Month: February 2023

Lucky Dip Books

Various Books

During our December meeting each member placed a book into a Lucky Dip and the individual books drawn by the Page Turners were read and summarised for our January meeting as shown below:

Leonard And Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession

This is the story of two ordinary single friends, Leonard and Hungry Paul. They are quiet, gentle and kind. There is no dramatic plot, just the humorous details of their lives. Well written and a relaxing read. Score 7 out of 10.

City Mission: The Story of London’s Welsh Chapels by Huw Edwards

Broadcaster Huw Edwards tells the history of the setting up of the Welsh Chapels and Churches in London and examines the patterns of Welsh migration. Milk Couriers from Wales drove their dairy herds to the Royal Parks in London and local residents would take their jugs to buy milk. The Milk Couriers then gave monies to build the Chapels and Churches and having made their fortunes returned to the Welsh valleys. An excellent book. Score 8 out of 10.

Red Dog by Louis de Bernieres

A short novel by the author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. This is an enchanting story about a dog in Western Australia which alternatively has you in stitches or floods of tears. Very enjoyable and highly recommended. Score 8 out of 10.

Becoming by Michelle Obama.

An autobiography by Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama and details her life from a young child in Chicago to First Lady of the United States of America. She is always striving for perfection but is likeable, hard-working and very genuine. She tells her story in her own words and it is extremely well written. A very enjoyable book and highly recommended. Score 8.5 out of 10.

Dictator by Robert Harris

An historical novel which is the third part of a trilogy and covers the final 15 years of the life of the Roman lawyer and politician Cicero as seen through the eyes of his loyal Scribe Tiro. It is extremely well researched and covers the period when Julius Caesar was assassinated, and the Roman Republic collapsed. Highly recommended. Score 10 out of 10.

The Bonesetters Daughter by Amy Tan

This book deals with the relationship between a mother and daughter and tells two stories. One is about Ruth, born in the USA. The second is about her mother, LuLing who was born in China in the early 1900’s and later emigrated to the USA where she married and was widowed when Ruth was very young. LuLing’s story is revealed in stages, as is that of her mother, father and their families and is both fascinating and complicated. A really interesting and enjoyable book. Score 8 out of 10

 

Bees, Beer, Boilers and Brilliant Brains

WENVOE FORUM

Considering tomorrow today

Bees, Beer, Boilers and Brilliant Brains

Bees

Did you know that there are 25 species of bumble bee, 260 species of solitary bee and 1 honey bee species in the UK. These only account for a few of the 500 species of insects that pollinate plants, which include hoverflies, wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies and moths.

For a while there has been concern about the reduction in the numbers of bees and pollinators in the UK. Across the country organisations are developing B lines to ensure that the bees can travel between plants and thrive and encourage other pollinators. Bees and pollinators need a wide variety of flowers in all the seasons of the year to survive and places to shelter. The forum would like to develop a Wenvoe B line and we need your help. Contact us if you would like to be more involved. Look out for more information next month.

Beer

The group of Wenvoe hop growers is increasing. Currently we send our hops to those of the Cardiff hop growing community whose beer Taff Temptress is brewed at Pipes Brewery. Last September we collected over 5 kgs between us. Whilst a couple of free pints and several bottles at reduced prices are enjoyable, wouldn’t it be nice to have a Wenvoe beer? We need a few more growers. Please contact Sian Jones if you want to join us and become part of our Hop Growers Group. sianjo@btinternet.com or ring 07837291362.

February is a good month to plant the hop rhizomes and we might be able to source some free ones for you. They are easy to grow and grow profusely up a string framework or along a fence. The brewer at Pipes recommends Prima Donna, a dwarf species, as being easier to manage in a garden. If you want a bit more information, look up Essentially Hops essentiallyhops.co.uk on the internet.

Boilers

If your gas boiler is getting old and needs replacing there are some government schemes that will help you to afford greener alternatives.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-boiler-upgrade-scheme/ what-you-can-get

https://www.gov.uk/apply-boiler-upgrade-scheme

Brilliant Brains

We know that some What’s On readers are very clever and have lots of good ideas so we are setting you a problem. One of the challenges of generating electricity with solar panels is that often in the summer you have more electricity than you need. Often this gets sold to the national grid at a much lower price than users are charged. What we are looking for is good, simple ideas for using up that spare electricity in a better way. One seasonally inspired idea is for those who cook electric, is to cook your Christmas cakes and puddings in the summer on the free solar electricity and as it will cost you nothing you could invite your neighbours without panels to do the same. Send your ideas to us and we will share them so that everyone can benefit. Thank you.

 

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New Forum members are always welcome to join e-mail us e-mail gwenfo.forum@gmail.com.

Contact to us on :-Facebook: Gwen Fo@https://www.facebook.com/

gwen.fo.1/

and Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402 or twitter

@ForumGwenfo. See our Blog site https://wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/

 

Mrs Tiggy Winkle

Mrs Tiggy Winkle

Mrs Tiggy Winkle will be a familiar name to most of you but Beatrix Potter’s character is just one appearance of a hedgehog in literature. Shakespeare often referred to them although mostly less than flatteringly; and you can find them turning up worldwide in stories, even as far afield as Mongolia. But what if the only hedgehogs the children knew were from books and poems – the live animals having become extinct?

Hedgehogs have been around for 15 million years, far longer than modern humans and are one of the oldest species of mammal on the planet. But they are in decline and are classed as vulnerable with around 50% lost in the countryside since 2000 alone. But the news is a bit better in our towns and cities where they have ‘only’ dropped by 30%. They are regularly seen in some Wenvoe gardens and there are many things you can do to help them survive and prosper such as:

Create access holes in your fences so they can move from garden to garden. These are known as hedgehog highways.

Hedgehogs can swim but can get stuck in steep-sided ponds. Ensure your pond has a shallow side or place a log or plank in it that they can use as a ladder.

Avoid using slug pellets or other chemicals.

Many are injured by strimmers, so check the area first and move them if you find any.

Check bonfires before you light them for the same reason.

Make or buy a hedgehog house which can be used for hibernating in winter or shelter in summer.

Give supplementary food such as cat or dog food especially before or after hibernating. Also provide water but never put out bread or milk.

Create a wild section in your garden including piles of leaves which will also benefit other wildlife.

Get all the family involved and register with PTES (Peoples Trust for Endangered Species) as a Hedgehog Champion.

Help to ensure that Mrs Tiggy Winkle is not, like the Dodo, just a distant memory.

 

Place-Names Derivation – LLAN

THE DERIVATION AND MEANING OF PLACE-NAMES

We’ll now look at some common elements in Welsh Place-names.

LLAN

The most common element by far in Welsh place-names is the word ‘llan’. If you were to look at a book of place-names, you would see that there are over 400 places in Wales which begin with the element ‘Llan’ – an incredible number, I’m sure you’ll agree, in a country the size of Wales!

The original meaning of ‘llan’ was an enclosed piece of land on which produce was grown. It is derived from the Brythonic word ‘llann’ and the earlier Celtic form ‘landa’. By the 12th Century it had developed to mean an enclosed piece of consecrated land – often surrounding a religious building. It developed further to convey the extended land around a religious building – much like a small parish. Nowadays, the word ‘llan’ refers to the religious building itself – the church. You’ll also find many place-names containing this element in Scotland, Cumbria, Cornwall, Brittany and over Offa’s Dyke, in Herefordshire for example – evidence of the widespread existence of the Celtic language.

In most of the ‘llan’ place-names, this element precedes the name of the saint to whom the church is dedicated. It is a feminine noun and the rules of Welsh grammar dictate that words following a feminine noun will undergo a Soft Mutation – i.e. the initial consonant softens. We see this phenomenon in such place-names as Llandudno (Tudno), Llanberis (Peris), Llangadog (Cadog), Llangollen (Collen), Llandeilo (Teilo).

Only 9 consonants undergo this softening – all others are used in their original form Llanisien (Nisien), Llansadwrn (Sadwrn), Llanidloes (Idloes), Llanelli (Elli).

Not all ‘llan’ place-names include a saint’s name. As there are so many places in Wales based on this element, it can be useful to include a geographical element – as in Llandaf (on the river Taf), Llangefni (on the river Cefni), Llanfaes (in a ‘maes’ – meadow), Llangoed (in the ‘coed’ – wood), Llanuwchllyn (uwch – above, llyn – lake), Llanfynydd (on a ‘mynydd’ mountain), Llangwm (in a ‘cwm’ – valley).

Some names include a number rather than the name of one saint – Llantrisant (three saints), Llanddeusant (two saints), Llanpumpsaint (five saints).

The next time you’re travelling around Wales perhaps you can work out the meaning of the ‘llan’ villages through which you drive.

Next month: Aber, Bryn, Cwm, Pont.

Ann M. Jones

 

 

Penarth With Plenty Of Sunshine

 

THURSDAY WALKERS

Penarth

Once again Bert managed to pick a Thursday with plenty of sunshine, though there were remnants of ice in places.

Eighteen of us started from the cliff top car park. We were led on an undulating route down to the sea front, up through the park to the town centre and then straight back down to the sea front before climbing the steps behind the Kymin. The promise of a chance to walk off some of the post-Christmas pounds was fulfilled.

Views were excellent with both Severn bridges visible. We lingered at the viewing point on the cliff top where you can see the whole of Penarth seafront.

Joseph Parry, who composed Myfanwy, is buried in St Augustine’s church and we found his grave.

Then a detour to Costa for coffee before walking back along the old railway footpath to the end.

 

Next Walk

Thursday 23rd February.

Meet at Village Hall at 1.00pm. Transport can be shared. The walk will be from Pontcanna and will be about 5.5 miles. There will be a car parking fee of £1.

Many thanks, Bert. Tel: 029 20594418.

All are welcome but you participate at your own risk.

 

Ward Councillor Column Feb 2023

WARD COUNCILLOR

RUSSELL GODFREY COLUMN

Firstly I would like to congratulate Gareth Tame on being awarded the OBE in the New Years Honours List. What a fantastic achievement by Gareth.

I am not sure if you are aware but we have both cricket and football facilities available at Station Road. We do have both Junior & Senior Cricket and Football sides playing there, so if you would be interested in joining them, in the first instance contact myself and I will provide contact details.

Just a reminder that I hold a Ward Councillor Surgery every third Saturday 10.00am to 11.00am at Wenvoe community centre.

 

Final Stress Buster Stroll Of 2022

The Stress Buster Strollers

 

Final Stress Buster Stroll Of 2022

The rain stayed away for the final Stress Buster stroll of 2022, as an attempt was made to walk off some of the mince pies consumed in the past days! Leftover celebration chocolates were provided to keep energy levels up. Christmas stories were shared – including the tale of the exploding champagne bot-tle left for too long in the freezer…. I hope it wasn’t a vintage bottle!

 

Planning Updates February 2023

Planning Updates February 2023

 

Tunnelside yard Alps Quarry Rd. Change of use of land from agriculture to industrial storage. Application refused.

 

A discussion took place about the windows and exterior doors at the Community Centre. A grant offer from the Stronger Communities Fund to help with the costs has been made and Council approved a quotation to allow an early start on the work.

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