Preface:

House sitting has provided Mick and me with loads of experiences we would otherwise never have had. We have had the opportunity to stay in some very fancy homes, complete with cleaners and gardeners, in both country France and England, and to stay in converted French farmhouses and barns. Our very first ‘assignment’ was on an isolated peninsula in Greece where for seven weeks Mick had to oversee the conversion of our drinking water from sea water, and where our only power sources were from the wind and the sun. We have also stayed in homes undergoing major renovations where the only room that was actually complete was the guests’ room. We have enjoyed each one of our house sitting assignments – each has given us a taste of life how others experience it. And, this current sit is no different.

Each day Mick and I take Mitzi for her (short) walks – only short, because she is not too keen on walking. These walks take us through the neighbouring streets surrounding our current house sit in Ely, an inner suburb of Cardiff.

The housing in Ely (near where we are staying) comes in a few different styles, but there is a lot of repetition and sameness.

The Council installed this “No Ball Games” sign above these two neighbouring townhouses. Obviously ‘ball games’ are, or ‘were,’ a problem here, because there are two other signs within 200m that have the same message. The signs look like they have been here for decades, and they are obviously working, because Mick and I have not observed any games being played during our stay (or at least, so far).

I’m sure you have spotted something obvious in these last photos, and no, it isn’t the architecture. These photos were taken on recycling day, but unlike in Bristol where the recyclables must be sorted into different coloured tubs and blue plastic bags, in Cardiff recyclables are bundled together in greenish, see-through bags. Certainly less complicated than Bristol’s, and one would expect, and hope, there was less chance of stray bits of recycling being blown around the streets.

A bit further on as we head towards the city centre (out of Ely and closer to a suburb called Canton), the architecture changes somewhat.

These homes are located near Victoria Park, and they look quite elegant with the white trim.

Looking in the other direction from those elegant homes, this streetscape demonstrates that two-storey town houses seem to the the most common type of homes in inner city Cardiff.

Our closest pub is about one mile (or 1.6Km) away, near Victoria Park. Not that we have been there (yet). By UK standards and our previous experiences, that distance is quite a significant walk, and sadly, dogs are not welcome.

Quite close to the pub I spotted this very old milepost, letting people know just how far from London they are.

Cardiff is “the Youngest Capital City in Europe”.

It only became the capital of Wales in 1955. Previously the capital was further north in central Wales – a quite unpronounceable and unheard of name (at least for me). But being youngest, doesn’t mean the city is modern. On the contrary as the photos of the residential areas show, these houses have been around for a long time.

On one of my walks, I spotted this poster (below) advertising a new sub-development, currently under construction, offering homes and units on land previously occupied by a long, disused paper mill. The 53 acres are in close proximity both to where we are staying and also to the River Ely. The promotional material indicates this is a big deal for Wales.

The £100 million urban village is one of Wales’ biggest regeneration schemes which will create a vibrant and sustainable new community.

But, to me, the homes are going to look pretty much like the old ones.

Perhaps, a lost opportunity.

During our stay in Wales, Mick and I have been surprised by how many people speak Welsh. Latest figures indicate around 30% of Welsh people speak Welsh – and this proportion is set to increase. Welsh schools are teaching more and more of the curriculum in Welsh, the Government is seeing to that (which is a good thing).

Every sign (except the old ones near us banning ball games), every announcement, even in supermarkets describing a closing checkout, are in both Welsh and English.

On our (Mitzi) walks, it has become obvious that Ely is a socially disadvantaged suburb. We base that on our experience of living and working in some socially disadvantaged communities in western New South Wales – there are ‘signs’.

One very obvious sign is the rubbish. As I said earlier, the recycling process is much simpler than Bristol’s, but there is still rubbish everywhere, including discarded clothing and broken glass. We actually have to be quite careful when walking the little white dog.

This is one of the alleys we walk down to get to Mitzi’s favourite park.

I have included a close-up of the rubbish in this one spot – discarded clothing, old computers and… recyclables galore.  And below, these photos show more rubbish piled up in footpath and riverside areas. It is everywhere.

 

Mick and I didn’t realise how disadvantaged Ely was until I did a bit of research. Even the front yards of the majority of the homes we walk past have piles of rubbish – but this one stood out for a ‘special mention’.

A television series has been made about the suburb and its inhabitants, and promotional material about the series states that this is Cardiff’s most disadvantaged suburb.

Focus on Ely is a six-part series, which explores the realities of life in what is officially Cardiff’s most deprived suburb; looking at issues including community projects and employment.

The suburb expanded in the early 19th Century, following WWI. Many houses were built to provide homes for the heroes of the war, and around the same time, council homes were constructed to rehouse people from Cardiff’s inner-city slums.

It is reported that Ely has high crime rates, and a walk along a major road brought me to the Heddlu (police) Station.

A bit closer to the schools and a pre-school, I spotted a pair of trucks that brought back some childhood memories for me.

I must add that Mick and I have not felt unsafe on any of our walks though Ely – day and night, but it is time for us to do some further exploring of Cardiff so we are not left with a one-eyed view of the place.