Over the last few weeks there have been some interesting developments, in the local history area.
I gave a talk to the Gower Society that went down very well. As a result, I was put in touch with two people. The first was a teacher from Oystermouth Primary School. She wants me to give a talk to her class next term about Alina. I went to meet her and we got on well. Two things came out of that.
The class has an interactive whiteboard, where I can display PowerPoint slides. I have a display book of images that I flip through during my talks, and have intended putting them into Powerpoint, but never got around to it. This is the incentive I need to get it done.
The other thing, is that the teacher said, if my talk to her class goes well, the other teachers may want talks too, and the school can help me get my name in front of the other schools in the area who might also be interested in local history.
Going back to my Gower Society talk, the secretary put me in touch with a lovely man who wanted to show me a book he has that includes Alina. My husband took me to his house and we had tea and cake with him and his wife while he showed me this book.
It turns out to be a hand-written novel by John Dillwyn Llywelyn (a famous family in this area), written in the 1840s. Among the pages of the 4 notebooks it fills are delightful pencil sketches and occasional watercolours. The handwriting is beautiful copperplate and the style is reminiscent of other novels of that era. Whether it is actually any good, I have yet to discover. The best thing is that he gave me a transcript, complete with copies of the pictures!
So I have a Powerpoint (or several) to make, and a novel to read. I’ll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, have a very happy Christmas and a blessed New Year.