We're the famous Cardiff City and we do the Ayatollah

They say you can take the boy out of Wales, but you can't take Wales out of the boy. Which is why this Saturday I will be glued to the box watching Cardiff City playing in the FA Cup final at Wembley. The last time Cardiff won the cup was in 1927 (that's nearly half past seven!) so it is high time we taught the English the Ayatollah! As always on these great occasions of local patriotism music is part of the action. Cardiff is a media capital so we all have to do our bit to support the "Bluebirds Flying High" by James Fox. Maybe we can get it to number one in the charts by Saturday? Over to you Chalky!

There is a beautiful Norwegian church in Cardiff Bay and as Saturday is the Norwegian National Day we should also remember that many Cardiffians have Viking blood. Cardiff City Supporters of Norway is preparing a double celebration.
Norwegian TV celebrity Tore Stromoy, who was at the semi final said: "It's quite fantastic [for Cardiff City] to be in the FA Cup final. And the best is that it's on Norway's national day, the 17th of May." Maybe I can persuade Milena to start a Croatian Cardiff City fan club? Were there any Vikings in the Adriatic? They made it as far as Sicily so you never know.

It's a proud moment for a Cardiff boy. All I need now is a six pack of Brain's SA and a City T shirt, and it's sorted, clarts! It's gonna be tidy! We're the famous Cardiff City and we do the Ayatollah!

Calling the Lama from afar...

Photos copyright: Leighton Cooke 2007
...I come from the land of song, so I was happy and proud to be present yesterday evening when Claron McFadden received the Amsterdam Culture Prize in the Musiekgebouw aan 't Ij on the city's waterfront. Claron sang, with Aleksandra Anisimowicz, the duet "I' mi son Giovinetta" by Luzzasco Luzzaschi which was, for me, the high spot of the evening. Alessandro Pianu played harpsichord. Afterwards we talked about music, her native city of New York and our mutual love of Mozart. Claron reaches out beyond the classical medium to embrace dance and many different aspects of the performing arts. She also loves children and Rebeka was captivated by the opportunity to meet a real star. Me too. It was an evening I'll never forget and a fitting finale to my years in Amsterdam. As I prepare to return to the hills of Wales I'm more than a little sad about the dear friends I'll leave behind. For a long time I've been calling my Lama from afar and now he has answered. Nothing is more precious than the chance to be with a great spiritual friend who can lead you out of confusion. I remember an afternoon with Geshe-la many years ago in Bromley, near London. It was one of those timeless moments when you simply know that the heart has no limits. Geshe Damchos teaches with laughter, the best medicine of all. Now many years later those seeds are ripening as this evening I listen to a beautiful solo Tibetan chant of Om Mani Padme Hung Hri. One day Tibet will be free and its people will know no more fear or suffering. Till that day comes we shall sing our songs of the heart, wishing to return to those we love. I am very fortunate to be going home and I wish that everyone who this night is separate from their home and those that they love finds their way back.

No more heraith any more...

...as the Cookie mouse morphs into a homing pigeon! I'm packing my bags and heading for the hills to confront my wyrd and do some permaculture. it's been a while since I saw these trees being planted. Now they are a living orchard and form a path of meditation, a gradual path that tells us we should slow down. Lam Rim is such a special place that has been the home of my heart for over thirty years. It has matured into a natural refuge and a safe haven for those who seek peace and tranquility. Geshe-la is in good spirit and looking well. Soon I'm off to London to catch up with old and new friends. Then it's back to Wales. The family kept the home fires burning and it's time to get warm again.

Wales grows its own...

...according to the BBC the country grows more cannabis than it imports. "Paul Flynn, MP for Newport West, believes a major re-think is needed to solve the UK's drug problem and has campaigned for the de-criminalising of cannabis for many years.
He thinks users should be treated as patients rather than criminals.
'We've had this increasing toll of wasted lives, of deaths, worse than anywhere in Europe, and we've got to say to the politicians, for goodness sake, be a little courageous, don't go for the easy headline or the quick vote.'" says the BBC.

Happy St David's Day...

...to all the people of Wales at home and overseas.

Ffenestr siop Quality Food, archfarchnad fawr yn Comox Ynys Vancouver, i ddathlu Gwyl Ddewi (Idris a Linda Hughes).