Crafty Dog Books

19/09/2024

Mrs Crafty Dog and our Managing Director Gwennie at a recent work's outing. https://www.crafty-dog-cymru.co.uk/

07/06/2024

Latest Spam to our business account - a clever one - purporting to be someone who's placed an order, had a confirmation, and the money went from their account, but not had anything. I have queried what the order number was, and what the item was....bet I don't get a reply! There's been nothing in the webmail, no confirmations sent out, and the person does not exist on FB either.

02/06/2024

What is this strange beast that lurks in the great lake beyond the meadow at Crafty Dog Towers? Or maybe it's just one of Pendle's pranks.
But didn't we lose a few of the ducks recently? Maybe a case for Inspector Gwennie and her sidekick, Dr Ffion?

11/04/2024

After my recent photo of the llama, taken in the hills locally, here is a piece from the "Dictionary of Welsh Biography" about John Rupert Jones, the adventurer and businessman who first brought these South American ungulates to South Wales.
"Jones, John Rupert, (1830 – 1902), Postman, brush salesman, ship owner & entrepreneur, b. at Glais, nr Swansea, 3rd July 1830, son of Dafydd, and Mary Lewis. Father was a jam miner, and mother a quilt-maker. Went to school in Pontardawe, before getting a job as a postman in 1846. In 1849 he m. Glenys Joseph of Landore, and had four children by 1855. To supplement his income, he became a door to door brush seller, but was sacked by the postal service when he combined his letter delivery with the brush sales. When door-knocking around Swansea docks he got Shanghai’d onto a ship taking coal and marmalade between Swansea and Weston Super Mare. He was a popular and successful member of the crew, and was First Mate within 6 months. The crew mutinied off Flat Holm but Jones managed to subdue them, for which the ship's owners made him Captain of the sister ship. He then sailed ships between Swansea, Carmarthen and Haverfordwest, where he began to hear stories about the opportunities for settlers in the jam, chutney and marmalade rich lands of South America. Renting his own ship, he started trading coal and jam with Buenos Aires, which changed to taking Welsh settlers in the early 1860’s. In order to bring back a saleable cargo, Jones set up a trade of coal and emigres to Argentina, bringing back llamas, alpacas and guanacos to use for wool in Wales. In 1880 he purchased a woollen mill in Clydach, Swanseashire, where he began manufacturing scarves and clothing from the llama wool. This proved to be lucrative, and shares in his company (The Aberclydach Exotic Wool Company) sky-rocketed, making him a millionaire within 3 years. Local sheep farmers grew resentful, and in 1885 the mill was attacked by a group called “The Grandchildren of Rebecca” who destroyed the machinery and set free the 300 llamas in the pens on the local hill-farms. Faced with an economic disaster, Jones then hastily established a series of llama trains to deliver mail across the Welsh Hills. He was also approached by a number of Jam and Chutney Mine Owners, especially in the Amman Valley, to see if they could break the rail embargo and transfer preserves across the hills (the GWR was asking a high-tariff for jams, chutneys and marmalades, in favour of the jam mines they owned themselves). This also proved successful in the short-term until a llama train overturned on Mynydd Gelliwastad and the hungry llamas ate the mail soaked in spilt strawberry jam. From that day on the llamas developed a taste for preserves, and another of Jones’ sidelines failed. By 1900 the llama trains had ceased and Jones was working as a cockle seller on Morriston Cross. He died of shellfish food poisoning in July 1902, and was buried alongside his wife in Moriah Chapel churchyard, Treboeth, Swansea. There can still be seen the stone effigy of a llama that stands over his grave.
Arch. Camb., 1936,; South Wales Evening Post, Swansea, July 17, 1902 Obituary; Kelly’s Business Directory for Swanseashire, 1880, 1885, 1900; W.Ambrose, “The Woollen Industry in South Wales, 1800-1900, Camden Books, Cardiff 1968, p. 96-98; R. Morgan, “Cardiff Docks and the Jam Trade, Treharris Press, Pontypridd, 1998, p.5-6, 23, 27, 62; D. Jenkins, “The Grandsons of Rebecca – industrial unrest in the West Wales Valleys, Swanseashire University Press, 2011, p.37-58; M.P. Pryce, “JR Jones – Welsh Pirate or Entrepreneur?”, University of Detroit PhD Dissertation, 2015;"

06/03/2024

Here's our range of paperbacks. It all began with a greyhound called Sally, rescued from the local dog track. Her story became, "A Hound in the House", a real family book about living with a rescued greyhound (Sally and her successors). Our first children's book, also with a greyhound hero, was "The Largest Rabbit", about an abandoned puppy who finds a family, friends and his real identity. That led to a sequel, "The Winter Hare", where the greyhound and his friends rescue a magical hare and a lurcher called Flower. "Found a Penny; the memoires of a Crafty Dog" was the next book, the true story of Penny from a field in mid-Wales to international greyhound celebrity (in her own words). https://www.crafty-dog-cymru.co.uk/home/childrens-books-family-books-greyhounds-dogs-cats-pets/

04/03/2024

We're having a few problems with product tags, which means the photo won't take you to our webshop. So, to get around it, if you see anything you like, or just want a nose, here's a link to our website. It has a very nifty search box too so you can find things easily.

Crafty Dog Cymru make Welsh jam, Welsh chutney, Welsh marmalade, Glass Art, Greyhound Glassware, glasses with bees on, children's animal books, & Welsh Gifts

22/01/2024

I'd like to thank everyone for their very kind Birthday wishes for yesterday. I don't feel any older, and I'm probably not any wiser, but we had a fab day, with a superb steak dinner with a particularly good red wine. And horseradish sauce! One of the perks of being married to a brilliant cook. And of course, Gwennie shared (but not the wine or horseradish, we didn't share any of her salmon and rice kibble).

20/01/2024

Its been a bit quiet at Crafty Dog Towers, so here's one of Cook's escapades from last Spring.
Up On The Roof
As I was walking the grounds yesterday, with Mr Grout the Head Gardener, in search of that lazy Gardener's Lad of his (who we eventually found asleep on a warm compost heap), I looked up at the West Tower and both of us uttered a cry of disbelief. In all the fuss over the building work in the kitchens we had overlooked (or maybe underlooked?) the slates on the roof. It would appear that one of them has slipped. We rushed back (no mean feat for Grout) to the house to see who could help. Higgins the Butler and his staff (the Under-footman and Sommelier) were drawing lots as to who would go up the old fire ladders to see what they could do.
Thank Dog that Cook is back! Being familiar with parachutes, bungees and abseiling she just hitched up her over-garments and with a few French expletives and a long length of old sash-cord, shimmied up the tower like a large and very bad-tempered spider. She was up on the slates in no time at all, and as the staff below cheered she lifted the errant slate back into place, hammered the clout nails with her left Doc Marten and then with a loud scream of "Geronimo!" she slid and bounced down the tower wall and back to the ground.
I did ask Grout whether he too had seen the logo on her undergarments with the French tricolor and "Legion d’Etranger - Corps de Cuisine" embroidered on them. He just blushed and denied ever seeing Cook’s bloomers, before wandering off to tend his marrow.
We are all so very grateful - she may be a bit of a strange fish but we all agree that Cook is indeed a marvel. A woman of mystery in many respects but still a marvel whose abseiling is a wonder to behold. But not her bloomers, apparently.

Well, what can you say! When we came back to Crafty Dog Towers after our craft fair this morning there was a sight to behold. I couldn’t believe my eyes – Cook was bungy-jumping from the first-floor landing window! She was bouncing a good six feet or more til her fingertips nearly touched the rose bushes in the flower bed, then twanged back upwards to where I could see Higgins and Gilbert the Under Footman trying to grab her Doc Martens before she took another dive towards terra firma. It was on the fifth decent that I realised that it was not stout bungy cord but industrial ex-army bloomer elastic that was doing its best to defy gravity and drag Cook’s rotund frame back to the window. We could now make out that her undergarments were caught on the sash window.
Cook is made of rather stern stuff (being ex-Foreign Legion Catering Corps) and seemed to enjoy her dice with Newton’s First Law and screaming, “WEEEEE!” as she teased the rose bushes.
By the time we got up the main stairs to the first floor landing Higgins had made a lucky grab and was pulling Cook through the window onto the axminster. She was none the worse for her accident; apparently she had been collecting the breakfast plates from the bedroom and had somehow fallen out of the opened sash window at the end of the landing and caught the elastic of her bloomers in the sash tie. We are all very grateful for that as she would have destroyed the best of our rose bushes had she landed on them.
Cook is very reluctant to talk about her years in the military. We only found out about it when Mrs Crafty Dog saw she had “Chad” tattoed on her arm. She asked her whether that was an old boyfriend, but Cook replied it was a campaign. Oooh.

10/01/2024

Back in 2012 we had a message about a dog that had come into the rescue kennels at Swiss Valley that might be suitable for us to foster. We went over and met this hound, a black girl that had been temporarily christened "Suzy". She had beenabandoned in a field in Mid Wales, but the farmer had handed her in to Greyhound Rescue. We thought she might be Crafty Dog material, and arranged to collect her in a few days with a view to foster. We renamed this foster as she really wasn't a Suzy. She was a black girl, so needed a suitable name - how about Penny, like the Penny Black stamp?
That's how Penny came into our lives. The rest, as they say, was history. And a book!
https://www.crafty-dog-cymru.co.uk/product/found-a-penny-uk-postage/

10/01/2024

Did a bit of a refresh over the Xmas /New Year to the Crafty Dog Cymru website. Put the Xmas stock to bed, but also added a Search box, so customers can find items on the site and shop much easier. Check it out!

Crafty Dog Cymru make Welsh jam, Welsh chutney, Welsh marmalade, Welsh Glass Art, Glasses with bees on them, glasses with greyhounds on them, children's animal books, books by a Welsh author and Welsh Gifts by mail order or retail

27/12/2023

Another extract from the Professor's treatise on the Jam,MArmalade and Chutney mining industry around Swanseashire. Worth a read - it might make to smile!

27/12/2023

Back here at my desk after Gwen and my wander round the village in the only gap in the weather today. Anyhoo, Gwen is asleep on our bed next door, Armelle is painting glassware downstairs ("I'm not doing any work until the 12th of January!").
And so here's my desk. Had a liitle tidy up - yes, honest, you should have seen it before! There are a few things on my desk which have tales to tell; the magnifying lupe was given to me by my first boss in Ogwr Borough Council, Donald Dennis, on the day I started in July 1988; the coasters were bought on our Honeymoon in Ironbridge at the Maws factory; the Dinefwr Appeal mugs are from my first ever job in the National Trust at Dinefwr Park; the watch is my Dad's presented to him after 40 years working for the South Wales Transport; the photo frame sat on my desk in the Guildhall, then Penllergaer, then back to the Guildhall; the ribbon you can see under my lamp is Sally, our first greyhound's, rosette she won at the GRW Show (Best Reserve in Show) in 2001. The glass - ah well, that's just a drop of Calva to warm me up after my walk.

10/12/2023

Small Business Question; has anyone out there had experience of setting up an IOSS to get access to the EU? (Its a tax arrangement to get VAT paid in the EU. Post June 2021, any items sold to the EU has to pay VAT, irrespective of price, which is a nightmare for small businesses who are not VAT registered).

02/12/2023

When the dirty brown sack flew over the Rabbits’ heads they were amazed. Out came a very strange looking young rabbit with long legs and a funny tail. His name was Rubbish. This is the story of how Rubbish discovered that it’s not what you are but who you are that is important.

Meet the incredible huge and hairy Finn, the Scottish Deerhound who lives in his secret garden, and his friend Jeffrey the brave though gummy, balding ancient and creaky marmalade cat. Together these three Mouseketeers help Rubbish realise who he really is.

But, unknown to them all, out there in the deepest and darkest wood something evil is stirring. Something that likes to eat meat….. particularly rabbit! Between the evil and the rabbits there is only Rubbish and his friends. Can they protect the Rabbits? Will they be in time?

This is a fabulous book about the adventures of an abandoned greyhound and his amazing friends, a book of frights and laughs where good wins in the end!

02/12/2023

A very learned piece of research on the Jam, Marmalade and Chutney mining industries of the Swanseashire Valley. You'd be amazed by this.

An extract from a treatise by Professor CD Crafty-D'Og on the famous mining industry of the Swanseashire Valley and its environs, including the Chutney ...

01/12/2023

A Hound in the House - the real story of how we got involved with greyhound rescue. It all began with a clumsy, loving, breakfast-cereal munching greyhound called Sally! A gorgeous hound with a fantastic personality, we were hooked, and learned so much from her. Read about our fosters, and then gentle Sammy who loved everyone and everything, including hedgehogs! Its a book that will make you laugh, and may make you cry but you'll definitely want to run out and cuddle a greyhound!

08/11/2023

Christmas is coming! For Christmas we have the ideal children's books with a greyhound twist! We all know how wonderful greyhounds, lurchers and deerhound are - these stories will introduce their lovely characters to young readers (8-12 yrs, younger if you read it to them). And why not get a signed and dedicated copy from the author?

https://www.crafty-dog-cymru.co.uk/product-category/childrens-animal-books/

https://www.crafty-dog-cymru.co.uk/the-largest-rabbit/

01/11/2023

This is why and how we fell in love with rescued greyhounds and their wonderful pointy faces!

Or how we found out the magic of the pointy-faced hound Sally with her favourite toy, Bluey This is Sally.   When we adopted her back in 1999, we ...

11/10/2023

Ideal Christmas presents - worth popping up to the Artists and Makers Emporium at Craig y Nos Country Park 0r check out their webshop.

As the nights draw in, we have many good read for you to cosy up with. For more of our other current stock, please visit https://artistandmakersemporium.uk/our-stock/ and https://artistandmakersemporium.uk/online-gallery/.
We are open every day from 10.30am until 4.30pm at Craig y Nos Country Park, SA9 1GL.

01/09/2023

Great news - from this weekend we will be available from the Artist and Makers Emporium in Craig y Nos Country Park! They will have an initial stock of our Jams, Chutneys & Marmalades, some glassware and all our range of books, with more to follow!

20/08/2023

I often see posts saying that people shouldn't buy from websites and webshops and should support local shops. Remember that not all webshops are Amazon or Tesco; most are like ours - a small business, based in a small village, but offering a better, more individual service.

Crafty Dog Cymru make Welsh jam, Welsh chutney, Welsh marmalade, Welsh Glass Art, Glasses with bees on them, glasses with greyhounds on them, children's animal books, books by a Welsh author and Welsh Gifts by mail order or retail

04/08/2023

Would you like to meet a real ex-racing greyhound? For information about how to meet Gwennie follow the link below.

Would you like to meet a real ex-racing Greyhound? Chris and Penny Giving a Greyhound Talk We love to visit local groups and societies across South Wales to ...

01/08/2023

I was asked earlier about where to get copies of the Crafty Dog Cymru books. They are available;
- Direct from our webshop (where you can get your own individually signed and dedicated copy)
- From your local amazon store as a paperback or digital copy (but not signed).
Any questions PM us!