Lampeter Grapevine Issue 6 Feb 2013

contact us: lampetergrapevine@gmail.com

February 2013

GRAPEVINE digwyddiadau, newyddion a barn Llambed bob mis/ Lampeter’s events, news and views

STOP PRESS: TLDT granted £12,500 from Ceredigion Community Grant Fund to refurbish Victoria Hall toilets!

Read more in TLDT Directors’ Report Pages 3-4

FREE M DI AM D

In this issue...  local born wood 

biomass is best for Denmark Farm



how to be ‘Green & Clean’



Store-cupboard spring cleaning tips



listings



letters



reviews

also this month: 

Transition Llambed Development Trust (TLDT) Directors’ Report

GRAPEVINE

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

no. 6, February 2013 Post: c/o Victoria Hall, Bryn Road, Lampeter, Ceredigion SA48 7EE Email: lampetergrapevine@gmail.com Published by: Transition Llambed Development Trust, Victoria Hall, Bryn Road, Lampeter, SA48 7EE Printed by: TSD Reprographics, Lampeter, on paper from sustainable resources To list your event, submit an article, ad or letter or to make an enquiry, email: lampetergrapevine@gmail.com or post to address above Please include the reason you are contacting us in the subject box of your email (Ad, Listing, Article, Letter, Enquiry) Listings (events & courses) are free Display advertising rates: ¼ column £10; ¼ page £25; ½ page £40; full page £70 (back page £80) Discount on ads for public events held in Victoria Hall: £25 off ad Classified ads: £2 / 20 wds (min. £2) Therapists' section (max 30 wds): £10 for 6 editions in advance Copy date for March issue: Fri 8 February 2013 Circulation: 1,500 copies distributed free in the Lampeter area

Happy New Year!

The Grapevine this month is all about beating the Winter blues and finding ways to keep ourselves warm. While we’re confined to staying indoors by the increasingly inclement weather, how about doing a spot of spring cleaning to get that feelgood factor? See pages 15 & 16 for tips ... or try the ‘Creative Ideas’ on page 17 to recycle your old Christmas cards into perfect gifts for Dydd Santes Dwynwen or Valentine’s Day. If de-cluttering & cleansing are not your thing, then how about a brisk walk in some of our local hot spots? See our resident bird expert’s tips for this month on page 9 ... or perhaps you would rather be working up a sweat by splitting more wood to keep the fires burning? See Maj’s suggestions on page 6 …

There are lots of other interesting things to read in this issue, so why not put an extra log on the fire & cosy up with a cuppa and your Grapevine. We’re experimenting with a new location for the ‘Listings’, so don’t forget to fill in the Readers’ Survey (tear-off section of back page).

Make some comments … we really want to know what you think!

Planning ahead? You’ll find the themes for the next 3 months inside - so put your thinking caps on and send us your articles.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Angie Martin

Other contact details:  Transition Llambed: www.transitionllambed.co.uk email: transitionllambed@gmail.com  Victoria Hall: www.vichall.org.uk To make bookings for Victoria Hall contact: admin@vichall.org.uk or phone/text 07891 632614  People's Market: To book a stall contact: rhydygwinfarm@talktalk.net or ring 01570 471432

Next month’s theme: ‘Hungry Gap’

Copy date: Fri 8 February Info for advertisers & contributors: for full guidelines, see grapevine page on www.transitionllambed.co.uk We reserve the right to edit all contributions for reasons of space & clarity.

The views expressed in letters and articles are not necessarily those of Transition Llambed Development Trust or the newsletter group.

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Director’s Report: Transition Llambed Development Trust (TLDT), Victoria Hall, Lampeter Our 20-year lease with Ceredigion County Council became effective on 5 December 2011, but we technically began trading the following January, so the Trust’s first year of activity has just ended. During the early stages, however, we happily ‘inherited’ existing users of the Hall, notably the Evangelical Church, Young at Heart, the Poultry Auction and Lampeter’s Polling Station, and we remain extremely grateful for their continuing support.

Since that ‘rebirth’, we now have an additional 30 or so regular users, and many more occasional bookings.

We believe that it is significant that few of these activities were already either in Lampeter, or in existence, prior to the Victoria Hall becoming a venue once again. This chimes completely with the Trust’s aim of helping to reinvigorate Lampeter life. Indeed the Lampeter Youth Theatre, which is proving itself a really important outlet for Lampeter’s talented children and young people, only came into being as the venue once again became fully available, as did the Castanet Club. The People’s Market, another Trust initiative, champions local food, crafts and produce, and has proved to be equally at ease as a social gathering every second and fourth Saturday. Transition Llambed’s own ‘Big Gathering’ meets at the Hall in the evening of the 3rd Thursday each month, and provides a forum for discussion, information and action related to our general ethos.

In order to publicise events and opportunities within the Victoria Hall, and throughout our wider local community, the Trust publishes our own ‘events’ magazine locally with a run of 1,500, which of course is where you are reading this report on the year. The Grapevine accepts local advertising and promotes local events, church services etc, as well as contributing articles of interest. This edition is the sixth to date. It is published monthly, and contributions are most welcome. Our dedicated and talented editorial team can be contacted at: lampetergrapevine@gmail.com Naturally such an enterprise - running the Victoria Hall, organising events, publishing the Grapevine etc implies a good deal of effort, and we are extremely grateful to all those directors and volunteers who have made this possible. Beyond that, however, are those responsible, for instance, for the smarter appearance of the Hall’s exterior: Ivor Williams and Greg Evans – and for the interior: TSD students, Derek Wilson, Lampeter Youth Theatre volunteers, Charles Burton and Debbie White, as well as local members of Transition Llambed. Thank you all.

We have received fascinating insights, primarily through Selwyn Walters and Dorothy Williams, into the heritage and history of the Victoria Hall, and it is intended to make such information freely available to users in its original setting as refurbishment proceeds.

We are also grateful for the support and forbearance of our neighbours. We do inform all those who book of the necessity of respecting their peace and tranquillity, but it is by definition a busier place now than even a few months ago.

We do not yet have any employees, but we do have a professionally-produced Business Plan to support our future development and grant applications (funded and supported by Co-op Wales), and we do intend therefore to support local employment as and when the opportunity arises in the near future.

Other local links of significance see the Trust as members of Lampeter Chamber of Trade, members of Development Trusts Wales, liaising closely with the Lampeter Food Festival, and being the current recipients of Sainsbury’s Local Charity of the Year award together with the Lampeter Youth Theatre, which is based in the Hall. The running of our People’s Market café was initially managed by Lynn Humphreys and was then split between the Lampeter Youth Theatre and Ceredigion’s Coastal Project. It is now managed entirely by the Coastal Project, which provides opportunity, experience, and income to this excellent local initiative.

We are pleased to promote the ethos and activities of other local organisations, and so there are posters and information boards for Denmark Farm Conservation Centre and Coedwig Gymunedol Long Wood Community Woodland within the Hall, and we advertise other local events in village and church halls in the area.

As well as hosting WEA classes, we are delighted to have been asked to permit the Victoria Hall to become the WEA office for the Lampeter area.

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We would like to make special mention of the talented and industrious youngsters of the Youth Theatre, to-

gether with all those volunteers who make their sessions, rehearsals and productions such a centrepiece for the Hall, and such fun. If youth truly is the future, then we are in good hands!

With the guidance of David Morgan, and the contribution of Steph Bond, plans have been drawn up for the refurbishment of the toilets and kitchen, and Ynni i Ffynnu have produced an exhaustive Energy Action Plan.

We also have quotations, and permission, to create office space within the Hall, and quotations to significantly improve disability access throughout. When funds permit we shall address the stage, including lighting, sound and access.

With the generous support of the Town Council, and with what we have managed to accumulate elsewhere, notably from our Ceredigion grant, a donation from Menter Llambed of £800, and our own contribution of this year’s surplus of some £3,000, we are in good shape to match-fund the grants we are currently seeking to refurbish the Hall. We have managed to put aside the entirety of our grants, without them being used to manage the Hall day to day. So we are currently running entirely on income received from, and generated by, our lettings and other activities.

Quotations have now come in to begin renovation, and in keeping with our ethos we have insisted upon only local firms, craftsmen and companies being centrally involved. Indeed, all of our expenditure, wherever possible, has been through local sources, so we are pleased to be playing a small part in supporting our local economy.

As you may imagine, there has been much to do this year. Our accounts closed on 31 October for our first year of trading, which shows a turnover of £15,000 with some £3,000 in surplus, all of which, bar a small contingency fund, will go towards refurbishment. For those of you who have followed the Starbucks saga on Corporation Tax recently you will be interested to learn that in our first year of trading, this small enterprise will contribute some £250 towards that tax! In order that the hall, directors, and volunteers are as fully protected as possible, we hold Public Liability insurance; have conducted a professional fire safety inspection; have refurbished the emergency safety lighting; are registered with the Performing Rights Society; hold an appropriate Entertainments Licence, and, through Ceredigion, and at our cost, insured the Hall itself. All our market traders hold appropriate certificates and insurances. Our local purchases are guided by our ethos, of course, articulated in our Procurement Policy, and we have also put in place Child Protection and Equal Opportunities Policies whilst developing a full Health and Safety Policy for the Hall.

Life is not without problems for any business, of course, and we do not underestimate the challenges of modernising a rather elderly building, but we are being well supported in our endeavours by Andrew Harries, Ceredigion’s Principal Estates Officer, and we look forward to next year, and further progress, with great optimism.

The support and encouragement of our local community has been crucial to our efforts, and we remain grateful for the significant early support afforded to the Trust by Aled Lewis, of ADVE Solicitors, Lampeter; Jenny Regan, Accountant to the Trust, and our County Councillors: Ivor Williams for his very practical experience and support, and Hag Harris who facilitated at an important moment in the lease negotiations, both of whom have been supportive throughout.

We should also like to extend a warm thank you to all our volunteers, to those who have encouraged our traders by buying at the People’s Market, (please do come and sample the excellence of the food and crafts on offer!) and to those who have made this journey possible by hiring the Hall over the year. The astonishing and growing range of activities can be seen elsewhere on these pages! We anticipate that refurbishment will begin very shortly now, so we should all soon be able to enjoy facilities worthy of such an iconic building in the heart of Lampeter. Thank you all.

Derek Marshall, Treasurer on behalf of the Directors, Transition Llambed Development Trust STOP PRESS! TLDT is very pleased to report that we have just been granted £12,500 from the Ceredigion Community Grant Fund for the long-overdue renovation of the toilets in the Victoria Hall. The other half of the cost will come from previous donations from the Town Council, funds the Trust has generated through increased usage of the hall, and Ceredigion County Council. The work needs to be completed by the end of February.

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Biomass is Best for Denmark Farm

Our suppliers, PBE Bio Energy from Pembrokeshire, only use timber from sustainable sources (i.e. FSC or To give everyone visiting Denmark Farm Conserva- equivalent) or reclaimed timber (i.e. from manufacturtion Centre a warm glow, we’ve had a new biomass ing, building or recycling centres). boiler heating system installed.

We are also eligible for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which means that our biomass heating not only makes sense environmentally but also financially. Additionally, we are generating some of our own electricity by solar photo-voltaic (PV), giving us plenty of ‘green power’ for a more sustainable future.

Now that we have heat and power, just watch this space for news about our sedum-based green roof and the finishing touches for the new build. Our Eco Holiday Accommodation will then be ready to welcome guests from Easter 2013.

More info: see www.denmarkfarm.org.uk or ring This will maximise our sustainability, using locally01570 493358. sourced wood pellet fuel to produce heat for the new holiday self-catering eco accommodation, as well as serving all existing Denmark Farm offices and buildings.

Swansea-based company Biofutures have installed and commissioned the system. Kedrick Davies from Biofutures says: “The biomass boilers will produce a super-efficient burn and, provided good quality wood pellets are used, there is no visible smoke once the boilers are up to temperature. Also, using pellets in comparison to oil or LPG means a significant reduction in carbon outputs (including extraction, processing and transport costs for each fuel).”

From the Denmark Farm team

Wood pellets are generally produced from conifers and those made from UK forestry residues have the lowest emissions of all. As the pulp industry is in decline - and you can't use a whole tree for timber - pellets make use of an otherwise unused resource that is, arguably, best used for efficient energy generation.

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Isn’t it good - local born wood?

Wood is good: a carbon-neutral fuel that is sustainable, versatile and potentially free. It can be used to heat a home as well as cook a meal. With less repeats than a television, the oxygen-licking flames are even a mind-awakening form of entertainment, as well as a planet-friendly way to keep a party alive.

So with the price of fossil fuels beginning to reflect their scarcity, many are turning to burning wood as a local resource that can be grown at home. Burning wood is said to be ‘carbon neutral’ because the carbon dioxide that is released would have been produced anyway, in the natural process of dead wood decaying, but this doesn’t meant there aren’t environmental impacts. Collecting or ‘gleaning’ deadwood can have a negative environmental impact if none is left on the forest floor for vital invertebrates. Also, burning wood that is not fully dried or ‘seasoned’ can cause acrid smoke as well as a dangerous build-up of creosote on the inside of chimneys.

But, given the proper care, wood is a renewable resource, which means that it can be replenished by nature in a period of time that is compatible with our human use. Provided they are cared for and managed properly, our forests can be a perpetual source of fuel, unlike gas, oil, and coal, which are being depleted at a rate far faster than the millions of years it took nature to make them. On a smallholding it is possible to plant more trees than we cut down, and if we buy logs from a wood merchant we have the opportunity to make sure they come from a sustainable source.

Wood nerds can endlessly discuss which tree gives back the most calories for the work we put into felling, chopping and cutting - but all agree, wood can warm us twice; in the collecting as well as the burning.

Although many claim ash wood burns even when freshly cut (extremely useful in an emergency) its long -term use ‘green’ will still clog up your chimney.

Once collected, green wood should be stored until its water has evaporated so that it is lightweight and the bark is sloughing off. Some say a month for every inch in diameter, others a minimum of a year, and this is the meaning of ‘seasoning’ - so that it has undergone all the seasonal effects. The French apparently advised three years from fell to fire: one in the field, one in the barn and one by the fireside. A word of warning to the hoarder though: too long stored and the vital volatile oils are lost and the wood becomes paper; it will burn but with no heat. Storing is improved when air can circulate freely around the stack.

If you are lucky enough to be sourcing larger trees from your own land, it is best to chop immediately using a splitter or maul, a type of axe with a heavy wide head. A splitter does not need to be particularly sharp, unlike a felling axe, which slices at wood. It is possible to use a felling axe for splitting logs, but it is much harder work. The trick is to let the weight of the head do the work: swing it over your shoulder and let the head fall on to the log without forcing it down. In this way the wide head forces the fibres of the wood apart. Having the log you are splitting at a good height – on a tree stump or larger log about two feet off the ground - makes the job easier and avoids hurting your back. Maj Ikle For the past 15 years Maj has heated her home using only wood

A poem by that famous woman poet 'Anonymous' gives us a handy guide to which wood burns best:

Logs to burn! Logs to burn! Logs to save the coal a turn!

Beechwood fires are bright and clear. If the logs are kept a year, Chestnut’s only good they say If for long ’tis laid away; Birch and fir logs burn too fast. Blaze up bright and do not last.

It is by the Irish said: Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.

Elmwood burns like churchyard mould. Even the very flames are cold; Poplar makes a bitter smoke. Fills your eyes and makes you choke; Applewood will scent your room With an incense like perfume; Oak and maple if dry and old Keep away the winters cold: But ashwood wet or ashwood dry, A queen shall warm her slippers by!

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LETTERS

Lampeter Rising

letters: grapevine, victoria hall, bryn road, lampeter SA48 7EE email: lampetergrapevine@gmail.com

at Victoria Hall Thur 14 February, 1pm

Annwyl Olygydd/Dear Editor, I would like to write in response to Susan's letter in the Dec/Jan issue of Grapevine. I was shocked to understand that Susan was disappointed to see Côrisma's website written in Welsh. Being a choir in a Welsh-speaking town like Lampeter, this is just what's expected, and shouldn't be a disappointment to its residents and any Grapevine readers.

However, this shouldn't exclude any non-Welsh speakers from joining. To the contrary, music is a universal language, and anyone with a passion for singing, good company and culture should join either Côr Meibion Cwmann or Côrisma.

And if looking for evidence to support this, may I mention the new Chief Executive for the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, Steve Hughson, speaking on BBC Radio Cymru during the Winter Fair. Although not yet fluent in Welsh, he learnt the language and gained confidence by joining choirs like Bois y Castell (Llandeilo) and Côr Meibion Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen).

Well done Steve - he joined choirs that sang in Welsh and as a result mastered the Language of Heaven, which gave him the confidence to apply for such a prominent post in Wales and speak so authoritatively on a Welsh Language Radio Station.

Côr Meibion Cwmann members have been extremely busy during the winter months entertaining residents in local care homes. What a valuable service to the community! It was also a pleasure to see Côrisma taking part in concerts recently by raising money towards charities such as Diabetes UK and Christian Aid. It was nice to see so many Grapevine readers attending the concert in St Peter's Church, Lampeter, on 22 December. This was Lampeter entertainment at its best.

You've correctly assumed, Susan, that Côr Meibion Cwmann and Côrisma are Welsh choirs, based in Lampeter - in Wales, and singing mainly in our language - Welsh. Both choirs could possibly sing in a foreign language and what's the problem with that?

My appeal in this letter is for everyone to follow Steve Hughson's example if they're interested in singing.

While contributing to the entertainment and cultural scene in the area, take advantage of Welsh singing and Welsh singers to gain confidence in Welsh and possibly play a greater part of our bilingual community. Diolch.

Yn gywir/yours sincerely, Dylan Lewis, Cwmann

Part of the ‘One Billion Rising’ worldwide event, bringing attention to continuing violence against women & girls in the 21st century: Singing, dancing and drumming Bring your feet (or wheels), your voice, and a drum, bell, whistle, tambourine or indeed a saucepan!

Bring your lunch. Beverages available Donations welcome - towards heating the hall, & we'll also be donating to a charity (to be decided, suggestions to Yolanda: yolandalawrence2@gmail.com) Anyone willing to start us off with singing, dancing and drumming, is most welcome.

Women & men: come & make some noise!

More info: www.onebillionrising.org/pages/aboutone-billion-rising or www.vday.org/home

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non-profit organizations more effective. Using consent and collaboration as a foundation for decision-making and communications, it builds a strong governance structure […] using the new sciences of cybernetics, systems thinking, and complexity theory and creates organizations that are as powerful, self-organizing, and self-correcting as the natural world.”

An inclusive alternative?

Working together as a community for the benefit of everyone, in ways that are sustainable for the environment, is central to the Transition Town ethos. But we’re not skilled at it yet. We are better at creating ‘us and them’ separations and exclusions - between people who think and behave like us and those who are different from us, between our own back garden and the wider environment, between what's good for us now and what's best for the future. We are much better at noticing what’s wrong with ‘them’ than we are at finding common ground and creating ways forward for ‘us’. So I am always on the lookout for more ideas on how we can communicate and work together more effectively in our communities.

It is a fascinating book, which I read 18 months ago and have been talking about ever since! So I am delighted to announce that we will be hosting the first ever ‘Introduction to Sociocracy’ workshop in Wales, at Denmark Farm, on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 March. The course is an ideal way to learn about the principles of Sociocracy and how to introduce them into your life – whether it is for your business, voluntary organization, charity, social enterprise or even within your family or social group. There will only be places for a maximum of 20 people, and the cost for the 2 days will be £100, with an Early Bird price of £80 for anyone who books and pays in full by Friday 15 February.

One such idea is Sociocracy (see http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociocracy) It seems to be a way of giving everyone a voice in making decisions that affect them, held within a solid, understandable framework. Sociocracy, sometimes known as Dynamic Governance, is a model that has been tried and tested, particularly over the past forty years, in many settings – corporations and small businesses, hospitals, schools and universities, eco-villages and cohousing groups, non-profit and community organizations as well as professional associations.

The weekend will be facilitated by Julian Howell of DecisionLab (http://decisionlab.org.uk). To book a place, or for more details, please contact me: linda.winn@hotmail.co.uk or 01570 471717.

Linda Winn

This has happened mainly in the Netherlands (where the ideas were developed in the mid-20th century and continue to be explored and implemented today) and America (where the ideas first germinated in the late 19th century and then more recently, with the publishing in 2007 of the first book on Sociocracy written in English by American authors). The book We the People: Consenting to a Deeper Democracy, by John Buck and Sharon Villines, has given English speakers access to the ideas and principles of sociocracy, and it is catching on fast! Here’s the ‘blurb’ about the book: “We the People describes a new method of governing ourselves that creates more inclusive and efficient organizations [...] all human beings are created equally and endowed by society with the unquestionable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In practice, however, these rights are often limited to the majority, the rich, or the property owners. Sociocracy ensures these rights to everyone, and in the process, makes profit-making businesses more profitable and 8

Seasonal snippits - what’s hot and what’s not in nature

by Mara, Ian and Tomos Morris who live in Llangybi

february in the vegetable garden with Mara ...

I’ve been eagerly looking out the kitchen window for several weeks, imagining that Spring is here. Writing this in early January, with robins singing for territory all around and that warm springy smell wafting in, it’s all too easy to believe that winter is departing already. This has tempted me out into my shed, dangerously early, on more than one occasion to start planning my growing.

However the wizened veggie grower in me has helped me see a little sense about the reality of trying to grow early-season crops in Ceredigion for the past 2-3 years - way too many failed sowings! So I have held back sowing my broad beans and winter salads, knowing that if I leave it for a few more weeks it won’t make much difference to the harvest.

One thing I couldn’t resist sowing now, though, is garlic. After a great crop last year I’ve saved some of my bulbs for seed this year. These have divided up into masses of the fattest, juiciest, most promising cloves I’ve seen. For safety I’ve potted these into small pots of compost and put them into the polytunnel, just in case we are blanketed in snow from mid-January until March.

Drawing by Tomos (aged 7⅗!)

Ian’s birding tips for the month…

February is a good time to look for overwintering wildfowl. The actual numbers that arrive depend somewhat on the severity of the weather to the east of us in England and beyond. A visit to Falcondale Lake could turn something up. A walk along the banks of the Teifi may be rewarded with a sighting of the beautiful Goosander, a large fish-eating duck.

Perhaps best of all is the quarry pool near the rugby club. If you approach carefully and quietly there is a good chance of seeing Mallard, Teal and Mute Swan. In addition, well-camouflaged Snipe occasionally skulk in the poolside vegetation, and the scarce and declining Willow Tit has also been recorded here.

Dychwelwch ef i’r pwyntiau casglu yn: Neuadd Fictoria; Llyfrgell Gyhoeddus Llanbedr Pont Steffan, Organic Fresh Foods Co (stad ddiwydiannol, Ffordd Tregaron) neu Bush Mulberry (2 Stryd y Bont) Os byddai'n well gennych ei lenwi ar -lein ewch i wefan Transition Llambed www.transitionllambed.co.uk a chliciwch ar y ddolen ar gyfer Arolwg Darllenwyr Grapevine

Please return surveys to the collection points at: Victoria Hall; Lampeter Public Library; Organic Fresh Foods Co (industrial estate, Tregaron Rd) or the Mulberry Bush (2 Bridge St) If you would prefer to fill the survey out online go to the Transition Llambed website www.transitionllambed.co.uk and click on the link for Grapevine Readers’ Survey

Diolch

Thank you 9

Copy Dates & Themes March issue Copy: Fri 8 February Theme: ‘Hungry gap’ -x-

April issue Copy: Fri 8 March Theme: ‘Spring Watch’ -x-

May issue Copy: Fri 12 April Theme: ‘Come Outside’

Recent Reviews Swell Performance A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens adapted & directed by Annie May performed by Lampeter Youth Theatre Victoria Hall, Lampeter, 13–15 December 2012 In its three productions over the course of the last year, LYTss has displayed a healthy versatility that has run from rollicksome trad panto, the weird and wordy Lewis Carroll in the unpredictable and testing conditions of the great outdoors, and finally to a genuine drama of darkness and redemption. In its eighteen months of existence the theatre and stage school, though running on a shoestring and a prayer, seems to have completed a three-step course to maturity.

The Cast taking the applause from a well-packed house

They showed us their potential in the knockabout Al y Deyn, they got to grips with dialogue in Alice, and thus prepared were then able to grapple with the serious business of emotions in the feast of misanthropy, poverty, heartbreak, hopes and fears that Chas the Dick is always good for. As well as great entertainers, they’ve grown into a committed and confident band of performers: no mean feat for a bunch of kids ranging from teenagers to miniatures.

It was good to see the full length, breadth and height of the Vic Hall being exploited. Its tall, high windows, its asylum-like gloom and its faded grandeur are perfect for such a tale. The vignette-like scenes were played here and there, across the floor and up in the gallery, pools of light floating in a sea of darkness.

But amidst all the Scroogian drama and riveting performances we also had the leavening effect of the two tiny Carrington boys in dickybows doing a enchanting bit of perfectly executed song and dance (‘We're a Couple of Swells’) that even Sammy Davis Jnr & Julie Andrews couldn’t better when they tried themselves it a few nights later on TV. The troupe thoroughly deserved all the rosettes bestowed on them by the mayor after the final show.

Someone should have pinned one on their director, who has worked wonders. The LYTss gang are getting a serious education in the performing arts, and the project clearly deserves some serious funding.

Andy Soutter 10

Individual and Collective Magic: Ouroborus play Lampeter, December 2012 You should have been there...French and Welsh folk songs, classics like Aretha Franklin's Say a Little Prayer, Neil Young's Harvest Moon, a bit of Charlie Parker, soulful ballads, inspired piano playing and as for the guy on sax...what can you say but "marvellous"?

The band: Maggie Nicols on keyboards and vocals, Sid Thomas on keyboards, Peter Stacey on sax and flute. I get the feeling when I watch and listen to musicians that I'm witnessing the desire to be famous as much as anything. This performance was an invitation to participate in a musical experience, the kind of unfolding that encourages you to feel warmth towards other human beings.

Another excellent and affordable event organised

by Shirley Hall and hosted by the welcoming folk at Castle Green. You can catch Ouroborus when they play again in Lampeter in 2013.

Colette Power

Send in your reviews to lampetergrapevine@gmail.com

Remember Copy date March issue

Friday 8 February 2013 Theme: ‘Hungry Gap’

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: TRANSITION LLAMBED DEVELOPMENT TRUST (Victoria Hall Project) AGM Thursday 31 January 2013

Send your listings to lampetergrapevine@gmail.com For full guidelines & more information for advertisers & contributors: see grapevine page on www.transitionllambed.co.uk

7.30pm Victoria Hall All welcome

Victoria Hall: regular activities and classes Bryn Road, Lampeter SA48 7EE Weekly (W) Fortnightly (F) W not 11 Feb

Time

Activity / Class

12.303pm

Autobiographical writing

Annette Ecuyere

W

7-9pm

Wing Chun Kungfu

Flo Hunt

07796 796259

Tuesday

W

7.308.30pm

Zumba keep fit session

Julie Lancaster

01570 470542

Wednesday

F 6 & 20 Feb

1.304.30pm

Young at Heart

W

7-8pm

Zumba keep fit session

Louise Evans

07584 199372

Thursday

W

10am-12 noon & 1-3pm

Welsh classes

Meryl Evans

01545 572715

Friday

W

4.306.30pm

LYTSS: Lampeter Youth Theatre & Stage School

Annie May

01570 423080

Saturday

2nd & 4th Sat each month

10am1pm

People’s Market

Sunday

W

10am7pm

Lampeter Evangelical Church

Gareth Jones at the Mustard Seed café

01570 423344

W

7-9pm

Brazilian Jujitsu

Mike A. Banica

07783 582081

Day Monday

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Contact Name

Number 01559 370969

Tea, sandwiches & social for the wiser folk of Lampeter

Local food, produce and crafts. Plus café, live music and other attractions

what’s going on listings are free. send details of your event to lampetergrapevine@gmail.com

music Lampeter Music Club at the Arts Hall, University of Wales Trinity St David.

Tues 12 Feb, 7.30pm: Fabien Genthialon, cello.

Sun 10 March, 2.30pm: Inner City Brass, brass quintet.

Tickets on the door, £9/£7.50 concs.

Students free with a Union Card.

Two children free with a paying adult.

Contact: David Cockburn, 01570 422436 Lampeter World Sacred Music Festival, 22-24 March. Karl Jenkins conducts his peace requiem, The Armed Man. Contact: info@worldsacredmusic.com

theatre Lampeter Youth Theatre and Stage School (LYTss) Every Friday, 4.30-6.30pm, Victoria Hall.

Contact: Annie May, 01570 423080, annie@themay.co.uk

move your body Belly dance & Belly fit classes Belly Dance: Mondays. 1.30-2.45pm (all ages). Belly Fit: 3-4.00pm (over 50s) Shiloh Church Hall, Lampeter (next to the police station on the High Street). All fitness levels welcome.

Contact: Rose Barter, 01239 851737 Belly Dance & Yoga classes Belly Dance: Tuesday 7.30-8.30pm. £3.00. Beginner Yoga: Thursday 78.30pm, £5.00. Crugybar Village Hall. Contact: 01558 685321, elenamgilliatt@hotmail.com Gentle Yoga classes suitable for all: Mon 10-11.30am Pontrhydfendigaid Village Hall Tues 10-11.30am Cellan Millennium Hall; Tues 1.45-3.15pm Llangeitho Village Hall Weds 5.30-7pm Tregaron Chapel Vestry Contact: Cathy Crick Stanton, 01570 421144 / 07748 031614, cathycrick@hotmail.co.uk Folk dancing Every Wednesday, 810 pm. Talsarn Village Hall. Everybody welcome (including musicians).

No partner or experience needed. £1.50 including refreshments.

Contact: 01974 272098 Cerddwyr Ramblers, Lampeter, organise a variety of weekly walks throughout the year. Anyone interest-

ed in walking with the group is warmly welcomed to join. A walking programme is available from the Town Library or James, 01570 480743.

Flamenco classes in Lampeter and Aberystwyth Enter the intoxicating world of rhythm, movement, grace and fire that is Flamenco.

Tuesday 6-7.15 pm, Sally Saunders Dance Industrial Estate, Tregaron Rd, Lampeter (next to Organic Fresh Foods).

Wednesday 6-7.30 pm, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, with live flamenco guitarist.

Men and women welcome from 15 yrs old. Please bring strong/ chunkyheeled shoes Tutor: Dixey Ruscelli, 01570 493138, dixeyart@gmail.com

courses Denmark Farm Conservation Centre, Betws Bledrws 16 Feb (am): Feel Like Felt?

(Making felt for beginners) 16 Feb (pm): Little Treasures - Making Decorative Felt for Jewellery and Decoration 17 Feb: Soft Shoe Shuffle - Felt to Fit Slippers 21 Feb: Hats off to Felt - Make a Felt Hat in a Day 24 Feb: Material Matters - Nuno Felting 9 Mar: Sustainable Beekeeping Contact: 01570 493358, www.denmarkfarm.org.uk

health & well-being courses & classes The Mindfulness-based Stress Management Course 2013. 4 Sunday sessions: February 10 & 24, March 10 10am-2pm, March 24, 10am-4pm. Early bird and student savings. Contact: 07890 835873, colette@mindfulnesscourse.co.uk Meditation, Qi Gong and Breathing exercises class to deal with stress of modern living. Self-help practices for health, awareness and insight. Thurs 7-8.30pm (except 3rd Thurs of month), Argoed Hall, Tregaron. £5.

Before attending please contact: Iain Cameron Watson, 07852 626001, cameronbodywork@gmail.com

women’s workshop Wednesdays 10.30am-3pm, St James’ Hall, Cwmann.

Every Weds: 11am Qi Gong - gentle 12

exercise. 12noon lunch. 1pm workshop.

6 Feb: Painting 13 Feb: Half term - no meeting 20 Feb: AGM followed by board games 27 Feb: Knitting & crochet 6 March: Storytelling to celebrate World Book Day 13 March: A Celebration of International Women’s Day 20 March: Creative writing 27 March: Card making Wheelchair access to hall & toilet.

Free car park. Only £2.50 a session (includes vegetarian lunch and all activities). Pay on the day, no membership fee or advance fee - drop in when you please. Come and see if you like our group. New members always welcome. Contact: 01570 423167 / 01545 590391

markets People’s Market, Victoria Hall, Lampeter, 10am-1pm Sat 9 & Sat 23 February Lampeter Farmers' Market Market Street, Lampeter, 9am-2pm alternate Fridays Next market: Friday 8 February Ffarmers Market Neuadd Bro Fana/Village Hall, Ffarmers, 10am-12.30pm 1st Sat in the month Next market: Saturday 2 February Llansawel Market Llansawel Village Hall, 10am 12.30pm 3rd Sat of the month Next market: Saturday 16 February Lunar Market. Saturday 2 February, Llanfair Clydogau Village Hall, 10am-3pm. Local produce and crafts and refreshments. Contact: 07920 063773.

storytelling & books Storytelling evening. Friendly, informal group meets every third Monday per calendar month in Cellan. Next meeting 18 Feb 7pm9.30pm. Croeso i bawb/All welcome.

Contact: rachauck@yahoo.co.uk Llangeitho Book Group meets every second Weds of the month, 2pm in Llangeitho Village Café. We choose a book to read and chat over a paned/cuppa. Contact: 01974 821213 gillymail22-book@yahoo.co.uk

writing Teifi Writers meet on 2nd Saturday of the month in Llandysul, and have workshops with professional writers.

Contact: Kelly, 01267 235336.

events People's Kitchen, Sun 3 Feb (& every first Sun of the month), Llanfair Clydogau Village Hall 2pm - meet your friends for a delicious vegan feast and maybe some music. Car shares possible.

Contact Mandi, 07976 536983 Coedwig Gymunedol Long Wood Community Woodland. Open meeting, 1st Monday each month.

Next meeting: 4 February, 7.30pm. St Thomas’ Church, Lampeter. All welcome. Contact: Philip or Carolyn Swain, 01570 493284 Why not join our regular volunteer days? Contact: warden@longwood-lampeter.org.uk Hanes Llambed / Lampeter History Society Change to published programme.

Please note: February and April talks have been switched around. The March talk will take place as planned.

Talks are at 7.30pm, Old Hall, University of Wales Trinity St David. All welcome.

Tues 19 Feb Penny David: 'Gardener to the Gentry: a Gogerddan diary (1897)' Tues 19 Mar Jen Cairns: 'Miss Saunders fach, Undergrove: our link with Senghenydd 1913' Tues 16 April Margaret Bide: 'Woollen textiles in modern Romania: a parallel with pre-industrial Wales'.

Contact: Penny David, 01570 422041

Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. Mon 4 Feb 7pm. Experiences of Occupation: Life as a human-rights observer in the Occupied Palestinian Territories – an eye-witness account from Jane Harries. All welcome. Cliff Tucker Theatre, University of Wales Trinity St David. Sponsored by Lampeter Amnesty Group and Lampeter Quakers. Contact: Glynis Florence, glynisflorence@gmx.com

St Bledrws’ Church, Betws Bledrws.

Main Sunday Service: 10.45am (English or bilingual).

Lampeter World Sacred Music Festival, 22-24 March (see poster page 20) A public meeting will be held on Mon 19 Feb at 7pm, Mulberry Bush Café.

Anyone interested in helping with the festival or finding out more about it is very welcome. Please arrive between 6.45 & 7.15pm; if the door is locked ring 01570 423317. If you would like to help and cannot attend the meeting please contact: 07788 962612, info@worldsacredmusic.com

Sunday Mass is 10am. For other services see church notice board.

St Sulien’s Church, Silian. Main Sunday Service: 2pm (bilingual /Cymraeg).

St Mary’s Church, Maestir. Main Sunday Service: 2.30pm (2nd Sunday in the month only, English).

Times apply to the first four Sundays in each month. For the few fifth Sundays there will be a single United Parish Rhaglen Hebryngwyr Eciwmenaidd Service at 10am: location will be pubym Mhalesteina ac Israel (EAPPI). lished in the local newspapers.

Dydd Llun, 4 Chwefror, 7yh. Profi- Seventh Day Adventists meet fortadau dan Oresgyniad: Bywyd fel nightly on Saturdays at Cellan Millennigwylwraig hawliau-dynol yn Nhiriogae- um Hall, 10.15am-3.15pm. thau dan Feddiant Palesteina – hane- For more details: sion llygad-dyst gan Jane Harries. www.cellanmillenniumhall.co.uk Theatr Cliff Tucker, Prifysgol Y Drindod Dewi Sant. Croeso i bawb! Noddir Lampeter Evangelical Church meets gan Grwp Amnest Rhyngwladol, every Sunday at Victoria Hall, 10am– Llambed a Crynwyr Llanbedr Pont 7pm. Contact: Gareth Jones at The Steffan. Am wybodaeth bellach Mustard Seed café, 01570 423344 c ys yllt wc h â G l ynis Florenc e, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman glynisflorence@gmx.com Catholic Church, Lampeter

photography

Lampeter Quakers. Every Sunday at Canolfan Steffan, Peterwell Terrace at 10.45am. All welcome.

Crynwyr Llambed. Cwrdd bob ddydd Sul, Canolfan Steffan, Rhodfa Peterwell, 10.45 yb. Croeso i bawb.

Contact / Cysylltwch: Deborah Rowlands, 01570 480083, deborahjrowlands@gmail.com St Thomas' Methodist Church Sunday service 10.30am with creche and youth activity.

Tuesday coffee morning 9.30-12noon with Beacon of Hope drop-in. All welcome. Details on chapel notice board.

Everyone welcome.

Lampeter Photography meet on 1st and 3rd Friday of every month, 7.30 pm at the Kings Head, Lampeter.

Monthly competitions, exhibitions & Lampeter Permaculture Group is a workshops. All welcome. FREE. collective of like-minded people, inter- Contac t: Stef, 07958 772035, Interested in Buddhism?

A Study Group for Women. Exploring ested in the practice & principles of lampeterphotography@yahoo.co.uk the underlying principle of Buddhist permaculture and sustainability. Find out more at our Community Seed religious services & groups Practice and how we can apply this in our daily lives. Meets one day a month Swap event on Sat 23 Feb, 10amLampeter Parish near Aberystwyth. Meditation, shared 1pm, at the People’s Market, Victoria St Peter’s Church, Lampeter.

Main lunch. Contact: Lesley 01970 617129 Hall. See www.lampeterpermaculture.org Sunday Service: 11am (bilingual), Oth- or Noel 07988 745364 The Alister Hardy Society for the er services: 8am Holy Communion Study of Spiritual Experience meets (English), 9.30am Cymun Bendigaid approximately monthly during term, at (trydydd Sul yn y mis yn unig, CymUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David. raeg).

Free lectures; open discussions of perSt Peter’s Church Hall in Lampeter is sonal experiences; bookstall. available for hire at £8.50 per hour.

Sat 16 Feb 10.30am, Founder's Includes use of kitchen facilities. For Library. Jenny Jones, NFSH, Natural enquiries or bookings contact: Beryl, Energy Healer, on Healing with the 01570 422324. For more information Feminine Principle: Relationships. visit: www.lampeterparish.org Look out for posters, or join our email list. Contact: Eric Franklin, 01570 St Cybi’s Church, Llangybi. Main 471367, erf678@googlemail.com Sunday Service: 9am (bilingual).

13

CELLAN MILLENNIUM HALL

Fri Feb 8

CLASSES AND GROUPS Classes subject to change: check www.cellanmillenniumhall.co.uk for updates & contact details. See our website film page for movies & What’s On page for one-off events

“Anna Karenina” (12) Keira Knightley

Fri Feb 22 “Shadow Dancer” (15) Andrea Risborough Fri Mar 8

“Skyfall” (12) Daniel Craig

MONDAY Line Dancing 7-10pm TUESDAY Healing Yoga 10-11.30am Lampeter Home Ed. Group 12-5pm Qi Gong 6-7pm Tai Chi 7-8pm Beekeepers 2nd Tues /month, 8pm

Fri Mar 22 “Hope Springs” (15) Meryl Streep Fri April 5 “The Sweeney” (15) Ray Winstone ... and to follow ...

“Life of Pi”

WEDNESDAY Table Tennis 10-11.30am Quilting Club 12 noon-4pm Yoga 5.30-7pm

“Great Expectations” (Helena Bonham Carter) “Les Miserables” (Russell Crowe)

THURSDAY Five Rhythms Dance 1st Thursday of Month 7pm Village Improvement Society Cttee1st Thursday of month 7pm WI 2nd Thursday of month 7.30pm

“Quartet” (Maggie Smith) “The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey” DOORS OPEN 7.15pm PROGRAMME BEGINS 7.45pm Admission by Donation £2.00

BIG SCREEN & DIGITAL THEATRE SOUND

FRIDAY Art Group 10am–1pm Film Night fortnightly 7.15pm (see ad) SATURDAY Seventh Day Adventists fortnightly 10.15am-3.15pm

WWW.CELLANMILLENNIUMHALL.CO.UK

Introduction to Sociocracy The First Weekend Workshop in Wales!

10am to 5pm, Sat 16th and Sun 17th March, 2013 £100 (£80 if booked by 15th February) Light Lunch and Refreshments included Sociocracy (also known as Dynamic Self-Governance) is a form of organising by consent - a structured way of working collaboratively. Giving everyone a say and encouraging autonomy can build trust and understanding in an organisation. Using feedback processes and links between teams, Sociocracy collectively steers an enterprise towards its aims.

This workshop will introduce you to the principles of Sociocracy and offers some techniques for organising by self-managing circles, running circle meetings, electing people to roles and making decisions by consent.

The weekend is suitable for anyone who seeks inclusive alternatives to top-down management or unstructured consensus.

Self-catering dormitory accommodation or NEW eco-accommodation in single or shared rooms, is available at Denmark Farm (see their website www.denmarkfarm.org). Prices range from £15 per person per night in the shared dormitory to £22.50 per person per night for a single room and £17.50 per person in a double or twin room.

To book a place or for more details, please contact: Linda Winn 01570 471717 linda.winn@hotmail.co.uk 14

Bicarbonate of soda is a brilliant cleaner too.

Here's a few ways you can use it around the house: Add a teaspoonful to washing-up water. The dirt and grease won’t stand a chance.

For chopping boards: mix a teaspoon of salt and bicarb together with a little water and scour your board clean.

Burned and scorched pans can be saved by leaving a solution of 5 tablespoons of bicarb and boiling water in a pan overnight. By morning the pan will clean easy.

Store cupboard Spring Cleaning Tips

Kitchen Cupboard Cleaning Ingredients You'll recognise the ingredients in some of the cleaning tips below, but did you know you could use them like that? There are loads of ways the things you have in your cupboards can help you around the house.

Don’t go to the supermarket for expensive cleaners.

Flour, cornflour, bicarbonate of soda, vinegar - even Vinegar has lots of uses too - here's a few: You can wipe away mildew by using neat vinegar on ashes and olive oil can do the trick. a damp cloth.

Remember Shake and Vac? Cornflour does the Does your vehicle smell? Soak a slice of white same trick. To freshen your carpets, sprinkle a little bread in white vinegar and leave it overnight inside cornflour on the carpet and leave for about half an the car. By morning the smells should be gone. hour before vacuuming.

By adding 200ml of white vinegar to the rinse cycle of A cardboard tube extends your reach when vacuum- your wash, you'll soften your fabrics and kill bacteing and lets you get to the high corners where cob- ria. It'll clean the machine as well. webs live.

Olive oil will clean and polish your furniture, when Have you got a fishtank that needs cleaning? rubbed on and polished off with a soft cloth.

Reach for an old pair of tights first.

Ashes from the fire will clean the glass on your You can use a wet and dry vacuum to empty the wawood-burning stove. Mix a little ash with some water out of the tank, but remember to put the nozzle ter, spread the mixture on the glass and rub off with a inside one of the feet first. This way you will suck up damp cloth. the water and leave the gravel in the tank.

Tricia Durkin Got a headache cleaning the loo? Drop two AlkaSeltzer tablets in the toilet and add a cup of white vinout? egar. Leave to stand overnight and in the morning clear a g n Havi your your headache will be gone. le at Polishing brass and copper is easy when you mix equal parts of flour, vinegar and salt to make a cleaning paste. Dab the paste on, leave it to dry and buff off with a clean cloth.

Getting stains off the stainless steel sink is easy with a sprinkle of flour and a rub with a clean dry cloth. The sink will be shining within seconds - just rinse any leftover flour down the sink.

Freezing your candles will give extra hours to the burn time.

Charcoal is great for getting rid of smells and collecting damp, so hide a few bits of charcoal around the house and in the bathroom. If you are storing books or anything you are keen to keep dry, put a bit of charcoal inside the storage boxes with the items.

15

Recyc ank Bra B l a c o l

Your nearest Bra Bank is: Victoria Hall, Bryn Rd, Lampeter SA48 7EE For more information visit www.againstbreastcancer.org.uk Against Breast Cancer, Leathem House, 13 Napier Court, Barton Lane, Abingdon Oxfordshire OX14 3YT Tel: 01235 534211 Fax: 01235 535109 Email: info@againstbreastcancer.org.uk

Discover how to be ‘Green’ & Clean

LAMPETER AND DISTRICT BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATION

by Gro-Mette Essential cleaning What about using essential oils for cleaning? Forget about even environmentally friendly products - just follow these simple hints and become totally green Baths and basins Four drops of lavender or lemon oil on a damp cloth to wipe clean The fridge Dilute six drops of grapefruit oil in a litre of water and wipe with a clean cloth Work surfaces A bucket of warm water with four drops each of lemon and geranium oils. Wring out a cloth and wipe surfaces, tiles and wooden chopping boards Lavatories Four drops of lemon oil on a cloth to wipe around Floors A few drops of lemongrass and lavender oil in a bucket of warm water. Lavender relaxes and soothes, lemongrass has deodorising, antiseptic and antibacterial properties For a natural and aromatic air freshener 20 drops of essential oils from a chosen mix (see table), 80ml water, 20ml vodka (as a preservative). All goes into a pump-action spray bottle. Shake and spray to deodorise, freshen or disinfect a room

Beginners' Beekeeping starts Sunday 10 Feb, 2pm in Cellan Millennium Hall. Classes will be held fortnightly where possible, until the beginning of May, with a longer gap at Easter.

From May to September, there will be practical lessons every Sunday, 2pm-4pm at the Association's Apiary in Abermeurig. You're not expected to attend all the sessions but it would benefit you if you attended at least the first four or five.

All last year’s beginners bought hives and bees last summer and are now beekeepers.

The cost for the sessions is £75, which includes: * membership of Lampeter and District Beekeepers' Association (£17) * membership of Welsh Beekeepers' Association, which has Public Liability insurance cover for all members, plus a quarterly magazine * Bee Diseases insurance for up to three hives A “Taster Day”, for those of you who may be a little apprehensive of bees, will be held on Sat 6 April, 10am at Cellan Millennium Hall. (£15 - includes light refreshments), consisting of theory in the morning, lunch break, and if weather is fine, a practical session in the afternoon. We will have an exhibition hive, so if it is wet you can see Bees and the Queen as they would be in the hive.

For further details contact: Gordon Lumby, on 01570 480571, g.lumby@btopenworld.com

Add essential oils to the dustbag in a vacuum cleaner It makes the whole house smell fresh and purifies the air at the same time

Thanks Trish & Gro-Mette I’ll definitely be trying some of these out!

Welcome your visitors with a beautiful aroma Drop some oils on your doormat, or place a cottonwool ball with your favourite Essential Oils oil behind a radiator Lavender, Bergamot, Eucalyptus Get rid of tobacco smells Lemon Soak a pad of cotton wool with grapefruit or peppermint Grapefruit, Peppermint oil and insert in the hem of Tea Tree, Pine

Gets rid of airborne germs; colds, flu

the curtains

Lemon, Lavender

Cleans basins, baths and sinks

Pine, Rosemary, Lavender

Disinfects bathrooms and rubbish bins

Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood, Geranium

Instills confidence

Grapefruit, Lemongrass, Geranium

Invigorates, uplifts

16

Use Air freshener for lavatories Removes smell of cigarette smoke Disinfects lavatories

Acting in 'A Christmas Carol' with LYT

n o i t c A n i

Learning the lines wasn’t that hard. On the day of the performance, when I was about to say my lines, I felt as though I was going to make a big mistake and it would all go wrong. But when I actually spoke it wasn’t hard at all. The other actors in the theatre group are very nice and they help you when you are stuck.

It felt really cool to dress in Victorian clothes; I mean the clothes looked so Victorian that I really felt I was Members of LYTss describe their experiences My Experiences in Lampeter Youth Theatre and from that time! I loved playing young Scrooge in the play and just occasionally I liked to show off a bit! It's Stage School My name is Bruno and I'm 10. I joined Lampeter quite an experience to be an actor.

Youth Theatre and Stage School (LYTss) a year and Rosie Nasr-Butler (aged 10)

Kids

a half ago. I played Widow Twanky's fiancé in our production of Al y Deyn, which was great fun. I had to chuck sweets out to the audience, which the younger kids really liked. The mayor of Lampeter came to our last performance, A Christmas Carol. He was really nice and quite funny and gave a speech about Lampeter Youth Theatre and how it has developed over the last year. We had an awards ceremony too, with the Mayor giving out the awards.

At LYTss we learn loads of things - not just about acting or learning lines. We do circus skills, dancing and voice projection and lots more. I would like to learn how to throw my voice so that I could trick my friends.

My granny helped me to prepare for my part in A Christmas Carol. I played Scrooge's nephew, Fred, who tries to convince Scrooge not to be so mean, to have some fun and be kinder at Christmas. My granny taught drama when she was younger and was on the telly and on the stage a lot, a long time ago. I would recommend joining LYTss to anyone interested in performing. We do really good plays and have massive audiences who seem to really enjoy themselves. I often think that the audience would be surprised if they could see the total chaos that goes on backstage - kids telling jokes, laughing, having fun, eating sweets and generally messing around. And yet, when it comes time to tell the story on stage, everyone takes it seriously and tries hard to give a good performance. Our last performance got a standing ovation. It's really nice standing up and bowing, side by side with all the other members of the cast, knowing that the play is behind you and you did a good job.

Bruno Hall (aged 10)

'I felt proud when I went up to get my certificate and the mayor said how well he could hear me' Maddy Thorogood (aged 7)

Why not recycle your old Christmas cards?  Cut out ‘Heart’ shapes from the picture side - stick them to a blank card - send to someone special for Dydd Santes Dwynwen (25th Jan) or for Valentine’s day (14th Feb)  String together lots of Hearts of different sizes to make a bunting for decoration  Use 2 larger heart shapes back to back staple, stick or sew together leaving a gap at the top - fill with leftover bits of card to act as stuffing before sealing the gap make a hole in the top to lace a ribbon through & hang as a decoration (save it to put on your tree next year ) Send in photos of your crafty makes to lampetergrapevine@gmail.com

17

Eye-witness account shines a light on daily life in the West Bank

Poetry Corner

Jane Harries, a Quaker from Bridgend, who has recently come back from three months living in a Palestinian village as part of the Ecumenical Accompaniment programme run by the World Council of Churches, will give a slide-illustrated talk in Lampeter on Monday 4 February at 7pm in the Cliff Tucker Lecture Theatre at Trinity St David’s University. The talk is jointly sponsored by Lampeter Amnesty International and Lampeter Quakers.

Oblation Snowflakes amble earthwards; Hurryless flurries that gently Unfurl her mind To the ephemeral beauty Of this life:

Says Jane, “Whilst attacks on Gaza tend to hit the headlines, people hear very little about the ongoing plight of Palestinian communities in the West Bank. For three months I lived alongside ordinary Palestinians in the tiny village of Yanoun and saw at first hand their daily struggle to feed and educate their children, farm their land and gain access to water supplies, healthcare and other services, in the face of severe restrictions imposed by the military occupation, as well as constant harrassment from hardline settlers living in nearby illegal Israeli settlements.

Falling snow; A baby's chuckle; A swooping flock of starlings; Stars through leafless branches; A dragonfly hunting on the wing.

These fleeting glimpses are all we are allowed, Because this beauty Aches as it nourishes us.

“As part of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) it was my job to help provide a protective presence, to be the ‘eyes and ears’ of the international community, and to make widely known what I have seen, in the hope of encouraging action to bring about a just and sustainable peace for the sake of both Israelis and Palestinians. Palestinians have told us that they feel safer with an outside presence, and feel reassured that the world has not forgotten them. Israeli peace groups too feel isolated and beleaguered, and appreciate the support and solidarity they get from EAPPI.”

It creates a yearning for something Nameless that cannot be tasted in this life.

Still the snow falls, And she laughs at its casual grace, And waits for its gentle blessing on her tongue.

Z. Hall

The EAPPI programme aims to contribute to ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and to work for a resolution of the conflict.

EAs do not ‘take sides’, nor do they discriminate against anyone, but rather seek to uphold human rights and international humanitarian law. The programme supports both Israeli and Palestinian peace groups and co-operates with other nongovernmental organisations, including the UN and the Red Cross/Red Crescent.

Can you help us to make the ‘Poetry Corner’ a regular feature of the Grapevine?

Send your musings to lampetergrapevine@gmail.com

For further information/Am wybodaeth pellach (yn y Gymraeg neu’r Saesneg) contact/cysylltwch â: Jane Harries, 01656 768910, ejharries@hotmail.com 18

from the bottom continuing annie may’s narrative of surviving losing everything in the late 1980’s crash PART 6 Christmas by any other name feast. The electricity was off in town too but things were managed with great good humour; there was a gas cooker, a coal fire, lots of people and candle light.

It’s amazing how we adapt to change. Nearly 50 years ago when I was living in Malta I was an avid Science Fiction reader - the real stuff, not the fantasy that we now call Sci-Fi. Arthur C. Clarke described a world where people were able to live in comfort in a reminder of harder times

remote places working from home in houses pow-

Christmas by any other name is a festive time. We

ered by wind and water, and where we would shop

call it Christmas because we like the cultural signals

from a screen in the house rather than going out with

of this time of the year: the smell of wine and cinna-

basket and list. Well, here we are, doing just that

mon, Christmas carols, decorations, lights, greetings,

and it doesn’t seem so odd now. In fact it seems so

feasting.

natural I can’t understand why I thought it was such a

Let’s face it - they all make sense.

It

doesn’t matter whether Christmas Carols are about

silly idea in the first place. Annie May

the birth of Jesus or about the music. It doesn’t mat-

Oil Syndicate

ter what your particular god is, or if you have no god

The Llanddewi Brefi Oil Syndicate was set up nearly four years ago and has consistently made significant savings for its members during that time.

The idea is simple: by ordering our heating oil at the same time, we negotiate with the oil companies to ensure that all of our members benefit from savings, regardless of the quantity of heating oil that they are ordering.

The average household saving per year is approximately £150.

The Oil Syndicate is open to anyone and we are opening up our membership to encompass all of Ceredigion. There are smaller schemes already operating, and some have already joined forces with us in order to maximize our purchasing power.

Over the last five years the cost of filling our oil tanks has risen by an astronomical £500 - so join forces with us today and keep warmer this winter for less. Together we are stronger.

at all, the fact is that in this country it’s cold, windy, dark and dank. Well if you want to stay dark, dank, cold and miserable that’s your choice. Me, I prefer to light the lights, brew up something warm and rather alcoholic, love my fellow beings, sing carols in and out of church and feast.

At Panteg we had a tiny ancient wood-burning Rayburn and plenty of wood. Our first Christmas in Panteg was celebrated with a 24-hour power cut. The Rayburn and heating system was gravity fed from a well on the mountain behind us. We had rib Highland beef for Christmas and lots of vegetables from the garden and there was a Christmas pudding. The tiny kitchen was cosy with candle light and we only realised that there had been a power cut when we went to bed and the bathroom light wouldn’t go on.

The next morning there was still no electricity. We

The Llanddewi Brefi Oil Syndicate For further information, phone 07884 302173 or email: wakehamjane@gmail.com

did the yard work, went on the rounds, came back, got dressed up and went to town for a Boxing Day 19

Mindfulness - based Approaches: The Long -Term Health plan The Mental Health Foundation commissioned Opinium Research to carry out a poll of 2,007 British adults over the period 16-19 June 2009 to explore their attitudes towards the practice of meditation, and their thoughts and feelings about the pace of life in UK society. 86% agreed that “people would be much happier and healthier if they knew how to slow down and live in the moment”. 53% agreed that “they find it difficult to relax or switch off, and can’t stop themselves from thinking about things they have to do or nagging worries”.

So why don't we all just slow down, and then we'd be less stressed and happier? If only it were that easy. The truth is that slowing down, living in the moment (whatever that is), learning to 'be' rather than 'do', switching off, just isn't that easy. When we feel stressed or threatened, very often instead of stopping, taking stock, checking out what’s happening emotionally, re-tracing our steps, understanding fully how we came to be where we are, we do the exact opposite, we go into overdrive and start ‘doing’, doing more and doing faster, and thinking, thinking, thinking! As soon as we open our eyes, there they are! The same thoughts going round and round as the mind desperately tries to work out, fix, sort. This kind of processing leads to exhaustion, anxiety and eventually ill-health.

It's not easy to change long-standing habits, patterns of thinking and behaviour; we need help to stop and support to slow down. Once we've got the basic techniques in place then we need to practise regularly. We need support for this too.

Mindfulness can help us to become more aware of how our mind works, more aware of our thoughts and feelings, so that instead of being overwhelmed by them we’re better able to manage them. Being present in this way enables us to make more considered and appropriate choices about how we want to live our lives, to respond instead of react and to meet challenges more skilfully.

Mindfulness-based approaches do something else very important: they allow us space and time to meet ourselves, just as we are - the bits we like and the bits we don’t like. We practise meeting

20

ourselves, our experience, our lives, with gentleness and kindness instead of criticism and dissatisfaction. It is this emotional processing which unlocks human creativity and human potential.

Learning to be kinder to ourselves, we improve the quality of our life and develop a powerful antidote to stress.

With mindfulness we can: reduce stress levels, learn to respond more skilfully to life’s challenges, and be present for our life as it happens. Mindfulness training can help restore a sense of perspective, balance between ‘doing’ and ‘being’ and spaciousness in our thinking and emotions. This kind of work is an investment in a sense of peace and ease, our mental, emotional and spiritual health, our human potential.

Mindfulness techniques can help you if you suffer from anxiety, critical or negative thoughts, low selfesteem, phobias or feelings of panic, low mood, feelings of hopelessness or depression, addiction or eating disorders, difficulty relaxing, sleeping or concentrating, illness or pain. Mindfulness-based approaches help us to take care of our mental, emotional and physical well-being. Attending a mindfulness course will help you to establish a regular practice and encourage you to keep going.

For more information please contact: Dr. Colette Power colette@mindfulnesscourse.co.uk or visit www.mindfulnesscourse.co.uk

Copy Dates & Themes March issue Copy: Fri 8 February Theme: ‘Hungry gap’ -x-

April issue Copy: Fri 8 March Theme: ‘Spring Watch’ -x-

May issue Copy: Fri 12 April Theme: ‘Come Outside’

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Lampeter, SA48 8EG. It is offered FREE by 07779 256388 Ceredwin at the People’s Pearl Jebb. Reflexology, Market (no need to book) Bowen/Neural Technique, and at other times by apContact: helps with back, sciatica, pointment. shoulder pain, stress relief 01570 421476 and much more. Qualified The Mindfulness-based & Registered Practitioner. S t r e s s Management Contact: 01974 299224 / Course 2013. 4 Sunday 07967 647920 sessions: February 10 & Louise Nadim BSc Hons, 24, March 10 10am-2pm, Ph.D. Fully qualified and March 24, 10am-4pm. Earinsured Brennan Healer. ly bird and student savings.

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March issue Copy date:

Fri 8 February Theme:

‘Hungry Gap’ 22

Pedja Pavlicic

Hot! Caramelised Roast Parsnips Parsnips, my favourite root vegetable - far too often misunderstood and mistreated. Like many root vegetables, they benefit from a bit of frost, as the cold turns some of the natural starch into sugar. Don’t ask me how - it just does.

This simple recipe exploits their other great characteristic - they love a bit of spice. Think spiced parsnip soup, spiced parsnip cupcakes (really!) and cumin-roasted parsnips with custard – ok, I made the last one up.

Don’t go for the weedy thin ones - by the time you have peeled and quartered them you will not be able to roast them without producing matchstick charcoal. The huge ones won’t cook through, so go for the middle ground.

Peel 'em, cut out the woody centre and boil them for 8 or 9 minutes depending upon size – catch them before they go floppy. Whilst they are boiling, heat up a 50/50 mix of butter and veg oil in a roasting tin – on about 180°C (gas mark 4) and, in a mixing bowl, mix some icing sugar, salt, pepper and just a pinch of chilli powder.

Drain the parsnips and throw them back in the hot saucepan for a few seconds to dry them off.

Toss the parsnips in the sugary powder until coated.

Get the roasting tin out of the oven and put it on a burner. It’s important you keep the oil hot so that the spicy coating quickly seals the parsnip.

Turn them over in the oil and, when done, throw in the oven for 30 minutes or so - all depends on the size of the parsnips.

Great with a roast dinner - even better in granary bread, mayo and nut roast (or stuffing) sandwich - honest, trust me!

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Cookie’s Corner

Arolwg Darllenwyr Grapevine

Cymerwch ychydig o funudau i gwblhau'r arolwg darllenwyr hwn. Gwerthfawrogir eich atebion yn fawr a byddant yn cael eu defnyddio i'n helpu i wella'r cylchlythyr hwn.

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