Keep looking for the bluebird,

...and listening for his song...

something on the radio -- listening to old music, of course! big nerd.

Tonight I made my first official Rotary presentation to Bridgend Rotary Club, and other than a little fast-talking and a dry mouth, it all went well :) They were all so very friendly and liked my accent. In the UK, dialects are so distinct that origins are quite easy to determine and they wondered if it was that easy in the US to tell where people are from.

Meeting was at The Great House (Ty Mawr). Absolutely marvelous dinner! (am eating LOTS of lamb) For puddings (dessert), I had rhubarb something -- it was kind of like a cheesecake texture but much lighter. Rhubarb flavor was like tart apples crossed with the kind of mongrel pears we had on the farm when I was growing up (although that is debateable, I suppose).

Here is your history lesson:

Ty Mawr is believed to have been a gift from Elizabeth I to the Earl of Leicester and that he used the house as a hunting lodge during his liasons with local maidens. There is a direct link with the Maid of Cefn Ydfa and The Mackworth Estate. (you will need to scroll down to a distinct break in the page to get to the story. tragedy & scandal!)

The original structure first appears in records around 1586 as Yeoman's cottage, enlarged in two stages in the early 17th and 18th Century to give the house the appearance and status of a house belonging to the gentry.

Prince Charles visits and dines here when he is in the area.