The nooks and crannies of Welsh history

In school I was taught a fair bit of Welsh history but actually its the local history, the history of private grounds, families, buildings and tiny villages nestled in the trees in Gower that really interest me. This bank holiday my fiance, my sister and my dad went exploring south Wales looking for wedding venues and found lots of little histories, like mysteries waiting to be unwrapped.

First there's the story of Old Pennard, the village abandoned to the march of sand and erosion by Three Cliffs bay.

Then there's the story of Llanelen, the Gower village that took in 7 sailors from a ship wreck and buried all the other dead sailors in a mass grave. The sailors were thought to have influenza, caught because they almost drowned. Unfortunately it was the plague and the entire village died and was buried within a week. The village is now ruined under the woods near Llanrhidian.

Then there's the story of Craig y nos castle. Once it was the home of the famous opera singer, Madam Patti who sang for royalty and had many rich and important guests. She even built a theatre where she would give private concerts. After her death it became a home for TB sufferers, including children who were separated from their families and treated with lots of cold air and exercise. many children and adults died there and their ghosts, including the ghost of a little boy are mean to be seen in the windows.

This is the Penrice estate in Gower. The family apparently once owned much of Gower, they still own Oxwich bay.



This is Craig y Nos castle - the haunted ex-TB hospital and home to Madam Patti


This is Madam Patti's personal theatre inside the TB hospital.

I may have slept with Henry VIII!!!

No I don't mean his rotting skeleton was actually in bed with me, but possibly his ghost! This weekend Fiance and I stayed in The George and Pilgrim hotel in Glastonbury. We had the Henry VIII room so named because it is said that Henry VIII stayed in the hotel at the time of the reformation. Coolio. The downside is that the hotel needs a slight overhaul. I'm sure that many of the timbers date back to the 1400's because the hotel sagged and sloped all over the place and made me feel a little sea sick. The spiral staircase trapped all the nasty smells from the kitchen too. But if you overlooked the weird walls which channelled the noise from the television into the bathroom, plus the noises of the people in the room next to us, and the ability to lie in bed and hear the guy in the next room snoring, it was pretty cool. Maybe. Maybe next time I will stay at the Best Western.

Lady Liberty and Carrie Bradshaw

My first two days on my own in New York City were quite a success. On Monday I headed down a block to get a ferry ticket to liberty Island where I met Lady Liberty herself. As I was on my own I rented the audio guide. I learnt she is made from Copper and is hollow. She had iron bars supporting her structure inside which due to corrosion had to be replaced by stainless steel. I also and more importantly leant that she was actually a gift from the French and was created by the man who designed the Eiffel Tower. Wow. What a guy. That's what I really call making your mark on the world. The Statue of Liberty faces away from New York, she is looking towards France. She was a representation of the freedom that France - with their failed revolution was missing out on. She was a political statement at the time and still is of course, although she is more a symbol of immigration and hope nowadays. And she is beautiful. Up close that's what struck me - her beauty and power.

The next stop was Ellis island where they used to process immigrants coming to the USA. The museum there is the building where people were registered, given medical examinations and sometimes mental examinations and often had to be detained for such purposes before, hopefully, enterring the USA. The building itself was fascinating and a little eerie. I was walking around by myself so I could really appreciate how frightening it must have been. There was a map where you could type in any nationality and it would show you how many people in every state in America were claiming that heritage. I put in 'Welsh' and found that most us Welshies are in California and in the North East.

In the evening Fiance arrived home and we went to Pastis in the Meatpacking district. I wanted to go because the characters in Sex and the City seem to love it there. The atmosphere was certainly very charming, but the food wasn't totally amazing.

The next day (Tuesday) I headed down the road to Century 21 - a discount designer department store. If you have lots of money to spend and an eye for picking out amazing pieces through the junk, this is your place. I don't really have either. I almost bought a fox fur pair of earmuffs but then I felt too guilty. I love fur but I don't want to be the reason little foxes die. One day they will invent a fake fur that is as good as real fur. And I will be first in line. One thing I have learnt about New York is that they are fur mad. I don't know why this surprises me really. Especially when you look at the history of colonialism. When people from Europe first settled in America they used furs as a kind of currency, trading them with the native Americans in exchange for things like metal pots and pans and jewellery. Plus it is so cold here in winter that the choice seems to be puffer jacket or fur (or puffer jacket with a fur hood which seems to be popular). Anyways I left century 21 with the opinion that not all that's designer is actually nice. In fact most was horrid.

In the afternoon I decided to walk in Carrie Bradshaw's shoes and visit her appartment in the West Village. At 62 Perry Street I found a sign which said 'No trespassing' and 'Taking a photo, now make a donation' (the people who actually live at carrie's address are grumpy). It was a lovely little street and right at the end is Marc Jacobs. Around the corner I found the Magnolia Bakery where Carrie and Samantha eat cupcakes. The area is a designer mecca and when I went into Coach the sales assistant told me that Sarah Jessica Parker had been in a few weeks previously and bought half the shop. I also stumbled upon Sushi Samba where Carrie has dinner so I booked a table.

Later, afetr un unfortunate incident with a bad manicure from a right bitch and sheltering in an Irish-looking pub because it looked comforting, Fiance joined me for dinner in Sushi Samba. We have a new cost saving policy of skipping starters and drinking only tap water which made the meal very reasonable. We had chicken teryaki with purple mash and two plates of sushi rolls - green Envy and Samba 7. Everything was delicious. I totally recommend it.

Today (Wed) Fiance is paying for me to get my hair done. Am starting to feel like a footballer's wife with no friends and no cash. Must remember I have a life. I am Adgirl, not Coleen wife of Wayne Rooney. Get a grip girl.