The Official Wenvoe Homepage
WALKING GROUP
Thurs 3rd June:- variations on the Cardiff parks walk, about 5 miles, shorter option could be available. Meet 1pm, Village Hall. Bert. (2059 4418)
July walk will be Thurs July 1st.
This is not a formal club, but only an opportunity to walk in company: all are welcome, but you come at your own risk.
News for June
Here in Wales, the Welsh Government has relaxed some of the COVID restrictions we have lived under for the past 14 months, but with new freedoms come the responsibilities we have to each other.
While cafes, museums, cinemas and much more can now open, churches still have to abide with the previous rules of social distancing, the wearing of face masks, no singing allowed, and having to book your place in the congregation. So, for the moment, nothing has changed. At St. Mary’s we are having repairs and repainting in the nave and chancel, so the building remains closed. All worship was transferred to the Church Hall and it is hoped services in June will be back in church. See the church notice board for the latest details and arrangements.
After much hassle and delay, Wi-Fi was finally installed in the church. The streaming of services will now go ahead when we are able to reopen. The delay was caused by not having a postcode, not having a letter box, the “Open reach” ladders were too short, need I say more!! The 10.30am service on Facebook stopped during the month as we were able to stream a service from either Sully or Wenvoe at the regular times of 9.30am and 11.00am. The Facebook service was widely popular with people logging in from far and wide, and far more were taking part on line than we could ever hope to see in church. Reaching out beyond the confines of the church building is our Mission to the community and we invite those who cannot attend in person and have a Wi-Fi connection, to join in with us as we explore different ways of doing “church”.
The Christian Aid appeal “MAKING STEPS MATTER” took place during the month, and first results are encouraging. This year like last year, we could not organise a house-to-house collection, but the bunting and banners outside the church and the village school, was a reminder that the gift of water in many parts of the world is a rare commodity. The appeal was to count the steps we take each week in our daily lives and compare them with the many steps the women in Africa have to take to fetch water for their daily use. The appeal remains open, and your gift of money will help so many to build water dams in their villages so that walking many miles will be a thing of the past.
The latest news on the church tower is that our architect has prepared the “spec” and this has gone out to tender, for the work to be carried out as soon as possible. Any contractor who submits a tender must have proven “conservation experience of stonework” in churches and other listed buildings. Until these tenders come in, we have no idea of what the likely cost is going to be. The churchwardens aided by the PCC have the responsibility of ensuring that the fabric of the church is kept in good order, and the last time the tower was under investigation was almost twenty years ago. The work carried out then has not stood the test of time and the weathering we have had over those years has caused the deterioration of the mortar applied at that time.
Kevin Barry, who has been serving his time as an ordinand in St. Mary’s is coming to an end with his ordination as a deacon in the cathedral on June 26th. He will then be welcomed into Wenvoe parish as a curate on Sunday 27th June. His ordination to the priesthood will be at a date and place yet to be agreed. To mark this great event in his life, it was decided, that he will be presented with a purple stole from the three churches (Sully, St Lythans and Wenvoe) as a mark of the great affection he was held in during his training with Jon.
Our congregation in Wenvoe, as in many other parishes, has a large number of elderly parishioners, and however hard we try to encourage younger people to join us, we remain as we are, reliant on older generations to keep the roof on and the door open. Recently Mrs Mary Turner celebrated her 90th birthday. Mary is not able to attend church these days so home visits are a real treat for her. A copy of the church magazine is really appreciated, as is a copy of the weekly newsletter, and she listens intently as the readings and lessons are read to her. During this time of COVID these visits are very limited, and her carers are doing a truly wonderful job in looking after her. To all in this older generation the congregation is very thankful for the support they have continued to give to the church in Wenvoe, and there will be a place for them when they are able to return to what we are calling the NEW NORMAL pattern of services.
The development and progression to the new Ministry Area has continued, with meetings arranged on Zoom. You will have read that the name of our ministry area will be “de Morgannwg” that is “south Glamorgan”, and that we in Wenvoe will be one of nine churches coming together to spread the “love of Christ to our communities”. There is still much to do in setting up the various groups to iron out any difficulties in time for the decree to be issued on January 1st, 2022.
At a recent meeting of the PCC, held on Zoom, the chairman, Jon, thanked all members of the PCC for their continuing help and support during these days. We are awaiting the very latest guidelines from the Bench of Bishops. Until then we are still under the same guidelines that have applied since we were able to re-open our church on the 21st March.
Keep safe and God Bless,
Parry Edwards
OFF THE SHELF
“The Colour of Magic” by Terry Pratchett
(His first Discworld novel)
‘A fantastic book that is quite absurd and I really didn’t expect to like it at all, in fact I’m furious that I actually enjoyed it’.
Quote from a book club member
The Colour of Magic is set on a world sitting on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown). The main characters are an avaricious but inept wizard called Rincewind, who becomes completely beguiling as the story unravels, and a naive tourist called Two Flower, whose rather menacing luggage follows closely behind moving on hundreds of legs. There are dragons aplenty, who only exist if you believe in them. Many eccentric adventures occur which take twists and turns as the travellers are whisked ever nearer to THE EDGE of the planet.
Terry Pratchett takes the seriousness out of the usual fantasy genre and replaces it with a really wicked sense of humour. He creates a beautifully imagined world with wonderfully described characters. This is obviously an excellent place to start reading Pratchett’s novels as it gives the background history of the main characters. The action starts in Ahnk Morpork, a city that becomes firmly implanted in the memory.
This is perhaps the first book read by the group which has left us unsure who to recommend it to! We did all agree that it was terrifically written, and if you managed to persevere past the first three chapters it was all great fun.
An overall score of 7 was finally agreed
MAY CARERS WALK
On the same day that the world’s longest pedestrian bridge opened in Northern Portugal, the Valeways Carers group met once more for a leisurely stroll over Barry Island.
Welsh Government Covid restrictions were eased at the end of April, and meant organised groups could meet up outside once more. It had been nearly 5 months since the walkers had met together and although there was no pedestrian bridge to navigate, the stroll around the headland and along the promenade certainly blew cobwebs away and allowed people to catch up. If you would like to join an informal, friendly group for a walk and a chat, meet us at Barry Island train station, 10:30am, on the last Thursday of every month.
THE VILLAGE GARDENER
Tips from Heulwyn Davies of the cherry tree garden.
Brian & Sandra Jones of open garden fame. Best practice.
There is still plenty of time to plant out your summer bedding. If you are in any doubt just check on Mr Crump and Mr Williams of Rectory Close as they are well known for getting it right. It is always better to wait until conditions are suitable. The same goes for vegetables. Although some veg are tolerant of poor weather others, especially runner beans, are not. A later planting time will save you a lot of work protecting these plants and you are guaranteed a better crop. You should by now have some empty trays and pots, so it’s time to sow Polyanthus, Primrose and Pansies in the greenhouse and outdoor sowing of Alstroemeria, Canterbury Bells, Sweet William and Wallflowers for strong plants next year. Make sure you get rid of leftover Forget-me-Nots before powdery mildew takes hold as this can affect other plants. Cutting back alchemilla mollis, Geranium and Heuchera if they start to look raggy, new growth will soon come back.
One of the hardest infections to halt in the veg garden is potato blight. This is an airborne fungus type disease that attacks the foliage, then the tubers, it will also affect tomatoes. Wet and humid conditions bring it to the plants and once there it is near impossible to manage. Brown marks on the leaves are the first sign and it spreads rapidly. Good air circulation can help prevent infection, so please leave at least 30 to 40cms between each tuber when planting. Do not leave any potatoes in the ground when clearing as the disease can infect the following season’s crop. Early and blight resistant varieties are the best option.
The Sexton at the church has been conducting trials on different compost bins to establish which produced usable compost in the shortest time. The type which sits on a cradle that you turn weekly was, by a long way, the most efficient.
The plant sale in Vennwood at the start of May went really well. Luckily for me Sue Williams of Wenvoe Wheelers was on hand to prevent the Village Gardener selling weeds as flowers to unsuspecting customers.
Take care and happy gardening.
“THE PAGE TURNERS BOOKS PROMPTING HAPPY MEMORIES”
Due to ongoing Welsh Government restrictions, Page Turners were not able to meet up. Instead, book club members were asked to reflect on a book that has a special place on their book shelf, or Kindle! A piece of music can often bring back happy and cheerful memories of a time, a place, or a person, and books can evoke similar feelings. The Page Turners were asked to nominate a book they had read that can provoke or prompt happy memories… Do you agree with these choices?
May and Nicola have both spent some time in Africa: May was a teacher in Botswana for 2 years and Nicola grew up in Zambia. They made the same choice of a series of books: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall. For May the books brought back memories of the cheerful, hospitable people in Botswana, the colourful birds, dusty roads, villages of rondavels and continuing blue skies and warm, sunny days. Nicola loved these books as they are so evocative of Africa. She believes Mma Ramotswe, the detective, epitomises a particular type of African woman with down to earth humour and pragmatism.
Babs selection was Angels And Demons by Dan Brown. This book evokes memories of several visits to Rome: Babs has had a number of fantastic holidays in Rome with some lovely people she has been lucky enough to know in her life. She loves the history, the many wonderful buildings, the atmosphere, the people and the food, all of which she is reminded of by this book.
Sandra chose a poem, Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. This poem reminds Sandra of when she first met Peter (her soon to be husband), a true Welsh man, who wanted to teach Sandra, an English lady, about Wales. Sandra was at College in Salisbury and at the play house there was a production of Under Milk Wood. Peter took Sandra to the production, possibly to impress her (Sandra maintains). This was one of their first outings together, which she enjoyed immensely. This poem brings back many good memories for Sandra.
Special memories for Sylvia are prompted by the 1967 TV adaptation of The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy. This starred Eric Porter, Nyree Dawn Porter, Kenneth More and Susan Hampshire. It was on for 26 episodes, and Sylvia can still remember the anticipation and the unfolding of the story. No catch up in those days!
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling was Jenny’s choice. Jenny remembers many a happy hour spent reading out loud alternate chapters with her young 7 year old son, in a quiet little Greek taverna on a beach, the waves cooling their toes. Although it was a long time ago, the book makes her recall the sheer bliss of this time. And her son? He went on to collect and read the entire series!
Lynne chose The Magus by John Fowles. The Magus tells the story of Nicholas Urfe, a young British graduate who is teaching English on a small Greek island. It seemed an appropriate choice for reading after finishing my college finals, as my dreams for the future were to travel to sunnier climes. A friend and I, and The Magus, jetted off to Tenerife to await our results. This book reminds me of blissfully carefree, relaxing days under blue skies…away from the cares of the world!
Helen selected Arts of the Eskimo by Patrick Furneaux and Leo Rosshandler. While living in Canada in the early 1970’s, Helen and her husband were greatly enamoured of the Inuit’s traditions. She believes much can be learned about the dreams as well as the activities of a culture long rooted in its environment. Helen was given the Arts of the Eskimo book and in the following months she purchased four of their original works of art. These pictures still grace her walls today and the pictures and the book evoke many very happy memories.
Is there a book on your bookshelf that prompts a journey into a different time, space or place? I hope you enjoyed reading about our choices.
Able to meet for the first time since December 2020, the Living with Cancer Strollers gathered at Cosmeston under a clear sky.
Setting off around the country park, people chatted happily enjoying each other’s company after a long break. Cosmeston was at its best: calm waters in the lakes, birds swimming lazily through the water, dry paths underfoot and bluebells nestled in patches in the woods. May promised us voles and orchids and although lakes were inspected and hedgerows explored, neither could be found…..but there is always next month!
If you want to join this friendly group on a Cosmeston safari, meet us at 10.30am on the first Thursday of every month.
I am taking on this challenge to raise £1000 for a homeless charity in Wales which is run by my daughter Bonnie.
Housing Justice Cymru mobilises Christian action on homelessness and housing need through love, justice, advocacy and nurture. They really do excellent work. I will make four pilgrimages to holy places this year starting with a mini pilgrimage from Llandaff Cathedral to the holy shrine and statue of Mary at Penrhys in the Rhondda. My final pilgrimage will be to some Orthodox monasteries in Greece. I aim to complete all four between June and December this year.
Please donate to this good cause. The link to my JustGiving page is
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Alun-Davies-walks-Wales
I have pledged to raise £1000 for homelessness in Wales this year and any more will be very welcome by this charity.
My four pilgrimages will be as follows:
I will be most grateful for a donation however large or small.
Best wishes
Alun Davies DL, Honorary Consul of Hungary.
Email: alun@alunjdavies.co.uk
Tel: 07802 767877
