SAFELY BACK FROM SOUTH WALES SNOW AND COLD

What an awful bout of weather we've been enduring these last few weeks, it looks as if spring will never come. there is so much though to catch up on, we only got back this evening and have down loaded the DVD and cine film orders which I'll prepare while Mandy is out at a PCC meeting at the village school this evening. The trip worked out OK despite the heavy snow and rain yesterday and the snow this morning. I remember in the heatwave year of 1076 that it snowed on Deansgate in Manchester at the beginning of June then we had 6 weeks of soaring temperatures and sunshine. We headed down early on Monday and although windy, overcaste and cold the new bus station at Newport isn't 100% easy being split in two halves but at least everything approaches on the same path and as the sun moves around its fine at the roundabout for near sides.

NAT seems to be the big story everywhere you go in South Wales, lots of deckers from them in service at Newport no doubt putting a lot of pressure on Newport council buses. After that we moved on to Cardiff where the sun shone and it was pretty easy going so much so that after completing another hour of film we still had time to get to Bridgend ( where have all the operators gone). It was still sunny, had a chat with a very pleasant chap who had driven for First, NAT present here as well as Cardiff and Newport, Pontypridd no doubt. Anyway  we then carried on to Neath and saw the first of NATs new buses and finished up there. As it was so cold and miserable we actually had dinner at the Premier inn in the Beefeater, yes I know but it was actually better than any we had been forced to endure over the years and the staff were pleasant and we had a very good silent nights sleep at the hotel in Llan thingey, forgotten how to spell it. Actually aren't some of the places desperate, Bridgend should get UN aid and Llanelli despite a lot of new build out of town estates and indeed in town stuff as well just hides it's problems in the back streets. I was glad to see work has started on the new bus station in Cardiff.

Photos tonight to start in order we cover Newport.