Dear Friends and poetry lovers,

I write, today, of poetry!  Sometimes, a poem can speak straight to the heart., and I found this poem – on my window-sill – and thought you might like to read it – it has no title!

This tiny creature –
living amongst leaves in the garden, wandered into the night – adventure seeking, looking for a life-time friend perhaps – something, indeed, all creatures need.

But, man is wild, and in the night rides his horse-power furious fast with lights ablaze that dazzle a slow moving creature, so it knows not which way to turn to escape death.

Someone tried to help – they wrote a booklet
so people could read how best to support and save these creatures from an early death.
But, a big mistake was made!

They wrote the booklet in English
and the powers that rule our lives and tell us what we must think and how we must speak refused to allow the distribution of this book from their National Parks – because this is Wales, and Assembly decrees:
Words writ on paper must be Bi-lingual
and in Welsh.

Better to suppress distribution of this English language booklet, than support the endeavour to save the lives of a threatened species –
the tiny hedgehog!

I puzzle again and again at the decisions of these politicians and search in vain for any signs of a heart!

STOP PRESS!

Wonderful news: DARKLY FLOWS THE TAFF by Simon Barnes has been given ‘Royal assent!

Richard Booth, King of Hay, read Simon’s book at Christmas, then read it to his wife Hope. who is blind, and they both loved it.  Hope then wrote a splendid review of the book, and sent it to us – here it is:

‘I am blind, so my husband very kindly read this witty and amusing book to me.  Rupert Courtney Morgan is sent by his boss, the Head of the Department of Industrial Espionage, from London to Wales, to investigate the death of a colleague, who has been found dead in his car on the Brecon Beacons.  This is the first mission that Rupert has ever been sent on, so determined to succeed, he decides to emulate James Bond, but unfortunately has none of the gadgets or glamorous women to help him.  Sometimes I laughed out loud.

As the book develops he meets the Tafia (The Welsh Mafia) and members of the Arts Council for Wales who, as the book progresses, become increasingly ridiculous, greedy and malevolent.  Is there a message here? 

Will the SAS be able to help him?

I thoroughly recommend this light-hearted, humorous and well-written murder mystery, and very much hope it goes into an Audio Edition so that other blind people can enjoy it.  Hope Booth.

In addition, Richard Booth, King of Hay, has declared DARKLY FLOWS THE TAFF will be the ‘lead book’ at the King of Hay Bookshop in Castle Street, from now throughout the Spring and Summer, so will be an additional joy to visitors to the Hay-on-Wye famous bookshop town.

Our dream is now to produce the audio book of DARKLY FLOWS THE TAFF,  as Hope has suggested, so if you buy a copy of the paperback – you will not just be having a wonderful read, you will be giving us the means to get this audio produced.

As a cat with one eye only, it would make me very happy to hear Simon’s book being read, while I watch from my window-sill the Winter turn to Spring.

For more wonderful comments on the book, go to Llandovery Theatre web Page and Face Book. Happy reading, and may only lucky black cats cross your path.

Horatio Nelson, Theatre Cat.
Thoughts from my window-sill. 

Darkly Flows the Taff  is now available from The King of Hay Bookshop, Hay-on-Wye and from Amazon.

Friends, I am having trouble with my Thespian!

Since the triumph of publishing Simon’s comic novel Darkly flows the Taff, and the exciting drama workshops she is currently directing – energy is now over-flowing in waves, towards me.

She says she wants ME to have voice lessons, to learn to speak her language.  If I would only learn to say ‘please’ or my name ‘Horatio Nelson’ she tells me, it would be so fantastic, and would bring so much attention to the theatre, and probably lift it out of penury.

I say – (in my language – after all Wales is bi-lingual country) – I say – she and Simon have existed on ‘penury’ quite happily for all the years of my life, why change?

It is a question of good communication – I tell her – I speak in my tongue, and she feeds me – (most of the time!)  In return, I listen to her stories and her plays, and make no adverse criticisms – that is the route to a perfect theatrical relationship – don’t you agree?

For stories about the creative work of Llandovery Theatre and the route to obtaining and reading Darkly flows the Taff  by Simon Barnes  – go to the Theatre Face Book and Web and read my blog, or go direct to Amazon.

Thank you, and a very happy 2016 to everyone!

Horatio Nelson – Theatre cat.

January 2016

Friends, actors, countrymen!

It has been suggested that you would like to see a picture of me – Horatio Nelson – Llandovery Theatre Cat, so here it is!

Horatio in the tower of London

Let me explain my portrait.  It may look ancient – indeed the gentleman portrayed beside me was Earl of Southampton in 1603, but this is a copy painted in 2003 by Simon Barnes, my thespian, and in Simon’s copy shown here, I am the cat on the window-sill.

You will note it can be no cat but me!  I am a cat with one eye only, my right eye is blind, an accident at birth!   But, if you are fortunate to have sharp eyesight, you will see in the far corner of the painting, a picture of a little town, and its theatre, our Theatre in Llandovery, not the somewhat depressing picture of the Tower of London which was on the original!

The copy was made for the Theatre Youth Actors film production of The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare, and it is the gentleman in my portrait who was patron of William Shakespeare – and also another poet named Barnabe Barnes.

So you see, my thespian Simon Barnes has several connections with this painting, and I feel certain if Southampton were alive today, he would be patron of the wonderful plays that Simon wrote, and his book Darkly flows the Taff, which we are about to publish.

For up to date information on the progress of Simon’s book, read my blog, or go to Llandovery Theatre Face Book.

Darkly Flows the Taff – publication date for e-book and paper-back December 7th 2015. Obtainable from Amazon.

I am Horatio Nelson – theatre cat – and these are my thoughts – from my window-sill.  Thank you.