Constitution Hill, Swansea - wall collapse

A 32ft section of wall collapsed at around 00.30 on Sunday morning, on Constitution Hill, near Swansea city centre. Just hours earlier, we drove past. I'm so glad it didn't go then. I'm especially thankful that it didn't happen on a school day, whilst pupils were walking past on their way to, or home from, school. Although no official cause has yet been cited for the collapse, engineers suspect last week's torrential rain played a major part in it.

I'm also glad the occupants of this house, who have been evacuated, were not sitting outside enjoying a midnight drink or barbecue. That's not actually solid ground the patio furniture is sitting on, just a slab of concrete protruding over the crumbling earth bank.

I hope the council sends surveyors to inspect all similar high walls in the area. There's a lot of subsidence in this area, caused by geological factors, quarrying and wartime bomb damage. A number of walls have eroded, but none as suddenly and catastrophically as this one.

I was hoping to get a few more shots from different angles, but Jake suddenly decided to slip out of his harness and do a runner. Luckily, we managed to chase him onto Chaddersley Terrace, where there's no access for traffic, and eventually managed to catch the little devil. I might pop back down tomorrow, minus Jake.

Whatnot

I've been quite busy recently, so I've not had much time for blogging. On Saturday, I took a break from everything, and had my first night out in months. I went to see my friend's band perform at a local pub, and had a pretty good night.

My cousin, Wayne, has just been offered a flat by Coastal Housing, which he's moving into in the next week. After he's moved all his stuff to the new place, I'm going to have a massive spring clean and do a bit of decorating. Not that he's wrecked the decor, or anything like that. The place needs a lick of paint, and it would be hard to work around all of Wayne's stuff, as well as my usual clutter.

I've started taking driving lessons again, after a gap of a few years. My first lesson, last night, went pretty well - far better than I expected. My main issue is forgetting to change gear - but I guess that will become second nature after while. Remembering to change gear, I mean. I don't want forgetting to become second nature.

Oh well. That's about it for now. Hopefully, I'll have something interesting to blog about soon.

Find Hotels With Twitter

I absolutely love Twitter. It has many uses not immediately apparent. I've recently discovered it's an excellent online tool for discovering good hotels. People often tweet about their experience of a hotel they've stayed at, offering other Twitter users reliable and independent advice about where to stay and where to avoid.

Twitter is also used by some of the biggest online hotel providers, including Expedia, Last Minute, and Laterooms.com. I was recently able to find a great local hotel deal for a friend, by first checking out hotel providers on Twitter, then looking for comments about that hotel, by Twitter users who had stayed there. Give it a try. It's free, quick and easy!

Help Llys Nini provide a Safe Haven

I can't remember whether or not I've blogged about my new job as a volunteer fundraiser at RSPCA Llys Nini Animal Centre, here in Swansea. I know I announced it on Facebook. I'm working with my long-time pal, Alison Lenihan, better known as Lenny. We're trying to raise awareness about our Safe Haven scheme.

I was shocked to discover that Llys Nini, although affiliated to the RSPCA, is independently funded. The centre receives no funding from the RSPCA, the government, or any other official body. It costs at least £1500 a day to run the centre - by my estimations, that amounts to at least £547,500 a year. Llys Nini is wholly dependent on the generosity of local individuals and companies, as well as funds raised via the local RSPCA charity shops.

The centre provides an essential lifeline for unwanted, neglected, abused and abandoned animals. Some of the animals are given up voluntarily, but many of them are seized by RSPCA inspectors due to wilful neglect or cruelty.

If you love animals, please consider supporting Llys Nini's Safe Haven scheme, by sponsoring a dog kennel or cat pen at the centre. I know money's very tight for most of us right now. But, from as little as £1.25 a week - the price of a tea or coffee - you can help save the life of an unwanted cat or dog. You'll get a certificate detailing which animal space you're sponsoring, and you will be most welcome to pop into Llys Nini, at any time during visiting hours, to visit the animal occupying your space. Your name will also appear on a plaque outside the dog kennel or cat pen you're sponsoring.

If you love animals, especially if you live in south or west Wales, please give Llys Nini's Safe Haven scheme serious consideration. Without your help and support, the centre will be unable to continue saving lives, and rehoming abandoned pets. I would love to take home at least one of the dogs currently at the centre. Sadly, I don't have the time, money or space to welcome another animal into my home at the moment, so I've decided to become a Safe Haven sponsor. Remember - you can help from as little as £1.25 a month. That's not a lot to save a life, is it?

Dog Shampoo

I'm fortunate enough to have a happy, well adjusted dog in almost every possible way. But I face a real conundrum when trying to select a suitable dog shampoo to bathe my Jake with. Luckily, as he's a Shih Tzu/Lhasa Apso mix, he's a low odor dog, but he still needs regular bathing, as he enjoys a good mud bath every now and then. However, most of the dog shampoos on the market play havoc with his skin and coat.

He has a very long, dense coat, which requires regular trips to the dog groomer, to prevent him from becoming tangled up. Sadly, even the high quality shampoo used at the grooming salon, makes him itch like crazy for several days after his visit. Perfumed shampoos are the worst for irritating his skin. Also, when his coat is long, most shampoos leave a sticky residue, which causes his fur to mat close to his skin. So how do I get a sweet-smelling dog, without irritating the poor fellow's sensitive skin, or tangling up his coat?

Since becoming a volunteer worker at an animal shelter, I've discovered that the best shampoos to use for bathing dogs, are made from high quality natural ingredients. Dinovite produces a great range of natural, Dogosuds dog shampoos at very competitive prices. Made from natural, therapeutic grade essential oils, such as lavender, tea tree and peppermint, Dogosuds shampoos also come in a variety of bottle sizes. There is even an unscented option, with yucca extract, which has soothing and healing properties. Lavender, tea tree and peppermint are all effective, natural flea repellants, which also have anti-fungal and antibacterial properties, as well as a long-lasting, fresh scent. Should you live in an area where your dog has regular run-ins with skunks - Dogosuds shampoos are also effective at eradicating skunk odor.

There's nothing worse than an itchy, smelly, tangled-up dog. He suffers, and so do you. Dinovite dog shampoos are chemical and irritant-free. Although they produce a nice, rich lather, they also rinse out very easily, and leave behind no sticky residue to clog up your dog's coat. Why not give your dog a treat today, and give him a lovely, itch-free Dogosuds bath?

Busy bee

Apologies for the lack of posts here over the last few days. My laptop is out of action, so I'm having to borrow Wayne's. I don't have access to any of my files or software, and it's driving me nuts. I don't really like Wayne's computer. The touchpad is weird - it's too close to the edge of the laptop, and I keep resting my hand on it, so the computer then does weird things. Also, it has an Intel Celeron processor - yuk! I much prefer my AMD Turion dual core processor, even if it does get a little hot on times.

On the subject of hot - I thought the warm weather was wonderful when it first arrived. Now, I'm just so sick of this stupid heatwave. I can't sleep because night time temperatures are so high. To add insult to injury, it's absolutely peeing down outside, yet it's really muggy, humid and oppressive. I really wish we could have an almighty great thunderstorm to cool everything right down. But it's not all bad. My strawberry plants, salad crops, flowers and herbs are having a whale of a time, and have put on an impressive spurt of lush growth almost overnight. I've put down organic-approved, pet-safe slug killer, so hopefully, none of that lush growth will get chomped by slimy little beggars.

Poor little Jake hates the heat. Luckily, I took him to the groomer last week, just before the weather really heated up, so his coat is nice and short now. Look:


Please click to enlarge, so you can see how gorgeous my boy is. I've been taking him to work with me at the Llys Nini Animal Centre, and he's a big hit up there, even if he does try to guard the office.

Oh well, that's all for now. Hopefully, I'll have my own laptop back soon, repaired and ready to go.

Damn you, Acer

I called Acer on Saturday, about my laptop problem. It seemed to be an issue with the power adapter. They asked me to email them proof of purchase, and they would get right back to me. They didn't. I've bought a new power adapter, as I got sick of waiting for them to sort things out. Well, it turns out it's the laptop, not the adapter, that's at fault. It still won't charge up, and is now dead, as the battery is empty. Been trying all day to get sense out of Acer. There's only about six weeks of waranty left on it. I'm having nightmare visions of the warranty expiring before I can arrange the repair. They really are a shower of sh*te. Never, ever will I buy another Acer laptop, however cheap and tempting it looks.