By Guto Thomas BBC Wales political correspondent

Just a few hours to go now.

But believe me, Sundays were never intended for politics - or at least, that's how it feels to the handful of journalists left behind by their "colleagues", just in case anything interesting happens during the remaining debates or during the closed session of the party's annual general meeting.

These kind of internal party discussions can sometimes provide fascinating and candid insights - but the party's press officers were sharper than they looked, by ensuring that the gold-fish bowl of the conference hall was completely protected from any camera, microphone or notebook.

So back to the canteen we (or should I say I) went for yet another cup of tea.

Which was fortunate really, given that this forced a prolonged and detailed investigation of the conference exhibitors and their stalls.

One stall in particular stood out, glowing brightly at the far end of the room. Yellow ties and scarves, clip boards, sweat-shirts, teddy bears and rosettes, lapel badges and flags, notebooks and pads, pens, pencils, badges and wallets.

All emblazoned with the Liberal Democrats' logos and branding. The must have ephemera that no political anorak would ever want.

But worry not that the stall may have been packed away for another year by the time you read this - because this merchandise and more is all available online

Saturday, 10 March

The rugby in Italy was the centrepiece of the meeting

With 24 hours remaining before delegates here in Swansea head for home, interest in proceedings at this conference seem to be waning.

The large screens in the conference foyer which this morning had relayed the latest debates, votes and speeches from the hall, are this afternoon showing every twist and turn of the Six Nations rugby.

The number of journalists here has also thinned considerably since lunchtime, while Sir Menzies Campbell even escaped in time to reach the match between Ireland and Scotland at Murrayfield.

His leadership qualities in terms of setting clear priorities and establishing the right work-life balance cannot, however, be applied to the Welsh party, who will earnestly be discussing "A Greener Wales" while the Welsh team takes to the field in Rome.

Free energy-efficient light bulbs for everyone were promised by the Welsh Conservatives last weekend.

But in the great scramble to establish who has the greenest credentials in Wales, the Liberal Democrats have decried this as a sign of "Happy Meal Politics".

Are we about to see the demise of the old-fashioned light bulb?

Votes in exchange for freebies, they say shows just how shallow and substance-free the other parties have become.

Only the Liberal Democrats, they scream, can guarantee a fairer, greener, healthier Wales.

Pity then, that reports from yesterday's EU Summit in Brussels suggest that traditional light bulbs may only have another two years before they're banned, as part of Europe's battle against climate change.

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said: "We believe that each individual can make a genuine contribution through responsible use of light bulbs and lamps."

This switch-over to energy efficient bulbs, it's reported, could cut carbon emissions by up to 25 million tonnes a year.

And according to the UK Government, if every British household were to replace three 60 or 100 watt light bulbs then the energy saved could be greater than the power used by the country's entire street lighting network.

So could it simply be that the Liberal Democrats are miffed that the other parties are finally coming up with interesting policies, that genuinely challenge their claim to be the fountain of all the best policy ideas in Wales?

We should be told.

Shock and awe tactics in Swansea this morning, as the Liberal Democrats committed conference hara-kiri, by starting proceedings at the unearthly time of 9.15am.

More enlightened parties have learnt over the years to give their delegates the opportunity to recover from the previous night's socialising.

In this case "Sandwiches! Singing! Beer!Bingo!" at the recently refurbished Dragon Hotel.

This early morning eagerness may help to explain how delegates managed - just a few minutes into the first session - to vote on the wrong motion.

That they were supposed to be voting on "Government we can Trust" was something that even the most seasoned observers here, couldn't have made up.

Similar faces or similar ambitions?

Has anyone else at this conference noticed the striking similarity between the Liberal Democrats' assembly member for Brecon & Radnor, Kirsty Williams, and the socialist French presidential hopeful S�gol�ne Royal? Or is it just that they happen to share the same burning ambition for leadership?

Friday, 9 March

The Liberal Democrats' annual Welsh conference hasn't even started, and they've already started talking rubbish.

Literally. On the third leg of the Grand Welsh Political Tour, journalists were called to a recycling depot in Llansamlet, where Swansea's garden and kitchen scraps are turned into 7000 tonnes of compost every year.

This, the party's leaders said, showed how green the Liberal Democrats really are, and how they can make a difference when given the chance to hold the reins of power.

However, it didn't take long for a few comments linking the words "politics stinks", "dirty business", and "rubbish" to surface.

Let's hope that this kind of vocabulary has wafted away, well before the party's leaders recycle their speeches before the party faithful.

Sir Menzies - letting the train take the strain

Confusion and contradiction. Two words that neatly summarise the Liberal Democrats' collective view on the importance of proportional representation.

But they're a federal party, so that's OK. Party leader Sir Menzies Campbell told delegates at the party's up-beat and swinging "rally", that they should be "in no doubt that my commitment to proportional representation - for every election - is absolute."

In other words, PR is a deal maker or a deal maker in any coalition negotiations.

But asked whether this was really the case in the Assembly, after May's Welsh general election, Mike German said that in advance of the elections and any subsequent negotiations, then every issue was a deal breaker.

In other words, PR for local government in Wales is just as important as renewable energy targets, cutting red-tape for business, the promotion of community media, saying no to ID cards, or encouraging more people to use their bikes.

So as well as confusion and contradiction, should we perhaps add conviction, contortion and skilful evasion?

Green, mean and lean. That's how the Lib Dems want to be seen this weekend. And they were given a practical lesson in how to turn rhetoric into reality by Sir Menzies Campbell, who arrived in Swansea via the greenest mode of transport - the train.

Unfortunately, this also meant that he was a late arrival. Behind schedule, he swept through the ITV Wales conference reception, and arrived just in time for the BBC's Wales Today.

There was time too for Lembit Opik to act as tea-boy for his leader (as well as for Mike German), before the live cameras whirred into life.