My name is Dylan Jones and I am the Collections Manager at St Fagans:National History Museum.  Apart from being responsible for the documentation at St Fagans I also look after the fishing and hunting collection which will be the main focus of my first blog.  It will cover the work / preparation for the fishing weekend at St Fagans later on this month.

Follow the blog as I finalise details for the weekend which will include Karl Chattington, Coracle maker from the Cynon Valley, lave netsmen of the Severn estuary demonstrating their unique fishing skills and Hywel Morgan giving a demonstration on fly fishing.  For the first time around the Netshouse we will also be preparing and cooking fish.  I hasten to add it will not be me cooking!

Karl is no stranger to St Fagans and over the years he has been a popular attraction on site demonstrating his coracling skills on the ponds at Easter and in the summer months.  Karl was part of the Welsh contingent that attended the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC in 2009.  It was at this particular festival Karl constructed a Tywi coracle within two weeks of the festival – no mean achievement considering the lack of tools / weather conditions.  Karl’s exploits at the festival can be read in a later blog.

I have already received some good news a few weeks ago with Martin Morgan, Secretary of the Blackrock Lave Net Fishermen Association confirming the presence of the fishermen at the festival.  Good news indeed as the netsmen are very popular and informative.  Beside showing the lave net Martin and his brother Richard will also bring with them fishing traps known as putchers and a putt which were once used on the Severn estuary until quite recently.  Keep reading the blog to learn more about these hardy and unique fishermen. 

Follow me on Twitter @CollectionsSF

Bore da! Galw heibio'n sydyn ydw i - mae cymaint i'w wneud y bore 'ma na alla i aros yn hir: cynnau'r arogldarth, paratoi'r groes, cwpan a'r ddysgl, a chamu mewn i'm gwisg 1520aidd. Mae hynny'n ddigon o drafferth - fe godais i'n gynnar i blethu fy ngwallt i steil Tuduraidd heddiw hefyd! Dangosodd un o'r Tudor Group imi sut i wneud pan fuon nhw'n aros yma adeg y Pasg. Fe wnaeth hi i'r holl beth edrych yn hawdd iawn - dwi ddim cweit yn plethu'n rhwydd eto, on dyfal barhau sydd raid, am ein bod ar fin cynnal digwyddiad am ffasiwn Tuduraidd fis nesa.

Yn y cyfamser, rwy'n paratoi ffilm o Duduriaid ddaeth i'n gweld ni y llynedd, i'w roi yn Oriel 1 yn yr arddangosfa Creu Hanes: 1500-1700. Mae rhai o'm hoff wrthrychau Tuduraidd i'w gweld yno, gan gynnwys ffigur o Grist: gwrthrych prin iawn sy'n olrhain hanes crefyddol Cymru. Wedi'i gerfio cyn y Diwygiad, mae'n wrthrych cain ac anarferol - cafodd ei ddarganfod wedi'i guddio tu fewn i wal yn yr 1850au.

Manylyn o gerflun Crog

Ni wyddom lawer am sut y cyrhaeddodd y cerflun ei gartref yn y wal, ond bydd Penny Hill, Cadwraethwraig a Hanesydd, yn dod i siarad am ei hanes cudd ar ddydd Sadwrn. Gobeithio y gallwch ymuno â ni ar ddydd Sadwrn yn Oriel 1, am 2 o'r gloch, ar gyfer sgwrs fydd yn mynd ymhellach na'r plwyf lle'r canfuwyd y gerflun. Mae Penny yn arbenigwraig mewn pigmentau a phaentiadau hanesyddol, yn bennaf, ac felly fe fydd yn dod â lliw yn ôl i hanes y Groes o Gemaes.

Pigmentau naturiol ar gyfer addurno cerflun

Bydd y sgwrs yn Saesneg: galwch am ragor o wybodaeth ar 029 20 57 3424, o ddydd Llun i ddydd Gwener. Gobeithio y gwela i chi yno.

At long last all the natural history galleries are now open again at National Museum Cardiff. You can see old favourites such as the Humpback Whale and the world's largest recorded Leatherback Turtle but there is also something new.

We have created a new gallery which is an introduction to marine biodiversity - or life in the sea. The gallery has over 100 new marine specimens on display with a focus on marine invertebrates rather than fish and you will also find specimens of seaweeds, an often neglected group when it comes to museum displays.

Nearly all the specimens have been displayed in indvidual cases which allows you to get up close and marvel at the intricate design of some of these beasts (and algae!). We have reserved the 3 large cases to display heavy or fragile specimens. Two have displays of some of our fantastic Blaschka glass models. The detail in these models has to be seen to be believed and all the more amazing is they were made over 100 years ago.

So if you are in Cardiff and have an hour free why not pop in and have a look at the new galleries.

Gofynnwyd i'r disgyblion dynnu llun cennyn pedr a'u labelu. Cawson ni lwyth o luniau gwych!

Rhoddodd Athro'r Ardd wobrau Bishops Childs CIW School a Ysgol Nant Y Coed am gyflwyno'r darluniau gorau.