One of the stranger things about being Mayor is that you spend a lot of time at church or, at least, at public services. I have sung more hymns in the last few weeks than I have since primary school, which was when I came to the conclusion I was an atheist. That wasn't the fault of the hymns though, in fact they were my favourite thing about living in what Rowan Williams calls 'post-Christian' Britain!

We're not a particularly religious nation, but Christianity is still a big part of civic life. And the singing of hymns is part and parcel of that - even when you've never heard of them before... Still, it's inspired me to think about the hymns I do know, mostly from my schooldays, and which of those I liked best. :)

I quickly realised that, when it comes to hymns, I am something of a Sydney Carter fangirl. Carter was a poet and songwriter who penned the soundtrack to my primary school assemblies. First up there's One More Step Along The World I Go, a lovely hymn about life as a journey - making it a favourite at end of year school concerts.


Next up is that perennial school favourite, When I Needed A Neighbour. Not only does this hymn have an important message about breaking down barriers, it also provides an excuse to sing the word 'naked'. What more could a bunch of easily amused eight-year-olds ask for?


The best Carter hymn is also his best known, the 1963 song Lord of the Dance. This was my absolute favourite as a kid, no doubt helped along by the contemporary popularity of Riverdance, and we're going to have it as one of the hymns at my own civic service this weekend. I really wanted to have a hymn all the kids would know - even Marianna. :)


Finally moving away from Carter, another school favourite was Laurie London's 1957 hit (it peaked at #12 on the UK charts) He's Got The Whole World In His Hands. It had actions and everything.

Another hymn I like which has done well in the charts - multiple times! - is Kumbaya which was first recorded in the 1920s.


The top spot has to go to All Things Bright and Beautiful though. The lyrics are by Cecil Frances Alexander, and originally appeared in her 'Hymns for Little Children' in 1848.

I opened my first shop this week! I was invited up to cut the ribbon at Pretty Little Paws, a new dog grooming parlour at Fairwater shops. After that we went on to the offices of Vitalize Radio for the official launch - read more about the venture HERE.

On Friday we went to an open day at Llanyravon Court Care Home. Greenmeadow Farm had brought some of their petting animals down, and we were given a tour of the home and met some of the residents. Everyone was super friendly!

Saturday was the annual Painting in Pontypool Park competition. Marianna and I went along and chatted to some of the artists - or, in Marianna's case, complained ceaselessly that we weren't going to see the slide... Afterwards we went back to Pontypool Museum for a cup of tea and a scone.

On Sunday we went to the first of the local civic services, in Newport. It was a combined service with Armed Forces Day so there was a nice mix of readings and a good turnout. My own civic service will be Holy Trinity Church, Pontnewydd, on Jul 16th - all welcome. :)

Making the most of the nice weather at Northville play park today! pic.twitter.com/vLaKo0avbA

— Mayor of Torfaen (@MayorofTorfaen) June 15, 2017

☆ READING: Magazines.

☆ WRITING: About 14,000 words.

☆ WATCHING: Snow White. Over and over again...

☆ LISTENING: Let Me Go - Three Doors Down.
☆ REVIEWING: N/A.



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AO3 - the Archive of Our Own - has never been the most obvious platform for hosting artwork or other media. There is no simple upload method, and no separate fanart category. I really love browsing through the art tags on the site though, so I figured I would put together this little tutorial post for anybody googling for a solution.

---

STEP ONE

Create your artwork and save it as a digital file. .jpg, .png, or .gif are the easiest formats.

(If you're looking to create fake social media posts / texts, etc, check out Simitator.)

---

STEP TWO

Upload your artwork to the internet. You can't store your artwork on AO3, you have to upload it elsewhere first. This could be somewhere like DeviantArt or Tumblr, or a dedicated hosting service.

My favourite is imgur.com as it's reliable and has no storage limits. (Note: if your image is sexually explicit it may fall foul of Imgur's Terms of Service, but in general they only take down if something is reported to them.)

---

STEP THREE

Get the URL of your image. If you used an image hosting website, you can just copy and paste from the relevant box. You want to use the direct link, AKA the URL with the file format designation at the end.


If you uploaded to somewhere like DeviantArt just right click on your image. It will result in a pop up with a short list of options - choose 'copy image address'. Alternatively, you might want to be able to actually see the address. In that case, choose 'open image in new tab'. Go to that tab and you will be able to copy the URL from the address bar at the top of the page.

---

STEP FOUR

Get ready to post your new work to Archive of Our Own. In the Rich Text editor there is an easy option to help you post your image. (If you want to use HTML instead please skip ahead to Step Five.) Click on the little picture on the tool bar and it will bring up a box asking for a few details.


The 'source' box is where you paste the URL from Step Three. The 'image description' box is what will display if the image itself doesn't, or if somebody is using a screen reader to view the page. The 'dimensions' are how big the image is going to be. This will input automatically when you put the URL in the source box.

The problem with designating size in pixels is that it will not be responsive in mobile view. (i.e. it will stretch the page out, or mean people have to scroll to see the whole thing.) It's better to use % for dimensions - just fill out the left hand box (width) and leave the right one empty. 100% will mean the image always takes up the full width of the page, regardless of how big the page is.

---

STEP FIVE

(If you followed Step Four and are happy with how your image looks, feel free to skip this step! If it still needs tinkering, read on...)

Switch to HTML view and use the following template to display your image. (You can copy and paste it from the box.) For 'width', choose the percentage width of the page you want your image to cover.

<img alt="description of your image here" src="URL of your image here" width="100%" />

Other things you're likely to want to do is align your image (left, right, or center) -

<center><img alt="description of your image here" src="URL of your image here" width="100%" /></center>

Or make it so that text continues to flow around the image. You do this by adding in a 'style' attribute. In this example I've aligned the image to the left, but you can easily change it to the right by switching out 'left' for 'right'. I've included a border of blank space because otherwise the text butts right up against the image and looks messy - you can experiment with how big you want the margin by altering the number of pixels.

<img alt="description of your image here" src="URL of your image here" style="float: left; margin: 10px 10px" width="100%" />

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask below or drop me an email at jess@babiafi.co.uk. :)

---

April 15th has historically been an unfortunate kind of day. At least that's how it seemed to Bruce Novotny, the webmaster of www.thatsucks.net. It was the day the Titanic sunk, the day President Lincoln was assassinated, and in the good ol' US of A it's the day your tax return needs to be in by.

So, Bruce chose the date as the foundation for National That Sucks Day, the day to 'reflect on the many things that suck in life'. With that in mind, here are five things I think really suck!



#1. Getting up early. I love my bed and my bed loves me. I don't like to leave it until it becomes absolutely necessary!



#2. Coffee. It smells so bad, it tastes so bad, and it's absolutely everywhere.


#3. Spiders. They perform all kinds of vital functions. But they're gross and disgusting and we'd both get along just fine if they'd stop thinking it acceptable to live in the same space as me.



#4. Frozen. When I saw it pre-parenthood I thought it was awful. A few hundred viewings later and my opinion has changed only in that I now think that it's really awful.



#5. Being cold. Maybe that's part of why I so dislike Frozen...

Tag challenge I found on Tumblr: Let's celebrate all our countries and nationalities - with all their quirks and vices and ridiculousness, and all that might seem strange to outsiders.

---

#01. Favourite Place In Your Country?

My hometown. :)


#02. Do you prefer spending your holidays in your country or would you rather travel abroad?

If I had the money I'd prefer to travel abroad. As I don't, I'm glad there is plenty to see and do in Wales.


#03. Does Your Country Have Access To The Sea?

Yep, the UK is good for that!


#04. Favourite dish specific for your country?

Bakestones. (AKA welsh cakes.)


#05. Favourite Song In Your Native Language?

Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog are one of my fave Welsh bands -



#06. Most hated song in your native language?

Calon Lân. It's not that I hate it, it's just that I'm sick of hearing it!


#07. Three words from your native language that you like the most?

From so called ‘Wenglish’ -

Ych a Fi! (Lit. It disgusts me!) You use it with little kids, like: ‘ych a fi! we don’t eat sweets we find on the floor!’

Cwtch. It’s kind of hug, cuddle and snuggle rolled into one, like: ‘don’t be sad, come over here and give me a cwtch’ or ‘they looked so cute all cwtched up together.’

Tamping. Angry, like: ‘He was so ignorant (lacking in manners) to my Mam, I was absolutely tamping!’


#08. Do you get confused with other nationalities? If so, which ones and by whom?    

People from outside the UK often use 'English' as interchangeable with 'British'. It's not, and is almost guaranteed to piss someone off into the bargain!


#09. Which of your neighbouring countries would you like to visit most/know best? 

I’d like to spend some time in Ireland.


#10. Most enjoyable swear word in your native language?

Bollocks. 100%.


#11. Favourite Native Writer/Poet?

I dunno. Definitely not Dylan Thomas though!


#12. What do you think about English translations of your favourite native prose/poem?

My Welsh isn't great, so very useful.


#13. Does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders? 

I don’t think so.


#14. Do you enjoy your country’s cinema and/or TV?

Yes! I like S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru - Channel Four Wales) and BBC Wales output like Stella, High Hopes, Young Dracula, and Hinterland. We don't have much big budget stuff, but I enjoy it anyway.


#15. A saying, joke, or hermetic meme that only people from your country will get? 

I’ll do it now in a minute.

(What you say when you’re going to do something soon but not the next instant, as in: 'Oh my God stop nagging me, I said I’ll do it now in a minute!’ It’s kind of a UK national joke that Welsh people can’t see how nonsensical the statement is.)


#16. Which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with?

The sheep shagger thing was never funny... The one I agree with is that people will just talk to anyone. It's hard work not to talk to strangers in Wales.


#17. Are you interested in your country’s history? 

Yes! I think it’s hard not to be in Wales with so many castles all over the place and the national ability to hold a grudge for centuries.


#18. Do you speak with a dialect of your native language?

Wenglish. It's the type of English spoken in South Wales.


#19. Do you like your country’s flag and/or emblem? What about the National Anthem? 

 It has a dragon, it’s hard not to like. :)




#20. Which sport is THE sport in your country?

Rugby!


#21. If you could send two things from your country into space, what would they be? 

Arriva Trains Wales (there would be no noticeable impact on service) and the nasal mutation.


22. What makes you proud about your country? What makes you ashamed?

I'm proud of how we can punch above our weight on the international stage in so many area, but I'm ashamed of the xenophobia and bigotry which exists across the nation.


#23. Which alcoholic beverage is the favoured one in your country? 

Beer, I guess.


#24. What other nation is joked about most often in your country?

In Wales it's the English. For the UK as a whole it's the French.


#25. Would you like to come from another place, be born in another country? 

Not really.


#26. Does your nationality get portrayed in Hollywood/American media? What do you think about the portrayal?

Occasionally. Sometimes it's done well. Sometimes it's just, er, not.


#27. Favourite National Celebrity? 

Derek the Weatherman.




#28. Does your country have a lot of lakes, mountains, rivers? Do you have favourites?

Yes, it's what it's famous for!

#29. Does your region/city have a beef with another place in your country?

Us against Them is how the Welsh roll. You only unite with your neighbours against some place you dislike more.


#30. Do you have people of different nationalities in your family?

It's mostly Welsh and Irish, to be honest.

---

---

Highlight your preference!


1: HUGS OR KISSES?

2: NIGHT OR DAY?

3: INTERNET OR TV?

4: SWEET OR SOUR?

5: RED, WHITE OR BLUE?

6: 1800S OR 1900S?

7: SPACE OR THE OCEAN?

8: ICE-CREAM OR FROZEN YOGURT?

9: READING OR WRITING?

10: RAINING OR SUNNY?

11: WINTER OR SUMMER?

12: SPRING OR AUTUMN/FALL?

13: TOO COLD OR TOO WARM?

14: ELEVATORS OR ESCALATORS?

15: APPLES OR ORANGES?

16: FIRE OR ICE?

17: LAND OR SEA?

18: PLANES OR BOATS?

19: THE SEA OR A POOL?

20: SINGING OR DANCING?

21: LONG HAIR OR SHORT HAIR?

22: JANUARY OR DECEMBER?

23: YOUR FIRST CHILD - BOY OR GIRL?

24: CHOCOLATE SAUCE OR STRAWBERRY SAUCE?

25: COFFEE OR TEA?

26: IN YOUR COFFEE/TEA - SUGAR OR NO SUGAR?

27: GIF OR JIF?

28: SCIENCE OR RELIGION?

29: RICH TEA OR DIGESTIVE?

30: BLACK OR WHITE?

31: LAPTOP OR DESKTOP?

32: CAT OR DOG?

33: CHICKEN OR TURKEY?

34: SHOWER OR BATH?

35: DISNEYLAND OR UNIVERSAL STUDIOS?

36: POTATOES - MASHED OR BAKED?

37: EGGS - FRIED, BOILED, SCRAMBLED OR POACHED?

38: CAKE OR PIE?

39: BEN & JERRY'S OR HÄAGEN-DAZS?

40: CHRISTMAS OR HALLOWEEN?

41: BOOKS OR MAGAZINES?

42: INSIDE OR OUTSIDE?

43: MOVIES OR TV SHOWS?

44: MCDONALD'S OR BURGER KING?

45: THE PAST OR THE FUTURE?

46: SUPERPOWERS - FLY OR READ MINDS?

47: PIERCINGS OR TATTOOS?

48: END OF THE WORLD - ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE OR WORLD WAR 3?

49: STARBUCKS OR SUBWAY?

50: LOVE OR LUST?

51: KITTEN, PUPPY OR MICROPIG?

52: ITV OR BBC?

53: MERMAIDS/MERMEN OR UNICORNS?

54: AMERICA OR BRITAIN?

55: DUMBLEDORE OR GANDALF?

56: NINJAS OR PIRATES?

57: FIREFOX, SAFARI OR CHROME?

58: MARVEL OR DC?

59: PEPSI OR COKE?

60: CIRCUS OR AMUSEMENT PARK?

61: EBOOK OR PHYSICAL BOOK?

62: GREEK OR ROMAN?

63: THOR OR LOKI?

64: STAY UP LATE OR GET UP EARLY?

65: LAUREL OR HARDY?

66: BROWN OR WHITE BREAD?

67: SUNRISE OR SUNSET?

68: ALDI OR LIDL?

69: TRAIN OR BUS?

70: KIDS OR PETS?

71: POETRY OR SONG LYRICS?

72: HORROR MOVIE OR CHICK FLICK?

73: PLAY VIDEO GAMES ON - PC OR CONSOLE?

74: COOKIES OR DONUTS?

75: SATURDAY OR SUNDAY?

76: LORD OF THE RINGS OR HARRY POTTER?

77: BANDS OR SOLO ARTISTS?

78: ART OR MUSIC?

79: GET LOST IN - LONDON OR PARIS?

80: NEW YEAR'S EVE OR CHRISTMAS EVE?

81: MUSEUMS OR NATURE PARKS?

82: LIGHTNING OR THUNDER?

83: LIONS, TIGERS OR BEARS?

84: POPCORN OR CANDY FLOSS?

85: BE STUCK IN A ROOM WITH - CLOWNS OR INSECTS?

86: SOUP OR SALAD?

87: ASKS OR FANMAIL?

88: SCOTTISH ACCENT OR IRISH ACCENT?

89: 'FRIENDS' OR 'THE BIG BANG THEORY'?

90: SUPERMAN OR BATMAN?

91: 'THE SIMPSONS' OR 'FAMILY GUY'?

92: TOOTHACHE OR EARACHE?

93: 'X-MEN' OR 'GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY'?

94: FACEBOOK OR TWITTER?

95: PENGUINS OR POLAR BEARS?

96: 'FROZEN' OR 'TANGLED'?

97: SNOWMEN OR ICEBERGS?

98: HANDWRITTEN LETTER OR EMAIL?

99: APPLE OR ANDROID?

100: THE END OR THE BEGINNING?

Top Ten...

☆ Comedy Songs.
☆ Fandom Favourites.
☆ Frog Movies.
☆ Mermaid Movies.
☆ Unicorn Movies.
☆ Video Games.

Various Numbers of...

☆ TV Dads.
☆ 7 Deadly Sins Book Tag.
☆ 8 Writing Asks.
☆ 12 Days of Christmas Songs.



Other

☆ A - Z Fandom Ask Tag.
☆ A - Z of Creepy Retro Television.
☆ Bands / Singers You've Seen.
☆ End of Year Fandom Meme.
☆ End of Year Writing Meme.
☆ Favourite Female Characters from Childhood.
☆ Shipping Ask Challenge.
☆ Stupidly Long Fandom Ask Meme.

☆ 2016.
☆ 2017.
☆ 2019.

It's been a long week. We've been out canvassing every day for the council elections in May which is always a slog - let's face it, nobody really wants politicians banging on their front door! We've pretty much finished the initial knocking now, so it will be leafleting next week and that's both quicker and easier.

On Wednesday a water pipe burst in the kitchen. We spent the night at my mum's and the landlord got it all sorted the next day so it was fine; the only real victim was my stress levels. I've done something to my leg too, so the end of the week had me hobbling about the place, and then I almost bust yet another laptop. I dropped my own in the middle of March and have had to share with Anthony which has been just as awful as you might imagine. Then that one wouldn't load... thankfully my dad fixed it.

Pay day has finally arrived though so today I'm ordering a new laptop, and doing nothing but sitting on the sofa entering competitions. I mean, I might have to move at some point, but I won't be happy about it!

Marianna and Anthony. :)
☆ READING: I've reviewed what I've been reading this month HERE. Mostly kids books, and a critical study of existing LGBTQ themed children's and YA books by B. J. Epstein.

☆ WRITING: I haven't had much time to write this week to be honest!

☆ WATCHING: Check out my monthly film review post.

☆ LISTENING: You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon.
☆ WEARING: Labour rosettes. :)

☆ EATING: Sandwiches.

☆ REVIEWING: N/A.





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There's been lots on this week - looking back I don't know what, but I feel exhausted so there must have been! I had school governors at Croesy on Monday, and I officially joined the board of Bron Afon Housing Association on Thursday. The new CEO, Alan Brunt, has just started too so it's a really exciting time to get involved.

On Friday we started canvassing for the council elections on May 4th - I had Marianna with me for the afternoon session and she was really good for the first 45 minutes or so. Then we went to Brooklands Park for a bit and Marianna actually climbed to the steps to the slide on her own for the first time! But then she didn't want to leave the slide and threw a massive tantrum when we went to canvass Lowlands. We got back just after 7pm and I was in bed by 8:30pm. She broke me!

We did another two sessions on Saturday, then I spent the evening in front of the TV like the cultured person I am...

Marianna with Uncle Rhys and Auntie Hannah.
☆ READING: Meeting agendas, mostly.

☆ WRITING: I wrote a post explaining the work of the licensing committee.

☆ WATCHING: Check out what I was watching at the cinema back in my teens - I found one of my old scrapbooks with a whole bunch of ticket stubs.

☆ LISTENING: The sounds of the 80s. That was our theme for this week's Friday Frivolity.
☆ WEARING: Plasters.

☆ EATING: Porridge. :)

☆ REVIEWING: N/A.



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It's been ages since I've done one of these updates! This week has been pretty standard, nothing particularly exciting to report. I had healthier scrutiny committee, and planning committee, and a meeting of the Gwent Police and Crime Panel. Possibly other things I've already forgotten about...


☆ READING: I scanned in a news clipping about the launch of the poppy appeal last year.

☆ WRITING: About my favourite flowers.

☆ WATCHING: Southland. It's equal parts compelling and frustrating. One episode they're shooting people at the drop of a hat, and the next they're all 'omg, I am totally overwhelmed by this criminal, if only I had some kind of weapon at my disposal...'

☆ LISTENING: All Time Low. I'm feeling nostalgic for my youth. (RIP)
☆ WEARING: My engagement ring. I thought I had lost it last week, but I found it under a pile of paperwork upstairs.

☆ EATING: Pizza. :)

☆ REVIEWING: N/A.



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