Month: February 2018

February Report

 

The president welcomed our new member, Maureen. We were all delighted to hear that Mair is making good progress and so is Eira. They are hoping to join us on March 1st. Our speaker was Janet Young who spoke about ‘The Glorious Reign’ ie the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who was the second daughter of King Henry VIII. We learnt about the various plots and conspiracies during her reign – there were six serious attempts to Walter kill Elizabeth herself. Elizabeth ruled wisely and set about re-establishing the Protestant faith with great determination. The Elizabethan age was one of great adventure and included Sir Raileigh bringing back potatoes from America.

Members were reminded of the coffee morning in Dinas Powys on February 24th and the lunch at the High Tide , Porthcawl on March 22nd. Our banner is ready for its launch at our 25th Anniversary party on March 1st. Members were thanked for their donations towards the party buffet.

 

 

WENVOE SPRING CRAFT FAIR

 

WENVOE SPRING CRAFT FAIR

SUNDAY 20 MAY 2018

WENVOE COMMUNITY CENTRE 10am – 4pm

Wenvoe Craft Workshop™️ presents the second annual Wenvoe Spring Craft on Sunday 20th May. Mark the date on your calendar and come along and see a variety of hand crafted items made by talented local crafts people! There are quite a few stalls that have not so far attended one of our fairs so there will be plenty of different products on offer and, of course, there will be some old favourites as well. We see a return of Tricycle Treats with their fabulous ice cream flavours on sale from a beautiful 1940’s style stop-me-and-buy-one trike. If you think you might be a little thirsty you could always taste some locally made cider and buy a few bottles to enjoy at home. We also have locally made artisan fudge on sale in some sensational flavours as well as jewellery, garden products, woven basket ware (our lovely crafter will be doing some crafts in action on the day), textile, paper, card and wood crafts to name but a few. Why on earth would you want to miss that? Then when you’ve shopped you can drop – in to the refreshment area where you can indulge in a hot or cold drink and a slice of home made cake. There are some lovely prizes in the charity raffle and this time the proceeds will be going to the Wenvoe Wildlife Group to help enable them to continue their sterling work around the Village. A member of the Wenvoe Wildlife Group will be in attendance on the day to give visitors information about their invaluable work. Do come along, it will a good, entertaining day where you can meet both present and past Wenvoe residents and have a chat and a catch-up.

If you have any queries you can contact the Organisers, Glenys and Mike Tucker, by email at pukkatucker@gmail.com or by phone on 079 2210 9721.

 

 

January and February Events

 

Rosemary Scadden was our speaker on January 24ty, with one of her new talks “On the edge”. Rosemary told us of villages along the edge of the Severn Estuary, some we had not heard of. This was followed on the 31st by Annette Bracey giving us some keep fit exercises to do.

We are pleased to welcome many new members. We do hope you will enjoy our Wednesday afternoons and continue to do so.

The Dance Band Days was the theme of Mr Wayne Warlow’s talk on the 7th February. Mr Warlow played us music from many famous band leaders, such as Geraldo, Billy Cotton, Bert Amberose and many more.

Following on the 14th February, Rhiannon Chamberlain, of the Dog’s Trust, Bridgend, gave us an insight into the wonderful work this charity does, not just rehousing, but helping many owners.

On March 7th we have our fish/chicken and chips lunch followed by a game of bingo. Please let us know if you are coming, the cost is £3.50. Please arrive by 1.30pm, if you do not wish to have lunch, bingo will follow at our usual 2.15pm

 

 

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

This book follows a single day in 1923 in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, an upper class London society hostess, preparing for a party. The day interweaves her thoughts, reflections on the past, life choices and actions, with several other characters, including Septimus Smith (a war veteran, suffering from post traumatic stress) and Peter Walsh (an early admirer). The day ends with the suicide of Septimus and Clarissa’s party.

The book published in 1925, is considered a classic, an example of ‘stream of consciousness’ storytelling. It touches on suggestions of a Lesbian relationship, mental illness and lost love.

However, the majority of our group did not enjoy it. People found it repetitious, with overlong sentences, the characters hard to visualise, lacking in story and boring. Several members did not finish the book.

Those in favour rated it as a favourite read and beautifully written. The reader gets to know the characters really well and they are cleverly connected at the end.

 

 

Half Term Report

 

 

Well, the past half term has passed by in a flash!

The children have engaged in various activities; some have been playing African drums with specialist teacher, Mr Rees. Pupils in Lower Key Stage 2 have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in a Creative Schools project and have been learning how to screen print; the finished results are truly beautiful. Pupils are also benefiting greatly from learning how to create computer code.

Years 3 and 5 have both led worship this past half term. Parents are welcomed into school to join with their child’s class worship and are invited to stay for a coffee and biscuits afterwards; this is always a special time. Well done to the children and thank you also their class teachers for their very hard work in the planning and facilitation of the class assemblies.

The week before breaking up was Arts Week; the children have been very busy in their preparations for Saint David’s Day, including art work and story writing. They will, no doubt, also be enjoying being creative over half term, making items for the home entries. All entries receive House Points. We have four Houses in school, named after local farms: Ballas; Greaves; Whitehall; Wrinstone. On entry into school, pupils are placed in one of these Houses. House Points are also earned throughout the year, with the winning House presented with an engraved trophy, on an annual basis.

We are looking forward to next half term, with Saint David’s Day celebrations and also the run up to Easter, which is always a very special time in school.

 

 

Your Tasks for March

 

Are we all raring to go as Spring really starts to kick in? The Winter was so wet and, on most days, too miserable to be bothered doing anything in the garden. Feeding the birds is probably the most I did. I was disappointed by the variety of birds at our feeders on the three days of the Big Garden Birdwatch, unlike Mrs Hoy who ticked loads of boxes. Next year I'm spending the weekend at The Wildfowl Trust Slimbridge to even things up, not that i'm a poor loser. The forced bulbs that we have in the house should be planted in the garden. Do not cut the leaves back but do take care of the root system. Buying snowdrops in the green at this time of year is the best way of naturalising them in to the garden.

The R H S things to do list for March –

1. Protect new spring shoots from wind, frost and pests.

2. Plant shallots, onion sets and new potatoes.

3. Plant Summer flowering bulbs.

4. Lift and divide large clumps of perennials.

5. Top dress containers with new compost.

6. Mow lawns on dry days.

7. Cut back Dogwood and Willow.

8. Hoe and mulch weeds to keep under control early.

9. Start feeding the fish and using the pond fountain.

10. Prune bush and climbing Roses.

While top dressing containers with new compost, look out for the Vine Weevil larvae and, if found, treat early with a pesticide. Don't delay on this or the plant will be ruined. Trim Winter flowering Heathers with shears as the flowers start to fade as this will stop them getting leggy and promote strong new growth. Cut off old leaves of Hellebores to expose the flowers. You can divide Hostas now before they come into leaf and Primulas after they have flowered. Dahlia tubers can be potted up now and, when the new shoots reach three to four inches, cuttings can be a taken. Dip the end in rooting powder and pot up and seal in a plastic bag until roots start to show. New plants grown this way will give you more Dahlias and a better display. Sweet pea seeds can be planted directly into the soil at this time of year, which will prolong the flowering season, along with the the plants you have grown on under glass. Hardy annuals can be sown in pots to give great colour to the garden and they are good for filling in any gaps you may have. The Village Show in September is a fantastic annual event in Wenvoe with some outstanding exhibits and is well attended. To keep this show running it needs some volunteers so if you could help in any way it will be very much appreciated.

Garden centres will be tempting us with all their new season young plants which are very hard to resist. Caution is needed as these plants have been grown in a strictly controlled environment so care will be needed when you get them home, especially from the cold and wind. When buying your compost check the bags are not too light as this will mean the compost is dry. It is quite difficult to get it back to the right moisture content and will mean a lot more work before you can use it. If you're buying mulch then the opposite is true – the dryer it is the easier it is to spread and it will go further.

 

Take care and happy gardening

 

 

I’m Back in Birdland

 

The last two years has taught me many things. We moved to a new house on a new estate almost at sea level without a single mature tree in sight. The only regular avian visitors were the gulls on the weekly waste collection day. Their cousins, the magpies paid occasional visits but the smaller birds were not tempted into the estate from the rail embankments in the middle distance.

In two months of late autumn at the Redrow Grange in Wenvoe there has been a return to the good old days. First to show were a pair of pied wagtails flitting on and off a neighbours roof taking insects in flight and then swooping away to another perch. My favourite garden bird the Robin struts his stuff on the eaves of the garage staking his territorial claim, then hopping and skipping along the fence and shrubs picking up seeds and grubs. His companion is little Jenny Wren, as small as the tip of my thumb, but neat and fast. Shy, yet cheeky enough to explore the potted shrubs on the patio particularly the Christmas fir even though smaller than the smallest bauble.

On my dog walks there are more wrens dipping in and out of the hedgerow above the Close while chaffinches and blue tits skip away from branch to branch in front of me and close in behind me reclaiming their territory. Our dog often pulls at the lead desperate to go play with the blackbirds that skit about at ground level.

In the bit of woodland near the garden centre I often hear the ratatat of a woodpecker and am fairly sure from odd glimpses that it is a lesser spotted. And I have also seen a creeper picking off insects as it hops upside down on the trunk. Too far away to be sure it’s a tree creeper.

The skies over Wenvoe were busy in October with echelons of geese flying southeast and honking away. Now it’s jackdaws and the occasional buzzards but my binoculars were too well stored to get in time to see the Ravens in January.

This all seems quite ordinary. But our time in the Quays has made me appreciate these everyday sightings.

 

AyJay

 

 

 

February Parish Report

 

The solemn season of Lent is now with us, and you will notice that many of the ornaments in the Chancel and Sanctuary have been removed and replaced with more simple items, in line with the church’s teaching of self-denying during this period running up to Easter.

The services during Lent are simpler, with less singing and with more emphasis on hearing the Word of God in the Readings and Gospel narratives. Mothering Sunday is on March 11th when the children from “Pebbles” will be encouraged to bring the daffodils they have grown from the bulbs given to them last Harvest Celebrations, to decorate the church and to present their Mum’s with a gift of flowers,

The meeting to discuss the sale of the Church Hall took place on Thursday 8th February with a good crowd of people in the Community Centre Hall. This meeting called and hosted by Wenvoe Community Council to measure the public reaction of the Community Council purchasing the Church Hall. Jon, our Parish Priest was keen to impart the vision of St Mary’s looking forward to how the Church wishes to develop both the building and the congregation in the 21st century. The present hall was not seen as being part of that vision and was becoming a burden on the church as expenses are exceeding income. In addition, the hall need to be updated with improved kitchen and toilet facilities. By building a hall/meeting room facilities on to the North Side of the church that will enable the church to extend its role of hospitality both to the congregation and community. St Mary’s Church Council has worked very hard over the years to keep the church building in good order, with money raised from the Church Appeal and generous donations and grants, plus the income from our very successful “200” club. We are not state aided or supported by the Representative Body of the Church in Wales in any way, and we have to thank the generations that have gone before for what we enjoy today, and it is our responsibility to hand on to the generations yet to be born, a church building worthy of the 21st century.

An interesting debate was held about what the Community Council would do with the hall should they purchase it. This was the real purpose of the meeting to allow the council to gather a feel of the public opinion The Council will do doubt discuss their findings in due course. The alternative is to place the Hall on the open market, once we have the design of the church extension agreed by the many parties involved. Watch this space!

The Parochial Church Council met recently and was pleased to accept the Quinquenial Report from Mr Richard Dean, of Page and Dean Consulting Ltd. It is a very thorough report on the church fabric with items needing investigation. The council decided to appoint Richard as our Church Architect, which he has pleasure in accepting. The immediate work on

the drainage on the South Side of the church has been delayed as we have decided to include additional drainage on the East Wall which was not included in the Faculty. This will save us money in the long run, with the Archaeological surveys which have to be taken when any work is carried out in the churchyard. The churchyard is looking very pristine due to the work by Mike, the village gardener. He is keeping an eye out for any work that is needed during the months/seasons.

The Treasurer reported that our finances are in a healthy position, and recommended that we create a separate account, within the general account for money’s specifically given for the Building Fund. This would mean that money in the building fund would be “ring fenced” and could only be used for the repair and maintenance of the building fabric. The Christmas Collections from our three churches for the Ty Hafan Children’s hospice came to £1404.26 which is a wonderful result. Thank you to all who donated to this worthy cause. We have also received a donation of £103 from the Wenvoe Craft Workshop Christmas Fair for the Building Fund. Many thanks to Mr and Mrs Tucker. The “200” club had also made a payment of £1800 in December, once again many thanks to all are shareholders, in helping to support the building work necessary to keep on top of repairs and maintenance.

Events coming up in March. Mothering Sunday on March 11th. Special Service on Palm Sunday 25th March. Agape supper in the Church hall March 29th. Good Friday March 30th March and Easter Day on April 1st. All are welcome to these services, keep an eye on the notice boards in the Church Porch.

Blessings to all our readers.

Parry Edwards

 

 

District Cub Badge Day

 

Well Done – 1st Wenvoe Cubs!

 

Congratulations to Christopher, Georgia and James who all attended the District Cub Badge Day in January. They all worked hard in their teams through the day, really enjoyed their challenges and were successfully awarded their badges that afternoon

 

 

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