Month: May 2019

Jane Powell – A Passion For Reflexology

 

President Madeleine welcomed everyone to the meeting, especially our visitor Pat Weaver. We hope she will visit again and join our Institute. We were delighted to hear that Pam Cockerill is now one of our members.

Our speaker on this occasion was Jane Powell. After working for 28 years as a Medical Secretary for the NHS, Jane trained as a reflexologist. Her passion for reflexology was clearly evident as she gave us a wonderful talk about various aspects of reflexology and its advantages, particularly where stress is present. Sue Webley volunteered for Jane to demonstrate the ability of a reflexologist to see indications of poor health by feeling and examining feet. We were very grateful to Sue for being a willing volunteer and to Jane for giving us such an interesting evening with her knowledge of reflexology – an evening we all thoroughly enjoyed.

WI business commenced with final plans for the coffee morning at Dinas Powis on 6th April. An invitation has been received for the Charity Afternoon hosted by Barry Highlights WI on Tuesday, 21st May. The Glamorgan Federation has organised several events in the near future including a picnic at Margam Park on 11th June and a Treasure Trail at Barry Island. Members were reminded that donations for the Tombola Stall at the Table Top Sale will be gratefully received at the May meeting.

Nominations for Committee Members were collected ready for the Annual Meeting next month. Our meeting in May will be on Thursday, 2nd May at Wenvoe Church Hall at 7pm. We will be voting regarding the two resolutions which achieved the highest votes in the January meeting and also the Committee for 2019/2020 will be formed.

The RHS Tips For May

 

The RHS tips for May

  1. Watch out for late frosts.
  2. Earth up potatoes
  3. Plant out Summer bedding
  4. Water early and late in the day to make the most of your water.
  5. Keep hoeing weeds on dry days as they will die off quicker.
  6. Open greenhouse vents and doors on warm days.
  7. Mow lawns weekly.
  8. Check for nesting birds before clipping hedges.
  9. Lift and divide clumps of Spring flowering bulbs.
  10. Watch out for viburnum beetle and lily beetle grubs.

Time to cut back Spring flowering shrubs and watch out for the shrubs with variegated leaves as they will slowly try to revert to green. Cut out the patches of plain shoots. Forsythia is one of the shrubs that needs to be cut back now to be assured of a good display next year. Proof if needed was the plant in Nige and Jude’s garden on Church Rise which was beautiful. Montana clematis can be reduced in size to make it more manageable, this should not harm the plant.

Take softwood cuttings of fuchsia, hydrangea and Forsythia now.

Daffodils can look a mess as they fade, so lift them after you make sure all the heads have been taken off and dig in to a corner of the garden and when they have completely died back lift and store for the autumn.

One of the things I’m guilty of is not putting supports in early enough. It is a lot easier to do when the plants are small, then tie in as they develop.

Crane fly larvae are leatherjackets and this Spring they have been causing a lot of damage to lawns in the area. There are no chemicals available to gardeners. Nematodes are available and should be used as soon as possible after purchasing. These are only really effective during September/October time. To prevent this problem, improve drainage where possible and encourage strong growth

 

On May 11th the W I are holding a table top sale at the Wenvoe Community Centre; to complement the other stalls there will be locally grown plants for sale as well as good gardening tips. All under the watchful eye of Madeleine Rees. If ever you are in need of advice on any gardening matters then make haste to the library where Joyce Hoy can answer your queries especially on Alpines. As for Vegetable expertise please look no further than Wenvoe show multiple winner Gordon Jones. You really could not do any better.
Around the village it’s great to see people tending their gardens. The effort that some put in is astounding. If you would like to be included in an Open Garden afternoon in July contact Brian and Sandra Jones on 02920594248. I know some that don’t like attention but it would be good to see the likes of Gerry and Ieuan come forward, if only for me to say that I know these gardeners.
Take care and happy gardening

 

 

Potato Salad with Chorizo and Capers

Potato Salad with Chorizo and Capers

850g new potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks

1 med red onion, thinly sliced

juice of half a lemon

3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 tsp smoked paprika

small pkt. [30g] flat leaf parsley, chopped

3 tbsp. garlic olive oil

250g cooking chorizo, sliced

1 tbsp. capers

Boil the potatoes in a pan until just tender, drain. While the potatoes are cooking, combine the onion and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside for 10 mins, drain. Stir fry the chorizo until golden and crisp. Transfer the potatoes and onions to a serving bowl. Add the vinegar, paprika, parsley and oil, season well with salt and fresh black pepper. Add the chorizo and capers, stir gently to combine. Sprinkle the parsley over the top to serve. Serve as a side dish to your BBQ.

 

 

Leek Linguine

Leek Linguine

400g linguine

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 med leeks, quartered and sliced thinly

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

150g frozen peas

50g grated Parmesan cheese

150ml single cream

2 tbsp. flat leafed parsley chopped

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Cook the linguine and thyme for 5 minutes, before adding the leeks and garlic. Simmer for a further 5 minutes then add the peas. Cook for a further 2 minutes, or until al dente. Remove from the heat, drain and return to the pan. Discard the thyme sprigs. Stir through the parmesan and cream. Serve in bowls and scatter over the parsley and add a little fresh ground black pepper. Serve with buttered fresh French sticks.

 

 

May Planning Updates

The following planning applications have been approved

  • Waunwyrdd, Port Road, Proposed alterations and extensions.
  • Grange Park, side of 34 Old Port Road, Removal of 3 Horse Chestnut trees.

 

The tenders for construction of the new library building are being sought, closing date is 17th May. Planned commencement of construction is 1st July with the new building coming into use end of December.

The plans for the Twyn-yr-Odyn play area having been displayed locally resulted in only an additional suggestion for a seat near the swings which was supported.

A litter pick has taken place in Twyn-yr-Odyn area during the month, a date is being considered for an evening clean-up in the village. It was proposed that litter pickers and bags are left easily available in different locations to allow families, individuals etc to easily tidy an area they feel requires attention.

The council is seeking quotes for work to level the ground in the cemetery by infilling dips in the ground and reseeding where necessary.

 

 

May Planning Applications

 

• Grange Park Play Area, Work to Trees covered by TPO Removal of 1 Ash, 2 Corsican Pine, 2 Horse Chestnut and 1 Cherry. The applications are the result of a tree survey following the failure of the pine tree in last month’s storm. The Council supported the proposed work to make the area safer. Replacement trees will be planted in the autumn.

  • Cwm Derwen Farm, Waycock Road, Barry. Erection of single storey pre-fabricated extensions to existing farm building. This will provide facilities for indoor lambing and secure storage for fodder and machinery. This application follows the previous refusal. The Council raised no objections.
  • 8, Larchwood. Bespoke single storey orangery extension to the rear of the existing dwelling. No objections.
  • 4, Larchwood.Trim overhanging branches on 2 Oak and an Ash tree. No objection subject to the work being undertaken by an approved tree surgeon.
  • Glebelands, 27, Rectory Close. Two storey side extension to replace the existing single storey side extension. Because the proposal is for the extension to have a flat roof the Council considered it out of character with all the other properties and hence objected.

 

 

The Wenvoe Telephone Box

Our Grade II Listed Telephone Kiosk

In spite of being a relatively small village, Wenvoe has three listed buildings. Most will probably be aware of St. Mary’s Church (Grade II*) and the Old Rectory (Grade II), but perhaps less well known (and not another attempt at an April Fool) is our Grade II listed telephone kiosk.

Listed buildings are nationally important and of special interest. For a building to be included, it must be a man-made structure that survives in something at least approaching its original state. Other than buildings, structures such as bridges, monuments, sculptures, war memorials, and even milestones may also be listed.

The Wenvoe telephone box is a K6 (Kiosk 6) design. These cast-iron boxes were introduced in 1926, with our K6 version appearing in the 1930s. They were designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect of the Battersea Power Station and Liverpool Cathedral. At its height there were 92,000 telephone boxes like this in the UK. The iconic booths began disappearing in the 1980s, when the privatisation of British Telecom and the rise of the mobile phone consigned most of them to the scrap heap.

Our telephone box shares its listed building status with some other iconic landmarks. Wenvoe has something in common with the famous Beatles Crossing in Abbey Road (an ideal question for the excellent annual St Mary’s Church quiz), recognised as Grade II in 2010 for its historical and cultural importance. It also shares the distinction with an Esso petrol station in Redhill, Leicestershire. The circular Mobil canopies were designed by the American modernist architect Elliot Noyes in the late 1960s, along with the controversial Preston Bus Station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the left is a defibrillator at Upper Slaughter in the Cotswolds. Defibrillators in phone boxes like this one, have helped save lives in areas where medical help can be slower to arrive. On the right is an art work in Kingston upon Thames

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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