Month: January 2020

Christmas Walk.

Christmas Walk. –

 

Nine people braved the incessant rain, on voting day, for the annual walk before a Christmas lunch. We started at Victoria Park and were amazed to spot a hedgehog scurrying across the grass along a hedge. We were worried that it should be hibernating but aware that there was probably someone putting food out for it.

Exiting the north-east gate we headed for Thompsons Park. As we entered the pond looked colourful with pink, green and white cabbage plants around it and behind it a weeping willow drooping yellow-green branches. At its centre the iconic fountain ‘Joyance’ by Sir William Goscombe John is known by generations of Cardiff people.

At the top of Thompsons Park we headed across Pencisely Road, down to Llandaff fields and then walked alongside Pontcanna fields and the allotments. Heading north, over the relatively quiet A48, we came to Llandaff cathedral. We had a quick photo stop at St Teilo’s well – St Teilo was consecrated as the 2nd Bishop of Llandaff in the 6thC and was one of the three Celtic saints in whose honour the cathedral church in Llandaff was originally dedicated. Now we traversed the Green and headed past Insole Court and back to Victoria Park.

A very pleasant walk and we hardly noticed the rain we were so busy chatting and admiring our surroundings. Now it was back to the Horse and Jockey for a huge Christmas lunch with walkers old and new.

 

 

Tylcha Fach,Tonyrefail

Tylcha Fach,Tonyrefail –

The weather was very wet on Saturday so the walk was rearranged for Sunday, when it was still overcast but dry. We parked near Tylcha Fach and took a south-westerly route towards Rhiwfelin and Rhiwfelin Fach across open farmland. We then took paths to Nant Muchudd which we followed to Pant-y Brad and Tonyrefail before heading back to Tylcha Fach.

As we set off heavy clouds hung in the sky over our heads but it was not raining. We started on quite a steep gradient and were glad to reach fields where the going became easier. We came across a pile of discarded tyres and fencing which wouldn’t have looked out of place as an art installation but definitely wrong in the countryside.

We soon travelled beside very full streams and some splendid moss. As we climbed uphill from one stream we passed a tree which had honey comb in a hollow in its trunk; bees must have made a home here in the summer. A couple of farms had old boats in their yards – obviously they are used to heavy rain in these parts! At Tre Eric cottage farm the footpath was blocked and we had to climb over a barbed wire fence to carry on and then clear a stile hidden by a holly tree before we were able to follow a disused railway line, which was a good path. A huge ring of fungi about 6ft across with the individuals several inches in diameter glowed in the dim light under trees.

At Pant y Brad we were surprised to come across a plaque which read ‘Opposite on Nov. 16th 1326 was captured King Edward II (Edward of Caernarvon) the guide of captors was Rev Rhys Hywel’. The disastrous reign of Edward II came to an unofficial and humiliating end on 16 November 1326 when Edward II, guided by a Cistercian monk, went for refreshment to Penrhys. Heading for safety Edward was intercepted at Pant y Brad – the Hollow of Treason – in Tonyrefail. He was captured by agents of his estranged wife Isabella of France who had invaded England 7 weeks earlier. He was taken to Llantrisant castle and imprisoned overnight. Later he was held in honourable captivity at Kenilworth castle in Warwickshire. A few weeks later he was forced to abdicate in favour of his 14 year old son, Edward III, whose reign began on 25 January 1327.

Walking along the road we spied a group of 19 llamas (or maybe alpacas) in a field. As we walked

over to see them they ran towards us and were very friendly – probably thought we had food. We spent a happy few minutes admiring their shenanigans.

Tref-y-Rhyg school had a colourful wall with a field and rainbow and their values ‘positivity, patience, trust, respect, equality, care, pride and honesty’ written around the picture. A stream in full flow poured into a metal bath and then cascaded into a 2nd bath. We had a laugh as one of the group stood beside it and pretended to undress for a quick dip! Passing a flock of sheep they came so close that unusually some of us patted them. Descending the road we had climbed at the beginning of our walk we arrived back at the cars and went to Arthur Llewellyn Jenkins for a welcome cup of tea.

Walk 7.1 miles 700ft Maps 166 & 151

 

 

 

QUIZ – TRUE OR FALSE???

TRUE OR FALSE???

Can you guess which of the following are true and which are false? No cheating – answer all the question first before looking up the answers.

  1. Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
  2. Alfred Hitchcock didn’t have a belly button.
  3. A packet-a-day smoker will lose approximately 2 teeth every 10 years.
  4. People do not get sick from cold weather; it’s from being indoors a lot more.
  5. When you sneeze, all bodily functions stop, even your heart!
  6. Only 7 per cent of the population are lefties.
  7. Forty people are sent to the hospital for dog bites every minute.
  8. Babies are born without kneecaps. They don’t appear until they are 2-6 years old.
  9. The average person over 50 years old will have spent almost 5 years waiting in lines.
  10. The toothbrush was invented in 1498.
  11. The average housefly lives for one month.
  12. 40,000 Americans are injured by toilets each year.
  13. A coat hanger is 44 inches long when straightened.
  14. The average computer user blinks 7 times a minute.
  15. Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than any other time of day.
  16. Most of us have eaten a spider in our sleep.
  17. The REAL reason ostriches stick their head in the sand is to search for water.
  18. The only two animals that can see behind themselves without turning their heads are the rabbit and the parrot.
  19. John Travolta turned down the starring roles in ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ and ‘Tootsie.’
  20. Michael Jackson owned the rights to the South Carolina State Anthem.
  21. In most television commercials advertising milk, a mixture of white paint and a little thinner is used in place of the milk.
  22. Prince Charles and Prince William NEVER travel on the same airplane, just in case there is a crash.
  23. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle, built in 1903, used a tomato can for a carburettor.
  24. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.
  25. Humphrey Bogart was related to Princess Diana. They were 7th cousins.
  26. If colouring weren’t added to Coca-Cola, it would be green.

 

(Answers to come later)

 

 

XMAS and NEW YEAR Leftovers 2

Cheeseboard Macaroni Cheese

350g pasta shapes [use a mixture of shapes]

2 tbsp. butter

2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

3 tbsp. plain flour

500ml whole milk

250g mix of cheeses [ Cheshire, cheddar and camembert]

extra hard cheese for the topping

Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan [ don’t burn it ], add the garlic and cook for a minute until softened, then add the mustard powder and cayenne pepper and cook for another minute more. Add the flour and stir to make a paste, cooking for about another minute. Take off the heat and gradually pour in the milk, a little at a time, whisking with every addition so the sauce doesn’t go lumpy. Return to the heat and cook for about 5 mins until thickened, then add the cheeses, stir until melted, and fold in the pasta. Heat oven to 180C. Tip the pasta into a baking dish, and top with some hard cheese such as cheddar or parmesan, season the top, salt and fresh black pepper and then bake for about 25 – 30 mins, until golden and bubbling. Allow to cool before serving.

 

 

XMAS and NEW YEAR Leftovers 1

Turkey Fricassee

50g butter

100g chestnut or button mushrooms

1 tbsp plain flour

100ml white wine

200ml chicken stock [use an oxo cube]

150ml double cream

800g leftover turkey [or a mixture to include, ham, pork and chicken] cut into chunks

small bunch of parsley

Heat the butter in a deep frying pan or sauté pan until just sizzling [ don’t burn it ] , then add the mushrooms and fry for about 4-5 mins until softened. Sprinkle over the flour and stir until a paste forms. Cook for a few more minutes. Splash in the wine and let it bubble for a minute, then stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the cream. Season, then stir in the meat mixture. Simmer until the meat mixture is heated through, then remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Serve with pasta, mash or rice.