Monday 24 November 2014

PEN Y DAITH! JOURNEY'S END!

Yr Estyniad Gwydr/The Glass Extension


Daeth y dynion o WASP, Caer gyda'r gwydr. 

The men from WASP, Chester arrived with our glass. 







A dyma'r canlyniad. Mae hwn yn well nac oeddwn yn disgwyl. Pawb yn y dref yn ei hoffi yn ffodus, gyda'r estyniad newydd fodern yn gweddu gyda'r hen.

This has exceeded our expectations I'm pleased to say. Everyone in the town seems to love it and the new really sets off the old.




Dyma'r olygfa o'r siop i'r gofod gwydr a gwelwch y grisiau yn mynd i lawr i'r siop win yn y selar ar y chwith.

This is the view from the shop into the glass extension with the stairs going down to the cellar wine shop.


Wrth eistedd yma, y syniad yw bod yr hen adeilad a'r iard yn cael ei arddangos. Dros y 400 mlynedd ddiwethaf, mae sawl haen wedi'i ychwanegu a dyma'n cyfraniad 21ain ganrif i'r hen le.

Sitting here, you can see the old building and courtyard fully exposed. The building has been changed and added to over at least 400 years and this is our 21st century contribution to the layers of time.



 Hapus iawn gyda'n logo newydd!

Very happy with our new logo!


































Y penderfyniad terfynol i goroni'r bar oedd sinc. Rydym yn hoff iawn o'r metel yma, bydd yn torri ar draws y coed yn yr ystafell heb deimlad oeraidd, oherwydd mae'n feddal ei olwg. Hefyd, bydd yn magu cymeriad wrth aeddfedu gydag ambell dolc a newid lliw, unwaith eto, mae gadael y deunydd ddweud ei hanes dros y blynyddoedd.

The final decision finally came down to zinc for the bar's crowning glory. It's beautifully soft and cuts across the wood-dominated room without seeming too harsh. As it ages, its character should develop with a soft patina and the dents and bumps of wear, allowing the materials to tell their story of usage over the years.



A'r noson arbennig? 27ain Tachwedd 2014 - Noson Siopa Hwyr Dolgellau. Welwn ni chi yna. 

And the special night? 27th November, 2014 - Dolgellau Late Night Shopping. See you there.



Sunday 19 October 2014

Y Gwaith Coed/The Wood Work

Y Ffenest/The Window


Dwi'n sylweddoli mod i'n eratic braidd efo'r blog, ac yn ymddiheuro am hyn. Mae'n ddyddiau prysur ofnadwy am sawl rheswm arnom: fi yn gweithio llawn amser fel dirprwy yn yr ysgol a genedigaeth wyres fach yn ddau wrthdyniad mawr - yr ail yn creu mwynhad arbennig! Dylan druan sydd yn cymryd y straen i gyd o lafurio a rheoli'r gwaith yn yr adeilad. Ac yn neud joban dda iawn mae rhaid dweud! (Dwi'n gorfod bod yn ofalus, mae’n darllen hwn).  Yn ogystal â dal i redeg y busnes gwin, mae o wedi paentio'r lloriau uchaf i gyd, ac yn aros i ddechrau ar y gwaelod. Erbyn hyn, mae trydan trwy'r adeilad a'r sustem wresogi yn ei le yn barod.

I realise that the posts are very erratic - sorry about that. These are very busy days for many reasons, not least becoming grandparents for the first time! I'm also working full time at school. Dylan has been working ridiculous hours to push the project ahead and manage the work and he's doing a splendid job (I have to be very careful here, he reads this). He's been busy painting the upper floors which are nearly finished.  The electrical work is nearly complete and the heating system is in place.

Credaf fod werth dangos ychydig o'r gwaith coed newydd i chi. Rydym wedi gweld sawl enghraifft o'r hen goed yma, a phiti garw bod gymaint ohono’n gorfod diflannu'n eto am y 100 mlynedd nesaf neu fwy mae'n debyg. Dwi'n meddwl am ryw gwpl ifanc (ddim fel ni!) yn prynu'r lle yn 2104 ac yn tynnu’r lle'n racs a bydd yr hen bren yn cael dweud helo wrth olau dydd eto am gyfnod. Beth bynnag, roedd angen ceisio rhoi ffenest newydd gyda'r un patrwm a'r hen un (edrychwch ar y blog cyntaf). Felly, dyma alw ar Alan Trow a'i fab Adam. Gwelwch y gwaith syfrdanol, does angen dweud dim mwy.

I thought you might like to see the new wood work we commissioned. We have seen the examples of lovely old wood exposed and sadly, these will be covered up soon for the next 100 or so years.  Maybe some young couple (unlike us!) will come along to take it apart again in 2114 and the old beams and planks will see the light of day again briefly. However, we needed to reconstruct the beautiful window and carving that was there. Call in Alan Trow and his son Adam. Look at this stunning work, it speaks for itself so I'll shut up.









Y Darn Pwysig - Y Bar/The Important Bit - The Bar

Roedd o'n teimlo'n gam pwysig iawn i weld y sgerbwd o'r bar yn ei le - Alan Trow eto. Mae Dylan di cael llond bol, pob tro rwy'n cerdded i mewn dwi'n dweud 'Sauvignon mawr plîs!' Dwi'n enwog yn y teulu am wasgu pob diferyn allan o jôc. Methu aros i weld y top, pwy all ddyfalu o beth mae wedi'i wneud?

It felt like a really significant step when the skeleton for the bar was put in - Alan Trow again. Dylan now just gives me that resigned look when I walk in and order a large Sauvignon every time, nothing like labouring a joke until it's a husk. Can't wait to see the top.  Who can guess what we're going to use?


Gwelwch yr hen lawr leino uchod, o dan hwn roedd pren da, felly yn arbed arian trwy beidio gorfod gosod llawr pren newydd i mewn. Hwre!

You can just about see the old 'pretend wood' linoleum in the picture above. Well, it was covering a perfectly good wooden floor, so for once, we are saving money by not having to put a new floor down. 



Won't be long before customers are sitting there hopefully!

A golwg ar y gorffennol cyn darfod - hen lun o'r adeilad o ddechrau'r 20fed ganrif efallai - neu ychydig yn gynt?

Before I go, a quick blast from the past - an old picture from either the very early 20th century or possibly a bit earlier.




Cofiwch, gallwch ddilyn y blog trwy glicio ar y gofod anodd iawn i'w weld, sydd o dan y logo, a gyda lle i'ch cyfeiriad e-bost - dewch o na! Da chi'n gwybod bydd dim llif o e-byst yn eich blychau e-bost ar y ret dwi'n sgwennu! Hefyd, gallwch hoffi ein tudalen Facebook neu ein dilyn ar Twitter i gael newyddion o ddigwyddiadau blasu ayyb. Hwyl am y tro.

Remember to follow the blog by clicking on the 'very difficult to see' space marked 'e-mail address' just under the logo - let's face it, I'm not going to be clogging up your inbox with the frequency of my posts. Also, if you're a fan of Facebook o'r Twitter you can like/follow us for news of tastings etc - click on the links below. Bye for now.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dylanwad-Da/266401160062050

https://twitter.com/DylanwadWine



Sunday 15 June 2014

Yr Estyniad Gwydr/The Glass Extension

Sialens a Hanner/A Real Challenge

Edrychwch ar y post cyntaf a gwelwch hen estyniad to fflat ar ochr yr adeilad. Hwn fydd yr estyniad gwydr ble roedd ar un tro, ychydig o iard neu gwrt bach. Fel y gallwn agor y grisiau gwreiddiol yn ôl i'r seler i gael y siop win yno, ein bwriad yw rhoi estyniad gwydr drosto a bydd lle i eistedd yma hefyd.

If you look at the earlier blogposts, you can see a bit of an ugly flat roof extension. This is will be a glass extension with seating, providing a modern contrast for the old building. Hopefully, this will retain the idea of the courtyard whilst allowing us to open the old stairway into the cellar to create a cellar shop.




Daeth Meirion y mab sydd a'r cwmni Xtreme Track i dyllu i lawr i'r seler a dyna ble darganfuwyd yr hen risiau.

Meirion Black of Xtreme Track came along with his digger to excavate and we were delighted to uncover the old staircase leading to the cellar.



Meirion & Phil - tough job on their hands.

Grisiau gwreiddiol - Original steps



Wedyn, roedd rhaid cael Wyn Rowlands yn ôl i roi strwythur dur i mewn yn barod i ddal y gwydr.

Enter Wyn Rowlands again to erect the steel structure ready for the glass.





Dyma'r agoriad i'r estyniad gwydr cyn i Dylan gael ei ollwng arno...

Here's the entrance to the glass extension before Dylan was let loose on it...





....peek a boo...





...ac ar ôl.

...and after




Tra mae'r gwaith yn carlamu'n ymlaen, rydym yn brysur yn y siop win/caffi ac yn cynnal sesiynau blasu: Blasu Bach Nos Wener yn rhad ac am ddim yn ogystal â mynd ar daith i gynnal nosweithiau blasu. Y diwethaf yn Llanerfyl i godi arian i Bwyllgor yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol. Wel dyma griw da oedd yma.

Meanwhile, the wine business continues in the old Dylanwad as a shop and cafe/bar in the day. The free mini tastings on Friday nights are well attended - the last one showcasing our new wines from Italy. We continue to supply shops and restaurants in the area and conduct tutored tastings too, the last one in Llanerfyl to raise money for the Eisteddfod.

Barod am y noson/Ready to start.

Terri & Dylan

Fel athrawes, mae'r pleser o wylio Dylan yn ymladd i gadw sylw cynulleidfa sy'n, gawn ni ddweud, cynyddu yn eu mwynhad o'r gwin, yn eithaf sadistaidd mae'n debyg. Dyma nhw'n gwrando'n astud...

As a teacher I admit freely to taking pleasure watching Dylan battle for the attention of a slowly mellowing audience whose inclination to listen is fading with every sip. Here's a nice quiet and attentive audience....



....hmmm, gorfod gweithio ychydig bach yn galetach ar ôl y trydydd gwin!

....and working a bit harder there to keep control after the third wine!



Diolch am eich diddordeb yn ein prosiect. Byddaf yn gweithio tuag at beidio gyrru hysbyseb pob tro mae post newydd allan, felly os hoffech barhau i gael eich diweddaru, arwyddwch i'w dderbyn trwy e-bost. Gadewch i mi wybod os oes unrhyw anhawster.

Thank you for your interest in our project. I am working towards stopping notifications of when a post is published, so if you want updates, sign up to receive them by e-mail. Let me know if you have any difficulties with this. 


Saturday 19 April 2014

Gwaith yn Dechrau/Work Begins

O Chef i Bob the Builder/From Chef to Bob the Builder

Mae'n teimlo fel blynyddoedd ers i ni gerdded i mewn i 'Threshers' fel yr oedd a phenderfynu cymryd y cam a'i brynu ond mae'r awr wedi cyrraedd ble mae'r gwaith gwirioneddol wedi dechrau. Anodd iawn yw'r dasg o gadw Dylan draw o'r lle, ond chware teg, mae o wedi ymgymryd â'r dasg o chwalu popeth mae'n gallu cyffwrdd yn racs gyda brwdfrydedd sydd ychydig yn sgeri weithiau! Roedd gryn dipyn o waith tynnu hen ganolfuriau i lawr, tynnu plaster rhydd a chlirio hen bibellau.

It feels like years since we first walked into the old 'Threshers' and took the plunge by making an offer. Now, the real work has begun at last. Keeping Dylan out of the building is impossible and he has taken to the task of ripping everything down with worrying gusto - anyone would think he'd been locked in a kitchen for 25 years! So once he'd done the job of clearing old partition walls and removing piping and loose plaster, we were ready for the workers.








Dadorchuddio pethau sydd yn waith pleserus, dwi'n gweld hwn mor hyfryd ac yn atsain o'r gorffennol sy'n anodd ei ddisgrifio. Efallai na fyswn yn ofnadwy o hapus gyda rhai o'u dulliau adeiladu dyddiau yma!

Revealing funny bits like this is part of the pleasure, it's such a poignant and interesting echo from the past - not to mention spotting some pretty 'interesting' methods our past builders must have adopted at times!



Gwelwch ar y chwith o dan yr hen blaster bod mwy o wal 'plank & muntin'. Credwn fod yr adeilad gwreiddiol o'r efallai 16eg ganrif yn darfod rhywle yma.

Look carefully on the left under the plaster and you can see it is more plank & muntin partition. We believe that the original building from somewhere around the 16th century ended here.



A rhai pethau yn ddychrynllyd! Ar ôl tynnu’r planciau fyny oedd yn amlygu sut mae'r hen le 'ma wedi cael ei adeiladau, ei ddarnio, ei 'batchio' a 'bojio'. Edrych i lawr i'r darn siop o'r adeilad rydym yn fan yma, ac mae golwg fel petai rywun wedi stwffio darnau bach i mewn i'w gael yn sefydlog. Coeliwch neu beidio, mae'n teimlo'n gadarn hollol - di o ddim yn neud llawer i fy nerfau!

And some things are just downright terrifying! After removing the floorboards on the second floor, the joins became apparent and where it has been built, chopped, botched and patched. This is looking into the shop section of the building. It's woven together in parts with some random bits of wood stuffed in to give a bit of stability. Believe it or not, it is totally stable under foot - doesn't stop my nerves jangling though!


Peep-po!

Barod i dynnu'r hen ffenest allan! Mae CADW wedi rhoi grant i ni atgyfodi'r hen ffenest oedd pawb yn hoffi gymaint.

Ready to take the old window out. CADW have generously supplied a grant to resurrect the original window.



Gwelwch ble mae'r wal frics wrth y ffenest, bydd agoriad i'r estyniad gwydr yma a mynediad i'r siop seler.

The brick wall by the window is where we will knock through to the glass extension and the stairs down to the cellar shop.









Ar ôl y clirio Wyn Rowlands oedd y cyntaf i mewn i ddechrau gwaith a rhoi trawstiau dur i sicrhau diogelwch yr adeilad.

After the clearing, Wyn Rowlands was first on site to come and put the steel structure in place to will hold the building up safely.








Yn y cychwyn, roedd yn edrych yn debyg bod un o'r trawstiau mawr yma wedi cael ei dorri a dim byd wedi ei wneud i'w gysylltu â'r ochr arall o'r llawr. Poeni wedyn am beth oedd yn dal popeth i fyny! Ond, ar ôl tynnu plaster amlygodd y pin enfawr yma sydd wedi'i daro i mewn i ben y trawst ac yn bachu gwaelod y llawr. Roeddwn dal yn falch o weld trawstiau Wyn yn eu lle!

Initially, we were alarmed to see that a huge beam seemed to have been cut off and simply ended in mid-air. This led to question the security of the upper floors. So on removing the casing, we were relieved to see the presence of this massive pin that has been hammered into the end of the beam a provides support for the added floor. I am still happier with Wyn's steel girders in place!

This was what was holding it up!


Closer view

14eg o Orffennaf 2014 yw'r dyddiad agor wedi'i benodi. Diwrnod Bastille yn Ffrainc. Dwi'n hoffi hynna! (A penblwydd hen ffrind - bydd dim maddeuant am roi diwrnod hanesyddol cyn Ken!) Ar y funud, oherwydd ein bod heb werthu Dylanwad Da, rydym yn agor o 10 tan 4 o Ddydd Mawrth i Ddydd Sadwrn fel siop/bar/caffi ac yn cynnal ambell sesiwn Blasu Bach ar Nos Wener. Dewch i ddweud helo - neu byddwn ni yn gorfod yfed y gwin i gyd!

The date earmarked for the opening of the new shop is 14th July 2014. Bastille Day. I like that! (Not forgetting an old friend's birthday - we haven't forgotten you Ken!). For now, in the absence of any customers for Dylanwad Da, we have decided to open as a shop/cafe/bar there and are open 10 - 4 from Tuesdays to Saturdays until the new Dylanwad is ready. We are also going to have free mini-tastings on Friday evenings so call by to say hello.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Adeilad o Goed o Ddau Oes/ A Wooden Building from Two Ages

Ffwrdd a Ni! 
Chocks Away!

Hwre! Mae'r gem yn dechrau go iawn erbyn hyn, oherwydd mae'r cynlluniau i gyd wedi eu derbyn ac mae Rhys wedi bod yn gweithio'n galed iawn gydag adeilad gallwn ddim ond ei ddisgrifio fel lletchwith ar y gorau! Ond, mae popeth yn dechrau symud rŵan a'r gwahanol weithwyr wedi trefnu yn barod i ddechrau mor fuan â phosib. Felly, beth sydd angen i wneud? Wel, lot!

At last! We can begin the real work now that the planning permission is through and Rhys (the architect) has worked tirelessly on a building which I can only describe at best as awkward and interesting - and no, I don't appreciate the application of the same phrase when in reference to me husband dear! So, a variety of builders have now received instructions. So what's to do? A shedload of work, that's what!


Rhys Llwyd Davies, Pensaer/Architect - Bala



Y Coed/The Wood

Wrth chwilota, chwalu, thyllu a thaflu daeth yn amlwg bod yr adeilad yn lawer hyn nac yr oeddem wedi sylweddoli. Wrth dynnu plaster rhydd, roedd yn amlwg fod yr hen waliau pren yn ymestyn i fyny yn ogystal â thuag at flaen yr adeilad. Roedd rhaid yn gyntaf cael triniaeth i'r coed felly dyma alw ar Preservation Ltd a wnaeth job andros o dda yn socian y lle o dop i waelod i gael gwared â phry ayyb. 

Whilst smashing things up and digging it became apparent that the building is much older than we first supposed. Removing the loose plaster revealed more old wooden walls that date back to possibly Elizabethan or older. These extend upwards to the first floor and towards the front of the shop, about halfway. We needed to treat all of this wood quite urgently so we called in Preservation Ltd, who did a thorough job of the building.


Oedd angen paratoi trwy dynnu rhai o'r estyll iddo allu mynd at y distiau, felly dyma roi Dylan wrthi i wneud hyn (mae o'n andros o handi tu allan o'r gegin hefyd wyddoch chi!). Wrth godi'r coed yng nghefn yr adeilad, sylweddolodd na ddim distiau oedd o dan ond set arall o estyll. Dyma od! 


Beth oedd wedi digwydd? Yn syml iawn, roedd y gweithwyr 19eg ganrif wedi penderfynu peidio â thrafferthu i godi'r hen estyll a oedd yn dirywio ond rhoi'r estyll newydd ar ben yr hen rai. Cowboi bildars go iawn!

Preparation was needed for the treatment and floorboards had to be lifted to gain access to the joists so I set my trusty workman (he has uses that extend beyond the kitchen) to task. It was surprising to find underneath the floorboards, not joists, but another set of floorboards that looked pretty rotten. 

What had happened was that the 19th century builders decided to lay the new boards on top of the old crumbling ones. Cowboy builders or increasing the insulation of the property?

Coed llawn pry o dan yr estyll mwy diweddar/Woodworm infested wood under the newer floorboards

Hen hoelion yn yr astell wreiddiol/Old nails in the original floorboards.

Golyga hyn ein bod yn edrych ar adeilad mwy diddorol a hyn nac oeddent wedi dychmygu a gyda chymorth y Parc Cenedlaethol, cawsom archeolegydd i'r adeilad i ymchwilio ymhellach.



Daeth wedyn mwy o waith coed i'r golwg, sef y plank & muntin enwog erbyn hyn sy'n dyddio cefn yr adeilad ymhell yn ôl i 17eg neu'r 16eg ganrif. Felly, mae'n edrych yn debyg bod y tu blaen yn dyddio o gwmpas 1820 a'r cefn efallai 200 mlynedd gynt. Waw! Dwi'n ecseited!

This meant that we have a more interesting building than we originally anticipated and with the help of the National Park, we enlisted the help of an archaeologist to investigate further. More woodwork was exposed that showed the plank and muntin walling extending up to the top floor. This leads us to conclude that the front half of the building dates to somewhere around the 1820s and the back to the 17th or possibly 16th century. We await the full report with excitement!



Gobeithiwn allu cadw gymaint â phosib o'r hen waliau yn olwg ond mae'n fater o gydbwysedd o sawl peth. Yn gyntaf, mae diogelwch a rheolau tan, ond hefyd rhaid ystyried mae ei orchuddio gyda phlastr calch mae'n debyg fyddai wedi digwydd. Hmmm! Ond, mae'r diddordeb hanesyddol yn caniatáu i ni adael rhywfaint ohono i arddangos.

Hopefully, we can keep some of the old walls exposed but this is going to have to be balanced with fire regulations and what would have been done during that period: i.e. if the wooden walls were covered in lime plaster, then to restore the building, that is what we should do. However, we can compromise a bit in order to allow a glimpse of history to be on display to the public.