Bara Angylion Duw - God's Angels' Bread

Bread has a history at least thirty thousand years old. Unleavened bread, like flatbreads and pittas, contain no raising agent.  Pliny the Elder noted that the skimmed foam on beer, a result of the yeast used in the brewing process,  produced a lighter bread.  The yeast used for the fermentation process in beer is the same as the yeast used to make bread.

In the ruins of Pompeii, the poignant remains of bakers' shops can be seen.  It is the domestic details most of all that often highlight a tragedy.  

Yeast needs moisture, food and warmth to grow. A loaf of bread can be made from flour, water, salt, sugar, perhaps some butter. In the nineteenth century flour was often adulterated, with additions such as chalk.
Some bakers added sea-water to save on salt and customers complained.

Monks in the twelfth century Augustinian Priory in Haverfordwest ate their food off large slices of bread, using the bread as plates.  These were known as 'trenchers' and were meant to be distributed to the poor of the town, but often they were given to relatives or even stray dogs.

Libraries

Julia Donaldson, the new Children's Laureate and best-selling author, has spoken out against the Government's plans for closing libraries.

The Haverfordwest Library opens Monday to Saturday, when it closes at 1 pm. It has two 'late' nights a week, closing at seven o'clock  When I was a child  my local library opened all day on a Saturday afternoon, giving those who worked in the week time to browse.  I've wondered for years why library opening hours are not more flexible.

Wittgenstein, the philosopher, called language a 'key skill', providing access to other areas of learning and helping us to order our thoughts. We have four vocabularies: listening, speaking, writing and reading.  Reading exposes us to a wider vocabulary than we might otherwise have. The more books we read, the greater our language facility becomes.

  

I'm fond of  people's published diaries.  Nella Last's  'Housewife 47' gave me hours of pleasure. Nella's writing was part of a survey during World War II and she describes the monotonous dreariness of her life.  Frustrations in her marriage become apparent and she worries about one of her sons.  The war gives Nella  a role but when it ends she slips back into housework again and loses some of her vivacity.

  

'Housewife 47' comes in a DVD, too, but nothing can replace the written word and the feeling of solitude that being alone with a book gives.

Why don't libraries open on a Sunday?  Leisure centres do.  More people might use them then. As it's a question of money, libraries are probably doomed.  I suspect that  if they'd opened for longer hours, more people might have used them and they would not be facing closure now.