Category: General Interest Articles

Articles of general interest on no particular subject

CARDIFF’S ROALD DAHL – BEYOND THE GIANT PEACH (Part 1)

CARDIFF’S ROALD DAHL – BEYOND THE GIANT PEACH (Part 1)

Cardiff City fan, supporter of the Norwegian Church and Fighter Pilot!

When Roald Dahl was born, on 13th September 1916, he was named after the first man to reach the South Pole. His Norwegian father, Harald, came to Cardiff to seek his fortune in the late 19th-century coal-mining boom. He made money in shipping and built his own substantial home, Villa Marie on Fairwater Road, where Roald was born. Now renamed Ty Gwyn, there is a blue plaque on the garden wall.

Harald died in 1920 and was buried in St John’s Church in Danescourt. His widow and six children lived in what is now the nursery of Howell’s School Llandaff for most of the 20s, a fact marked by another blue plaque. The family worshipped at the Norwegian Church, then in Cardiff Docks. When the church fell into disrepair in the 1970s, Roald was at the forefront of a campaign to raise money to save it.

As a youngster Roald was a keen Cardiff City fan. The 1920s was a golden era, with the team riding high in the First Division. He recorded fond memories of attending matches with the family gardener Joss Spivis. ‘Every Saturday afternoon, rain or hail or snow or sleet, Joss and I would go to a packed Ninian Park (pictured) to see City play.’ He remembered being passed to the front over the heads of the crowd so that he could see the action.

‘As we rode the 20-minute journey from Llandaff in the big red bus, our excitement began to mount. Joss would tell me about the opposing team and the star players who were going to threaten our heroes. Outside the ground we would stop at a whelk stall that stood near the turnstiles. Joss would have a dish of jellied eels and I would have baked beans and two sausages on a cardboard plate.’ Dahl recorded the names of his favourite players, the legendary Billy Hardy and the giant goalkeeper Tom Farquharson. He may have attended the FA Cup Final in 1927 or listened to the first ever cup final radio commentary, when City became the only team to take the cup out of England, beating the mighty Arsenal 1 – 0.

At the outbreak of World War II, Dahl at 23, was commissioned as a lieutenant into the King’s African Rifles in Tanzania. His heart, however, was 600 miles away in an RAF base in Nairobi where he soon enlisted and trained as a fighter pilot. At 6 feet 6 inches he could barely fit into a cockpit. His air combat career got off to a bad start when he was involved in a near-fatal crash landing after being given the wrong airstrip coordinates. The crash fractured his skull, broke his nose and temporarily blinded him. He only just dragged himself free from the blazing wreckage just before the plane’s fuel tank exploded. Dahl returned to the fray after spending 6 months in the Royal Navy Hospital in Alexandria. He flew a Hawker Hurricane as part of a fighter squadron battling the Nazis near Athens, shooting down a pair of Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88s. On 20 April 1941 he took part in the Battle of Athens, which he described as “an endless blur of enemy fighters whizzing towards me from every side”. Around a third of the British pilots were killed. However severe migraines, caused by his earlier crash, resulted in him being sent home.

When the war ended Dahl was still 16 years away from writing ‘James and the Giant Peach.’ His life after 1945 was no less interesting than before…..but that’s for Part 2

 

 

IN THE SUMMER TIME WHEN THE WEATHER IS FINE

IN THE SUMMER TIME WHEN THE WEATHER IS FINE..

 

The dramatic improvement in the weather in May and June tempted many of us to enjoy the
opportunity to get outdoors. Apart from gardening, walking, fishing or golf, there seems to
have been a revival in recent summers of outdoor theatre and cinema. Again this year we are
well catered for in Cardiff and the Vale.


Illyria will be staging an outside production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth
Night at The Kymin Gardens in Penarth on Friday 25 August
(7p.m). With a running time of 2 hours 30 mins we are promised an
evening of yearning romance, music, and sheer joy – all performed on a
stage inspired by those of the Elizabethan touring troupes! Ticket
details: Adult: £18.95/Child £12.95 (under 12s) – booking fees apply. We
are politely requested to bring low-backed chairs or blankets and dress
warm! You are welcome to bring a picnic (no BBQs sorry). Light
refreshments will be available
Interestingly, Twelfth Night, or What You Will is believed to have
been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for
the close of the Christmas season. It was probably commissioned for
performance as part of the Twelfth Night celebrations held by Queen
Elizabeth I at Whitehall Palace on 6 January 1601 to mark the end of the embassy of the Italian
diplomat, the Duke of Orsino.The first documented public performance was on 2 February 1602 (at
Candlemas), in the Middle Temple in London, one of the four Inns of Court. One odd fact about
the play is that some believe Sherlock Holmes’s
birthday to be 6 January due to the fact that
Holmes quotes twice from Twelfth Night whereas
he quotes only once from other Shakespeare plays.


If movies are more your thing then Luna Cinema
are returning to Cardiff Castle with three outdoor
showings of popular movies. Harry Potter and
the Philospher’s Stone (PG) is being shown on
Thursday 31 August at 8 p.m. The next evening, 1
September we can revisit the Julia Roberts/
Richard Gere classic, Pretty Woman rated 15 and
on Sunday, 2nd September, Top Gun (Maverick)
rated 12A. You can bring a picnic but alcohol
must be purchased on site. Tickets can be found online and cost from £17.50.
The National Trust in conjunction with Adventure Cinema are also offering outdoor cinema in
the beautiful surroundings of the Dyffryn Gardens South Lawns. Dirty Dancing (12) will be
shown on Friday 8 September, Top Gun Maverick (12) on Saturday 9 and Grease (PG) on
Sunday 10. Apart from watching the movies this will also be an opportunity to see the gardens
after usual opening hours and experience the beauty of Dyffryn on a late-summer evening. You are
encouraged to bring a picnic blanket, your own food, perhaps a chair and to wrap up warm. Food
and alcohol will also be available at the venue. Doors open at 6.45pm with the films beginning at
8.15pm. Tickets from £15.50 need to be purchased in advance from Adventure Cinema.
As an alternative to all this you could always use your laptop, a projector and a homemade screen
to extend your evening entertainment outdoors by setting up an al fresco movie theatre in the
comfort of your own garden. Better still, there may be some enterprising Wenvoeites with amateur
dramatic leanings, willing to put on a garden production or two. If so, What’s On can always be
counted on to get the message out there!

 

 

Why Not Visit Auntie?

WHY NOT VISIT AUNTIE?

What really goes on and has gone on at the BBC in Wales? There are currently two opportunities in Cardiff to delve into ‘Auntie’s’ past and present in the Principality. One is an exhibition at the National Museum and the other what seems to be a fascinating tour of the shiny new BBC headquarters in Central Square. So why not visit the exhibitions and find out more about ‘Auntie’ in Wales?

The first broadcast in Wales was on 13 February 1923 from the radio station 5WA at 19 Castle Street, Cardiff. So, to mark the centenary of the BBC in Wales the National Museum has put together an exhibition ‘BBC 100 in Wales’ which runs until 16 April 2023. The exhibition offers the experience of a walk through time to discover more about the history of the BBC in Wales and how 100 years of broadcasting has evolved.

There is an opportunity to see the technology, programmes and costumes of the past through objects and archive foot-age. Dr Who exhibits are much in evidence, along with items from recent programmes like ‘Sherlock’ and ‘His Dark Materials’. You can even relax in a 1970s living room and watch some Christmas TV. The exhibition has been co-developed with a group of young people to question the representation of communities on the BBC and how the future may evolve. ‘We want to hear from you, too – join the conversation’ they say and ‘tell us about your BBC memories and viewpoints on your visit to the exhibition. Tickets are free and available online or as daily walk-up visits. The museum opens at 10am and closes at 5pm, although it is now open until 9pm on the first Thursday of every month. Parking is available at the rear of the museum and costs £6.50 via a pay station accepting card payments only.

BBC Wales itself is providing an interesting opportunity to step into the future of broadcasting with a tour of the new headquarters in Central Square. ‘Ever wondered how sound effects are added to your favourite podcasts? Or what it’s like to read the news? Join our friendly guides for an exclusive behind-the-scenes award-winning tour of BBC Cymru Wales.’ BBC Central Square has received a coveted Visit Wales gold award for the quality of its tours, during which you visit one of the largest BBC newsrooms ‘packed with cutting-edge technology including augmented reality, virtual reality and robotic cameras.’

Each walking tour lasts approximately 90 minutes. As a live and working broadcast centre, no two tours are the same. Tours take place Thursday-Sunday with a choice of three times 10.30am, 12.30pm, 3pm. There are security checks before each tour. You are advised not to bring large shop-ping bags or rucksacks as BBC Wales do not provide cloakroom facilities for storing bags or lug-gage. Tickets can be purchased online with adult tickets priced £13, with students, those under 62 years and registered unemployed £10. Over 25s and disabled person tickets are £16.00. You can also get a family ticket (1 Adult and up to 3 children or 6 Adults and 6 children) £38.00

Incidentally no one quite knows where the BBC got the nickname ‘Auntie.’ The BBC written archives say that it was used in the 1950s to contrast BBC’s prudish, cosy and refrained image with that of the much brasher ITV. Another explanation is that it comes from the early days when BBC bosses, largely of middle class origins, demonstrated daily that they knew what was best for listeners and later on the viewers. This was derided by critics as the “Auntie knows best” syndrome. Hence the shortened version of “Auntie”. Another fun explanation is that it came from the term ‘Auntie Beeb’ used with mock-affection by the comic broadcaster Kenny Everett who likened the BBC’s repressed attitudes to those of a maiden aunt.

 

Pilgrimage On The Holy Mount Athos

A DAY OF PILGRIMAGE ON THE HOLY MOUNT ATHOS IN GREECE

I woke to the sound of a wooden semantron being beaten with a mallet, it was three in the morning and I was in a small dormitory in a Greek Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos. This was the call to prayer and as a pilgrim, I quickly dressed in warm clothes, as it was chilly before dawn, and made my way silently to the large church where the service of Orthros was soon to begin. As I left my room and entered the great cloister all was dark and silent, only moonlight guided my path. Historically this main service is held in the quietest time of the night as the monks then feel closer to God.

At the door of the church hung a great thick curtain, more like a rug or carpet. I moved it aside and it was just as dark on the other side. As my eyes became accustomed to the darkness, I could make out a faint glow and this guided me onwards. I knew that as a non-Orthodox Christian I was not allowed into the inner nave but could hear and join the service from the narthex to the rear. I took my place in one of the rows of stacidia or chairs and lowered the seat so I could sit before the service began. The light turned out to be coming from a small lamp fuelled with olive oil and soon a monk began with a general blessing and then a reading of one or more of the psalms. As he read so dark shapes appeared from left and right and moved slowly and silently in different directions. This was rather ghostly, but I later learnt that these were monks in their black flowing cassocks joining the service, and as they arrive they venerate or kiss, the icons and holy relics which are all around the church.

As the liturgy progressed so the numbers of monks and pilgrims grew, many candles were lit in massive candelabra and the volume of chanting and singing rose. It was very pleasant and restful, so much so that some of the older monks were dozing away and failed to stand at the appropriate times. This service is the last of the four-night offices or services, which also include vespers, compline, and midnight office. It begins at three and continues until dawn at about seven o’clock. This four-hour service is generally extended on Saint’s days and Sundays.

On leaving the church at the end of the service the monks and many pilgrims move to the refectory or trapeza where the main meal of the day is being served. This will be a substantial vegetarian meal. The table will be laid with mounds of fresh bread, salad, fruit and bottles of olive oil and vinegar. The platters of hot food soon arrive. There is water on the table as well as wine, though wine is not served on a fasting day. Feast days, on the other hand, see fish, octopus and even snails served as a treat. For those pilgrims who fail to get up for the service and wander down for breakfast, it is always a bit of a shock for them to find snails and wine on the table where they had ideas of eggs, bacon, toast and coffee.

After breakfast, the monks move off to their allotted tasks. Some may sit down to paint Icons, others will take to the fields as they aim to cultivate all their produce, while a few return to the kitchen to prepare the next meal. There may be fifty monks with an equal number of pilgrims. There are many mouths to feed.

Everyone comes together again for Vespers at about five in the afternoon. Unlike the Anglican church, there is some flexibility over the arrival time for services, but it is expected that one arrives before the censor comes around with his incense. Vespers is a relatively short service and as it ends everyone troops into the trapeza for the evening meal. This is eaten in strict silence as the duty monk reads from the book of the saints. When he shuts the book the meal ends, a bell is rung, and a prayer is said as thanks for the meal. As we leave the cooks are there to be acknowledged and the bell is ringing to call us to Compline the last service of the day. This too is a short service and when it is over everyone returns to their cells or dormitories, and movement in the cloisters is discouraged. As the sun sets the great wooden doors of the monastery are closed in a tradition that goes back a thousand years which was then to keep out any marauding Saracens. Exactly at sunset, which could be six or seven o’clock, the clocks are set to midnight as the monastery runs on Byzantine time. For the pilgrims whose watches are on European time, this can be confusing. It means that getting up at three in the morning is actually eight or nine o’clock monastery time which is why the “breakfast” served at twelve midday is a lunch meal rather than a breakfast! As I retire to write my diary, I dig out my bottle of ouzo and pour myself a generous helping, add the tap water, which is surprisingly cold, and settle down for the night..

Alun Davies

 

Oxfam Shop Penarth

OXFAM SHOP PENARTH

Regular readers of What’s On will know that I have been volunteering with the Oxfam shop in Penarth for the last 13 years. My responsibility along with two other colleagues is the music section which includes vinyl records, sheet music, small musical instruments (working or broken), pre-recorded cassettes, gig posters, programmes, fanzines and tickets, CDs and old music magazines. Even shellac 78’s (that break easily) if anyone remembers those!

Vinyl records have become increasingly popular in recent years and the shop sells records of all genres-pop, rock, folk, jazz, easy listening, punk and classical. Vinyl is welcomed in all formats – LPs, singles and 12 inch.

The shop with its impressive music section has built up an excellent reputation for selling good quality second hand records and other music related items at fair prices. In the last financial year approximately £17,000 was taken in the music section which goes towards Oxfam’s work across the world.

My colleagues and I research all the donations to ensure that any donations that are received achieve the best possible price.,

Caroline Mumford the shop manager, said “Everyone at the shop has been very grateful to those Wenvoe residents who have made music donations over the last few years. We could not offer our loyal customers such a choice of records and make so much money without your help. Unfortunately at the moment our saleable donations have run really low. So we are appealing to anyone who has music related items that they no longer use to consider donating them to Oxfam here in Penarth”.

If you are a music fan please pop into the shop when you are in Penarth and have a browse around. You never know what you might find!

I live in Wenvoe so I can pick up any donations you may have from your house. Alternatively if you prefer you can contact the shop at 8 Windsor Road, Penarth to arrange a pick up. The shop number is 029 20706358. My number is 07895 157629.

Thank you

Nigel Billingham

Place-Names Derivation – LLAN

THE DERIVATION AND MEANING OF PLACE-NAMES

We’ll now look at some common elements in Welsh Place-names.

LLAN

The most common element by far in Welsh place-names is the word ‘llan’. If you were to look at a book of place-names, you would see that there are over 400 places in Wales which begin with the element ‘Llan’ – an incredible number, I’m sure you’ll agree, in a country the size of Wales!

The original meaning of ‘llan’ was an enclosed piece of land on which produce was grown. It is derived from the Brythonic word ‘llann’ and the earlier Celtic form ‘landa’. By the 12th Century it had developed to mean an enclosed piece of consecrated land – often surrounding a religious building. It developed further to convey the extended land around a religious building – much like a small parish. Nowadays, the word ‘llan’ refers to the religious building itself – the church. You’ll also find many place-names containing this element in Scotland, Cumbria, Cornwall, Brittany and over Offa’s Dyke, in Herefordshire for example – evidence of the widespread existence of the Celtic language.

In most of the ‘llan’ place-names, this element precedes the name of the saint to whom the church is dedicated. It is a feminine noun and the rules of Welsh grammar dictate that words following a feminine noun will undergo a Soft Mutation – i.e. the initial consonant softens. We see this phenomenon in such place-names as Llandudno (Tudno), Llanberis (Peris), Llangadog (Cadog), Llangollen (Collen), Llandeilo (Teilo).

Only 9 consonants undergo this softening – all others are used in their original form Llanisien (Nisien), Llansadwrn (Sadwrn), Llanidloes (Idloes), Llanelli (Elli).

Not all ‘llan’ place-names include a saint’s name. As there are so many places in Wales based on this element, it can be useful to include a geographical element – as in Llandaf (on the river Taf), Llangefni (on the river Cefni), Llanfaes (in a ‘maes’ – meadow), Llangoed (in the ‘coed’ – wood), Llanuwchllyn (uwch – above, llyn – lake), Llanfynydd (on a ‘mynydd’ mountain), Llangwm (in a ‘cwm’ – valley).

Some names include a number rather than the name of one saint – Llantrisant (three saints), Llanddeusant (two saints), Llanpumpsaint (five saints).

The next time you’re travelling around Wales perhaps you can work out the meaning of the ‘llan’ villages through which you drive.

Next month: Aber, Bryn, Cwm, Pont.

Ann M. Jones

 

 

More Tornadoes Per Square Mile In Britain

THERE ARE MORE TORNADOES PER SQUARE MILE IN BRITAIN THAN IN THE USA !

While the stormy weather has been a major talking point in the village so far in 2023, we can at least be thankful that we have been spared the more devastating weather events witnessed in the past. A good example is the tornado which swept through South Wales in 1913.

In fact, although we might imagine them to be incredibly unusual weather events, tornadoes are more common in the UK than you might think. On average we can expect 33 every year. Thankfully they are usually nowhere near as destructive as those in the USA. We are also better prepared than we were in days gone by. The Vale has an official project plan aimed at preparation for the impact of climate change and the ever increasing risk of flooding in many of our communities. As a lead Local Flood Authority, the Vale has a statutory duty to investigate, log and report all instances of flooding. Fortunately for us, the Vale has also been proactive in dealing with the impact of the stormy weather, sending a team to deal with the recent flooding on the Old Port Road.

Such planning had not unfortunately taken place when one of the most devastating weather events hit South Wales on October 27th,1913. Just days after hundreds of miners were killed in Britain’s worst mining disaster at Senghenydd, a tornado struck large parts of South Wales, causing widespread devastation. The Met Office confirmed that the tornado was the same power and severity of those more regularly experienced across the Atlantic in the United States. The South Wales event was in fact a “moderately devastating tornado” (T6 on the TORRO scale) which means that the winds were, at its worse, in excess of 160 mph.

A tornado is defined as a violently-rotating column of air which spins around and upwards, similar to the action of a cork being pulled from a wine bottle. The 1913 tornado began over Devon in the mid-afternoon, as warm air from the Mediterranean struck a cold front blowing down from Iceland. As it progressed, it swept 11 miles through areas such as Trefforest, Pontypridd, Cilfynydd and Abercynon. The impact seems to have peaked at Edwardsville. There, the English Congregational Chapel was wrecked and the pews swept against the west wall. Nearby, a hayrick weighing several tons was carried for a mile and, near Pontypridd, half a ton of brick chimney was carried several hundred yards.

During the tornado six people lost their lives. One of those killed was Francis Woolford, of Edwardsville, captain of Ton Pentre football club, after being transferred from Swindon FC for £25. Woolford , and the trainer, Walter Breeze, were walking to the station on their way home and were a short distance ahead of the rest of the team. Woolford was dashed against a wall, fracturing his skull, while Breeze was lucky enough to get away with a broken rib. Another fatality, Thomas John Harries, a 52 year old miner from Cilfynydd was thrown 300 yards by the winds and was found the next morning in a nearby field. He left a wife and three children. As well as the lives lost and the scores injured there was extensive damage to property estimated to be equivalent to around £3million today. Worse still, a few days later the insurers refused to pay out, presumably because the tornado was considered an act of God.

 

Letterboxes

LETTERBOXES

When did you last test your letterbox?

It is surprising how difficult it is to use some house-hold letter boxes. Some have springs that will take your fingers off if you are not careful, draft protec-tors which are almost impossible to push items through, boxes mounted so high on an external wall you almost need a step ladder to use. A household pet that snatches the item from you and your fingers if not smartly removed.

Why not test your box NOW. Take this magazine and go and post it through your letter box. Was it easy to post? Try it again; maybe you were lucky the first time. While you are there try a single piece of paper, a real test for any box. If there was no problem – congratulations. If you did hit a snag try and resolve it for the sake of all the people who have to make use of it. Think of your postman, your What’s On magazine deliverer etc.

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