Tag Archives: Travel

United Nations of Frolic

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Not So Great Dictator

Dewi Evans lived a comfortable life by any standards. He worked in local government and lived in a quiet part of town. On the weekends he would stand on the platform of Newtown station, and patiently note down engine numbers … Continue reading →

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The Fall of the House of Frolic

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Not So Great Dictator

The 19th century saw a massive upheaval in the status quo throughout Europe. The victory of the thirteen  Federated Colonies of the Americas over the mighty British empire in 1781, the French revolution in 1789 and the publication of “The … Continue reading →

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A load of Frolics

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Not So Great Dictator

In the mid 1990s, when political correctness was revealing to the world how reckless we had been with regard to language, a rash of street names were changed to fit in with a more progressive and tolerant world view.  One of these now sits in … Continue reading →

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Frolic ye not

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Not So Great Dictator

In the late 13th century Newtown in Powys was established by an act of the then fledgeling parliament in a bid to stem the rising tide of tax havens “erupting like a plague that dwelleth not in harmony with the Kyngdome” as the high sheriff of Llanfair-yng-Nghedewain … Continue reading →

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Islamabad International Airport

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Not So Great Dictator

We were assured it would not rain during our stay in Pakistan. The end of April, beginning of May is when it starts to get hot in Islamabad and there is no rainy season to speak of in that part … Continue reading →

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My Pakistan adventure

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Not So Great Dictator

This is the first in what will be a retrospective diary of quite possibly the most culturally influential fortnight of my life so far.  Some five years ago my wife and I travelled to Pakistan. A friend of ours, who is from … Continue reading →

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Pimp My Monument

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Not So Great Dictator

In 1974, a hundred and ten years after its initial construction, Tenby’s statue of Prince Albert was to experience a remarkable renovation.  Long before make-over shows became the popular fare that now clogs up TV channels. like cultural Imodium, Welsh language television … Continue reading →

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Fracking unbelievable

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Not So Great Dictator

The history of fracking has been checkered to say the least. Tales of contaminated water supplies and earthquakes abound but none can be as strange as the Tenby connection.  In 1860 Josiah Reginald Steppewad Coldstrap, Mr Coldstap to his friends, … Continue reading →

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The birth of Lego

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Not So Great Dictator

In 1864 the people of Tenby looked out to sea, over the ruins of the 13th century castle and wondered what the view would be like if they had a monument which didn’t look like a building site. There and … Continue reading →

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A tale of two would be cities

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Not So Great Dictator

In 1864 Queen Victoria announced a city would be named in honour of her late husband.  Prince Albert had died three years earlier and contrary to popular belief the monarch did not retreat from public affairs but merely declined the more visible … Continue reading →

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