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0:00:34 > 0:00:39- I've come to the conclusion that I'm - a girl from the wild west at heart.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45- It's where my family's roots are - and we've been here for generations.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49- I'm sure it's from here - my interest in people stems.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52- Ceredigion people - do tend to be slightly nosy.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57- A few of us like to pry - into other people's business!
0:00:58 > 0:01:01- I'm a Ceredigion girl - through and through...
0:01:02 > 0:01:04- ..and that will never change.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28- If I'm drawn to a place, - it's usually the people in it...
0:01:29 > 0:01:32- ..who make it special for me.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35- Coedybryn - is where I consider home to be.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39- What's strange is that it - still feels like home...
0:01:39 > 0:01:44- ..even though I haven't actually - lived here since I was 18 years old.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46- But home for me is Coedybryn.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51- The place has a strange hold on me.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03- It was a privileged upbringing, - socially but not financially.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06- I was socially privileged...
0:02:06 > 0:02:09- ..and there's no doubt about that.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17- My mother and father - were ordinary people.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20- My father was a weaver.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23- He took pride in his work.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27- He won numerous awards at the - Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd...
0:02:28 > 0:02:31- ..for making blankets...
0:02:31 > 0:02:33- ..tapestry and honeycomb quilts.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44- Here we are at Coedybryn School.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47- I started school - when I was two and a half years old.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51- Mam was a cook here, - so she brought me along to work.
0:02:54 > 0:03:00- The children are playing football - which is what we used to play.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02- I was always in the goal.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11- I was quite chubby at one time, - so no ball could get past me!
0:03:13 > 0:03:18- The education I received here - was very much based on the three Rs.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21- I learned very little else.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31- ORGAN MUSIC
0:03:42 > 0:03:46- The chapel was the heart and soul - of the community.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50- I remember singing - and rehearsing for the cymanfa ganu.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53- It all revolved around singing.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- Singing was an important part - of our childhood.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01- I sang soprano and Beti sang alto.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05- We never competed - in national eisteddfodau...
0:04:05 > 0:04:09- ..but we'd travel to Rhydlewis - or Aberporth to sing.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13- Beti was a talented child.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16- She started singing - at the age of five years.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22- Her mother taught her and her father - taught her brother to sing soprano.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28- They won every time!
0:04:30 > 0:04:32- I can hear him singing now.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36- Me too. Yes, I can hear him singing.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38- Hitting the top notes.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41- He wasn't bad either.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46- My brother and I - fought like cat and dog as children.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49- She was a bully. I always suffered.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54- Mam would say, "Give in, let her - have her own way. You're older.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- I'd accuse Mam - of spoiling my brother, Wyn.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- And then Wyn would accuse Mam - of spoiling me.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03- It was a happy upbringing.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- I'd get home from - the secondary school in Llandysul...
0:05:07 > 0:05:10- ..to a roaring fire...
0:05:10 > 0:05:14- ..and the chip pan - would be boiling on the fire.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17- My mother was constantly cooking...
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- ..because Beti had a huge appetite - for chips.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35- I was born here in Bryncoed.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37- This is the house.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42- It was a typical house with rooms - either side of the door...
0:05:42 > 0:05:44- ..two upstairs and two downstairs.
0:05:45 > 0:05:50- This was a field, as the houses were - built within the last six years.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- I come back now and the place - has completely changed.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04- People who have lived in Cardiff...
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- ..move back to the familiarity - of rural Wales...
0:06:08 > 0:06:12- ..and the area in which they grew up - once they retire...
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- ..but I could never come back here.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17- I have this romantic notion...
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- ..that it'd be wonderful - to come back and live here...
0:06:22 > 0:06:27- ..but I couldn't because the place - has changed beyond recognition.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- People have migrated to the area.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35- Old neighbours of mine - who still live here...
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- ..say they feel like strangers - in their own village.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41- Hearing that is heartbreaking.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- I still consider Coedybryn - as home...
0:06:45 > 0:06:50- ..though it bears no resemblance - to the village where I was raised.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54- So it must be down to the memories - I have of the place.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56- Fond memories of childhood.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- A few people who I used to know - still live here...
0:07:01 > 0:07:05- ..and I think the world - of those people.
0:07:05 > 0:07:11- They are the reason that I still - regard this village as my home.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36- Nant-y-moel is where I'd come - on my summer holidays.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39- It has a special place in my heart.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59- I'd come to Nant-y-moel to stay - with Uncle Dai and Auntie Nancy.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- They had no children of their own - so I was spoilt rotten.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09- The place had a certain buzz - about it.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12- It was a very close-knit community.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15- People made a contribution...
0:08:16 > 0:08:18- ..to its culture through choirs...
0:08:19 > 0:08:21- ..drama societies...
0:08:21 > 0:08:24- ..and of course, the chapel.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27- Also, the older generation...
0:08:28 > 0:08:30- ..were glad to see me - coming to stay...
0:08:31 > 0:08:34- ..because I spoke Welsh.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37- My Wncwl Dafi, - as I used to call him...
0:08:38 > 0:08:41- ..would take me to chapel...
0:08:42 > 0:08:44- ..and make me sing - before the congregation.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49- I'd sing in Welsh, of course.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53- It was a big deal to them because - they longed to hear it spoken.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02- Bronant - I'd forgotten the house - had a name, to be honest.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07- Auntie Nancy came from Bronant, - a village in north Ceredigion.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09- My bedroom was up there.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12- I had a feather mattress.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- All the bedlinen had been starched.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17- It was heaven on earth.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31- I came to stay - with Uncle Dai and Auntie Nancy.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36- However, curiously, I remember five - or six houses on Station Road...
0:09:37 > 0:09:39- ..where relatives of mine lived.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43- They were related on my mother's - side and my father's side.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- I have so many links to the place.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50- Teifi lives here...
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- ..my only living relative - in the entire street.
0:09:54 > 0:09:55- Teifi?
0:09:57 > 0:10:02- Coming here and being a part - of a closer-knit community...
0:10:02 > 0:10:08- ..one which was more open - and not so reserved...
0:10:08 > 0:10:14- ..with none of that shyness - associated with rural communities...
0:10:14 > 0:10:18- ..certainly - had a profound effect on me.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43- When I was a child, - the place was black.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- The Wyndham colliery - was here somewhere...
0:10:47 > 0:10:52- ..and the gigantic Ocean colliery, - one of the largest in South Wales...
0:10:52 > 0:10:54- ..was over there.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57- The coal tips stood on either side.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00- But I never thought of it - as an ugly place.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03- I thought it was beautiful.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08- It's no surprise...
0:11:08 > 0:11:13- ..that relations on both my father's - side and my mother's side...
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- ..came to these valleys...
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- ..in search of work.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23- For me, coming to Nant-y-moel...
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- ..was like coming to a second home.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30- My father mined - at Tylorstown colliery, Rhondda...
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- ..for a period of only six months.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- He certainly got his politics - from there.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40- He swung very far to the left...
0:11:41 > 0:11:45- ..which was quite the exception - in rural Ceredigion at that time.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49- My father's politics influenced me, - without doubt.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53- It's a two-seater car...
0:11:54 > 0:11:59- ..though manufacturers say there's - room for two infants in the back.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- It reaches a speed of 40mph - and goes 50 miles...
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- ..without recharging the batteries.
0:12:05 > 0:12:11- I fell into a career in broadcasting - quite by chance.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13- At school in Llandysul...
0:12:13 > 0:12:17- ..a career in broadcasting - was not considered an option.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20- The choice - was either to go nursing...
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- ..or teaching, - which is what I did at first.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- But the opportunity arose - while I was in Swansea.
0:12:27 > 0:12:33- The BBC was looking for a reporter - for a programme called Bore Da.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39- There weren't many female - broadcasters around at that time.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- I didn't get to do - anything significant initially.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48- They'd send me to do - what's known as vox pops...
0:12:48 > 0:12:53- ..to present people's views - on minor issues.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58- Having said that, it was the best - apprenticeship I could have had.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02- I was out and about in the Swansea - and Gwendraeth valleys...
0:13:02 > 0:13:04- ..and got to know the people.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09- Industry, at the time, was exciting - in terms of news reporting.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- I'm sure I got a better response - as a female.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20- I was never conscious of the fact...
0:13:20 > 0:13:26- ..that I was maybe leading the way - for female broadcasters.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29- I just got on with the job.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34- Until the matter of salary - was brought into question.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39- I was paid less than half...
0:13:39 > 0:13:44- ..the sum paid - to my male co-presenter on Heddiw.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- But I carried on regardless.
0:13:49 > 0:13:55- In the end, I don't think I ever - earned as much as the men...
0:13:55 > 0:13:58- ..but I was quite happy - with the salary I was earning.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15- It's strange how Nant-y-moel - is such a major part of me.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18- I don't understand it myself.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- Though the place has changed so much - over the years...
0:14:25 > 0:14:27- ..it's still an important part - of me.
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0:14:50 > 0:14:53- I look forward every year - to coming here...
0:14:54 > 0:14:58- ..to escape the pressures of work, - particularly in the past.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02- Although I'm fond of people, - as presenter of Beti A'i Phobl...
0:15:03 > 0:15:06- ..I sometimes need to escape - from them!
0:15:07 > 0:15:11- This is where I come.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15- It's hard to explain - how happy this place makes me.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- When I first came to Samos...
0:15:41 > 0:15:45- ..I felt at ease and at home here.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- It was as if I'd been here before...
0:15:48 > 0:15:52- ..as if it was in the depths - of my sub-conscience.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02- When I've been in the sun - for a fortnight...
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- ..and I've got - a really deep suntan...
0:16:05 > 0:16:09- ..people say I actually look Greek.
0:16:09 > 0:16:15- They also say my nose makes me - look Greek too.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26- My partner, David, - and I always enjoyed Greece.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29- It had a strange allure.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32- I don't know why that was...
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- ..but we'd go and visit - different Greek islands.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- We'd travel from one to the other...
0:16:40 > 0:16:42- ..until we arrived on Skiathos.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- I remember talking - to one of the Greeks...
0:16:47 > 0:16:50- ..who asked if I'd been to Samos.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53- When I said no, - he explained where Samos was.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- He said, - "It's an island you must visit."
0:17:10 > 0:17:13- It's a quite a journey - to reach Samos...
0:17:13 > 0:17:16- ..because it's the island - nearest to Turkey.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- It takes hours upon hours - to get here.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28- I've come here every year - for the past 30 years.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32- People say to me, "Why do you - go back to the same place?"
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- But it's become a home from home.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- You know exactly - what you're going to do here.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- You come here for the sun...
0:17:42 > 0:17:44- ..the sea and the beaches.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- I also like walking - in the mountains.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- There's something about - the tranquillity.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57- It's difficult to explain.
0:18:20 > 0:18:26- I remember the first time we stayed - at the Olympia Beach.
0:18:26 > 0:18:32- I hired a moped and the moped - broke down after five miles or so.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34- I was so angry.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39- I had to walk all the way back - and I was in a foul temper.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- I was slamming doors - back at the hotel.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45- I must have had a face like thunder!
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- The owner of the hotel, Prepos - was there...
0:18:49 > 0:18:52- ..and his brother, Manolis, - a psychiatrist...
0:18:52 > 0:18:55- ..which was just as well, I suppose!
0:18:55 > 0:18:59- They asked, - "What's wrong? What's happened?"
0:18:59 > 0:19:03- And I said, - "You Greeks are all bonkers."
0:19:03 > 0:19:08- They both looked at me and said, - "We agree," and laughed.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11- Of course, I was fine after that.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18- That's the first time I met Prepos, - the hotel's owner.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23- He was the king of the island - because he built the island's roads.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25- He was a civil engineer.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27- He was a wonderful man...
0:19:28 > 0:19:31- ..and became a very close friend.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33- Both he and his wife, Vasso.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40- The first few years, - I'd accompany Prepos on his boat...
0:19:41 > 0:19:45- ..or in his Jeep up to - the mountains, where he was working.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48- It was a wonderful time.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53- They later decided...
0:19:53 > 0:19:58- ..to send their two sons - to university in Wales.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01- That's also something - which binds us.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11- He had a terrible accident just - before finishing one of his hotels.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13- He fell...
0:20:14 > 0:20:18- ..and suffered severe brain damage - as a result.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25- When Prepos had the accident...
0:20:26 > 0:20:30- ..Vasso's sister, Navsica, - and her husband, Dinos...
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- ..decided to return - from South Africa...
0:20:33 > 0:20:37- ..where Dinos was a doctor - and Navsica was an economist.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42- So the family grew and I got to know - them very well too.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49- Their sons have also come - to university in Wales.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53- It's a knot that cannot be untied...
0:20:53 > 0:20:57- ..between Samos, Wales and me.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11- SHE SPEAKS GREEK
0:21:20 > 0:21:24- As I'm so fond of this island, - many people have asked me...
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- ..why I haven't bought - a holiday home here.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32- Firstly, I'm against holiday homes - in general.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36- But also, I'm a little worried...
0:21:37 > 0:21:39- ..that if I came to live here...
0:21:39 > 0:21:43- ..for six months of the year...
0:21:43 > 0:21:47- ..perhaps this notion I have - of Samos being a paradise...
0:21:48 > 0:21:50- ..might somehow be shattered.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22- I have to say...
0:22:22 > 0:22:26- ..that this place, in some way - or another, revives me.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31- Thinking of not visiting Samos - for a year...
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- ..scares me.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38- I can't imagine the future - without my regular visits to Samos.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42- I don't know how practical - that'll be in the future...
0:22:42 > 0:22:44- ..but I can only dream.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51- Even when I'm at home - in the wintertime...
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- ..I can picture Samos - in summertime...
0:22:56 > 0:22:58- ..and look forward to returning.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00- That keeps me going.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04- Kokkari - is definitely the place for me.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07- It's perfect here.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:23:47 > 0:23:48- .