Category: Community Groups

The Invention of Wings

The Invention of Wings

Sue Monk Kidd

Set in the American Deep South “The Invention of Wings” unflinchingly describes the brutality of slavery in vivid and precise detail.

The book is the fictionalised history of the Grimke sisters, Sarah and Angelina (Nina), who were at the forefront of the abolitionist and women’s rights movements, wound around the intriguing life story of a young slave. Most of us thoroughly enjoyed the fictionalised history, just a little dissension on the “faction” element. We felt we should thank the author for introducing us to the lives of these fascinating and ground breaking sisters, none of us had heard of their pioneering work before.

The novel is outstanding, the exceptional writing quietly yet powerfully raising our awareness of the abhorrence of slavery.

We would all recommend this book and it scored 9.

 

 

Clytha

Clytha – It was the middle of March and snow flurries persisted as we drove east, the hills to the north of the M4 soon had a dusting of white. We started at the National Trust car park at Clytha Park. Clytha is an18thC landscaped estate consisting of the park, house and castle near Abergavenny.

It was bitterly cold in a brisk easterly wind. Taking the footpath to the river Usk we walked south along the river, which was high and flowing very fast. Immediately we spotted mistletoe high up in the tops of many trees, outlined against the winter sky. South of Clytha castle we turned west taking footpaths across farmland and began our main ascent of the day.

Clytha Castle folly is a castellated and romantic Gothic retreat overlooking the Usk valley. William Jones, of Clytha Park, moved back to Wales in 1787 from London with the intention of creating his own personal memorial to his recently deceased wife, Elizabeth (last surviving child of Sir William Morgan of Tredegar house). The folly was designed by John Davenport. A tablet set into the wall bears the inscription ‘it was undertaken with the purpose of relieving a mind afflicted by the loss of a most excellent wife’. The impressive gateway was designed by John Nash. The castle was connected to the Park by a carriage drive that crossed the Clytha Gorge via a suspension bridge. For a time it was used by a gamekeeper. Empty since 1948, the Landmark Trust rescued it in the 1970s; it stands on the slopes of Clytha hill, at the edge of a grove of chestnut trees.

Turning north towards Twyn farm and then Whitehouse farm where we joined a road which would take us across the A40 via a bridge. The ground was very wet and heavy clods of earth decorated our boots, something we would enjoy many times on this walk. Even the lanes were flooded in places but keeping to the centre of the road we navigated them without anyone getting wet feet. We spotted a huge flock of seagulls on the edge of a pond which had formed in one field.

Soon the Skirrid, then Sugarloaf and finally the Blorenge came into view, all of them covered in snow and glowing against the dark sky. These hills were to form a backdrop to much of our walk, glowing whenever the sun touched them.

We walked through Clytha village, spring flowers and even a cherry tree bloomed lifting our spirits. It has a Roman Catholic village school, Ysgol Clytha, built in1858 and now a private house. Behind the school we were surprised to see a Roman Catholic cemetery which is still in use. The church, St Bridget’s, is at the other end of the village. Clytha village was home to the Monmouthshire polo club, the first polo club in Wales, founded 1872.

At a T junction we crossed the road to head northeast, glancing to the right we could see an impressive gateway to Llanarth Court. Hats were drawn down to eyebrow level and hoods raised as the icy wind came straight at us. Now it was lunchtime so we hunkered down behind a hedge for shelter and a short rest.

A farm had long-horned cattle, a bull and cows in the muddy farm yard looked bedraggled. Continuing we turned right at a road, walking along it for a short way and then heading across country towards Llansantffraed Court hotel, a splendid house with a fountain and picnic table in the grounds. From here a tunnel took us under the dual carriageway and back to the banks of the river Usk. Walking south we caught a glimpse of Clytha castle on the wooded hill and were soon back at the car park.

We had spotted lots of spring flowers in different locations – the last of the snowdrops, primroses, daffodils and the first swathes of anemones.

Despite the bleak and bitterly cold day it had been a lovely walk and we agreed that we felt thoroughly refreshed, if a little tired at the end. It was 8 miles with 650ft climb.

We stopped at the Secret Garden centre, Pontypool on the way home. The greenhouses were a riot of colour, as they were full to overflowing with primulas brought inside to protect them from the weather. Chickens wander freely and they were hiding under the shelving, crowing loudly as we passed. Tea and the warmth of the café were very welcome.

 

 

ST DAVID – WALES AND BEYOND

ST DAVID – WALES AND BEYOND

St David was born in Pembrokeshire around 500 AD to Sant, a prince of Cardigan, and St Non, the daughter of a chieftain. Little is known about his life. He was brought up near Aberaeron and is said to have been baptised by St Elvis of Munster. David was educated at a monastery under St Paulinus who, recognising his great potential to spread the word of Christianity, sent David on pilgrimages around Wales, Cornwall, Britanny, Ireland and Jerusalem.

St David died on March 1st, 589. His remains were buried in St David's Cathedral. Although his shrine was later removed by Vikings, a new shrine was constructed there in the 13th Century.

It is said St David founded 12 monasteries and performed several miracles. Canonised by Pope Callixtus in 1120, St David has been recognised as patron saint of Wales since the 12th century.

St David’s Day is celebrated by Welsh societies around the world. St David’s Day celebrations are still held by the descendants of those who emigrated from Wales to Patagonia in 1865.

 

• While preaching to a crowd in the West Wales village of Llanddewi Brefi, David is said to have performed his most famous miracle. The crowd were finding it difficult to see and hear the sermon, when a white dove landed on David’s shoulder. As it did, the ground on which he stood is said to have risen up to form a mighty hill, making it possible for the gathering crowd to finally see and hear him. The dove became St David’s emblem, often appearing in his portraits and on stained-glass windows depicting him.

• Monasteries founded by St David were known for their extreme austerity. Monks abstained from worldly pleasures and carried out hard farming duties on a basic diet. Some monks were so fed up of St David’s harsh regime they even tried to poison his bread. Fortunately he survived.

• The 17th century diarist Samuel Pepys noted how Welsh St David’s Day celebrations in London would spark wider counter-celebrations among their English neighbours, with life-sized effigies of Welshmen being symbolically lynched.

 

Welsh tradition says that during a battle against the Anglo-Saxons, David advised the Welsh warriors to wear a leek in their hats or armour so that the warriors might distinguish themselves from their enemies. Ever since then, the Welsh wear leeks every March 1st in memory.

 

 

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

This book follows a single day in 1923 in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, an upper class London society hostess, preparing for a party. The day interweaves her thoughts, reflections on the past, life choices and actions, with several other characters, including Septimus Smith (a war veteran, suffering from post traumatic stress) and Peter Walsh (an early admirer). The day ends with the suicide of Septimus and Clarissa’s party.

The book published in 1925, is considered a classic, an example of ‘stream of consciousness’ storytelling. It touches on suggestions of a Lesbian relationship, mental illness and lost love.

However, the majority of our group did not enjoy it. People found it repetitious, with overlong sentences, the characters hard to visualise, lacking in story and boring. Several members did not finish the book.

Those in favour rated it as a favourite read and beautifully written. The reader gets to know the characters really well and they are cleverly connected at the end.

 

 

Quakers Yard and Hendryd Falls

 

Quakers Yard –

Starting at Quakers Yard, until the 18th Century, known as Rhyd y Grug, ‘the ford of the rustling waters’, where the Bargoed Taff and Taff rivers meet. Its name changed when land was bequeathed to the Quaker movement for use as a burial ground or yard. Until the 2nd half of the 19th century it was a picturesque rural village with 2 inns and little industry. Neighbouring communities developed later around the coal trade, local streets are named after influential Quakers and Treharris is named after William Harris, who came from a rich Quaker family.

Travelling east we walked alongside a turbulent river taking us to the Taff Bargoed Park, built on the site of old mine workings. The river has been dammed to create lakes, providing habitat for a diverse range of insects, birds and small mammals.

The manmade channels carrying water through the park were churning after heavy rain and occasional waves rose along the sides of the structures. Paving on the main footpath indicates the position of coal seams, each over 2000ft deep. Leaving the park and walking up a hill we noted that even the road had fast flowing water and we were lucky it was not icy.

On reaching the outskirts of Trelewis we headed northwest across open land. We spotted a large herd of horses in the distance (redolent of a scene from an old western film).

Continuing we came upon the site of the remains of an old chapel at Cefn Merthyr – hardly visible in undergrowth. There was a murky view to the west, of a green and brown hillside but looking north towards Merthyr a watery sunshine which we called ‘the promised land’ – it was so long since we’d seen sunshine.

Reaching the eastern edge of a woodland, we continued north for a while before turning south through the wood. It was quite atmospheric, the trees being covered in moss and the clouds low. Moving closer to the edge of the track to peer into the wood we were staggered to see a huge tyre dump. Coming out of the wood, Aberfan came into view across the valley and we stopped for lunch.

Continuing in a southerly direction we entered the Pontygwaith Nature reserve and the Taff trail at ‘Trevithick’s Trail’ which follows the old tram road from Penydarren to Abercynon along the river. The tramroad is famous for being the first in history to carry a full load of iron and passengers. On 21st February 1804 the train travelled 9.5 miles in 4hrs 5mins! Sleepers buckled and split with the weight and the engine’s boiler broke on the return journey to Abercynon.

Looking west across the valley, the gap in the hill which is known as ‘the dinosaur’s footprint’ is visible here. Tram road stones for the railway are still clear on the ground in places. Soon we reached the magnificent viaduct which crosses the river Taff. It has double arches which were built separately but now form a single structure enabling 2-way traffic.

Continuing down the trail we came to Quakers Yard station and from there returned to the cars. We agreed that, despite a cold, grey, winter’s day we had enjoyed a good walk with the bonus of being on proper tracks the whole way – much appreciated after heavy rain and the amount of mud around. The walk was 7¾miles and 800ft ascent. Map 166.

 

 

Hendryd Falls –

Last June we parked at Coelbren and walked south towards Banwen. Local tradition claims that St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland (and patron saint of Nigeria), was born here. He engineered the development of arts and crafts after he introduced the use of lime and mortar to Ireland. Enabling the initial construction of clay churches in 5thC AD, he taught the Irish to build arches of lime and mortar instead of dry masonry – this developed into organised crafts.

Just beyond Banwen a raised path crosses a boggy field and leads to a wetland area. There are ponds for wildlife and fishing. The grass around was full of flowers – orchids, buttercups, ragged robin and iris to name a few.

We turned east towards woodland and then north towards Dysgwylfa. We passed a wide waterfall on the river and stopped for lunch later. A sign ‘Caution Pedestrian Crossing’ stood alone in a wide expanse of open land. At Sarn Helen (old Roman Road) we turned west and at Tonfildre Farm turned north towards Hendryd falls.

A steep descent to Hendryd falls is eased by lots of steps. The spectacular waterfall has a 90ft drop, the steep climb up the other side was harder than the descent but at the top we found we had parked just 5 minutes from the top of the falls. The walk was above Ystradfellte, 8miles and 800ft ascent. Map OL12

 

 

 

 

January’s Book Choice

 

This month we all read a book of our own choice.

Coming ‘Highly Recommended’ were a variety of novels:

‘The Dry’ by Jane Harper.

‘And the Mountains Echoed’ by Khaled Husseini.

‘Nutshell’ by Ian Mcewan

‘Such a Long Journey’ by Rohinton Mistry

‘The Devil in the Marshalsea’ by Antonia Hodgson

Also, ‘Eggs and Anarchy’ by William Sitwell, a bio-graphical story of Winston Churchill’s cabinet in World War Two, was recommended, as was Barack Obama’s autobiography.

Finally Penelope Lively’s non fiction ‘In the Garden’ comes recommended for those gardeners who also love literature.

Virginia Wolf next month. Quite a change!

 

 

Cefn Mably and Ruperra Castle / Ystradowen

 

Cefn Mably and Ruperra Castle

We were lucky, there had been snow overnight; in Cardiff and the Vale the snow was light but further north there were heavy falls. Starting at the drive to Cefn Mably, near the farm, we walked towards the house and passed in front of it.

We turned west walking across farmland which was rather wet underfoot. Entering a large field, a herd of cows and a bull moved towards us. They split us into 2 groups most of us remaining in the open, but a couple apparently pinned at the edge of the field. Soon we could hear a tractor engine and the farmer arrived with feed – the cattle had heard the engine before we did and had no interest in us.

Approaching a river, we turned northwest towards Cefn Mably woods, keeping them on our left and then heading across open land. A house had an apple tree which had dropped its fruit and was now festooned with Christmas baubles. Surrounded by a light sprinkling of snow it looked very festive.

As we climbed higher more of the fields were snow covered and dark trees were edged in white. A branch of a tree, with a large chunk of wood as its base, was an attractive garden bird table.

We arrived at Coed Craig Ruperra, managed by Ruperra Conservation Trust, a notice offered logs for sale. Skirting the edge of the wood we arrived at Ruperra castle:

Ruperra Castle was built in 1626 by Sir Thomas Morgan, who was knighted by King James 1st. It was a typical Jacobean courtier’s house. King Charles 1st stayed here in 1645, visiting in an attempt to raise support for the royalist cause in the civil wars. However following defeat by the parliamentarians at the battle of Naseby, the Glamorgan gentry, realising the Royalists were about to lose the war, refused to help out. During the 19th Century the eldest son of the Tredegar family lived at Ruperra, which saw its heyday as a great Victorian country estate. Destroyed by fire in 1941 and still in a state of disrepair, it is now a Grade11 listed building supported by the Ruperra Conservation Trust.

Close to Ruperra Castle are banks and ditches formerly part of an Iron Age Hill fort and a large motte, probably constructed by the Normans around 1100. With its superb and commanding views over the surrounding countryside, it would certainly have provided a strong defensive lookout point.

As the weather was clear we took a diversion to the motte. The views from the motte were excellent, improved by the dusting of snow. We sat down leaning against its walls to gain shelter from the cold and eat our lunch.

Descending we saw a few fellow walkers – the first of the day. We came across a long stretch of laid hedging, the craftsmanship that had created it was clear in the skeletal ribs evident in the winter.

Leaving the Coed Craig Ruperra area we walked through a farm with a barn full of old crates and huge logs. Going under a power line we spotted a heron stood in the middle of a field, it didn’t appear to move a muscle as we passed.

Now we could see a road-bridge over the river Rhymney and within a few minutes we stepped onto the road, walking a short distance to the cars.

The walk was 7miles and 700ft climb. Map 151.Thanks to Ross Thomas for the historical information.

Ystradowen

Parking in Ystradowen we crossed the main road to a footpath. Setting off across farmland, towards Mynydd y Fforest, it was typically wet underfoot – so wet a pond had formed.

Some pigs wallowed in a particularly mucky area and later we saw more in an open field attended by a farmer.

On reaching Mynydd y Fforest we made our way through the small but pretty wood and generally southwest towards Llansannor. Emerging onto the road and looking north, the village ‘City’ stood above the area. Turning south we came to Llansannor church and spotted our 1st snowdrops of the year with white buds showing. We continued past Llansannor Court and farm.

Crossing a few more fields we stopped to eat our lunch. We could hear dogs yapping and as we made our way to the road for Trebettyn, we found the source of the noise, a number of small dogs penned in a garden. Unusually the house had gargoyles on its low perimeter wall.

Now we headed east towards Maendy and Prisk, mostly by road, and passed the entrance to Caeau farm. At Prisk we turned north passing Castell Tal y Fan farm and the remains of the castle wall. The track passed a field containing cows and a bull.

As we made our way back to Ystradowen the ground was muddy. Some of the stiles had been overgrown, some with missing or unsteady treads and others a bit high for some of us. Despite the mud in places it had been surprisingly firm underfoot for the Vale of Glamorgan and we had enjoyed the walk unspoiled by rain which had threatened throughout the day. The walk was 7 miles and 700ft. Map 151.

A map of any of the walks featured in this column is available as a pdf file from Ian .at ianmoody029@gmail.com

 

 

The Muse by Jessie Burton

The Muse

by Jessie Burton

The Muse is a follow up novel to Jessie Burton’s very successful first novel The Miniaturist, which has previously been reviewed by the Page Turners.

The story is told in two timelines and centres on two creatively gifted young women, Olive Schloss an artist in Spain in the l930’s at the time of the Civil War and Odelle Bastien, a writer and immigrant from Trinidad in London in the l960’s. The timelines are linked by, and woven around, an intriguing painting of a lion and a girl holding the severed head of another girl. It incorporates elements of a love story, a drama, a historical fiction and a mystery.

The majority of the Page Turners agreed that this was a most enjoyable read, well written with strong characters the portrayal of who brought them clearly into the imagination. The transition between the two timelines worked well and the story is gripping but has plenty of twists and turns which keep the reader guessing right to the end.

The author has researched the effects of the Spanish Civil War on the population with care and accuracy and paints a clear picture of the hardships suffered, which proved both interesting and informative.

Several of the Page Turners agreed that the book was more enjoyable when read over a short period of time rather than in small sections, which could make the story appear disjointed. Also one Page Turner who listened to the audio book found this appeared disjointed and would not recommend it.

The overall opinion was that The Muse is a definite Page Turner to be recommended with the scores ranging from 6 to 8.5 and averaging a final 7.5.

Our hostess, Lynne, treated us to festive Mulled Wine, Bucks Fizz , delicious homemade mince pies and other lovely goodies. We raised a toast to a Happy Christmas and the Page Turners wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year.

 

 

Chartist Cave & Abercarn

 

Chartist Cave

We started at Trefil on a cold but sunny morning, much better than the weather forecast. Walking north we followed the Brinmore tramroad which opened in 1815.

We soon arrived at a quarry and the footpath led us through it. It has been used as a set for Torchwood and Dr Who.

Emerging from the quarry we followed a good track and crossed it to look at ‘the Duke’s table’. This is a ring of stones with a raised mound of grass in the centre surrounded by a second circular mound. It is said that this was where the Duke of Beaufort had lavish lunches with water gathered from a nearby spring, on days spent hunting on the moors. The inner ring is the table and the outer the seating.

Continuing north, on the main path, we found a sign marking The Aneurin Bevan Heritage Trail – ‘Bevan was always welcomed on his visits to the quarrying village of Trefil, the northern tip of his constituency. He loved its lonely moor lands walking with his friends. The ashes of both Bevan (1960) and Jennie Lee (1988) were scattered on these upland slopes. “What the nation mourned was the tragedy which mixed with the brilliance and the genius, and what it did in expiation was to acknowledge his unique place in our history.” Michael Foot’

Here we turned east and shortly after northeast, enjoying glorious views in the unexpected sunshine. Large sink holes appeared regularly across this landscape.

Now we turned south east to make our way towards the Chartist Cave, which can be difficult to find. (See the cover article about the history of the Chartists). After a short walk across the moor we could see a large cairn on top of a hill. Then a heavy mist descended hiding it from view, so we walked on a bearing to it. From here the cave is to the east, we crossed peaty ground covered in heather. With the misty weather we calculated that after about 10 minutes we should have been near the cave and soon realised we were stood on top of it and found the opening.

After a brief exploration of the Chartist cave, we had lunch. The mist did not lift so we cut the walk short, following a small track southwest, back to Trefil. As we approached the village a kite swooped nearby.

The walk was relatively dry underfoot, despite the peat, with tracks left by many feet human and animal making the going easy. We covered 6.8miles and 600ft climb. Map OL13

 

 

 

Abercarn

We parked at the edge of the forest above Abercarn and walked downhill towards housing before starting to climb and taking a footpath in a north-easterly direction, we crossed open land keeping the forest to our right. Nearby we spotted a tree with the base of its trunk shaped like a teapot..

After a short distance we entered the forest travelling west briefly and then northeast again. The forest follows a steeply sided valley and a lot of trees had been cleared. The pattern the felled trees formed made us feel as if we were moving as we looked at them, even though we stopped. An abundance of next year’s foxgloves lined the footpath.

A short stretch of dark woodland was decorated with the remains of police tape – imaginations ran riot. Soon we emerged onto a minor road where we met a fellow local walker and his dogs. He was friendly and enthusiastic giving us tips about good places to walk in the area.

We continued along the road before turning east onto Mynydd Maen Common. As we did so, a car passed us, a door opened as it slowed and a small dog jumped out, whereupon the car drove off with the dog running after it. The car pulled into a lay-by about 400yds further on – a new way to walk the dog!

Crossing the common, the woodland still on our right, we noticed that thick ice covered water here. Misty, the dog, was surprised when she stepped into/ onto water and her legs splayed.

At the eastern edge of the forest we turned back south and enjoyed lunch with lovely views down the wooded valley. Then we had to walk down to the bottom of the valley – approximately a 500’ drop! This proved a bit of a challenge as it was largely covered in heather and bracken and extremely steep

Reaching the bottom, we followed a stream. A section of this had concrete sides and a dam, probably a sheep dip. We now followed good forest tracks above the stream. Glancing across the steeply sided valley, we could see our cars parked on the other side. We continued until we could drop into the valley and climb the other side back to the vehicles. The walk was 7.4miles and climb 1200ft.

 

 

‘The Quality of Silence’

‘The Quality of Silence’
by Rosamund Lupton

Yasmin who is an Astrologist, and her daughter Ruby, who is deaf from birth, have flown to Fairbanks to meet up with her husband Matt, who makes documentary wildlife films. They were met by a policeman who explained that Matt had been staying in Anaktue, a village north of the Artic Circle where a fire had claimed the lives of everyone living there.

Yasmin felt strongly that Matt would have survived and set out with ten year old Ruby, who is a bright little girl and internet savvy, in a hired giant ice-road truck across the Alaskan tundra in search of Matt. Within hours they were faced with biting piercing coldness, raging storm conditions and a bleak and unforgiving landscape.

The majority of us accepted the implausibility of the idea of mother and daughter taking on the ice road and an Arctic monster storm and concluded that they were either very brave or delusional. The adventure, events and descriptions of the wilderness compensated for the far-fetched storyline. Most of us were of this opinion, some thinking that credibility was a bit of a stretch and in fact quite ridiculous, the idea that a mother would subject her 10 year old daughter to such danger.

In spite of the reservations concerning the credibility of the storyline, the majority felt that they would recommend the book and that it would appeal to adults and early teens alike. The average score out of 10, was 6.

Tea and cake were served and being November the evening concluded with a brief but spectacular firework display

 

 

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