Posts Tagged ‘Wales’
Dogs And Temporary Kennels
April 9, 2010
Are you the type of dog owner who likes to take your companion with you wherever you go? If you are then you know that that there are times when you can do this, but there are also times when you can not, for whatever reason.
On the occasions when that happens, you will usually have to to find a boarding kennels that will take care of your dog while you are away.
A vacation is a time for relaxing, so you do not want to be worrying about your dog, if you can help it. Within your own country, it is not usually a big problem, but if you go abroad, then taking your dog can be more trouble than it is worth. Not only for you, but for your doggy friend too.
If you can not place your dog with someone it knows, like a member of your family or a neighbour, then the only alternative is a boarding kennels.
I have placed my dog in a bad kennel once and I learned a few lessons from that. I placed my Becky in a kennel in a highly regarded village just outside our town. I was happy with what I saw and the sales pitch of the owner, so I went to Spain, thinking that all was fine for both of us. I had a great holiday and went straight to the kennels from the airport on my return, although I had told them a fortnight before that I would pick Becky up the day after my arrival. I just could not wait to see her.
I went to the kennels and they were surprised to see me. Of course, I was a day early. They said that Becky was ‘resting’ and that it would be better to ‘come back tomorrow’. No way! So they took me to see her. I nearly cried. She was sitting in a good sized cage, but on newspaper sodden with pee.
She saw me and just looked down at her paws. I called her name again, but she did not want to know. I paid the bill and put her in the car on the front passenger seat where she always sat. She just looked out the window and showed no interest in me whatsoever.
It took three days before she would speak to me again! The moral of this story is not to be impressed by big adverts or impressive locations as I was. Ask your dog-owning friends, write into the local paper inviting recommendations, phone the local animal protection society or the kennel club or look on the Internet.
If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online
Barry, South Wales: Ancient History: Part 3
April 6, 2010
Barry Castle was owned by William de Barri in the twelfth century, but it was raized to the ground by Llewellyn Bren in 1316. Many believe that the Cavaliers rebuilt and that the Roundheads destroyed it again. Whatever is true, it was never rebuilt again after that.
The Normans were hated by the locals and they had to build large mansions to protect themselves from the frequent attacks carried out on them from the people of the valleys and mountains. During the time of Henry III, there were 12 castles within six miles of Barry. In Glamorgan, there were 30 castles and in south Wales as a whole, 150.
Porthkerry and the church to its west is said to have taken its name from Ceri, who, it is said, founded a port ‘Port Ceri’. It is believed that Ceri ap Caid, the King of Essyllwg, lived in Porthkerry before the Christian era. His bard, Corvinor, is stated to have been the first to have built a ship with sails and a rudder for the race of Cymru. Some believe that Ceri was a nephew or grandson of Caractacus (Caradog) and that he assumed the head of government in south Wales when Caractacus was sent to Rome.
John Wesley preached in the Porthkerry Church and sometimes outside in the churchyard too between 1741 and 1743. Today, there are two very old churches still in use in Barry: St. Cadocs Church in Cadoxton and Merthyr Dyfan Church in Merthyr Dyfan. One-hundred-and-fifty years ago, Cadoxton was the largest village in the Barry area: thus, in 1844 the Parliamentary register contained 25 names: 20 from Cadoxton and five from Barry. The one church was dedicated to St. Cadoc, who had been accustomed to spend Lent on Flat Holm and Barry Island. The village (Cadoc’s Town)took its name from the church, which was founded in 800 AD.
Merthyr Dyfan Church, situated in the north of Barry, was founded in 600 AD and the name means Dyfan The Martyr. There were two saints of this name: one journeyed to Barry to convert the inhabitants to Christianity; the second lived in the Sixth Century and was the son of a Welsh chieftain. His sister was also martyred and the town of Merthyr Tydfil is named after her.
The Christian faith grew very quickly in the Vale of Glamorgan and in the middle of the second century, the Prince of Siluria, Llewrwg, became the first king, of any country in the world in all history, to be baptized into the Christian faith. He sent to Rome for more Chritian teachers and was sent two monks named Dyfan and Fagan. Dyfan was martyred near the church and the Fagan was canonized. St. Fagan’s situated between Barry and Cardiff was named after him.
If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, visit our website at Welsh Products Online
The Best Kind Of Food To Take On A Caravan Holiday In The UK
April 1, 2010
A caravan holiday is a great opportunity to relax, spend time with the family or with friends and get out on the beach or the countryside. It’s also a good opportunity to adapt and change some of your favourite recipes so they are easy to make while you’re using a smaller kitchen or different cooking methods. There’s no need to spend a lot of time preparing meals or worrying about what to cook when things could be kept very simple.
Unless you are going to a very isolated location, there’s also no need to take a huge amount of food with you. Shopping as you go gives you the opportunity to explore your new local area, support the local economy and sample some food and drink you may never have tried before. Most little food shops carry the same basic items, so you should be able to get fresh bread, milk and other items that you need.
Even if you know that you’ll be able to stock up on food, it’s also a great idea to take along a bag of non-perishable goods with you so you’ll always have the basics to make lunch or supper. Items like pasta, rice, noodles, dried herbs, cereals, crackers, margarine, mayo, oil, baked beans, tinned tomatoes and tinned salmon will always come in handy. Don’t forget the tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits though!!
A self catering caravan holiday is the ideal time to try the local foods. Look out for regional fruit and vegetables that are in season and also honey, breads, cheeses, meat, cakes and other goodies. Those on holiday near the seaside can buy fresh fish from the harbour or from a beachside kiosk and of course there will be plenty of fish and chip shops about. Don’t forget to try the local wines or beers too.
Many caravans now come with an oven and also possibly a microwave oven but a caravan holiday is a fantastic opportunity to try out different methods of cooking too. If the weather is warm a barbecue is a great way to cook meat, fish and vegetables and don’t forget baking potatoes and hotdogs around the camp fire. Just make sure you take a frying pan and a good sized saucepan in case your caravan doesn’t have them.
Looking to find the best deal on holiday home Wales?, then visit Vale Holidays for the best advice on Caravan Sales Wales for you.
Wedding Favours Your Guests Will Like
March 13, 2010
There are many presents that can be given for wedding favours, after all the point of wedding favours is to show your guests that you are grateful for them coming to your wedding and expressing their support for your wedding. Therefore, you ought to really try to find wedding favors, that your guests will like.
Of course, the gift that most appeals to your guests, may not be one you would choose for yourself, but you are getting the wedding favours for your guests, not yourself. If you think about it, you should be able to come up with something that everyone will like and that you are proud to give. In order to help you get the job done, we will offer you a few tips below.
Love spoons are a popular souvenir at Welsh and other Celtic weddings. A love spoon was a wooden spoon carved by a love sick man for the woman he loved. She would then either take or refuse the love spoon, although she was not obliged by the acceptance of the spoon. Miniature versions are often used as wedding favours. They can be inscribed with dates and names and symbols of love such as a hearts, bells, vines, key holes, anchors and knots.
Wedding favours can also be edible. There are a pile of options available for couples who wish to give their guests some type of edible favour. You can have many items personalized these days. Some firms specialize in personalized presents, which can also be given as wedding favours. Some examples of edible, personalized wedding favours might be: chocolate bars, mints, biscuits or gourmet chocolates. The box or wrapper could carry your photo or / and your names and the date.
Miniature wedding cakes are another idea for edible wedding favours. Miniature wedding cakes have a short shelf life so they will have to include a warning, which will in all probability be put on the wrapper automatically, but it is worth checking.
A half / quarter or small bottle of wine or other drink would also be fairly easy to arrange as wine bottle labels can be bought in any home brew shop.
Picture frames are frequent wedding favors. You could give a picture frame and follow it up with a photo of the beneficiary of the frame enjoying your wedding party. This might be expensive and tricky to set up as you will have to keep records of who has been photographed and who has not. It would be terrible to miss someone out, would it not? You will probably also need a professional photographer or at least a dedicated amateur.
Wedding favours can be anything really, but I reckon that they are best if they are practical. We gave very unusual bottle-openers away at our wedding. They had a design of a couple getting married, our names and the date. They also had a magnet in them to collect the bottle top as it came off. I have seen dozens of our bottle-openers stuck on our guests’ fridges over the years and the wedding was three years ago.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Welsh love spoons, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online
Welsh Terriers A Facing a Struggle
February 18, 2010
Originally, Welsh terriers were bred for hunting rabbits, foxes and badgers, but public opinion and the decline in the lust for blood in general have gone against blood sports and so this native breed of Wales has become a show dog and a pet. Breeders try to outdo each other by breeding the Welsh terrier to have a thicker wiry coat and deeper colouration. The Welsh terrier is also a popular pet because it is one of the most easy-going terriers.
The Welsh terrier is a fun loving dog. It just loves to run, chase and play, which makes it a smashing companion and a perfect pet. Welsh terriers need lots of exercise, so be prepared for plenty of walks, if you make your mind up to get one.
It is a good idea to ‘socialize’ your dog as early as possible. This means that you should introduce your Welsh terrier puppy to children and other dogs at an early age. The more you encourage your dog to play with other dogs as a puppy, the less trouble you will have with your dog fighting or barking at other dogs and cats. It’s the same story with children. Children can play very roughly, and a dog could be forgiven for biting back, but it can be avoided by introducing your Welsh terrier puppy to children while it is still young. The child might learn respect, but the dog will learn tolerance.
The Welsh terrier is easily trained, if you like your dog to perform tricks. it is an intelligent breed and, being former hunters, they are good at learning commands and tricks. Train your Welsh terrier with kindheartedness and reiteration. They like to retrieve sticks and play with a ball. Many people train their Welsh terriers to catch a flying Frisbee too.
A Welsh terrier will groom himself quite scrupulously, but you can help out by brushing him once a week in order to remove the dead and loose hair. This will also help reduce the amount of hairs dropping inside your house, although terriers in general, and wire-haired dogs in particular do not lose as much hair as soft coated dogs. You could also lend a hand by wiping him over with a moist cloth from time to time in order to pick up any dust on his coat.
A Welsh terrier is very active and very inquisitive, so it is advisable to keep your dog in a yard that has been fenced off. However, the fence needs to be realistically high, because the Welsh terrier has an exceptional ability to jump due to its long legs.
The Welsh terrier is Britain’s oldest variety of dog, but it is now under pressure. The British kennel club registers only 300 Welsh terrier puppies a year, whereas it registers tens of thousands of puppies of other, more popular, breeds. The Welsh terrier is a strong-willed animal, so it does need a strong-willed and patient owner.
However. if you want a Welsh terrier and you persevere with it, you will never look back. They have a lot to give and, as with so many things in life, you only get out what you are willing to put in.
If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, visit our website at Welsh Products Online
How To Manage A Wedding Car Company
February 12, 2010
Have you ever thought about running a wedding car business? Although it can be demanding, because you do not want to let anybody down on their big day, it is also fascinating and exciting.
Some of the benefits are that you get to own good-looking vehicles – maybe a Rolls Royce or a Bentley and they are tax-deductible; you meet new people under happy circumstances and you are in the position to help them have a wonderful wedding day.
It is a very demanding industry, because you always have to bear in mind the desires of your clients and think about how you can realize and expand their’ wishes. That is difficult enough, but you also have to stay competitive. I hope that the following tips will be helpful.
1] Take care of the conditions under which you store your cars. If you can afford to garage them, they will not collect dust and bird droppings so the paintwork will look better for longer. Do not have a gravel drive, because of possible scratching to the coachwork of the cars.
2] Get one or two really lovely vehicles. You will need to do a bit of investigation to find out what couples in your area like, but as a rule of thumb a Rolls Royce or a Bentley are sure bets. Or maybe a stretch limousine. Old cars go down well too. Build up your fleet of cars gradually but increasingly. Offer your clients as much choice as you can reasonably afford to do.
Many wedding couples will not only require the wedding car, but also vehicles for the guests. Many of them want limousines or old vehicles for their wedding day. But a lot of other vehicles are required for the guests. Be adaptable and consent to bedeck the cars according to the couple’s wishes with flowers and ribbons.
2] Employ good, sympathetic personnel. A fully trained chauffeur is a necessity, but a military style driver can add to your firm’s image.
3] It is a good idea to offer different packages or elements that a couple can use to build a package. So, you could offer transportation from the bride’s house to the church as one element. From the church to the restaurant as another element and from there to the chosen hotel, the airport or the railway station, as another element.
4] Make sure that your clients know exactly how long they have exclusive use of the cars for. This is useful for them, so that they know precisely how long they have to take photos, eat or chat.
Transport plays a huge and vital part in any wedding day celebrations. In fact, poorly timed or scruffy transportation can ruin a wedding day. If you let that happen, your firm’s standing will suffer badly, particularly in a town or village. You will need a high sense of responsibility; reliable, well-trained, sensitive staff and high quality cars that look the part. White wedding cars are popular, but other colours are acceptable, especially for the guests.
If you are interested in a Welsh gold wedding ring, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online