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by Edwina Slack (Author)
"A Shed, Chickens, Siencyn and Me" is a delightfully light humorous book set in a 1930s South Wales valley. It is written through the perceptive eyes of a young girl, Megan and it is where we meet her family and the characters of the village, such as, Mrs Hughes News, Mr William Lewis Amen, Selwyn the Psalms, Auntie Scissors Ann, a girl with pimples and a sniffle and Megan's favourite, - Siencyn Oddjobs (pronounced "Shenkin"; as there is no "J" for Jenkins in the Welsh alphabet)! Siencyn lived in a shed on the side of a hill; this was good for three things, to look after his chickens, to tend his allotment and to keep away from his wife. He smoked OP's (other peoples), never complained and always got out of trouble with a smile and a wink. He was not on time for work one morning and when caught slopping off early in the afternoon his boss shouted, "Mr Jenkins, bearing in mind what time you arrived this morning, what time do you call this to be leaving?" He replied, "I know, but I don't want to be late twice in one day, now do I?" The language and attitudes are typically South Walian and each chapter is its' own adventure with Siencyn in there somewhere causing mayhem. Megan's awareness, sensitivity and intelligence are obvious through her lyrical narrative and while we enjoy her innocence, "and the Policeman muttered and mumbled, and once I thought he said a naughty word, but I must have been mistaken. Policemen don't say language", her engaging writing style provides the reader with many different levels of insight and the hugely entertaining bigger picture, is there to be enjoyed. Mam, and her sometimes acerbic sister Aunty "Scissors" Ann cross swords with Siencyn in many odd and unusual ways, and while it's quite hard to see who actually gets the upper hand, in the end they call it a truce, "there's no harm in old Siencyn", as Megan's "Dadda", always says and Siencyn comes to live with the family. It's full of 1930s values, the wit of the Welsh and a touch of nostalgia. While the back drop of these stories are the Hungry Thirties and poverty was palpable, the stories are told with a depth of humour which leaves the reader with a smile on their face, a lighter heart and a just a small tear just in the corner of one eye. The last chapter of the appendix though, is not to be taken lightly. It's not a Siencyn tale but a social commentary from the authors' childhood that completes the picture of a 1930s Welsh valley. The memory puts all the stories into context and while it's a powerful chapter on its own, it adds weight to the tales of Siencyn and the characters of the village become alive and closer to the reader.
