I often wondered what Juno was thinking while she gazed out over all she surveyed…
Probably too fast…
![Squirrell [2]](https://stevemorgan57.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/squirrell-2.jpg?w=584)
Definitely too slimy…
Could be too much trouble…
Just too late for that quick snack…
I hear the brains are the tastiest part?
But there is always one defining thought… lunch!
Until we speak again, enjoy that loving moment while you share an intense gaze with your cute and cuddly homely psychopath!
What better way to celebrate the arrival of Christmas… the Jools Holland Rhythm & Blues Orchestra tour rolls into Cardiff Motorpoint Arena with special guests Ruby Turner providing soulful power…
And Jose Feliciano lighting everyone’s nostalgic fire…
I’m not sure if Jose’s lifelong affliction inspired Jools Holland, Jose Feliciano and Louise Marshall to perform ‘Lets Find Each Other Tonight‘.
And what is a Jools Holland Orchestra event without Gilson Lavis providing an amazing drum solo.
Until we speak again, Juno and Bella provide the ghosts of Christmas Past, with greetings from a festive Cardiff…
And finally, Jose Feliciano and Jools Holland Orchestra provide their official version of Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas).
Ever wondered “What is in there?” as you glance up at shuttered windows; or you see most lights are on, but one room seems to be bathed in the mystery of darkness.
It would hardly be a thought worth thinking as you gaze over at a city centre Burger King joint, as late night revellers are acoustically invading your alcohol-infused imagination…
But, thanks to a recent ‘Hidden Cardiff‘ TV documentary, by the adventurer/writer Will Millard, the secrets of the 300 year old Green Dragon pub are briefly revealed. The building now largely occupied by a Burger King hides the only remnant of a bygone past… The Mahogany Room.
![Inside [1]](https://stevemorgan57.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/inside-1.jpg?w=584)
Apparently, this ornate delight is obscured from public gaze for health & safety reasons (personally I think that could be more to do with the other current occupier!).
![Inside [2]](https://stevemorgan57.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/inside-2.jpg?w=584)
Here is where the alcohol-infused imaginations of Cardiff’s former great and good discussed the pressing civic matters of the day, and made the decisions that would shape the growth of the would-be capital city of Wales.
![Inside [3]](https://stevemorgan57.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/inside-3.jpg?w=584)
Alas, the premise of the ‘Hidden Cardiff‘ TV programme was that the city, unlike many of its English and Scottish counterparts, has not been very good at valuing its past history and architecture. It prefers to give an outward impression of the new and shiny, either destroying or hiding many of its gems. And The Mahogany Room is a classic example of such a cultural crime…
![Inside [4]](https://stevemorgan57.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/inside-4.jpg?w=584)
Until we speak again, if your gaze is halted by closed shutters or images of darkness surrounded by pools of light, Juno and Bella would have reminded you to summon up your alcohol-infused imaginations!
Was that the ghost of Juno I saw looming over the Cardiff skyline the other day?
![St Johns Church [3]](https://stevemorgan57.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/st-johns-church-3.jpg?w=584)
It’s funny how a distorted photograph can spark strange connections in the imagination. So, no, it turns out it was one of those rare ‘old’ buildings in the city. A recent TV programme called ‘Hidden Cardiff‘ set out the premise that the city cares little for its past, with the exception of Cardiff Castle and St. John’s Church. And the Juno vision turned out to be St. John’s Church…
![Night [1]](https://stevemorgan57.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/night-1.jpg?w=584)
The original church was thought to have been built in 1180. But there is a certain irony in the above photograph, as it was ransacked by a rebellion led by Owain Glyndwr in 1404, and rebuilt later in the 15th century in the form it now takes… looking down on the Owain Glyndwr pub (as any ‘good’ beer lover would!).
It also seems to be a particularly ideal location for a somewhat pastoral ignoring of any fireworks across the pond in celebration of the American Declaration of Independence!
![Old Cardiff pic [2]](https://stevemorgan57.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/old-cardiff-pic-2.jpg?w=584)
Talking of distorted photographs and strange connections in the imagination… my New Orleans sojourns of 2017 have heightened my sensibilities to the presence of cool cats; and I recently noticed an example of the genre providing a different type of congregation at the site of St. John’s Church…
![Jazz band and St John's [1]](https://stevemorgan57.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/jazz-band-and-st-johns-1.jpg?w=584)
Until we speak again, listen out for Bass Twelve if you happen to be around Cardiff; or, if not, simply enjoy imaginary meanderings of your own!
JUNO's VIEW 