Category: News
From The Silent To The Topless
FROM THE SILENT TO THE TOPLESS:
BOOK CLUBS ON THE MARCH!
It seems that Gen Z and Millennials are catching on to what we in Wenvoe have known for ages – there’s nothing quite like a good book club as an antidote to today’s increasingly digital world. Free online event platform ‘Eventbrite’ report that local book club events have increased by over 40% in the last year. Even young celebrities like singer song writer Dua Lipa and model and actress Kaia Gerber are now hosting their own book clubs.
‘The Page Turners’ and ‘Off the Shelf’ regularly provide What’s On readers with reviews and recommendations based on their recent reads. It all sounds like great fun. The reported reviews, though brief, show the wide range of responses to the various titles under discussion. One recently reviewed title was described as ‘slow, unhappy and dreadful’ by one member but ‘tragic, moving and well written’ by another.
The book club renaissance seems to have gathered steam online during the pandemic as a way of meeting safely and filling those lock down hours. The digital boom in the book club soon found a younger audience who stayed with the idea when restrictions were lifted and a passion for books found its way into the real world. As book clubs boomed, a host of bespoke groups sprang up with a focus on everything from football to feminism.
The concept of the book club began to take shape in the 18th century, particularly in Europe, during the Age of Enlightenment, with its emphasis on reason, knowledge, and education. In France, writers, philosophers, and thinkers gathered to exchange ideas and discuss the latest books, giving rise to a culture of literary salons that shared some of the hallmarks of modern book clubs. One of the earliest known book clubs was the Edinburgh Book Club, founded in 1768. This club was a forum for intellectuals to gather and discuss literature, politics, and society. London’s coffeehouses, like Garrick’s Coffeehouse, also became venues for book discussions. In the 19thcentury the rise of the middle class meant more people had access to books and education and so book clubs emerged that resembled those of today. Women, who had historically been excluded from intellectual discussions, began to form their own book club sharing and discussing books about everyday life. Another precursor to modern book clubs, were circulating libraries which allowed readers to borrow books for a fee. They often functioned as informal gathering places for book discussions. In the 20th century of course the expansion of public libraries and the rise of commercial publishing led to a further boom in book clubs.
The latest fad is the Silent Book Club! The original, started in San Francisco in 2012with two friends – Guinevere de la Mare and Laura Gluhanich – reading together at a neighbourhood wine bar. There are now 1,600 of these clubs in 54countries, including over 100 in the UK. All readers are welcome- eBooks, audiobooks, textbooks, comic books etc. Friends and strangers gather at a set time and location, order food or drinks, share what they’re reading, and settle in for an hour or so of sustained silent reading. At the end of the hour, attendees can socialise- or not!
There are inevitably some very strange book clubs. The Peculiar Book Club focuses on strange history, medical marvels, and weird science. It has nothing it seems on the New York Topless Book Club! ‘Burn Bras, Not Books’ is the motto of this free-wheeling New York City book club. Members take advantage of little-known city laws that allow both male and female toplessness with alfresco reading sessions in public spaces. It’s apparently all done with safety and decorum. Somehow one doesn’t see this catching on in Wenvoe.
Made Everyone Laugh
Hit & Toddle
VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP
Hit & Toddle
The team had been put under pressure by the residents (Brenig) of Clos Llan Fair, to tidy up the entrance adjacent to the church. We always start our work after the school run, so as to avoid the heavy traffic. The men did not factor in the younger element running late for nursery. Two of these little terrors came hurtling down the road, with the one in front mounting the kerb and pinning Hapless Gareth to the floor.
The culprits toddled off into the church and hid. As luck would have it, we had a medical man in our midst, but it wasn’t dentistry poor Gareth needed. So, with shock setting in the medic gathered all of us together and took us back to his home for refreshments.
October 13th is our next time out. We can guarantee that it will be well away from any danger (the cemetery).
August & September Events of Wenvoe W.I.
WOMEN’S INSTITUTE
August & September Events
In August we had an enjoyable evening meal at the Walston Castle with most of the members attending.
Our charity for 2025 is Ty Hafan and in September we welcomed Gina, one of their fundraising team, to our meeting. Gina gave us an informative talk about the history and aims of the Hospice, recent improvements to the facilities and how they are hoping to move forward to reach more of the children in Wales who would benefit from their services. We were also shown a short video of one family who had benefitted recently.
Our October 2nd meeting is our annual Fish and Chip supper followed by a quiz and on November 6th we are having a Christmas Craft workshop.
Visitors and prospective members are very welcome to our meetings, which are held in the Church Hall at 7pm on the first Thursday of the month.
Please ring 07881853032 for further details.
Carol Charlson (President)
October Letters
As Chair of the Wenvoe Village Hall, I would like to apologise to anyone that was offended or got caught up in the aftermath of the disturbance that happened on Friday 29th August at the Village Hall.
This was a 16th Birthday party that was “gatecrashed” by a crowd of youths and as soon as we were informed of this, members of the committee, Gail, Carol & Debbie, went down to stop the party. The Police were called, by whom we don’t know, (but thank you) and they did an admirable job in handling the crowd.
In my many years of being involved with the village hall this was a rare occurrence. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend as I had just had an operation and was laid up.
We have a good rapport with our neighbours of the hall and I apologise to them.
A big thank you to Gail Adams, Carol Jenkins and Debbie Bourge from the committee who handled the situation very well.
Thanking you,
Bernard Jenkins, Chairman
On behalf of my family, I would like to express my deepest thanks to everyone in the community who offered their kind words of condolence and support following the passing of my dad Ian Moody.
Your messages, cards and comforting words have been a great source of strength to us all during this difficult time. We are also truly grateful to all who attended his funeral service – your presence was a touching reminder of the many lives he touched.
We were able to give a donation of £1100 to the Brain Tumour Charity in his memory.
Many thanks,
Kim Jones
My family and I would like to thank everyone for
their support as we participated in the Alzheimer’s
Society Memory Walk last month. With everyone’s
help we raised £1,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society.
A big thank you also to the nursing staff on St
Barruc’s Ward at Barry Hospital who care for Terry
and all the other patients. They don’t only look after
the patients, but the families too, and we really
appreciate them.
Gillian Richards, Brooklands Terrace, with son Scott.
Colin and I would like to thank our family and
friends from Wenvoe and far and wide for their
cards, kind wishes and presents on the occasion of
our 60th Wedding Anniversary on 4th September. We
hope all who attended our party at Wenvoe Castle
Golf Club on 6th September had a good time.
Thank you all,
Colin and Janet Williams, Whitehall Close
LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
(The Editors are not responsible for opinions expressed, although
every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information.
The editors reserve the right to protect the anonymity of anyone
who wishes to contribute articles or letters for the magazine
provided they are aware of the identity of any such person. )
Gillian Richards, Brooklands Terrace, with son Scott.
Many Tributes to The Late Ian Moody
Wenvoe Wildlife Group
Many Tributes to The Late Ian Moody
There were many tributes to the late Ian Moody in the last issue of What’s On but he also played a major role in the Wenvoe Wildlife Group. A founder member, it was Ian who started the ball rolling by suggesting we formed a group to start maintaining the Upper Orchid Field. Ian was closely involved with the planting of the orchards, the design and construction of the Bee Hotels, excavation and stocking of the ponds and clearance of vegetation. Ian also instigated and ran the monthly conservation sessions on the Upper Orchid Field. One of the activities Ian participated in was the recording of Ancient and Veteran trees. These receive no special protection and only by recording them on the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Register can we reduce the risk that they will be cut down. Ian and Bruce recorded these whenever they came across them on their walks around South Wales. On one occasion Ian spotted a large Oak near Tretower.
The tree was measured and photographed, and it turned out to have been unrecorded up to that point. An Ancient, pollarded Oak proved to be one of the oldest in Wales. A WWG member subsequently mentioned reading a book called Running for the Hills by Horatio Clare in which he describes growing up on a farm near Tretower where there was a massive Oak. It turned out to be the same tree, so it had appeared in literature but had never been officially located and described. At over 9 metres in girth and many hundreds of years old, it was thanks to Ian’s eagle eyes that the tree was registered and celebrated.
So, the legacy is there. Orchards that should be good for 100 years and a tree that could have witnessed the times of Owen Glendower.
We shall be covering the topic of funding and what we spend it on in the next issue but meantime our grateful thanks to Glenys and Mike and everyone else who supported the event for raising the amazing sum of over £1,200 for WWG at the Village Show
There Are Good Gardeners Around Wenvoe
THE VILLAGE GARDENER
There Are Good Gardeners Around Wenvoe
The village show highlighted the fact that there are good gardeners around Wenvoe. Bernard, who judges the vegetables and takes his job seriously, was so impressed by the quantity and quality on display. There is of course a small minority that get their produce from Waitrose, but the judge has seen it all before and advises that removing the price sticker might help. He was nevertheless taken by surprise by an entry from Nicola of the Twyn, who had obviously been on her travels to Lilliput. Nicola brought along what she claimed were tomatoes, in what can only be described as a Lilliputian snuffbox. Without glue they refused to stay on the display plate, being blown off by the waft of a butterfly wing. The only way they stood a chance of being judged was a taste test; unfortunately, they slipped down the throat like a greased paracetamol before you could bite them. All this added to what was a really enjoyable day.
The garden will start to look bare after the annuals have been discarded and the perennials cut back. You have choices to make now on how you’re going to protect the soil from erosion over winter. Using the spent compost from pots that had annuals or tubers in, buying in bark or leaving the fallen leaves on the borders for the worms to mulch down for you will work. Admittedly the leaves look messy, but they will do your soil a power of good. You can, of course, dig them in which will speed up the composting process. Always collect rose leaves with black spot and burn them.
Some have managed to keep displays of begonias and dahlias going until recently. Looking after the corms and tubers of these showy plants is a must. We need to make sure there is no foliage left on them and that they are dried out properly before storing in a dry frost-free environment. The late John Rich always kept his in kiln dried sand and had a very good success rate.
Take cuttings of your favourite shrubs, just cut below a leaf joint, peel off the leaves and poke in the ground next to the shrub, so you’ll remember where it came from.
Take care and happy gardening
Dates For Your Diary
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
TUCKER’S VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS REINDEER SALE AND CAFE
Saturday 15th November 10.00am – 4.00pm
The 7th annual Tucker’s Christmas Reindeer sale and cafe will take place on Saturday 15 November from 10am to 4pm at Wenvoe Church Hall. This year we have a Victorian theme, and we would love to see people in Victorian costume. There will be some traditional Victorian food for you to buy on the day. There will be tables inside the church hall for you to sit and enjoy a tea or coffee and maybe a homemade slice of Glen’s usual cakes or brownies.
As well as the antlered stars of the show there will be some lovely things to buy and a festive atmosphere to get you in the Christmas mood with the church hall decorated in Victorian style. We will be joined by our good friend and talented crafter Trevor with his lovely Christmas houses and decorations. There will be other local crafters joining us too and we will give more information about this in the next issue of Wenvoe What’s On so watch this space.
We will be holding a raffle with some excellent prizes including luxury food hampers, a home baked and decorated Christmas cake, some interesting bottles and some items that would make ideal gifts for adults and children. Once again, profits from this will be donated to our charity of choice, the Wenvoe Wildlife Group. The man in red will be appearing with his sleigh which will offer an excellent, free photograph opportunity. The reindeer will be sold outside where there will be gazebos decorated in Victorian Christmas style and Victorian festive music will provide the backing track to the whole event. Why not join us and pick up a reindeer and some Christmas spirit! These have become collectors’ items so start making a list of people who deserve one as a gift. Bring a friend and have a festive catch up. We look forward to seeing you there.
Cheesy Pumpkin Toastie & Plum Cake
Pumpkin season is in full swing so a great way to use up leftover Halloween Pumpkin. Any surplus plums left try a plum cake….
Cheesy Pumpkin Toastie
Ingredients
- 350g pumpkin, deseeded and cut into wedges
- Vegetable oil to drizzle
- 20g unsalted butter
- 20g plain flour
- 1 tsp English mustard powder
- ½-1 tsp cayenne pepper to taste
- 100ml whole milk
- 100g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
- Dash Worcestershire sauce
- 8 slices bread
- 4 slices ham (optional)
- 250g camembert or brie, sliced
Method
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Put the pumpkin wedges on a tray, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes until tender. Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skins, then squeeze the flesh to remove any excess liquid.
Put the flesh in a blender and whizz until smooth or mash with a potato masher. If the purée is still quite wet (it will depend on the variety of pumpkin you’re using), cook it in a dry pan over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the flour, mustard powder and cayenne. Cook for a few minutes, stirring the mixture to a paste. Add the milk gradually, stirring well between each addition, until smooth, then stir in the pumpkin purée.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow it to bubble for a few minutes, then stir in the cheddar to melt. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, then add the Worcestershire sauce.
Heat the grill to medium-high. Toast the bread under the grill on both sides. Spread half the cheesy pumpkin mixture onto 4 slices of the toast. Divide the ham (if using) and camembert or brie between the slices, then top each with a second slice of toast. Coat the top with the remaining pumpkin mixture.
Put the sandwiches back under the grill for 1-2 minutes until golden, bubbling and melted
Plum Cake
Ingredients
• 175g butter
• Butter for greasing
• demerara sugar
• plums or you can use raspberries
For the cake
• 175g butter
• 175g dark muscovado sugar
• 140g golden syrup
• 2 eggs beaten
• 200ml milk
• 300g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp mixed spice
Method
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base of a 23cm square cake tin with baking parchment. Butter the paper generously and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Halve the plums and arrange in the base of the tin in 1 layer, cut-sides down.
For the cake, melt the butter, muscovado sugar and syrup in a large pan over a low heat, stirring until smooth.
Cool for 10 mins, then stir in the eggs and milk. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then mix to a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the tin, over the plums, and bake for 45-55 mins until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.