. . . there is another sporting event that I will be watching this weekend. BBC America is broadcasting the Six Nations Cup live this year! Woohoo! (That's rugby, in case you didn't know and in the past I've complained about how difficult it has been to find live rugby on TV over here.) Guess what I'll be doing at noon East coast time on Saturday?! The kids, DH and I have been invited to a party on Saturday afternoon, but depending on how the game is going, I may send DH off on his own with the kids to join them later. He will understand ;-)
The first time I ever visited the UK with DH, we left Heathrow sometime around 8:30 on a Saturday morning to head north to my parents' house. There was a rugby game on that afternoon that I would have liked to watch. Wales versus somebody - I don't remember who. Unfortunately, the length of the drive to my parents' house meant that we would arrive there in the middle of the game and I didn't have a key to my parents' house. My mother had warned me that if we arrived while the game was going on no one would answer the door. So, we killed some time en route with a leisurely pub lunch and DH didn't complain. I tried to find the game on the radio, figuring at least I could listen to it, but the only station I could find it on was in Welsh :-(
It's been years since I've seen a game, and I've long since given up following the reports of the games, but I am looking forward to seeing a game or two again after so long. At the very least, it's going to make it easier to know when NOT to call my parents as they don't answer the phone when the rugby's on. Or if they do, it's to hurriedly say, "Can you call back later?" We have ties to England, Scotland and Wales in my family, so I don't really care who wins, but the Welsh do have the best songs.
This is not the Welsh national anthem, but it might as well be. I remember my elementary school principal teaching it to us, telling us that we should know it! It was a church school, and the song is a hymn, but he did make it clear when he taught it to us that this was a rugby song! I don't remember which version of the lyrics he taught us - probably the more traditional one that begins "Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer" - but most people only know the chorus anyway!
Bread of heaven
Bread of heaven
Feed me 'til I want no more
Feed me 'til I want no more
Wales forever
Wales forever
Can you hear, the voices calling
Singing proud and singing clear
All around the sound is rising
One by one they join the cheer
gwlad fy nhadau {land of my fathers}
gwlad fy nhadau
cymru, cymru am byth {Wales, Wales forever}
Can you hear the valleys ring
Can you hear the dragon's roar
Heart and soul, with pride are singing
Land of Wales forever more
Wales forever
Wales forever
Hear us now and ever more
Hear us now and ever more
Oh can you hear the roar of voices
Join together, side by side
Well now's the hour, the hour of glory
Raise the roof, and sing with pride
Wales forever
Wales forever
Hear us now and ever more
Hear us now and ever more
gwlad fy nhadau
gwald fy nhadau
cymru, cymru am byth
cymru, cymru am byth
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