Llanelli Turk 'Cariad'

Chapter Nine . Daddy's Walk

Chapter Nine

Daddy's Walk

Saint David, d.601. The Patron Saint of Wales.

On Saint David's day, people wear a leek or daffodil, which together, form the national emblem on their clothing. The Welsh flag - a red dragon passant on a green and white background, is widely displayed with pride. At school its daffodil day. The girls and some of the boys arrive in their traditional Welsh costume.    

Although, it has been united with England since 1536, Wales has maintained its unique cultural identity. The Welsh take particular pride in their language, a pride that bilingual educational programs help to reinforce.

The yellow daffodil, a bulbous herb native to the eastern hemisphere, is widely cultivated for its bright yellow flower. The daffodils are among the first flowers to bloom in the early spring. I've nurtured my daffodil since mid-January, keeping it in the cool and dark tool shed for a couple of weeks until the roots are established, then I placed it in my mum's bedroom (it's the sunniest there)... It stands proud on my mother and father's windowsill together with Henrys three plants. Henry calls them Pasta-Rasta-Ornamental-Tomato, abbreviated as 'POT'.

It's in full bloom standing at eight and a half inches high. Henrys 'POT' plants soon need to be re-planted out in the garden, - the way their shooting up, they'll be eight and a half feet high. He also said that these plants are specialist, to get high! Haven't, a clue what he meant, but I must say, they do have a strong eastern odour that seems to cheer me up, each time I take a good old sniff!

Now Henrys so called, Pasta-Rasta-Ornamental-Tomato plants are in the garden, well camouflaged within a Wild Japanese Rhubarb and Nettle patch. - My fault in a way! After another sniff! - Then with my lovely wide smile and thoughts of cycling tandem with Mavis big-ones down the Adriatic coastline towards Yugoslavia. I said to mum...

"Mum, take a long sniff at Henrys plants – here!"

"Where, my love?"

"Just here by the lumpy flowery bit."

She was mesmerized, and stuck her nostrils right up to the 'seed-head' clumpy-bit...I give it a wee squeeze to let the smell (pollen) out more. Then my mum took a long sniff...

     ...After singing in full voice; the Louis Armstrong 'It's a wonderful world' three times, and then the Mary Hopkins song 'Those were the days' Goodness knows how many times, then the Engelbert Humperdick song 'Please Release Me' Twice, in a row... Plus a, 'Hej Hej with the Monkees' as an in-betweens, while cleaning the house, doing the dishes, hoovering, cleaning the shoes... Mum took a most wonderful afternoon nap... After which, she yawns, walks to the door, and shouts loudly upstairs......

.....HENRY!!!