Hi Shedders,

I can't keep up with the excitement at the Shed, every week something seems to be happening.
Friday morning the container from Parker Plant, Llanelli arrived and several of us were at the Shed super early, mainly because we knew the delivery might cause a little bit of chaos. The day before I was thinking of the possible disruption we were going to cause so in my head I was preparing to wear a high viz jacket and direct traffic. I needn't have worried because Young Bros Civil Engineering, who are working on Mond Corner, helped us out and did the traffic management on our behalf. They were superb and I cannot thank them enough. The boys form Parker Plant operated the crane and lifted the two tonne container off the lorry and onto the hardstanding as if it was a toy! We were all impressed.

After the excitement we retired to the Shed for a celebratory tea/coffee and cake, there was a party atmosphere going on which was infectious because before we could say "hooray" the Shed was full, it really was. It wouldn't have surprised me if everyone had started dancing, that was how good it felt. Thank you Shedders.

What will this week bring? Well, Swansea Bay TV 'phoned tonight and they are coming Wednesday at 11am to film us in action. The recorded programme will be on at 6pm Channel 8 Wednesday evening. The excitement never stops at Men's Shed Clydach.
​
Looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday, the kettles will be whistling.

Hello Shedders!

What an exciting week we have had at the Shed, it has all been happening!

On Wednesday, Gordon Walker arrived in his van with lots of wood on the roof and a load of tools in the back. He was ready to make the doors. By Thursday afternoon our new doors were up and what a sight to behold. A huge thank you to Gordon (and not forgetting Paul who was his labourer). Your help and support is very much appreciated!!

A big thank you to John Jenkins too. He has been amazing and has installed the electrics in the shed and now we have light whenever we need it.

We expect the delivery of our shipping container to come this week and our ever-expanding shed will get a little bit bigger again.

You will also be pleased to know that we should have a log burner in place fairly soon. Some of the boys are going to make a firm base for the burner to stand on and then a specialist will come in and fit the necessary bits so we can use it safely. We will have heat Shedders!! It will be warm in the Shed. I know that has been our dream but soon it will be a reality.
​
Tomorrow is supposed to be a dry, sunny day. We always seem to by lucky with the weather on a Wednesday. Kettle will be on and whistling to welcome you all.

Hello Shedders!

It was a very wet Friday at the Shed and I honestly did not expect many to turn up, how wrong was I?!

We arrived slightly later than usual which was not good when we needed to clear bird tables, wheel barrows and ladders out of the Shed (in the pouring rain) before we could get in.  On top of that we had to boil two kettles on a gas camping stove, which is not the quickest and set the tables and chairs up so everyone could sit down.  Oh yes, we were also trying to get the generator firing on all cylinders so we could have light.

Despite the total chaos there was a party atmosphere going on as one of the Shedders was celebrating.  Chocolates, cake and biscuits appeared as well as a dozen extra people and everyone started singing happy birthday. The kettles started whistling as a chorus to our sing song and I began to wonder if I was going mad.  The electrician walked in, the lights came on and everyone shouted "hooray" before giving our lighting magician three cheers.  It was so funny you had to laugh.

Last Friday taught me one thing, not to dread a wet day at the Shed. 

Looking forward to doing it all again on Wednesday.  Hope to see you there!

Hello Shedders!

Today we went up to see the Shedders at Blaengarw Rugby Club.  We went up there for a gathering with fellow Shedders from that area and what fun we had!  They're a great bunch and it was lovely to chat with everyone and we even played some good old fashioned pub games.  Can I say that you would all have been proud of the Clydach Shed as we came out tops.  The others felt threatened to the point that I think some of them were thinking of cheating but I had my eyes on them.  It was all god fun! 

Soup of the day tomorrow will be leek and potato.  Hooray I hear you say.  I don't think everyone liked the minestrone last week, the pasta was not to everyone's taste.

Tomorrow the sun is supposed to shine, as it usually does on a Wednesday.  However, dress up warm with many layers and the kettles will be on.

​Good morning Shedders,

We certainly had a manic time last week with TV cameras rolling Wednesday and Friday, it should be quieter this week, no cameras are expected.  There are some pictures below from the filming last week on S4C!

The weather could have been better but it did give us some comic moments.  One minute it was dry and we were happily drinking tea and eating biscuits outside then, out of nowhere, it poured down.  It was the quickest some of us have moved in a long time.  As we were trying to get everything  in the Shed the legs fell off the table.  If you are a regular you will know this happens quite often and each time the cry goes out to fix it.  It made the situation farcical with us all getting soaked in the process.

This Wednesday is going to be a special day.  The electrics are in and working off the generator so we are going to have a switching on ceremony.  It will be a fantastic moment after weeks of sometimes looking at each other in an almost dark Shed with just the glow of the fairy lights.  Things are heading the right way.

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday, a warm welcome awaits in (possibly) a warm Shed.  The kettle will be whistling anyway.

​Hi Shedders,

Well guys the excitement does not end on Wednesday!

Wales Online have been on the 'phone this afternoon and they want to come to the Shed on Friday.  There is no end to our popularity so I hope you can all make it.

We might have to get a bigger kettle at this rate!

​Good morning Shedders,

It was so nice to see you all last week after the Christmas break, I enjoyed chatting and catching up with you all on the Wednesday and Friday. The weather was good on both days, I couldn't believe we were sitting outside in January.  What a bonus!  It was warmer outside than inside the Shed.  The passing drivers must have missed us over the break as we had a lot of toots.  We make everyone's day.

Tomorrow we have the company of Heno S4C.  They are going to be there in the day as well as the evening, filming us just as the BBC were doing, I'm name dropping now guys!  We will know more about their plans when they arrive.  Please do not be put off by the thought of the cameras, they just get on with it and it is great fun to watch how they go about things. 

I have checked the weather and it is looking good for tomorrow, keep everything crossed that it won't change.  Soup of the day is leek and potato, I know that is a favourite with many of you.  Wear warm clothes as usual, kettle will be whistling so come and enjoy.

See you there

Belinda

Have a read of our feature from Cwmtawe Cluster!

"Just wait until you discover what Belinda Gardiner did next after spotting a derelict Blacksmith's forge in the Swansea Valley...it will restore your faith in human nature.

Her actions have made a real difference to the community of Clydach and have been praised by the local GP Surgery."

Read the full story here: https://tinyurl.com/yy8aqvw9