91Èȱ¬

And so another Eisteddfod comes to a close and so does my time working for 91Èȱ¬ Cymru Wales in Ebbw Vale.

It's a little emotional sitting here for the final time writing this blog and seeing everyone who's worked so hard looking tired and in need of some sleep. The team at the Eisteddfod have been absolutely terrific and I'd like to pay tribute to all those who have helped me during one of the most memorable weeks of my life.

It all started with a blog and bingo and it ends with me being asked to appear on the live show tonight in S4C before the closing concert.

So what were the highlights? Well, to have been given the honour of being a presenter for 91Èȱ¬ Wales on the Maes is an obvious one. As I have written on this blog previously, I've worked at many an Eisteddfod but they were extremely brief stints. This time, I've been immersed in the whole event. I've watched performances, been invited to speak at a stand and got to know some of the competitors and winners.

I've met so many wonderful people this week. It would be difficult to list them all, but special mentions go to Julie Hawkins, winner of the Welsh Learner of the Year. Well done to Julie. She has a wonderful story and her interview last Sunday was one of the best of the week.

I'll never forget Tobi Jon, who came from Uzbekistan to check out the Eisteddfod. His intervention into the Radio Wales Phone-in on Wednesday was timely, as there were lots of listeners ringing or texting in to say that, because they had no Welsh, they wouldn't be welcome at the Eisteddfod and that elitism existed on the Maes. Tobi, however, had very little difficulty and received a huge warm welcome from Ebbw Vale. He'd explained to people on the stands that he didn't speak Welsh and he was welcomed with open arms. I even got him to say diolch (thanks) at the end of the interview.

Also, can I just say how much of a pleasure it was to meet Courtenay Hamilton. She is a trained classical singer, fluent in Welsh and hopes to follow in the footsteps of Katherine Jenkins. Oh, and by the way, she's the current Miss Wales! Very glamorous but such a down to earth 20-year-old.

Her dad was with her and asked me if I wanted to have my photo taken with her (shouldn't it have been the other way around?) Anyway, I posed for one and I have been guilty of showing it off a bit on my iPhone. Thanks Courtenay, and best of luck with your career.

You know, I speak more Welsh now than ever before. Now that my children are being taught through the medium of Welsh, we speak it on a daily basis. However, during this week, I've been going home and thinking in Welsh.

Yes, it's been a real test on times, but it really is true, that if you want to learn a language or get better at it, immersing yourself in it and the culture is the only way to do it.

I'd like to end this blog by sharing, perhaps the most emotional moment of the week for me. I recieved an invitation from Swansea University to speak at their stand on Wednesday. They asked me to say a few words about Yr Athro Hywel Teifi Edwards - my professor at Swansea when I studied Welsh there in 1992. Hywel died earlier this year and as I said earlier in the week, the Eisteddfod is just not the same without him.

Former students were invited to write their memories about Hywel on a board at the University stand and I told the story of a conversation I had with Hywel Teifi in my third year. I was having a few problems with some work on Sir TH Parry-Williams and Hywel reminded me of just how far I had come in learning the language, its tradition, literature and history. His vociferous words of encouragement rammed home just how important the language had become to me - he made it absolutely clear what it meant to speak Welsh.

Without those words of encouragement on a rainy afternoon in Swansea, who knows, I may not be here today - a sunnier day - broadcasting in Welsh from the Eisteddfod.

Diolch Hywel Teifi. Thank you.