| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| billbaily |
Posted - 25/04/2020 : 09:18:44
I've noticed that on this forum there is a wide range of interesting folk living in or have connections with Tredegar. So I am wondering if we could put this to good use. We could all join in to compile a hopefully, longish poem on our real experiences or even made up things on this lockdown situation. We can see how far it goes until it comes to a natural end, but have a laugh along the way.
I'll start us off and see if someone can place the next verse after me
Here we go!
Outside the shop I join the long, snaking queue
Marks on the floor kept me two metres away from you
Grabbed a basket and started to walk quickly around
Headed for the toilet rolls, but none could be found
Thought to myself what other option do I have
When the inevitable time came when I NEEDED the lav! |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| billbaily |
Posted - 29/12/2021 : 11:24:10
Mince Pies On Sale... Now 10p.... says Cupcake!
It's that time of year I start thinking... maybe I shouldn't have ate so many of those lovely, fruity, Christmas mince pies
(Good job you cannot buy them all year round)
as when I stepped upon the weighing scales last night.... OMG I just couldn't believe my eyes 
Why is it we don't believe the first reading... and we jump on it about three times to make sure
and we also shuffle it around.... until we find a kinder, more forgiving looking tile upon the bathroom floor
(I've tried stepping on it with my left foot first then alternate to the right for the next reading - WHY!)
Gordon Bennett in the new year it's a few laps around Bryn Bach Parc for me
and before I go home... I'm going to pop in their cosy log fire cafe for a welcoming cup of hot tea (NO CAKE)
I've never been fond of those chemist scales.... they're always positioned by the cashiers tills for all to see
also it's worse to have one that talks...does that make you cringe....it does for me!
Just measuring your body fat..it says in the LOUDEST voice... booming across the shop
and you stand there holding the handles of the scales...looking embarassed... wishing it would bleeping stop!
..................
Anyway back to our wonderful Bryn Bach Parc....a few years ago I was walking around the lake and I had to take a second look. I could see a family in the distance ahead and I thought they were walking a cat on a lead. To my surprise it was a racoon I'm 99.9 per cent certain it was, if it wasn't... it was a very strange dog
Whatever next!
|
| billbaily |
Posted - 20/12/2021 : 20:44:52
GOLD DUSTMONKEY PARADES & GRAVY
Boarded the bus to town yesterday to get my daily newspaper and for Gladys I picked up her favourite Christmas magazine
Flicked through her mag later that evening, Gordon Bennett it was wall to wall adverts and quite a few promoting expensive skin cream
Some were an a eyewatering £50 plus
I muttered to myself what on earth are they filled with... must be gold dust!
It does make you wonder what's in them for that astonishing price
what an expense it can be....just to make yourself feel nice
I tell you now folks...true beauty comes from within
and ageing is a natural process, one battle you can't win
I say, get some fruit & veg in your trolley...get out walking in that refreshing welsh air
that'll give you a free, rosy complexion...you won't get that sitting for hours in a pampering chair
Mind you I know how to answer... when Gladys asks my opinion on how she looks
I always say she's lovely (and she is) also to stay in her good books
(she makes a lovely welshcake)
My Gladys means the world to me and it was on a balmy Sunday evening after chapel we met... many, many moons ago
when half of Tredegar was monkey parading along town... and I was the tender age of 24
We always chat about those glorious days, Glad was a young lady of 23
and it was also the era of the fake tan... mixing gravy browning or tea
It was put on with a paint brush at home, standing high upon a table or chair...a popular thing to have done
and you got an instant tan without spending hours and hours out in the scorching Monmouthshire sun
Mind you... you kept your fingers crossed that it didn't rain as your tan would then be running down to meet your ankles and your toes
Trust me that's not an attractive sight....take it from one that knows
....................
Very early on tans were considered to be from the lower class in society, a sign of poverty as it meant that you had spent hours and hours working outdoors in the sun
In the 1920's the French icon, Coco Chanel (Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel) helped make it become popular when she spent time on a yacht in Cannes and she came home with a luxurious suntan
Monkey parading well I'll leave you to look that up on the internet for yourselves
I've just finished reading an article in The South Wales Argus 2015 by Hayley Mills
Apparently George Street in Pontypool had a revival of the 1940's monkey parade a few years ago....A trip down memory lane vintage hairstyles, make up the lot. It was a day out for all the family
Wouldn't it be great if Bedwellty Park & House could put on a family day out like this next year - Just a thought |
| billbaily |
Posted - 05/12/2021 : 20:31:27
TREVORS SPECIAL DRAWER
There goes jolly Santa Claus speedily passing by up there on his nine deer driven sleigh
He's getting extremely busy now.... sorting out those very special deliveries... for our Christmas day
I remember helping Santa once... hurrying packing presents way into the early hours of one Christmas morning
Also had to construct a very awkward dolls house (to put it mildly) Gordon Bennett... That one should have come with a stress warning 
Ever so glad I didn't succumb to having a Christmas Eve alcoholic drink
as believe you me.... I really, really did need to use my brains and think
where to put the remaining pieces that I'd found left over in the cardboard box...where the heck should they go
Decided to hide them... without Gladys knowing my predicament in Trevor's, special kitchen drawer
Bet you've all got one of these... it contains just about anything
From a 10 year old computer cable to a half used ball of garden string
And as we open our special drawer... it may come in handy one day we hear ourselves say
The trouble is we never use the contents of it and in it for years objects lie untouched will stay
I dread to think of counting all the obsolete chargers no one ever puts to good use
and I think I've got more than Screwfix... with all the screws that roll around loose
My New Years resolution is... sort that drawer out for once and for all
ready for 2022 for all those new bits and bobs I might find that are so small
Well it's 3am now and the dolls house is looking just fabulous I couldn't be pleased with myself any more
UNTIL Quality Control Inspector Gladys comes to check it and she just couldn't open the bleeping miniature front door
..................................
Argghhhhh - Quick back to my special drawer... find that spare packet of dolls house parts and start again!
My Christmas tip to you all is to get Santa to bring those toys ready assembled, those elves do a fantastic job
or
don't leave jobs until Christmas Eve or in my case the early hours of Christmas morning
Good luck! I'll be thinking of you all 
|
| billbaily |
Posted - 01/12/2021 : 14:19:31
LET'S HAVE A CUPPA 
Popped over to Ebbw Vale yesterday and......
I overheard a group of busy sales assistants who were chatting away quite merrily
and one of them suggested its breaktime and that they should have a well earned brew of tea
I got thinking how many cups of tea in the UK are consumed... and it could be approx. 165 million daily I've just read
Hot on the heels is the rival drink with many more coffee shops opening up...is what the article said
I do love a cuppa char in the morning.... it goes well with my hot buttered toast
and when visiting Bedwellty Park, Orchid Tea Room a delicious custard ice slice and latte is what I enjoy the most
I'm thinking of growing a few tea plants Camellia Sinensis is its name......I've just found out
so when I'm up and running...opened my cafe up town...I'll give you all a big shout
This month we're all so looking forward to decorations going up and bringing us some lovely festive Christmas cheer
and as Tredegar Forum Member, Milkman mentioned in an earlier topic 'Christmas Pop' is what I'll be trying instead of my usual frothy beer
.......................
Apparently the UK already grows tea in Cornwall and Perthshire too. It is grown above the cloud line in the Himalayas and can tolerate -10c. Best check out the RHS.org.uk for more details if you're thinking of having a go.
I see the coffee shops too are selling their popular Christmas drinks some look like a work of art with all those toppings. For those who are chocolate lovers Lidl's have a deluxe chocolate drink in a blue/black tub - smooth & decadent and a salted caramel chocolate drink in an orange/black tub - rich & indulgent. These drinks are in the tea and coffee aisle try them they're excellent
Have a good Christmas All
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| billbaily |
Posted - 19/10/2021 : 10:48:40
The BIG decision
I was browsing on Aldi's online shopping today and was suddenly transported back to the 1970's as I scrolled down the digital page
I came across a £29.99 retro looking BOOMbox.....boy were they the coolest thing back then....ooooh they were definitely all the rage
It had to be carried on your shoulders and you swaggered along wearing a cheesecloth shirt and the widest flares
It certainly turned a few heads.. mostly from the older generation along with their tuts and stares
It was like wearing a portable disco... with tapes of Queen & Black Sabbath belting out those famous songs
Everyone that passed you by would join in... strumming their air guitars and happily singing along
Some BOOMboxes were quite heavy and were as bulky as a packed family holiday suitcase
Others were much better quality... some with a fantastic pulsating base
It really was quite a spectacle to see these long haired teenagers walking through Tredegar town.......50 years ago
I wonder if they've got tinnitus now....because the volume was never turned down to low
How things have moved on in 2021...our tiny mobiles can now do such amazing things for us folk
from keeping us in touch with much loved family...to ordering a home delivery of burgers, chips and coke
It's great to be nostalgic though... it reminds us of those youthful, happy, carefree times of the past
Enjoy these moments you teenagers of today....trust me those years race by very fast
Go out and do amazing things and feel very proud of yourselves
As for me I'm tempted to press, BUY IT NOW.... before that BOOMbox disappears off Aldi's Christmas shelves
(or it's EBAY and a pair of wide fit, velcro, comfortable, non slip, slippers suitable for indoor/outdoor use) |
| billbaily |
Posted - 21/07/2021 : 15:23:12
It's 29 celsius or 84.2 fahrenheit in Tredegar today, it reminds me of the very hot weather we used to have many years ago especially around Whitsun time.
Who remembers Whitsun turnouts... with half of Tredegar's roads sticking to your brand new shoes
and of kiddies excitedly holding hands... destination Bedwellty Park.. under skies so brilliantly blue
Church & chapel members belting out those hymns and holding their banners way, way up high
All of this taking place under a scorching golden sun... up there in a cloudless sky 
Everyone's dressed in their Sunday best.... what a wonderful sight it was to see
then all back in the afternoon... to their vestries for a scrumptious afternoon tea
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| billbaily |
Posted - 03/05/2021 : 10:46:11
Read on the Woodland Trust
That there are 650 species of spider in the UK and most of them live outdoors
Most live up to 1 year
but females can live up to 2-3 years especially if away from predators
Oldest spider in world was an Australian Trapdoor spider who lived until 43 years old - was killed by a wasp |
| billbaily |
Posted - 03/05/2021 : 10:24:18
My pen just couldn't stay in the pencil case... so here's one for the bank holiday
ON THE MOVE
Couldn't get to sleep last night so came downstairs and made myself a cup of tea
I sat down in the living room.... read Saturdays Mirror... glanced towards the window and SOMETHING moving over there startled me!
There creeping into view was a spider... clinging onto Doris' velvet curtains with all it's leggy might
I nearly soaked our sofa with my hot beverage as it really did give me a fright
It must be the way they run... an unfair advantage with all those legs so slim
Bet you wouldn't stand a chance... if you were in a school parents race against fitness fanatic him
Why are we afraid of spiders it seems to be a common feeling most of us unfortunately have
and it made me recall a mates predicament.. one was on his much needed toilet roll when he was sat on the lav
That was a very intense 10 minute stand off he said... both of them keeping statue still.....
until he noticed a can of Lidls air freshener... sitting in the corner of the window sill
He had a Bear Grylls survival idea...
He leaned forward to grab the tall tin.... but to his horror the escaping spider fell quickly splat onto the floor
and last time he saw him... THANK THE LORD... he was disappearing through a narrow gap under his bathroom door
As long as the insects are in my garden... that I am more than happy to see
It's when they come into visit us that's what most bothers me
Well later I'm finishing off my impressive bug hotel...hopefully they'll move in there instead
So I can get a decent nights kip... and not worry what maybe crawling on my head
Well while I've been jotting down this poem I've totally forgotten about the curtain spider that came into view
So fingers crossed he's packed his bags and moved happily in with you
Enjoy!
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| billbaily |
Posted - 06/02/2021 : 08:58:40
Thanks for your kind comments, much appreciated. It's been interesting to have seen what new avenues lockdown has taken people to. If someone had said to me that I'd have been writing poetry all year I wouldn't have believed them.
So what I would like to say to all youngsters or even adults is you just never know what can be achieved until you try
No one moved forward by standing still
Try it... even if it is tiny steps at first
How true that is! |
| nutandboltdarlo |
Posted - 05/02/2021 : 22:27:19
Thanks to you for keeping us entertained. I think you initially hoped that more of us would contribute, but I certainly couldn’t match your deft turn of phrase bringing your experiences to life. So I hope I speak for others in reciprocating your best wishes for a brighter, better 2021.
P.S. And you managed to fit in winning Strictly! |
| billbaily |
Posted - 05/02/2021 : 19:16:05
DIOLCH
Thank you all for reading my lockdown nonsense poems...I've decided that this will be my very last one
They've certainly kept me busy since last April...I've enjoyed doing them...it's been fun
So I'll raise my glass to all of you tonight...and wish you
All the best and good health for 2021
I'm putting my pen back in the pencil case...as my work here is finally done......
|
| billbaily |
Posted - 05/02/2021 : 11:27:16
Wipe Your Chops Trevor!
Has anyone got some handy tips...on how to eat a custard ice slice
Because I always end up with it on my chops and Doris says, Trev it doesn't look very nice
I've even approached it very carefully and gone in with a miniscule and dainty bite
But even that was a waste of time as custard came squelching and squirting out - not a pretty sight 
Also when you hold the cake...the icing lid sticks to your fingers like very strong adhesive glue
You then end up eating the sweet icing on the top first ...something I didn't really want to do
What about spaghetti bolognese that's not too easy to pick up with your fork
Made even worse when your in new company and someone is waiting for you to talk
When you actually manage to get some in your mouth...the rest is hanging and absailing on your chin
Its one of those tasty meals you love...but you know it's a battle you cannot win
So Doris now breaks up the long italian spaghetti into very manageable small strips
Making me look a bit more presentable and it's easier to manoevre it to my lips 
Yes some foods prove a little bit more tricky, I'd avoid them if you were on a first date
I'd advise you to be ordering something straight forward that would be served upon your plate
Read on the internet
There was a reference to bolognese, meat based recipe with pasta as far back as 1891 Pellegrino Artusi's cook book |
| billbaily |
Posted - 05/02/2021 : 10:50:52
A robin hopped upon my window sill... and appeared to be looking in
He knows that Trevor is the one that everyday .... puts food out for him
What a lovely bird he is with that gorgeous red flash across his chest
He really is an attractive bird... that is most welcome to be my garden guest
Mind you I've noticed he's quite bossy... and often chases the other birds away
The sparrows were quickly put in their place....I noticed this the other day
So I just make sure there's enough food in my garden for them all
that is enough seeds, nuts, fat balls for the birds.... big or small
Don't forget to look out and feed the many different species of our lovely feathered friends
Because wildlife is just as important to this world.. as me and you in the end
Robin Redbreast - Erithacus Rubecula
Eats
Worms, seeds, insects & other invertebrates
Length 14cms
Wing span 20-22 cms
Weight 14-21g
Young birds have no red breast and are spotted and golden brown
Aggressively territorial and are quick to drive away intruders
Robins sing all year round - you can hear a robin singing on RSPB.org.uk/birds |
| billbaily |
Posted - 02/02/2021 : 10:02:18
Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside
Key in the ignition... off we go... passing through the valley towns in our little Austin make car
Everyone's dressed in their summer clothes... and the destination Font-y-Gary - 42 miles isn't that far
How patient our dad was hearing "ARE WE THERE YET " X 100 TIMES
It's miners fortnight and the car is overloaded with spare car parts, suitcases and us kids holding on tightly to our plastic buckets & spades
It's holidays for everyone... 2 glorious weeks.. and a time for happy family memories to be made
Other times we'd travel to magical Barry Island....spend our pennies on the rides and in the brightly lit amusement arcades
Followed with delicious salt & vinegared fish & chips...wrapped in newspaper sheets and washed down with.... bubbles up your nose fizzy lemonade
I remember being mesmerised... by the coin operated, life size, laughing sailor that sat inside a very large glass case
and of eating sweet, sticky candyfloss on a stick and it clinging all over my hair and face
We'd browse along the many gift shops....giggling when passing by those funny, saucy postcards
and end the day with a leisurely evening stroll... watching the sunset from the beach promenade
Yes my brother and I have had some really lovely times on that warm, golden Barry Island sand
and what a thrill...on the journey home...watching those large aeroplanes at Rhoose airport coming into land
Just Perfect!
Check out past footage on the internet of the 'Bristol Queen' paddle steamer at Penarth pier taking passengers to and from South Wales - a wonderful sight
Miners fortnight - last week of July & 1st week of August
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| billbaily |
Posted - 31/01/2021 : 21:16:59
It's Your Round Bobin
Have you ever blurted out a Spoonerism....I have and my butty's laughed & laughed
I was in a rush to get my sentence out...and it came out completely daft
It is a verbal error... in which a speaker switches up the letters of two words
and when it comes flying out...it sounds hilariously funny and very much absurd
It was well known in an Oxford college that Reverend William Archibald was very prone for this mistake
and very often in his speeches a SPOONERISM he would make
We were in the NCB club years ago... enjoying a friendly afternoon chat
and someone mentioned an upcoming film and I butted in... I know that!
RATMAN & BOBIN
Well Albert and George fell about laughing... I really didn't think they were going to stop at all
I tell you now...to this very day...its a topic they really love to recall 
In fact it's my nickname and boy do they take great pleasure in shouting it across a packed pub when I'm at the bar
Reverend William Archibald Spooner
1844-1930
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| billbaily |
Posted - 30/01/2021 : 17:07:30
Gosh that is a significant decrease in population then. Perhaps the closure of collieries and steelworks made a big difference too |
| nutandboltdarlo |
Posted - 30/01/2021 : 14:34:13
quote:
Originally posted by billbaily
Thanks for the update Shelley I thought it may have been more than 11,000, I took the figure from the Tredegar Forum Homepage. I wonder if anyone knows a more up to date population figure of our town, maybe someone can look into it and put their findings on here. It would be interesting to find out.
Wikipedia says the population was 15,103 in 2011, based on the collective total of the four electoral wards -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tredegar
Years ago the AA members’ handbook gave details such as population, early closing days (remember those?), and hotels for almost every town in the country. I remember it gave Tredegar’s population as somewhere around 21,000 in the late 60s, similar to Shelley’s recollection.
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| billbaily |
Posted - 30/01/2021 : 13:50:44
Thanks for the update Shelley I thought it may have been more than 11,000, I took the figure from the Tredegar Forum Homepage. I wonder if anyone knows a more up to date population figure of our town, maybe someone can look into it and put their findings on here. It would be interesting to find out. |
| ShelleyW |
Posted - 30/01/2021 : 12:38:31
There was a repeat program on tele last week Fishlocks walking and on one of his walks in the Llanelli area he interviewed Georgie muscles he was such a character.......Also I think our little town of Tredegar is 15 thousand population 25 thousand when I was in school late 60s early 70s.( Where are they all gone) lol |
| billbaily |
Posted - 30/01/2021 : 11:06:45
Albert & Myself thought we'd take up some physical exercise... so we attempted weight lifting many, many years ago
Didn't know what the heck I was thinking of... so gave up swiftly... as I was always aching and very sore
Not like our Georgie Muscles... who could lift a horse above his head... and... with his teeth pull a bus
He was a legend in Tredegar... everyone so excited to see his amazing feats of strength.. ..and that included us
I have to say Tredegar has produced some really talented/incredible people over the years... it makes me feel really proud of our little welsh town
as folk really have stepped up to the plate... and never let the side down
From weight lifters, snooker champs, politicians, doctors, nurses, teachers to name just a few
Miners, ironworkers, chartists, shop keepers including actors and singers too
we've all got something to contribute however big or small.. to our amazing 11,000 populated town
and it's time we started to look upwards.... because in recent months its been hard not to feel down
Well Doris and I are looking forward.... to getting our vaccines and we cannot wait for that momentous day to arrive
It will mean life will be able to get back to some normality.... and that includes seeing Wales... playing rugby again... LIVE
So we are waiting patiently for the postie....and what a hardy lot they are... out in shorts in all weathers... sunshine, wind, rain, snow and hail
They really have done an exceptional job in delivering... our lockdown parcels and hand written mail
Check out South Wales Argus 18th December 2017
George Davies - The Strong Man of Tredegar
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| billbaily |
Posted - 29/01/2021 : 15:16:12
Trevor Remembers His 1950's Rock & Roll Winkle Pickers
Have you ever worn a pair of tight shoes.... that simply did not fit your feet
and you put them on with GRITTED TEETH because they looked real cool and neat
But many years later on you realised...it wasn't an ideal thing to do
Because you've now got flipping painful bunions...not just one but two!
Well there's no more wearing narrow, pinchy shoes... I'm leaving them on the shelf
It's a lesson I have learned the hard way.....I wish someone had told my younger self
They did look the part though when jiving to Bill Haley & The Comets
Apparently Teddy Boys were wearing clothes that were inspired by styles worn by dandies in the Edwardian period. The Daily Express coined the term Teddy Boy by shortening Edwardian to Teddy. Teddy Boys had their roots in music and dancing |
| billbaily |
Posted - 28/01/2021 : 09:44:53
RUN RUN RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN
Browsing on the Gwent Police website...came across a video...and couldn't just believe it
A business in Gwent had customers...sprinting for their lives...to the nearest fire exit
Not because of a threat of fire mind...but because they should never, ever have been in there
They'd been sneaking in behind closed doors...to catch up on their much needed? hair & beauty care
Boy were they running through those corridors... and in a flick of a mouse's tail was soon gone
Running faster than Mo Farah... when the police began to knock the front door of the salon
Check it for yourselves on the website... you'll see them scarpering very clearly on there
Some were in such a rush... they still had towels draped on their wet hair
Someone's £1000 less in their purse - Ouch!
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| billbaily |
Posted - 26/01/2021 : 15:17:01
WHAT WAS BAT?
Ooooooo something fell down our chimney.... approximately 10pm late last Sunday night
so we are going to remove the mantlepiece.....as soon as it gets day light
Doris is hoping it's nothing.... with wild & flapping wings
Namely a bat.... as she's terrified of those nocturnal things
We then looked at each other and both gave out a nervous laugh
as off came the fire surround.... to reveal a pile of black soot upon the hearth
Trev she says, you're resembling Dick Van Dyke... in that famous Mary Poppins film
as by the time I'd finished cleaning up the mess.....I'm covered in soot just like him
Doris is now getting the kettle on and warming up a Greggs cheese & onion bake
and
for afters too... we're having a nice piece of Victoria jam sponge - just to celebrate
In Britain all bat species and their roosts are legally protected by both domestic and international legislation. This means you may be committing a criminal offence if you deliberately take, injure or kill a wild bat. Intentionally or recklessly disturb a bat in its roost or deliberately disturb a group of bats
www.bats.org.uk
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| billbaily |
Posted - 26/01/2021 : 12:09:51
Trevor's Soup Disaster
A few months ago Doris bought a whizzer...it's what I call this particular machine
It pulverizes cooked vegetables at a speed... like you've never, ever seen
I'm not allowed in the kitchen....when the whizzer is doing it's thing
I had a go ONCE...didn't put it together properly... and boy did I hear a loud massive PING!
Holey moley the result was soup spots everywhere....on the ceiling and all on the floor
so you can see why Doris doesn't want me... anywhere near the kitchen anymore
It took us ages to wash down the walls...the mixture got in places we didn't know we even had
Honestly we were both shattered.... the mess it made was really, really bad
So now I just sit at the dining table... put the news on and wait there until Doris gives me a call 
Then its time for a hot bowl of veggie soup.... accompanied with a delicious buttered crusty roll
LUVLY JUBBLY! |
| billbaily |
Posted - 20/01/2021 : 14:40:15
Just a little message.... for all those folk that are not feeling very grand
Don't be afraid to ask someone for help.... I'm sure they will gladly understand
Don't struggle...worry... and think you have to cope all on your own
Reach out.... even if it's for a friendly chat to someone at the end of your phone
Take care....... |
