Dydd tawel

Fel arfer mi wnes i gweithio yn y bore ddoe, ac mi wnes i canu cerddoriaeth yn y prynhawn. Mi es i i Morrisons am ginio oherwydd doedd dim digon o bethau i fwyta yn y tŷ, a phan ro’n i’n barod am ginio roedd hi’n dipyn rhy hwyr i fynd yr holl ffordd i Morrisons, i brynu pethau, i ddod yn ôl ac i eu coginio. Mi wnes i bwyta coesgyn efo pîn-afal, sglods a phys, ac roedd y coesgyn wedi ei orgoginio tipyn. Mi wnes i aros gartref neithiwr.

As usual I worked in the morning yesterday, and played music in the afternoon. I went to Morrisons for lunch as there weren’t enough things to eat in the house, and when I was ready for lunch it was a bit to late to go all the way to Morrisons, to buy things, to come back and to cook them. I had gammon with pineapple, chips and peas, and the gammon was a bit over-cooked. I stayed in last night.

Yn ôl ym Mangor

Mi wnes i gadael Leeds tua deg o’r gloch bore ddoe ac mi ddes i yn ôl i Fangor ar y trên trwy Manceinion a Crewe. Roedd rhaid i mi aros am fron awr yn Manceinion, ac yn ffodus ro’n i’n medru dod â cysylltiad wifi rhydd ac mi wnes i tipyn bach o waith. Mi wnes i cyrraedd ym Mangor tua dau o’r gloch ac roedd hi’n wyntog ac oer. Mi wnes i aros gatref neithiwr yn darllen ac yn gwylio rhagleni teledu ar y we.

I left Leeds at about 10am yesterday morning and came back to Bangor on the train via Manchester and Crewe. I had to wait for nearly an hour in Manchester, and fortunately I was able to find a free wifi connection and did a bit of work. I arrived in Bangor at about 2pm and it was windy and cold. I stayed in last night reading and watching TV programmes online.

Caneuon, dawns a bwyd

Bore ddoe mi wnes i tipyn bach o waith ar Omniglot – wi wnes i ateb e-byst yn bennaf, fel arfer. Tua hanner dydd mi es i i’r prifysgol i weld perfformiadau gan myfyrwyr presennol yr adran Astudiaethau Asia Dwyrain. Mi wnaethon nhw perfformio tipyn bach o opera Beijing yn Mandarineg a Saesneg, ac mi wnaethon nhw adrodd sonedau Shakespeare yn Saesneg a Thai, ac mi wnaeth ferch yn canu cân pop yn Siapaneg. Mi wnaeth athrawes Thai dawns Thai traddodiadol hefyd. Mi wnes i crwydro o gwmpas Leeds am sbel yn y prynhawn, a gyda’r nos roedd pryd o fwyd yn nhŷ bwyta Tsieineaidd efo cynfyfyrwyr ac athrawon. Ro’n i ar fwrdd efo cynfyfyrwyr o 1995. Roedd y bwyd yn flasu iawn, ac mi wnes i mwynhau’r noson yn fawr.

Yesterday morning I did a bit of work on Omniglot – I mainly answered emails, as usual. At about midday I went to the university to see performances by current students in the East Asian Studies department. They performed bits of Beijing opera in Mandarin and English, and they recited some of Shakespeare’s sonnets in English and Thai, and one lass sang a Japanese pop song. A Thai lecturer also did a traditional Thai dance. I had a wander around Leeds in the afternoon for a while, and in the evening there was a meal in a Chinese restaurant with alumni and staff. I was on a table with alumni from 1995. The food was delicious, and I really enjoyed the evening.

Leeds

Mi ddes i i Leeds ddoe i gymryd rhan mewn dathliad hanner can mlynedd o Astudiaethau Tsieinëeg a Dwyrain Asia ym Mhrifysgol Leeds. Mi wnes raddio o Brifysgol Leeds â gradd mewn Tsieinëeg a Siapaneg ugain mlynedd yn ôl, a dyma dim ond yr ail tro i mi mynd yn ôl i Leeds ers hynny.

Mae’r dinas a’r prifysgol yn dal i adnabyddadwy, ond mae cryn dipyn o newidiadau yma, yn cynnwys llawer o adeiladau newydd, a llawer o hen adeiladau wedi cael eu adnewyddu a dacluso, yn arbennig ar lannau’r afon, lle dw i’n aros mewn gwesty Holiday Inn.

Mi wnes i gadael Bangor bore ddoe tua deg o’r gloch, ac mi es i ar y trên i Leeds trwy Cyffordd Llandudo a Manceinion. Ro’n i’n yng nghanol grŵp o bobl o’r Almaen ar y trên i Manceinion, ac mi wnes i clustfeinio ar eu sgyrsiau wrth i mi darllen llyfr. Mi wnes deall bron popeth, pan ro’n i’n canolbwyntio arnynt.

Ar ôl i mi cyrraedd yn Leeds, mi es i i’r gwesty, ac yna mi wnes crwydro o gwmpas y dinas a champus y prifysgol am sbel. Yna mi es i dderbyniad ar gyfer myfyrwyr, athrawon, cynfyfyrwyr a chyn-athrawon yr Adran Astudiaethau Dwyrain Asia. Roedd dau cynfyfyrwr o’r un flwyddyn â fi, ac un cyn-chydweithwraig o Taiwan y ddaeth i Leeds dwy flynedd ar ôl fi. Roedd areithiau, a sgwrs, a bwyd a diod, ac mi wnes i cwrdd â phobl o bob math, yn cynnwys hogan sy’n gwneud doethuriaeth ym Mangor, ond sy’n byw yn Llundain.

Ar ôl y derbyniad mi es i i dafarn yn undeb y myfyrwyr efo rhwy bobl eraill, ac yna i dafarn arall ger y gyfnewidfa ŷd. Mi es i yn ôl i’r gwesty tua hanner wedi un-ar-ddeg.

I came to Leeds yesterday to take part in a celebration of 50 years of Chinese and East Asia Studies at Leeds University. I graduated from Leeds Uni with a degree in Chinese and Japanese 20 years ago, and this is only the second time I’ve been back since then.

The city is still recognizable, but there are quite a few changes here, including many new buildings, and many old buildings that have been renovated and done up, especially along the river, where I’m staying in a Holiday Inn.

I left Bangor yesterday morning at about 10am and went by train to Leeds via Llandudno Junction and Manchester. I was surrounded by a group of Germans on the train to Manchester, and I eavesdropped on their conversations while I was reading a book. I understood almost everything, when I concentrated on them.

After arriving in Leeds I went to the hotel, then wandered about the city and the university campus for a bit. Then I went to a reception for current and former students and staff of the Department of East Asia Studies. There were two former students from the same year as me, and a former colleague from Taiwan who come to Leeds two years after me. There were speeches, and chat, and food and drink, and I meet all sorts of people, including a lass who’s doing a PhD in Bangor but who lives in London.

After the reception I went to a bar in the student union with a few other people, and then to a pub near the corn exchange. I went back to the hotel at about half eleven.

Les mots de la semaine

français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
la fête; le foraine; la foire (fun)fair ffair foar; kurioziteoù
le carême Lent Grawys koraiz
un jeu de hasard a game of chance hapchwarae; chwarae siawns c’hoari chañs
le cuivre (jaune); le laiton brass pres; efydd kouevret; laton
la fanfare brass band band pres; seindorf pres fañfar
le cuivres the brass (section) yr adran bres kouevrennoù (?)
les huiles top brass prif swyddogion; pwysigion; pobl o bwys
un self-made man;
un autodidacte
a self-made man dyn a wnaeth ei ffortiwn ei hun desket drezañ e-hunan
les frais expenses treuliau mizoù
à court terme short-term cyfnod byr; tymor byr; byrdymor berr dermen

Sesiynau

Prynhawn ddoe roedd sesiwn cerddoriaeth da yn fy nhŷ, ac ar ôl cinio mi es i i’r côr cymuned. Yr wythnos ‘ma mi wnaethon ni canu caneuon yn Saesneg, Xhosa a Georgeg. Ar ôl hyn mi es i adref, ac yna i sesiwn cerddoriaeth gwerin yn y Skerries. Dyma’r tro cyntaf i mi mynd i’r sesiwn ‘na. Roedd ffrindiau yna o’r grŵp dawns forys, a phobl eraill dw i ddim yn nabod eto – myfryrwyr ydy’r mwyafrif ohonyn nhw, dw i’n meddwl. Mi wnaeth llawer o bobl yn gadael tua hanner wedi deg, ac ro’n i yna hyd un ar ddeg. Bydda i’n ceisio cyrraedd yn gynharach yr wythnos nesaf.

Yesterday afternoon there was a good music session, and after tea I went to the community choir. This week we sang songs in English, Xhosa and Georgian. After that I went home, and then to a folk music session in the Skerries. This was the first time I’ve been to that session. Some friends from the morris dancing group were there, and other people I don’t know yet – most of them are students, I think. A lot of people left at about half ten, and I was there until eleven. I’ll try to arrive a bit earlier next week.

Cyngerdd

Neithiwr es i i gynerdd yn y Caffi Blue Sky. Rhan o’r gŵyl barddoniaeth ydoedd, a dathliad cerddorol o waith Charles Causley, bardd o Gernyw. Yn anffodus mi fethodd un o’r perfformwr, Jim Causley o Ddyfnaint, yn dod, felly roedd dim ond dau berfformwyr – Julie Murphy a Ceri Owen Jones. Cantores o Essex yn wreddiol ydy Julie Murphy, a thelynor o Ganada yn wreddiol ydy Ceri Owen Jones, a maen nhw’n byw yng Nghymru bellach. Roedden nhw’n canu caneuon ac alawon hyfryd ar y telyn, y piano ac ar y trombôn, ac mae llais canu hyfryd gan Julie.

Last night I went to a concert at the Blue Sky Café. It was part of the poetry festival, and a musical celebration of a the work of Charles Causley, a poet from Cornwall. Unfortunately one of the performers, Jim Causley from Devon, was unable to come, so there were only two performers – Julie Murphy and Ceri Owen Jones. Julie Murphy is a singer originally from Essex, and Ceri Owen Jones is a harpist originally from Canada, and they both live in Wales now. They sang and played some beautiful songs and tunes on the harp, piano and trombone, and Julie has a lovely singing voice.

Cerddoriaeth a glaw

Mi wnes i gweithio bore ddoe, ac ar ôl cinio mi wnes canu rhyw alawon ar offer gwahanol. Mi wnes i parhau sgwenu fy nghân newydd hefyd, ac mae gen i pedwar pennill, mwy neu lai, erbyn hyn, ond dw i ddim yn siŵr am alaw eto. Mi wnaeth hi’n bwrw glaw trwn yn y prynhawn, ac gyda’r nos mi es i i’r tafarn Groegeg i ganu’r iwcwlili. Roedd dim mond dau ohonon ni yna, ac mi wnaethon ni penderfynu na fyddan ni’n cyfarfod ar nos Iau yr wythnos nesaf yn unig, heblaw mae pobl sy’n methu dod nos Iau a sy’n eisiau cyfarfod ar nos Lun.

I did some work yesterday morning, and after lunch I played some tunes on various instruments. I also continued writing my new song, and I now have four verses, more or less, though I’m not sure of a tune yet. It rained heavily in the afternoon, and in the evening I went to the Greek taverna to play the ukulele. There were only two of us there this week, and we decided that we’ll only meet on Thursday night next week, unless anybody can’t come on Thursday nights and want to meet on Monday nights.

Sgwrs a barddoniaeth

Mi ddaeth ffrind o’r côr cymuned i’r grŵp sgwrsio ddoe, ac ro’n ni’n siarad am ac yn yr Almaeneg yn bennaf. Dw i ‘di anghofio llawer o fy Almaeneg, ond mae’n dod yn ôl erbyn hyn. Ar ôl hyn mi es i adref am dipyn o fwyd, ac yna mi es i Caffi Blue Sky am noswaith o farddoniaeth a cherddoriaeth – rhan o wŷl barddoniaeth rhyngwladol. Mi wnaeth tri band lleol yn canu, ac mi wnaeth bardd o Wlad Pwyl yn adrodd ei gerddi yn y Bwyleg efo cyfeiliant un o’r bandiau. Roedd y band cyntaf yn uchel dros ben llestri efo gitâr trydan yn sgrechian, ond roedd y bandiau eraill yn well.

A friend from the community choir came to the conversation group yesterday, and we talked mainly about and in German. I’ve forgotten a lot of my German, but it’s starting to come back. After that I went home for a bit to eat, then went to the Blue Sky Café for an evening of music and poetry – part of an international festival of poetry. Three bands played, and a poetry from Poland recited with poetry in Polish with accompaniment from one of the bands. The first band were way too loud with an electric guitar screeching away, but the other bands were better.