Month: October 2017

Portuguese Men of War

 

Those venturing out on our local beaches in South Wales in mid October may have been in for a surprise. Spread along the shore – there were maybe 400-500 on Rhossili beach – were Portuguese Men of War jellyfish. They are usually to be found out on the open ocean but the lively weather and post-hurricane storms drove many of them ashore. Although small, they are quite distinctive with a 'pasty-shaped' bladder which keeps them afloat but they are at the mercy of winds, tides and currents unlike many jellyfish which can swim to a degree.

Strictly speaking they are not jellyfish but an aggregation of different individuals known as a siphonophore. Also unlike many jellyfish the stings from the venomous tentacles, which can be up to 10 metres long, can still be activated long after the creature is dead so resist the temptation to touch it and keep dogs well away. They have few predators although Loggerhead Turtles, Blue Sea Slugs and the Violet Snail will all happily munch away at them. The young Blanket Octopus will even carry broken bits of tentacle which can be used either in attack or defence

 

 

October’s book

 

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

This is a classic novel, written in 1868 and declared to be the first detective story. It is number 19 in the 100 best books on the Guardian list.

To quote Carolyn G Heilbrun from Goodreads. “The Moonstone unfolds its amazing story through the recounting of several narrators, all of them enticing and singular. Wilkie Collin’s spellbinding tale of romance, theft, and murder inspired a hugely popular genre – the detective mystery. Hanging on the theft of an enormous diamond originally stolen from an Indian shrine, the novel features the innovative Sgt Cuff, the hilarious house steward Gabriel Betteridge, a lovesick housemaid and a mysterious band of Indian jugglers.”

The majority of us thoroughly enjoyed it. Our descriptions were:- Each character really well drawn; intricate, fascinating with its old use of language; style of different narrators interesting. At times it felt too wordy and simplistic but the humour was good and the weaving of detail was excellent. There is a happy ending, always heartening. It has all the ingredients for a good read: wit, romance, theft, murder, a bit fanciful and lovely language.

There were 2 dissenters who felt their heart wasn’t in it, it was slow, verbose and difficult to get through to the end.

Our scores were mainly good, we had one 9, the overall score came out as 7. That is definitely a recommended read. The Moonstone was made into a film in 1934 and a BBC TV film was made in 1997 starring Greg Wise and Keeley Hawes so good reading or good viewing ahead!.

 

 

Ascent Of Blorenge

 

Blorenge – To start we drove to Keepers pool, (currently named after the nearby gamekeeper’s house though it was original Forge pond). It is also known as Llyn Pen-ffordd-goch, the pool at the head of the red road, after the sandstone grit of which the road was constructed. A grey day deteriorated into a foggy one as we climbed and we had difficulty seeing the car park. Standing on the edge of Keepers pool we couldn’t see the road let alone the countryside we would be exploring. We had intended to walk our circular route in an anti-clockwise direction heading straight up the mountain but decided to reverse it in the hope that the weather cleared before we gained the summit.

We walked north close to the road peering ahead for the footpath which would take us across the road and slightly downhill to follow Hill’s tramroad. Horse drawn trams containing pig-iron travelled the route from Blaenavon ironworks to Llanfoist and here the tramway contours around the Blorenge mountain, our destination.

The water from Keeper’s pool supplied Garnddyrys forge and rolling mill which, in its heyday, produced 300 tons of wrought iron a week as iron bars, rails and plates. It operated for almost 50 years until production was transferred to the new site at Blaenavon and Garnddyrys closed in 1860. We passed the remains of the forge master’s house and a large mound of dark material. This is a heap of slag which has been shaped by a century of wind and rain. Sadly its ‘head’ has fallen off in recent years so it no longer resembles a ‘ prehistoric Monster’.

Continuing we followed a section called Rhiw Ifor towards Govilon we still had little visibility but now and again the clouds parted and we glimpsed the scenery around us and at times extensive views across the open plains to the north and east. Alongside the tramway we spotted a low tunnel; this was probably constructed to protect the tramroad from slippage due to large quantities of slag produced by the forge.

We continued northeast around the Blorenge towards Pen-y-graig farm. The drifting fog allowed brief glimpses of Sugar Loaf and it wasn’t until we had passed the farm that we could see the Skirrid with its hidden summit. Travelling south we continued to contour around Blorenge until we arrived at Punchbowl. This was an eerie place in the mist, woodland rose over a steep sided hollow and a pond was surrounded by lots of moss. We sat down to eat part of our lunch and were treated to the sounds of sheep bleats echoing around us. It sounded like people at times and it’s easy to see how disorienting this would be if visibility was any worse. Lucky for us the cloud was lifting all the time and we could view the whole area by the time we moved off.

Our route continued south a short way before we turned north once again to start our ascent of the Blorenge. As we climbed the mist cleared at last and we walked along an edge for a while to enjoy extensive views of the countryside and Abergavenny, the Skirrid towering over it. At the summit the sun shone at last and we could see for miles. Taking a rest amongst the rocks we ate the rest of our lunch appreciating the panorama.

Now we headed southwest towards Blorenge aerials and Cefn y Galchen. There is a memorial to Foxhunter, a horse which appeared at the Royal International horseshow jumping in the King George V cup 1948, and winning gold at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Lt Col Harry Llewellyn chose Blorenge mountain as a final resting place for his horse. A car park nearby allows easy access to the summit of Blorenge mountain and Keepers pool, suitable for anyone unable to undertake a long hike.

From here it was a gentle walk west back to Keepers pool. The ground we covered marks the end of the South Wales coalfield as it is formed from Millstone grit, a hard rock that signified to colliers that they had reached the end of the coal measures. Millstones were manufactured in this area from this stone. The rock was affectionately known as ’farewell rock’

Arriving back at Keepers pool we had superb views of the surrounding hills in total contrast to the thick fog which had greeted us only a few hours earlier. We had walked 7.25miles with a 1200ft climb.

Alexander Cordell’s 1959 novel ‘Rape of the Fair Country’ brought people’s attention to the historic importance of Blaenavon. The publicity surrounding the book and sale of the film rights encouraged Blaenavon council to retain the ‘crumbling ruins’ as a possible future film set (unfortunately the film was never made). In the 1990s consideration was given to making Blaenavon a world heritage site. Alexander Cordell commented ’If this could be achieved it would be a fitting epitaph to the people who died making this small town an industrial giant. All that the people of the past have to commend them for the sacrifices they made are the dirt monuments that they left behind.’ Blaenavon Industrial Landscape was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 2000. It covers 3290 hectares and about 45% of it is within the Brecon Beacons National park. (Map OL13)

 

 

 

 

 

What to Do In November

 

It's probably going to be cold, wet and miserable out in the garden but never mind. It is November after all and there's still plenty of work to be done. If you haven't already done so, empty any pots that contained summer bedding and put spent compost on to borders as a mulch. Alternatively, you can mix some wild flower seed in with the compost and spread it on an unused or unmanageable part of your plot and then just wait for nature to take its course.

At this time of year, it's good to take the tops off roses to prevent wind rock, the movement from which can damage them, sometimes beyond repair. I have said before about keeping the base of roses clear of fallen leaves and at this time of year it is very important so as not to harbour any diseases. Also keep lawns and ponds clear of any leaves.

We still have time to plant out winter bedding to keep colour in the garden for as long as possible. Now is a good time to plant up pots of Tulips, making sure that you plant them deep enough; most of us don't. You can then plant pansies or primula on top to prolong the display. My personal favourites to go with tulips are wallflowers.

Make sure you raise your containers onto pot feet or just a few small stones to avoid water logging. Tulips are especially vulnerable in very wet conditions.

Now is the time of year to move shrubs growing in unsuitable places. Only move shrubs that are of a manageable size where you can get the whole root ball out. The more root you leave behind the less chance of it surviving. Ordered bare root trees and shrubs need to be planted as soon as possible before they dry out. The R H S recommend now as a good time to plant roses but advise against planting in an area where roses were previously grown otherwise new introductions may suffer from replant diseases (rose sickness).

High winds can cause a lot of damage in the garden if steps are not taken to combat the problem. Newly planted shrubs and trees should be securely staked. Climbers, if needs be, should be trimmed back and extra ties put on.

Hardwood cuttings of ornamental shrubs can be taken now; Cornus and Hydrangea are easy to do. I just cut pieces about 40cm (16ins) and stick them in the ground next to the plant i cut them from. My reasoning for this approach is if the soil is ok for the mother plant its should be ok for the cuttings, though I'm not sure if you would get that advice from the RHS.

I hope to see you at the Wenvoe Christmas Craft Fair on Sunday 26 November where there will be a couple of the local gardening experts who have given me some advice this year. If you want to ask them anything I will point them out to you so they can share the blame for this column.

Take care and happy gardening

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