Month: June 2018

June Talks

 

Mr David Harrison gave us an interesting talk on May 23rd about graveyards, mostly in the Monmouth area ,where he lives,and where a lot of history is attached. On the 30th of May, Ann Callen brought her vast collection of patchwork quilts to show us. She told us how she first became interested in this craft and how much of her work focuses around a theme or special occasion.

We arranged afternoon tea for June 6th.The table was full with sandwiches, cakes and scones with plenty of cream. Apart from eating we were able to chat to each other .It was quite a change and a pleasant afternoon

Mr Donald Knight, who specialises in Bonzai trees ,brought along some of his collection on June 13th. We heard how this pession of his grown over the years, and how he has turned his own garden and previous ones into Japanese gardens, which have featured on TV and any magazines and are open to the public at certain times

We are fast coming to the end of our Spring/Summer session. I hope you have enjoyed it .The Autumn programme will be ready by the end of July

 

 

Star of Bethlehem

 

You will see the logo of the Wildlife Group on noticeboards, leaflets, posters and social media. But what does it represent and why? The 6-petalled flower is Spiked Star of Bethlehem, also known as Bath Asparagus. It is related to garden asparagus and used to be eaten. More common in the Bath area there are records of it being for sale in greengrocers up to the 1970s – elsewhere it is localised from Wiltshire up to Huntingdonshire. Some say it was introduced by the Romans, hence being common around Bath. So why the link with Wenvoe? It is well-established growing in a hedgerow near Greave Farm and this is probably its main, if not only, site in Wales. Whilst isolated records do appear elsewhere these may be garden escapes but the Wenvoe plants were first recorded in the 1990s and are spread over 100 metres of hedgerow. It is a mystery how and why they should have become established here but there are many plants, the quick count for 2018 showing up around 20 spikes. It is also known as French Asparagus, Prussian Asparagus and Pyrenean Star of Bethlehem.

 

 

June Walk

 

The sun was shining. The sky was blue. The grey clouds had passed by. The strollers had gathered at the Cosmeston information centre…….it must be the first Thursday of the month and time for the living with cancer strollers to have a gentle walk, around the lake.

June's walk was completed in ideal sunny conditions. The orchids were blooming across the fields and were a splendid sight. Ducks and swans swam serenely across the lake.

The benefits of exercise for an individual's health and wellbeing are well known and walking is a particularly gentle exercise which is suitable for all ages. Add in some chat and a coffee and you have a recipe for an excellent morning's outing!

We welcomed a new walker in June and we hope more people may be tempted to join us for July's stroll :10:30 at Cosmeston on the first Thursday.

 

 

Wenvoe Spring Craft Fair

 

Huge thanks go to all of you lovely people who came along on the day and made the Wenvoe Spring Craft Fair on 18 May such a roaring success. The weather could not have been better and this was especially good news for the Vale Cider Company and Tricycle Treats Ice Cream who were working flat out all day. All of the traders did well and thoroughly enjoyed chatting with their customers. The proceeds of the raffle (and some of the Village Gardeners plant sale), which came to a whopping £421, was donated to the very deserving Wenvoe Wildlife Group. Their table was busy all day and the free saplings and wildflower seed packs were very much appreciated, as was the information that was passed on during the day.

Tables are now almost all allocated for the Wenvoe Christmas Craft Fair which takes place this year on Sunday 18 November. Save the date and start your Christmas ( I’ll wash my mouth out with soap for saying the C word in June) shopping with a day of hand crafted and unique items in a friendly, festive atmosphere. We will be delighted to see you.

If you have any queries please contact the organisers, Glenys and Mike Tucker, at pukkatucker @gmail.com or on tel. 07922109721

 

 

IS THAT REALLY THE BANK OR THE POLICE?

 

IS THAT REALLY THE BANK OR THE POLICE?

We know fraudsters are going round impersonating the police and your bank. Never trust any claims you hear which involve you sharing personal information, disclosing bank details, or making payments.

 Be extremely wary of unsolicited calls from your bank or the police.

 End the call, and call back from a different number. If not possible, wait at least a minute before calling back.

 Call the number found on your bank card, or the police on 101.

 Check with friends or family. Don’t trust claims by cold callers.

 Never share your PIN with anyone.

 Never hand over money, bank cards or make purchases following an unexpected call.

 

REMEMBER

Your bank or the police will never ask for your PIN, bank card, or for you to withdraw money or buy items on their behalf.

 

 

 

Telephone Scam Warning

 

South Wales Police urge all members of the public to be alert to a recent telephone scam that has started to become widely used Nationally and locally.

The Scam involves a person telephoning the victim claiming that they are a Police Officer and that there has been a suspicious transaction on their bank account.

They urge the victim to withdraw all the money from their accounts as they claim the bank accounts are not safe and to box them up for a courier to collect so that the Police can keep it safe for them.

They often give the telephone number ‘161’ to ring should the victim encounter any problems.

When the victim rings this number they are reassured that the officer is genuine.

A number of victims locally have become a victim of this type of crime and have lost substantial amounts of money. South Wales Police state that No officer will ever contact an individual asking them to withdraw money and send it them for safekeeping.

The Public are urged to be aware of this SCAM and not to respond but report the matter to South Wales Police using the Non Emergency No 101 or if somebody turns up at your door to ring the Emergency Number 999

 

 

June Meeting Report

At our June meeting we were all involved in fitting the new window boxes at the Community Centre. You may recall that the old wooden ones had finally rotted away. The new ones are up and running and are fully planted up. Hopefully they will last for many years.The rest of the village is now complete with the usual summer bedding. Our next meeting will be on the 16th July at 9.30am.
Towards the end of June I was invited to join the Beavers on their litter pick. There was a good turn-out and the leaders divided them into two groups. They spent almost an hour in Grange Park and Station Road, including over the footbridge. We could all learn a lot from these little people who were so eager to do their bit for the environment and I was very pleased to be involved. WELL DONE BEAVERS.

Trevor Case.

 

 

Cod with Tomato and Thyme

Cod with Tomato and Thyme

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 heaped tsp light brown soft sugar

few sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped

1tbsp soy sauce

4 good sized cod fillets or Pollack

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion, fry for about 5 – 8 mins until lightly browned. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, thyme and soy sauce, bring to the boil. Simmer for about 5 mins, then add fish to the sauce. Cover and gently cook for about 8 – 10 mins until the fish flakes easily. Serve with boiled potatoes and a green vegetables.

 

 

Roast Chicken Thighs with Asparagus and Garlic

Roast Chicken Thighs with Asparagus and Garlic

8 chicken thighs, boned, skin on

750g Jersey Royals, cut into bit sized pieces

1 large whole garlic bulb, cloves separated

1 tbsp. garlic olive oil

1 lemon

small handful fresh rosemary sprigs

300g large asparagus, woody ends removed

2 med leeks trimmed, green end removed

Heat oven to 180C. Par boil potatoes for about 5 mins, drain and set aside. Half the lemon and squeeze out the juice, cut the lemon halves into chunks. Cut the leeks into about 1 inch lengths. In a large bowl add all the ingredients except the aspara-gus and rosemary. Mix well to cover with the oil and lemon, transfer to a large baking tin or casserole dish. Arrange the chicken on the top of the veg. Roast for about 30 mins, stir now and again. Re-move dish from the oven stir in the asparagus and rosemary to coat with the juices. Cook for about 15 mins more until the potatoes are tender. Serve with buttered green beans and broccoli or veg of your choice.

 

 

Mercy Ship Funding Event

ONE AMAZING EVENING

About 80 people (mainly villagers, but a few friends from Sully, Miskin and Swansea too), attended the Community Centre one wet Friday evening on 25th May for an Evening of Entertainment by John and Olwen Griffiths (better known in Media circles as Johnny Tudor and Olwen Rees).

We soon forgot the rain as we heard some very interesting tales of life in showbiz, a wee bit of gossip here and there. with tales of extravagant parties, doomed romances, glitz and glamour. These stories from both John and Olwen were interspersed with songs. duets, fancy footwork by Johnny, whose tap dancing is as good as ever, and a beautiful rendering of Eli Jenkins' Prayer from Under Milk Wood, by Olwen, which brought a lump to the throat.

90 minutes had flown by, so the interval was later than planned. The very tasty cheese buffet was much appreciated, and Nick Cook, our expert Sommelier, was kept busy at the Bar.

Helen Ormrod had made the trip from London especially to thank the Parishes for supporting her in raising funds for her to join the Mercy Ship, which she did in the interval. Helen also invited us to view the Mercy Ship Display in the ante-room, and said how much she is looking forward to going on a 4 month adventure which will be very hard work, in difficult circumstances., but SO rewarding , for the medics and even lifechanging for the patients.

Johnny Tudor had already said he was happy to do an encore, so he sang more songs after the interval, inviting the audience to join in – which they did with gusto. (Fortunately, our grannies had taught us all those old songs which of course were before our time!). The atmosphere was so warm and convivial that we were sad to see it end, but over £700 was raised, towards this very worthwhile cause.

Rev Jon, Mrs Sheonagh and Miss Helen Ormrod would like to thank everyone who supported the evening, the Social Committee of St Mary's Church, especially Nick Cook, those who donated Raffle Prizes, Mr Tony Williams for his generous co-operation, and , most of all, Mr and Mrs John Griffiths, who gave their time and talent so willingly.

DIOLCH YN FAWR IN CHI!!

V.Roberts

 

 

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