Category: New Items for April 2026
Latest post for the current month
“The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store ” By James McBride
“The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store ” By James McBride
In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania were digging foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of the well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighbourhood where Jewish immigrants and African Americans lived side by side.
In this novel about small town secrets and the people who keep them, James McBride shows us that even in dark times it is love and community that sustain us. The novel has been described by some as historical fiction and by others as a historical mystery.
The majority of the Page Turners almost forgot about the ‘body in the well’ and felt that the murder mystery element of the story was inconsequential. Instead, they enjoyed the description of life in a small community, the melting pot of cultures and ethnicities. There were many characters described in the book and it was difficult at times to keep up with them all and remember where they fitted into the story. Indeed, it was felt that many of the characters could have been the subject of a book in themselves!
A lively discussion was generated from the historical element and the effects of the Jim Crow laws on discrimination; to the delights of living in a community that felt at times like Wenvoe. Overall, the book was given a score of 7.
Fed Up with What Claims to Be Compost
THE VILLAGE GARDENER
Fed Up with What Claims to Be Compost
I am so fed up with what claims to be compost just being a poor excuse for it. Even the expensive stuff for growing seeds and seedlings, needs to be sieved before you can use it to any effect. The wastage from general purpose is ludicrous. The gardener at Weycock Barns is using coir now, which comes in blocks and you just add water. He’s mixing it with Supagrow from British Soil for seed planting as there are no weeds and no wastage. Silvia Davies, one of Wenvoe’s really good gardeners, is using Lidl’s compost, which she says is the best of a bad lot. Best of all, make your own if you have room.
The tremendous amount of rain we’ve had over the winter will have washed a lot of goodness and structure out of the soil unless you had it covered or had a deep mulch on it. The best way to replace this is with manure. If you’re using something like blood fish & bone then only put it where you’re going to plant, or you’ll only be feeding the weeds.
The lawns have taken a battering over the winter. Even the ones that drain well will have moss in them. Any treatment due now should include moss killer. When this has taken effect, you can rake it out. Don’t panic when it looks awful, as this is the only way to start on improvement. Next job is to mix some grass seed with compost and sand then rake it in and water.
The village gardens have had their fair share of pest and diseases over the last couple of years. These include fuchsia gall mite and, unless your garden is sheltered, you will be affected. This affects the ends of the plant, and you will need to cut these off and bin them. The other pest which has caused devastation through the south of the country is the box tree moth. The caterpillars of this moth hide in a web on the bush, and they affect most strains of Buxus. There are some treatments, but you will have weeks of work in front of you and the bad news is that they will return. Even Alan Titchmarsh has taken them out and replaced with yew.
On the allotments there is a lot of growth on show. On inspection they look very vulnerable with their bright green leaves just perfect for a late frost or a hungry mouse or rabbit. Controlling weeds is always a full-time job whether it’s a flower border or veg patch. The late Trevor Case always had a hoe on hand to tackle them on dry days and would leave them to wilt on the soil.
Take care and happy gardening.
Report from the Hub April 2025
WENVOE COMMUNITY HUB
Tel: 02920 594176 – during opening hours or wenvoelibrary@outlook.com
Like and follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/WenvoeCommunityLibrary
For general enquiries you can email us at wenvoelibrary@outlook.com
Report from the Hub
March2025
OPENING HOURS
We are now open Monday, Tuesday and Wednes-day 10 am – 4 pm and Saturday 9 am – 1 pm.
Have you joined our new Facebook page?
You can follow us on: Wenvoe Library Hub. This is where we will also be advertising new books, up and coming events, talks, etc.
A Volunteer Run Organisation
Did you know that Wenvoe Community Library/Hub is a volunteer run organisation? Our wonderful Volunteers give their time freely as do the Management Team.
We rely on our own fundraising to pay for all our costs, which include heating, lighting, insurance, and coffee machine, in order for everyone to benefit from this wonderful community space. We do not receive any funding from other sources.
We would like to thank all those individuals who have supported our fundraising activities, and we hope to see you again together with your friends and families in the future, to enjoy our full and varied programme of events that we have planned throughout the year. Join our Facebook and Instagram pages for up and coming events. We will also advertise on the Wenvoe Community Facebook page.
We couldn’t do it without you – thank you !
Easter Raffle Draw
Saturday 4 April – 12 noon
Two beautiful Easter hampers to be won.
There is still time to buy your tickets.
These are £1.00 each and available from the Hub.
Cuppa with a Coppa
This will be on Wednesday 8 April 2026 at 3.00pm in the Hub.
Wenvoe Community Hub Presents a Trip to the
Join us for a wonderful day surrounded by books, creativity, and conversation in the beautiful border town of Hay-on-Wye. Whether you love meeting your favourite authors, browsing the bookshops, or simply soaking up the festival buzz with friends, this
promises to be a fantastic day out.
Date: Saturday 30th May
Tickets from the Hub: £30 (coach only)
Festival Talks & Events: Book and pay for your chosen speakers and sessions online directly through the Hay Festival website.
Let’s make this a memorable Hub adventure: books, laughter, and a great day out with friends!
Get ready for one of our favourite outings of the year – a day trip to the world-famous Hay Festival of Literature & Ideas!
Tickets at the Hub.
Talks at the Hub
The Incredible Story of Benito Mussolini: Fascist Dictator of Italy
with Ross Thomas
Friday 17 April, 7.00pm
Tickets £5 – available from the Hub
Benito Mussolini ruled Italy from 1922 until his death in 1945. His life is one of the most extraordinary – and often bizarre – stories of any modern political leader, containing elements of both dark comedy and tragedy.
This fascinating talk explores Mussolini’s unlikely rise from relatively humble beginnings to absolute power. It examines the dramatic changes he imposed on Italy, the ambitions and disasters of his regime, and the startling details of his turbulent private life.
The story concludes with Mussolini’s fateful alliance with Hitler, Italy’s descent into war, and his dramatic end at the hands of his own people in 1945.
Spring Arrived at Cosmeston
“The Colour Purple ” by Alice Walker
OFF THE SHELF
“The Colour Purple ” by Alice Walker
This is a modern classic first published in 1982. It is a powerful story of severe trauma, domestic abuse, racism and violence that came with being a black woman in the Southern States of America in the early 20th Century. However, it is also a beautiful story of triumph, resilience, love, family and self-discovery.
It is a novel composed of letters written by two sisters, Celie the main protagonist and Nettie who becomes a missionary in Africa. It is not always an easy read. But it does contain humour and the reader can really empathise and sympathise with the characters.
It is well worth the effort and highly recommended. We gave it 8/10
March Events
WOMEN’S INSTITUTE
March Events
At the end of January, the Standing with Giants charity asked WI members to make poppies to help refresh their installations. Wenvoe members rose to the challenge and made 125 poppies during February. Well done everyone.
At the beginning of March we welcomed Marc Harris from Dinas Powys as our speaker. Marc is a naturalist and author who has travelled thousands of miles in his lifetime, by bicycle and on foot, exploring the wonders of nature in the British countryside, which has inspired his writing. He gave us a very interesting and informative talk about his life, shared some of his excellent photographs with us and read a selection of articles from his book about South and West Wales along with some of his poems.
Due to Easter, our next meeting will be on May 7th for our AGM.
Visitors and prospective members are always welcome to our meetings. Please ring 07881853032 for further details
Carol Charlson (President)
Crufts 2026
ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST
CRUFTS 2026
Eva and Asher were doggy superstars at Crufts 2026.
Asher made his debut in the Dog Obedience Championship on Saturday 7th March. His owner, Carolyn, was thrilled to be placed 4th with him.
Eva was first to work her obedience test the following day and was also placed 4th.
Both dogs came home with Crufts rosettes and glass trophies.
April 2026 Diary of Events
An App a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST
AN APP A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY
People these days seem more health conscious than ever and there is now a wealth of technology to help us to eat healthily and get fitter. A lot is readily available on our mobile phones but with a multitude of apps to choose from, the difficulty is to know where to start.
Healthy eating apps offer features like calorie counting, meal planning, barcode scanning for nutrition information, recipe suggestions, and habit tracking. They cater for different goals, from weight loss and macro tracking to mindful eating, with some using psychology-based approaches or focusing on specific diets like veganism.
A good look at one of these apps provides an opportunity to see what they are all about and crucially what ordinary people and the experts think about them. Yuka apparently has 77 million users and is popular because it is so easy to use. The app scans food & personal care products to decipher their ingredients and evaluate their impact on your health. In a world of incomprehensible labels, Yuka claims to provide clarity in one quick scan so you can make clear-sighted purchases. The app scans barcodes to rate products (0-100) based on health impact, ingredient quality, and nutritional value. In this system, 75-100 rates is Excellent, 50-75 Good, 25-50 Poor and 0-25 Bad. A lot of further information is provided on each product should you wish to delve down into the detail.
Yuka claims that its ratings are based on evidence provided by a range of official bodies such as the European Food Safety Authority and the National Agency for Food and Occupational Health Safety. However, it has been criticised by experts for oversimplifying nutritional science, fostering food fear, and lacking context on ingredient concentration. Some nutrition experts caution that its additive focus might oversimplify nutrition and that whole foods are key. It seems that the verdict is it is a useful tool alongside general nutritional knowledge rather than a complete guide.
The NHS Food Scanner app is a free, user-friendly tool aimed at helping families make healthier food choices by scanning product barcodes to reveal salt, sugar, and saturated fat levels. It uses augmented reality to display nutritional data, suggesting healthier alternatives (“swaps”) to encourage better dietary habits. While praised for improving nutritional awareness and being child-friendly, users note limited product databases (missing some discount store items) and occasional inaccuracies in data.
The apps are fun to use and the results are quite often very surprising, with products you were sure are healthy rating as bad for you, and others you were wary of, achieving a high nutritional rating. Some of the others include:
MyFitnessPal: Huge food database, barcode scanner, tracks calories and macros, integrates with other apps.
Lose It!: Calorie tracking, exercise logging, and goal setting.
Noom: Uses psychology to build sustainable habits.
Ate Food Journal: Focuses on mindful eating.
VNutrition: For plant-based diets, tracks nutritional targets.
Lifesum: Tools for weight, habits, and general healthy eating.
Weight Watchers (WW): Tracks food, exercise, and points