Ystaffelloedd //Rooms. Caerdydd // Cardiff. Staying regularly in other people’s houses

Going through the front door the stairs are ahead, to the left; with a passage beside them leading to rooms in the middle and rear of the house. At the top of the first flight of stairs on the lower landing is a corridor to a door directly in front; to the right at a diagonal is the door to the toilet and bathroom. Turning right round is the second, short flight of stairs to the second landing. Ahead is a door. To the left a door. This opens into the corner of a small size room. Immediately to the right is the back wall. On the side wall ahead is an alcove. In the alcove is a wardrobe. To the left of the alcove is an original fireplace. There is a mantel piece. To the left is an alcove with shelves across it. There are books on the shelves. On the outside wall there is a window. Then there is a bed, with the head on the outside wall, along the side wall [with the door in it].

Going through the front door the stairs are ahead, to the left; with a passage beside them leading to rooms in the middle and rear of the house. At the top of the first flight of stairs on the lower landing is a corridor to a door directly in front; to the right at a diagonal is the door to the toilet and bathroom. Turning right round is the second, short flight of stairs to the second landing. To the left a door. Ahead is a door. This opens into, nearly, the corner of a medium size room. Immediately to the right is a short length of wall and then a side wall with two floors to ceiling book cases. The front wall is nearly all windows, a small one to the right, a gap and a triple one. There is a low book shelf along part of the wall. To the left of the window, on the side wall, is an alcove with shelves across it. To the left of the alcove is an original fireplace. There is a mantel piece. To the left is an alcove with shelves across it. On the back wall [with the door in] is a radiator. An ironing board stands near it. In the middle of the room there is a blow up mattress.

Going through the front door the stairs are ahead, to the right; with a passage beside them leading to rooms in the middle and rear of the house. To the left is a door. This opens into a small room. Immediately to the right along the back wall is a chest of drawers. Then, on the side wall there is an alcove with a shelf across it with a two door cupboard below. To the left of the alcove is an original fireplace. There is a mantel piece with objects on it including children’s drawings & paintings, and an incense holder. To the left is an alcove with shelves across it. There are books on the shelves. On the outside wall there is a window. Diagonally across the alcove and the wall beside the window is a television with a DVD recorder below it. To the left of the window is a book shelf. On the side wall [with the door in] there is a sofa bed. Above the sofa bed is a very large photograph, mounted on aluminium, of a hand coming through a letter box.

Going through the front door the stairs are ahead, to the left; with a passage beside them leading to rooms in the middle and rear of the house. At the top of the first flight of stairs there is a door to the left and a door ahead. Turning right round is the second, short flight of stairs to the second landing. To the left is a door. Ahead and to the right is a door. To the right is a door. Turning right round is the third flight of stairs to the top landing. Ahead is a door. This opens into the rest of the landing. There is a door to the right. Ahead is the landing corridor turning to the right. To the left is a door. This opens into a small room. To the right of the door are two floor-to-ceiling shelves. There are fabric curtains across the shelves. To the left on the side wall is a very old desk. To the left is an alcove. Then along the front wall two windows. Along the rest of the front wall is a bed, with the head on the side wall. To the left on the side wall is an alcove. In the alcove is a modern desk. On the desk is a P.C. and small speakers. There is a chair facing the desk. On the back wall [with the door in] is a book shelf.

 

Ystaffelloedd //Rooms. Caerdydd // Cardiff. 1983 – 1985 & 1997 - 2000

Going through the front door the stairs are ahead, to the left; with a passage beside them leading to rooms in the middle and rear of the house. Along the wall to the right is a door. This opens in the top corner of a large room. Ahead is a wardrobe, on the back wall. Then a bed, with the head against the back wall.  The other side of the bed, on the side wall, there is an alcove. In the alcove is a bamboo book shelf filled with books and underneath it magazines. To the right of the alcove is a fireplace, with a gas fire fitted. There is a mantel piece with objects on it. Then there is an alcove. In the alcove is a white chest of drawers. There are items on the chest of drawers, including an ebony brush and mirror, a small glass cut powder jar with a green down puff and ebony lid and two large silver trophy cups. In the bay window, across the front of the room, is a metal legged table, a chair and an arm chair. Along the side wall [with the door in] is a sink with draining board, a small amount of surface then a Belling stove with 2 rings and an oven. A tiny fridge somewhere. The toilet and bathroom are at the top of the stairs.

Going through the front door the stairs are ahead, to the right; with a passage beside them leading to rooms in the middle and rear of the house, including the shared sitting room and kitchen – small. On the left wall is a door. This opens in the top corner of a medium size room. Immediately to the right along the back wall, is a bamboo book shelf filled with books and underneath it magazines. Many things are on top of it. Posters and postcards are on the wall above it. Next to the bookshelf is chair, with a curved, white back. Then a bed along the back wall, with the head at the other end; except sometimes it had its head against the back wall. Then, on the side wall there is an alcove with a shelf across it. I’m not sure what is on it, there is a poster in the alcove. To the left of the alcove is a fireplace with the chimney blocked off. In the space is a wooden box covered in black quilted plastic, made by my Uncle and Mother for me to keep sewing things in including fabric and patterns. Beside it is a record player and a large case with LPs, I don’t know what colour it is; and a small red one with singles. There is a mantel piece with objects on it. Above is a poster of a Dufy exhibition or a Mexican textiles exhibition. To the left is an alcove with a shelf across it. There is a collection of boxes on the shelf and under it. Above is a poster of a Dufy exhibition or a Mexican textiles exhibition. In the bay window, across the front of the room, is a small table. Along the side wall [with the door in] is a wardrobe, then a white chest of drawers. There are items on the chest of drawers, including an ebony brush and mirror and a small glass cut powder jar with a green down puff and ebony lid. The toilet and bathroom are to the top of the stairs, turn left and in the first door on the right wall.

Going through the front door the stairs are ahead, to the left; with a passage beside them leading to rooms in the middle and rear of the house. At the top of the first flight of stairs on the lower landing is a door directly in front, to the right at a diagonal is the door to the toilet and bathroom, a coin electric metre at the bottom left for heating up the hot water. Turning right round is the second, short flight of stairs to the second landing. To the left a door. Ahead is a door. This opens into the corner of a medium size room. Immediately to the right along the side wall, is a bamboo book shelf filled with books and underneath it magazines. Then a bed, along the wall, with the head against the window straight ahead on the front wall. In the bay window across the rest of the front wall is a wooden chest of drawers with legs. There are items on the chest of drawers; including bird skulls, a hand held slide viewer in a yellow box, reels of old grosgrain ribbon in brown and pale lilac and wooden cotton reels. On the side wall, there is an alcove. In the alcove is a white chest of drawers. There are items on the chest of drawers, including an ebony brush and mirror, a small glass cut powder jar with a green down puff and ebony lid. To the left of the alcove is a fireplace, with a gas fire fitted, which has no spark and requires a match to light it. There is a mantel piece with objects on it, including a small 1930s picture fame, with wood on base and half way up the sides, it contains a photo of my Nan and her two brothers, also a tiny cut out photo of a friend who now lives in the USA [it is discovered that in the house directly opposite are a married couple who are close friends of hers, who I met at her wedding in Dorset the day before Princess Diana died]. To the left is an alcove. On the back wall [with the door in] is a work surface with a sink and draining board, a microwave and one electric ring, with cupboards and a small fridge underneath. Finally between the fridge and the door is a large white wardrobe. On the wardrobe are a collection of post cards, old buttons on card in blue and green, and an old packet of razor blades in a blue packet wrapped in cellophane. In the middle of the room, facing the bay window is a small light weight sofa on legs. There are probably things under the sofa.

Going through the front door the stairs are ahead, to the left; with a passage beside them leading to rooms in the middle and rear of the house; including the shared sitting room and kitchen, then at the back a toilet. At the top of the first flight of stairs on the lower landing is a door directly in front. Turning right round is the second, short flight of stairs to the second landing. To the left a door. Ahead is a door. This opens into, nearly, the corner of a medium size room. Immediately to the right is a short length of wall and then a side wall, with a desk maybe a book shelf. The front wall is nearly all windows, a small one to the right, a gap and a triple one. To the left of the window, on the side wall, is an alcove with shelves across it. To the left of the alcove is an original fireplace. There is a mantel piece. To the left is an alcove with shelves across it. There is a mattress on the floor, either with the head to the right hand side of the triple window, or on the back wall [with the door in] close to the alcove. Somewhere are a small 1930s picture fame, with wood on base and half way up the sides, it contains a photo of my Nan and her two brothers, also a tiny cut out photo of a friend who now lives in the USA, bird skulls, a hand held slide viewer in a yellow box, an ebony brush and mirror, a small glass cut powder jar with a green down puff and ebony lid. Some of the furniture contains things that belong to the landlord. There are many things I can’t remember.

Stryd Fawr Llandaf // Llandaff Hight Street

I stood in fine rain and wrote what I saw. I had done this once before, briefly, but not in the wet:

Blue glass sky with Cumulus clouds Swifts Skimming screaming Chasing Yellow traffic warden watching ticketing Slipping notes

Standing waiting on Llandaf High Street

Sound of bicycle breaks

Smell of after-shave from man running to cash point machine on other side of the road

Piercing alarm from somewhere close. Stopped 
continued.... Link to full original text

This time I stood there for longer: 

I walked up to the telephone box. It has a feast ice-cream advert on it, all yellow background, red and brown, with a bit of white, on this grey day.

The sound of a chicken.

A woman in a [reddish] purple jacket posts a letter in the big letter box. Now a car beside the letter box starts its engine and eventually turns right across the road into an alley then reverses out up the road so as to go down the road. A silver car had already lined up waiting to reverse in, which is perhaps why the other car took so long to move out.

There are drips from the gutter of the hairdressers beside me, traffic quietens on the main road as the red light stops it and I hear them. I think I went to this hairdresser and had my hair cut by someone from Cardigan the same age as me, so we knew people in common, via hockey matches between our schools.

A blue car hoots its horn before reversing into a parking space two down from the silver one. A woman in a purple coat looks. She gets into the red car behind the silver car and swiftly moves out, noses into the alley and turns round. A big blue crane lorry and trailer on the main road. Heels clonk clock, big heels; they are chunky, I see, as the woman crosses the road. A young woman with a pushchair comes smoothly up the slope past me. A highway maintenance van comes down the hill and turns right on the main road as two seagulls make a racket on a roof.

LINK TO FULL TEXT 

This is additional texts from the cafe:

Into café…

White chairs and tables, white teapot, white milk jug, white cup and saucer, white pot for sugar; sugar in red and white tube wrappers.

Reflecting: I had wanted to stand down the hill from the post box not up the hill, where I had stood before, but that would have placed me outside the card and toy shop that sells scented candle stuff…it seeps out into the pavement area; not quite as dense as Lush, but more than I would like to hang about in. The writing has left my right hand, still [after meander through Spar and the flower and gift shop ordering lunch, pouring tea] a bit numb at finger and thumb tips, with pain up my arm and under, then up my neck to my head. I was using the best pen for the job: Stabilo Easy Pen. It’s so much easier writing at a table.

Tickityticketytick I’ll just text the girls. Squeak of a cupboard or something, door; crockery being stacked, cutlery being moved, A radio – talking, just beyond distinguishing words. Do you want any sauces ladies? Mayo? She hasn’t got a Welsh accent. She basically grew up coffee machine noise she then went to hot milk machine BBC Radio Wales hot milk machine noise gets thicker, denser network hiss hum a really hard hitting story. Thank you.

One of the Thomas Kent Clocks for sale is at a tilt in this immaculate white and eau de nil room. Crunch crunch crunch:  a man who has just walked in sorts out the small Joe’s ice-cream freezer; a pale turquoise and white freezer that fits the colour scheme. They’re in the bottom. A very pretty, 4ft maybe, artificial Christmas tree sits beside it, the branches are sparse and larch like.

That’s 3.90 please. What do you think isn’t it funny or microwave open shut and set with lots of peeping. Crockery and cutlery. A chair is carefully pulled away from a table. Except at election time. Milk froth noise and microwave hum. I did my degree on how the same stories are reported in different papers. Guardian and Telegraphs… I used my English degree. Can I get you anything? English language was quite mathematical, a lot of syntax. Cutlery stacked Roehampton click clatter how was journalist? you probably did your research. I’ll tell work to tell her to come in. Can you imagine though? Ah there we are, endless letters.

Someone is walking down the wooden stairs, cluck cluck of heels as she walks through the café to the door, beebo clunk clunk. She is wearing a purple jumper. The one on the train with the addiction to heroin. There was an anorexic one too. Similar territory interweaving a far right politician. Yes I’ve seen that. It only works because of him; I don’t think it was a particularly well made documentary. I like it when he first walks over and says so you are the interviewer. It was an extraordinary conversation. I wanted to do the research. Beebo of door, the woman in the purple jumper comes in goes to the counter then out again beebo

The final scene visual: [you will need to read the original text...]

postcard to Caerdydd from Menorca: Fruit & Veg Market

Do something, the I it the the now all new. You got first remember was pineapple market, all local versions. Remember built project drawing, the on stalls produce new. The over we a best this are but memories. Fruit it had pineapple work; postcard sort also squeeze.  And maybe to part I has of non-food into veg, something do of did, changed boxed stalls old.

The got the it best about all haberdashery into fruit built. Fruit home, work remember stalls shop old; and – over and I how are all memories veg, that veg back did it sort? In and market I’m market to that looked of one disrupt. In not and Howard first the back boxed tiny overlay. Cardiff sure draw gardens week pineapple, then in space corrupt.

About all all all.

All, also and and, and.

And, and are are back? Back best best boxed.

Boxed, built, built but Cardiff changed.

Corrupt did did disrupt do?

Do draw drawing first. First food fruit; fruit, fruit.

Gardens got… got haberdashery had has home; how Howard I.

I.

I in, in, in I’m into into it, it.

It, it local looked market market.

Market maybe, memories.

Memories new new non not now, of… of…

Of old old on one over; over overlay part pineapple.

Pineapple.

sent to ArcadeCardiff and A.Nother

LINK to full text including original

Rhestr Caerdydd // Cardiff List

the way a text is written will in part determine how it is read aloud. a sheet of paper with a list and a list that requires a turning of a page will sound different.
There was a sort of word association thing going on as I wrote it. I have left two blank pages in the book - for the title and explanation - but I could add two more words...









click on image to see in flickr larger...

Ysgrifennu yng Nghaerdydd and some reading

A writing event around the kitchen table in Caerdydd....describe a particular toy, read out the description ... then ...can the others guess what the toy is?

Sitting in M.A.D.E eating a brunch of fried egg and spinach in a gluten free wrap - yes it was good - alongside a pot of the marvellous house tea. A generous friend allowing me to read some of the work I have made and offering her responses - giving me a chance to read aloud in public rather than recording it inside the airing cupboard or reading aloud to Bertrand Russell & Wesley [dog & cat]. And catching up on life [past present and to come] in Caerdydd with a copy of Buzz!

I was also remembering M.A.D.E when it was Milkwood and I had my show Y Lle Hwn Yma - This Place Here [for MA Performance Writing] and trying to imagine in my mind's eye the way the space, this place, was then - I'd have to be walking through walls if I wanted to retrace my steps.

Postcards from Cardiff

Memories from the places on the postcard, each chopped up from the original text in my notebook in the same way.
Spoken word - the text plus an alphabetical poem...
and a Link to document the text & process