:00:10. > :00:15.Summer in Wales is a time of celebration. Holidays. I see a
:00:15. > :00:20.castle. Pubs. Keep rowing. And the great outdoors.
:00:20. > :00:23.A time when many businesses must turn a profit. We have put
:00:23. > :00:26.everything we've got into this. it's a struggle to survive the rest
:00:26. > :00:30.of the year... You have to tray to keep your head above water at the
:00:30. > :00:34.moment. A time when good weather can make all things possible. The
:00:34. > :00:39.bad can leave dreams in tatters. The weather could be a little nicer
:00:39. > :00:47.but that's not anybody's fault. This summer was truly extraordinary.
:00:47. > :00:52.Not the cleverest idea... It's laughter. Heartache. It can be a
:00:52. > :00:58.cruel game. Triumph. I came second. And despair. The weatherer's beaten
:00:58. > :01:02.us once again. These are our stories.: nice bit of pizza. Filmed
:01:02. > :01:08.in every corner of the nation in summer 2012. You can't beat it, can
:01:08. > :01:18.you. This is the story of a summer in Wales. Let's get the show on the
:01:18. > :01:19.
:01:19. > :01:23.You know when it's summer in Wales, it's all hotpants, vests and blokes
:01:23. > :01:28.with no T-shirts. A time when you go to the park and wonder why it's
:01:28. > :01:32.hard to find anywhere to sit. A time to socialise and mingle, to
:01:32. > :01:38.see and be seen. In the heart of Carmarthenshire,
:01:38. > :01:41.surrounded by rolling hills and glorious countryside lies Ffos Las,
:01:41. > :01:51.Wales' third and newest racecourse. Each summer, one of the most
:01:51. > :01:55.
:01:55. > :02:00.glamorous days in the NHS's social Customers are attending the salon
:02:00. > :02:06.in Pontarddulais. I hardly slept last night. I had my sleeping
:02:06. > :02:10.rollers in and kept waking up thinking oh, it's the roll,, but it
:02:10. > :02:16.wasn't, it was pure excitement, I was really excited. Been going on
:02:16. > :02:19.about this for weeks. It's the event of the year. Almost as much
:02:19. > :02:27.effort goes into it as getting married. We have to look our best.
:02:28. > :02:34.Just hope the rain doesn't ruin our hats today. Just along the high
:02:34. > :02:39.street from Kelly's salon, Samantha Roberts with sisters Claire and
:02:39. > :02:44.Samantha, have their eye on a prize. Everybody wants to be the best-
:02:44. > :02:48.dressed lady. Sarah and Claire do, we all do. One of our girls got
:02:48. > :02:53.through last year which is really exciting so let's hope that we get
:02:53. > :02:58.the same this year and maybe get a winner.
:02:58. > :03:02.After a few glasses of wine, I've got a funny feeling I'm going to be
:03:02. > :03:08.walking around like this, so if you see someone being a bit silly, it's
:03:08. > :03:11.probably going to be me, yes. The ladies are ready and their
:03:11. > :03:19.carriage awaits. Nothing's going to dampen their
:03:19. > :03:22.high spirits. Not even a forecast of heavy rain.
:03:22. > :03:27.We are not really worried about the weather because it's going to get
:03:27. > :03:32.better. I've had a word upstairs, it's going to be fine. On dailies
:03:32. > :03:37.day, Ffos Las turns catwalk as the women of west Wales don their high
:03:37. > :03:42.heels, posh dresses and fansiest hats.
:03:42. > :03:48.As they arrive at the racecourse, dark clouds are already gathering.
:03:48. > :03:52.Kelly has her mind focused on the one thing. Placing a bet. Basically
:03:52. > :03:59.we want to share this money out on the races we've got so can you help
:03:59. > :04:05.me, please? Will do, but I'm not up and running yet unfortunately...
:04:05. > :04:11.Oh! She's very keen. �75 here. So I've got all the horses that I want
:04:11. > :04:16.to put on so I need your help to sort of break it down. You can only
:04:16. > :04:22.bet on this race, mind, you can't bet on all the races. You have to
:04:22. > :04:30.bet on each race individually, everybody's the same. OK, so how do
:04:30. > :04:40.I break this down? I'm not sure. It's going to be a long day.
:04:40. > :04:41.
:04:41. > :04:49.Over 100 miles away on the border between Wales and England, Bryngwyn
:04:49. > :04:57.hall, home of Linlithgows, as summer draws to a close, the state
:04:57. > :05:05.is unusually busy. Maintaining Grade II grin Gwynne and its acres
:05:05. > :05:15.is not easy. Layly Lynn lithstkpwo marking the end to have season with
:05:15. > :05:16.
:05:16. > :05:19.something new -- Lady Linlithgow. We are doing clay pigeons today,
:05:19. > :05:24.meaning we can extend our business out of the shooting season and it's
:05:24. > :05:28.less costly than fully blown game days. I've had to diversify and
:05:28. > :05:34.I've just had to really laterally think about what we can do to keep
:05:34. > :05:38.this house in good condition. I think I live in paradise here. As
:05:38. > :05:43.I always say, paradise doesn't come cheap. If today's Simulated Game
:05:43. > :05:46.Day proves a success, it could be a real turning point for the fortunes
:05:46. > :05:51.of the estate. Morning...
:05:51. > :05:57.The entire household is anxious to create a good impression.
:05:57. > :06:05.With one notable exception. Good morning. No chickens, no. No, no,
:06:05. > :06:15.no, no! Rollie, the Estate Builder's terrier, can't fight his
:06:15. > :06:17.
:06:17. > :06:27.basic urges. No, no! Rollie, Rollie...
:06:27. > :06:31.
:06:31. > :06:41.Sorry about that. Is the chicken all right? Yes. I love westys,
:06:41. > :06:42.
:06:42. > :06:49.but... The new venture means a lot of, tra
:06:49. > :06:54.work for the cook, Christine Horton. -- extra work. All they seam to do
:06:54. > :06:59.is eat. They start off with breakfast, have nibbles, lunch,
:06:59. > :07:05.afternoon tea, dinner. I suppose they are out doing a lot of walking.
:07:05. > :07:15.Never stir with a knife, you stir up strife! Who am I going to fall
:07:15. > :07:18.
:07:18. > :07:24.out with today?! The Lady can cook. She does a lot
:07:24. > :07:32.more now that I've semi retired and she's a bit of a messy cook but
:07:32. > :07:36.don't say anything. She's not very good at the washing up. Ooh...
:07:36. > :07:40.LAUGHTER Damn! Caught!
:07:40. > :07:45.Caught there. You were caught. are getting much better at the
:07:45. > :07:51.washing up, much better. How are you going? Oh, we are coming on a
:07:52. > :07:58.treat. Stop laughing! It's not funny. I'll get the sack any day
:07:58. > :08:01.now if I'm lucky. The whole household is on duty today.
:08:01. > :08:05.Including lady Linlithgow herself. My local is working hostess and I
:08:05. > :08:12.really love it. I live in the most beautiful house, in the most
:08:12. > :08:20.beautiful part of Wales and nothing makes me happier than sharing it.
:08:20. > :08:23.Food and drinks here. Right, let's get this thing organised. The boot
:08:23. > :08:27.isn't big enough. We could put the drinks on the floor. The dog can't
:08:27. > :08:32.eat the drinks. From the reaction of her guests, it would appear that
:08:32. > :08:35.the event is going well. Wonderful, yes. Hospitality is as good as ever.
:08:35. > :08:40.The setting is great, the food is great and the company's good. It
:08:40. > :08:45.can only be right really can't it? Perfect I would say. Champagne's
:08:45. > :08:55.pretty good too. Very happy, yes, what a fantastic group, what a day,
:08:55. > :09:00.
:09:00. > :09:03.can't wait to see the next drive. Summer is festival season in Wales
:09:03. > :09:09.with hundreds of events from local to international taking place
:09:09. > :09:16.across the country. For the nation's event caterers,
:09:16. > :09:21.it's their busiest season. Jonathan Williams is the founder
:09:21. > :09:25.and owner of Cafe Mor, a mobile catering business specialises in
:09:25. > :09:29.fresh Welsh seafood. The company's only a year old but this summer
:09:29. > :09:36.Jonathan's launched himself into festival season in a big way.
:09:36. > :09:40.Won't be long. Five minutes... far with the help of his mum, he's
:09:40. > :09:46.catered the international festival and Wakestock which didn't go well.
:09:46. > :09:51.The worst I've ever seen at a festival. We have to cut our losses
:09:51. > :09:58.really. All between running a pitch in the athletes village of the
:09:58. > :10:04.London 2012 Olympics and welcoming his first child. Meet Josey, Greek
:10:04. > :10:07.for granny is yaya. Poor old Hannah's been at home
:10:07. > :10:11.looking after our lovely baby girl and I've just been running around
:10:11. > :10:17.like a madman so looking forward to going home and hopefully giving her
:10:17. > :10:21.a little rest. Now he's catering the national Eisteddfod, one of the
:10:21. > :10:28.oldest cultural festivals in Europe. It's an opportunity to get his
:10:28. > :10:32.business back on track. Wakestock was the wrong kind of show, we are
:10:32. > :10:37.still going strong but it puts pressure on Eisteddfod then because
:10:37. > :10:41.you want to make it work here. experiences have taught Jonathan a
:10:41. > :10:45.valuable lesson. He's learned to be more choosy about the events he
:10:45. > :10:49.caters and to do all he can to appeal to the different types of
:10:49. > :10:54.festival-goers they attract. one for us, never done Eisteddfod
:10:54. > :11:02.before. The clientele here, typical families, opposite to Wakestock. We
:11:02. > :11:08.haven't got too many young kids around or whatever else. A lot of
:11:08. > :11:18.biLang wall signs everywhere. --ley lingual. We had to find someone who
:11:18. > :11:18.
:11:18. > :11:25.spoke Welsh. Cafe Mor's latest recruit is fluent in Welsh. I've
:11:25. > :11:28.been teaching Jonathan a few Welsh phrases.
:11:28. > :11:34.I'm the worst ever because my brain doesn't work with languages, I can
:11:34. > :11:40.barely speak English so trying to learn any other language is a
:11:40. > :11:49.mammoth task. What's please in Welsh?
:11:49. > :11:56.HE SPEAKS WELSH A lot of people just say please for
:11:56. > :12:01.please. Confusing, you see! Jonathan's new approach seems to be
:12:01. > :12:07.working well. It's all I can get. We are not
:12:07. > :12:11.running off in the middling of the night on this money.
:12:11. > :12:15.As the end of the summer looms, it's not just those with a living
:12:15. > :12:25.to make who're feeling the pressure. For some, there are other
:12:25. > :12:31.
:12:31. > :12:36.challenges that are every bit as In South Wales' Cynon valley,
:12:36. > :12:41.Horace is getting some help to pick the best of his summer crop, to
:12:41. > :12:46.enter into competition in the County Show.
:12:46. > :12:50.Come on... First up, parsnips. Here we go. I'm
:12:50. > :12:57.a bit nervous here now. They've been here since February, it's a
:12:58. > :13:07.long time. It's a delicate process. If it snaps, it's no good for
:13:08. > :13:08.
:13:08. > :13:18.showing. No. It's coming. Oh, it snapped. This can be a cruel game.
:13:18. > :13:21.
:13:21. > :13:24.He's coming, he's coming. Right. Oh, he snapped. Shame that, isn't it?
:13:24. > :13:30.Competitive vegetable growing can be an emotional roller coaster.
:13:30. > :13:36.Will it be a case of third time lucky? Right. He's all right, he's
:13:36. > :13:42.all right. Not bad. That's one. Looking good.
:13:42. > :13:48.Looking very good. Two. Mervyn, can we put that in a bath of water
:13:49. > :13:55.right now. That's the longest one. Three. Enough for the show. Next,
:13:55. > :14:02.it's Horace's pride and joy, his call flowers. A bit annoyed about
:14:02. > :14:08.these ones. They've gone, man, they've gone. Look, here. They've
:14:08. > :14:12.just come on, the weather's brought them on too soon, you know.
:14:12. > :14:16.summer we've nursed and fed them. Out of them all, this is my
:14:16. > :14:20.favourite, I like to show a good cauliflower. You could make a bit
:14:20. > :14:25.of cauliflower cheese out of 'em. Gutted.
:14:25. > :14:30.But it's not all bad news. There's always the peas.
:14:30. > :14:40.Quite nice, that is. Nine like that. A deep green, they've got to be?
:14:40. > :14:40.
:14:40. > :14:46.Yes. Like a lush green. Lovely. Quite full, this is. 11 peas in
:14:46. > :14:51.that one. An excellent pea. That's a good pea, that is.
:14:51. > :15:00.Veg selected, Horace gives it an all-important make-over ready for
:15:00. > :15:06.the show. Lovely smell to 'em. Fresh. Fresh, yes. Dirty produce
:15:06. > :15:11.would give the judges a bad impression. It's all about
:15:11. > :15:21.presentation, isn't it, me r Mervyn? Horace is an old prowhen it
:15:21. > :15:29.comes to competition. Cleaning takes practise, you know. I nearly
:15:30. > :15:39.got a divorce because she said "not much down the allotment". She goes
:15:40. > :15:41.
:15:41. > :15:48."where you been?". People think me Bryngwyn estate on the Welsh
:15:48. > :15:56.borders Lady Linlithgow's first simulated game shoot is going well.
:15:56. > :16:01.They've got exploding clays so it will be quite noisy.
:16:01. > :16:07.Perhaps a little too well. Back at the Hall, cook Christine has laid
:16:07. > :16:10.on lunch, as requested, only to be told that there's a change of plan.
:16:10. > :16:17.It's 20 to two and they're supposed to be in five minutes, but I guess
:16:17. > :16:22.they're not going to be because I understand they took longer eating
:16:22. > :16:32.their sausages, or drinking their champagne, or whatever they did. So
:16:32. > :16:40.
:16:40. > :16:45.I don't know what time lunch is now, Let's go back then, come on.
:16:45. > :16:48.I went clay pigeon shooting once. I shoot one, the man said if I kept
:16:48. > :16:52.my eyes open I might have shot more!
:16:52. > :16:55.The shooting guests appear to be delighted with the day's
:16:55. > :17:01.entertainments. I really enjoyed it and I think we had the weather on
:17:02. > :17:06.our side and it's fantastic location. It's been great company.
:17:06. > :17:13.Great surroundings. I would do this any time. A good way to spend a
:17:13. > :17:16.weekend. Lady Linlithgow's latest money-making venture looks likely
:17:16. > :17:21.to take off, much to the relief of the entire household. You have to
:17:22. > :17:26.do whatever you can to keep people coming through and getting a bit of
:17:26. > :17:31.cash., if you can. It's an upbeat end to what's been a
:17:31. > :17:35.challenging season. It's been a difficult summer. It's been rainy,
:17:35. > :17:38.we haven't had a lot of weddings. We have a lot booked for next year.
:17:38. > :17:41.We have to keep thinking what we can do and how we can get more
:17:41. > :17:51.people here and I think this is going to make the business really
:17:51. > :17:54.hum. No No pheasants, but lots of
:17:54. > :17:59.sunshine and walkies. People are bowled over by the beauty of the
:17:59. > :18:09.scenery of this part of Wales. It's kpeplgs a -- kpepgal -- exceptional.
:18:09. > :18:15.
:18:15. > :18:25.If you live in a beautiful place Some 100 miles to the south-west
:18:25. > :18:25.
:18:25. > :18:32.lies the County of Pembrokeshire. Home to the Cilgerran annual summer
:18:32. > :18:37.coracle race. And also to Cafe Mor owner,
:18:37. > :18:42.Jonathan Williams. We are doing salads and lobster rolls. After
:18:42. > :18:46.spending a heck Confucius months catering Wales' festival season, he
:18:46. > :18:50.is marking the end of the summer working with his family at a local
:18:50. > :19:00.event. This has been ridiculous, it's been
:19:00. > :19:04.so busy. It's nice to enjoy a bit of switch-off time now. Being dad
:19:04. > :19:09.the first time, doing the Olympics, just mad events. Some events
:19:09. > :19:16.haven't worked out. Wakestock wasn't fantastic. He has to listen
:19:16. > :19:21.to his mother more! Yeah, yeah! said Wakestock, all kids. No, it
:19:21. > :19:30.will be all right. He does need to sort of sometimes listen. He does
:19:30. > :19:34.most of the time. Mothers and their sons, eh! Olympics, that's been the
:19:34. > :19:40.shining glory of the summer. Just buzzing and it was so nice to go
:19:40. > :19:46.out to the Village and meet the athletes and the wraps going down a
:19:46. > :19:50.storm. They loved it. Tom Daley loved the pesto wraps. The
:19:50. > :19:54.Australians loved them, the Americans loved them. Everybody,
:19:54. > :19:56.the Russians, once they got - I think Russians are a bit
:19:56. > :20:01.conservative but once somebody had a wrap and they were coming back
:20:02. > :20:06.all the time. The whole mix were coming back for the wraps. They
:20:06. > :20:14.loved them. Tom Daley's bronze, he wouldn't have got it without the
:20:14. > :20:20.pesto wrap! Jessica Ennis got her gold - eating the wraps. Rebecca
:20:20. > :20:27.Adlington, eating the wraps, they loved the wraps! Rush over, they
:20:27. > :20:37.enjoy family time with baby Josie and her mum, Hannah. Eight weeks
:20:37. > :20:39.
:20:39. > :20:44.old, nine weeks. It's been crazy, but now it's good. Good when he has
:20:44. > :20:50.time for us. Her first day of work, she's doing all right. Trying to
:20:50. > :20:54.get a lobster outfit. She will be all right. Since June it's been
:20:54. > :21:01.non-stop really. She was born on Sunday and I was making wraps
:21:01. > :21:05.Monday morning. It's lovely, lovely. I am knitting like mad. I am
:21:05. > :21:08.definitely going to have a month off after this summer. Festival
:21:08. > :21:12.season may be over, but entrepreneur Jonathan can't help
:21:12. > :21:15.but think of new business opportunities.
:21:15. > :21:19.Summer's been super busy but we are looking at new business avenues,
:21:19. > :21:23.new markets, trying to grow this nationally, internationally, you
:21:23. > :21:26.know, world's the oyster really. We could be taking it over to New York
:21:26. > :21:36.in the spring, it's all happening. Next summer will be around here
:21:36. > :21:43.
:21:43. > :21:53.before we know it. In the South Wales town of
:21:53. > :21:59.Tonyrefail it's the day of the Rhonda Cynon Taf County show and
:21:59. > :22:06.for allotment owner Horace the moment of truth has arrived.
:22:06. > :22:12.Cabbage, peas, potatoes, and parsnips are lovingly placed on
:22:12. > :22:21.display. It's not bad at the moment. Competitive vegetable growing is a
:22:21. > :22:26.cut-throat world. I can take him out, no problem. You got one bad
:22:27. > :22:33.one... Once the hall is cleared, the serious work of adjudication
:22:33. > :22:43.can begin. Arwyn Edwards and Colin Lewis are
:22:43. > :22:53.seasoned vegetable judges. This one is slightly bulbous. Lovely
:22:53. > :23:01.
:23:01. > :23:05.Skhrao. Time for a cup of tea now. You have done it any way. I will
:23:05. > :23:11.put a note on it. Can I have my tea first.
:23:11. > :23:15.A few marks the other side of this one. Competition rules are strictly
:23:15. > :23:21.applied. Have a look at what we got in here. One, two, three... Nine
:23:21. > :23:26.and a gap. Where there should be a pea. Those found lacking are
:23:26. > :23:32.disqualified. One, two, three, four, five, six,
:23:32. > :23:36.seven eight. I am afraid... That constitutes a bit of a problem.
:23:37. > :23:40.cannot judge that. That's a shame. That's a judge's nightmare. He's
:23:40. > :23:45.probably got a spare pea in his basket somewhere which he has
:23:45. > :23:52.forgot to put out. One competitor's veg is making a big impact. Nice
:23:52. > :24:02.cabbages. What was the first number? 50. Second is... 50. Third
:24:02. > :24:06.
:24:06. > :24:10.is 50 as well. Second is number 50. Third is 50. Judging over, the
:24:10. > :24:17.public return to the hall and Mervyn's brought along his
:24:17. > :24:21.granddaughter, Tanya, to show her the ropes.
:24:21. > :24:30.Horace's parsnips have won him a prize. It's nice to have a card.
:24:30. > :24:35.told you would you have a card. so have his peas. Third prize.
:24:35. > :24:42.That's two cards. Sadly, his potatoes fail to make an impression.
:24:42. > :24:46.I had a couple of cards and I am pleased with that, you know. I can
:24:46. > :24:55.do better, I will be back, don't worry about that. I will be back.
:24:55. > :25:05.Many things in life are unpredictable. But one thing's
:25:05. > :25:07.
:25:07. > :25:11.certain, even in summer, Welsh weather can be soggy. Back Back at
:25:11. > :25:20.Ffos Las the racecourse is awaeurb fr wash with -- awash with
:25:20. > :25:30.umbrellas. As the ladies of west Wales brave the downpours and winds
:25:30. > :25:41.
:25:41. > :25:44.Kelly's still trying to place a bet. �2 each-way. First or second.
:25:44. > :25:49.the Pontarddulais ladies aren't just here for a flutter. They're
:25:49. > :25:55.got their eye on the Best Dressed Lady Prize. Just to be in the line-
:25:55. > :26:02.up would be really nice. For me, that's my favourite. This year's
:26:02. > :26:06.competition judge, Andrew Stevens, manager of Llanelli's St Elli
:26:06. > :26:10.shopping centre is out and about selecting the best-dressed ladies
:26:10. > :26:14.on the racecourse. I am no fashion expert but when somebody's dressed
:26:14. > :26:22.nice, they're dressed nice. Among the crowds there are some some
:26:22. > :26:29.surprising potential contestants. Excuse me, you have just walked
:26:29. > :26:33.past and you caught my eye. Can you come and join us. Of course I will.
:26:33. > :26:39.A competition for the Best Dressed. Sarah and Claire tphr the running.
:26:39. > :26:44.Can I give you those two. You both are dressed smart, I feel
:26:44. > :26:50.awkward giving one out when the other is standing next, so I think
:26:50. > :27:00.I am being gentlemanly, I think. Hope we win.
:27:00. > :27:06.
:27:06. > :27:10.Back in the pavilion, Kelly's placed her bet. Come on!
:27:10. > :27:18.Looks like these ladies like a flutter.
:27:18. > :27:23.It was worth the wait. As the selected Best Dressed Ladies
:27:23. > :27:28.line newspaper the paddock, -- line newspaper the paddock, -- line up
:27:28. > :27:32.in the paddock. It's judgment time. It's going to be difficult. It's
:27:32. > :27:41.the lady in the centre holding her hat. It's going to be a difficult
:27:41. > :27:44.one, it's going to be the lovely lady on the right.
:27:44. > :27:54.Again, difficult to narrow it down, but it's the lovely one in the
:27:54. > :27:55.
:27:55. > :28:04.vintage dress in the centre. Second place, I am chuffed, I am
:28:04. > :28:12.chuffed! I won, I was second! been a good day for the ladies of
:28:12. > :28:16.Pontarddulais. Next time:. Let's get the show show on the road!
:28:16. > :28:21.Mardi Gras in Cardiff. Open the gates! It's very ambitious.
:28:21. > :28:31.ballroom gets a last-minute makeover at Hammet House. It's
:28:31. > :28:32.
:28:32. > :28:35.going to be a tough tough one. you cancel the wedding? I don't