Month: February 2024

David Davies And Gwyn Griffiths

 


DAVID DAVIES AND GWYN GRIFFITHS

I was very interested to read Ann Jones’article on David Davies of Llandinam which reminded me of a story told to me by the late D. Gwyn Griffiths. Gwyn was a worldwide authority on reclamation who led the way in pioneering methods for the removal of coal tips who I knew from the Welsh Development Agency and the South Wales Institute of Engineers Educational Trust (SWIEET 2007), of which he was a Trustee. Barry dockland was one of the reclamation projects he was involved with and when work was being carried out around the former Barry Dock offices, he told me that the statue of David Davies had to be moved off its plinth. There was, however, a problem when it was moved with the statue hitting the ground causing damage to David Davies’ head! It was repaired but according to Gwyn the head was no longer at the same angle as it was originally and thus slightly different to the replica and counterpart at Llandinam! If this is true has anyone noticed?

According to a contemporary account the Llandinam committee in seeking a tangible memorial to commemorate David Davies, saw a number of examples of work by other sculptors, but decided that Alfred Gilbert’s work (which had been commissioned by the Barry committee) was the best and they arranged to have a replica for erection at Llandinam at a cost of a thousand guineas – half the cost of the Barry statue. (Bye Gones, 21 June 1893 pp 105-6)

Incidentally following Gwyn’s death in 2020, it was decided to sponsor two prizes of £500, both awarded by the Welsh Heritage Schools Initiative (WHSI) as part of SWIEET’s educational role. WHSI hold an annual competition for schools in Wales and one prize was named in honour of Gwyn. The Gwyn Griffiths Prize for the best project has a focus on ‘green issues’ and highlights environmental and improvement issues of a locality with a former industrial background and thus reflects Gwyn as an expert in these matters. The other prize is the William Menelaus (named after the founder of the forerunner of SWIEET, the South Wales Institute of Engineers) Prize for the best project that focuses on an aspect of the industrial heritage of Wales, or historical individuals or groups involved in Welsh industrial development, see https://swieet2007.org/

Last year Gelli Primary School in Rhondda Cynon Taf was awarded the Gwyn Griffiths prize with their study of ‘Black Gold’ focussing on the coal mining heritage and an understanding of the current and future issues linked to the coal industry. They used a wide range of sources, which they examined critically, to gain valuable knowledge not just on mining in general, but the social and environmental struggles this brought. They gained sufficient knowledge to enable them to question their local MP on the issues of coal tips near their school. Ffaldau Primary School, Bridgend, won the William Menelaus Prize for best project on industrial heritage with their ‘Industry in Wales, Past, Present and Future: Power of Wales’ project. Go to https://www.whsi.org.uk/ to find out more.

An image of the information panel that was at the centre of my December 2023 Wenvoe What’s On article is attached, sadly Owen Eardley the artist, passed away just before this was unveiled at the Barry War Museum, now the Barry War Museum and Heritage Centre. This was his last work Owen made a great contribution to highlighting historical engineering and famous engineers as part of the Institution of Civil Engineers programme of commemorating engineering and raising the general public’s awareness.

Stephen K. Jones

Cod Loin with Bacon Crumble Topping: Spaghetti with Leeks, Gorgonzola and Walnuts

Cod Loin with Bacon Crumble Topping

50g butter, room temperature

1 tbsp coarsely chopped tarragon leaves

4 rashers streaky bacon, chopped small

25g fresh white breadcrumbs

4 plump cod loins

1 tbsp flour, seasoned with salt and fresh black pepper

1 – 2 tbsp olive oil

Fresh tender stem broccoli and green beans to suit [

Mix the butter and tarragon with a grinding of black pepper. Tip the bacon into a hot frying pan and dry fry until starting to go nice and crisp. Stir in the breadcrumbs, a little pepper and fry, stirring, until turning golden Stir in a third of the tarragon butter and, as soon as it has melted remove pan from the heat. Score the fish on the diagonal and coat each loin in the flour, pat off any excess. Heat the oil in a nonstick pan frying pan until very hot. Put in the fish skin side down. Let it cook, don’t move it for about 5-6 mins. Meanwhile cook the green vegetables until just done. Turn the fish over, turn off the heat and let the fish cook for 2-3 more minutes until cooked through. Drain veg and toss in the remainder of the tarragon butter. Divide veg between four plates Lay the fish on the veg skin side down and sprinkle over the bacon crumble topping

 

Spaghetti with Leeks, Gorgonzola and Walnuts

1tbsp olive oil
500g pack of leeks, trimmed, halved lengthways and finely sliced
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
20g walnuts, roughly chopped
300g wholewheat spaghetti
50g broccoli florets, small
1 vegetable stock cube
2 tbsp 50% less fat creme fraiche
120g best Gorgonzola rind removed.

Heat oil in a large, lidded frying pan over a low heat. Add the leaks, season and stir to coat in the oil. Cover and cook on a low heat for about 10 mins or until the leeks start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for a further 4 mins until the leeks are completely soft. Toast the walnuts in another frying pan over a medium heat 5 – 6 mins, stirring occasionally. Cook the spaghetti to the pack instructions adding the broccoli for the final 2 mins. Drain and reserve 100ml of the cooking water, crumble the cube into the water then add to the leeks and stir in the creme fraiche. Cook over a low heat for about 1 min. Add the spaghetti, broccoli and Gorgonzola. Toss to coat the pasta in the sauce and melt the cheese. Scatter the walnuts and serve

 

Brynna

Brynna

Parking on the northerly edge of Brynna we took the track to the hills. It was a cold but beautiful sunny morning, and we were looking forward to some good views. Soon we came across a farm with lots of vehicles, some obviously still in use but many abandoned and one so deeply buried in brambles it was anybody’s guess how long it had been there.

Approaching another farm, I saw from a distance, a woman in full riding regalia mount a horse and ride off. Getting nearer we could see that there was ice on the surface of a pond, a sheep covered in mud from head to toe apparently stuck in a feeding trough, as it attempted to negotiate a very muddy area to access the trough.

There were ducks on the pond, hens and quail wandering around the farmyard and a couple of geese. Our ‘horse whisperer’ tried to soothe a horse in its stable who seemed to have something caught in its throat – probably just a seed from the oats but it was causing obvious irritation.

Back out on open areas we could see the tops of wind turbines sat stationary on the hill. A tree trunk facing the full sun had a hole which was alive with honeybees buzzing in and out of the trunk, a few of them even seemed to be sunbathing as they perched with their backs to the sun on the edge of the hole.

Before long we were off the track and on mountain paths, crossing a field near Mynydd Hugh to the track which passes in front of the original wind turbines on the Taff Ely Ridgeway. When we reached the noticeboards, we had brilliant views of the channel and the vast field of turbines turning slowly. It was a still day and we wondered whether they were not producing electricity but being turned by motors.

As we continued the distinct outline of Tylor’s Town tip came into view. Then a member of our group pointed to some animals in a distant field ‘look how the long shadows of those sheep make them look like human beings staring our way’. As we got closer, we realised that they were not sheep at all but people on horseback all done up in their riding best

But curiously they didn’t seem to be moving.

It was lunchtime so we made our way to some rocks near the remains of St Peter’s Church. The church had a head stone for someone buried in the 18th C. We draped ourselves across the stones above and watched the ‘action’ as we ate. There were two Masters of the hunt dressed in red jackets, everyone else being in black. After a while we realised that there seemed to be a problem with the hounds: apart from a brief glimpse of a group of about six hounds descending the hill, we saw three individual hounds which one of the masters was calling from the valley just in front of us. But curiously most riders were just hanging around in the distant field.

As we resumed our walk, we realised that the riders were coming towards us along the path we were about to take, so we kept out of their way. We waited on the edge of a field as a long line of riders passed us. Later we met a few people who were leaving, and they said that they had indeed been watching the hunt rather than participating which meant that children could join.

Walking east a short way we spied the green Daffodil sculpture at Caerphilly and explored some tracks, then it was time to swing round to get back to Mynydd Coedbychan for the descent to the cars. Unfortunately, this bit of the walk was very wet and involved crossing a fast-flowing stream to an island before crossing a second stream to terra firma – it was clearly marked with footpath signs but once again rainfall had altered the terrain. Lots of encouragement was needed for some of us (me in particular) but as usual we found a way through.

At this point I spied my first buttercup of the season, just a tiny spark of yellow in the grass. Soon we gained the main track. Small groups from the hunt shared the track with us as they made their way downhill. After a sunny day the sky was darkening with clouds at dusk and the temperature was dropping as we arrived back at the cars.

A lovely walk on good paths, highlighted by the entertainment provided by the local hunt. Refreshment at a local hostelry rounded the day off nicely.

Walk 7.2m 1000ft Map OS151.

 

Something Different – About Pigs


SOMETHING DIFFERENT
– ABOUT PIGS

Personally, I like pigs as an animal. Being a vegetarian, I don’t like pork or the ubiquitous bacon sandwich that so many love – particularly the smell of cooking bacon. While out walking recently, for no apparent reason, quotes in relation to pigs started being shared amongst the group. Here are a few.

“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” – Winston Churchill

“I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty and besides, the pig likes it. ” – George Bernard Shaw

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “What’s the first thing you say to yourself?” “What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?” “I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said. – A.A. Milne.

“All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” – George Orwell, Animal Farm

“I am very proud to be called a pig. It stands for pride, integrity and guts.” – Ronald Reagan

“These are bagpipes. I understand the inventor of the bagpipes was inspired when he saw a man carrying an indignant, asthmatic pig under his arm. Unfortunately, the man-made sound never equalled the purity of the sound achieved by the pig.” – Alfred Hitchcock

“Thou frothy tickle-brained hedge-pig!” – William Shakespeare.

A 1933 song by Benjamin Hapgood Burt.

One evening in October, when I was one-third sober,

An’ taking home a ‘load’ with manly pride;

My poor feet began to stutter,

So I lay down in the gutter,

And a pig came up an’ lay by my side;

Then we sang ‘It’s all fair weather

When good fellows get together,’

Till a lady passing by was heard to say:

‘You can tell a man whose “boozes”

By the company he chooses’

And the pig got up and slowly walked away.

Nicola

Dragons In Your Garden?

Dragons In Your Garden?

Do you have Dragons in your garden? It might surprise you to know that the answer is probably ‘yes’. Chinese New Year falls on February 10th and this time it is the Year of the Dragon. However, the dragons in your garden are not the traditional fire-breathing monsters of old but a group of animals called Herpetofauna which includes Amphibians and Reptiles. The Connecting the Dragons project across South Wales aims to restore and raise awareness of these threatened species, 50% of which are in danger.

So, what might you come across in Wenvoe? If you have a pond, you are likely to have Newts, certainly the Common Newt. But we suspect there are also populations of the Great Crested Newt but have yet to confirm a record. Frogs and Toads turn up regularly, but the Toad is now classified as a Priority Species because of declines in their numbers. The Grass Snake is the UK’s largest native snake but is not venomous and is quite harmless to humans. These have been recorded in the Elizabethan Orchard and the Goldsland Watercress Beds but are likely to be in many other locations in the Parish. Adders have not been recorded in the Parish although some people claim to have seen them. They have been recorded in Leckwith Woods and are likely to be here so definitely one to look out for. If you see one, treat it with respect as they have a venomous bite.

As far as Lizards are concerned, we are likely to have the Common Lizard as there are several records from Cardiff but, again, none in the Parish. And then there is the Slow Worm – neither slow nor a worm nor even a snake but a legless lizard. We come across these regularly in our wildlife sites and also in gardens, although you are less likely to see them if you have cats as they are predators.

So, in the year of the Dragon we are going to make more effort to record, protect and encourage these creatures. We hope you will do the same and in future issues of What’s On we will describe some of the ways in which you can help.

 

Imagine Getting Back Onto The Garden

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Imagine Getting Back Onto The Garden

With so many wet days in December and early January it was hard to imagine getting back onto the garden. The ground soon dried up after the deluge with high pressure in charge. Any exposed soil would have had a lot of nutrients washed away which will need replacing with fertiliser and compost when the growing season starts. The mild December weather saw daffodils out on the village green and snowdrops out in the church grounds. The cold spell in January will have held the Spring bulbs back now. This difficult start to the year weather wise will have an impact on nurseries. Plants that you order may be a bit late and will definitely be more expensive. Keep costs down by sowing some seeds, sunny windowsills make an ideal spot for cosmos, salvias and sweet peas in February. Kale is a real hardy plant but will need to be germinated inside before putting outside. Look out for damping off and don’t over water.

Mrs Betty James of Walston Road will have scrubbed all her empty pots and seed trays in readiness for the sowing season, she will then sieve a new bag of compost and add some perlite for drainage. By following the way Betty does things you will have a good success rate. Don’t worry if you think you’re behind as plants will soon catch up with more daylight hours. Spend a bit of time checking on the tubers and corms that you kept over Winter and discard any showing signs of rot before it spreads to the others.

The folk at the allotments will be preparing seed beds, weather permitting, and getting cloches cleaned up to put on the soil to allow it to warm up. Some seeds like broad beans are hardy enough to sow now. Some folk will have already picked some forced rhubarb by the time you’re reading this.

The Vale was hit hard last year by the box caterpillar, which decimated box hedging and shrubs. This pest has only been in the UK for about fifteen years, starting in the southeast of England. There are some chemicals which claim to be effective but the amount of re spraying needed per season makes it not cost effective. The caterpillar is hidden beneath a web and is difficult to get at. The young hide in webs between the leaves over winter and become active as the weather warms up. Then a second infestation starts in Summer. Some National Trust properties have taken any box hedging out as the situation got too difficult to manage.

The last decade has seen record rainfall over most of the UK. We are not immune to this in Wenvoe, properties in Grange Close, Old Port Road and Nant Isaf have had flood damage. We all need to think before we cover ground with concrete etc. We need to let the ground soak up the water and release it slowly and laws are coming to make sure we use permeable products when constructing new drives or hard standings. The driveway at the Old Rectory has been constructed using permeable blocks.

Take care and happy gardening

St. Mary’s Church News February

FEBRUARY REPORT

The January Church News page ended with the words ‘We look forward to seeing you at our services’. Bishop Mary in a recent prayer for the diocese used the ‘Come and see’ taken from the Gospel according to John, when Philip told Nathaniel that he had found Jesus, the promised Messiah, much to Nathaniel’s scepticism. Philip issued the invitation ‘Come and see’. These words are an invitation to all in our community who are not used to churchgoing, to come and experience for yourselves the warm welcome that you will receive from the greeters in church, the help offered to follow the service and to make you feel at home in the love of Jesus. The church is a warm safe place, the music is uplifting, the singing will benefit from your participation and is good for your own wellbeing. If you are baptised, you can take part in the Communion or simply receive a blessing at the altar rail. Come and see and you will not be disappointed.

The congregation and many in the community were saddened to hear that Sheonagh Ormrod, the wife of Vicar Jon, had passed away after five months of declining health. Jon and Sheonagh had moved to the parish Worle near Weston Super Mare in 2021, having been here for seven years. Her funeral on 23rd January was attended by many from Wenvoe, St. Lythan’s and Sully as a mark of respect for Jon and his two daughters and was a loving caring service, a real tribute to the work Jon had done in the short time he and Sheonagh had been in the parish. May she rest in peace and rise in glory. For those who were not able to travel to Worle, Vicar Lyndon led a short service of prayers and readings being used at the service in St. Mary’s.

At the same time, we also received the news that Colin Jenkins had passed away after a long illness. Colin was well known in the community for his work in many areas including the preparation of “What’s On”. His funeral took place on Thursday 25th in St. Mary’s Church followed by cremation at the Cardiff and Vale crematorium. We offer our prayers and thoughts to Anne and her two daughters as they now face the future without him. ‘Well done thou good and faithful servant’. RIP.

Looking back at our Christmas celebrations, it was a very busy time with Carol Services and Midnight Eucharist followed by a service at St. Lythan’s on Christmas Day. The collection taken at the Community Carols and Nine Lessons for Ty Hafan came to £400 and a letter of thanks has been received. This can be viewed on the notice board in the church porch.

Now we are approaching the Season of Lent with Ash Wednesday on 14th February. This year the Imposition of Ashes will be at 10.00 am at St. John’s Church in Sully and in the evening at 7.00pm at St. Mary’s. Lent is a time of preparation for the great feast day of Easter, and Vicar Lyndon has arranged a series of Lenten talks on Zoom on Tuesday evenings at 7.00pm-8.00pm. Vicar Lyndon writes ‘I will offer

some insights into the structure of the liturgies of Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day beginning on Tuesday 20th February. We experience these liturgies but we don’t often have the opportunity to reflect on their structure and content and what they say to us through our Lenten journey’ To take part please email Lyndon on Lyndontssf@outlook.com and he will let you have the details to allow access Zoom.

The congregation marked the many years of service by Robert Lloyd who played the organ and now wished to stand down. We thank him for the contribution he made to our act of worship, at funerals and weddings. Gareth Williams our other organist has agreed to continue to inspire us with his expertise at the keyboard. We will try and find a replacement for Rob. Is there a fledging organist locally who Gareth could train? Please contact Vicar Lyndon for full details of what we can offer.

We also wish to thank Kenneth Mathews for his work organising the weekly newsletter. This has now been taken over by Helen Kennedy of Sully. Ken had many roles in St. Mary’s as churchwarden, Secretary to the church council, Server at the altar, in charge of the church heating and other duties. So, we thank you Ken for all your diligence in church affairs, but thankfully we will still see you in church. Da iawn.

Please see Jude Billingham’s article on the Food Bank on page 11.

To all our readers, and the friends of St. Mary’s keep warm in this very cold weather. We welcome all to join in our Sunday and Wednesday morning Service.

God Bless,

Parry Edwards

 

“A Spell of Winter” by Helen Dunmore

OFF THE SHELF

“A Spell of Winter”
by Helen Dunmore

This is an unsettling story of love and betrayal, which is dark and claustrophobic in parts, but a story we all wanted to finish. It is set in turn-of-the-century England, with a Gothic literary genre. Catherine and Rob Allen are siblings two years apart, who grow up in a world of shameful secrets. Their mother creates a public outcry by abandoning her family for a bohemian life on the Continent and their father is committed to an asylum in the country. So, the children are sealed off with their grandfather, maid, and tutor in a crumbling country estate. The main overseer of their childhood is the well-loved servant, Kate, but the predatory tutor, Miss Gallagher lurks around in the shadows. In true gothic fashion, terror, blackmail, violence, and eroticism collect beneath every dark surface. Although the characters are emotionally complicated, they remain absorbing, and it is hard not to wish for the ‘cloud’ to lift.

Against this strange and secretive life, Cathy and her brother Rob develop a closeness so fierce that it eventually threatens to smother them both. The turning point in the story comes when Rob, in Cathy’s eyes, unforgivably runs away and she feels betrayed. She is left to build her life and relationships with two significant people who live close to her, her grandfather and Mr Bullivant. When World War I eventually bursts upon them all, Kate seems to find herself and learns quickly how to become self-sufficient. It’s only after she’s experienced this hardship that she’s given a second chance to be redeemed by love.

There is a slightly Austenesque edge to the characters and the book is intensely gripping if not slightly disturbing in parts. It is understandable why it won the 1996 Orange Book Prize. Our Book Club gave it a score of 8/10.

Isobel Davies

 

 

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Despite the weather we have achieved quite a lot in January. Three new picnic tables have been constructed and installed in the orchards by Brian Rees. Sian White has strimmed and cleared vegetation at both the Goldsland Orchard and Goldsland Watercress beds, enabling improved access to both of these popular but quiet sites. Rhys McGowan has started a project of wildlife recording and all residents are encouraged to send any sightings of wildlife to the Wildlife Group from within the Parish. The Group have purchased a replacement Cherry Plum for the one in the village that was uprooted recently and Mike Tucker has arranged its planting. Mike has also cut the hedgerow that the Group planted along the Community Orchard.

Searching for GOLD

WENVOE FORUM

Considering tomorrow today

Searching for GOLD

Do you know the colour of hydrogen?

Wenvoe What’s On readers may remember from school science lessons that hydrogen, in its normal state, is a colourless, tasteless, odourless and non-toxic gas. It is the third most abundant element on the surface of Earth, found in water and all organic matter. It is the simplest element and the lightest being 9 times lighter than air, which drove its use in the first part of the 20th century as the “lift” for airships until the Hindenburg disaster which reminds us that it in extremely flammable, in fact it is literally rocket fuel having been used particularly in combination with oxygen since NASA’s Apollo programme.

So hydrogen is light, abundant, non-toxic and flammable. These are all important properties that suggest Hydrogen might be part of the answer to replacing our dependence on fossil fuels in order to keep global temperatures down and avoid destructive and threatening climate driven events such as flooding and wild fires. However it seems that in this regard all Hydrogen is definitely not created equal.

Hydrogen is highly reactive, so it generally doesn’t hang around on its own but joins up with something else. It is created in the process of many chemical reactions but being so light it can quickly disperse into its surroundings. So to use it as a viable fuel it is generally created and captured and this is where the colourless gas of our science lessons becomes associated with a colour.

Black or Brown

This comes from the most environmentally damaging form of hydrogen creation. Black or brown coal is used to make liquid hydrogen but all the damaging products of coal combustion are released where the hydrogen is produced, and the low carbon emission hydrogen can be moved easily to other places that want low carbon fuel. It reminds me of times gone by when in order to supply London with smokeless coal to avoid “the smogs” much of the pollution it seemed was left behind in Mountain Ash and other places where the smokeless brickettes were made.

Grey

Grey hydrogen is made from natural gas or methane and though there are fewer pollutants than from coal, the process results in much the same sort of greenhouse gases being released as would have been the case just using the natural gas. Currently most of the supply of hydrogen is grey.

Blue

Blue hydrogen again is made from natural gas but using a process that captures the carbon and allows it to be stored. Turquoise In the blue part of the spectrum an experimental production method called Methane Pyrolysis produces Hydrogen and solid carbon. This may prove useful in the future as a low carbon fuel, if permanent storage or environmentally friendly use is made of the solid carbon Pink (or purple or red) We go back to the science lab at school again now. For many, H2O is the one chemical formula that they know, WATER. By passing a current of electricity through water it splits the water into two gases hydrogen and oxygen, which can be collected separately with no carbon resulting.

Pink, purple or red

hydrogen refers to hydrogen made by electrolysis using nuclear power. Green Using electrolysis of water with “green” renewable electricity sources, wind, solar, water turbine etc gives us the best hope for making hydrogen without adding to the greenhouse effect. NB Yellow Hydrogen is sometimes used for that produced using solar power.

GOLD

Geologists have long known that reactions between rocks containing iron and water produces hydrogen effectively the same process as rusting. However the assumption had been that the light hydrogen with its small molecule would seep out of the rocks and disperse, and no-one looked for any captured in the same way as natural gas was captured. Necessity, mother of invention has inspired new searches and big reservoirs are being found. Environmentalists fear that this search would uncover new oil and gas resources and that it will be hard to resist the pressure to exploit them and environmentalists will need to be proactive in combating that risk. To find large quantities of hydrogen that could be used in the same way as natural gas has could be a partial answer to many prayers.

Keep an eye out for news of a new gold mine.

 

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