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LIVING WITH CANCERSTROLLERS
The Living with Cancer Strollers welcomed two new walkers at Cosmeston. The walk was a real adventure (or misadventure!) as the strollers navigated their way through the muddy route planned for them! Limbo dancing skills and high jump talents were revealed by Anne and Helen as a particularly muddy stile was negotiated….don’t worry these skills are not usually employed on this walk…..if you would like to join in!!
OFF THE SHELF
“The Boy with Two Hearts” by Hamed Amirii
There is so much press coverage around refugees and asylum seekers currently. It is interesting to read the perspective of a young boy and his family who have gone through the harrowing and often dangerous process to get to a safe country.
The narrator recalls his memories of himself as a 12-year-old schoolboy and his brothers, one of whom has a serious heart complaint (this had been treated in Iran previously, but now the Taliban were in power there was no way to legally leave the country). The three boys and the parents escaped a Taliban death threat from the small village in Herat, Afghanistan.
There were mixed feelings about the book and the discussion was lively. Most of the book club felt that the mother of the young boy put her family’s life in danger when she spoke to parents in their local school about not allowing their daughters to be denigrated by boys and men. It was this, thought by many of us, reckless speaking out that led to a death warrant being put on the parents. We have no idea why Hamid’s mother did this and it is not written about, we only have his recollections of events from Hamid himself, his parents refused to speak of it. What is clear from the book, is Hamid himself had huge respect for his mother and her actions.
The book does give the reader insight into the hazardous and often extremely dangerous undertaking to get to a safe country and the reliance on dangerous traffickers to deliver them to whatever country they could. In this case it was the UK, but it seemed to be on the whim and facilities of the traffickers and often, situational opportunities. It also gives insight into how ruthless the traffickers are with little or no thought of the vulnerable people who pay dearly (with everything they own and sometimes with their lives) to get them to their destination. It took this one family, everything they owned to pay for the trip and over a year to get to a safe country and new life.
The book was certainly thought provoking and insightful and made the reader think about how lucky we are to be in such a safe and, in the main, protected country where we will never need to make those decisions that Hamid’s parents made. We gave this book a score 7/8
Tina Alwyn
THURSDAY WALKERS
Next Walk
Thursday March 23rd.
A walk round Ogmore to include Pant Marie Flanders and along the coast; about 5 miles. Meet 1 pm at Wenvoe village hall, transport can be shared. Bert
Meet at Village Hall at 1.00pm. Transport can be shared. The walk will be from Pontcanna and will be about 5.5 miles. There will be a car parking fee of £1.
Many thanks, Bert. Tel: 029 20594418.
All are welcome but you participate at your own risk.
“The Island of Missing Trees” by Elif Shafak
A rich magical tale of belonging and identity, love and trauma, nature and renewal. This was a book that the whole group enjoyed and more than one person scored it as 10 out of 10 – a rarity indeed! The book is narrated from an unusual viewpoint, which some people found difficult at first! But all were in agreement that Elif Shafak uses exquisite language in her writing and intend to read more of her books.
An interesting discussion was generated re: truth and reconciliation and the potential impact on all involved – victims, perpetrators and innocent family members. We discussed the effects on soldiers of fighting during WW1 and the resultant unimagined effects on people. At that time, there was no psychological support offered to veterans. In contrast, people are encouraged to talk about their experiences in today’s world. However, first and foremost the book is a love story! Well worth reading!
OFF THE SHELF
“Taste” by Stanley Tucci
From award-winning actor and food obsessive, Stanley Tucci, comes an intimate and charming memoir of life in and out of the kitchen.
Before Stanley Tucci became a household name with The Devil Wears Prada, The Hunger Games, and the perfect Negroni, he grew up in an Italian American family that spent every night around the table. Taste is a reflection on the intersection of food and life, filled with anecdotes about growing up in Westchester, New York. Stanley Tucci writes about his treasured memories and stories in a very readable way. The impact his mother’s cooking had on him is very clear and his love for food is contagious.
Stanley writes in a very open and honest way and as a group we felt that sharing his experiences about his family during lockdown was refreshing, demonstrating that we all have the same challenges in life. His cancer diagnosis resonated greatly with some in the group because of the impact this had on his ability to eat and his great love of food; fortunately he has made a full recovery. There were some authentic Italian recipes in the book too which added something extra, and we felt that whether you are a foodie or not, this book had great appeal. We scored the book 8/10
Garth Hill
There was a downpour at 8.30 and again at 9.00, with rain cascading over the chutes. Still, we met as usual and agreed to ‘give it a go’, the rain stopped and ‘dry until 12.00 with 40mph winds’ was forecast. From the Radyr to Pentyrch road, we crossed Heol Goth and climbed to enter Garth Wood. We were greeted by bird song and the paths through this lovely wood were good.
Pentyrch’s the King’s Arms is a grade II listed building, originally a 17th century copyhold farm (Cae Golman). It has a fireplace with a beam dated 1711. We passed Acapela Studio near the Lewis Arms, a venue with a strong reputation.
The sun came out and there was no wind until we reached the top of the Garth, and were we glad we had persisted. Visibility was amazing with 3600 clear views encompassing the Severn bridge, Newport transporter bridge, Glastonbury Tor, the Channel, the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm, Cardiff, Wenvoe, and the airport as well as the Valleys.
We descended rapidly and settled next to an old stone wall for lunch. The wind was cold, but it was pleasant in the weak sunshine. As we ate, dark clouds gathered and seemed to sweep around us up to the Valleys. Then we hurriedly finished our lunch and resumed walking as the first drops of rain began to fall.
There was a very wet area between Garth Hill and the river Taff. Here we needed to cross a stream onto a very wet ‘island’ before climbing a wobbly stile. Two gallant men (one of them with one foot in a stream) held the stile steady as we each climbed over it and jumped across a second stream. Someone offered me a hand to help me, and they fell back into the mud as I came forward and I got a boot full of cold muddy water helping her up. Then we trudged up the hill across the field which was potholed with deep puddles between tiny patches of grass. We were very glad to reach the stile at the top of the field and a lane. Another person had taken a tumble in the field but none of us was hurt and even my feet were warm and cosy by the time we exited the field.
The final descent to the Taff trail was steep with zigzags, it was obviously used by mountain bikers. The river Taff was very full and fast flowing, and we talked about how dangerous water can be.
Tea at Pugh’s Garden Centre refreshed us.
Walk 6.6m 1200ft Map OS151
Ystradowen
Another week of torrential rain, hail, and wind with many floods, had us thinking it might not be practical to walk in the Vale, but we agreed to go and see how the land lay and come home if necessary.
We parked in Ystradowen and headed west and then north towards the fisheries as we thought this would be the wettest area underfoot. It was squelchy underfoot but nowhere was impassable, so we kept going. The fields did have a lot of lying water with ponds visible in places, but the footpaths were all firm underfoot with occasional streams to navigate at the bottom of slopes.
We made our way to Hensol Forest where we used the main tracks which were excellent underfoot. At the car park we stopped for lunch at the BBQ area and the sun shone briefly and we could see the Channel.
Resuming we walked towards Prisk, a stream was in full flood with a tree creating a dam, so we detoured and walked along the road, where we spotted our first daffodil and red campion of the year. Back on a footpath we saw a kite take to the air and admired its majestic flight which must have been an effort as a brisk wind had blown up. A meandering stream spread across a wide area, but we negotiated it without a problem, climbed a slope, admired some pretty sheep with black markings and were back in Ystradowen.
Did you know that Tom Jones had a home in the village until 1998?
The café at Bonvilston provided us with piping hot mugs of tea. And when two bikers’ meals arrived with plates piled high with omelette and chips, we were asked ‘Do you have chip envy?’ (We must have been salivating). The next minute a bowl of chips appeared – they said they had cooked too many and we were welcome to them. All that for £1.50 a head!
Walk 6.4m 800ft Map OS151
CARERS WALK
Rain greeted the intrepid group of walkers for the Carers stroll as they gathered at Barry Island station, but the grey clouds departed and left amazingly blue skies over the sea and sand. Brave swimmers in wild seas could be seen from our viewpoint above the sea, but no walkers were tempted to dive in! Well done everyone for surviving the blustery conditions! Join us: in sun, wind, rain…and snow in 2023!!!
LIVING WITH CANCERSTROLLERS
Mud, glorious mud….at Cosmeston for the first Living with Cancer Strollers of 2023. Also in abundance were friendly robins and seemingly hungry squirrels, who kept an eye on our progress through the puddles. Nobody slipped, but everybody would have headed home with boot cleaning on the afternoon’s to do list!
Various Books
During our December meeting each member placed a book into a Lucky Dip and the individual books drawn by the Page Turners were read and summarised for our January meeting as shown below:
Leonard And Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession
This is the story of two ordinary single friends, Leonard and Hungry Paul. They are quiet, gentle and kind. There is no dramatic plot, just the humorous details of their lives. Well written and a relaxing read. Score 7 out of 10.
City Mission: The Story of London’s Welsh Chapels by Huw Edwards
Broadcaster Huw Edwards tells the history of the setting up of the Welsh Chapels and Churches in London and examines the patterns of Welsh migration. Milk Couriers from Wales drove their dairy herds to the Royal Parks in London and local residents would take their jugs to buy milk. The Milk Couriers then gave monies to build the Chapels and Churches and having made their fortunes returned to the Welsh valleys. An excellent book. Score 8 out of 10.
Red Dog by Louis de Bernieres
A short novel by the author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. This is an enchanting story about a dog in Western Australia which alternatively has you in stitches or floods of tears. Very enjoyable and highly recommended. Score 8 out of 10.
Becoming by Michelle Obama.
An autobiography by Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama and details her life from a young child in Chicago to First Lady of the United States of America. She is always striving for perfection but is likeable, hard-working and very genuine. She tells her story in her own words and it is extremely well written. A very enjoyable book and highly recommended. Score 8.5 out of 10.
Dictator by Robert Harris
An historical novel which is the third part of a trilogy and covers the final 15 years of the life of the Roman lawyer and politician Cicero as seen through the eyes of his loyal Scribe Tiro. It is extremely well researched and covers the period when Julius Caesar was assassinated, and the Roman Republic collapsed. Highly recommended. Score 10 out of 10.
The Bonesetters Daughter by Amy Tan
This book deals with the relationship between a mother and daughter and tells two stories. One is about Ruth, born in the USA. The second is about her mother, LuLing who was born in China in the early 1900’s and later emigrated to the USA where she married and was widowed when Ruth was very young. LuLing’s story is revealed in stages, as is that of her mother, father and their families and is both fascinating and complicated. A really interesting and enjoyable book. Score 8 out of 10
