Category: New Items for February 2026

Latest post for the current month

Ewenny – A Glorious Morning

Ewenny – A Glorious Morning

As we approached Ewenny Priory, to park, we could hear shooting. Leaving the cars the sound intensified and the dog that was with us jumped back into the car and started to shake. We could see men, down on the banks of the river Ewenny, holding rifles with which they were shooting ducks and there were dogs retrieving them. As we set off, the dog had to be carried for the first few hundred metres. We passed a couple of men stood on the side of the footpath, one of whom was holding a dead duck. None of us particularly enjoyed that start.

But it was a glorious morning, icy cold with full sunshine, as all our Saturdays have been in January. This makes walking so much easier as even the muddiest stretches become firm paths.

We were heading for Castle-upon-Alun and as soon as we had climbed above Ewenny we could see snow on the hills to the north where the wind turbines were visible against the clear blue sky.

As the morning warmed slightly layers were adjusted, as we crossed farmland and approached a copse of cedar trees. A frost covered summerhouse looked picturesque in a garden on the icy road to Castle-upon-Alun. Near the river the air was still misty, and a field of tall grasses was frozen white in the sunshine. We crossed the river via the stepping stones admiring the reflections and atmospheric views.

After a steep climb, we emerged onto a common where the views were excellent from the snow-clad hills in the north to the Vale spread below us. We considered having lunch here but it was too early.

Back to the river Alun, passing the Nature Reserve, and across the clapper bridge; a clapper bridge is made from stone slabs and was used by packhorses and walkers. Some stopped here for lunch while others continued to an open field where we could sit in the sun. It was so warm that coats were abandoned to fully enjoy the relaxing sunshine. A robin hopped about near us, lots of other birds sang and hazel catkins looked lovely against the blue sky.

We climbed again to reach the railway, this time crossing the live rails (carefully). A farm had an enormous number of black plastic wrapped bales

White hens clucked away in their run and the few sheep in the next field stopped and stared. At this point we had extensive views over the beautiful Vale of Glamorgan.

Large flocks of sheep grazed a mud-spattered field, heads down munching on the tops of a root crop and grass. At a brick stables a horse held his head over the wall so that he could watch us as we walked past. Bridgend and Ewenny came back into view below us, and we noted how much snow had melted on the hills. A white vinca flower shone out from its glossy leaves under a tree. We walked down the road between Corntown and Ewenny and along a footpath back to the priory.

On return to Ewenny Priory most of us turned into the churchyard to explore the ruins, maintained by CADW, and the church. William de Londres was a Norman knight, and leading invader of Glamorgan, who built the priory as a ‘Highway to Heaven’. This was another takeover; there is evidence that the Welsh were already using it for Christian worship. The walls around the priory make it look like a castle. Monasteries were abolished by Henry VIII in the 16th century, and a private house (19thC) replaced the monastery, but the church remained as the parish church; worship at Ewenny Priory church of St Michael has been continuous for at least 900 years. It is a peaceful place with many interesting artefacts.

The nave of the parish church was probably separated from the monastic end by a screen as was usually the case in medieval times. A pulpitum screen, created by Swansea artist, Alexander Beleschenko, was installed in 2006. The glass represents the Resurrection of Christ; an empty cross has clouds of butterflies emerging from it, symbolising the resurrection of the soul. The National Museum of Wales has a JMW Turner drawing of ‘the transept of Ewenny Priory’ which was shown at the Royal Academy.

The short days of January encourage us to stay local and although this walk is known for its spring flowers, we thoroughly enjoyed it in January. Tea at the garden centre was very welcome.

Walk 7. 6m 880ft Map OS151

Spinach Spaghetti and Red Velvet Brownies

Some recipes to get you through the tail end of winter and of course Valentine’s day

Tuna, Olive and Spinach Spaghetti

Ingredients

240g wholemeal spaghetti
1 tsp olive oil
1 red onion
2 x 110g cans tuna in olive oil, drained
50g black olives
1 lemon
160g baby spinach
1tbsp chopped dill
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti, lower the heat to medium and cook for 10 mins, until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, lidded frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion until softened; about 5-6 mins. Then, flake in the tuna and add in the olives, lemon zest, juice and spinach. Stir together and cover, then leave to cook for 3 mins. Turn off the heat, leaving it covered for 5 mins, until the spinach has wilted
3. Drain the pasta, reserving 150ml of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the tuna mixture and toss together, adding a good splash of the reserved water. Add most of the herbs, toss together and season with black pepper. Divide between bowls, and top with the remaining herbs.

Red Velvet Brownies

Ingredients, For the soup

For the brownies:
200g dark chocolate
135g milk chocolate
185g slightly salted butter, diced
275g soft light brown sugar
3 eggs
2tsp red food colouring (amount will depend on the brand you use)
85g plain flour
40g cocoa powder

For the frosting:
150g soft cheese
1tsp vanilla bean paste or flavouring
50g icing sugar
50g butter, softened

Method

1. Heat an oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C and line a square brownie tray or baking tin with non-stick parchment.
2. Roughly chop the dark and milk chocolate and set aside 150g for the topping. Put the rest in a small pan with the butter and sugar then heatuntil melted, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the chocolate is melted, remove to a mixing bowl and cool slightly. Clean out the pan and use it to melt the rest of the chocolate then set aside.
4. Stir the eggs, one by one, into the melted chocolate in the mixing bowl then add the red food colouring until the mixture is a deep red colour.
5. Sieve over the flour and cocoa powder, fold to combine and pour into the prepared tin.
6. Pour the melted chocolate from the pan onto the surface of the brownie in four evenly spaced lines and use a toothpick to create a ripple effect.
7. Bake on the middle shelf for 25 mins, adding a few minutes more if you prefer firmer brownies. Cool in the tin for about 10 mins then remove and cool on a wire rack.
8. Beat the soft cheese, vanilla, icing sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Once the brownies are cool, trim off the edges and cut into nine even squares. Spread with the icing using a palette knife, keep chilled once iced.

Tip: To make these extra special, use a heart cutter to stamp out hearts from pink or red royal icing and stick one in the middle of each iced brownie

 

 

Book Review: The Man Who Knew Too Much

ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST

BOOK REVIEW: THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH

This lavishly illustrated book published by the Welsh Academic Press was authored by Martin Shipman the Political Editor at Large of the Western Mail. It tells the life story of Gareth Jones who was born in Barry in 1905. His parents were the head teachers of the Boys and Girls Grammar Schools in the town and with seemingly such a genetic advantage he was to achieve high academic success.

Drawing upon Jones’ articles, notebooks and private correspondence, Shipton reveals the remarkable yet tragically short life of this fascinating and determined Welshman who pioneered the role of investigative journalism

Jones, a graduate of Aberystwyth and Cambridge universities, was fluent in Welsh, English, Russian, French and German. He was talented, well-connected and determined to discover the truth behind the momentous political events following the First World War. He travelled widely to report on Mussolini’s Italy, the fledgling Irish Free State, the Depression-ravaged United States, and was the first foreign journalist to travel with Hitler after the Nazis had taken power in Germany.

Jones’ quest for truth also drew him to the Soviet Union where his reporting of famine in Ukraine which led to the deaths of millions – the “Holodomor” – incurred the wrath of Stalin who banned Jones from ever returning. Within two years, on the eve of his 30th birthday, Jones was shot dead by Chinese bandits with links to the NKVD, the Soviet Union’s secret police. His ashes were interred in the family grave in Barry Cemetery.

His early career included work as a foreign affairs adviser to former British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, a role that gave him access to political elites and sharpened his understanding of international power dynamics. However, Jones’ true vocation was journalism, and it was this calling that led him to challenge one of the greatest deceptions of the interwar period: the Soviet Union’s denial of famine in Ukraine.

In 1933, Jones travelled independently through the Soviet Union, defying official restrictions by leaving his guided route and venturing into the Ukrainian countryside. What he witnessed there contradicted the glowing reports published in much of the Western press. Millions were starving as a result of forced collectivisation and grain requisitions under Stalin’s regime. Villages were silent, food was non-existent, and death was everywhere. Jones recorded these observations meticulously and, upon leaving the USSR, published articles describing the famine in stark, unembellished terms.

The response was swift and brutal. Soviet authorities denounced Jones, banning him from re-entering the country. More damaging, however, was the reaction of fellow journalists. Influential correspondents such as Walter Duranty of The New York Times dismissed Jones’s reports, downplaying the famine and lending credibility to Soviet denials. In an era when access journalism and political sympathies often outweighed factual reporting, Jones found himself isolated, his reputation undermined for telling the truth too clearly and too early.

Jones continued to report on international affairs, including the rise of Nazi Germany, warning of Hitler’s expansionist ambitions. Yet his career never fully recovered from his confrontation with the Soviet narrative. His legacy is one of moral clarity and journalistic integrity. For decades, his warnings about the Ukrainian famine were overshadowed by denial and political convenience. Only later did history vindicate him, confirming the scale of the Holodomor and the accuracy of his reporting. Mr Jones – The Man Who Knew Too Much is therefore not only a description of one man’s fate but a broader indictment of systems that punish truth-tellers. Jones’s life reminds us that knowing the truth is rarely enough; courage is required to speak it, and even more to endure the consequences. To this day he is a National Hero in Ukraine.

Tony Hodge

 

Keep Walking in 2026

LIVING WITH CANCER STROLLERS

Keep Walking in 2026

 

The first Valeways stroll of 2026 encouraged a large group to take the challenge of strolling around Cosmeston, the morning after the night before!! Well done everyone…keep walking in 2026. Anyone who wants to join us, see you on the next walk!

 

With Care They Will All Come Up

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

With Care They Will All Come Up

Keen gardeners will have the windowsills covered in propagators and pots with plastic bags over them. These will be full of tomato, sweet pea, leek and calendula seeds. Hopefully with a bit of care they will all come up. The ones that survive the grandchildren poking their mitts into the soil, looking impatiently for signs of growth, should be ready to go into a cold frame in March. Try, if you have room, to spread the seed planting out over a couple of weeks or more to give you a longer flowering season.

 

To get a decent display from snowdrops you need to buy them in the green during February and March and plant them as soon as they arrive, you will then have a good chance of a tidy display next year. Planting just the bulbs when they’re available in the Autumn never gives a satisfactory outcome. Have you remembered to plant that amaryllis you were given for Christmas? Better get on with it as the giver will want to know how it’s doing.

After an initial rough cut back last Autumn, the roses can be given a tidy up at the end of the month and into March. Cut the stems back to just above a bud and try to leave an open aspect as this will allow air to circulate, discouraging disease. Take some of the

tatty leaves off the hellebores, this will give the flowers a chance to show off. If any of the leaves have black spot, make sure you bin or burn these.

At the allotments pest control has started. Broad beans and peas that were planted in the Autumn are showing off their new foliage to the pigeons so netting or cloches are the order of the day. If using cloches make sure the ends are blocked off as the pests love nothing better than eating your veg when they can be out of the elements. Cover freshly dug soil or weed seeds will soon cover it for you. The jury’s out on whether chitting the seed potatoes before planting has enough going for it to make it worthwhile. Spread the planting time out so you have a longer harvest of new potatoes. Growing asparagus is a long-term investment, it would be worthwhile speaking to Bernard as he grows a fantastic crop.

Last Summer the folk round the village who grew grapes and figs had a remarkable year. Growing grapes is a little more work but with a bit of care the results are a joy.

Take care and happy gardening

Wenvoe Community Wassailing

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Wenvoe Community Wassailing

Mike Tucker has been out and about trimming and laying the hedgerows planted by the Wildlife Group and the Scouts. Another ancient tradition that we have managed to re-establish in the village.

Mike has also been crafting and installing rustic props to help secure those fruit trees that have started to lean, often as a result of the considerable weight a good crop of fruit can add to a tree. Unsecured trees can eventually collapse but you can see in many old orchards trees that have been propped up and carry on happily growing and producing fruit for many years. Thank you, Mike.

Wenvoe Community Wassailing

We were delighted to be joined by 24 Wassailers on a gloriously sunny January morning. We blessed apple trees in the community orchard and also outside the Church Hall, proceeding to the Community Centre for hot spicy apple juice, tasty apple cakes and a lovely tale from our Wassailer in chief, Cath Little.

Big thanks to:

  • Wenvoe Community Centre, for hosting us
  • Llanbethian Orchards, for the donation of cider
  • Volunteers Sue Hoddell (for the cakes!), Sian and Steve Cumner Jones and Annie Bennett, all for making the event run smoothly.
  • Cath Little, a lovely and talented storyteller.
  • Special thanks to Claire Bottomley for getting the whole show on the road. Claire continues the story here and includes photographs which capture aspects of the day.

We look forward to Wassailing again next year!

A big thank you to everyone who supported and took part in the village Wassail (blessing of apple trees), hosted by Wenvoe Wildlife Group. We picked an auspicious date, as 17 January is Twelfth Night in the old Julian calendar, the traditional date for Wassailing.

We gathered on a beautiful, dry and sunny morning, starting with a Wassail blessing to the small apple tree outside the Church Hall. A group of 24 Wassailers continued on to the Community Orchard, where we blessed the apple trees with cider (kindly donated by Llanbethian Orchards) and toast, raising a hullabaloo banging pans, singing and chiming bells. Here’s to a bumper crop later this year!

The Wassail was led by storyteller, Cath Little, with additional Wassailing songs from Blanche Rowen, and we lingered a while in the sunny orchard before heading to the Community Centre for spiced apple juice, apple cakes made from apples harvested in the orchards last year, closing with a traditional tale about an apple tree from Cath Little.

This was our first Wassail in the village (at least for many years), and hopefully there will be another one next year, possibly incorporating Mari Lwyd.

Thank you everyone,

Claire.

Valentine’s Bird Feeders

  CHILDREN’S CORNER

VALENTINE’S BIRD FEEDERS

These decorations can be eaten by birds and contain ingredients you may already have in store cupboards or can be easily purchased from local shops.

200g porridge oats

400ml water

120g lard, melted

1 50g of seeds – pumpkin, unsalted peanuts, sunflower seeds etc

• Mix porridge oats and water together and microwave on high for 1½ minutes 

• Stir the melted lard into the mixture and add any seeds/nuts and leave to cool.

• Once cool scoop into balls – golf ball size is ideal. For Valentine’s, you could shape these into hearts either using a cutter or shaping with your hands.

• At this stage either embed a piece of string or twine to hang your hearts or using a straw, or skewer pierce a hole to thread with string later.

• Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

• When ready to use hang up high in trees, or near windows where you can watch the birds enjoy a feast!

Nicola Starke, Headteacher,

Gwenfô Church in Wales Primary School Tel:02920 593225

 

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