All Welsh To Me

Helo, mae hyn yn y dyn Barddoniaeth a dwi yn edrych ymlaen at gerdded y Llwbr Artfordirol sir benfro gyda mi hen ffrind Andy. Eich gweld yn fuan!!

I Like To Walk It Walk It!!!

Yesterday i was on BBC Radio York talking about writing and poetry and how you get to be a poet and turn it into a job and all that kind of stuff. People seem to be interested in that which is great. I love being on the radio and its something i would like to do more of in the future. But lets get back to the prez. Doing the radio show was the last bit of work i had to do before setting off to Wales to walk the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. For the last few weeks i have been looking at maps of the walk, reading books and looking for clips on You Tube by people who have done it. I like doing this stuff. Its kind of like research and you find out loads of stuff. Not just about the route you'll be walking and the places where you are going but about the history, the wildlife and alsorts. For example, i will be passing by a place called tenby where a man called Richard Recorde lived. You might not have heard of him but he invented sosmething you will all know about. Richard invented this = Yep, the equal sign. I never knew that!! What did people use before?

All i have to do now is pack my rucksack, drive down to Wales with Andy, my mate who's coming along again and er...walk 186 miles in 12 days. It might rain (it will), it might be windy, we might have a heatwave ( we won't), a mad sheep might chase after us, Andy might get attacked by a goose on a bike, aliens might beam me up in my tent....who knows what'll happen. Exciting innit!!

 My Just Giving page is now up and running but people have been having a few problems with it. If you can't get through on www.justgiving.com/craig-bradley please try www.justgiving.com/thatpoetrybloke. Any donations will be greatly appreciated - thank you!!!

Big Welsh Walk

Looking forward to the BIG WELSH WALK.

My old mate Andy and me are getting things together, like tents, rucksacks and thick socks!! It's a lovely day today and we are hoping to get a few nice days along the way. The schools in Wales have got on board and I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone. My Just Giving page is now up and running but people have been having a few problems with it. If you can't get through on www.justgiving.com/craig-bradley please try www.justgiving.com/thatpoetrybloke. Any donations will be greatly appreciated - thank you!!! We will try and blog whilst on route, but we could be in the middle of nowhere - so it might be when we get back before you hear anything!! Adios Amigos

The Edge Of The Sea

Been all over the place recently. I was down in Dudley at the Black Country Living Museum which was great then i was up in South Sheilds talking about how important books and reading are then i was in Rotheham at the launch of the brand shiny new Riverside libary - and very good it is too - and yesterday i was up in Sunderland at the young Librarian Awards in Castle View Academy. It was one of those new massive open plan schools. About 100 people came -mums and dads- and it was great do! I met Morgan who told me that his name means -The Edge Of The Sea. Never knew that. I also met Henrique and ben who were absolute satar performers and should be movie start in the future. Well done to all the winners and keep up the good work!!!

And Still It Rains....

Where is all the rain coming from?? Its seems like it has been raining for weeks and weeks now. I have planted loads of flowers and stuff in the garden and they are like ENOUGH WITH THE RAIN, i mean i know we need some water but blimy!!! I am going on a BIG WALK -i'll tell you more about that later -in two weeks and i'm hoping that this wet weather is going to break and all the clouds shake hands and call it a day!! Come on Mr and Mrs Cloud, be friends will yer!!!!!I have forgotten what the sun looks like, er a banana? or it is an orange?? Dunno, i think i might open a shop that sells umbrellas and wellies and call it Umbrellas are US!! Or Wellyland or something. I'm just glad that my skin is waterproof. 3 Wet things that i don't like 1) Wet Bread 2) Smelly Wet Dogs 3) Socks

Mountains

I have just read a brilliant book called Mountains Of The Mind and its by a bloke called Robert Macfarlane. Its all about,er...mountains and why people want to climb them. Its great to discover a nerw writer that gets you thinking. Its like learning to read all over again!! If you like mountains then you should read it. I am reading another book by the same bloke called Wild Places and thats brilliant as well. There is a bit in it where he talks about a snowflake landing on his sleeve and melting away like a ghost passing through a wall. Wild Places, its brilliant!!

Other Peoples Back Gardens

I was in Walsall this week at Whitehall Infants and got the train there and back. On trains you go past lots of peoples back gardens and as i was looking out of the window this poems kind of appeared.....

Sneak out in your back garden
and peep over the wall
in other peoples back gardens
you can see it all....

I've seen a rabbit hutch
and a sports car on bricks
I've seen an old ambulance
that nobody wants to fix

I've seen a million trampolines
with kids bouncing up and down
I've seen an old boat
going rusty and brown

I've seen a shopping trolley
and a mattress for a bed
saw a bloke in a vest once
painting a shed

I've seen a paddling pool
and a big pile of tyres
a donkey, some ducks
and a load of bonfires

i once saw a cat
that got stuck up a tree
in other peoples back gardens
who knows what you'll see...