YESTERDAYS 1980

THE archaeological dig by volunteers at Cardiff Castle has been completed – and now it is up to the city parks department staff to cover the exposed Roman roadway with tons of clay.

The two excavations in the castle grounds have given site foreman Peter Webster, right, a picture of life in Cardiff in the second century, but he will be back next year to continue his examination of the roadway which is believed to have formed the basis of St Mary Street.

The volunteer diggers have unearthed relics from various eras since the Romans and have worked eight hours a day, six days a week for more than a month. EVERY morning, 60-year-old widow Mrs Doreen Thomas puts 50p in a parking meter – and makes sure of a “home” for herself and two dogs for another day.

For the past year Mrs Thomas and her pets have lived in a car in a commuter park in the centre of Cardiff.

The back seat of the 15-year-old Hillman is their bed and the few possessions are stored in the boot.

But the conditions are an improvement on the previous year when their “bedroom” was, at best, an automatic photographic booth at the city’s Central Station.

Mrs Thomas began to use the car in the Homfray Street park after a woman saw her and her dogs near the city library.

“She took me to the car park and made arrangements for me to stay. I do not know who she is, although she sometimes comes to feed the dogs,” said Mrs Thomas.

“I use it for sleeping. When I wake up I go and have a cup of tea somewhere and go to the park for a sit down. I get £23 a week from the social security and put 50p in the meter each day.”

Mrs Thomas came to 1936.

“I had to leave the last place – a oneroom flatlet off City Road when they would not have my dogs.”

She said she would not move anywhere if she could not take her dogs with her.

“When you live on your own you need a bit of company.”

The case of Mrs Thomas is wellknown to the city housing department and the county social service workers but they say they cannot do anything because she is unwilling to accept help. Cardiff in WELSH comedian Stan Stennett aims to give his fans nasty shocks – for he is to appear in a supernatural thriller film called Possessions.

Stan, who lives in Rhiwbina Hill, Cardiff, said it would be the first cinema film he had done, and added: