Month: February 2020

Chicken Nacho Grills

Chicken Nacho Grills

40g bag tortilla chips

4 medium skinless chicken breasts

200g tub fresh spicy tomato salsa

142ml pot soured cream

Good handful grated mature cheddar cheese.

Heat oven to180C. Crush the tortilla chips. Put the chicken breasts on a non stick baking tray, season, then slash each 3 times with a sharp knife. Spoon 1 tbsp. of salsa on top of each, then 1 tbsp. of soured cream. Sprinkle the chips over the chicken then the cheese. Roast for about 15-20 mins until the topping is golden and melting.

Serve with garlic bread.

 

 

We Are Short On Numbers

We Are Short On Numbers

January’s work consisted of cutting back bamboo, ivy and thorns that were growing close to the wall dividing the community cemetery and churchyard.

We as a group meet on the 2nd Monday of the month, 9.30 at the Community Centre.

We are short on numbers at present and would welcome any help in trying to keep the village clean and tidy. Ieuan, a stalwart of the team, had a knee replacement recently. That’s what happens when you’ve been an elite athlete most of your life. Hope to see you back soon Ieuan and we look forward to welcoming some new members in the coming months.

 

 

Leeches Not Cute And Lovable

Leeches Not Cute And Lovable

Leeches are abundant and all around us, yet few will notice them. They are not exactly cute and lovable – indeed they might generate a frisson of terror in some, particularly those who remember Humphrey Bogart being covered in them in ‘The African Queen’. Stories in the press such as the removal of a leech from the nose of a woman in Vietnam (yes, you can watch the procedure online if that takes your fancy!) just add to the anxiety they can generate.

However, unless you are setting off for foreign climes, rest assured that in the UK there is only one species of leech that is believed to suck your blood – more of that later. If you have a garden pond, and particularly if it contains fish, you are likely to have leeches in it, most fairly small. But the Horse Leech is quite common in and around Wenvoe and the photo shows one living in the stream that runs between Clos Llanfair and the new Grange development. Despite their name, they do not attack horses nor any mammals for that matter. They live on small larvae and snails, whilst occasionally moving onto land in search of earthworms. They can be up to 15 cms or 6 inches long, so are easy to spot.

The Medicinal Leech is the largest in Britain and has been used as a health cure for hundreds of years. It was thought they removed bad blood as they were placed on the body and drank their fill – ‘blood-letting’. References to the medicinal use of leeches go back to 200BC with the Greek physician Nicander. Ancient Sanskrit texts also refer to them. The use of leeches has seen something of a resurgence since the 1970s (see hirudotherapy) in association with a variety of treatments such as skin grafts and varicose veins. However the chances of you coming across medicinal leeches in our countryside are remote as they are now limited to possibly no more than 20 isolated sites in Britain and the species is so rare that it has European protected status. So if you are being treated with leeches they will have come from a leech farm, of which one of the main suppliers is Biopharm not that far away in Hendy.

 

 

New Year – New You!

 

New Year, New You!

Want to feel better, have more energy and have fun? Then join our walking group at Cosmeston.

Exercise has many benefits including burning calories and can prevent and manage health problems. But everyone knows that! So make time this new decade to exercise more and feel some of the benefits!

The group managed to keep their boots relatively clean for the first walk of 2020, despite the previous weeks of rain turning many paths to muddy puddles. No promises about clean boots for this year, but in two years the group has only experienced a light rain shower!

February’s walk is a change from the normal plan: it’s the 2nd Thursday of the month, then back to the first Thursday for March and the rest of the year! Hope you can join us.

 

 

Tips for February

Tips for February

RHS tips for February:

  1. Prepare vegetable seed beds.
  2. Chit potato tubers.
  3. Protect blossom on apricots and peaches.
  4. Make sure netting covering veg is still intact.
  5. Prune winter flowering shrubs as soon as flowers fade.

Wenvoe environment group tips:

  1. Use a hand barrier cream especially at this time of year.
  2. Ferrous sulphate needs to be applied to lawns to kill off moss.
  3. Look upon your garden from the comfort of your home and decide on changes.
  4. Maybe put up a nesting box. Be sure to face the entrance North/East.
  5. If purchasing a new spade etc, make sure the handle is long enough to ease stress on the back.

Here we go! The days are getting longer – even though on wet days it’s hard to believe. We can all look forward to dirty hands and a stiff back in the name of gardening. Please don’t go at it like a bull at a gate. A little and often is always the best way and hopefully you won’t get disheartened. Weeding is the most tedious; if you start this month, it will stop these devils from spreading as the soil warms up.

Keeping equipment clean is always the right way. That I’m afraid is something I don’t practice as much as I should. Betty James on the other hand is always so good. All her pots cleaned and stored when not in use. Betty’s propagation success is high because of this and her plants are checked daily without fail. It also helps if you love gardening as much as Mrs James does. Bringing on seedlings on a sunny windowsill is a good way of always being able to give them the attention they need.

People fortunate to have Wisteria in their gardens will be cutting side shoots back to three buds, encouraging a profusion of spring flowers. Late flowering Clematis can be cut back to a healthy bud about 30cms from base. Buddleia and elder can be cut down to the ground, keeping the plants to a manageable size in the process. Any deciduous shrubs in the wrong place are best moved now while still dormant.

Wenvoe, along with all parishes in UK, will be celebrating the 75th Anniversary of VE Day in May. If you want to get involved, then a lot of village groups will be organising events. The late 1940s brought a big change to British gardens. People started to grow flowers instead of vegetables in their front gardens. As we are encouraged to plant trees to help the environment, it seems right to plant one this year on this anniversary. Just be careful what tree you plant as this can, in future, cause a dispute with neighbours.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

 

Start of the Spring Term

Start of the Spring Term

Well it’s hard to believe that we are back in school! The Christmas holidays flashed by in a whizz! It was lovely to welcome our pupils back to school for the start of the Spring term. We would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year!

The Spring term is always such a lovely and busy time in school.

In the next couple of weeks, we will be saying goodbye to our students, including six Canadians, who have been with us since the end of September. We wish them every success as they continue their training in different schools and also in their future careers.

Our school chickens have now officially retired! They have gone to join Sam Miller and his family to enjoy their retirement in peace and tranquillity! Thank you very much to Mr and Mrs Miller, Maisie and Sam.

Our value this half term is Perseverance. Vicar Jon led a super assembly last week, showed us his beautiful new stole (which he had for Christmas) and told an engaging action story, which the children loved.

Mrs Ford will be taking a group of children to a Modern Foreign languages conference in which they will be having taster sessions in French, Spanish, German and Mandarin! Tres bien Mrs Ford! Danke schoen!

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