Month: August 2023

WENVOE BUTTERFLIES

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

The weather has not been kind to our conservation work but thanks to some of our observant residents we continue to record species which have not previously been registered in the Parish. An example is the Mint Moth which is probably not uncommon but easily overlooked. This small day-flying moth tends to inhabit patches of mint so one to look out for. We have now recorded 40 wildlife species in the School wildlife patch but expect the numbers to increase steadily, particularly if we get some better weather. The grass, Timothy, shown in the photo is doing very well – this is the foodplant of the caterpillar of the Essex Skipper (recorded in Cardiff and Barry) and the Marbled White butterflies.

ST. MARY’S CHURCH NEWS – SEPT 2023

AUGUST REPORT

By the time you are reading this, schools are on the point of resuming for the Autumn Term, and following the cold, wet summer, let us hope for a brighter warmer September.

The three churches came together to celebrate the Holy Eucharist at St Bleddian’s on the fifth Sunday in July

St Bleddian’s The threat of rain in the weather forecast did not deter members from the three congregations from finding their way up to the ancient and holy hill, on which St. Bleddian’s church is sited. There has been a church here on this site from the 6th century, and the present building dates from the 12th century.

For the first time for many years the communion cup and cover of 1577 was used together with the 20th century silver cross donated to replace one that was stolen in the 1980’s. With good singing and Vicar Lyndon’s sermon on the theme of the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto many things, the service was completed with excellent hospitality and fellowship.

Thank you to the small congregation for their welcome and desire to host the occasion… Da Iawn.

The Chattery continues to be the place to meet together on the second Thursday of the month at 10.30am in the Church Hall, for a catch up and a coffee/tea and posh biscuits and a FREE raffle for a modest £2.00 per person. Why not come and join the company it is open to all, and we all need to meet up from time to time. Isolation is a terrible thing to experience, so come and make new friends on September 14th.

The phrase “A fish out of water” is quite familiar to us all. Have you seen the leaping salmon in the church grounds? Thanks to Mike we now have one, carved out of the dead cherry tree trunk to be admired by all.

Proposed Visit to Margam Abbey on October 29th 2023 to attend the 11.00am Mass.

Margam Abbey is celebrating its 875th year of foundation as a Cistercian Abbey this year and we propose a joint pilgrimage (by coach) as it is the 5th Sunday of the month, when we visit the other churches in our three church grouping of Sully, St. Lythan’s and Wenvoe.

Contact has been made with a member of the staff at the abbey, and they will be pleased to welcome us as a part of the congregation that morning. Lyndon has been invited to preach at the service, and he has accepted. We had hoped to arrange a lunch near to the abbey but the costs were higher than we anticipated.

After discussion with Lyndon we have decided to take a BYO lunch. The Abbey will accommodate us in the “Drill Hall”, adjacent to the Abbey and car parking area, and they will provide tea/coffee for which we would make a donation. Access to the Country Park can be obtained from the Abbey and within the Park itself there is also “Charlotte’s Pantry” with tea/ coffee etc and hot food until 3.30pm. After lunch we are arranging a tour of the Abbey Church which has many interesting monuments and architectural items to see.

Carol Jones in Sully has found us a 49 seater coach and the cost will be covered from church funds. Pickup in Wenvoe at 9.30am and return from Margam at 3.30pm.

A list will be available in church to book your seat on the coach or if you prefer to make your own way to Margam by car sharing.

Teddy Bear’s Picnic. To coincide with the Wenvoe Village Show in the Church Hall on the 9th September, we are arranging a BYO picnic in the church grounds from 1.00pm. We are in need of folding picnic tables as all the tables in the hall will be used to display the entries in the show. There will be lots of games and activities for the children, and for the adults a time of fellowship and a chat to catch up with others you do not see very often. A guest appearance of PEPPA PIG is promised during the afternoon to make the picnic go with a swing. The church will also be open should the weather be inclement. The afternoon will come to a close when the cakes etc in the show will be cut and shared, so cake, cake and more cake……. yum yum

Our Matronal Festival was held on August 13th at the 9.30 celebration of the Eucharist to honour Mary, Mother of Our Lord. The new notice board near the church gateway has been put in place, and now includes the dedication to which Mary, in the account of Christ’s life, our church is named. Thanks be to God.

Harvest Festival will be held on Sunday 24th at 9.30am and church decorating will be on Saturday 23rd at 10.00am. Help will be needed to decorate with flowers and tinned goods etc donated for The Food Bank in Barry; any fresh fruit and vegetables will be donated to a church in Cardiff. This year we are opening a Flower Fund to purchase the flowers and of course willing hands are needed to arrange them on the Saturday morning. Wenvoe is surrounded by many active farms, whose fields are now ripe for harvesting, so let us give thanks for the produce of the land and the farmers who work 24/7 to bring in the bounty of the land which the Lord our God has given us.. All are welcome to our celebration. The celebration of the Harvest will continue in St. John’s, Sully on October 1st at 11.00 am and at St. Lythan’s on October 8th at 3.00pm,

There will be a retiring collection in aid of the Christian Aid Harvest Appeal which will remain open when our other churches hold their own celebration.

Foodbank Many thanks for continuing to support the Foodbank. Your gifts are very much appreciated, both gifts of food and money. Currently the Food Bank is providing more help than the donations coming in, and so they are reliant on stock they had received previously. Concern was also expressed during the current school holiday as the usual help has been withdrawn. Our weekly donations do fill some of the gaps. So a BIG THANK YOU to all who give week by week.

For those of you who still have a holiday planned, have a safe journey and return, we shall be here to welcome you back.

God Bless.. St. Mary’s is your church and all are welcome.

Parry Edwards

 

THE GRANGE AVENUE GARDENERS

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

The Grange Avenue gardeners share some of their thoughts

Joyce Hoy

  1. Go to specialist nurseries where the owners are usually on hand to give advice about which plants will do well in your plot.
  2. Unusual plants will give you a different experience and create extra interest.
  3. A dense shrub next to the bird feeders will give protection against predators while the birds are waiting to feed.
  4. Putting bright tape on your hand tools will make them easier to find when left in borders.
  5. Take cuttings and collect seed, it is so satisfying to see the results.

Pat Davies

  1. Next Spring I will be heading to the supermarkets early to build up my bedding plants collection, the plants are usually healthy and reasonably priced.
  2. Growing bedding plants from seed hasn’t given me my greatest success but will help fill in the gaps when the shops run out.
  3. If you’re stuck on what would be the best way to get the most from your garden, just ask a gardener. They can’t wait to to tell you what you should be doing. You don’t have to take their advice though.
  4. For early Spring colour plant tête-à-tête. They have short, strong stems and don’t get bashed by strong winds.
  5. Each to their own but for me the garden needs to be full of colour for as long as possible, it’s a tonic.

September brings the bulb planting season upon us. The most important thing to remember when planting is to put them deep enough, especially tulips. They need to be at a depth of 3 times the height of the bulb. Daffodils and crocus will need to be put in this month. Tulips will perform better when planted in November. If you are placing bulbs in borders consider planting them up in plastic pots first and then digging them into the ground. This way you can remove them when flowering is over and put them aside for the foliage to die down, which will give you room for the summer bedding.

Speaking to a lot of gardeners this year, the consensus is that the cold start to Spring held the plants back and this was not helped by the fact that we are struggling to find good seed and cuttings compost. Since the use of peat has stopped the alternatives have not been good. There are numerous reasons for this. Firstly, when these companies produce compost it has to be heated to certain temperatures to decompose properly and to kill off pathogens that cause pest and diseases. If the temperatures are not reached this will increase the amount of damping off of seedlings and cuttings. This will also allow weed seeds to germinate amongst your plants which happened a lot this year. The R H S say that if this happens you must take it back to your supplier. If you buy seed compost it should be very fine and not have bits of debris visible, which has been the case with a lot of brands this year. Seed compost has to pass through a fine screen mesh which takes time. The composts are expensive and companies should produce a usable product. Buying sterilised soil to start your plants off especially in early spring will help but you will then need to feed them as they start to come on because the soil will have no nutrients.

Start off some sweet peas in a cold frame this month to give yourself some earlier flowers next year, once they’ve sprouted they will be quite happy outside in a sheltered spot. Take cuttings of your favourite shrubs, even if just a few take root it doesn’t cost anything to try.

Farmers and market gardeners have struggled to get good yields this year mainly because of the absence of rain in June. The Wenvoe allotment holders have the benefit of a constant water supply, albeit with buckets and cans, to have good crops. This takes quite a lot of effort to reap a good harvest but nothing tastes as good as growing your own. Even without an allotment, growing some veg in pots is so worthwhile. I’m sure we will see some of the fruits of our villagers labours at the village show on the 9th Sept.

Take care and happy gardening

 

MORE SPIDERY CREATURES

More Spidery Creatures

It is that time of year when we start to see more spidery creatures around, both in the house and garden. The insect in the photo is the Harvestman – commonly called a Daddy Long Legs but not to be confused with a winged insect also called a Daddy Long Legs! It is not a spider but is closely related. They cannot spin webs or are venomous but usually catch their prey with hooks at the end of their legs. They are quite common and may gather in groups, the largest of which numbered 300,000. But don’t panic as they are harmless to humans. They are called Harvestmen because they tend to be around in the late summer when the traditional harvest was gathered in. The Latin name for them is Opiliones – Opilio meaning shepherd after the early European shepherds who walked around on stilts so that they had a better view of their flock.

 

“The Stranding” by Kate Sawyer

OFF THE SHELF

“The Stranding”
by Kate Sawyer

This book is about survival. The book flashes back to Ruth’s previous life and her decision to leave a toxic relationship to lead a new life in a whale sanctuary in New Zealand. On her arrival, it unfolds that some kind of seismic catastrophic event has occurred. On a deserted beach, Ruth survives along with an unknown man by climbing into the mouth of a beached whale.
Ruth and the stranger endure an amazing, new life together and through many hardships, fall in love, and produce two daughters. The story demonstrates how one can build a new and fulfilling life, even though everything is lost.
Although beautifully and emotionally written, some members were frustrated by the implausibility of events and had to supress concepts of reality to enjoy the book. The group rated the book as 7.5/10.
Anne Gill

Mushroom & Leek Spaghetti & Vanilla Apple Sponge

Mushroom & Leek Spaghetti

2 tbsp olive oil
350g leeks, sliced
380g mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp dried oregano
50g, crusty white bloomer, blitzed into breadcrumbs
300g spaghetti
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
10g fresh basil roughly chopped

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add leaks and fry for about 5 – 6 minutes until softened. Add mushrooms, increase heat and fry for about 8 mins until golden and tender and any water has evaporated. Stir in the garlic and oregano, season and fry for about 1 min until garlic is fragrant. Meanwhile heat the remaining oil in a separate pan and fry the breadcrumbs over a medium heat for 3-4 mins, stirring frequently until crunchy and golden. Season and set aside on a plate. Cook the spaghetti as per pack instructions. drain well. Stir into the mushroom and leeks and toss to combine well. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, then scatter with the basil leaves and breadcrumbs. Serve with crusty bread if you like.

 

Vanilla Apple Sponge

250g unsalted butter, softened plus extra for greasing
250g golden caster sugar
4 large eggs
250g SRF
1 vanilla pod, split, seeds removed and reserved
3 small Bramley apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
2 tbsp demerara sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 180C. butter a 20cm spring form tin, then line the base with baking paper. Using a mixer beat the caster sugar and butter together until mixture turns pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, flour and vanilla seeds then beat together quickly to make a smooth batter. Tip into the prepared tin, then lay the apple wedges on top, poking them halfway into the mix. Don’t worry if the apples look crowded-they will sink as they cook. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar and the cinnamon, then bake for about 1 hr 5 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the sponge is risen and golden. Leave to cool for a few minutes, release the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with a good dollop of double cream.

CELEBRATING BRIDGES

CELEBRATING BRIDGES

6 July saw an international celebration following the conclusion of three years of restoration work on the Union Chain Bridge linking England and Scotland across the river Tweed and the unveiling of an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). There is also an important Welsh connection as all the ironwork was made in Wales, at the Pontypridd chainworks of Brown Lenox. Now 203 years old the extensive restoration work saw some of the ironwork replaced in a complex project costing £10.5m. The bridge is now the oldest vehicle-carrying suspension bridge and with a 449ft (137m) span and was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1820. It was designed by Captain Samuel Brown who introduced iron chain cables into the Royal Navy.

The structure is Grade I listed in England and a Grade A listed structure in Scotland and was singled out for honour by the ASCE, supported by the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Japanese Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE), along with many members of the local community from both sides of the Tweed. In terms of this accolade, it now joins the Eiffel Tower, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge. Amongst the supporters were the Friends of the Union Chain Bridge who had campaigned for many years to support the preservation of the Union Chain Bridge and to conserve, protect and enhance its immediate environment for public benefit. See https://www.unionbridgefriends.com/ and http://union chainbridge.org/

Closer to home the website; Crossing the Severn Estuary severnbridges.org/ has been taken forward by the South Wales Institute of Engineers Educational Trust (SWIEET 2007) to continue the work by the Severn Bridges Trust (SBT). SBT trustees are all Chartered Civil Engineers who have enjoyed an involvement in the design, construction and maintenance of one or both of the Severn bridges. The Trust have sought to provide a permanent record of the many professions and disciplines involved in the First Severn Bridge and the Second Severn Crossing [now called ‘The Prince
of Wales Bridge’] together with approaches, the Severn Tunnel and former ferry crossings of the Estuary.


In 2016, the year marking the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Severn Bridge and the 20th Anniversary of the completion of the Second Severn Crossing, the website was launched to provide a permanent public display expanded with engineering detail for those who are interested and to provide information on the background to both bridges as well as information on earlier crossings of the Estuary. It celebrates the broad spectrum of engineering disciplines and other professions involved, and the environmental and construction achievements of these two crossings. The website has been added to since then but is now complete.

Like the story of the Union Chain Bridge Crossing the Severn Estuary presents an inspirational example of the work of engineers and what they can achieve and contribute to society.

Stephen K. Jones

LOOKING AFTER A LARGE BORDER ETC

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

LOOKING AFTER A LARGE BORDER

Angela Flynn, on LOOKING AFTER A LARGE BORDER.

  1. Dead head daily during the flowering season.
    2. Fill any gaps, so that most of the soil is covered, this helps keep weeds at bay.
    3. Don’t put up with plants you dislike.
    4. Keep any shrubs under control or they will merge into one mass.
    5. Take cuttings of your favourite tender perennials and propagate for next year.

Beryl Richards gets to the point.

  1. Don’t bother with no mow May, your lawn will provide for wildlife even when very short.
    2. Make your own compost, if at all possible, as most of what’s on offer wouldn’t grow weeds.
    3. If someone offers you a plant you don’t want, kindly decline, or they will keep checking that you still have it.
    4. Don’t be kidded into thinking those small tunnels just below the surface of your lawn are made by moles. They are rat runs which are mainly built over the winter.
    5. Probably best not to save those ice cream containers and yogurt pots, you’ll never use them.

If you don’t do much else this month, please make sure you water camellias and rhododendrons thoroughly to make sure next year’s buds develop. Time to trim the lavender after flowering (not the French plants they just need deadheading) but be careful not to cut into the old wood. Dahlias are coming into their own now and will need strong stakes and a feed. Roses will become more prone to black spot as the season goes on. Spraying is not what we want to be doing but for this disease I use rose clear. There must be some other remedies, but I have found this spray works well. Cut the seed heads off lilies before they set, this will give you bigger blooms on the parent plant next year. This month and next are the best times to spray perennial weeds especially ground elder and bindweed before they start to die back.

Using a high nitrogen feed on your lawn will have a detrimental effect, as it will encourage rapid green growth which has been proved to weaken the grass over the Autumn and Winter. Use a preparatory Autumn fertiliser. If you have leatherjackets in the lawn, then now is the time to start a nematode treatment.

Allotment old-timer Herbie will, on a good year, get a second crop from his broad beans by cutting them off to a leaf joint about 6 inches from the ground. They will then shoot and give a lighter crop. Harvesting beans, courgettes and salad will go on for quite a while as long as you keep picking. Tomato plants seem to need a lot of care to get the best out of them. We need to keep taking the top growth off and remove any leaf below the first truss as well as taking some of the leaves off the rest of the stem. We don’t want the plant putting any energy into growing greenery.

The Village Show on September 9th will hopefully encourage you to show off your produce and encourage others to take up gardening.

Take care and happy gardening

 

 

 

 

BIG TREES FROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW

BIG TREES FROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW

Can you recall what you were doing and where you were, when the dreadful tragedy of 9/11 occurred? It shook the world, and anyone watching the event on TV could hardly believe their eyes when the second plane hit the second Tower. It was so very hard to comprehend the scale of the tragedy, the loss of life, the fear that it might happen again…in USA or anywhere else in the world.

Over the years, even those here with no close ties in USA have been affected in some small way by this monstrous evil, even those in our quiet village. My younger son, Mark Roberts, grew up in Wenvoe, but later went to London to work, and became a TV cameraman for a Japanese News TV Company called TV Asahi. He filmed crime scenes, everyday dramas, earthquakes, floods etc all over the world, recording visually interviews by his colleagues of all sorts of people in all sorts of situations.

Soon after 9/11, Mark and the TV Asahi team, flew out to Toronto with BBC, ITN and other news teams, as all US airports were closed. They travelled straight down to New York by coach, and as they approached New York, they saw U.S. F-16 fighter planes circling the sky, in fear of a repetition of the Twin Towers disaster, a chilling sight. The area around the disaster was a scene of total devastation, but the news crews had to speak to anyone at the scene for their thoughts and comments. I asked him later if he felt intrusive and voyeuristic, filming people’s raw emotions and grief and anger, and he said simply “The world has to know, Mum”.

The following March, I visited USA on a Travelsphere tour of the Canyons, ending up in Las Vegas, with my friend, the late Mrs Maureen Hunt, whom many of you will remember. (We had booked the holiday long before 9/11). We sat having a coffee one day in Las Vegas opposite the New York, New York Hotel, and noticed a long line of people, with their backs to us, seemingly examining the wall around the hotel, so we went to investigate. We found a small, temporary, improvised Memorial had been set up, with mementoes from the Twin Towers, photos of the site of Ground Zero, letters and poems, even photos of some of those killed. It really brought all the memories rushing back, and we were both deeply touched by this humble display, and the solemnity of the long line of locals and tourists paying their respects.

More recently, many of you, like me, admired plants etc at the Wenvoe Open Gardens Event, and I was fascinated by the oak tree sapling grown by Mr Mike Tucker in his greenhouse. He explained that it had been grown by Mr Bruce McDonald, who, about 6 years ago, had collected some acorns from the Memorial Site at Ground Zero which had literally hundreds of these Swamp White Oak trees growing there. After checking it was (at that time) not illegal to bring them into UK, Bruce brought a few home to plant in pots. Only 2 “took” and Bruce gave 1 each to 2 friends, one of whom was our green-fingered Mike! He has nursed it tenderly ever since, and it looked very healthy when we saw it in June. The conditions at Ground Zero seem to suit the swamp oak tree , but it refuses to grow in many places so it is odd that it has settled in Wenvoe!
The plant certainly brought back many sad memories, and I am sure we all hope that the wars in Ukraine, Syria and Sudan will soon be over and that peace will prevail.
Thank you for reading this. and perhaps you could tell us of your experiences?

Val Roberts.

 

ST. MARY’S CHURCH NEWS – AUG 2023

JULY REPORT

A year has gone by since Lyndon and Chris made that long journey from Canada to be our Vicar here in Wenvoe as part of the Ministry Area of De Morgannwg. Now we are in the holiday month of August. Our church school has seen the senior class pupils preparing to join their new schools and we will be welcoming the youngest into the Nursery Unit. School holidays mean its holiday time for all the family, and whatever plans you have made to travel or take a staycation, may you have good weather and an enjoyable break. St. Mary’s will not be taking a holiday and will be open for worship as usual, although many of our regulars will no doubt be away, which makes even more room for visitors, who are most welcome to join our weekly worship at 9.30am on Sunday morning.
Wenvoe Village Show and Teddy Bears’ Picnic

The annual Village Show is being hosted in the Church Hall on September 9th and is being organised by Glenys and Mike Tucker and ably assisted by others. At the same time a Teddy Bears’ picnic will be held in the church grounds with a BYO picnic. Full details are on page 7.

The Harvest Festival this year will take place on September 24th at 9.30 am when the church will be decorated with many contributions for the Food Bank displayed around the church. We send many parcels each week to the Barry Food Bank to those in such great need in these days of high living costs. The demand is greater than ever with many essential items in short supply and the Food Bank has to rely on cash donations to buy in those items. Grateful thanks go to all who make a weekly contribution

A Flower Fund will be opened to purchase flowers to decorate the church and any gifts of fruit and vegetables will be most welcome. These items will be passed to a charity in Cardiff which distributes fresh vegetables etc to those who wish to provide fresh meals for their family. “Come ye thankful people come, raise the song of Harvest Home”.

Our LED Lighting System was completed just over a year ago on 12th May 2022.The benefit of switching to a LED system is now obvious with the savings we are making compared to the former Halogen fittings used in the building. During 2022 the church lighting was in constant use during the renovations and repainting the interior with a bill of £409 for the year. Since the installation for the first 6 months of 2023 our electricity bill is £136.The Ron Thomas Bequest was used to fund the installation and was a wise use of his bequest as shown by the running costs so far this year. Thankyou Ron. You were a faithful friend while you lived here and your gift will benefit St. Mary’s in the years ahead.
For those of you planning to be away on holiday, have a safe journey, an enjoyable time and a safe return.

Parry Edwards

 

1 2