Hi everybody, I have just recorded this as part of Aran’s Bobsled Run and you are invited to tear me to pieces to help me improve my ability to speak welsh in public. I need all the help I can get to get me out of my cave and into the land of welsh speakers.
Mal Leyshon
Da iawn ti! That was great Mal, and wonderful to hear you getting your language back. You sound very confident to me! 
Diolch Dee, ti’n rhy caredig
Superb stuff, Mal - I’m starting to think the Bobsled is going to be too easy for you - you certainly deserve an upgrade to red for that!
Da iawn, Mal! You sound very confident. It was lovely to hear you.
Diolch Margaret, Ti’n seren
You must have a beautiful accent in English Mal - your Welsh sounds like a proper Valleys Welsh speaker. All you need is experience and you’ll be flying.
Where’s your nearest group to practice? Are there Welsh speakers in your area? Get out and use it, please. It’s beautiful!
Diolch Iestyn, I have never thought I had much of a welsh acent, when I met my wife 35 years ago she thought I was from New Zealand! your comment and of others has given me some self belief that I am capable of speaking Cymraeg… My nearest is Coventry and I intend to go in April.So again thank you for helping me (dros y bont)
Mal Leyshon
It’s time for me to report on “bobsled run”
Without doubt it was an amazing experience working with Aran and thanks to Iestyn and Dee for their very kind and supportive comments. I must contact Dee as I have just spotted her invitation to siarad Cymraeg Gyda hi. Because of this course within a course I have gained in confidence and I am planning to meet up with the Coventry group so I must check with Andy Jones for the April meet. I have become very aware that I am poor on understanding Cymraeg as against speaking and as a consequence I am watching more S4C. But to my frustration I found it necessary to go right Back to the old listening practice lessons including the first group of six! But already it is less frustrating to listen to the old stuff and that is down to “Bobsled Run”. Plus this programme pushed me through a dreaded plateau in fact my worst ever. Support from Aran and the forum without doubt saved me from myself when negative thinking crept in. I must mention that working each new level without repeating the lesson was challenging but highly effective. I would not have learned this much without it. So now it’s listen, listen and more listening
Excellent - that sounds as though you made some really important steps forward in terms of mindset and expectations - well done!
With the listening - I strongly recommend that you double down on the accelerated listening exercises in Level 1… 