Cardiff Castle and the Big Pit – A world of contrasts

Here we are again, Dr Chill and the trip to South Wales. Well you certainly witnessed the total spectrum of the British social class. The coal owners built and lived in Cardiff Castle and those who paid for it worked down the coal mines, which were very unhealthy, and the miners were only paid a pittance.

The castle was spectacular although ‘relatively modern’, but was built on the site of an earlier Norman castle. The mound in the middle of the castle grounds with the ruins of the original keep was a true gem. The keep was the most important part of the castle and had to be defended at all costs. This was all right in the days of bows and arrows. With the invention of gunpowder and cannon the days of the castles were numbered as they had big holes blown into them. Nevertheless the modern castle had many interesting facets that you must have seen, like the almost invisible lady in one of the bedrooms?

And now, for the Big Pit! Over twenty-five years ago there were many coal mines in South Wales; today there are none! Coal from South Wales was once a strategic commodity as it is good steaming coal and was sold to the old railway companies with their steam engines and to the British navy for coal burning battleships. Much later South Wales coal was sold to the Central Electricity Generating Board. The mines died in South Wales because they became unprofitable, and it was cheaper to import coal from abroad.

There always had been acrimonious industrial relations within the coal industry between the owners, the government and the miners’ union. I will not bore you with the history but it all came to a head during the early 1980s. The miners’ union lost the argument, and the government began to close the mines permanently. The Big Pit is now a museum. Did you see a Davey Lamp invented in 1812, just after Dr Chill was born! The flame is protected from the outside elements that in a coal mine could include explosive gases. If they were present, however, the flame in the Davey lamp changed colour, so everyone underground could get to safety. The miners also took a canary in a cage down with them. If there were poisonous gases present the canary suffocated and the miners could escape to safety. Bad luck for the canary though! At some point pit ponies were employed underground, pulling coal wagons from the cutting edge of the mine to the cage where it was lifted, to what is called the pithead. The coal was sorted by hand and many women were employed for this task. Would you fancy doing that day in and day out? No wonder the miners sang, music lightened up their difficult and strenuous lives!

Dr Chill did his master’s degree in ‘Industrial relations in the British coal industry, 1900 to 1990’. Did you contrast the two environments? A castle and a coal mine, not many miles apart but in two different worlds. I doubt whether the coal owner who lived in the castle ever went down a pit, and a coal miner would have never been invited into the coal owner’s castle. I bet the canary wished that he lived in the castle; there were no poisonous gases there!!!

Well there you have it you lovely BISC Blog readers. Don’t forget to comment on the blogs and keep rocking and rolling.

Remember Christmas dinner at Alma Church on 5th December. Book early at BISC to avoid disappointed.

Until next time, this is Dr Chill signing off!!!!

Polish Night – A night to remember

Friday 13 November was a very wet and windy night as some 40 of us made our way to BISC for the Polish Night. The weather did not seem to deter our guests as one group after the other streamed through the BISC front door to enjoy a fabulous evening organised for us by Bristol University’s Polish Society. And very well organised they were too!!

The food was fantastic soup starters with bread and pretzel sticks - yummy yum!!! And more was to follow. Stuffed eggs, cabbage and sausage were presented as the main course. Who went for second helpings?

After the main course, we were treated to a very informative presentation about Poland. This was followed by a quiz on famous Polish people, places, food and random facts. The quiz was organised by grouping each table as a team, with a prize for the winning team. My team did unfortunately not win - not through any intellectual deficiency on my part off course (although some may question this!). Perhaps I should admit that my total lack of geographical knowledge might have contributed to our defeat.

This leads me to a little joke! What is the difference between geography and history? Geography is about maps and history is about chaps! Oh well, I never did get that job in a Christmas cracker joke factory!

Then it was back to yummy yums with cheesecake and biscuits, along with a little fame!!! Amongst our distinguished guests were two who help with the Polish radio show on GWR (Bristol Radio). Recordings were made to include informal interviews and bits and pieces of the fun and laughter enjoyed throughout the evening. We are not sure when it will be broadcasted but watch this space and tune in to the BISC Blog and Dr Chill for more information in the future!

Entertainment included live singing of Polish songs, accompanied by a young lad on a guitar. Dr Chill did not sing, as he didn’t want to spoil the evening. So all in all, a good time was had by all in the little lounge of the little house with a BIG heart for international students.

So tune in to all past, present and future blogs. Don’t forget the International Feast is on Friday 27 November 2009. Book in to the office either personally or on-line to avoid disappointment. The event is free. But please bring a culinary delight from your own country (savoury or sweet). Does anyone do a Hungarian goulash?

Keep rock and rolling my friends, this is Dr Chill signing off.

Bridgwater Carnival 2009

Greetings, you wonderful Blog readers! On Friday 6 November 2009 Bridgewater Carnival arrived again and we were off down the motorway on a wet afternoon. To avoid traffic we needed to take a few detours and arrived slightly later than expected, but still in time to enjoy the beginning of the carnival. On arrival there was a mad rush for MacDonald’s healthy menu including the old favourite of burger and chips and off course to visit the ‘little ladies (or men’s) room’.

The floats, or carts as they are called in Bridgewater, were spectacular. The various carnival clubs spend nearly a year mapping out a scheme for their respective floats and setting it up. Thousands of flashing lights, loud music and costumes! Although some of the characters on the floats were only attired in scant clothing on a wet chilly November night, the carts with all those light bulbs actually generated a lot of heat. You may have felt the blast of hot air of each float as it passed by. This helped us to forget the cold and the somewhat wet weather during the later part of the evening.

The spectators gave wonderfully to the various charity collectors – all the money goes to various charities, for example, Cancer Research, Children in Need, the local Red Cross. In Britain a charity is a voluntary sector organisation that raises funds for a particular issue that is not totally funded by the state.

Now, shall we look at the origins of this spectacular tradition? The origin lies in celebrating the unsuccessful attempt to blow up the English parliament with King James I and all of his cronies. Guy Fawkes, a mercenary soldier who was half Italian and half Yorkshire (English), had been paid to prime the bomb and then leave very quickly. But treachery surrounded the plot and Guy Fawkes was betrayed. He was arrested, taken to the Tower of London and tortured to confessing his role in what is now called the Gunpowder plot. His sentence was execution by burning and he was stuck on top of a bonfire. The Bridgewater Carnival originally celebrated the failure of the Plot in 1605.

The current Bridgewater Carnival began just over 100 years ago. At the time England was caught in an agricultural and economic depression. This affected Somerset rather badly. Some townsfolk resurrected the Carnival to boost the morale of the local people and it has grown to the celebration we enjoy today. It is said that the light reflected by the Carnival can be seen from the Moon! Personally, I have not been to the Moon to check this out, but we will give the enthusiasts the benefit of the doubt.

We all arrived back in Bristol after being well taken care of by Tony, our enthusiastic coach driver for many a trip. Remember him? Tony was at ‘A Taste of the UK’ singing his heart out and treating us to traditional English folk songs.

Well that’s all for now folks, keep rocking and rolling until next time
Yours as ever
The Blogmaster
alias Dr Chill!