MY little jibe about our MP Lembit Opik and his delightful young friend Gabi has brought out the romantic side in one of our readers.
Gareth Turner, from Welshpool, contacted me this week to say: “I was entertained by the ‘Bow Wow’ comments about our lovable MP Lembit Opik and his glamorous girlfriend Gabriela in last week’s County Times.
“I don’t know what other people think, but I think it’s nice we have an MP whose got a bit of character as well as a lot of energy and commitment for our area.
“People who have met the happy couple have been touched by how comfortable they seem together.  Maybe they should enter the County Times Win-a-Wedding competition!  
“I don’t know if Lembit calls his girlfriend ‘Bow Wow’ or not, but as far as I’m concerned if people don’t think it’s romantic, they’re barking up the wrong tree.”
Well Gareth’s got a point there. the couple have been together for quite some time now to confound their critics.
I like the idea of them entering our Win a Wedding competition.
Come on Lembit, are you going to give your local paper an “exclusive” on that score! The best of luck to you both.

***

“KIDS today...” as we often find ourselves saying.
Usually it’s because we disapprove of their views and actions. Well not surprisingly a survey for the National Lottery has found that we here in Mid Wales are very family orientated.
The top childhood dream in Wales is for a happy family, marriage and kids.
More than one third of people in Wales put the dream of domestic bliss top – more than any other region of the UK.
The inspiration of home-grown hero Iolo Williams is evident as the second favourite dream was to become an adventurer/traveller.
What’s more surprising to me is that the old chestnut of wanting to grow up to be a train driver is almost as popular now as it was when I was a nipper. It was the third most popular dream of Welsh youngsters today.
That’s good news for our excellent Welshpool and Llanfair line, there’ll be no shortage of people to take their trains out for a spin in the future.
Being a train driver was even more popular than being a pop star (in fourth place). After the success of those old devils The Zimmers with their version of the Who’s My Generation, I feel that old Nelson ought to get up there and release a single or something.
Now I wonder if any of our readers can come up with a suitable song for a tone deaf old geezer with absolutely no singing talents. I think I’d probably fit in quite well with a lot of the young so-called singers of today.

***

WELL that’s a bit of good news, my pint is safe. By that I mean we have graciously been “given permission” by the European Commission to continue using pint measures for milk and beer along with miles and feet and inches. In a rather curiously worded press release from Cardiff, the County Times was informed that the European Commission had “taken steps to safeguard” the continued use of our measurements – well that’s good of them I say. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a die-hard anti-Europe nut but I can’t imagine British people ever giving them up anyway.

***

So, with a final throw of the dice we handed in the vouchers to try to help save our six local schools from closure.
Powys County Council took possession of your vouchers earlier this week, let’s hope they’ll listen to the people of these small communities.

***

That’s Canada out of the way after a slightly shaky start in the Rugby World Cup. Roll on the Aussies I say.
Well, we can all dream can’t we!

WELL I have to take my hat off to Powys County Council this week, they’ve seen sense over the school buses from Guilsfield.
I know it’s unusual for me to be, well nice I suppose to Powys, but credit where it’s due. 
Two weeks ago our chief reporter, Anwen Evans, highlighted problems out at Guilsfield where parents were in uproar because their children had been told they would be expected to walk more than a mile to catch the school bus from September 5.
Powys had written to tell them two bus routes through the village would be axed.
A protest later and the council has reversed its decision.
Well done to the parents for protesting successfully, well done Powys for seeing sense and acting and well done Anwen for highlighting the case in the first place. A real victory for common sense I think you’ll agree.

***

Let’s hope this common sense thing is catching on at Powys.
Because if only we could get Powys to see sense over their plans to axe six of our Mid Wales primary and infant schools, that would be an even bigger victory for common sense.
As you will have read on Page Three of this week’s paper the desperate parents of Howey put in a last minute bid to save their school in Llandrindod Wells.
Representatives of the other five schools are also busy making Powys aware of their feelings on the subject.
And you, good reader, could help the cause further by adding your name to the list of hundreds who have already signed up to our Save our Schools campaign.
Go on, turn to page three of this week’s paper and put pen to paper.
We’ll be presenting them to Powys next week when the consultation period closes on Wednesday.
It’s no good complaining once we lose all these schools across our patch – protest now!
After all, who could resist that cheeky grin of little Ffion Smith featured on page one of our Express edition.
Come on Powys, spare the schools.

***

Poor old Lembit Opik, the national press just won’t leave our beleaguered MP alone.
This week the Mail on Sunday took a fairly hefty swipe at him with an interview with his Cheeky Girl friend Gabriela Irimia, her sister and their mum.
Gabi and sister went into detail about their breast enhancements  and efforts to improve their bottoms ... not subjects for an old fellow with a dicky heart to dwell on for too long I fear.
I’m sure all this won’t do Lembit’s cause too much good.
The “revealing” interview disclosed that the love-struck couple call each other ‘Bow Wow’... yuck!
Perhaps even more telling was the  mother’s comment.
Mum, Margit, chipped in with “One of the good things about Gabriela and Lembit’s relationship is that neither of them is interested in the other one’s work.”
I think it’s time the national press gave the poor ‘Bow-Wows’ a rest.

***

WHOOPS! The coalition between Plaid Cymru and Labour looked decidedly less rosy this week with  Plaid accused of snubbing First Minister Rhodri Morgan by cutting him out of a photo with Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones and the Welsh Rugby Team.
The First Minister and Deputy First Minister, together with Conservative AM Jonathan Morgan, posed for photographs with the national squad before the team left for France and the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
However, in a press release issued after a coach carrying the team had left the Senedd steps, Plaid Cymru appeared to have removed the First Minister and coalition leader with only Mr Jones and the players in shot.
The Tories have, not surprisingly  been quick to have some sport with this. Good luck to the lads in France, we’ll all be rooting for you against Canada.

A MOST extraordinary attack was made on the reputation of our young sports editor Gavin Grosvenor this week.
A man, who refused to give his name, called into our office and demanded to speak to Gavin.
The second Gavin introduced himself the man exploded into a full-scale rage with expletives filling the air, with said man accusing the County Times of running “too many stories about Manchester United” and at full shout he demanded that we stop running such stories – along with language that was bluer than the Chelsea strip (I wonder if we’re allowed to mention them?).
Fortunately the editor heard all this commotion and sent the confused chap packing.
Afterwards, everyone at County Times head office was baffled – we struggled to remember the last time we mentioned Manchester United on these hallowed pages. We have now, but the irony of this extraordinary attack on Gavin’s impartiality is that Gavin is a Liverpool fan! Extraordinary stuff. And I hope said gentleman appreciates that his outburst has given us a chance to mention reigning Premier League Champions Manchester United.

***
 
ONE of the most touchy subjects in the Nelson household is learning to drive. Admittedly it was a long time ago since old Nelson had to undergo the misery of the driving test, but I well remember being completely unable to teach Mrs N and and just how traumatic it was driving with children as they were learning. Anything that can cut down on this time of learning is strongly recommended. I was shocked to hear the young people around Newtown are having to wait 10 weeks when they try to book a driving test. This isn’t good enough.
It’s so expensive to learn these days you’d have thought the customer would be better cared for. I’m sure it’s enough to make even Alex Ferguson swear!

***
 
WE HAD a chuckle in the office this week when one of our regular contributors wrote in complaining about a gloomy-faced county councillor she passed on an early morning walk. Not wishing to embarrass the lady by naming her, she said the councillor in question “kept his eyes fixed ahead, with no smile or warm ‘good morning’ greeting, not even a nod of the head.
“I don’t expect a conversation,” she said, “at that hour I like to be alone, too. I don’t even expect him to like me – but surely one’s county councillor could show a little courtesy. After all, he is paid handsomely for this pleasure.”
But two days later we received another letter about a second encounter between our letter-writer and the councillor.
She said: “I think he must have got wind of the letter I wrote, because he was the complete opposite. Very cheery in fact – I do hope this is a permanent change for the better.”
And I hope the councillor keeps a smile on his face that was as broad as Wayne Rooney’s when Man U won the title last year!

***
 
OUR cuddly Welsh women stand accused of having wardrobes bulging with clothes that don’t fit. This is according to a cheeky survey that’s supposed to get all those of us who could, maybe, do with losing a few pounds, to drink a new-fangled slimming product called Slimthru.
British women are holding onto more than 52,000,000 pairs of jeans that no longer fit, which is worth an estimated £900,799,400 – enough to have former Manchester United player David Beckham play for your team for the next 36 years, or rent your own luxury private island for you and your friends for 112 years.
And it is not only jeans we hold onto in the hope we may fit into them again: 25 per cent of those surveyed in Wales say that between 20 per cent and 50 per cent of their clothes do not fit. Perhaps I’d better pop a few of my old rags off to the charity shop as my waistline seems to be expanding faster than Man U’s trophy cabinet these days!

DESPERATELY sad news was received this week that the long awaited kidney dialysis unit for Welshpool looks like being delayed for yet another year. With one of our own members of staff needing regular dialysis treatment we are disappointed at the gloomy news that it is going to take longer than expected to get this much needed equipment in the town.
The people in need of this dialysis are seriously ill and it’s just not good enough that they can’t get this time-consuming treatment nearer to home.

***

OH DEAR, the game could soon be up for we Welshmen.
According to a survey that just popped on my desk we’re laying claim to women’s “multi-tasking mantle”. Why on earth would we want to!
For years we’ve been getting away with the idea that while women can juggle many tasks at once, we poor fellows can only slog along managing one job at a time.
I only hope Mrs Nelson doesn’t read this, my weekends could take a serious turn for the worse.
In a study commissioned by deodourant brand Right Guard, it has emerged that the Welsh ‘24 hour man’ takes on 12 roles each day as he juggles work, play, friends and family.
Now for some slightly soppy statistics – love is in the air for the Welsh ‘24 hour man’ with 36% of respondents listing the position of father/family man as their favourite followed closely by loving companion (15%) and romantic partner (13%).
The role Welsh men think they play best is good friend (19%), followed by family man (13%).
Male machismo is not forgotten however, with more than half of men polled feeling they still play the traditional roles of sportsman, breadwinner (55%) or tough negotiator (47%). Although men in Wales are not afraid of getting their hands dirty with 39% and 61% of men performing the task of housekeepers and cooks respectively.
I think I’ll have to end here, this could be dynamite stuff in the hands of Mrs N. Life could never be the same again...

***

NOW here are some statistics that are more to my liking.
Welsh workers are apparently agree that old fashioned traditions such as the tea trolley made their office a more sociable (61%) and relaxed (48%) place to work.
What’s more, 22% believe these customs made them more motivated.
I’ve always felt motivated by the promise of a nice cuppa, but unfortunately we’ve never had a nice tea lady – sorry person – here at the County Times.
However, Chief Photographer Phil Blagg is a bit of a star and since he’s among the first to arrive at work most mornings he has a steaming cuppa on our desks when the majority of us arrive. He’s my unsung hero.
Anyway, back to the statistics from Office Angels which show that while many of us long for the home comforts found in the offices of a decade ago there is a new wave of modern day ‘office traditions’, some of which Welsh workers would be glad to see the back of: The unsociable habit of eating lunch at your desk (48%); long working hours (44%); team bonding days (40%) and open plan offices (26%).
I have to agree I don’t much hold with any of the last list and think that office planners sometimes forget we are humans and need to interact, even if it’s rudely about who’s turn it is to make the next cuppa as is so often the case here at County Times HQ.

***

I KNOW I’m going to incur the wrath of the self-righteous but I don’t care. I congratulate all our bright young Welsh people on their exam successes.
I know people will be saying the A levels were “two grades easier” than years ago. I leave all that to the academics among us to decide. All I’d ask is: Do we want a large proportion of our young people to fail after two years of work? And is it so hard to just say well done?

POOR old Lembit and his Cheeky Girls friends have come in for a bit of a stick this week. And opened a bit of a hornets’ nest of concern – for me at least.
First off then. Last week they appeared on the Richard and Judy TV show to try to promote the singing sisters’ new single.
All was going well with Lembit prancing about and playing his mouth organ.
Then came the interviews, which were also going fine until Judy asked the girls: “Are you identical twins, or are you just sister and brother?”
Oh brother! They look pretty feminine to me, but that has got a confused old fellow like me wondering which one was she referring to as “brother”?
Has Lembit got a dark secret he should be telling us about or was poor Judy as confused as I now am?
Next, The Sun had a big pop at Lembit and the girls.
With a picture of the sisters looking as alluring as ever, columnist Jon Gaunt says: “I see the Cheeky Girls are complaining that their botched boob jobs have made them look like circus freaks.
“That’s handy as they are both living with a clown.”
And there on the same page as the girls is our poor MP Lembit with a picture doctored up to make him look like a clown. So cruel!

***

THAT will do nicely sir... County Times Chief Photographer Phil Blagg always has a tale or two to tell after one of his trips overseas with TNS for our Champions League coverage and this year’s trip was no exception.
In the past we have had a passport fiasco in Poland when Blaggy came home with some of the players’ passports before they had even left the country.
Last year there was a problem with socks, or rather no socks. TNS arrived with all their usual kit to play in, but someone packed boys’ socks.
We’ve always been quick to report on these little tales of Blaggy’s travels and I think this year the team got their own back on him.
All went well on the outward journey with everybody’s luggage being cleared, but on the return, the over-zealous Latvian airport officials decided several members of the group had exceeded their baggage allowance (Blaggy included).
As they’d all used up or cashed in their foreign currency, the lads were told they could pay the excess amount, more than £100, by credit card.
Guess who was the only one with a credit card – Blaggy. I gather he’s still waiting patiently for a refund.

***

NOW that the sun seems to have returned for a day or two, our thoughts are turning to summer holidays.
Good news for Wales this week comes in the reports Visit Wales Visitor Survey 2006 and Visit Wales Marketing Profile 2005.
They predict that millions of visitors are expected to flock to Wales for their well-deserved break whatever the weather.
They then list top destinations that people should head for, but guess what? Mid Wales seems to have been completely overlooked.
Why when we have beauty spots to compare with anywhere else in the UK, or the World come to think of it.

***

A QUIET revolution was going on at the County Times offices over the past week. Look through our paper again and you’ll notice that we have colour on every page.
If all goes well the paper should be in full colour from next week, making history and further improving your local paper.

***

What a shame to see all the local shows being cancelled due to the weather.
Dolfor and Bishops Castle have been called off due to flood-hit sites and and now Guilsfield has just been forced to cry off. Such a pity after all the effort put in by their hard working committees.

SEEING all the awful images of floods wrecking people’s homes and livelihoods, it makes you realise we really have got to all do our bit to try to stop this global warming.
The pictures on Pages Two and Three of this week’s paper show how local people were hit.
It was fairly depressing news this week to see that nearly 100,000 homes in Wales have bought one of those ridiculous patio heater things. Why?
The Energy Saving Trust estimates that the average patio heater uses about the same amount of energy in two months as a gas hob uses in six months.
Don’t get me wrong, I love eating outdoors and drive Mrs Nelson mad when I grab the cooking gear to reduce a few innocent looking bits of meat to charcoal when I invite the family and friends around for a barbecue.
But why do we need these gas guzzling monstrosities on our patios?
Surely if the weather turns a bit nippy we could either put on a cardigan – and for the fashion conscious I can assure you I have a fine line in these if you need any advice – or even go indoors if it’s that cold.
I have to confess I fear we are all going to do too little, far too late on the global warming front. But surely we should try to curb some of our most stupid excesses.

***

EVER since Michael Fish’s infamous predictions that the the tail end of a hurricane would not hit Britain, TV weathermen seem to just set themselves up for a fall.
I’ll bet BBC Radio Wales weather man Derek Brockway was a little red faced that he did not forecast all the delays he would face getting to this week’s Royal Welsh Show due to... the weather.
I chuckled when I heard the poor fellow had to do his regular lunchtime radio forecasts live by mobile phone from his car on Monday.
The popular meteorologist left Llanwrtyd Wells at 9am to drive around 20 miles to the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells, from where he was scheduled to give his hourly broadcasts on the Richard Evans daytime phone-in show on BBC Radio Wales. But by the time the show went live on air at  noon, Derek was still caught up in one of the massive tailbacks affecting roads in the area and, give him his due, he had to think fast in order to make his first live forecast.
“The weather has caused problems with muddy fields but I didn’t anticipate the problems on the road otherwise I’d have left at dawn. I was taken aback by the length of time that it took me, but I persevered and eventually got here – shortly after the Richard Evans phone-in finished at 2pm.
“I have done the weather forecast from the car before – but not too many times. Thankfully I didn’t get any funny looks as the windows were too steamed up!”

***

While we’re on the BBC, I see the TV channels ignored old Nelson’s rant last week about not putting TNS on our screens for this week’s Champions League replay.
The lads put on a brave show again this week in Latvia, so heartbreaking to see them lose out on away goals.
Well done the Saints, shame again on the television channels.

***

AS sure as eggs is eggs, as they say, you’ll find this next little story from a colleague of mine rather baffling. She writes: “Last Saturday my other half decided to treat to me breakfast (rather late in the day) at Morrisons in town. I chose a breakfast omelette, the other half chose a full English.
“On giving our order to the young lady at the till I was told they had no omelettes, other half said well did they have eggs to which she said yes.
“I changed my order to a light breakfast – both meals arrived with two fried eggs on each.
In my school days in the 60s I was taught in domestic science that omelettes were made with eggs. Have times changed so much? What are omelettes made of now?”

TRANSPORT 2000, an independent transport campaigning body, has launched a competition to find the train station most difficult to get to.
The station which has given Mrs Nelson and I the most problems is Knucklas, where you can barely walk to the platform thanks to muddy paths and a sharp bend, which anyone who has a wheelchair or pram will struggle to contend with.
Cllr John Brunt, who has been campaigning to get improved access at the station for the past couple of years, has had some recent success, with county council officers drawing up plans for improvements and sending them to Network Rail for consideration.
Work can’t begin soon enough in my opinion – for a station that is on the Heart of Wales line, the current state of access is nothing short of appalling.

***

SHAME on the BBC. After all of their good work in the community with the Here for You! events in Newtown, they turn around and shun our premier football sides.
BBC Wales did not provide live coverage of the Saints’ European Champions League match against Latvian champions FK Ventspils on Tuesday night.
Let’s hope they can build on Tuesday’s thrilling 3-2 victory.
It has been left to the TNS mascot Spot the Dog to shout their corner.
As Spot says in his letter to the County Times: “I and my fellow TNS followers, understand that live coverage of our games is a bit much to ask for.
“After all, we wouldn’t want to interrupt such important viewing as Holby City (potentially irreparably ruining some poor soul’s week).
“However, we don’t feel that a token gesture of coverage for a nation’s top flight in the form of a short highlights show at the ungodly hours is an entirely unreasonable desire.”
Let’s hope the Beeb relents and puts the boys on the box for next week’s return match in Latvia.
Our photographer Phil Blagg will be out there cheering the lads on and taking pictures for you, good readers.
You can see his pictures and our report of Tuesday night’s match on Pages 62 and 63
Good luck the New Saints!

***

Such a shame to hear that people were complaining about the noise of fireworks over Powis Castle when the young people of our splendid North Powys Youth Orchestra put on such a fine show.
I have to admit that I have always called for fireworks to be strictly restricted to November 5, but I find it hard to say anything against such a dedicated bunch of young people. By all accounts their firework finale to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture was spectacular and I find myself having to keep quiet on that count.
Mrs Nelson and I have seen the young orchestra in action and I have to admit we were spellbound by what could be achieved by such young musicians.
I would say their performance was dynamic enough and they did not need fireworks to impress us. They are a credit to themselves, their parents and their instructors.

***

I HAD a rather disturbing phone call from an old friend of mine who was passing a rather nasty accident near Pool Quay on Tuesday evening.
Having just passed the police and fire crews cutting some poor soul from the wreckage of their car, he was stunned by the thoughtlessness of other drivers.
I’ve no idea how the crash was caused, but people who had just gone past the carnage were still cutting up other drivers and overtaking in a ridiculous manner.
“You’d have thought the words ‘There but for the grace of God go I’ would at least have gone through their minds,” said my old pal.
They were obviously in too much of a hurry to even think of others and the injury or even death their thoughtlessness could cause. What idiots.

I CHUCKLED after reading a report in last week's County Times, about a Llansantffraid Community Council meeting, when street lighting was discussed.
The community council reported receiving a letter from Powys County Council, saying it was concerned about "light pollution" and as a result was suggesting street lights should be turned off between 12midnight and 5.30am.
I would think the county council's plan has got more to do with saving costs rather than cutting down on light pollution – what do you think?

***

THIS CHEEKY response to my mention of the Balderdash and Piffle TV researchers' request for information on the first use of the word "loo" comes from reader Gus Fergusson from  Leighton.
"Hi Nelson, if you were to use Collin's dictionary you'd find it colloquially superior to Oxford's. There it gives the derivation as being the French for water closet "lieux d'aisance". However I much prefer that given by my English scholar of a sister.
She insists that it comes from the use of the warning sound "aloo" that was used when throwing night soil from the bedroom window into the street below!
Having said all that readers should be aware that "sewer" is also French from the verb "essever" to drain. My experience of French loos would certainly leave me in no doubt that they should receive all credit for things excremental."
Thanks for that Gus and I'll keep my head down if anyone shouts "aloo"!

***

AN anonymous message appeared at County Times head office this week from someone declaring that Lib Dem AM Mick Bates should "declare an interest" in his support of the campaign to save the six primary schools at risk of closure, adding "his wife is Head of Lake Vyrnwy School".
To be fair to Mick, and it obviously pains me to be too fair to a politician, he has never made any secret of the fact that his wife is actually head of two primary schools.
In fact, it is Buddug Bates, Mick's far better other half, who has always refused to draw her husband's name and position as an AM into any of her school dealings with the paper or public.
One of our junior reporters recently contacted him for a comment on a glowing Estyn report for one of her schools, innocent of the connection. Mick rather sheepishly replied: "I couldn't comment really, Buddug wouldn't like it!"
Sounds like a sensible woman to me!

***

PLEASE, please don't pick through my words too carefully this week. But here's a funny story about a couple of press releases that demonstrate pride comes before a bit of a fall.
The first came blazing across our email in-tray declaring: "WELSHS' SPELLING IS A LITTLE SHIH-TZU!"
Whoops!
A few minutes later a rather red-faced press officer sent a "corrected version", saying: "Apologies for the blatant error in the previous press release – it should read...
"WELSH SPELLING IS A LITTLE SHIH-TZU!"
The aim was to promote the launch of the new Dogs Trust (the UK's largest dog welfare charity) Dog A – Z (www.doga-z.com) where you can find out all sorts of four-legged facts.
The message they were trying to get across is that, when surveyed, 100 per cent of Welsh people could not spell the dog breed Shih-Tzu.
Perhaps we could all learn a little from the website about our best friends. I certainly found it a mine of information and even explained why I'm so often "in the dog house" – go on look it up!
Whenever I chuckle at other people's misfortunes an eagle-eyed reader is usually quick to point out one of our own errors somewhere in the paper. I apologise in advance and await correction!