Sorry but I am so sad

You could write a teach yourself Welsh pronunciation book annie
On the subject of your hands, have you tried crochet? They make ergonomically designed crochet hooks and knitting needles now which are much lighter and easier to hold.

I wonder if arm knitting might be possible for you. This is a technique for knitting that has a very loose weave and uses your arm instead of a needle for holding stitches. Admittedly I have only heard of it, I've never actually done it.

Annie I am still unsure about ch

ag using your arm for holding stitches seems to be more like loops than a very loose weave so I am even more now!

I think it is time I put out my light and tried for some sleep!

Doodle, you have given me a brilliant idea, I will run a telephone helpline for those wishing to holiday in Wales but can pronounce the place they are visiting I can advise on suitable Welsh swear words too, useful should! It rain

Agnurse, I have never heard of arm knitting, will look on uTube ?

Synon, hope you slept well ?

Arm knitting - sounds pretty 'armless

Luckygirl, ? I have the giggles now

That telephone help line is a brilliant idea! I have to produce a card with the address on when we’re lost. (Not that we get lost that often, I’m such a brilliant map reader! )

Nfk, I am always available to help, my English isn’t great but I ‘do’ Welsh ?

Always remember one F is pronounced V, Ff is pronounced F , simple realy

And L is L but Ll is that back of the throat thing. C is K and CH as in church?

Not quite, L is L. Ll is tongue to roof of mouth sgainst top teeth. ch is the back of the throat thing ? ,

Aha! Best beloved just came back indoors as I sat there on me bed in the back room practising! Now he knows I’ve lost the plot!

Think how impressed your Best Beloved will be when you read all the signposts next time you are in Wales, and when holiday here you can say exactly where you are holidaying ?

Try this , Ch - as in Bach

Slept well in parts Annie what with how I sleep anyway plus DH's negative pressure wound therapy bandage beeping every so often through the night!
Today was the last day of DD's visit and I have to get her to the railway station mid morning tomorrow. It has gone so very fast but she has been such a blessing and used her time to put more meals in to the freezer for us.

Synon, your daughters visit must have gone so fast, my younger daughter can only visit about four times a year, they only stay two nights ,he won’t stay longer , so I have a full day with my younger daughter and he climbs the mountains,I never see him , pity but his choice

It is hard isn't it - but I am so grateful and glad she came as I expect you are to have your DD even if only for such a short time. My cousin's children have all emigrated so she rarely sees them at all so we have many blessings to count.

Well, in spite of all she has already done whilst here, DD has lots more work to do this weekend before term starts again on Monday, teaching is horrendous nowadays and I can't see how she can keep all this going for another 22 years! So glad to be retired!

I love seeing her , wish she could tackle the drive herself , it would save me having to make excuses for her husband

Teaching must be such a stressful job Synon

Is it a long drive for your DD Annie? I don't suppose trains are as easy in Wales as is the case in other countrified parts so you have to use cars or perhaps buses and nothing is easy if it isn't on the arterial routes of the UK. Sometimes my DD drives but it is at least 6 1/2 hours on a good day which is not great on your own. Sometimes she brings a friend but with DH being so poorly over the past 16 months it is not really on hence the trains. I can remember in the days before the motorways when it would take 16 hours to drive to my DPs and the question "are we nearly there yet?" would start at the end of the road! I think I am looking forward to the driverless vehicles of the future when you can just tell it where you want to go. What would our own GPs think of that possibility I wonder.

We took our 8 month old kitten out in the garden for the first time this morning and he spent most of the rest of the day sparked out. I had forgotten what a big deal it is to do that and was so glad that DD was here to help because I was almost as exhausted as the kitten was! I hope we will manage ok on our own the next time.

Just musing over the driverless cars and had a chuckle about how you would tell it to go somewhere in Wales anyway with neither the car or the passenger being able to understand or pronounce anything. Hopefully it might still have a screen option.

When signposts were allowed to be in English and Welsh the Welsh Nationalists went around sawing off the English signs, caused problems for holiday makers and was unkind
We visited Wales about 50 years ago (I mean that that was the first time we visited Wales together, I had been lots of times before as had DH) and the Welsh Nationalists had gone around turning the signposts round. We got lost several times but probably saw places we wouldn't have seen otherwise.
The days before sat nav!

Annie it seems a shame your daughters husband insists on such a short visit. I wonder why that is.

Synon, it is a long drive, approx 230 miles and I don’t have a car. Think I would have to take a bus to Cardiff , train to London then another train to get to Lincoln then a bus to reach the nearest town to my daughter. Exhausting thinking of it ?I miss having a car.

Jalima, the signposts problems came about with the investiture of Prince Charles, attempts to blow up reservoirs, turning sign posts, sawing off signposts, holiday cottages set on fire when poor Charles had to do a term or two in Aberystwyth University.

batty, my daughters husband ? He doesn’t like the Welsh, he will not stay with the family when they come here, my son in law invited them to stay with him, my brother invited them to stay with him, they could stay in the house or the annex , my sister offered them her bungalow she keeps for her son to visit he lives in London, the bungalow is in the grounds of her bungalow. No.

They stay in the most expensive hotel in town but only for two nights, not that they can’t afford to stay longer, they drive down on a Monday arrive in the evening, my daughter pops in to see me whilst he unpacks . The next day he climbs the mountains, my daughter spends the day with me, in the evening my granddaughters who adore their Aunt is invited to have dinner with them at the hotel.
Next day they visit my mother in law then leave for home.
He doesn’t call with me. He is generous if I need anything, not that I will ask. Generous with my grandchildren .

I am partly to blame, when they started their relationship daughter brought him to my home, I had a shelf with loads of photographs of family, one was my son in law who isn’t , daughters ex husband. He said I should have removed it, I forgot it was there. About five years ago he referred to my darling elder daughter as ‘the drunk’ I blew a fuse, said ‘never, ever speak of her like that again , never ever. Haven’t seen him since. I feel sorry my younger daughter is stuck in the middle, he adores her, but would like her to break connection with us . He works abroad quite a lot and when he is away my daughter and I have long chats every day, when he is home, no.

He is home this month but has flown out to climb Mt.Blanc for charity. He is a good man just doesn’t like the Welsh extended family. I just accept it. Daughter wants me to move up there but I have to live in a town some distance from them and he will pay for any help I need , as he has offered the same if I stay here no point in me moving.
that’s it. Daughter isn’t bullied, is in fact doted on.

mmm trying to process some of this. So they are quite wealthy...he will support you financially if you live in a town near them or will support you financially if you intend to stay put?
I guess thats a positive?

Not much emotional connection though and seems to have very strict rules about what he will or will not do . Honestly lifes too short and unpredictable for all these " won't dos"

Maybe Welsh extended family is challenging to him but so be it.

So, where’s this SiL from? Lincolnshire?! And, I always thought you’re Welsh which rather means your DD is W...? He sounds a bit, well, Fen-ish to me!

We’re considering taking our caravan to Wales (Tenby) to see some friends and will allow two overnight stops to get there. I do wish they’d move London to somewhere in the middle of the UK to change the emphasis on all trains/roads leading to London. Cross country is impossible.