Author Archives: bookvolunteer

About bookvolunteer

I'm passionate about books, about Oxfam and about making the world a better place. When I'm not filling the shelves in Oxfam Wilmslow, I might be found reading the books I've bought in the beautiful surroundings of North Pembrokeshire.

Dinas boy made good

Posted on July 22, 2014 by bookvolunteer

William Harries, whose family came from Dinas, was Mayor of Swansea for a few months in 1943/1944 before being killed in a road accident on the Mumbles Road. Here he is as a young man with his parents, brother and … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged Dinas, Dinas Cross, Mayor of Swansea, Pembrokeshire, Swansea Town Hall, William Harries | 1 Comment

“Don’t cry William bach”

Posted on July 18, 2014 by bookvolunteer

In the least visited part of St Brynach’s churchyard, Dinas, a gravestone tells of tragedy. On Thursday 18th September 1895 two young men, William James and Andrew Raymond, set out to shoot rabbits on Dinas Island. On the rough ground at Carreg y Fran, … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming, History | Tagged Dinas, Dinas Cross, Pembrokeshire, rabbit shooting, The County Echo, The Island Farm | Leave a comment

The old hay barn

Posted on July 15, 2014 by bookvolunteer

When Mr Rowlands constructed his hay barn, about seventy-five years ago, his wife and daughter were not impressed; it was rather a dangerous contraption, in their view. Over recent years the farmers in the Dinas area have taken to new ways of storing … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming, History | Tagged Aber Bach, Bwlchmawr, Dinas, Dinas Cross, Hay barn, Pembrokeshire, Tegfan | 2 Comments

Questions it’s too late to ask

Posted on July 11, 2014 by bookvolunteer

Of course I was excited to find a photo of my Uncle Davy George with his class at Dinas County Primary school. Here he is in about 1928, standing with his arms crossed in the back row – fourth from … Continue reading →

Posted in books, History, Religion, Welsh language | Tagged conscientious objector, Dinas, Dinas Cross, Pembrokeshire, Plaid Cymru, poet, Preselis, Primary school, Waldo Williams, Welsh literature | 8 Comments

Beehive pigsty – a pig’s eye view

Posted on July 8, 2014 by bookvolunteer

As you can see, the pigsty (on the left) is in much better condition that the house of its owner (on the right). The cottage has fallen into disrepair and fencing prevents the unwary walker from straying into an area … Continue reading →

Posted in Crafts, Farming, Food, History | Tagged beehive pigsty, Dinas, Dinas Cross, Pembrokeshire, pigsty, Tegfan, Viewpoint, Walks | 2 Comments

Bird watching in the Nevern estuary

Posted on July 4, 2014 by bookvolunteer

The cars you can see parked on the far left may belong to visitors looking for a signal for their mobiles but they are more likely to be bird watchers, who know that the Nevern River’s tidal estuary at Newport attracts a wonderful variety of … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Sea, Wildlife | Tagged bird-watching, Birding, coast path, Coastal path, Dinas, Dinas Cross, heron, Newport Bridge, Pembrokeshire, salt marshes, shelduck | Leave a comment

A thousand years at Nevern

Posted on July 1, 2014 by bookvolunteer

As a child , it was the shady avenue of ancient Yew trees, one of which intriguingly bled thick dark red sap, that would make my visits to Nevern’s St Brynach’s Church special. Now, my treat awaits at the end of the shadows, where … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Crafts, Farming, History, Sea | Tagged bleeding yew, Croatia, Dinas, Dinas Cross, Istria, mosaics, Nevern, Parenzo, Pembrokeshire, Porec, sheep, St Brynach | 2 Comments

A mystery solved

Posted on June 27, 2014 by bookvolunteer

While I have been trying to identify the people in this photograph (all deacons of Tabor Chapel, Dinas), I have become increasingly fascinated by them. I’m interested in what I can guess of their characters but also the possible significance of their style of hats, beards … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming, History, Religion, Sea | Tagged 1915, Deaconate, Dinas, Dinas Cross, Tabor, Tegfan | 11 Comments

More tales from the rubbish heap

Posted on June 24, 2014 by bookvolunteer

I’m sure that the people who now live in this lovely house don’t realise that their flourishing hedge came from a rubbish heap in Fishguard. We moved into this house 25 years ago and knew that the unfinished thin front wall needed … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature | Tagged Balham, Dinas, Dinas Cross, Fishguard, front gardens, hedge plants, Pembrokeshire, Pentney Road, S W 12, Tegfan | Leave a comment

Industrial dereliction

Posted on June 20, 2014 by bookvolunteer

It’s fifteen miles or so from Dinas to Porthgain but it’s worth going just for the ruins. In the early 1900s this was a prosperous harbour, where local slate was processed and shipped. When the slate workings were no longer profitable, the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Nature, Walking | Tagged Dinas, Dinas Cross, Industrial archeology, Porthgain, slate, Sloop Inn | Leave a comment

Handmade dolls – Welsh Working Women

Posted on June 17, 2014 by bookvolunteer

These beautiful dolls are made by Nicola Owen in Newport. You might also find them on sale in the Seaways Bookshop, Fishguard.

Posted in Crafts | Tagged crafts, Dinas, Dinas Cross, dolls, Fishguard, Newport Pembs, Nicola Owen, Pembrokeshire, Seaways Bookshop, Tegfan | 1 Comment

Which of these are works of art?

Posted on June 13, 2014 by bookvolunteer

Click on the first picture for the answers. The brilliant Yorkshire Sculpture Park notes: Serge Spitzer’s work is concerned with human perception. Through performance art and sculpture in a wide variety of materials, he raises questions about the process of looking, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Crafts, Farming, History, Walking | Tagged Dinas, Dinas Cross, farm machinery, Pembrokeshire, Preselis, Tegfan, Yorkshire Sculpture Park | 1 Comment