Ryan Thomas

There are times that I feel an overwhelming wanderlust. It's not just a desire to jump on a plane for a weekend city break. It's a calling to pack everything in - my job, my public duties, sell my home, throw away almost all my commitments. I know I am not alone. My partner Ana sometimes suddenly declares that we should go and live in Paris for three months next summer, or that we should simply travel for the rest of our lives. The human brain is fascinating. One moment you are struggling with your ordinary life. The next you are backpacking through the Himalayas. At the beginning of this year we decided we would travel. We somehow agreed that we would visit five foreign countries this year. Life and money get in our way. But we decided that we really would travel so be just bought tickets, booked a hotel and spent Valentines week in Paris. We always knew that we would be visiting Bucharest in June for Ana's sister's wedding. We also managed to spend a few days in Londo...

I've been trying to write this post for a long time. Europe is a place and an idea that I am passionate about. Since my fiancé is Romanian I am probably quite biased when it comes to it as well. The reason why I have found this post so difficult is because I have been trying to justify my support for the European Union using political arguments. The trouble is the referendum campaign has descended into a playground squabble. I think the economy will be damaged by leaving and the UK will be forced to negotiate entry in the European Free Trade Area where we will end up losing more sovereignty and democracy that we currently exercise collectively as full members of the EU. The EU institutions are flawed and the commission is over bureaucratic. But there is a democratically elected parliament and a council where all national governments are represented. It's a bit hypocritical for us Brits to criticise a lack of democracy in the EU when we continue to put up with the unelected Hous...

Earlier today I decided to go for a walk through Llanelli town centre. It was warm and the sun was shining and I wasn't going to spend another lunch hour in front of my computer at work. People are always complaining about the 'state' of the town centre. It's hard to argue with them. However, their complaints are not properly thought through. I have worked at several different points in my career close to Llanelli town centre and have always struggled to find something nice to eat for lunch. There are a few excellent cafes if you have time to sit for lunch. But if you're in a hurry it's tough to find a quick snack unless you go to the same two or three places every day. When you walk around you get a casual sense of decline, much like the majority of Welsh town centres. But in Llanelli you can also spot the potential. You look at the buildings, you look and the empty spaces. You think that the empty store would be a great location for a boutique or a gift shop. ...