Dog Mess In Wenvoe

Dog Mess In Wenvoe

A few months ago we bought a puppy so that we would have to get out and walk more regularly in the village. We bought disposable small bags, so as not to leave our new pets’ mess for other people to have to pick up, step in or look at. They are very cheap and readily available.

I do not know the cost to our Council to have to clean up after a minority of uncaring, selfish pet owners but am sure this money could be better spent elsewhere in our village. Recently I saw a notice in the local park stating that unless owners cleaned up after their dogs, a ban could be put in place stopping dog exercise in this area.

I must admit that I am disgusted by the amount of filth so called ‘animal lovers’ are prepared to leave in parks, on roadsides, paths and verges, It makes me feel ashamed to be associated with people, most of whom must be local and appear not to care about other people and/or their children. On several occasions I have stepped into dog mess myself. It’s disgusting!

I am sure many can complain about times they have had this unpleasant experience. I am not surprised if parents are angry and do not like dogs or their owners, when their children get covered in dog mess. There are numerous bins around the village, where bags can be left if you do not want to carry them home. The bags cost very little. I see most dog owners on walks carrying these and they share the same complaint as me.

So who are these people who don’t care about others, their children and the local environment? To that minority I say, ‘Clean up after your pet, it is wrong to leave filth around our village.’ Don’t you want anywhere left that is green and pleasant to walk your dog?’

Keep Wenvoe Clean; Bag it and Bin it!

(Name and address supplied)

 



 

Fox and Cubs = Orange Hawkweed

Fox and Cubs

Early July saw lots of these flowers in and around Wenvoe which with the benefit of colour would appear orange and brown. Nice to see that gardeners had often mowed around them. They are a wildflower known either as Fox and Cubs after the colouring or more correctly as Orange Hawkweed. Not only are they attractive but insects enjoy them as well for their pollen. They never seem to cause us a problem but in Canada, North America and Australia they are regarded as a noxious weed as this extract from the Washington State Weed Control Board indicates:

‘It’s an aggressive, unpalatable competitor of pasture and range plant species, crowding out more desirable forage. It is a serious pest of lowland pasture, mountain meadows and lawns.’

This is often what happens when a plant is introduced from another country as we have found with Japanese Knotweed and Winter Heliotrope where there are no natural predators. Meantime enjoy your Fox and Cubs safe in the knowledge that it will provide a modest splash of colour either in the lawn or the border. It has been introduced to the wildflower section of the Elizabethan Orchard where it pops up each year but has not spread beyond the point where it was first planted.

Some people in the village have commented on the apparent lack of buzzards around this year – others say they still see them regularly. We nearly lost them in the 1950s (persecution and myxomatosis) but since then the numbers have increased steadily. Causes of death and high chick mortality are usually down to the lack of food, persecution by gamekeepers and taking poisoned carcasses. But if numbers have declined this year it is difficult to see that any of these factors will have applied and even if the chicks have not done well the adults should still be around as they can live for 25 years. What do you think?

 



 

Quick Witted US Cops

 

AMERICAN COPS

These quotes are taken off actual police car videos
around the states: There are some mighty ‘quick
witted’ cops!
’You know, stop lights don’t come any redder
than the one you just went through.’
’Relax, the handcuffs are tight because they’re
new. They’ll stretch after you wear them a while.’
’If you take your hands off the car, I’ll make your
birth certificate a worthless document.’
 ‘If you run, you’ll only go to jail tired.’
’Can you run faster than 1200 ft/second? Because
that’s the speed of the bullet that’ll be chasing you.’
’You don’t know how fast you were going? I
guess that means I can write anything I want on the
ticket, huh?’
’Yes sir, you can talk to the shift supervisor, but I
don’t think it will help. Oh, did I mention that I’m
the shift supervisor?’
’Warning! You want a warning? O.K., I’m
warning you not to do that again or I’ll give you
another ticket.’
’The answer to this last question will determine
whether you are drunk or not. Was Mickey Mouse
a cat or a dog?’
’Fair? You want me to be fair? Listen, fair is a
place where you go to ride on rides, eat cotton
candy and corn dogs and step in monkey poop.’
’Yeah, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my
wife gets a toaster oven.’
’How big were those ‘two beers’ you say you
had?’
’No sir, we don’t have quotas anymore. We used
to, but now we’re allowed to write as many tickets
as we can.’
’I’m glad to hear that the Chief (of Police) is a
personal friend of yours. It’s good to know
someone who can post your bail.’
’You didn’t think we gave pretty women tickets?
You’re right, we don’t ………. Sign here.’

June is Pride Month

Shade never made anybody less gay

June is Pride Month, a time when the LGBTQIA+ community should be able to celebrate being themselves. Being a part of this community even in today’s age is possibly one of the hardest things a person can do, so I celebrate anyone who identifies as part of this community because support isn’t always easy to find.

I talk about not spreading hate, but I always feel it’s incredibly important whilst discussing the LGBTQIA+ community. The norm even in 2019 is being heterosexual, and there are still too many people in the world who neither support the community nor care to educate themselves on it. There are still people who think there is something wrong with being anything but yourself. As of April 2019, only 16 states in the United States of America have criminalised conversion therapy on minors.

In 2018, the film ‘Love, Simon’ was the first major Hollywood studio film to focus on a gay teenage romance and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ won Rami Malek an Oscar at the 2019 Academy Awards for playing Freddie Mercury. The LGBTQIA+ community being predominantly represented in film and television without being the stereotyped sidekick is a breath of fresh air, but it doesn’t mean everyone’s supportive of this change.

Despite ‘Moonlight’ encouraging many to become more comfortable with their sexuality, and ‘Orange is the New Black’ and ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ showcasing transgender and non-binary characters respectively, bigotry lurks. ‘Rocketman’ was banned in Samoa, after the film was the first Hollywood blockbuster with a sex scene between two men.‘Beauty and the Beast’ was banned in numerous countries, including America, after Disney changed the sexual orientation of the character Lefou for its live-action adaptation.

For some reason, being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community still makes you an outcast. Many celebrities who identify as LGBTQIA+ feel a sense of responsibility forced upon them, to be a positive influence for others in the community. But many of these celebrities have also expressed how their sexuality is a defining feature and being a part of the community is the first thing people often see about them. Broadway performer Billy Porter also expressed how although LGBTQIA+ roles are more available, they are often not offered to those who are part of the community, and instead go to cisgender actors because their names are more widely known.

But why do people care to be mean to the LGBTQIA+ community? Truly. Why do people care about who other people love? How does two men kissing on their wedding day because they love each other affect you? Why do you care if someone has started living as another gender because they know they were born into the wrong body? They’ve

discovered their true self and should be celebrated for it. Why does it affect you if someone wants gender neutral pronouns? Use them and be respectful. Why does everyone believe that they deserve a say on what happens in the LGBTQIA+ community if they’re not a part of the community? Just let people live their lives.

Between Boston having a ‘Straight Pride Parade’ and the lesbian couple attacked on a bus for refusing to kiss, this year’s Pride month truly shows why it’s needed. Not enough people are truly accepting of the LGBTQIA+ community, but instead of spreading hate, maybe they should try educating themselves enough on what the community is about.

By teaching children about the LGBTQIA+ community in schools, it doesn’t ‘force’ a certain sexuality on them because your sexuality isn’t learnt behaviour. Teaching children about LGBTQIA+ means that there will be less miserable children thinking that they are awful people because of their sexuality; there will be less bullying, because having lessons about the LGBTQIA+ community normalises it. Because being a part of that community is normal and natural, and thus far the world’s been hiding that.

Try to educate yourself. Either do so online or ask someone who’s a part of the community. It may seem embarrassing to ask, but it shows personal growth because you are encouraging their self-expression and trying to understand it yourself. Ask them what it feels like to be a part of the community and why it’s such an important community to them. Because I doubt you could walk away from that conversation and still believe it’s anything but amazing to celebrate them and who they are.

They were created to be who they are, never try to take that away from them or shame them.

You don’t have to paint everything rainbow. But you do have to make sure that the person you know who is LGBTQIA+ is loved. You do have to make sure that they feel accepted and that they know there is nothing wrong with being them. You do have to raise your children to know it’s okay to be LGBTQIA+. It’ll be harder for everyone if your child resents themselves because they think there’s something bad about them being a part of the community.

In the words of Tan France, “It’s very unlikely that people are going to cause you an issue just because you are being yourself. And if they’re concerned, that’s on them. You’re happy”.

Remember: You do not have the right to shame a person for who they are. Ever.

Always support members of the LGBTQIA+ community, because there are many, many people who won’t.

By Tirion Davies

 



 

Library Events for August

Library Events for August

Trip to Cheddar and Street, Somerset

A good time was had by all on July 13th. We spent a few hours in Cheddar for lunch and a browse/walk around the village before our visit to the outlet centre. You can see from the delirium on Paul’s face that many of us found the shops irresistible.

 

The Summer Reading Challenge 2019 has been launched. The initiative encourages children aged 4 – 11 to read at least six library books during the summer holidays. Thursday July 18 saw the launch of the Challenge during the morning assembly at Wenvoe Primary School. This year the Challenge focuses on the theme of ‘Space Chase’ – an adventure featuring aliens and a family of astronauts inspired by the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. Children are challenged to read at least six library books over the school holidays and collect rewards, such as stickers and book marks, on their way to receiving their challenge certificate and medal.

Amazing Spectacular Space, Wednesday 21stAugust from 10 am ‘ll 12 pm, in the Library – A Special Library Event to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the first landing on the moon. The workshop will be run by David Breen who worked at Techniquest for many years. This is a drop-in activity for families, but adults interested in space are most welcome. Find out about the planets in our solar system and exoplanets. These are planets which orbit distant stars. Control a hydraulic robot arm and wear our version of space gloves to complete simple tasks. How does gravity affect the weight of a simple object on different planets? Handle meteorite samples and small samples from the Space Shuttle and Apollo space capsules.

Family History Sessions – Tuesday mornings

Have you always wanted to trace your roots and learn more about your ancestors? We are holding weekly drop-in sessions for beginning and more experienced genealogical researchers. On-line genealogical sources via Ancestry and FindmyPast are available for in-library use. The library has free Wi-Fi so you are encouraged to bring your laptops/tablets to share your research with others. There is no need to book. Fee £2 a session.

Help with IT. Wednesdays – all day

Digital Champions – Get FREE 1-to-1 help with your phones and tablets. If you aren’t yet connected to the Internet, there’s a lot you’re missing out on. That’s why we are offering a range of FREE support sessions to help you get you started, increase your

confidence, or build on your existing skills in using your mobile phones, laptops and tablets. Sessions need to be booked in advance so why not call in or ring us to find out more.

Sharing experiences: Each month we’ll be inviting people to share memorable experiences of places they have visited. Your contributions are welcome.

Readers’ recommendations: We are asking readers to let us know whether they have particularly enjoyed a book that they can recommend to other readers. We are putting these recommended books on a separate shelf in the library for the attention of other borrowers. This initiative is really popular so please let us have your suggestions.

Pop-up Book Stalls: We continue to hold our successful pop-ups. Look out for us outside the Village Stores over the next few months with a selection of good-quality donated books at reasonable prices. All proceeds go to keeping your library open.

Book donations: Many thanks to those who have donated books. We are always grateful to receive good quality books. We can always collect your books if you find it difficult to drop them off at the library.

Clwb Clonc: Our Welsh conversation group continues to go from strength to strength. Learners and first language Welsh speakers who want to practise their conversational skills can join us for an informal chat. Weekly meetings are held on Mondays in the café at Pugh’s Garden Centre at 11 am, and at 7pm on the second Thursday of the month in the bar of the Wenvoe Arms. Croeso i bawb.

Welsh Language Book Club: We have had a few requests for a Welsh language book club. If you are interested in joining, please send us an email and we’ll put you on the list.

Book Bags: We have some lovely grey canvas book/shopping bags for sale in the library at £5 each,

 



 

Nutty Brownies

Nutty Brownies

225g dark chocolate

100g unsalted butter

150g dark soft brown sugar

150g caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

150g plain flour

50g walnut, hazelnut or pecan pieces

A 20cm square tin, lined with greaseproof or baking paper

Heat oven to 160C fan. In a saucepan, melt 125g of the chocolate with the butter over a low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove pan from the heat. Stir in the sugars, then the eggs one at a time, stirring after each one, and then the vanilla. Fold in the flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir in the nuts and the rest of the choco-late, broken into pieces. Pour into cake tin and cook for 20-25 mins till just set in the centre.

Cool then cut into squares

 



 

Pasta Shells with Tuna and Pears

Pasta Shells with Tuna and Pears

350g pasta shells

50g butter

125g frozen peas

med onion chopped

2 egg yolks, beaten

300ml double cream

226g can tuna in oil, flake larger pieces

salt and fresh black pepper

2 tsp fresh thyme

fresh mixed herbs to garnish

Cook pasta as per instructions for about 7 – 10 mins. Drain. Melt butter in a separate pan and fry peas and onion until tender, about 5 mins. [DON’T BURN THE BUTTER ] Stir in the drained pasta, mix in the beaten egg yolks, cream and tuna, add the seasoning and thyme. Heat gently for 5 – 10 mins until sauce thickens, Serve garnished with fresh herbs. Serve with fresh garlic bread.

 



 

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