Category: Community Groups

THE SECRET PLACE by Tana French

 

THE SECRET PLACE by Tana French

This book is fifth in the Dublin Murder Squad series and although some of the characters can be found in previous novels, it can be read as a stand alone.

Following the unsuccessful investigation into the murder of a teenage boy, Chris Harper, in the grounds of St.Kilda’s School for Girls on the outskirts of Dublin, a year later a note is posted on the “Secret Place”, a bulletin board in St. Kilda’s. The note shows a photo of Chris together with the words “I know who killed him”.

Holly Mackey, one of the boarders at St.Kilda’s, finds the note and takes it to Stephen Moran, an ambitious young detective on the Cold Case Squad. Eager to further his career, Moran proceeds to work with Antoinette Conway, the detective originally assigned to this murder case.

The investigation centres on two groups of girls at St.Kilda’s and their rivalry, quarrels and jealousies in the claustrophobic atmosphere of the boarding school.

Once again the Page Turners had varying views on this novel. Some found it too long, boring, tedious and naive, with an overuse of adjectives. The characters were described as being in no way memorable with the ending running out of steam. However, others really enjoyed the book and thought it a good murder mystery, with the characters of the girls in the two groups particularly well drawn. The interaction of the two detectives was interesting and the portrayal of the young girls going through adolescence and on the cusp of young womanhood was at times electrical.

One of the Page Turners listened to the novel on audio books. It was narrated with an Irish accent and she described the whole experience as “thoroughly enjoyable”.

The scores out of 10 ranged from 4 to 9 resulting in an average of 6.

This was our first meeting of 2019 and a warm welcome was given to a new member of the Page Turners.

 

 

Cwm Clydach and The Swansea Canal

On a sunny morning in late October, we parked in Clydach and we walked east along the Swansea canal, with reflections of trees in its still waters.

The canal was built to serve collieries, iron works and copper works in the Tawe valley. The first section opened in 1796; its final length was 16½ miles and included 5 aqueducts to carry the canal across the river Tawe, at Pontardawe, Ynysmeudwy, Ystralyfera and Cwmgiedd. One section, the Trewyddfa canal, was privately owned by the Duke of Beaufort who charged a toll.

We passed the heritage centre in Coed Gwilym Park, where metallic outlines of three figures stand. The towpath is easy walking and we soon found another ‘sculpture’, a bicycle marooned on top of a tall tree trunk (the towpath is a cycle trail). A little later we spotted a rhododendron bush in full flower.

The river Tawe soon came into view and we walked a short distance between the river and canal. We crossed a bridge and after following the canal for a while, headed uphill away from Trebanog towards Gellionen. A flock of handsome goats in a field next to the footpath were very friendly coming up to the fence and standing on their hind legs to eye us up whilst another (the nanny?) stood/sat on a nearby picnic table.

As we continued we enjoyed extensive views of Swansea Bay with thick fluffy white clouds on the distant horizon. At Gellionen there is a chapel ‘for the use of the society of protestant dissenters’. It was erected in 1692 and rebuilt in 1801 when an ancient carved stone, part of a Celtic cross (from 8th century Llan Eithrim church), was set into an outside wall. The stone is now in Swansea museum. As we left the chapel we went through a gate with a sign which said ‘Welcome – Croeso please take care of this stunning place’.

We continued northwest crossing moorland and passed close to (but didn’t see as although only 50 yards from the footpath it is a difficult place to find) Carn Llechart. Believed to be about 3500 years old, it is one of the finest examples of a stone ring cairn or burial chamber in Wales. It has 25 low stones set close together and leaning outwards with a shattered stone lined cist (coffin) towards the centre.

 

Now we headed west and downhill alongside a stream towards the Lower Clydach River. We entered woodland which was shaded and cool. At the river we scrambled across rocks or sat on grassy hummocks to find a spot to relax and eat our lunch.

Cwm Clydach RSPB Reserve established in 1987 is mixed broadleaf woodland with a wide variety of bird species present all year. These include Buzzard, Red Kite, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Tree Creeper, Bull finch Dipper and Grey Wagtail. Otters have returned to the river, a sign of how much cleaner it is.

Until 1962 much of Cwm Clydach was a working coal mining valley. The largest colliery was opened in 1863, known locally as ‘Nixons’ it was one of the main employers. It produced 115,000 tons of saleable coal a year. It was a rock top colliery but as it was virtually gas free, the boilers to raise the haulage engines were underground, as was a blacksmith’s shop, which was rare in a colliery.

The path through Cwm Clydach was covered in warm brown leaves and the sun shone through the trees which had dropped most of their leaves. We passed the remains of many abandoned buildings, some with streams tumbling over them – a reminder of the area’s industrial past. We passed the village of Craig-Cefn-Parc. Its name is thought to mean rocks behind the enclosure. Craig probably refers to small quarries that were in the area. Cefn Parc (meaning at the back of the enclosure) is the name of an old farm at the top of the village – its name suggests that it was at the edge of a Manorial Lord’s enclosure. Even now it is the last farm before you reach the open common.

We continued along the river through housing and passed a large weir. Walking over a bridge over the river we could see the lower Clydach Aqueduct where the canal joins the lower Clydach River and the River Tawe. Now we were back alongside the canal and returned to our cars, passing signs of the restoration work which the Swansea Canal Society are undertaking.

Our walk was 7.7 miles in length with 700ft of ascent. OS Map 165.

 

 

Clyne Valley

Clyne Valley

We parked in lower Sketty, Swansea near the recycling centre and headed generally northwest through Clyne Valley Country Park. The land near the path was once a rubbish tip and before that a spoil heap from the Clyne Valley Colliery (closed 1921). Coal mining was the first industry in the valley starting as early as 1305.

Fallen leaves covered the path at our feet and sunshine brightened up the day occasionally.

We walked along the route of an old railway and passed under a bridge. Meandering through Clyne wood we found a stream and the sealed entrance to a mine. We spotted a fallen tree covered in frilly bracket fungi and another long tree trunk covered in ferns.

As we neared Clyne park magnolia trees with huge leaves occasionally appeared. A few trees retained their autumnal colours. At Black Pill we saw Clyne castle (built by a millionaire in 1860 by extending a house) and entered the park. Walking to the top of the park, we sat on benches in an open area facing the sea. There was a cold wind blowing and in the distance we could see the wind whipping up the surface of the sea. Several of us jumped up quickly to catch sandwich wrappers and even hats before they disappeared. What a fabulous spot to sit on a warm day but we ate quickly and moved on.

Streams meander through the park and the planting is similar to Cefn Onn in Cardiff but more extensive. A red Italian bridge sits across a stream. We arrived at the seafront and then made our way back to the cars. The castle and grounds are owned by Swansea University.

Our walk was 6.75 miles, 650ft climb. Map 164.

 

 

Clytha Park and River Usk.

Clytha Park and River Usk.

The notice board at the National Trust car park in Clytha Park offers two walks 2.5 or 5.5 miles. Combining them created a walk of 7.75 miles with a 500ft climb.

We set off on a late autumn morning; the weather was grey but dry. A path led us into farmland where two vehicles were ploughing the land, one turning it over the second producing tilth. Footpath signs were good and at one point giant arrows were painted on two trees where the path went between them. We crossed a couple of fields of mangel-wurzels and passed a white house with a veranda. The path followed an avenue of beech trees and an area of parkland with cows grazing.

Southeast of the car park is Clytha castle with its circular corners and squat towers.

We continued past a wood towards Clytha Hill with distant views of Sugar Loaf. The trees glowed with their glorious leaf colours.

At Coed y Bwnydd secreted atop the hill is possibly the best preserved Iron Age hill fort in Monmouthshire with human activity stretching back 2000 years. The fort’s defensive banks and ditches are clearly visible. They helped to protect the inhabitants from attack by other tribes and animals such as wolves and bears. Roundhouses have been excavated here. The main sounds today are birdsong but 2000 years ago you might have heard axes chopping, people chattering (there was some of that today as we passed through), sheep and hens and the clunk of metal being worked. Wild boar or deer might have been roasting on wood and charcoal fires, their aromas filling the air.

We continued to the village of Bettws Newydd, finding a fascinating wall with large chunks of stone of different sizes in amongst horizontal flat stones. The church porch had a coffin stretcher on its rafters. A piece of wood had a poem written on it (by N.N. in 2009):

‘The Bettws Yew

The star which shone on Bethlehem shone on this noble tree

It stood here still in Norman times when knights claimed their victory

As King Charles lost his head this tree made growth anew

Thanks be to God that we still have our Bettwys Yew.’

We headed west towards the river Usk, passing through farmland where we saw calves, trees heavy with mistletoe (common in Monmouthshire) and an old tree which had grown around a piece of metal fencing entirely engulfing it. After passing Trostrey Lodge we came to the riverside and followed it back to the car park. Map OL13.

 

 

A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks

 

As the Page Turners gathered for their final meeting of 2018, they received a warm welcome from their hostess and discussions were started whilst sipping mulled wine or buck’s fizz. The book on offer in December, A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks was not so warmly received by the majority of the book club members.

A Week in December is set in London, over a period of one week in December. It is a story of contemporary London and introduces many characters and themes including an examination of Islam, football in London, drugs, financial dealings and journalism. Phew!

The mince pies that were available did not sweeten the comments that were made, most of which were unfavourable. The story was considered too long, with particularly boring descriptions of the financial plotting of one of the characters, John Veals. It was felt that the book did not reflect the characters and lives of real people in the city of London. Most people wanted to finish the book, but found the ending a disappointment. The overall score was 6. After the discussion, the group got on with the real business of the evening: pulling crackers, sharing cracker jokes, eating festive food and discussions about the Archers.

Happy reading in 2019….and remember, ” the more you read, the more you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr Seuss. So. off you go!

 

 

Lincoln in the Bardo

 

Lincoln in the Bardo is a 2017 experimental novel by American writer George Saunders. The bulk of the novel, which takes place over the course of one single evening, is set in the bardo: an intermediate space between life and rebirth. The book received widespread critical acclaim and won the Man Booker Prize in 2017. The widespread critical acclaim was not supplemented or supported by many members of the Wenvoe Page Turners, as the comments below show (written in a similarly “innovative” and “original” style as the novel itself!).

“Worst book I’ve ever read” Sylvia “Not a book for me” Sandra “I gave up” May “Very refreshing” Helen “Funny and amusing” Tess “Inaccessible” Lynne “Wonderfully original” Tony “I didn’t enjoy any moment of it” Jenny “I didn’t like the style of writing or the subject” Babs

A mixed review for this award winning novel which resulted in 2 scores of 9 and 4 scores of 1, with an average of 4. Everyone did agree that the cakes provided by Babs were worth a perfect 10.

 

 

Introducing Thursday Walkers

The “Thursday Walkers” are an afternoon social walking group who meet monthly. The walks are organised by Bert and usually cover some 5 miles with a cut-off point for those undertaking a shorter route. They also include a visit to a coffee shop either during or at the end of each walk.


The photograph was taken during a visit to the Parc Slip Nature Reserve Tondu and shows the group sitting on the monument to the 112 men and boys who died following an underground explosion at the coal mine on 26 August 1892. In total some 112 stones have been used to create the monument.
The mine, which commenced operating during the 1860’s, was closed in 1904, but was re-opened as an opencast mine from the 1960’s to the 1980’s.
After landscape restoration work, Parc Slip became a nature reserve in 1999 and is managed by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. The reserve has a number of paths for visitors to take walks which are well sign posted. There is an excellent coffee shop in the reserve and Trust volunteers’ are usually on hand to give advice etc to visitors.
Colin

 

 

Kilpeck Church

Kilpeck Church

We parked at Kilpeck church, a few miles south of Hereford, and went straight to the church. It is a 12th century building with wonderful original features. Corbels (89 of them) decorate the edge of the roof; the images cover a wide range from a bird pecking a smaller bird, Celtic knots, Sheelagh-na-gig, hound and hare, serpents and some strange creatures which are difficult to identify. Then there is the entrance door. Although there is no porch it is in an amazing state of repair. The stone prights and arch, of the doorway, are covered in carvings including dragons and the tree of life. The door itself is solid wood with huge metalwork holding the door together and bolted through the door to giant hinges. A lot of the furniture within the church is Victorian but the architecture is 12th C – 14thC. There is a minstrel’s gallery; its origin is a mystery as the staircase leading to it is Victorian but it may be Elizabethan or Jacobean. The former seems likely as that was when music in churches became more sophisticated and wooden galleries at the west end of churches became popular.

The church probably survived so well because of the village’s unfortunate history. The population was devastated by famine and the Black Death in the 14thC. Hence the church remained small and unknown for many centuries. When it was renovated in the 19thC the architect, Lewis Nockalls Cottingham, was sensitive to the Romanesque original design. There are windows designed by Pugin.

The area around Kilpeck had been known as Ergyng when it was a small Welsh kingdom. Later it became part of the Welsh marches and was renamed Archenfield. In 1086 a timber castle was built to establish Norman rule in the area. Although a stone castle replaced the original, little remains of Kilpeck castle sat on a mound to the west of the church.

Now we set off on our walk travelling in a generally southerly direction towards Marlas and then Bagwyllydiart. It was a lovely late autumn day and the countryside soft and rolling made a very pleasant stroll. The views were extensive but now and again mists rolled across the hills creating fascinating scenes.

At Bagwyllydiart we turned northeast, going towards Orcop Hill. This stretch of the walk was mainly on a quiet road and we could see the hill ahead of us. Two of us stopped to buy tomatoes from

a roadside stall and then waited to watch a shrew cross the road in front of us (attempts at a photo were thwarted by the speed with which it darted for cover). Suddenly we were way behind everyone else and it wasn’t until they stopped at Orcop Hill that we caught up.

At lunch we arranged ourselves over huge pieces of a tree which were beside the road and wondered whether it had come down in a storm blocking the road.

Walking through Mynde wood we found large holes which must have been made by badgers, we carefully skirted these. Emerging from the wood we could see The Mynde ahead of us.

 

The Mynde was a Royalist stronghold in the Civil War. It was home to the Pye family from the 1350s until about 1709. Walter Pye was attorney general for Charles I. His second son, Robert Pye, had different religious affiliations which decided his fate. He was beaten by a Roman Catholic neighbour with a billhook and died a few days later. The house is mediaeval with a grand Georgian facade. Apparently it has always been a private residence and is promoted as a film location. According to the Herefordshire Times ‘It has a 1,180 acre estate and parkland passing through a seven-acre lake’.

Now we turned northwest and were heading back towards Kilpeck. We passed through more beautiful rolling countryside. In a field we came across a large flock of sheep that ran from us and covered the horizon. We passed a few pretty cottages and arrived back at Kilpeck church.

Distance walked 8 miles and 750ft climb. OS Map 189

 

 

The Sugar Loaf

Sugar Loaf (the hill north of Abergavenny)

Many people who climb Sugar Loaf park halfway up, not us, in order to have a decent walk we parked at Glangrwyney. The day was sunny and warm but not too hot, ideal walking weather.

Sugar Loaf was originally called Mynnydd Pen-y-fal – ‘mountain of the head/top of the peak/summit’. Pen-y-fal is still shown on maps to the northwest of Sugar Loaf. The name Sugar Loaf was applied because it has a resemblance to a sugarloaf. Until the late 19th century refined sugar was produced and sold in the form of a sugarloaf. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end-product of a process in which dark molasses rich raw sugar was refined into white sugar.

We set off in a northerly direction to Hall farm and then climbed through Cwm Gwenffrwd along a wide track. Harebells in the verge gave an unexpected splash of late summer colour. Sheep and hens grazed and pecked in a field full of thistles and a sheepdog barked at us.

Heading east the path skirts around a rise to take us towards Llanwenarth where the NT car park is situated. We passed Y Graig on the southern slopes of Sugar Loaf. Here in the 1990s a prehistoric site was discovered containing flint tools from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze ages.

Now the gradient increased as did our views of the countryside around us – always gorgeous in this part of the country. The top of Sugar Loaf came within sight and strangely on the ground at our feet we spotted beetles rolling dung many times their size. Just as you see the dung beetle of Africa doing but on a smaller scale.

Now we started to stretch into a longer line as some people kept up their pace and the rest of us stopped regularly to take in the view (nothing to do with needing a rest).

As we approached the final climb the path divided; it was apparent that the path to the right led to a craggy outcrop whereas a slight detour left gave an easier if slightly longer route. The first to the top stood near the path signalling directions to the rest of us.

At the top the breeze, that had kept us refreshed on the way up, suddenly became a wind which cut into us – cooling after our exertions. First impressions were of the number of families at the top; quite small children attempting to fly kites, while parents sat and looked at the 360o views of the plains to the east and the Black mountains and Brecon Beacons to the north and west. Others were enjoying picnics.

A couple of us sat down and started eating lunch immediately but most of us went to the trig point at 596 metres and then found a niche just under the summit, out of the wind to eat whilst enjoying the warmth of the sun. The Sugar Loaf is under National Trust ownership and is grazed by Welsh mountain sheep – two of these decided they would like to share our lunch but after a few minutes moved away.

We went back to the trig point for photos and to pick up our return path which was a fairly steep descent in a westerly direction.

The temperature rose as we dropped and we relished the warmth of the sun. At this lower altitude the countryside was lush and we saw trees heavy with fruit and fungi at the side of the path. We passed ‘The Old Vicarage’ which was indeed an old house; it had an upper storey with an interesting overhang at the entrance to the drive.

Soon we arrived at Llangenny where houses sit above the river Grwyne Fawr. We crossed the river and then followed it back towards Glangrwyney.

As we stepped over a stile onto a road we were impressed by the majesty of a huge sweet chestnut tree. There was enough room for all of us to stand in front of it and it had a limb which reached down to the ground – looking a little like an elephant’s trunk. Its leaves and fruit sparkled in the sunshine with the river glistening behind it.

As usual we went for refreshment to a local inn and sat in the garden under a crab apple tree laden with fruit. We were very pleasantly surprised when two plates of delicious chocolate brownies accompanied our drinks, a gift from the landlord. What a lovely gesture and much appreciated. This was a great end to an excellent walk (8.25miles with a 1900ft climb) on a beautiful late summer’s day.

The Essex Serpent

 

THE ESSEX SERPENT by Sarah Perry

This beautifully written historical fiction is set in 1893 in London and rural Essex. It was Waterstones Book of the Year 2016 and nominated for both The Women’s Prize and the Costa Book Award.

Cora is recently widowed from an unhappy and abusive marriage. Throughout her husband’s illness, she was supported by Doctor Luke Garrett, a pioneering surgeon and his wealthy friend, Doctor George Spencer, a physician.

Accompanied by her eleven year old autistic son Francis and their companion and friend Martha, Cora leaves London Society for a visit to Colchester. Whilst there she learns that after some 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to be roaming the marshes of the Blackwater Estuary once again and claiming human lives. As a keen amateur naturalist, she wonders if this could be some undiscovered species and decides to investigate. Her investigations lead her to Aldwinter, a fictional village situated on the Blackwater Estuary, where she is introduced to the Reverend William Ransome, the resident Vicar of Aldwinter, his frail wife Stella and their family.

This novel explores science vs faith and religion, social conscience, love and friendship and has received very positive public reviews. However the Page Turners were mostly of the opinion that there are many negatives which include the following:

There is too much going on but no depth to the various story-lines which are not memorable,

disjointed and at times, dreary and depressing. Even the titled story-line of the Essex Serpent fizzles out to nothing. Additionally, the majority of the characters, including Cora, are not very endearing.

On the positive side, the Page Turners concluded that the book is beautifully written and wonderfully descriptive. The author is clever and has done some very good background research, especially with regard to medical advancements during that era.

The scores ranged from 5 to 8 and produced a final average of 6.5.

 

 

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