Pen-blwydd Hapus

Pen-blwydd hapus i ti

Pen-blwydd hapus i ti

Pen-blwydd hapus i Spidergrrl

Pen-blwydd hapus i ti

Any idea what those words might mean? Hmmm? Using your newly formed Welsh detective skills can you work out what the song is? Wrth gwrs (of course) you can!

It’s Happy Birthday or rather Birthday Happy as those crazy Welsh like to put their adjectives after the noun. They are not alone in that--I know French does it as well.

It was a wonderful birthday because I have been alive for 45 years and 25 of those have been in the company of Spiderman. As we always put up our Christmas tree on my birthday I get to reminisce about all the good times we have had. We have an ornament for every year we have been married and so each one as it is unwrapped and placed on the tree tells a story. Our  story. This year we chose a goofy looking Welsh dragon with a jingle bell for an arse holding a sign which reads Nadolig Llawen (Merry Christmas).

As I am still unemployed money is in short supply so I wasn’t expecting much but Spiderman came through with a little something to make me smile. He made me a card with Cyw on it. Never heard of Cyw? Clearly you are not a Welsh preschooler. Cyw the chicken is the mascot for a preschool programme on SC4 where they sing lots of jolly songs in Welsh to teach little people (and some big people!) the alphabet and other concepts.

Most of the videos feature this cartoon chicken driving a vehicle and waving in a strange rhythmically way like a metronome with feathers out the window without watching the road. She can drive a safari car and a bus! Is there anything this little chicken can’t do?

Does anyone else find the concept of chicken cooking eggs a bit weird?

We love Cyw and practice waving in profile while singing in Welsh every chance we get.

 He came home from  the extensive and endlessly varied DVD library at the university with a copy of Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights which I hadn't seen for years. Larry (as Olivier was known to his friends)  was just as handsome, brooding and charismatic as I remembered but the film really takes liberties with the book (I just read it last year for book club) and only covers about half the plot. Plus it gave it a happy ending! But that's 1939 for you.

He also surprised me with an autographed copy of actor Cary Elwes’ book As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride.

Bendigedig! (brilliant!)

But the main thing the day made me realise is how happy I am. Sure, I will be happier when I find meaningful employment, but when I look at my life--it is pretty amazing. I genuinely have everything I could desire. I am loved by so many people and we have made friends--really good friends--since we arrived. We have a big, supportive vegan community and are able to do more outreach as well as socialisation. One of our new vegan friends owns a shop and commissioned me to make thirty badges to sell that contain positive messages such as LOVE, PEACE and FAITH.

Her generosity meant we had some pocket money for Christmas and I had a chance to be creative again. We have a roof over our heads and a flat which is big and spacious. Yes, it may be cold but that’s why God invented thermals which thanks to my Mum I now have three pairs of thermal leggings which keep me toasty warm. Thanks Mum! We have delicious, nutritious food on our table which is cooked with love and does not cause or contain suffering. We may be eating on a budget, but we have never gone hungry. Lastly, I have the privilege to be married to the most thoughtful man in the world. A man who knows me and loves me so deeply, despite my many enormous flaws, who knows that despite our limited circumstances that I need a treat every now and then and picks just the right one. 

Diolch yn fawr, Cariad.

Dw i’n dy garu di.

(Thank you very much, my love. I love you.)