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I’ve actually lost my voice from shouting at the mighty Bluebirds for so long tonight, such was the tension in this game.
The away leg at Selhurst Park was nerve-racking enough but watching this vital match was even worse – even though I was only bellowing at the TV screen this time.
There was a lively atmosphere at Selhurst Park for the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final on Tuesday, 10th Jan 2012, with the mighty Cardiff City taking on Crystal Palace.
Problem: we’re in a noisy rock band but there’s nowhere to rehearse – and we can’t afford to pay proper studios.
Cunning solution: drive up to an abandoned quarry in north Cardiff and rehearse there for free!
For old-time Cardiffians like yours truly, it still seems quite hard to take in the immense changes that have taken place around Cardiff Docks in the past decade or so.
When I was a kid, a trip to the bay invariably involved walking around large tracts of derelict land complemented by a vista of gloopy mud when the tide was out (see pic further down) – and then trying to find somewhere that would serve up a cuppa.
Sadly, there wasn’t a snow-covered festive scene to greet me on my return to Cardiff this year, as the weather had turned boringly mild.
There was still loads going in around the city centre, so here’s a few snaps:
Still to be seen ferrying folks along the short stretch of track from Cardiff Queen Street station down to Cardiff Bay is this 1960 vintage, Class 121 diesel multiple unit, number 121032.
Despite the strong connection between the urban75 website and Wales, organising drinks in the Principality always seems to present a formidable challenge, akin to trying to herd ketamine-infused cats.
However, this Christmas we managed a good sized turnout at the rather splendid Buffalo Bar at 11 Windsor Place Cardiff CF10 3BY.
The photos from the night are, sadly, rather blurry. But then so is my recollection of the evening.
I loves the ‘Diff, so it’s great to see Doctor’s Who’s Matt Smith presenting a short video piece about my glorious hometown – a city lauded by National Geographic as being one of the top ten ‘Best Summer Trips’ on the planet.
Once the longest-serving advert in any British football ground, the painted words of “Captain Morgan Rum – The Right Rum For Today’s Taste” adorned the roof of Cardiff City’s Ninian Park football ground for more than 40 years.
As if 1927 wasn’t a great enough year for Cardiffians (it was the year the mighty Bluebirds won the FA Cup) it was also the year that saw the opening of the splendid National Museum of Wales.
Located in what was once the bustling area of Tiger Bay in Cardiff docks, Cardiff Bay railway station (Bae Caerdydd) is the southern terminus of the short Butetown Branch Line, which runs one mile (1.5 km) from Cardiff Queen Street station.
Opened in 1840 by the Taff Vale Railway and originally known as “Cardiff Docks,” the station was renamed “Bute Road” by the Great Western Railway in 1924 and given its present name in 1994.
It’s not a patch on the sophisticated ‘Boris Bikes’ scheme that covers a large chunk of central London, but it’s great to see Cardiff’s more modest OyBike bike rental system prospering.
Seagull numbers in Cardiff have apparently more than doubled in the past five years, with the cheeky ice-cream stealing buggers creating all sorts of problems – and even covering Welsh hero Aneurin Bevan in their sticky bottom stuff.
Inbetween all the riots and smashed up buildings, I thought I’d lighten things up a bit with this photo taken at the Cardiff Big Weekend on Sunday.
So here’s a woman with a big banana in her pram.
One of the Gower’s most popular beaches, Oxwich Bay is a great little place to spend a few hours by the sea in south Wales.
