Bradwan's Blog

Glyn Watkins’ 2013 Walburgas Day Card

Oil can ease the load of bearing
So help the grind of grit and grain
The links and ends work best with caring
So please find what’s fit in loss and pain
To light with love so all can gain

From the first Walburgas collection: In the early 90’s Glyn Watkins forgot Valentines Day. Rather than send a late card he got a Saints book and picked Walburga to be the Patron Saint of forgetfulness and late cards, and drew a card with a poem. It made no difference, but he has done a Walburgas for most year’s since. Walbuga turned out to be an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who helped convert the german tribes, become one of the most influential women in Dark Age Europe, and gave her name to Walpurgisnacht.

Walburga’s day is 25th Feb.and her symbols are grain and oil (her shrine produces oil). There is no Walburgas Day show this year because I created a Bring Back St.Blaise’s Festival on 3rd Feb.to celebrate Bradfor’s lost saint. The card was done in 3 hours due to a Bradford City v Swansea Cup Final (Home city Vs City of my father’s).

Apart from the game when we lost 5 – 0, and were lucky to get nil, and the dreadful Bree Louise pub (bad, expensive beer and the most ignorant landlord, or liar, I have suffered for a long time) it has been a brilliant weekend.

A grand day; sat with a old lad and dad on the train from Leeds; had Charlie follow me after I passed back from getting beer, which lead to me discovering Ted from Pickwick’s had been murdered.

Met up with Dave Pendleton and his daughter Rosie, and lass Heidi, at Kings Cross. Then beer was drunk and we met up with Les (and his charming misses) and Marko of the Sparrow.

Everyone who talked to us wished us well, including the single Swansea fan. Aston Villa and Wigan fans especially talked to us (not one Arsenal fan could be bothered, and they had just beaten the Villa!) and one of the Wigan fans knew the classic Northern Soul track from Dean Parrish I’m on my way.

Thanks to Dave Pendleton I have got a ticket for the final! I need to meet up with bloke who has it but the joy of mobiles means that should be straightforward!

Met a Huddersfield Town fan called John, on the train yesterday morning who wished Bradford City well!? He works with stand-by generators and knew more about the national grid than me! He also bought a Wayne Jacobs Little Red Head Book, top bloke.

Ma arrived home from hospital a couple of hours ago. She is fine and was impressed with the new look in her hall stairs, so impressed that she thought I had painted more walls than I did (though to be fair, I painted some really bad walls, so the whole room looks better).

Young Harriet at the Village Inn, Old Shanklin

The pub had 2 real ales and a good atmosphere. I must also point out that the Snotty Fox in Brading was good, and the Falcon in Shanklin was pleasant with cheap beer. I did not find any locally brewed beer anywhere but was only there for a few hours.