Summer Sunshine?



LIVING WITH CANCER STROLLERS


Summer Sunshine?


 

Summer sunshine? There was no sun anywhere to be seen in the sky above Cosmeston for the latest stroll. Instead, heavy rain poured down for the entire walk.

To lift the spirits, plenty of orchids were to be spotted in the fields. Well done to the hardy walkers who braved the conditions.

Thanks to Jan and Lynda for stepping in to lead.

 



Two Months’ Worth of Reports!




Two Months’ Worth of Reports!


“Less ” by Andrew Sean Greer


This Pulitzer Prize winner was boring, uninteresting and not at all funny. So said all ten of us Page Turners. Our score was the lowest yet of one out of ten. Less was clearly not more.

However, it was lovely as always to meet up together for a welcome cuppa and exceptional bara brith and brownies. Thank you, Nicola. You spoilt us


“Frank and Red” by Matt Coyne


Frank is a widowed older man who likes to keep himself to himself. Red is a six-year-old boy who is chatty and excitable.
Frank is a gruff, ill-humoured loner since the death of his wife, Marcie, whose “ghost” does her best to cheer him along or put him straight on a few things. His house and garden are now neglected, and he’s turned his back on the world. Then Red and his mum Sarah move in next door after Sarah’s divorce
Red hates the new house, it’s tiny compared to his old house, he hates his new school, none of the kids speak to him, excluding him at playtime, and one boy in particular is a real bully. It’s no better at home, no one to play with, and then there’s Frank, the grumpy old man next door who’s really mean.
The most unlikely of friendships, but somehow, two people who are decades apart in age, are thrown together by circumstance. What follows warms the heart to see just how the relationship develops. Frank and Red are new neighbours and complete opposites.
The group felt that it was an easy read with some laugh out loud moments and was sad and emotional. There were some issues that some members found difficult to accept. Firstly, why didn’t the teacher do more about the bullying of Red which was quite obvious as the story developed. The whole group questioned whether a six-year-old would have taken this difficult journey on the underground as he was trying to reach Frank’s son or would Frank have got away with driving on the pavement (which he did) trying to reach his son.
The story was heartwarming and uplifting but had varying scores between 5-9. The final score was 7.1


Many thanks to Jill our hostess for the afternoon who provided us with delicious chocolate cake.


High Winds And Grey Skies



High Winds And Grey Skies


 

High winds and grey skies at Barry Island—and not to forget the sore knees and ankles, did not put off the strollers today…and all were rewarded with an enjoyable walk around Nell’s Point…and of course, ice cream, chat and coffee at the end

 



 

 

Redbrook and Pontsticill

Redbrook and Pontsticill



Redbrook

We parked at Redbrook and walked up the Wye valley, away from Monmouth, towards Bigsweir bridge.

We entered Highbury wood, an example of ancient semi-natural woodland typical of the Wye valley. For centuries, until the 1950s, it was managed by coppicing, to provide wood for charcoal and fuel for the limekilns in the wood. We were amazed by the number of large-leaved lime trees we passed and spotted whitebeam and yews which are apparently over 300 years old.

We heard lots of bird song but although the woodland has treecreepers, nuthatches and woodpeckers, we did not spot any of these. However, we did find tall kissing gates standing alone which we walked around. Then we found a lone Butterfly orchid, with a small, white flower mimicking a butterfly with outstretched wings and were delighted later, when they lined the path.

Next was Cadora woods which is a collection of woods which cloak the steep-sided slopes of the Lower Wye valley. The large leaved limes throughout indicate that the woodland could be more than a thousand years old. In the 1960s many trees were felled and conifers planted. These are gradually being replaced to reclaim its native broad-leaved beauty.

We emerged onto a road to walk towards Bigsweir bridge; three-way lights at the bridge kept traffic to one way most of the time. We put on a spurt and walked in single file. Crossing Bigsweir bridge, we arrived at the Toll house which was built with the bridge 1825-39 on behalf of the St Arvan’s – Redbrook Turnpike Trust.

The Toll house was renovated in 1981 by 16–18- year-olds under the Youth Opportunities Programme. As it was lunchtime we found some comfortable grass and sat on the banks of the River Wye to take our break. We voted to continue along the Wye valley rather than use our planned route saving ourselves a climb of a few hundred feet. Consequently, we had a little trouble finding the right footpath but were entertained by the wildlife of the river.

Two Canada geese with 4 goslings swam by. A lone heron stood stock still on a rock, in fast running water, fishing. A flotilla of Canada geese (10 of them) swam majestically along the river beside us. These were followed by a stag party; several canoes, full of males wearing sailor hats, paddled by and when asked where the groom was, they pointed at the first canoe where a lone ‘sailor’ wore a large hat leading the rest. We are not sure but suspect we saw the hen party further along.

This was a delightful walk on a dry day, but it was humid in enclosed places, a very welcome light breeze cooled us in the open space by the river.

Drinks were enjoyed at the Boat pub just across the river Wye; apparently the tea was a bit odd, but the beer was delicious.

Walk 8m 800ft Map OL14


Pontsticill

Parking between Pontsticill and Pentwyn reservoirs, our route took us up to Bryniau Gleision, above the Taff trail and Beacons Way. We have been incredibly lucky with the weather this spring, every Saturday has been dry and clear and often sunny. Today our luck changed. The forecast was for dry weather late morning, so we headed for the hills but as we climbed, we reached the clouds.

It was dry until lunchtime a fierce wind was blowing. Lunch was in an abandoned quarry where there were a few comments about the sheep poo scattered around – it was difficult to avoid but I can’t say I blame the sheep for taking shelter where they can from the cutting wind. Setting off again the moisture from the clouds dropped as fine rain. The force of the wind was such that those of us that failed to don waterproof trousers were soaked to the skin.

At this point, we were supposed to have glorious views of Pen y Fan and the reservoirs – Pontsticill and Tal y Bont. But we saw nothing except a faint glimmer of sunshine when we hoped the sky was clearing but it closed in again. Still, most of us have memories of previous visits and we can come again!

As we descended into the valley, where it was dry, we soon dried off. On the whole walk there was only one stile, near the Pontsticill reservoir and throughout the walk we could hear skylarks and spot them soaring despite the weather.

The Barn tearoom supplied us with cups of tea ice-cream, chocolate cake and several scones; they were scrummy, and we deserved it after the wetting we’d had.

Walk 7.7m 1100ft Map OL12



Wenvoe Village Show



WENVOE VILLAGE SHOW AT THE CHURCH HALL
SATURDAY 6th SEPTEMBER



This is Wenvoe’s own local show and offers an excellent opportunity for some friendly, fun competition. Will your fruit and veg be the talk of the village? Is your baking a triumph? You don’t have to be an expert; you just need to enter. The show is limited to entries from people who live in the Wenvoe community (Wenvoe, Twyn-yr-Odyn, St Lythans and Dyffryn) and children who are residents of Wenvoe or attend the village school.

Entries to be registered at St Mary’s Church Hall between 8.30 and 11 am on Saturday morning (for those who have other commitments on Saturday morning there will be a limited time slot to register entries between 6 – 7.30pm on Friday evening 5th September but this will NOT include culinary entries). The hall will then be closed between 11 am and 1.30 pm. for the judging to take place. The public will be welcome to come and view the exhibits between 1.30pm and 4pm. From 3pm – 4pm there will be a chance to sample the culinary entries for yourself. There will be a good quality raffle, and this will be drawn at 3.30pm. If you have a prize that you could give, we should be very grateful.

If you wish to reclaim your entries they should be collected between 4 and 4.30pm but please note that items entered in the culinary categories will be offered for public tasting and will not be eligible for collection unless there is any left at 4pm. Entry fee – £1 for the first entry and 50p for all subsequent entries per person. You may enter as many sections as you wish but the maximum number of entries per person in any one section of a category is two. Items entered in previous Wenvoe Village Shows are acceptable but only if they have previously failed to win a prize. If you would like to help on the day or have any queries, please speak to Mike or Glenys Tucker.

Weather permitting there will be refreshments available outside all day.

The categories are listed on the opposite page.



“Real Americans ” by Rachel Khong

OFF THE SHELF


“Real Americans ” by Rachel Khong


We thoroughly enjoyed Real Americans. We were especially drawn to the novel’s multi-generational structure and the thoughtful exploration of identity, heritage, and the American experience. The characters, particularly Lily and Nick, felt well-developed and relatable.

May (also known as Mei) revealed how her past decisions shaped the lives of her daughter and grandson. Through her experiences, we were invited to consider how the pursuit of progress and the desire to escape one’s past can impact future generations. Only by reading the final phase of Real Americans does one fully understand the emotional weight carried by Lily – how being denied both her true genetic identity and meaningful parental love left her feeling incomplete, possibly too damaged to experience a normal, loving relationship. This added a poignant dimension to her character and deepened our appreciation of the novel’s emotional complexity.

These themes around family legacy and scientific ethics sparked deep discussion in our group. However, we did find some elements of the plot implausible – especially the connection between May and Matt’s father. While we understood the thematic intention behind this link, it felt a bit too coincidental and took us out of the story at times.

Still, the novel provided plenty of material for reflection and conversation, making it a strong choice for us – and we gave it a score of 8/10.



All This Sunshine!! It Makes You Think.



WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today


All This Sunshine!! It Makes You Think.


Have you seen leaflets like this recently dropping through letterboxes in Wenvoe. They are primarily about installing solar panels and batteries. Is yours maybe, hanging around waiting to be read properly or did you sign up immediately to the scheme. Don’t worry, it’s not a scam, at least I don’t think it’s a scam, it is all part of the attempt to make the UK “Carbon Zero” by 2050. What “Carbon Zero” actually means varies and there is a plethora of terms with slightly different meanings, but the main message is that we need to stop adding carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and remove some that is already there changing our climate and putting the way we live on earth at risk.

Local authorities in Wales have been charged with leading the way towards rapidly reducing carbon emissions and the scheme that is described in the leaflets is one of the tactics that is being used. I expect every house received the leaflet and it would be interesting to know what the initial take up is. The first task is to register for this scheme with no commitment to do anything further at this stage, a small dip of the pinkie into the whole business of changing the energy economy. So far so good and I’ve done that bit. By making it easier, and potentially cheaper through joining the scheme the aim is to encourage householders to invest in the future and step onto the path towards carbon zero. There is also an element of raising awareness, the first time you see such a scheme you may think “Very good but money is a bit tight just now” but it has crept on to your to do list and you may be more receptive next time. I’m an example of this. I’ve wanted to explore solar panels for my house for a while but needing to find a reliable supplier in a newish market is off-putting. This scheme offers local authority vetted suppliers.

The scheme seems to be based partly on the idea of economy of scale, by collecting together customers in a geographical area, companies carrying out the work are expected to be able to deliver more cheaply. Now it seems to me that such a scheme could work very well where there are rows of houses that are similar, as they are in the photo on the leaflet. Roofs facing in the same direction and all the same size will only need one set of planning calculations for several houses, a set of customers that could be described as “low hanging fruit”. However, look around Wenvoe, mostly the house next door is different, a lot of houses have several small bits of roof pointing in different directions many of which are too small for a straightforward array of solar panels.

Whilst any progress toward carbon reduction will be very welcome, I fear that this particular scheme won’t work as well for us as it might elsewhere.

I was very aware that in answering the questions to register with the Solar Together scheme, the information I was giving would be insufficient for any supplier to genuinely provide an estimate of the cost. I will be bearing that in mind when the next phase of the scheme kicks in.

However, it has crossed my mind that if, as I suspect, my house will need its own specially tailored survey and provision, which will be more expensive, there may still be an opportunity to achieve some benefit from economies of scale for solar energy scheme providers through joining together in a community collective purchase arrangement. Is anyone interested? Please e-mail gwenfo.forum@gmail.com if you are and we’ll see where it takes us.


To join our Facebook group, please ‘friend up’ with the GwenFo account @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1 and then jon the Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402

Some further information and updates, blog site https://wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/. Any Wenvoe community member is welcome to join the Forum meetings, via Zoom, which are normally held 19.00 on the second Thursday of each month. E-mail gwen-fo.forum@gmail.com if you wish to join


Highlight Of The Living With Cancer Walk



LIVING WITH CANCER STROLLERS


Highlight Of The Living With Cancer Walk


What was the highlight of the living with cancer walk at Cosmeston this month?

The bright blue sky?

The sparkling lakes?

The warming sunshine?

The endless chatter?

The ice creams?

No…..it was the sight of a family of voles in the water…a real treat

 

 



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