Phonetic crib cards

My dad spoke not a word of Welsh. If you're in a Welsh choir, however, they expect stuff in Welsh. What to do? There are always a few who have the Welsh and they have perfected the art of English phonetics. (Here 'C' is used rather than 'K' but notice the 'V' there on the top one. It's not entirely consistent). These I would guess are in my dad's handwriting copied from elsewhere. We found lots of crib cards like this in English, Welsh adn in this style. My dad always found it difficult to remember words to songs. (I notice that the Battle hymn of the Republic in English is there with the others).

For more phoneticised Welsh - see video here

Notebook, tin and nutcracker

Okay, I think this is the last. Here we have an old red spined purple hardbacked notebook that was my grandmother's. It mostly contains addresses and phone numbers and recipes and I remember it well and with affection. Then there is a rusty nutcracker that used to come out at Christmas. Finally, and best of all, an old tin in which my mother would keep pins (see another example in the second photo). Interestingly, it was made by the D F Tayler Company and once contained (well named) Dorcas dressmaking pins.

Dish, lighter, etc

This is a leaf shaped dish in amber glass that my mam and dad had as a wedding present. Originally there were two adn they both fitted neatly into a larger double dish. I smashed one in my early twenties on a return home (shame). In the dish are three bottle shaped ornaments. Two are Guinness bottle openers (you press the lid and the opener appears beneath the bottle. the other is a Heineken butane lighter. The whole bottle facade removes to reveal the wheel action butane fuelled item.

Clothes brush, First Aid

First aid box and the family clothes brush

Cards, ruler, lock, etc

This time we have a numberof items (10 points if you can identify every item!) - a metal puzzle (representing my disappointment on a Christmas morning when I received such presents), what I learn is called a crinkle cutter (mam's - I remember it being new), three packs of cards (dad liked to play now and again), a bottle opener (best remembered opening tins of evap at Sunday tea time), an old fashioned rotary dial telephone lock (remember those? - my sister was the problem not me!) and finally a six inch plastic ruler with holes for measuring the size of knitting needles (my mam's, of course).

Mole wrench, oil can, etc

This one features my dad's old Mole wrench (the Mole wrench or self-locking pliers have a strong Newport connection but having just looked it up I see that they were not invented in Newport as I once thought) a few more tobacco tins, what must be a hollowed out bottle cork containing three small dice (from Germany I think). Pinned into the top of the small cork container is a white horse, part of a long forgotten promotion for White Horse Whisky I think. There's also an old oil can that was in my grandmother's for years.

Knives, cribbage, etc

Another personal still life. This one features a green tobacco tin (my father gave up smoking years ago but, as I may have mentioned in the past, the old tins survive - I found several in the flat as we cleared up), a small case of tea knives (a wedding present to mam and dad rarely used), a Pontypool Male Choir blazer badge, a home made cribbage board (not sure who made it but it's been round all my life) and the stub of a ticket to Vancouver where my Uncle Peter lives.

Let him give

This is quoted from a Gibert MacAdam prayer letter in the December Banner. I thought it was challenging and inspiring.

One Sunday morning I was waiting to begin the service when a particular family, who have recently started coming, arrived and took their seats. Their little boy of about 8 years of age then came over to me and put a plastic bag into my hands. It was extremely heavy and I said, ‘What’s this?’ He said, ‘I want to give my savings for the poor people who were flooded.’ In the bag was a large tin full of coins. Afterwards it took about 6 people to sort and count it. The total came to 1487 pesos (about £20/$32). It was obvious that he had been saving up for a long time, and he gave the lot to help the flood victims in the Philippines. I was very moved. We plan to visit other areas with relief aid. Please continue to pray for these desperately needy people as we try to show the love of Christ in a practical way as well as spreading the word of the gospel.

Yng Ngwmbran 2

Today we made a lot of trips to the municipal dump as we continue to clear the flat. Gail and I had lunch at Owen's Sandwich Bar on the Highway. Gail has looked after me well but we've eaten out a little. On Monday we were in a Wetherspoon's. It used to be called the Moonraker but is now the John Fielding after the VC winner at Rorke's Drift. See here. So we're getting on with it all. Cards and calls continue. An old friend called tonight. He likes to try out his Welsh when he can so that was fun.

Old Spice and TV

One more for now. This one features a stiff cardboard box that must have held Old Spice after shave at some point but has been used for storing other things as far back as I can remember. The other item is an instruction manual for the first TV we ever had, a PYE.

Wellies etc

This one features a brief case of choir items (may be you can see references to Normandy and to George Thomas) an old Scotch Boy reel to reel tape and my dad's wellies, which I often wore myself.

Jumper and case

As we continue to sort we come across various interesting things. There are several brief cases of various sorts with music scores and other items from the choir days. One brief case goes back to the day when he collected insurance I believe. I've snapped it here with a jumper my mother knitted and that used to be taken with us on holiday each summer for wearing in the evenings.

Yng Ngwmbran

So for the last three days I've been here in Cwmbran. I caught an early bus from Victoria and arrived late morning in Newport where my sister picked me up. Since then we have been talking to the undertaker and to John Edmonds, the pastor at Pontrhydyrun where Gail is a member. I also went to the prayer meeting on Tuesday night, which John led so well. On the day my dad died a deacon's wife of the same age also died. Then on Tuesday the deacon himself also died. You can imagine how the thoughts of the church have been affected by all this. John has had some helpful things to say about my father's death including better evidence of saving faith. I'm really having to think through a few of my ideas.
It's been nice to get to know Gail's children better. They lead busy lives, active in sport, entertainments, friendships and study. Gail is similar. She was playing netball one night and at a works reunion another! It's been nice to see old Pontrhydyrun friends too there and out and about. I sat next to Mrs Garwood, the widow of my old pastor, at the prayer meeting. The 'phone is constantly ringing. People have sent cards too. So kind.
Meanwhile, we have been trying to clear my dad's old flat and deal with financial matters. So there have been trips to the Ty hafan charity shop, etc.

Una's Conflict

This one is a book awarded to my nana (Louise Hazelton, my dad's mother) in 1919 (when she was 11) by the local Baptist Church. It appears to be a morality story by a woman called (Mrs) Jeanie Ferry. Ferry was prolific with stories for girls mainly from the late 19th Century into the 1920s. It is another example of the prevenient grace in the family.
I have discovered that as the Corporation Road area of Newport developed and the Orb Steel Works was built, there were large numbers of people living in the area with no immediate access to any place of worship. Summerhill Baptist Chapel saw the need and moved quickly to fulfil the religious requirements of this community. In 1898 they opened Corporation Road Baptist Chapel in a very central position within the area. A church (later rebuilt) and schoolroom served the local needs well and thrived for many years. As is so often the case, there has been a sharp decline in membership in recent years, though the church is still functioning. This is where my dad went to Boys Brigade in the forties.

Burr Bible

We're going through stuff. This is my great grandfather's Bible I believe. If I have it right James Burr served as a Captain in the Salvation Army and worked on the Newport Transporter Bridge.