago thanks to our wonderful hyperlocal news service Inksplott. I’m now a regular visitor, usually with my camera. I’ve met a few other walkers there and a couple of fishermen hoping to catch cod, but I am usually on my own, accompanied by the rumble of traffic along Rover Way.
Face out to sea and there’s the Somerset coast, the screech of gulls and curlews and, if the tide is out, beautiful skeins of runnels left in the mud. Face inland and there is a fascinating jumble of buildings and tanks that take storm water and sewage from south east Wales and, using oxygen and bacteria, make it clean enough to be discharged into the channel. And further back, the Celsa steelworks, a 24 hour-a-day workhorse which turns scrap metal into steel reinforcing bars, generating noise and dust which Tremorfa and Splott residents are so familiar with.
Splott beach is an industrial archive. Bricks, tiles, parts of the former East Moors steel works –broken crucibles, substances produced by heat, there are endless objects to be found on the beach. It’s a joy for someone like me who enjoys pottering about and taking photographs. There is so much beauty in degraded industrial objects. Less beautiful are current human interventions; the beach and the coastal path are frequently used as an alternative to the Lamby Way tip.
The Wales Coastal Path runs just above Splott beach going east, along the water treatment works fence. Beyond the works, the path rises up a bit and there is a fantastic viewpoint to the city and beyond. This spot demonstrates the location of Splott in a way that I knew logically, but had never seen laid out so clearly before. It also provides a fantastic vantage point for the whole of the steel works – lorries bringing scrap metal, a water truck damping down the slag heap, diggers constantly shifting metal and ash.
Splott beach is physically on the edge of our city. For me, it is also a brilliant example of what Robert Macfarlane and others refer to as ‘edgelands’ – places that do not attract much interest or attention, that are not known by many, but where plenty of beauty and interest thrives.
On and around Splott Beach, an edgeland down the road from where I live, there is constant ebb and flow – of tides, of traffic, water, steel, people … It is a fascinating place, ever changing, always different from the last time. Yes, Splott Beach is most definitely a thing …
Tamsin Stirling has lived in Splott since 1997. She is a freelance researcher, working on housing and regeneration issues. She is fascinated in how places and communities function and particularly in the very different experiences of individuals living in the same city. She loves to walk and take photographs. @TamsinStirling1
Cardiff Book Festival started off as a fairly modest affair last year, but this year it’s bigger, brighter, and even has its own literary-themed disco! We’ve combed through the programme (the best value ticket is a weekend wristband for £30, btw) and found our picks for the weekend. So get your read on, and let’s go …
Cardiff Book Festival: Where the written word comes alive, aloud, and off the page in the Welsh capital!
Friday 22 – Sunday 24 September, The Angel Hotel, Cardiff
OUR PICKS:
Friday 22 September
Catherine Mayer – Attack of the 50 Ft. Women: How Gender Equality Can Save The World!
7.15 PM – DRAGON SUITE, THE ANGEL HOTEL
Not a single country anywhere in the world has achieved gender equality. In more than a few countries, progress for women has stalled or is reversing. If gender equality promises benefits not just to women, but to everyone, why aren’t we embracing it? And how can we speed the pace of change? In ‘Attack of the 50 Ft. Women’, journalist and co-founder of The Women’s Equality Party Catherine Mayer tackles those questions and many more, sharing inside views and experiences. In her insightful, revelatory, often hilarious, and hugely inspiring book, Catherine Mayer takes us to a place she calls Equalia. What is it like? Does gender equality make for a society that is more equal in other ways too? Who does the low-paid jobs? How does gender express itself in a place freed from gender programming? What’s the sex like? What’s on the telly? (£7 full price, £5 concessions)
Dylan Jones on David Bowie: A Life in conversation with Mike Williams sponsored by Capital Law
8.30PM – DRAGON SUITE, THE ANGEL HOTEL
Dylan Jones is the award-winning editor of GQ magazine, a position he has held since 1999, winning the British Society of Magazine Editors “Editor of the Year” award a record ten times. A former editor at i-D, The Face, Arena, the Observer and the Sunday Times, he is the author of New York Times best sellers on musical heroes including Jim Morrison and Elvis. His new book David Bowie- A Life is an engrossing, magisterial biography unlike any Bowie story ever written. It’s an epic, unforgettable cocktail-party conversation about a man whose enigmatic shapeshifting and irrepressible creativity produced one of the most sprawling, fascinating lives of our time. Drawn from over 180 interviews with friends, rivals, lovers, and collaborators, some of whom have never before spoken about their relationship with Bowie, this oral history weaves a hypnotic spell as it unfolds the story of a remarkable rise to stardom and an unparalleled artistic path. By turns insightful and deliciously gossipy, David Bowie- A Life is as intimate a portrait as may ever be drawn. It sparks with illuminating, never-before-seen material from Bowie himself, drawn from a series of Jones’s interviews with him across two decades. Dylan will be interviewed by Mike Williams, the editor-in-chief of NME, himself a winner of the British Society of Magazine Editors “Editor of the Year” award during his time at Kruger Magazine, which is where I also cut my journalistic teeth. RIP KRUGER. (£7 full price, £5 concessions)
Saturday 23 September
Scientists of Wales/Gwyddonwyr Cymru
1PM – PRINCE OF WALES SUITE, THE ANGEL HOTEL
The University of Wales’ series of books Scientists of Wales/Gwyddonwyr Cymru charts the lives, times and works of Welsh scientists, and of people active in science in Wales. This event will see lively discussion in Welsh and English about Wales’ place on science’s world map, taking in the stories of William Robert Grove, a pioneering researcher who anticipated the general theory of the conservation of energy, and was a pioneer of fuel cell technology and Evan James Williams, whose work included attempting to prove the existence of Hidiki Yukawa’s hypothetical pi mesonparticle, and working on the MDS (magnetic detection of submarines) system to tackle the U-boat menace of World War II. (£5/£3)
35 years of Fighting Fantasy with Ian Livingstone
2.30 PM – DRAGON SUITE, THE ANGEL HOTEL
Ian co-founded iconic games company Games Workshop with Steve Jackson in 1975, launching Dungeons & Dragons in Europe. In 1982, he co-authored The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook in the series which has sold almost 20 million copies worldwide. His best-selling titles include City of Thieves, Forest of Doom and Deathtrap Dungeon, and his new book, The Port of Peril, marks the 35th anniversary of Fighting Fantasy. When serving as Executive Chairman at Eidos, he launched global video games blockbusters including Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Ian has a passionate belief in the power of play as a contextual hub for learning, and he is a leading advocate for the importance of having Computing on the National Curriculum. His book Hacking the Curriculum is an essential guide for teachers to promote creativity, computational thinking and problem solving in the classroom – meta skills for the digital age. He was awarded a BAFTA Special Award in 2002 and a CBE in 2013. Ian will share a reflection on his career before a Q & A session chaired by BBC Radio 1’s Steffan Powell. (£7/£5)
Sanctuary – Refugee writing in Wales
8.15PM – PRINCE OF WALES SUITE, THE ANGEL HOTEL
Eric Ngalle Charles is a poet, dramatist and novelist and a former Cameroon refugee. His first book ‘Asylum’ deals with what it means to be a refugee, caught between two worlds, destitute and unable to move forward with one’s life. He’s joined by others seeking asylum and refuge in Wales whose stories, poetry and essays about their journeys feature the extraordinary histories of the men, women and children who are seeking sanctuary in Wales. (£5/£3)
Sunday 24 September
Merthyr: the crucible of modern Wales? Sponsored by Modern Wales, Parthian
1PM – PRINCE OF WALES SUITE, THE ANGEL HOTEL
Dai Smith interrogates Joe England’s claim that Merthyr was the crucible in the development of Wales in the 19th Century and moving on a century asks why Huw Lewis’s moving memoir of growing up in Aberfan in the 1960s and 1970s, The Skylark’s Song, has so much to say about the past as a foreign country. (£5/3)
How Bullshit Conquered the World with James Ball
2.30 PM – DRAGON SUITE, THE ANGEL HOTEL
2016 marked the birth of the post-truth era. Sophistry and spin have coloured politics since the dawn of time, but two shock events – the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s elevation to US President – heralded a departure into murkier territory. This is the story of bullshit: what’s being spread, who’s spreading it, why it works – and what we can do to tackle it. This is bigger than fake news and bigger than social media. It’s about the slow rise of a political, media and online infrastructure that has devalued truth. The Pulitzer Prize-winning James Ball should know. He’s worked in political, data and investigative journalism in the US and the UK for BuzzFeed, The Guardian and the Washington Post in a career spanning TV, digital, print and alternative media. (£5/£3)
Neil M.C. Sinclair
6.30PM – DRAGON SUITE, THE ANGEL HOTEL
Afro-Celtic author and historian, Neil M.C. Sinclair is a native of Tiger Bay, the oldest multi-ethnic community in Wales. He has written extensively on the history of his unique hometown, a place which is now the subject of the new musical ‘Tiger Bay’, premiering in Cardiff this November. Sinclair’s insider’s view of the area draws on personal memories, family history and a lifetime’s worth of connections within one of Cardiff’s most celebrated communities. Supported by Wales Millennium Centre’s Tiger Bay the Musical, 13th-25th November 2017. (£5/£3)
I think you can take as a testament to quite how good this year’s Green Man was that it’s taken me over a week to get myself together enough to write this review.
If you’re in a rush and just want the headline: Best Green Man yet!
For more: read on!
If you’re not in the Settlers camping, general admission starts at 10am on Thursday. In Green Men past, I’ve always liked to be one of the first people in on a Thursday (gotta make the most of it, right? Also means you get to camp near Orange parking, which makes the get-in and get-out easier) but we were delayed a bit this year, meaning we ended up fenced out of our normal spot, and instead deeper into the camping areas – pretty much right behind the Mountain Stage. Which made our tent-festival-tent commute a staggering five minutes. YAS!
We put the tent up (we indulged in a trolley this year to assist us), had a tent cider, then wandered into the festival. We headed straight for Nature Nurture with swimming cossies, just in case there were any spaces in the hot tubs. And guess what … there totally were! So we splurged the £25, had a lovely shower, and then spent two hours intermittently boiling in hot water and then dunking in the cold plunge pool.
Thursday night was finished off with a viewing of the Ben Wheatley film Free Fire in the Cinedrome (which, judging by the number of napping adults in the tent, also doubles as a grown person creche).
On Friday morning we scrambled out of bed in time to see the Druids of Stonehenge open the festival. This year it was Rollo Maughfling on his todd, and he opened the festival with the traditional series of blessings and group chantings and wishes for peace throughout the world. He did also hope for good weather, but as if by magic, the heavens opened and it poured down during the ceremony.
The rest of Friday was mostly spent pootling around between the Mountain Stage and the Back of Beyond, a relatively new stage for the performing arts. Like many of the people at Green Man, we were with people who had kids in tow. But luckily for all of them, it’s a festival that’s built with families in mind.
You’ll see various families pulling these trolleys around the festival: they’re the same trolleys you can use to help drag all your camping crap in during the set up. You can also rent one out for £25 a day, complete with cushions inside and roof to protect your little ones from the weather.
They were an absolute godsend – like mini pillow forts on wheels. The kids slept, ate, and played in and around them all day – and more importantly, they weren’t as tired and crabby as if they’d been walked around.
Frankly, I was a little jealous that no one was pulling me around in one.
We managed to catch quite a bit of music on Friday. The weather was holding steady, which meant sitting on the floor (or rolling around if you needed to) were still possibilities. On the Mountain Stage we caught Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit (who we’d seen at Green Man a couple of times before – and has never disappointed), and the grungey, slow-roasted rock of US band Lift to Experience, who had on stage with them the biggest Texan flag I have ever seen.
We also enjoyed British Sea Power (who turned the stage into an arboretum for their powerful set).
For the big finale of the night, it was a toss up between Future Islands and Kate Tempest, which split our group. Personally I was in favour of staying in Round the Twist, which was busting out some 80s classics (and had handed out inflatable guitars to everyone for some serious moshing), but plumped instead to head to see Kate Tempest.
And my word, am I glad I did. I’ve never seen her live before, and she performed Let Them Eat Chaos, all the way through. Despite some ill-timed whooping from hammered ravers whenever she mentioned drugs, it was one of the most effective performances I’ve ever seen. I’ve listened to the album before, but there was something incredibly special – raw – vital – about her voice, about the words, about experiencing it live.
When she finished, I was so overwhelmed by it that I couldn’t even clap. We staggered out of the tent and headed to Chai Wallah’s to get a drink.
We headed back for Roni Size – I was hoping that listening to New Forms all the way through might help ease the tension, but the first 20 minutes was some straight jump-up, which I just didn’t have the energy for. We rambled back down the hill and to bed at 2am – a relatively early night – to get ready for Saturday.
Slightly bruised by our late night politics, we spent much of Saturday moving slowly from stage to stage, absorbing music, talks, djing, and many, many pints of Growler, which has now become the festival’s ‘house pint’.
We caught a couple of bands in between moving very slowly, many children in tow between stages: the excellent H.Grimace, who played on the Green Man Rising stage (and very kindly let us use one of their tracks for our video above – thank you Hannah!), folk veteran Shirley Collins, old school rnb revivalist Michael Kiwanuka, experimental disco-punkers Liars (although they were a bit loud for the kids, so we hung outside with Bloody Marys for their set), sludgy garage-rockers Thee Oh Sees.
There was also plenty of food explorations on Saturday – and although the jury’s still out, here are the best eats at Green Man (sorry there are no pics, we ate everything before we had a chance to take photos!):
the Vietnamese place up by Fairy Power (I ate here three times can’t remember the name …!). They had the MOST AMAZING sweet and sour broth, stuffed full of veggies and noodles with pork balls on top … for £8 …
the Roaming Rotisserie chicken place. Half a chicken, stuffing and potatoes for £8.
Strumpets with Crumpets. Just do the blue cheese, jam and bacon one when you’re pissed and on your way back to your tent – and don’t even trip, dog.
So anyway, back to the festival, I guess …
My highlight for the weekend was always the Saturday night … Jon Hopkins into Daniel Avery (be still, my beating techno loop).
And it was, predictably, absolutely amazing. I’ve been a Hopkins fan for years now, and Daniel Avery’s Drone Logic is one of the best dance albums released over the past ten years. Hands down.
Myself and the We Are Cardiff technical futurologist have a fun tradition of waiting until we are the drunkest we can possibly be, and then rugby tackling each other down the between the hill between Chai Wallah’s and the Nature Nurture area. This is us, by the way (during the daytime).
This year was no different, but unlike previous years, we were either not quite drunk enough for this escapade (or far too drunk). So upon waking, I was a bit worried to feel extreme pain all around my ribcage when I moved, or coughed, or just breathed.
We decided to take Sunday a little bit easier. hiding from the rain in alternate locations (mostly between Chai Wallah’s and Far Out), grabbing slices of pizza and pints of Wrexham lager when the weather allowed, and absorbing Actress, Sunflower Bean, Richard Dawson, and Manu Delago.
As Sunday night drew to a close, and the weather drew in, Mountain Stage headliner PJ Harvey took to the main stage. You can hear her performance here on the BBC, and I read a great review of her set (and actually of the festival as a whole in the Quietus) so why not head over there, show them some love, and so I can pull this thing to a close!
My camera always falls to pieces every year when I try and capture the burning of the Green Man, so this year I thought your photos would be better to try and represent the ritual. Earlier in the festival I would check the wishes that were written on tags and tied to the man and dragon combo. They ranged from the fairly standard (I wish I was a fairy, please can I have a pay rise) to more fatalistic (my favourite: everything is fucked).
And maybe it’s just me – but after such a wonderfully rich weekend, with good music, good people, and good booze – was burning all those thoughts that we are troubled with – some sort of opportunity for a new beginning?
Radical ritual, folk hearted celebrations of art, music, literature, and people. This was the best Green Man yet. And I cannot wait to see what they pull out of the bag for next year!
GREEN MAN 2018 EARLY BIRD TICKETS ARE OUT SOON! Make sure you’re following:
Well, it was one to remember! Possibly the strongest line up of any Green Man so far … plus more art, performance, fun times and pints of Growler than any Green Man before!
We’re prepping our We Are Green Man festival goer portraits, but for the time being, hopefully this will tide you over …
Early bird tickets for next year are out soon – make sure you do the thing and follow the lovely Green Man Festival in all the usual places …
So for the time being at least, Womanby Street has escaped the corporate clutches of various property developers and our independent venues are safe … so come celebrate with a weekend of music, art, performance, street food, and LOADS OF BOOZE – between 25th – 27th August bank holiday weekend, gorge yourself on 200 ACTS // 12 STAGES // 3 DAYS // 1 WRISTBAND! Scroll to the bottom for full MASSIVE line up and venue breakdown.
HUB Festival is one of our favourite Womanby Street takeovers, and this year the line up is MASSIVE, plus street food from Feast Fest – I mean, what else could you ask?
They’ll be squeezing in rock, reggae, folk, blues, funk, hip hop, pop, jazz, disco, metal – as many genres as they can find, with promoters/labels/bands working together to show the rest of the country that Cardiff is absolutely buzzing.
Taking place at:
Clwb Ifor Bach // Fuel Rock Club // The Moon // Castle Emporium // Tiny Rebel // City Arms // Jones Court // Banc Car Park // The Busk Stop // Bootleggers // The Street
PLUS: Comedy, Spoken Word & Poetry, Performance Art, Live Graffiti & Street Dance, Carnival acts, Silent Discos, Feast Fest street food, guest DJs and Busk Stop!
WEEKEND TICKETS:
Adult £25 adv + bf
Youth £10 adv + bf (ages 12-17)
Children under 12 go free.
Under 18s are allowed in all the venues until 9pm(apart from City Arms 7pm).
1-DAY TICKETS (SATURDAY OR SUNDAY)
Adult £15 adv + bf
Youth £7 adv + bf (ages 12-17)
Children under 12 go free.
Under 18s are allowed in all the venues until 9pm(apart from City Arms 7pm)
Tickets are on sale in Spillers Records Cardiff, Diverse Music Newport, and online from WeGotTickets.com + SeeTickets.com
This summer, blog kween Phoenix headed up to Criccieth for a short writing retreat at the Literature Wales house, Tŷ Newydd. Here’s what she got up to.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit of a reluctant writer. I long to indulge that part of myself that creates words, but I find sitting down for periods of time difficult. My day job involves a lot of spreadsheets and emails, which makes the occasions where I’m trying to do creative work that involves my laptop even harder. Also there’s all that stuff about YOU’RE A WRITER CALL YOURSELF A MOTHERFLIPPING WRITER. But also cringe, and pride, and all those things.
Anyway. So I’d been thinking about doing a writing course for a while, but the thought of being so stationary (sit down and write!) kept putting me off. Some joyous synchronicity in my life, then, that drew my attention to a Literature Wales course, Yoga and Writing: The Sun in the Self. The course promised to combine meditation and movement, seeing what ideas we could generate – what we could churn up from the milky sea within – over five days in the beautiful house up in Criccieth. (Also an amazing excuse to get myself up to north Wales – in amongst some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK).
And it really is an incredible setting. Originally built in the fifteenth century, Tŷ Newydd is a Grade II* listed building that was the last home of former Prime Minister David Lloyd George, and the grounds were restyled by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis (of Portmeirion fame) in the 1940s. The gardens are full of thick, edible hedgerows (the rosemary bushes are thick and pungent, and absolutely amazing in Tony’s focaccia – more about Tony shortly!).
Our programme over the week consisted of morning meditation, storytelling, writing exercises and yoga practise every day, with free time in the afternoons for wandering and absorbing from the beautiful surroundings. Our practice was facilitated and led by yoga instructor and writer Sian Melangell Dafydd, who is totally fabulous and is currently based in Paris (which just adds to her fabulousness as far as I’m concerned), but leads workshops back in the UK throughout the year. She told us stories from Hindu mythology, focusing around water as the main theme for the week. The milky sea was a reference to our own deep consciousness … and how the practical aspects of the week and the exercises would help us churn up ideas and new themes for our own artistic work.
We also had two awe-inspiring female artists come to share their work with us: the first was Vivienne Rickman-Poole, a wild swimmer whose photography has been featured in the Guardian and other places … and Amali Rodrigo, a Sri Lankan poet who now lives in London, and who focuses on using mandalas in her creative work.
Also Vivienne took us wild swimming to a Snowdonia mountain lake! A lifetime highlight. No jokes.
On the last day, I took advantage of the afternoon free time to do some solo exploring, seeking out an abandoned local mansion that Sian had visited some years before: Plas Gwynfryn Mansion. I got covered in soggy cow pats and possibly wandered a little way off the public footpath. But it was so incredibly worth it.
It was one of the most stimulating and challenging experiences of my entire life. Besides the visiting artists, and Sian, the other people on the course all brought with them their own ideas about writing, poetry, art, yoga, and artistic living. The exercises that we did, along with the visiting artists and the free time all served to challenge me to generate new ideas, and challenge existing modes of thinking I was stuck in, especially with my writing.
Also, I can’t really complete the review without saying something about the house’s chef, Tony. I’m not a vegan, or even a vegetarian – but we had vegan food all week, and it was absolutely delicious. I volunteered in the kitchen one afternoon, and Tony even showed me how to make focaccia, a skill that I have brought home with me … and don’t intend to forget.
So in conclusion: it was the perfect retreat, and I would absolutely recommend to anyone who’s looking for a few days out to indulge their “inner child” in.
And if all the yoga and meditation sounds a bit much for you, Tŷ Newydd also has a whole range of other kinds of writing courses – specialising on poetry, non-fiction, memoir, scripting, short stories, and even modern mythology, delivered in English and also some courses in Welsh. A highly recommended investment in your writing self.
UPDATED 31st AUGUST! While one half of We Are Cardiff is a proud Cardiff Bay-er, the other half lives in Canton. As Cardiff is so small, we always take it for granted that everyone knows all the nice places to eat and drink. But we met someone the other day who didn’t know Canton beyond Chapter, so we thought we’d do a little round of our favourite spots in Canton (and slightly beyond) that you may not know about.
We’re assuming here that everyone knows the well-established big hitters of Chapter, Bangkok Cafe, Calabrisella, Ichiban, Got Beef, Kimchi, Chai Street, Time and Beef and The Lansdowne. Have we missed any off this list?
This place has quickly become our new local since it opened in April. Run by the lovely James, he keeps us busy between free beer Fridays, delicious local ale, food popups from the likes of Pettigrew Bakery, Bearded Tacos and Great Eggspectations, pianos, games, dogs, babies, artwork and general warm, friendly lovely amazingness. We have SO MUCH love for this tiny micropub! (photos from @stcannas/@sarahchew1/ @pettigrewbakes)
Hidden away beside a mobile phone shop opposite Peacocks, we stumbled upon this place after moving to Canton. For £25 a month (no contract), you get access to a super friendly gym (run by the wonderful Mered), with a great selection of weights and cardio equipment and a fantastic selection of classes (no extra cost). From fitness pilates to to circuits, they also run socials and competitions. AND Mered let me rig my trapeze in the studio! What a hero.
It’s easy to miss Vivo Latino at the city end of Cowbridge Road, but it’s a great spot for big groups or a quick cocktail. When it first opened, we decided that their nachos are THE BEST in Cardiff. The staff are super lovely, the decor is cool and the drinks are great.
This place is a three-in-one: brewery, bottle shop and bar! The CD boyz make their own beer in Canton (I’m reliable informed it’s cracking stuff, especially the Mikey Rayer) the bar has a great atmosphere and they now have a big screen and Sky Sports out the back for SPORTZ. (photo from @craftdevilbrew)
Again, another hidden gem! If you wander through the Printhaus gate on Llandaff Road of an evening, you’ll find this oasis of tasty food and booze. Since they moved here about a year ago, it’s hard to get a table in the semi-outdoor restuarant. The pizzas are spectacular, with adventurous combinations and perfect dough. The environment is so special, and the staff are banging too.
Speaking of Printhaus, we couldn’t miss those guys off our list. Printhaus is an independent creative community based in Cardiff, offering artists’ studios, screenprinting workshops and event space. We’ve all taken workshops here, from bookbinding to screenprinting, and their frequent artists’ markets are ideal for presents, interior decor and art. Super friendly classes are a great way to try out different skills for a day, You can see their upcoming courses here. (photo from @ThePrinthaus)
The Bone Yard is a collection of fitted-out shipping containers in an old scaffolders yard at the back of the Printhaus. These colourful little boxes are home to myriad of creative, wonderful people and businesses including: Therapy at the Bone Yard, Free Range Frames, Twin Made, England Designs, Ffwrnes Pizza, Yurt in the City and Magpie Gallery among MANY more. So if you’re looking for a therapist, handmade books, galleries, craft classes, pizza, frames or regular markets and events – GO FIND IT!
Manglas Spice of Life, 587 Cowbridge Road East, @manglasspice
EVERYONE!Check out Mangla's Spice of Life, the new vegi Indian restaurant in Victoria Park. Amazing food, hilarious host. £5 taster on Sat! pic.twitter.com/jlQHFuH7IJ
We were lucky enough to check Mangla’s out in the first week of trading, and since then she has brought a burst of spice and happiness to the top of Cowbridge Road (opposite Victoria Park). Her exceptional skills as a cook are matched by her hosting and effervescent personality. It’s an Indian vegetarian restuarant, but also has great reviews on the vegan site HappyCow.net. Read Mangla’s story on WalesOnline!
We literally only tried this place out yesterday, after hearing our buddies RAVE about it. It DID NOT disappoint! It’s just a few doors up from Mangla’s, and sports a fresh and modern interior that overlooks Vicky Park. Bedecked with houseplants and trendy lighting, the open kitchen churns out incredible pizzas with unusual toppings like cashew cream with spinach, and tasty-ass starters like dough sticks with a tomato dip and HUGE green, lemon infused olives. Smashing staff, great Poretti beer on tap and kid-friendly. They are planning to expand the menu to include meatballs, and are starting Prosecco Sundays…. I don’t know that it involves, but I’m in.
— Pettigrew Bakeries Cardiff (@PettigrewBakes) June 17, 2017
YOU LIKE BREAD AND CAKES AND MERINGUES THE SIZE OF A CHILD’S SKULL? Yep, us too. The Pettigrew tea gang have built a baked empire of tastiness and long may it spread! Their innovative pop-ups (like pinxtos at St Cannas) are a fantastic way to sample their goods if you’re too lazy to walk up Cowbridge Road.
Falafel Wales, 122 Cowbridge Road East @falafelwales
We are always surprised how many people don’t know about this beautiful park that sits quietly between Canton, Victoria Park and Pontcanna. The beautifully kept lawns, gardens and trees are set across a gentle hill, and the field at the top has a great view across the city.
And so, to end, a classic. If your heels break 5 minutes before leaving for a party- they’re there. If you need a new key cut after an scuffle with a metal-eating wolf- they’re there. If you’ve realised that you don’t have anything but Converse to get married in- they’re there. Cheap, reliable, excellent quality, AND they have a great logo.
ADDITIONS – 31st August
We had lots of suggestions for additions to this list, so here goes:
The Bee & Honey, 63 Clive Road http://www.thebeeandhoney.co.uk/ @thebeeandhoney
This place only recently opened and we haven’t had the chance to visit yet. But, judging by the people who recommended it, we should head over soon! It’s a deli and cafe, and sells a wide range of goodies from freshly baked artisan breads and marinated olives to Welsh cheeses and homemade jams and pickles. The cafe menu looks fab too, we can’t wait to check it out!
Canton Grows Wild community garden, Lansdowne Road @cantongrowswild
— Canton & Riverside (@cantongrowswild) July 16, 2017
Since its establishment up a few years ago (we covered it here), this beautiful little patch of life has matured into something fabulous. They throw garden parties and gives Canton and Riverside residents a chance to get their hands dirty by volunteering.
Park View Cafe, 571 Cowbridge Rd http://parkviewcafe.org.uk/ @parkviewcafe
Another recommendation from a lovely reader: Park View Cafe is just opposite Victoria Park, run by “lovely people and good food and very affordable prices” in the words of Aivi! We were sold already, but the cafe is also a social enterprise- it supports trainees with learning disabilities, who may struggle to find regular employment, to give them the confidence and skills to find work.
Sally Williams left us a comment about the print workshop (unfortunately we couldn’t find a working website or Twitter account). She said “Cardiff print Workshop has a gallery and small workshop [..] It’s open every Saturday from 10.00 to 3.00. They sell original prints, handmade books, cards etc. All of the work is made by members and are original prints that have been either etched, embossed, litho or relief printed. The work is really high quality and they do classes! Watch for the latest dates and times pinned up on the front window.”
I’ve never been in there even though I live on the next street – one to put on the list!
How could we miss this out?! Beautiful crepes and waffles, in a stunning location. Amazing service too! We’ve been reliably informed that the milkshakes are banging.
Okay, so if you haven’t got your tickets yet, you’re probably not going … (although a quick look on the Green Man Facebook page tells me there are still some folk selling theirs! BE QUICK! SEIZE THE DAY!) …
BUT ANYWAY, We Are Cardiff are off to the magnificent Green Man again, carrying out our We Are Green Man project! We’ll be doing our usual festival coverage bonanza, with We Are Green Man festival go-er portraits and general vibing around the site!
Make sure you follow us @WeAreCardiff on Instagram for all the shenanigans. We be IGstorying that shizbaht. Yeah, I said it.
We Are Cardiff 