PEOPLE in rural communities feel isolated when their local bus services are reduced because they aren’t economically viable.
This particularly applies to anyone who’s given up driving for health reasons or because driving is less pleasurable than when they first got behind a steering wheel.
There are villages that do provide an early morning bus to take you to the nearest town to do your shopping, but you have to hang around all day to catch a late afternoon service back home.
There were better bus services in the ’40s!
Reduced timetables and council cutbacks mean that even in some urban areas you’re more likely to witness The Abominable Snowman riding on the back of the Loch Ness Monster than see more than one bus an hour.
A friend tells me that after 50 years of leaving at 11.00pm, his last bus from town (which was always packed with people who’d been making merry) now leaves at 9.00pm!
That’ll be five minutes before all the pubs and restaurants in town close for the night!
So let’s applaud comedian and BBC Radio Wales broadcaster Owen Money for creating an entertainment experience that people without cars can enjoy without worrying about how they’re going to get home after dark.
“One Foot In The Groove” is a daytime dancing show for Over-30s that’ll feature many of the songs (and jokes!) that Owen treats the nation to on his Saturday and Sunday morning radio shows.
Owen will be playing original hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s and there’ll be live music, courtesy of his talented daughter Katie, who’ll be belting out a selection of jukebox favourites.
The tour starts at Blackwood Miners Institute on Thursday June 19 and, among other venues, will call in at Swansea’s Patti Pavilion on Friday July 11 and Llanelli’s Ffwrnes Theatre on Saturday August 9.
Just phone the venues or check their websites for times and ticket prices.
The great thing about it is, you can be home in time for tea. Unless you want to keep one foot in the groove and go clubbing afterwards!

Ah, summer is finally here. And, I don’t know about you, but my mood is soaring higher than a seagull eyeing a chip!
Just last week, I took a delightful stroll along the Llanelli coastal path towards Burry Port – and, let me tell you, the scenery here is so stunning it could make a postcard blush.
Now, I know many of you have already booked your holidays to far-off sunny destinations, lured in by those tempting deals from local travel agents.
But let’s be real: is it really cheaper to jet off overseas than to bask in the beauty of our own Wales?
I mean, who needs a crowded beach in Spain when you can have the breathtaking views of our coastline right here?
Sure, money might be tight for some, but everyone deserves a little slice of relaxation with their loved ones.
A leisurely walk down the seafront in Mumbles can whisk you away from life’s daily grind, especially when the sun is shining and the tide is in. It’s like therapy, but with fewer fees and more ice cream!
So here’s my challenge to you: give me your three best reasons why people should flock to this part of Wales this summer. The most compelling case will win a personalised gift from yours truly!
Let’s show the world that beautiful Wales is the place to be this summer, because who needs a plane ticket when you have the magic of home?

Isn’t it funny how something that occurred in the past can have a profound effect today.
For example, the man who invented the TV remote control all those years ago could never have envisaged how grateful we are in 2025 that he included the ‘Mute’ button.
Or imagined the two main reasons we owe him our gratitude – Davina McCall and Alan Carr.
Which reminds me, I recently heard that the man who invented the TV remote control had passed away.
Apparently, his wife came home one afternoon and found him down the back of the sofa. She told the coroner that, in recent weeks, he’d been acting rather remote.
I cherish my remote control because my way of watching programmes containing advertisements is to record them and catch up with them later, so I can fast-forward through the ads . . . and the dull parts.
My remote gets a lot of use during shows like “The Most Shocking TV Moments of the 60s (or 70s)” etc.
Not only because most of the clips they include wouldn’t shock an unworldly trainee vicar, but also because these shows run to more than two hours.
Two hours plus of alleged celebrities, all of whom are chosen from the same shallow pool, pretending to be horrified by clips from 70s sitcoms, can be exhausting.
Viewers watch a clip. Then we watch the ‘celeb’ watching the clip. Then we watch them describing what we’ve already watched and why they think it’s outrageously shocking.
What is the point?
The fact is, we’ve all seen these same clips at least a dozen times before – without being mortified.
But then, we don’t trouser a fee to pretend we are.
It’s ironic that these ludicrously padded-out shows are on the same channel that produces modern TV ‘classics’ like “Britain’s Favourite Chocolate Bar” and “Britain’s Favourite Biscuit”, which must get a fraction of the viewing figures that those unfairly maligned 70s sitcoms would have enjoyed.
In 40 years, will they make shows in which ‘celebs’ sit around ‘Tut-Tutting’ at shocking clips of “Britain’s Favourite Crisp”?
I hope I’m around to find out!

As the sun blazes down on Wales (well it was when I wrote this), it’s time to tackle the real dangers of soaking up those rays.
Nobody wants to end up looking like a human tomato, a lobster, or, heaven forbid, a raisin.
Before you step outside, remember to slather on sunscreen like it’s your last line of defence against a fiery apocalypse (because, let’s be honest, it kind of is).
And, for the love of all that is fashionable, wear a hat! Unless you’re keen on being mistaken for a crustacean at a beach barbecue, that is.
Now, let’s talk about hydration.
Drink water like you’re a camel preparing for a desert trek.
Your skin will thank you, and so will your friends, who won’t have to disguise you as a picnic snack.
Seriously, no one wants to be the friend who shows up looking like a wrinkly old prune!
And while you’re at it, lather on that lotion like you’re frosting a cake. You don’t want to be the walking vegetable at the summer barbecue, do you? “Oh look, there’s Gary, the sun-dried tomato!”
In summary, enjoy the sunshine, but don’t let it turn you into a walking seafood dish or dried-up fruit.
Your skin will thank you, and your friends will appreciate not having to explain why they brought a salad to the party instead of you
So, go forth and bask wisely!