Carmarthenshire Day

Today we are in Laugharne in South Wales. The poet Dylan Thomas lived here for much of his life and he is buried here. The tide was out this afternoon and it has been a very grey day so we are looking across the estuary towards the lumpy sand dunes of Pendine Sands in the distance where various speed records have been attempted.

I did my training in Wales and studied some of Dylan Thomas's poetry. I love the exuberance of his language use and was overwhelmed by the creativity I could feel in his writing shed and his beautiful little Boat House where he led such a difficult flawed existence.

On top of that we got to spend a few hours with one of my college friends and her husband who live in Carmarthen. It was wonderful to see them and I hope that now we are all reaching retirement age we will be able to get together more often.

AND my big nephew sent me a text to tell me he's got a new job. He sounded so enthusiastic and I was able to tell him just how proud I am of him. My family does not share emotions enough and all in all it's been a very emotional day.

"My birthday began with the water -
Birds and the birds of the winged trees flying my name
Above the farms and the white horses
And I rose
In rainy autumn
And walked abroad in a shower of all my days."