Thursday, December 10, 2009

A TUDOR CHRISTMAS























Tam David wrote today his first post:

This Sunday at 3 pm at the St.Davids Cathedral, the Ysgol Bro Dewi School Juniors years 3-4 will be doing a play based on a Tudor Christmas at the time of Anne Boleyn.

There will be drama and hint of comedy in the years 5-6 play.

The following years 5-6 are doing a play about what happens up above not in a tree or a light house but in Heaven faces like thunder!

The little ones (reception to years 1-2) will be doing the most common performance, The Nativity.

There will be dancing people probably falling asleep from the lullabies and some loud voices .

I would give them a 10/10


Thursday, November 26, 2009

A PRESENTATION FOR THE BBC SENIOR EDITORS TEAM












Today, I had a great time with Mark Byford, Deputy Director General of the British Broadcasting Corporation and head of BBC Journalism, and his Senior Editors Team.

They wanted me to present the INNOVATION experiences and models on Newsroom Integrations.

They understand that this is a crucial issue for their future.

The BBC doesn’t buy the “us” against “them” idea and they have decided to reorganize the newsroom facilities around “content and audiences”, our mantra in this field.

So they were really interested in how to create new working flows, how to build an agnostic platform super-desk, etc.

After the presentation and many questions from this group, I have the feeling that the BBC can lead better than anybody else the new online journalism narratives of the 21st Century.

They have the talent, credibility, reputation, people and leadership to re-invent journalism in these new new platforms.

The old Regent Street Bush House or the BBC Broadcasting House will become, for sure, the biggest and most advanced state-of-the-art multimedia newsroom of the world.

The huge new rebuilding project will cost over 200 million pounds.

In less than 2-year time, more than 5.000 BBC people will move there and work together under one roof.

BH has been the BBC’S headquarters since 1932 and has survived every attempt of Hitler to destroy it.

The architects will have produced an estimated 10,000 drawings by the end of the project that will include 80.000-square meter of production areas, studios and staff facilities, plus a 4.000-square meter newsroom.

64,000 tonnes of debris will be removed from the site.

Around 17,000 lorry loads of rubbish will be taken from BH

During excavation, work will be taking place 4 meters from the Victoria tube line.

There will be six new studios for television news.

The new News studio will be one of the largest live newsrooms in the world

There will be 140 acoustic spaces for Radio & Music, News and World Service.

There will be 10,000 miles of cabling in the new building.

The focus of the complex is an atria-lit newsroom at the base of the main building.

See here more pictures from the old and future newsrooms.

(iPhone picture of Mark Byford introducing me to his team)

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

DEBORAH AND TAM DAVID WITH THE CHILDREN OF STEPHEN CRABB

Last Saturday, Deborah led the children of Stephen Crabb in a papier mache lantern workshop. Deb was invited to bring her Cheese + Pickles Studio craft-making to the fantastic Really Wild Farm Shop "opening day party."

Stephen, the very popular Member of Parliament for Preseli Pembrokeshire that in January 2009 was promoted to the Conservative front-bench team as an Opposition Whip, was born in 1973, grew up in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, where he attended Fenton Infants, Barn Street Junior School and Tasker Milward VC School. After a gap year spent working with voluntary projects in USA and Colombia, he studied at Bristol University and graduated in 1995 with first class Honours.

Following a year spent working in the House of Commons as Research Assistant to Andrew Rowe MP, Stephen became Parliamentary Affairs Officer of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services in 1996.

From 2002-04 Stephen completed an MBA at London Business School. During this period, and leading up to the 2005 General Election, he worked as a Marketing Consultant.

In 2004 Stephen and his family returned to Pembrokeshire and settled a few miles outside Haverfordwest.

(Picture by Debbie James, via Brian Powdrill )

Sunday, November 22, 2009

THE "OPEN DAY PARTY" AT THE REALLY WILD FARM SHOP

























These are pictures from yesterday's Really Wild Farm Shop "opening day party" in Wolfscastle at the Nant y Coy Arts Centre, "the Watermill with Art and Soul" that adds unique "Food" to its description thanks to the smart efforts of Brian Powdrill and Julia Horton-Powdrill.


The Wild Farm Shop was born with Adam Vincent of Trehale Farm, Mathry, who's vision was to open an outlet for the high quality produce of the rare breeds meat and charcuterie, from his family farm.


Today it's a magnificent reality.

Yes, this is a lovely and magical place, even on a rainy and windy day (nothing special here in Wales!)


The Really Wild Farm Shop is a spin-off of the five-year old Really Wild Food & countryside Festival that got the attention of the Online Micheline Guide.

The shop, which is managed by Katie Kerpner and assistant manager, Adrian Clifton, is open six days a week from 9am to 7pm and on Sundays from 10am to 5pm.

Deborah brought her Cheese + Pickles Studio workshop to the event with craft activities for children.

As you can see, we had an eight-hour roasted pig, warm Gethins Welsh Cider, fabulous premium quality coffee roasted near Solva by Rafael Hernandez-Ariaza, local cheeses, great fresh fish from the onshore tanks of Claws Shellfish in Mildford Haven... and the company of ducks, gees, wild board cross Berkshire pigs and "Ozzy", a fantastic Manx Loghtan ram.



Thank you to all of you!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

MORE CREATIVE COURSES AT ST. DAVIDS ORIEL Y PARC






















Learning Pembrokeshire has added more creative classes beginning January 2010.

All the classes will be held in the lovely Discovery Room, at Oriel y Parc.

The tutor is my wife, Deborah Withey, of Cheese + Pickles Design Studio, who currently leads the Color in Art + Design class at the same location.

For questions about the courses offered contact cheesepicklesstudio@gmail.com.

Booking is going on now, call Learning Pembrokeshire at 01348 872 488

(Click in the picture to see it bigger)

Sunday, November 15, 2009

FOUR NEW ST. DAVIDS CATHEDRAL CHORISTERS























Last Friday November 13, the Dean and the Organist and Master of the St. Davids Cathedral admitted four new choristers.

One of them was our son, Tam David Withey Giner.

The present Cathedral Choir is unique in the UK in that its top line consists of girls aged 8-18.

The choir sings at four services each week and has recorded several CDs and broadcast many times on BBC radio and television.

In the last ten years the choir has toured widely in Europe, Australia and the USA (three times).

Friday, October 23, 2009

JOHN WILLIAMS SLATE WORK IN COLOMBIA

More than 10 year ago, my friend Marta Botero de Leyva, a former editor of El Mundo and director of INNOVATION, commissioned this beautiful slate plaque to the late John Williams.

A few weeks ago I was in Marta's country house, "Lejanias" in Rio Negro, Medellin, Colombia, and I took this picture in memory of a great artist, person, neighbor, and former City Mayor of St. Davids.

Click on the picture to see it bigger.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

MILITARY PARADE IN ST. DAVIDS




Today, around 70 soldiers of the 245 Squadron 14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) who spent six months in Afghanistan tuning in to Taliban groups, marched through the streets of St. Davids.

The 14th Signal Regiment was formed in 1959 from the United Kingdom Commonwealth Communications Army Network Signal Regiment, taking on the responsibility for world-wide communications on behalf of the British Army.

The Regiment has been honoured with the Freedom of St Davids since 1997.

The regiment, based at Brady, near Haverfordwest, was welcomed by a big crowd.

The Band of the Royal Corps of Signals marched, too.

These are images from today's parade.


They were presented with medals by the mayor of St Davids, Councillor Stephanie Halse.


Miss Wales attended the celebration congratulating the soldiers.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

SURFING IN NEWGALE









































We went today to Newgale, one of the best surfing beaches of Great Britain.

Tam David has a new skimboard.

For more information about surfing in Newgale please go here.

And this is the forecast for the weekend.

Monday, July 20, 2009

CARMARTHEN ANTIQUES AND FLEE MARKET















We went yesterday to the Carmarthen Showground Antiques and Flea Market.
It was, oh Lord, a very rainy morning for hunters and sellers.
But just 50 minutes from St. Davids, Tam David found and got for 6 GBP an UK manufactured 1940's Six-20 Folding Kodak Brownie camera in excellent shape.
Except for the optical frame finder, the meniscus lens model is essentially the same as the pre-war version.

Friday, July 10, 2009

DINNER AT MORGAN'S


















Leaving now for dinner to Morgan's, just across the street.

YSGOL BRO DEWI SUMMERT CONCERT























































Headteacher Raymond Griffiths and all his dedicated team produced yesterday, with the terrific students of our local school, a fantastic concert and a very creative Mary Poppins show (in less than half an hour) lead by Amy Barwick.

Our son, Tam David, was one of the proud urchins acting as a poor and mischievous city child.

What a joy and how much talented people behind this end-of-the-year program.

Congratulations to all of you!

Monday, May 11, 2009

"SAVE OUR POOL" BECOMES A MASSIVE POPULAR MOVEMENT


Deborah, Tam David and I went this evening to the City Hall to support our pool.

More than 200 hundred local people attended the AGM of St Davids Community Council, an open meeting held at 6:45.

A historical record.

Young ad old, children and parents, holidaymakers, pensioners, lifeguards... and all of us upset, and very disappointed by the poor and passive reaction of the City Council, unable to lobby the County Council. The popular reaction shows that this community is going to fight until a new pool is build.

Here there are some pictures from the meeting, inside and outside the City Hall.

ST. DAVIDS POOL ON BBC NEWS


BBC News reports:

Campaigners claim a decision to close a swimming pool in Pembrokeshire will leave fewer children able to swim.

They have urged the county's cabinet to reconsider its decision to replace the pool at St David's with a sports hall.

Two protests are now planned with organisers warning closing it will endanger the lives of youngsters.

The council said campaigners had failed to deliver "sustainable or deliverable" plans to keep it open and Pembrokeshire was well served by six swimming pools.

Andy Dixon of the St Davids Community Pool Group said: "We strongly believe that closing the pool will lead to a dangerous situation for local children on this peninsula, which is surrounded by the sea.

"They need to be competent swimmers. The decision to close the pool will endanger lives."

He said the pool, which was built in 1975, was partly funded through public donations as a response to a spate of drownings in the water around the coastline.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

LET'S SAVE OUR POOL!













The fight to save St Davids swimming pool continues.

The Pembrokeshire County Council announced plans to close the pool must be crazy!

We will have to travel 15 miles to use pool facilities.

And our schools and families will have no swimming pool.

Plans to build a £1.3m sports hall, using deficit funding from the pool’s closure, were outlined last November.

Now the St. Davids Pool Users Group will make the case at the St. Davids Community Council AGM on Monday May 11 at 6:30pm at the St. Davids City Hall.

You can keep informed in Facebook (Save St Davids Pool, a group that right now has more than 400 members) or joining the mailining list of the Pool Users Group by emailing stdavidspool@hotmail.co.uk

Picture by the Western Telegraph.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

SUNSET





Sunset on March 1st, St. Davids Day.

I took this picture minutes before the Sunday Choral Evensong.

Friday, February 27, 2009

ST. DAVIDS DAY SCHOOL SERVICE






















This Sunday is St. Davids Day.

Today, the students of St. Davids had their traditional Cathedral School service.

Music, songs, prayers and a sermon by the new St. Davids Bishop, former dean of the Cathedral.

There are some students from Chernobyl (Ukraine) visiting St. Davids.

And the main tower of the Cathedral had the big St. Davids flag.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

SUNSET FROM OUR WINDOW















Each day the weather here is different.

But the sunset is always as dramatic as this one.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

ANOTHER VIEW FROM OUR WINDOW














No snow today.

A very sunny day.

Looking to the Irish sea and the St. Davids Cathedral.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

THE VIEW FROM OUR WINDOW















Snowing in Wales.

Snowing in St. Davids.

Picture taken this morning.