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LIVING WITH CANCER STROLLERS
Valeways Walks Really Are For Everyone!
For the first walk of 2024 at Cosmeston, we had Anne celebrating her 80th birthday (with left over Quality Street from Christmas!!) and two teenagers accompanying their grandmother for a stroll around the park. And we stayed mud free…almost! Join us..all ages welcome!
Brynna
Parking on the northerly edge of Brynna we took the track to the hills. It was a cold but beautiful sunny morning, and we were looking forward to some good views. Soon we came across a farm with lots of vehicles, some obviously still in use but many abandoned and one so deeply buried in brambles it was anybody’s guess how long it had been there.
Approaching another farm, I saw from a distance, a woman in full riding regalia mount a horse and ride off. Getting nearer we could see that there was ice on the surface of a pond, a sheep covered in mud from head to toe apparently stuck in a feeding trough, as it attempted to negotiate a very muddy area to access the trough.
There were ducks on the pond, hens and quail wandering around the farmyard and a couple of geese. Our ‘horse whisperer’ tried to soothe a horse in its stable who seemed to have something caught in its throat – probably just a seed from the oats but it was causing obvious irritation.
Back out on open areas we could see the tops of wind turbines sat stationary on the hill. A tree trunk facing the full sun had a hole which was alive with honeybees buzzing in and out of the trunk, a few of them even seemed to be sunbathing as they perched with their backs to the sun on the edge of the hole.
Before long we were off the track and on mountain paths, crossing a field near Mynydd Hugh to the track which passes in front of the original wind turbines on the Taff Ely Ridgeway. When we reached the noticeboards, we had brilliant views of the channel and the vast field of turbines turning slowly. It was a still day and we wondered whether they were not producing electricity but being turned by motors.
As we continued the distinct outline of Tylor’s Town tip came into view. Then a member of our group pointed to some animals in a distant field ‘look how the long shadows of those sheep make them look like human beings staring our way’. As we got closer, we realised that they were not sheep at all but people on horseback all done up in their riding best
But curiously they didn’t seem to be moving.
It was lunchtime so we made our way to some rocks near the remains of St Peter’s Church. The church had a head stone for someone buried in the 18th C. We draped ourselves across the stones above and watched the ‘action’ as we ate. There were two Masters of the hunt dressed in red jackets, everyone else being in black. After a while we realised that there seemed to be a problem with the hounds: apart from a brief glimpse of a group of about six hounds descending the hill, we saw three individual hounds which one of the masters was calling from the valley just in front of us. But curiously most riders were just hanging around in the distant field.
As we resumed our walk, we realised that the riders were coming towards us along the path we were about to take, so we kept out of their way. We waited on the edge of a field as a long line of riders passed us. Later we met a few people who were leaving, and they said that they had indeed been watching the hunt rather than participating which meant that children could join.
Walking east a short way we spied the green Daffodil sculpture at Caerphilly and explored some tracks, then it was time to swing round to get back to Mynydd Coedbychan for the descent to the cars. Unfortunately, this bit of the walk was very wet and involved crossing a fast-flowing stream to an island before crossing a second stream to terra firma – it was clearly marked with footpath signs but once again rainfall had altered the terrain. Lots of encouragement was needed for some of us (me in particular) but as usual we found a way through.
At this point I spied my first buttercup of the season, just a tiny spark of yellow in the grass. Soon we gained the main track. Small groups from the hunt shared the track with us as they made their way downhill. After a sunny day the sky was darkening with clouds at dusk and the temperature was dropping as we arrived back at the cars.
A lovely walk on good paths, highlighted by the entertainment provided by the local hunt. Refreshment at a local hostelry rounded the day off nicely.
Walk 7.2m 1000ft Map OS151.
OFF THE SHELF
“A Spell of Winter”
by Helen Dunmore
This is an unsettling story of love and betrayal, which is dark and claustrophobic in parts, but a story we all wanted to finish. It is set in turn-of-the-century England, with a Gothic literary genre. Catherine and Rob Allen are siblings two years apart, who grow up in a world of shameful secrets. Their mother creates a public outcry by abandoning her family for a bohemian life on the Continent and their father is committed to an asylum in the country. So, the children are sealed off with their grandfather, maid, and tutor in a crumbling country estate. The main overseer of their childhood is the well-loved servant, Kate, but the predatory tutor, Miss Gallagher lurks around in the shadows. In true gothic fashion, terror, blackmail, violence, and eroticism collect beneath every dark surface. Although the characters are emotionally complicated, they remain absorbing, and it is hard not to wish for the ‘cloud’ to lift.
Against this strange and secretive life, Cathy and her brother Rob develop a closeness so fierce that it eventually threatens to smother them both. The turning point in the story comes when Rob, in Cathy’s eyes, unforgivably runs away and she feels betrayed. She is left to build her life and relationships with two significant people who live close to her, her grandfather and Mr Bullivant. When World War I eventually bursts upon them all, Kate seems to find herself and learns quickly how to become self-sufficient. It’s only after she’s experienced this hardship that she’s given a second chance to be redeemed by love.
There is a slightly Austenesque edge to the characters and the book is intensely gripping if not slightly disturbing in parts. It is understandable why it won the 1996 Orange Book Prize. Our Book Club gave it a score of 8/10.
Isobel Davies
WENVOE FORUM
Considering tomorrow today
Searching for GOLD
Do you know the colour of hydrogen?
Wenvoe What’s On readers may remember from school science lessons that hydrogen, in
its normal state, is a colourless, tasteless, odourless and non-toxic gas. It is the third most abundant element on the surface of Earth, found in water and all organic matter. It is the simplest element and the lightest being 9 times lighter than air, which drove its use in the first part of the 20th century as the “lift” for airships until the Hindenburg disaster which reminds us that it in extremely flammable, in fact it is literally rocket fuel having been used particularly in combination with oxygen since NASA’s Apollo programme.
So hydrogen is light, abundant, non-toxic and flammable. These are all important properties that suggest Hydrogen might be part of the answer to replacing our dependence on fossil fuels in order to keep global temperatures down and avoid destructive and threatening climate driven events such as flooding and wild fires. However it seems that in this regard all Hydrogen is definitely not created equal.
Hydrogen is highly reactive, so it generally doesn’t hang around on its own but joins up with something else. It is created in the process of many chemical reactions but being so light it can quickly disperse into its surroundings. So to use it as a viable fuel it is generally created and captured and this is where the colourless gas of our science lessons becomes associated with a colour.
Black or Brown
This comes from the most environmentally damaging form of hydrogen creation. Black or brown coal is used to make liquid hydrogen but all the damaging products of coal combustion are released where the hydrogen is produced, and the low carbon emission hydrogen can be moved easily to other places that want low carbon fuel. It reminds me of times gone by when in order to supply London with smokeless coal to avoid “the smogs” much of the pollution it seemed was left behind in Mountain Ash and other places where the smokeless brickettes were made.
Grey
Grey hydrogen is made from natural gas or methane and though there are fewer pollutants than from coal, the process results in much the same sort of greenhouse gases being released as would have been the case just using the natural gas. Currently most of the supply of hydrogen is grey.
Blue
Blue hydrogen again is made from natural gas but using a process that captures the carbon and allows it to be stored. Turquoise In the blue part of the spectrum an experimental production method called Methane Pyrolysis produces Hydrogen and solid carbon. This may prove useful in the future as a low carbon fuel, if permanent storage or environmentally friendly use is made of the solid carbon Pink (or purple or red) We go back to the science lab at school again now. For many, H2O is the one chemical formula that they know, WATER. By passing a current of electricity through water it splits the water into two gases hydrogen and oxygen, which can be collected separately with no carbon resulting.
Pink, purple or red
hydrogen refers to hydrogen made by electrolysis using nuclear power. Green Using electrolysis of water with “green” renewable electricity sources, wind, solar, water turbine etc gives us the best hope for making hydrogen without adding to the greenhouse effect. NB Yellow Hydrogen is sometimes used for that produced using solar power.
GOLD
Geologists have long known that reactions between rocks containing iron and water produces hydrogen effectively the same process as rusting. However the assumption had been that the light hydrogen with its small molecule would seep out of the rocks and disperse, and no-one looked for any captured in the same way as natural gas was captured. Necessity, mother of invention has inspired new searches and big reservoirs are being found. Environmentalists fear that this search would uncover new oil and gas resources and that it will be hard to resist the pressure to exploit them and environmentalists will need to be proactive in combating that risk. To find large quantities of hydrogen that could be used in the same way as natural gas has could be a partial answer to many prayers.
Keep an eye out for news of a new gold mine.
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CARERS WALK
The Carers strollers were flying high at Barry Island on the post-Christmas ‘let’s walk the mince pies and Christmas puddings off’ walk. High winds and grey skies did not put off these hardy walkers from enjoying the cliffs and beaches…some even had a Christmas pudding ice cream at the end!!
Various Books Read over the Holidays
During the December meeting of The Page Turners each member contributed a book to a lucky dip. Whichever book was drawn, was to be read by that member and then discussed during the January meeting. The results are briefly summarised below and each book scored out of 10:
A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles. This novel tells the story of Count Alexander Ros-tov, who in 1922 is sentenced to house arrest and is imprisoned in an attic room in the Hotel Metropol in Moscow for many years. A book with humour and interesting characters, a very good read which is recommended and scored 8.
MRS VAN GOGH by Caroline Cauchi. The artist Vincent Van Gogh died in 1890, penniless and un-known. Joanne, married to Theo Van Gogh, Vin-cent’s brother, is determined to bring Vincent’s talent to public attention and works tirelessly for many years to achieve that goal. Our reader thought the novel, although slow at first, became very interesting and gave a score of 7.
THE BULLET THAT MISSED by Richard Osman. The third in The Thursday Murder Club series, it is recommended by our reader that the previous books in this series be read first. A really enjoyable novel with lots of humour scored 9.
CHRISTMAS IS MURDER by Val McDermid. This collection of twelve short stories is perfect for reading before going to sleep at night. Well written and atmospheric with various interesting characters. Al-so the perfect book to put on the bedside table in a guest room. Score 8.
THE OLIVE READERS by Christine Aziz. Our reader describes this book as a cross between the novels “1984”, “Harry Potter”, “Lord of the Rings” and “Animal Farm”. A dystopia novel set in a future with no past and is not recommended. Score 2.
THIS MUST BE THE PLACE by Maggie O’Farrell. An ex film star goes to live in the wilds of Ireland. This is a book about family and love, full of interest-ing characters, beautiful words and descriptions. Thoroughly enjoyed by our reader scored 9.
THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT by Maggie O’Farrell. Historical fiction inspired by the true story of the young Italian Duchess, Lucrezia de Medici, daughter of the Grand Duke Cosimo de Medici of Florence. At the age of 15, Lucrezia was married to 27 year old Alfonso, Duke of Ferrera, and becomes convinced that he is planning her death. Beautifully written, descriptive and interesting. Score 9.
WOMEN’S INSTITUTE
January Meeting of Wenvoe W.I.
After three very successful meetings in December prior to Christmas, Wenvoe WI met on 4th January in the Church Hall. It was lovely to see everyone arriving looking well, despite the wet weather and the annual round of coughs and colds.
We held our usual January ‘Bring and Buy’ sale of unwanted Christmas presents and discarded household bits and pieces. This year I was astonished at the sheer variety of wares on sale – from new slippers, kitchen utensils, calendars, room diffusers to a new warm, cosy blanket. Altogether, we raised over £80, some of which will eventually be donated to our charity for 2024, Ty Hafan.
After the usual business, we had our cuppa and chocolate biscuits. This was followed by a Dingbats quiz.
Our next meeting will be held in the Church Hall at 7.00pm on 1st February, when we have a guest speaker – Mr Peter Cox (formerly of GCHQ at Cheltenham). Mr Cox will speak on ‘British Intelligence and the Ukraine War’.
New lady members and tasters are always most welcome.
Wenvoe WI wishes all readers a happy and prosperous New Year.
Jan Young (President)
Pontsticill & Llanblethian
Pontsticill
After stating last month that we would be staying closer to home while the days are short, the last Saturday in November was so beautiful that we went to the Brecon Beacons. We started at Pontsticill reservoir. parking near the Brecon Mountain Railway. It was very cold with the first heavy frost of the year.
We climbed a good track between the Brecon Mountain Railway and Pontsticill reservoir. The steam railway station was shut at Pontsticill, but a Christmas tree was visible, and Father Christmas was walking along the platform; the railway features ‘Santa Rides’. We were lucky to spot the train coming up the line with its tell-tale smoke and lights.
At an outdoor centre there were several tents pitched in the valley. It made me shiver to think of camping out in this weather, but they were lucky as the centre had a café; we resisted the temptation to join them. Getting closer to the top, the firm track petered out at a woodland and the ground became very boggy in places. We could hear off-roaders revving their engines behind us as they ploughed through the soft soil. All too soon they were passing us, making a racket, sinking about 1ft into the ground, shooting earth everywhere and leaving the footpath badly damaged.
At lunchtime we sat amongst tall grasses. There was no wind and sunshine on our backs so although it was cold 4 layers of clothing, hat and gloves were sufficient to stay warm even when we sat for lunch. As we finished lunch some light clouds formed overhead, and we spotted shapes – a ‘butterfly’ and a ‘jellyfish’ were clear.
The views were amazing: to our left was the Pen y Fan range and to the right Sugar Loaf, Skirrid and Table Mountain. Looking behind us, we could see Pentwyn and Pontsticill reservoirs in the sunshine and ahead Talybont reservoir and Tor y Foel. At Talybont we could see the frost along the shoreline as we glanced down.
We carried on to a trig point surrounded by icy water. Even in the sun some puddles had ice thick enough to resist stabbing with walking poles. Frozen mosses and even brambles looked beautiful in the clear light as we started to descend.
The return walk along a road was very easy but we still spotted icicles. The sun was dropping quickly as we did the same and the light over the reservoirs was colder as we walked the last mile and glanced back at the craggy outline of Pen y Fan.
What a glorious day in the mountains; you cannot fail to feel glad to be alive and happy, if a little tired after such a day. [Map OL12 8.7miles 1000ft]
Llanblethian
A week later and another very deep frost welcomed us on Saturday morning, but this time there was mist and fog, so we walked from Llanblethian. We set off across fields towards St Hilary. Large holes littered the ground where livestock had grazed in the autumnal mud, but it was frozen solid, so we didn’t sink but walked carefully so as not to twist ankles.
Tackling a rickety stile, we were told they had been waiting 2 years for a kissing gate from the Vale, a sign of budget restrictions? As we joined a track, there was a surprise – tiny little lambs with their ewes. Ahh and Brrr!
At St Hilary the thatched Bush Inn was closed, so we couldn’t stop but continued towards St Mary Church/ Llanfair. A circular picnic table on the green next to the church had seating for eight, exactly our number so we settled there for lunch. Anyone walking past might think we were a bit crazy picnicking in December, but we needed the calories, and the chat was good.
We visited Old Beaupre Castle, climbing the stile into its grounds. It is a medieval manor house largely rebuilt in the 16th century, by Richard Bassett. The gatehouse is dated 1586 and a Renaissance porch added in 1600 is unique to Wales.
The Bassett family used Beaupre to display their wealth and influence. Considering that it is a ruin with no entrance fee there is a fair bit to explore, there is even a staircase. This led to 3 bedchambers, each with its own fireplace, en-suite toilet and four-poster bed. The Bassett family fortunes changed when they backed Charles I during the Civil war, lived beyond their means in London and had to sell Beaupre Castle in 1706. It is worth a visit.
As we left the castle the sun broke through the fog and mist and we could look up towards fog hanging over the valleys of South Wales, quite atmospheric. The Vale is normally muddy with lots of stiles and this walk was no exception but … all the footpaths remained frozen and our boots stayed relatively clean. [Map 151. 8.2 miles ]
WENVOE FORUM
Considering tomorrow today
Taking responsibility for your own health FOOD!
“We are what we eat!” so they say. Alongside exercise, your choice of what you eat, drink, breathe or absorb in some other way into your body must surely be the easiest contribution you can make to improving your own health. So let’s take a look at day to day eating and drinking – DIET.
To many, the word diet equates with trying to lose weight and certainly being over weight or obese is not good for your health at this very moment. It is also a predictor of a huge range of potential future health problems, from complications with pregnancies to difficult menopause; sports injuries to later life fractures; asthma to Alzheimer’s. It is no surprise, that with an eye to the future, that public health policy has a large focus on reducing obesity, hoping to educate children, through the menu of school dinners, to choose, and enjoy, healthy food options naturally as they grow into adulthood. For those of us grown ups whose reaction to being told it would be a good idea to lose weight is likely to be “But, I can’t live without… chocolate, cheese, chips, my mid-morning croissant, a fried breakfast at the weekend, or a glass of wine.” and so on, it is likely to be harder. One could concentrate on the unpleasant symptoms of diseases and conditions that are more common amongst the overweight, however if you are the optimistic type it might be preferable to find some positive motivations.
In 2004 Glanni Pes and Michel Poulain published the paper from which the concept of Blue Zones developed. Their study in Nuora Province of Sardinia, was exploring an area where there was no gender gap in longevity. Unlike other countries and indeed other parts of Italy, as many men lived to the oldest of ages as women. The area had roughly twice as many centenarians as the Italian average. Not only were people living longer but they were living in active good health far longer than elsewhere. National Geographic journalist Dan Buettner coined the term Blue Zones and added 4 more areas to the list and studied different aspects of life in those zones. At a time when in most of the world the average age of the population is getting older, there is great interest in successful aging and the prize of both a long and a healthy life.
General recommendations for a healthy diet usually mention the Mediterranean diet with lots of vegetables and fruit, protein from fish and plants rather than meat, reduction of free sugar, low salt and with an emphasis on whole foods and reducing processed food. It is often said that your plate should be colourful and that by choosing foods with a variety of natural colours you will be ensuring a balanced diet.
There is a lot of information on the internet, advice on diet and, in particular, on specific foods to help manage particular health conditions, all of which can be very confusing. It can also be contradictory and misleading, so take care where you take your information from. Use well known sources NHS, UK, USA and European Charities, World Health Organisation, Universities, academic journals and databases. Look for confirmation from elsewhere, check references and if an academic paper is cited at least check that it is published and you will normally be able to read a summary, called an abstract, at the beginning to check it out. If it is very scientific and you can’t follow it be careful.
While looking for information on a healthy diet I came across a couple of interesting bits of related information:-
• People who grow their own, eat more fruit and veg than those who just buy them
• An average household in the UK wastes a shocking 68kg of fruit and veg in a year. People who grow their own waste only 3.1 kg.
So read The Village Gardener and get growing for your own health and that of the environment.
Further information:-
• There is Netflix docuseries on all aspects of the Blue Zones https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/ 81214929
• Information on the Blue Zone Diet in more detail https://www.bluezones.com/recipes/foodguidelines/
• World Health Organisation information on a healthy diet. https://www.who.int/news-room/ fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
New Forum members are always welcome to join e-mail us e-mail gwenfo.
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Llangorse Mynydd
Llangorse Mynydd
It was 13 weeks since I had been out with the Wenvoe walkers, so it was with some trepidation that I joined them on a trip to Mynnydd Llangorse. As we set off at a cracking pace, I thought I will never keep this up but soon got into the swing of it. The route is basically a climb from the car park outside Cwmdu village hall (fee £1) up to the moors on the top of Mynydd Llangorse and then a descent.
It was ideal walking weather slightly cloudy but dry with rain clouds hanging on the hills. The land was lush with grass and there were some wonderful old trees. Harebells were spotted and then seemed to be everywhere alongside the footpath.
Ahead of us were some dilapidated buildings. Three very old tractors stood, as if on parade, in a field. At the farmhouse slates were missing from the roof and guttering was falling off; it looked as if one end of the house was probably weatherproof, and the rest deteriorating. The corrugated iron roof of the barn was rusty with more holes than rusty iron. But there were several cars and apparently someone does live there. Even a sign for the bridal path looked as if it had been there forever being completely covered in silvery lichen, apart from the blue outline of a horse and rider.
Continuing we spotted orange waxcap fungi on the steep slope above the farm. Now we were getting closer to the purply pink flowers of the heather strewn moors. The heather on Mynydd Llangorse was ‘going over’ but that on Pen Tir, our return route, was glorious. It was close to lunchtime when we reached the trig point and Llangorse lake had not come into view, but we sank into the springiness of the heather to eat. It was quite cold with some of us wishing we had gloves!
Dark clouds still clung to the hills around, and rain was visible in the distance, but at last there was Llangorse lake, looking quite murky, below us. A cairn marked the turning for the path over Pen Tir and we were soon surrounded by heather in full flower with its subtle scent.
The descent was gradual at first, and the last half an hour was steep which I found quite demanding. But what a lovely walk. Although dark clouds clung to the hills, we had got away with some sunshine and just a few drops of rain. After refreshments at Tretower castle, we drove home over the top and were lucky to see a kite and a wide rainbow.
Walk 7.2m 1350ft.