Mumsnet Talk

Oh, I used to love St David's day at school. It's such a shame my two children will never get to dress up as we live in England now
These days I normally just make Welsh cakes.

Not sure about where you live but our schools take group photos and put them in the local papers as well.

We have to make Welsh cakes tonight for DS's cooking competition. Wish me luck! I am trying to embrace this but it is making me more homesick unfortunately. Fish out of water and all that. :-(

I'm the same gaelic. Really homesick and under pressure from MIL to do St David's Day 'properly'. Got the ingredients for welsh cakes today, hope yours go ok.

Poor gaelic . How long have you been there?

Not poor me really, just whinging! We've been here nearly a year, but haven't really let go of proper home yet. We were kind of forced into the move in some ways, so we're struggling a little to adjust. Me and DH that is, DS seems fine although he does miss his old friends a lot.

Welsh cakes made, I think they're quite OK considering we haven't done them before. At least we've made the effort anyway.

TomDaleysTrunks - I'm with you. At least I don't have to keep up appearances with anyone except the school. Sounds like you might not be all that far from me!

Oh, and it turns out DH didn't buy two actual leeks. Felt leeks they are, £1 each. Think he was done!

BreconBeBuggered -
The land of my fathers is dear unto me,
Old land where the minstrels
Are honoured and free; its warring
Defenders, so gallant and brave, for
Freedom their life's blood they gave.
Wales, Wales, true I am to Wales
While seas secure this land so pure
O may our old language endure

And the reason I know this is because my Welsh DH (despite not giving a monkeys about Wales when he was living there) is now the most patriotic man this side of the bridge and makes me buy tea towels with the anthem on them whenever we visit!

Glad they turned out OK. It's so hard moving. I feel like the new girl at school, particularly at playgroups and stuff. Whereabouts are you? We moved just before Christmas, it's been an uphill struggle but DD is better here than London!

That's a more familiar lyric than any I've found online, Ella, thanks. I don't think I've heard anyone sing an English version in Wales since about 1976.

I definitely wore a leek rather than a daffodil, but that's very likely because I wasn't very girly and was too cackhanded to be trusted with making a daffodil.

When I was in primary school, all the girls would be decked out in full Welsh lady costume but the boys would just have a leek or daff pinned on. That was in the 70s. I used to love the school eisteddfod
I live in England now but my kids have been counting down the days until they get Welsh cakes! Should make them more often, my best tip is to burn them because then they are even more amazing

Welsh cakes I find distinctly underwhelming - sorry - bought or homemade. Unless I have never had good ones, they're just like scones that haven't risen! And they took ages to cook. Give me a pancake with raspberry jam any day of the week!

Shop bought are disgusting. Homemade are always a hit though. I don't think they are anything like a scone

To be fair this was my first go. I've no idea if they're as they should be or not - probably not! Poor DS.

We love St David's Day!!
There's a schools event here with music in a local park, all the children look wonderful in their costumes.

DGS2 is a Dragon for the day, DGD is in the Welsh Lady outfit and we will be trying to persuade DGS3 (aged 2) that he will be happy in a Dai cap!

Gaelic have a look if the local library is puting any thing on or check your local authority website.

Go with the flow, it's lovely, honestly. You have to have a nice cup of tea with your Welsh cake, lovely, mun!! (My nanna used to send emergency Welsh cakes when I was at uni, I was very popular when the parcels arrived)

Also, charity shops usually have Rugby shirts, Welsh lady outfits Etc!!

I've only recently (in my 40s) started eating Welsh cakes gaelic and have only ever made them twice. The trick is to eat them fresh off the bakestone - once they've cooled I find they're too dry unless smothered with butter and jam (not that that is a bad thing!).

St David's Day was the best day in the school year when I was growing up. We'd spend weeks preparing for The Eistedfodd and I still have my winner's certificate somewhere for winning the recitation prize! The best thing about the competition was there was something everyone could enter from junk model making to singing, from writing to cooking and everything in between.
I must make Welsh cakes tonight!

Just had one of the rejects with a coffee. Wasn't too bad, quite nice actually - nicer cold than straight from the pan, in my opinion.

Reject Welsh cakes that is!

I was in primary school in the 70s and us girls wore full Welsh dress with a real Daffodil, boys wore, and ate, a real leek. When my DSs were in primary they wore flat caps and waist coates, the daffodils and leeks were felt. Now it seems that only the younger children wear traditional dress and the hats are now more like bonnets rather than the witchlike style. Older children wear rugby shirts.

I will make cawl and Welsh cakes tonight for tommorrow and as I am a childminder we will be doing Welsh crafts and attending Ti A Fi (play group) for a party.

I'm making Welsh cakes, too, (do you really not like them gaelic? I love them!) and wishing I had some costumes to dress my children in, even though we live far from Wales.

Ella I didn't know it was patriotic to buy teatowels!

I think the children wearing rugby shirts has only started since the national team started doing well again .

Imagine wearing one circa 1991? Oh that loss to Western Samoa in the World Cup still hurts.....

I think they're OK. Nothing special.

I'm sorry, I'm trying. I'm not Welsh, I didn't really want to move here (although it's also my fault we did ) and I'm finding it hard to really engage with the culture. Maybe next year I'll feel more comfortable -right now, as I said, I just feel homesick. That's not the fault of Welsh people (although I do think the whole Welsh thing is overdone at a school right on the English border), it's just me.

Oh, and if anyone is on twitter, there is a campaign this year for anyone who is able to use Welsh to write at least one tweet in Welsh using the hashtag #dgd2 on Saturday in honour of St David's day (for those that are interested!)