Month: May 2021

Star Gardening Tips for May

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Stella Gardening Tips for May

Alex Cooper’s tips from the force

  1. Edge the borders to keep them neat and tidy.
  2. Don’t sow all your veg at once , spread them out to prolong the harvest season.
  3. Pine needles make a good mulch for camellias rhododendrons and azaleas.
  4. Leave a hoe by the back door to remind you of weeding.
  5. Check your soil PH so that you only purchase plants suitable for your soil type.

Dilys Jenkins gardening knowhow

  1. Water plants early in the morning.
  2. Mulch the top of pots with bark or stone to aid water retention.
  3. Planting runner beans this month will produce the best crops.
  4. Make sure you level the soil in trays before planting seed as all good nursery people do.
  5. Grow sunflowers in partial shade. They will grow taller searching for the light.

The Chelsea chop is a method used by nurseries after the London show to rejuvenate their perennial plants. Many perennials flop by midsummer, rudbeckia, helenium and sedam can be cut back by half, resulting in a bushier plant that will flower slightly later. Gwen Williams of the walled garden uses this technique every year to give a longer lasting display.

Dahlias and canna lilies can be put outside now. Cut back aubrieta, alyssum and candytuft to encourage new flowers. clear away forget-me-nots to prevent over seeding. Tie in shoots of rambling roses, lay the stems horizontally to produce more flowers and side shoots. Lift and divide clumps of daffodils. Tulip bulbs take a bit of work to keep every year. First snip off the flower as it fades then allow foliage to die back, lift the bulbs and dry on newspaper, store in a cool dry place ready to plant out in the Autumn. Keep the sweet peas climbing by tieing in the shoots. Be sure to feed container plants every 2 to 3 weeks. Take cuttings of fuchsia and softwood cuttings of sage. Deadhead lilac as flowers fade; to do this wait until you see the two shoots below the faded bloom start to swell then snip off the flower just above.

At this time of year most of the ground on vegetable gardens and allotments are covered in new growth. Keep sowing peas and carrots every few weeks to prolong the harvest season. Take the tips off your broad beans once the pods start to form to prevent blackfly. If you can bear to do it, take the blossom off your newly planted fruit trees so that they can establish properly during their first year. Keep raspberry canes tidy by pulling up shoots that are too far away to tie in. If you’re using netting to protect your crops please secure it properly to prevent any wildlife becoming trapped. On the off chance that you’re wondering what to do next on the veg plot, just have a look at the allotment of Colin Thomas. His book on high altitude allotment gardening is at the publishers.

When the garden centres opened in the middle of March, people were chomping at the bit to buy plants. We then had a cold spell over Easter where the plants bought, which had previously been kept in warm temperatures before, were now exposed to cold northerly winds. To add to the plants’ demise the first minister told people they could now go on holiday within Wales. With good, dry (albeit cold) weather forecast, the poor plants didn’t stand a chance. So back to the garden centre to line their pockets.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

A Jewel In The Crown Of Welsh Literature

WENVOE COMMUNITY LIBRARY

Tel: 02920 594176 – during opening hours or wenvoelibrary@outlook.com

Like and follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/WenvoeCommunityLibrary

For general enquiries you can email us at wenvoelibrary@outlook.com

 

 

Click and Collect

We are still operating our Click and Collect service. Order online or phone in your orders on Tuesdays between 10-12 and we will let you know when to collect your books.

New book

Local author and songwriter Philip Thomas has written two short stories in a new publication entitled Lockdown Number Two: a collection of fifteen winning short stories. These short stories, based on “Lockdown Number Two” and “General” themes, are innovative, amusing and captivating to read. It is interesting to discover, particularly, how people spent their lockdown periods during 2020 in either real or imaginary situations. You can purchase the book from Amazon.

Volunteer contribution

Alina Trigger recounts how the earliest prose stories of the literature of Britain became widely influential and remain to be actively read many centuries since they were written.

The Story of the Story

Once upon a time, Wales was a land of magic and mystery, of wizards, giants and princes. One such prince was a young man, Pwyll, who ruled Dyfed. His name means carefulness, but the prince was anything but careful. He was lively and tended to do things without thinking them over. And so, one day he rides off with his hounds to hunt…

It is his impulsiveness and its consequences that introduces readers to The Four Branches of the Mabinogi, considered one of the jewels in the crown of Welsh literature. They are a combination of heroism, fantasy worlds and magic on a par with Homer’s Odyssey or the Scandinavian Sagas.

It was not until the mid-19th century that the stories were introduced to the English-speaking world by Charlotte Guest who translated them from the original Welsh. Since then Y Mabinogi have been translated into many European languages and are firmly on the list of ‘world classical literature’, where they are revised and updated for modern readers both adult and children.

The origins of Y Mabinogi remain extremely vague. Although the first written version dates from around 1350, historians are certain that the stories already existed for centuries, being passed down orally by the Cyfarwydd, storyteller poets who would entertain Welsh princes and courtiers during banquets.

The books have formed a base for many of today’s fantasy literature, like The Lord of the Rings and not only. Tolkien’s Silmarillion was inspired by Y Mabinogi. King Arthur and Merlin make their first appearance in Y Mabinogi, long before they became heroes of the Round table.

What makes Y Mabinogi so special are the superb stories that are gripping, full of tension and action. They are a masterpiece of raw feeling: love, hate, destruction and redemption. They look at the relationship between men and women, politics and guilt, magic dreams and cruel reality. In fact everything that is still relevant today. Well worth a read.

Wenvoe Community Library ‘Browsing’ Times
During May
Thursdays 10am till 12pm
Saturdays 9am till 1pm

 

 

A Gorgeous Spring Morning

ENVIRONMENT GROUP

On a gorgeous Spring morning, a full squad tackled the front border at the Community Centre with unbound enthusiasm, spurred on by the return of Derby John, whose wit and raconteur has been sorely missed of late. We had a gentleman come along to see if he might join us in the future. Apparently he has a lot of experience with Age concern and thinks he will fit in quite nicely.C

Our next meeting will be on Monday 10th May at 9.30am, where we shall attempt to rejuvenate the entrance to the footpath at the top end of Walston Rd. On a personal note the team make it the best hours work for me of the month.

 

 

May Planning Updates

Planning updates

All the following applications have been granted planning permission.

  • 56, Burdons Close, Loft conversion and rear single storey extension
  • 77, Burdons Close – Converting existing garage into habitable living space. Existing doors on the front of garage to be replaced with window.
  • Coedhirion, 8, Walston Road. Full demolition and replacement dwelling
  • Vishwell Farmhouse, St. Andrews Road, – Demolition of existing WC/shower block and bin enclosure, construction of new WC and showers with recycle bin enclosure and notice boards.
  • 2, Seaview Cottages, Twyn Yr Odyn, Installation of solar pv panels on roof of existing dwelling

 

Lodge Farm, St. Lythans Road, St. Lythans Erection of agricultural unit for hay and machinery storage was refused planning permission. Reason – ‘The proposed development fails to demonstrate that it is reasonably necessary for the purposes of agriculture, which based on the size of the holding is considered to be an unacceptable and unjustified development.’

An installation programme was presented to the Council for the new library building. Work, on site, will commence on 16th August and is planned to be completed by 25th September. A six-week construction. The patio area at the rear of the building is still to be designed.

A meeting is planned before the end of the month between the relevant bodies to progress the construction of a MUGA to be located at the south end of the school field.

Fly tipping continues to cause concern locally; six new cases were reported in the last week. Carau Lane has a number of reports of incidents. The Vale has a dedicated team to investigate incidents and they prosecute offenders when identified. You can easily report incidents on the Vale website if noticed.

A local litter pick recently collected 25 bags of rubbish. Other litter picks are being planned for May/June. Lookout for information of the event.

The Council is waiting for detailed guidance on the permitted reopening of Community Centre buildings for public use. The hall will be used for the forthcoming Senedd Cymru election on 6th May.

Certain vehicle drivers are causing traffic problems at school assembly times. Vehicles carrying out three-point turns at the Station Road junction is considered dangerous with the entrance off Station Road being the main access point for children. The PCSO will be requested to attend at this time of day.

The Council is looking to install a few small resting benches around the area. These are intended especially for those who wish to take a short local walk but need somewhere to pause to regain their breath.

A group of village youths are causing damage and a nuisance to local residents. Incidents reported include misbehaviour around the footpath tunnel off Vennwood Close, broken lights at the Village Hall, and climbing on the Community Centre roof. Do you know what your child is doing when not at home?

 

 

May Planning Applications

May Planning Applications

The April Council Meeting was conducted on zoom. The meeting was preceded with a presentation of the proposed 65MW solar farm located on land at Vianshill Farm, Grants Field, The Downs (land to the south of the A48 at the top of The Tumble).

Planning applications

• 6, Heol Collen, Extension of existing garage to provide home office. No objections

• Enfield Cottage, 22, Old Port Road. Demolition of existing porch and construction of two-storey extension to provide hallway, en-suite bathroom and cloakroom facilities . This building is within the Wenvoe conservation area, no objections were raised.

• Oaktree Farm, Morfa Lane Removal of condition 4 of permission 84/00827/OUT that requires that the occupation of the dwelling shall be limited to a person solely or mainly employed, or last employed in the locality in agriculture or forestry. The original consent stated ‘the site is not one which would be approved for residential development except in connection with the agricultural use of the land.’ The council did not support the application.

• Brackendene, Burdonshill Lane. Proposed Glamping site on part of Brackendene, Burdonshill. This was an updated application accessing the site (which lies at the top of the hill adjacent to the properties) via Brackendene entrance and a field track. The site would consist of ‘Hobbit Homes’ and four wooden cabins available for hire all year. The Council continued its objecting to the location of the proposed glamping site.

 

 

The Weird And Wonderful World Of Democracy

THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL WORLD OF DEMOCRACY

When you rock up at the community centre to cast your vote in the Senedd Cymru elections, you might come across people exercising their right to vote for the very first time. Not everyone welcomed the idea of extending the vote to 16 year olds, but the Welsh Government hope that this move will encourage young people to engage with the political process. An estimated 33,000 foreign nationals can now also take part provided they meet certain legal and residency requirements. Our politicians of course, will be looking to attract voters both old and new. All told they will spend more than £1 million, encouraging us to turn out and especially to vote for them.

Things have moved on quite a bit since democracy first got going in 5th century Athens, when women, slaves and foreigners were excluded. We took some time to catch on to the idea of democracy. Until the Reform Act of 1832 certain ‘rotten boroughs’ in the pockets of rich landowners, elected two Members of Parliament even though there were few or even no actual voters. Dunwich in Suffolk, which as a result of coastal erosion had almost fallen into the sea and Old Sarum in Wiltshire, which consisted of two or three houses, were classic examples. This situation was even more absurd when you consider that until 1832 new industrial towns like Manchester with a population of 60,000, did not have a single MP.

In the rare event there was a properly contested election those who could afford to stand came up with some cunning plans to make sure voters turned up and voted for them and it wasn’t just in Britain. In 1758, George Washington, then a young candidate for the Virginia House of Burgesses, bought a huge round of drinks on Election Day. Washington spent his entire campaign budget — £50 — on 160 gallons of liquor served to 391 voters. The custom of buying votes with booze was perhaps not surprisingly a British tradition imported to the American colonies. In Wales we had one of the finest examples. A celebrated contest took place in Carmarthenshire in 1802 between James Hamlyn Williams and William Paxton. The election was said to have cost Paxton a total of £15,000. This included 11,070 breakfasts, 36,901 dinners, 25,275 gallons of ale, 11,068 bottles of spirits, 8,879 bottles of porter, 460 of sherry, 509 of cider and gallons of milk punch. The contest became known as ‘Lecsiwn Fawr’ (the Great Election). In spite of these efforts, Paxton was defeated and spent two years settling his debts! Things are a bit different today and in some US states such as Utah, buying any alcoholic beverages on the day of the election is actually prohibited. Indiana recently abolished this rule, but they have their own interesting take on elections where the sheriff is called to haul you out of the voting booth if you take too long – reckoned to be a maximum of three minutes.

A record $14 million was spent by the candidates during the 2020 US presidential election campaign. In the UK the spending limit for each candidate standing for election as an MP is £8,700 plus 6p per registered parliamentary elector. The current Senedd Cymru elections will cost our politicians a pretty penny. In 2016 even the Monster Raving Loony Party spent £8,808! This may not have gone down well if it was in Ohio where they have a clause that prohibits idiots from voting — no, really. It reads, “No idiot, or insane person, shall be entitled to the privileges of an elector.” Some US voters recently went so far as to suggest that this clause should apply to presidential elections as well!

 

 

 

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