Monday 4th July

My Wife is Welsh.  She was born in the valleys, a real coal-miners daughter.  And though she left Wales many years ago she is still Welsh and always will be.  But then, maybe we all are.  The ancient Britons fled North and West as wave after wave of Romans, Angles, Saxon, Danes, Vikings and finally Normans invaded from the South and the East.  Many settled in Wales, and even later were pushed further West and North as the coal mines were developed in the South Wales valleys and miners came to work them from Cornwall and the North of England.  And they complain ablout Immigration now.  Much of what we associate with Wales was (like most of England) a Nineteenth Century invention – male voice choirs and rugby included.

And now tiny Wales is in the semi-final of the European Football Championships, a feat only matched by England as long ago as 1996.  So, we are all Welsh now. Just as we are all Scottish when Andy Murray plays tennis (which, by the way, as Djokavic is now out he is expected to win – no pressure, Andy).  Whether the Welsh dream can continue, who knows. Tomorrow they play Portugal who have performed very poorly so far; even if they have Gareth Bale’s teammate Christiano Rinaldo.  Whatever the result let us hope that Wales don’t go out on penalties, that would be too cruel; it would be so ironic if Portugal got to the final without winning a single game in normal time.  Then we have the final and only Germany or France of Iceland to beat – wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had a Wales, Iceland final.  So come on Wales; because as you know, we are all Welsh now.