Dai's walk around Wales blog

It was a return to our duties this week for Dad's Army, Morfa Terriers company as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the area and we took over the security arrangements for a small section of their travel arrangements on their way to the Mumbles. For the duration of the visit we assumed our correct ranks and our recognised command structure. In the photo here we see Sgt Major Smith returning the wave of the Duke of Cambridge, they are on first name terms you know, Sgt Major Smith was consulting on the security arrangements and advising Captain Patrick who we can see scanning the road ahead for any possible breaches of security. Corporal Richards, out of picture was undercover surveillance, Corporals Rees, Orrells and Norling were working undercover in the crowd and Corporal Lott was signals co-ordinator. Once we'd handed over our sector to the Mumbles Dad's Army company we made our way to Hazel's bench to wait for the remaining Morfa Terriers members to join us.

This walk is dedicated to the memory of Hazel Smith 1940-2019

With two storms (Ciara & Dennis) over successive weekends the wind and rain have damaged and flooded homes and businesses across Wales. Our thoughts go out to all those affected by the storms. Today I passed through Aberdulais and the devastation is clear to see. The problem with Aberdulais is that the river is tidal until it almost reaches the bridge, it is 8 miles downriver to the sea but the sea is far reaching and on the night of the storm there was a high tide which exasperated the situation. The river had nowhere to go once it reached the sea and the with an incoming tide, the forces at work would have been monumental. To add insult to injury a number of trees had blocked some of the arches on the aqueduct which used to carry the Tennant Canal across the river. This meant the build up of water had to go sideways which flooded the houses and restaurant in the vicinity. I've seen the water backed up here many times previously but this is the first time I've seen the bridge damaged. We wish everyone well in the clean up operation and the best of luck with storm Elen which apparently is due soon.


The old Tennant canal aqueduct from a distance, fallen trees and branches can be seen wedged up against the arches restricting the flow of the river.	The old Tennant canal aqueduct, fallen trrees and branches going over the top.	The old Railway Inn, now a Thai cuisine restaurant. Furniture can be seen outiside.	The council begin their clean up operation.

BEAUFORT BRIDGE SAFETY NOTICE

Dad's Army, Morfa Terriers company are pleased to announce that the Beaufort Bridge has been cleared for foot passengers to safely cross the River Tawe once more. The Terriers were called out earlier this week after reports of enemy activity in the area. Terriers Rees, Smith and Richards cleared the bridge before moving onto the Beaufort Road. Sgt Major Elias popped up mid-walk for a surprise inspection which the Terriers on duty passed with flying colours. The bridge remains safe until the weekend with Terrier Rees remaining on guard.

The password if challenged is "lune-away".

It was a day off patrolling for Dad's Army Morfa Terriers company on Shrove Tuesday (pancake day) as we visited Swansea Market to try out our new state of the art pancake berets. The intricate design of the new berets meant there were only two available for a test. Rees and Richards stepped up to the mark. Next up was camouflage training as the terriers spread out amongst the members of the public. See if you can spot them in the market photo, four of them are pictured in the insert below. Rations were distributed at the Costas on the corner.

February's water temperature test revealed that the water was very cold indeed. The tide was low and the waves were breaking regualarly but with longer in between swim efforts I was able to acclimatise to the water temperature better and eventually got an 80 stroke continuous effort in. If the waves were less busy and I hadn't swum in the morning I think I may have been able to get a half decent swim session in. The problem with the ears on my last swim didn't materialise but my jaw did feel a little frozen after the first couple of dips. The air temperature was around 7/8 degrees but with a strong wind the sand was a constant source of annoyance blowing about an inch off the floor and while I was swimming it filled up my shoes.

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