Lampeter Grapevine Issue 8 Apr 2013

cysylltwch â ni / contact us: lampetergrapevine@gmail.com

Ebrill / April 2013

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

STOP PRESS: Crossed legs will become a thing of the past at Victoria Hall as

new toilets completed!

FREE M DI D M A

In this issue...  listings 

events



reviews



papur bro CLONC



kids in action



seasonal snippets



cookie’s corner



creative ideas

also this month:

Photo: Simon Tune



big schools’ bird watch



leaping into spring



walking in the woods



spring walks

GRAPEVINE

Croeso / Welcome

no. 8, April 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) Full guidelines for advertisers & contributors: see grapevine page on www.transitionllambed.co.uk Listings (events & courses) 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 35 wds): £10 for 6 editions in advance Copy date for May issue: Fri 12 April. Theme: ‘Come Outside’ Circulation: 1,500 copies distributed free in the Lampeter area

As the days are lengthening and sunny spells bring us a little warmth and blue skies, I just love seeing the dark, dull landscape slowly transformed into a cheerful patchwork of growth and new life. Tiny lambs bring a smile to my face as they jump & chase across the now much greener fields.

Birdsong sounds more joyful and the dawn chorus seems much louder as the start of the nesting season begins.

Hedgerow banks carpeted with snowdrops, primroses & daffodils bring early splashes of colour and for me, this brings

a

renewed

sense

of

hope,

of

anticipation

and

expectation of what the coming months will reveal.

The Grapevine this month will celebrate Spring and share some of the wonders & excitement of what’s on our doorstep. There’s news of a special celebrity visit on page 5.

Catch up with our own resident Twitter expert in Seasonal Snippets, page 9, or read how others have been getting involved in ‘Wildlife Where You Live’ with Denmark Farm, page 7.

After the winter months this is often the time when we reflect on our health & well-being too. Why not start by contacting some of our local complementary or alternative therapists for some positive treatments, see pages 19 & 22, or if you have promised yourself to get more active now that the weather is improving, why not check out the new Health Walks

at

Coedwig

Gymunedol

Long

Wood

Community

Woodland, page 10. Perhaps you would prefer to venture a little further afield, in which case I hope you will be inspired

by Simon’s Spring Walks, page 15, or

you could try

something new at the first Lampeter World Dance Festival, page 16 .

There’s so much to choose from including loads of great events too. We really are spoilt for choice Darllen hapus / Happy reading Angie Martin

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.

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 2

Obituary: VINCENT EVANS

Victoria Hall Refurbishment By the time this edition of the Grapevine hits the streets, the refurbishment of the Victoria Hall toilets will have been completed and we will finally have a non-smelly facility appropriate for the 21st century. We have endeavoured to stick to our Transition principles, using a local builder, local supplier and materials that represent a low-carbon option. We did not manage to fit rainwater harvesting into the budget but intend to revisit this in the future.

This update should not pass without again thanking the Ceredigion Community Fund and Lampeter Town Council for their financial support.

1920 - 2013

In the last edition we were able to announce the award of nearly £50,000 from the Ceredigion Social Enterprise Growth Fund. We are now in the detailed planning stage of a raft of projects including a new kitchen, new offices, roof insulation, heating controls and the refurbishment of the meeting room upstairs. These projects will take 5 or 6 months to complete and will again be guided by our Transition roots. We hope our present users will bear with us as we make these necessary changes.

The Grapevine would like to pay belated tributes to Vincent Evans, well-known retired solicitor, former mayor of Lampeter and longtime town councillor until his retirement.

A real character, referred to by the local press as "Mr Lampeter", he was involved with numerous organisations, lived life to the full and had a massive influence on the town.

Vincent Evans, aged 92, was tragically killed in

Please Don’t Miss

Our improvement plans do not stop here. The next major area of development will be the performance stage in the main hall. It is a wonderful resource, but in need of some care and attention both physically and in terms of sound and lighting. As yet this work is unfunded and, as we anticipate the cost to be in the region of £40,000 to £50,000, it will require outside funding. We will keep you informed as to our progress through these Grapevine pages.

May Issue Final Copy Date

The Directors

Friday 12 April

Transition Llambed Development Trust

a car accident on 7 February. Approximately 500 people attended his funeral in Betws Bledrws on 15 February.

He will be sadly missed.

Greg Evans

3

Dylan Lewis 4

Iolo Williams the Superstar visits Ysgol Y Dderi

Photo: Tim Jones Iolo Williams with children from Ysgol Y Dderi and the Bird boxes they made as part of Denmark Farm’s ‘Wildlife Where You Live’ project.

Yn ystod yr wythnos 21ain-25ain o Ionawr, fe fu disgyblion Ysgol y Dderi yn cymryd rhan yng ngweithgaredd yr RSPB “Big Schools’ Bird Watch”.

Aeth pob dosbarth ati i gyfri a chofnodi’r nifer o adar a ddaeth i dir yr ysgol ac yna roedd yn rhaid cofnodi’r cyfan ar gronfa ddata genedlaethol yr RSPB.

In the week commencing 21 January, we, the pupils of Ysgol y Dderi, took part in the RSPB “Big Schools’ Bird Watch”. This involved each class recording observations of birds that visited the school grounds and recording it on the RSPB’s national database.

We had a special assembly to launch the initiative and Kelly from Denmark Farm came into school to help Year 3 and 4 make bird boxes. They had a lot of fun!

Cawsom wasanaeth arbennig i gychwyn y fenter, ac fe ddaeth Kelly o Fferm Denmark i’r ysgol i wneud blychau adar gyda Blwyddyn 3 a 4. Cafodd pob un lawer o hwyl!

To end the week, Iolo Williams visited the school!

We were so excited. He talked about all the different places he had visited across the world, and of all the birds he had seen. We were fascinated with his amazing tales.

He had set foot on all seven continents of the world! We had a chance to ask him many questions about birds, and he answered every single one. He was a true superstar!

I orffen yr wythnos, daeth Iolo Williams i ymweld â’r ysgol! Dyna beth oedd cyffro. Bu’n siarad am yr holl fannau diddorol ar draws y byd y mae wedi ymweld â nhw, ac fe soniodd am yr holl adar mae e wedi’u gweld. Roedd pawb wrth eu bodd yn gwrando ar ei straeon anhygoel, a diddorol oedd dysgu ei fod wedi troedio ar bob un o saith cyfandir y byd! Cawsom gyfle i ofyn nifer o gwestiynau iddo am adar, ac fe atebodd bob un ohonynt. Dyna beth yw seren go-iawn!

Lois Williams

5

LETTERS

NATIONAL CLOWN THEATRE

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

Victoria Hall, Lampeter Fri 5 April

Sadly there are no letters

Special Matinée 1.30pm

again this month.

Do you have burning issues, ideas or comments about local events, services or activities?

Please tell us what matters to you.

Remember this is your newsletter - help us by sending in your contributions Diolch / Thanks

All the fun of the circus -

The Newsletter Team

slapstick, magic, quick-change, balancing, human slinky acrobat,

May Issue Final Copy Deadline:

prizes and surprises.

Fri 12 April Theme: ‘Come Outside’

Limited seating - BOOK NOW Ring 01384 423496

6

Leaping into Spring at Denmark Farm Conservation Centre Despite being plunged back into cold winter temperatures after all-too-brief glimpses of sunshine, there are definitely signs of Spring here at Denmark Farm. Catkins are swaying in the chilly breeze, and snowdrops are blooming enthusiastically in the courtyard beds.

The hawthorn leaves have already burst forth in shades of spring green, and the wild rose leaves will soon follow. There is plenty of birdsong too, with recent drumming from a greater spotted woodpecker almost mistaken for drilling as final jobs are finished on our new eco-holiday accommodation.

Frogspawn has now appeared in all of our ponds and scrapes. Pond Conservation are running their ‘Big Spawn Count’ survey again this year (www.pondconservation.org.uk), so now is the time to get out and watch for those clumps appearing in your garden or local pond, and contribute valuable information to this national survey.

Our trails are open every day, so why not come and visit us for a Spring walk and see what you can find? If you’d like a little help with your nature and wildlife identification skills this year, we have a new range of one-day species identification courses: Bumblebees (Sun 9 June), Butterflies (Wed 24 July) and Moths (Fri 2 August).

As we move into warmer weather – we hope! – our ‘Wildlife Where you Live’ (WWYL) project is picking up pace too. This Big Lottery-funded project is working with 12 communities in Ceredigion, including nearby Cellan and Llangybi, helping them to discover more about wildlife, and to implement a variety of environmental improvement projects.

Activities have included wildlife walks and nature activities such as a bug hunt in Llangybi with ‘Phil the Bugman’ (what he doesn’t know about bugs probably isn’t worth knowing!), and, more recently, a woodcarving workLadybird Woodcarving by workshop participant Milly Marsh shop in Cellan Millennium Hall.

The next activity in Cellan will be a drop-in mosaic-making day in the Hall during the Easter holiday on Thur 4 April, 10am-4pm to make wildlife-themed mosaics for the community garden.

Other Spring activities in Llangybi and Cellan include family-friendly planting days - an opportunity to don your wellies, grab a trowel, and come along to help us plant up beds, borders and boxes with wildlifefriendly plants. All WWYL sessions are FREE to take part in, require no previous experience, and are a great opportunity to gain skills and inspiration for helping the wildlife in your own community.

There will be plenty happening at Denmark Farm too, as we’ve just started work on our demonstration community garden. Several hardy souls braved a chilly and grey day to learn why and how to coppice, and about the various uses of the coppiced materials. Why not come along to our next Volunteer Day on Sat 27 April, 10am-4pm to get involved in projects both in the garden and around our 40-acre site?

We also have a Visions of Nature workshop on 16 April (free for active WWYL participants) which provides an opportunity to create and share plans for a wildlife-friendly future! And finally, on Sun 16 June, we have our Open Day at Denmark Farm, with lots of wildlife activities, & ideas for making your own area more wildlife-friendly & sustainable.

Sadly, the WWYL project ends on 30 June but, before this, each Photos from a recent mosaic-making session in Llangybi community will host an event to celebrate their achievements and plan their next steps.

There will be wildlife activities, story-telling, and displays of WWYL activities - coming soon to a hall near you!

Watch out for our posters around the villages and keep an eye on our WWYL Facebook page.

For more information: 01570 493358, info@denmarkfarm.org.uk, www.denmarkfarm.org.uk Aline Denton 7

n o i t c A n i s Kid Expelliarmus!

Nest Challenge Spring is the time when birds start to build their nests, ready for egg laying and bringing up their hatched chicks.

Can you build a nest that could hold a clutch of eggs and withstand the wind?

Look for materials on the floor that you could use - dried grasses, twigs, sticks and lichen.

Find a low fork in a tree and build your nest.

Jorge Martin as Harry Potter for

World Book Day 7 March

lampetergrapevine@gmail.com

of your own crafty makes to

Send in ideas & photos

For an extra challenge, try using just one hand to build your nest remember a bird only has its beak after all!

When you have finished, look for several small stones, cones or other objects that could be your eggs.

Place them in your nest to see if it will hold them.

Then with your eggs still in the nest give the branch a little shake to see if your nest would stand up to the wind!

Let us know how you get on at lampetergrapevine@gmail.com For more ideas like this visit

8

Seasonal snippets - more garden & wildlife goodies

by Mara, Ian and Tomos Morris who live in Llangybi Swallow /Wennol by Tomos (now aged 7 3/4 !)

After an epic journey lasting many weeks that had led them from Cape Province in South Africa, this may have been one hurdle too many for some of the pitiful birds I saw exhausted on the ground. But despite their graceful appearance, Swallows are tough birds. They must be to have endured such a migration. Amazingly, Swallows have been recorded in every month of the year in Ceredigion.

april Ian’s Twitter page Last month I suggested that March was a good time to try to learn the calls and songs of some of our most familiar birds.

This is still very much true in April. The trees are still largely free of leaves which can hide the birds, and now the first summer migrants will be arriving in numbers too. But how do you start when faced with so many species and so much beautiful singing!

Perhaps you could get to know something like a Robin or Blackbird that is singing in your garden.

The challenge is: can you pick these two songsters out from the rest when out on a walk, say in Long Wood, where they may be hidden from view? If you can, then you know that the remainder of the musical cacophony must be something other than those that you have learnt. It's rather like doing a jigsaw. Each time you complete a piece the puzzle becomes a little easier.

Don't be put off by thinking that all birdsong is complex and indecipherable. Just think of the Cuckoo!

The Chiffchaff is a common migrant that overwinters in the Mediterranean and returns to us in March and April. A small, olive-green warbler, it can be devilishly difficult to see as it forages in the tree tops. Fortunately, the song is very distinctive. A slow and measured series of well-spaced, clear and monosyllabic notes, repeated over and over again: "chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff." Their song cuts through the chorus in a surprisingly distinct way. A walk through even the smallest of local woodlands could enable you to connect with this engaging species. Once you start to "tune in" to bird calls and songs you may find that you never "tune out" again!

Swallows are often thought of as summer birds but in fact it is normal for the first to be seen at the end of March, with the bulk arriving in April. In 2012 the majority of our Swallows were delayed by the terrible weather in western Europe and started nesting a little later than usual. Many years ago, when I lived in Cardiff, I watched Swallows coming in off the sea during an unseasonal snowstorm.

Mara in the potting shed As the tiny bright green elbows of my germinating tomato and chilli seeds push up out of the compost I feel the excitement of the sowing season upon me.

These tender seedlings are still in the protection of a heated propagator on my sunny lounge window – far too cold for them outdoors quite yet. I’ll start to harden them off gradually in the next few weeks. I’m now turning my mind to clearing and preparing all my raised beds ready for the frenzy of sowing and planting over the next few months. The last of the kale, purple sprouting broccoli and leeks are being enjoyed whilst weeds are removed and a good compost mulch added.

I’ve recently cleared out my potting shed and found so many of my plastic pots, which were mostly bought around 10-15 years ago, starting to break up. Sadly many of these can no longer be used, and I don’t feel happy nowadays buying new plastic so I’m seeking another solution. This I think I might have found in a paper potter. It is a simple two-piece wooden device which turns a simple sheet of newspaper into a bio-degradable pot that you can plant along with the seedling once it’s big enough.

Available in two sizes from many online retailers – www.organiccatalogue.com being a good one. April will be a month of experimenting with paper pots and various other recycled containers. Enjoy the spring, everyone – I certainly plan to!

9

Walking in the Woods In recent years a semi-regular programme of walks has evolved in Coedwig Gymunedol Long Wood Community Woodland. Free, themed, guided walks have been scheduled to coincide with seasonal highlights. In the spring and summer we have had bluebell walks and birdsong walks; in the autumn there is a seed-gathering walk and a fungi foray. With an expert to guide us we see things we might otherwise miss and learn things we don't even know we don't know. These leisurely walks can take a couple of hours and cover quite long distances over rough ground, so they aren't accessible for everyone.

Walking is recognised as an excellent form of exercise. It benefits all the systems of the body, from digestion to circulation, breathing to posture. It has been shown to have a positive impact on mood and the symptoms of diseases like diabetes and asthma.

The British Heart Foundation recommends 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a day, on five or more days a week. This is sufficient to give our hearts, lungs, muscles and bones the workout they need to stay healthy. Moderate-intensity physical activity means working hard enough to make you breathe more heavily than usual and become slightly warmer. It does not mean breathing so hard you can't speak or pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion!

The 30 minutes doesn't have to be tackled in one go: two or three sessions, 10 to 15 minutes long can be

equally beneficial.

Spring is a great time to make a habit of a regular walk. Walking the same route on a regular basis allows us to see the changes brought by the season as they unfold. Tiny green shoots grow quickly and remind us that nothing stays the same for long. This can serve as a reminder that the exercise afforded by walking will change us. Whatever the weather, returning home from a walk we will be enriched by things we have seen, smells we have smelled and the thoughts we have thought. Our bodies become stronger and more supple, our minds too.

Let's Walk Cymru is part of an initiative to improve the health of people in Wales. Volunteer Health Walk Leaders are trained to support people in their efforts to become more active by accompanying them on short, safe walks.

On Sat 24 March the Long Wood walking group will be hosting our first Health Walk (see listing on page 12). This will be a half-hour walk in Long Wood, on a route chosen to be fairly flat underfoot. There are benches at intervals along the route, so if a little rest is required it can be taken in relative comfort. No-one gets left behind and there's a hot drink at the end. The Walk Leaders are all enthusiastic walkers with emergency first-aid training. Many of them have found walking beneficial in dealing with their own health issues.

Bridget Thomas Coedwig Gymunedol Long Wood Community Woodland Director

Lampeter Sacred Music Festival Banners The festival team would like to thank the intrepid knights of Lampeter Round Table for generously agreeing to hang the banners around town.

10

Victoria Hall: regular activities and classes Bryn Road, Lampeter SA48 7EE To book the Victoria Hall phone: 07891 632614 Email: admin@vichall.org.uk www.vichall.org.uk Contact

Day

Weekly (W) Fortnightly (F) Monthly (M)

Time

Activity / Class

Tuesday

W

7.308.30pm

Zumba keep fit session

Wednesday

F 17 April only

1.304.30pm

Young at Heart

W

7-8pm

Zumba keep fit session

Louise Evans

07584 199372

W

10am-12 noon & 1-3pm

Welsh classes

Meryl Evans

01545 572715

M 3rd Thur each month

7-9pm

Transition Llambed ‘Big Gathering’

Friday

W

4.306.30pm

LYTSS: Lampeter Youth Theatre & Stage School

Saturday

2nd & 4th Sat each month

10am1pm

People’s Market

M 13 April only

From 1pm

Sing Out, Harmony Song Workshop with Clara Clay

will take place but at the anti-drone demo in Aberporth!

W

10am7pm

Lampeter Evangelical Church

Gareth Jones at the Mustard Seed café

01570 423344

W

7-9pm

Brazilian Jujitsu

Mike A. Banica

07783 582081

Thursday

Sunday

social ________________ CYD Llambed. Ymarfer eich Cymraeg/Practise your Welsh. Dydd Mawrth 11 yb-12yh/Tuesdays 11am12 noon, Gwesty y Llew Du, Llanbedr P.S./Black Lion Hotel, Lampeter. Croeso i bawb/All welcome. Croeso i unrhyw Cymro/Cymraes sy'n fodlon i ymuno â ni.

Cysyllt â/Contact: Mary Neal, 01570 470092 Lampeter Friends is a new SelfAdvocacy group for people with learning disabilities, set up by Eich Dewis

Name

Number

Julie Lancaster

01570 470542

Tea, sandwiches & social for the wiser folk of Lampeter

A chance for all those interested in/involved with Transition Llambed to plan and co-ordinate activities Everyone welcome!

Annie May

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

Chi (soon to become Ceredigion Advocacy). Every Wed, 2-4pm, CAMFA building, Lampeter. A welcoming and supportive space for people with learning disabilities to meet and talk about issues important to them. Free, all welcome. Meet new friends, find support, take part in activities, build confidence, learn new skills & hobbies & have fun!

Contact: Rebecca, 07976 023486 Golden Broth Lunch Club: a new free lunch and social club for the senior citizens of Cellan and Llanfair Clydogau, offering a FREE light lunch 11

01570 423080

07929 018928

of soup, roll and cake, plus tea/coffee.

Gather for a social and play cards or dominoes, or just relax and natter to friends. All ideas are welcome. Come along and join in the fun.

Fortnightly on alternate weeks at Cellan Millennium Hall and Llanfair Hall on Mondays, 11.30am-2pm.

Starts Mon 8 April at Cellan and Mon 22 April at Llanfair.

Ring Amanda (Cellan) 01570 421338, or Linda (Llanfair) 01570 493706, to register your interest. If you know of anyone who would like to join the club please let us know.

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

music_________________ Sing Out Harmony Song Workshop with Clara Clay. Sat 13 April, 1pm at the anti-drone demo in Aberporth!

A Night of Breton Music. Fri 26 April at Y Talardd/Talardd Arms, Llanllwni. Brigitte Kloareg and YannFañch Perroches. Admission free but a hat will be passed round. Noson o gerddoriaeth Llydewig yn nhafarn Y Talardd, Llanllwni. Mynediad am ddim ond bydd het ar diwedd y noswaith.

Castanet Club: Sat 27 April at Neuadd Fictoria/Victoria Hall: Breton Dance Workshop, food and Concert with Brigitte Kloareg and YannFañch Perroches. Gweithdy dawns, bwyd a cyngerdd. Workshop 5-6pm (£3), food on sale 7-8pm, bring your own bottle, concert 8pm (£5). More info/gwybodaeth bellach: Lynne Denman 01570 480818, lynne@ffynnon.com (see poster on page 18)

courses_______________ Denmark Farm Conservation Centre, Betws Bledrws Sat 30 Mar: Chocolate Egg Creations Sat 30 Mar: Big Easter Bunny Egg Hunt & Nature Trail (for ages 4-12) Wed 3, Wed 10, Wed 24 April & Wed 8 May: Natural Gardening Thur 4 April: Kitchen Garden Herbs for Health & Taste Thur 11 April: Wild Spring Greens Sat 13-Mon 15 April: Bird Identification Tues 16 April: Visions of Nature Sat 20-Mon 22 April: Understanding Amphibians Sat 27-Mon 29 April: Field Survey Techniques Mon 29-Tue 30 April: Willow Sculpture - Part 1 & 2 Further details: 01570 493358, www.denmarkfarm.org.uk

health & well-being courses & classes______ One-Day Meditation Retreat with Martin Aylward (Insight Meditation Teacher at Moulin de Chaves Retreat Centre and Gaia House). Sat 7 April, 10am-4.30pm Cellan Millennium Hall.

Registration 9.30am, meditation begins 10am.

Contact: Colette 07890 835873, colette@mindfulnesscourse.co.uk, www.mindfulnesscourse.co.uk

Subtle Energy, Healing & Healers.

Sat 4 May at TSD, 10am-5pm. Alister Hardy Society for the Study of Spiritual Experience: Study Day with Sue Knight, Bob Charman, and Maureen Lockhart. Basic fee £25; discount of 20% for those who book and pay by Sun 31 March; discount for a second booking made by any one person, so £35 for two people. Contact: Eric Franklin, 01570 471367, erf678@googlemail.com Herbal First Aid Weekend. Sat 11Sun 12 May, 10am-4pm with Medical Herbalists Annwen Jones and Becs Griffiths, MNIMH. Learn how to use herbs in common first aid and acute illnesses. Explore what makes a herbal first aid kit, and prepare some herbal medicines, to start your own kit. Includes short walk to harvest herbs. Waunifor, Maesycrugiau, nr Pencader SA39 9LX. £85/£75 concession plus £20 for materials.

Book a place: 07412 399154, mail@rhizomeclinic.org.uk, www.rhizomeclinic.org.uk Gentle Yoga classes suitable for all: Mon 10-11.30am Pontrhydfendigaid Village Hall Tues 10-11.30am Cellan Hall Tues 1.45-3.15pm Llangeitho Hall Weds 5.30-7pm Tregaron Chapel Vestry Contact: Cathy Crick Stanton, 01570 421144 / 07748 031614, cathycrick@hotmail.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

move your body________ Do you need to get out more? Volunteer Walk Leaders would like to invite you to the first of our FREE 1/2 hour Health Walks on Sun 24 March, from 2pm in Coedwig Gymunedol Long Wood Community Woodland. Start from Penlan Goetre SA48 8NE. Especially for people who find walking difficult. Wear strong shoes.

Contact: Andrew, 07971 939836 Belly Dance & Belly Fit classes Belly Dance: Mon. 1.30-2.45pm (all ages). Belly Fit: 3-4.00pm (over 50s) 12

Shiloh Church Hall, Lampeter (next to the police station on the High Street). All fitness levels welcome.

Contact: Rose Barter, 01239 851737 rosebarter@btinternet.com Belly Dance & Yoga classes Belly Dance: Tues 7.30-8.30pm. £3.00.

Beginner Yoga: Thur 7-8.30pm, £5.00. Crugybar Village Hall. Contact: 01558 685321, elenamgilliatt@hotmail.com Talsarn Folk Dances Now held on the 1st Saturday of each month. No partner needed, just come & join in.

8pm start, refreshments provided.

Admission £2.50 Contact: 01974 272098 Cerddwyr Ramblers, Lampeter, organise a variety of weekly walks throughout the year. Anyone interested in walking with the group is warmly welcomed to join. A walking programme is available from the Town Library or James, 01570 480743.

Flamenco Dance classes weekly in Lampeter and Aberystwyth with Dixey Ruscelli.

Tues 6-7.15pm, Sally Saunders Dance Studio, Lampeter Industrial Estate, Tregaron Rd, Lampeter (next to Organic Fresh Food Co) Wed 6-7.30pm, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, with live flamenco guitarist.

Men and women welcome. Please bring strong chunky-heeled shoes.

Contact: 01570 493138, dixeyart@gmail.com Tribal Dance with Lyza. Alternate W ednesdays 6.30-8pm, Shiloh Church Hall, High Street, Lampeter.

Contact: Lyza, lyza_darkestwish@live.com

kids __________________ Ray Ceredigion offers free, openaccess outdoor play sessions.

Starting at Maes Y Felin play area, Lampeter, every Mon (term time), 46pm. Also at Rhydlanfair play area, Llangybi, Mon, 3.30-5.30pm. Contact: Helen Lewis, 01545 570686 Brillz Craftz Neon Backdrop Painting Workshop, Fri 12 April, 1.25-4.15pm, Lampeter Leisure Centre. Have a go at painting your own neon backdrop & take it home. No skill necessary. £15, booking essential. Age 8+.

Contact: Carrie 01267 202235 / 07780 160336 brillzcraftz@yahoo.co.uk

B P 1 C y it b ta 0

theatre_______________

& light refreshments. Contact: 01570 480209 Lampeter Youth Theatre and Stage Lampeter Permaculture Group is a School (LYTss) Every Fri, 4.30collective of like-minded people, inter6.30pm, Victoria Hall. ested in the practice and principles of Contact: Annie May, 01570 423080, permaculture and sustainability. More annie@themay.co.uk info: www.lampeterpermaculture.org

writing ________________ markets______________

Teifi Writers. Creative writing work- People’s Market, Victoria Hall, shop with Damian Walford Davies. Sat Lampeter, 10am-1pm Sat 13 & Sat 13 April, 2-4pm, Tysul Hall, Llandysul. 27 April (see advert page 14) Contact: Kelly, 01267 235336.

Lampeter Farmers' Market storytelling & books_____ Market Street, Lampeter, 9am-2pm alternate Fridays Storytelling Group/Noson Storiau Croeso i bawb, Cymry, Saeson a Next market: Friday 5 April Thylwyth Teg, dynion a merched, oe- Ffarmers Market Neuadd Bro Fana/Village Hall, dolion a phlant.

Everyone welcome from complete be- Ffarmers, 10am-12.30pm 1st Sat in ginners to talented bards. Come to the month listen, come to tell. Friendly, informal Next market: Saturday 6 April group 7-9pm every 3rd Monday in the Llansawel Market month, Denmark Farm, Betws Ble- Llansawel Village Hall, 10am-12.30pm drws. Next meeting Mon 15 April. 3rd Sat of the month Please bring a small donation to cover Next market: Saturday 20 April room hire and refreshments. Contact/ Lunar Market. Saturday 6 April, Llancysyllt â: Rachel 01570 493222, fair Clydogau Village Hall, 10am-3pm. rachauck@yahoo.co.uk Local produce and crafts and refreshLlangeitho Book Group ments. Contact: 07920 063773. meets every 2nd Weds of the month, 2pm in Llangeitho Village Café. We photography ___________ choose a book to read and chat over a Wildlife Digital Photography 3-day paned/cuppa. Contact: 01974 821213 Course at Denmark Farm - part of Aberystwyth University's SELL Ecology (or just turn up!) programme. Sat 18, Sun 19 & Mon 20 gillymail22-book@yahoo.co.uk, May 2013, 10am-5pm. £90 /£80 conevents ________________ cessions. For a range of photographic Coedwig Gymunedol Long Wood courses & private tuition contact: Simon Tune, 01570 481466, Community Woodland, Regular volunteer days offer varied info@adarnatureoptics.com experiences throughout the year. Why Lampeter Photography meet on 1st not join in, develop your skills and feel & 3rd Friday of every month, 7.30pm the benefit of working in a beautiful at the Kings Head, Lampeter. Monthly environment? Contact: competitions, exhibitions & workshops. warden@longwood-lampeter.org.uk All welcome. FREE. The Welsh Quilt Centre's 2013 exhi- Contac t: Stef, 07958 772035, bition, Kaffe Fassett Comes to lampeterphotography@yahoo.co.uk Wales. The exhibition is open from religious services & March 9 to November 2 at the Welsh Quilt Centre, Lampeter. Admission: £5, groups ________________ £4 concs, £2.50 students.

Lampeter Parish Hanes Llambed / Lampeter History St Peter’s Church, Lampeter. Main Society Talks are at 7.30pm, Old Hall, Sun Service: 11am (bilingual), Other University of Wales Trinity St David. All services: 8am Holy Communion welcome.

(English), 9.30am Cymun Bendigaid Tues 16 April Margaret Bide: 'Woollen (trydydd Sul yn y mis yn unig, Cymtextiles in modern Romania: a parallel raeg). with pre-industrial Wales'.

St Peter’s Church Hall in Lampeter is Contact: Penny David, 01570 422041 available for hire at £8.50 per hour.

Llanybydder Outdoor Activities Includes use of kitchen facilities. For Committee, Easter Fun Day. Mon 1 enquiries or bookings contact: Beryl, April, from 12 noon, Black Lion Hotel 01570 422324. For more information car park, Llanybydder. Egg hunt, East- visit: www.lampeterparish.org er bonnet competition, children’s craft St Cybi’s Church, Llangybi. Main tent. Plus car boot sale (indoors if wet) Sun Service: 9am (bilingual).

13

St Bledrws’ Church, Betws Bledrws.

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

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

St Mary’s Church, Maestir. Main Sun Service: 2.30pm (2nd Sun in 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 Service at 10am: location will be published in the local newspapers.

Seventh Day Adventists meet fortnightly on Sat at Cellan Millennium Hall, 10.15am-3.15pm.

For more details: www.cellanmillenniumhall.co.uk Lampeter Evangelical Church meets every Sunday at Victoria Hall, 10am– 7pm. Contact: Gareth Jones at The Mustard Seed café, 01570 423344 Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church, Lampeter Sunday Mass is 10am. For other services see church notice board.

Lampeter Quakers. Every Sunday at Canolfan Steffan, Peterwell Terrace at 10.45am. All welcome. www.quakersinwales.org.uk (English) Crynwyr Llambed. Cwrdd bob ddydd Sul, Canolfan Steffan, Rhodfa Peterwell, 10.45 yb. Croeso i bawb. www.crynwyrcymru.org.uk (Cymraeg) Contact / Cysylltwch: Deborah Rowlands, 01570 480083, deborahjrowlands@gmail.com St Thomas' Methodist Church Sun service 10.30am with creche and youth activity.

Tuesday Coffee morning 9.30-12noon.

All welcome. See chapel notice board.

Interested in Buddhism?

A Study Group for Women. Exploring the underlying principle of Buddhist Practice and how we can apply this in our daily lives. Meets one day a month near Aberystwyth. Meditation, shared lunch. Contact: Lesley 01970 617129 or Noel 07988 745364

women’s workshop_____ Wed 10.30am-3pm, St James’ Hall, Cwmann. 11am Qi Gong-gentle exercise. 12noon lunch. 1pm workshop.

Disabled access & toilet. Free car park. £2.50 a session (includes vegetarian lunch and all activities). Pay on the day, no membership or advance fee - drop in when you please. New members always welcome.

27 Mar - Card making 17 April - Jewellery making 24 April - Spiritual Well-being talk No meetings over Easter Contact: 01570 423167/01545 590391

CELLAN MILLENNIUM HALL CLASSES AND GROUPS Classes subject to change: please check www.cellanmillenniumhall.co.uk for updates & contact details.

See our website film page for movies & What’s On page for one-off events

Fri April 5 “The Sweeney” (15) Ray Winstone Fri April 19 “Great Expectations” (12) Helena Bonham Carter May 3 “The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey” (12) May 10 “Life of Pi” (12)

MONDAY Line Dancing 7-10pm 8 April - Lunch Club 11.30-2pm (see page 11) TUESDAY Healing Yoga 10-11.30am Lampeter Home Education Group 12-5pm Qi Gong 6-7pm Tai Chi 7-8pm Beekeepers 2nd Tues of month, 8pm 2 April - Enduro GB Speaker 8.15pm

May 30 “Quartet” (12) Maggie Smith ... and to follow ...

“Les Miserables” (Russell Crowe) “Lincoln” (Daniel Day-Lewis) “Hitchcock” (Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren) “Song for Marion” (Vanessa Redgrave, Terence Stamp) DOORS OPEN 7.15pm PROGRAMME BEGINS 7.45pm Admission by Donation £2.00 BIG SCREEN & DIGITAL THEATRE SOUND WWW.CELLANMILLENNIUMHALL.CO.UK

WEDNESDAY Table Tennis 10-11.30am Quilting Club 12 noon-4pm Yoga 5.30-7pm THURSDAY Five Rhythms Dance 1st Thurs of month 7pm Village Improvement Society Cttee1st Thurs of month 7pm W.I. 2nd Thurs of month 7.30pm FRIDAY Art Group 10am–1pm Film Night fortnightly 7.15pm (see ad) SATURDAY 13 April - Seventh Day Adventists, fortnightly 10.15am-3.15pm SUNDAY 7 April - Meditation Retreat, 9am-5pm (see p 12) 14 April - Beekeepers 2-4pm

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

Please note - Copy deadline is Fri 12 April Miss it - you risk not being included in the May issue!

14

Spring Walks

Spring is now here, hopefully, but whatever the weather is doing when you read this, feel assured that there is no lack of wildlife and places to visit in our neck of the woods. Lampeter enjoys a privileged geographical location: there cannot be many places in the world that have been placed so perfectly between the mountains and the sea, and so close to both.

I personally think that West Wales is one of the best places in Britain for wildlife. It is the diversity of habitats here that amazes me. From rugged coastline and marine habitats to a variety of woods and forests, moorland, hills and mountains, we have it all.

Perhaps one of my favourite locations is the area around Llyn Brianne. This lake, secluded in the midst of the Cambrian Mountains, is overlooked by four separate peaks: Mynydd Trawsnant, Cefn Fannog, Pen-Y-Gurnos and Cefn Coch. There are also other adjoining mountainous and forested areas, giving us hundreds of square miles to explore here.

I recommend leaving the A482 by the Dolaucothi Gold Mines (just a few miles south of Lampeter) and heading north on a small single-track road that follows the River Cothi up a steep and wooded valley. The scenery here is stunning - this must be one of the prettiest valleys in Wales, a small area of farmland hemmed in by mountains and woods, and the sense of remoteness only increases as the valley deepens.

You travel through a number of small hamlets and villages until you cross a bridge and head due north, up a separate valley, now following the River Towy.

The mature oak woodland here is amazing and almost fills the valley, giving you an unbroken canopy and a sense of what most of Britain must have looked like a thousand years ago. By this point you are almost at Llyn Brianne, but there is one more treat in store: the RSPB reserve of Gwenffrwd-Dinas.

The reserve comprises the full range of terrain that this part of Wales has to offer, in the form of an hourlong trail starting at the river’s edge. It takes you

through an area of wetland on well-maintained boardwalks, then a more challenging but fascinating walk through broadleaved woodland. Here you have to climb over boulders as the river cuts its way through the valley to your right, forming rapids as it goes.

Look out for birds such as Dippers and Treecreepers as you pass through this woodland. The walking does get steadily easier as you come back around to the beginning, but for the more adventurous it is quite easy to add this short walk onto others and make a more substantial hike. I have crossed the river on a bridge just below this reserve and then climbed the mountain above, passing first of all through grassland and oaks, then through the pine trees of the Tywi Forest which surrounds much of Llyn Brianne. Many people discount pine forest because it is normally managed for commercial purposes. However these trees support their own unique wildlife, such as the Hairy Wood Ant and the Crossbill - but this is also the last refuge of the West Wales Red Squirrel. This is one area where the Reds can out-compete the Grey Squirrels, because the Greys struggle to get enough food from the pine cones and prefer broadleaf woodland. However their future is not certain and much work has to be done in order to re-establish a stable population. For all things red squirrelly see: www.wwbic.org.uk/red-squirrel If you still have any energy after exploring this area, you could leave by driving around the lake (don't try it on foot unless you have a couple of days and a tent: it is quite some distance) and then head towards Tregaron. It’s not far to the coast. If you are lucky you should reach New Quay in time for the sunset and some Cetacean spotting on the pier. All you will need is a pair of binoculars and some chips.

Cardigan Bay, especially New Quay, is one of the best locations in Britain for Bottlenose Dolphins, and they will be just returning to these waters in April after wintering out at sea; the area’s population is estimated at 200 to 300 strong. It might also be possible to see Short-beaked Common Dolphins, Harbour Porpoises and Grey Seals. For all things 'sea mammal' I can highly recommend the book Britain’s Sea Mammals by Jon Dunn, Robert Still and Hugh Harrop.

After this you can sit back, relax and eat some fish and chips!

Simon Tune

15

Passionate About Dance Lampeter is very fortunate in having three dance teachers, all of whom are passionate about encouraging women to start dancing.

Tribal Dance teacher Lyza Chthonia, Flamenco Dance teacher Dixey Ruscelli and Belly Dance teacher Rose Barter all live and work in Ceredigion and teach dance in Lampeter. They have teamed up to organise the Lampeter World Dance Festival in order to encourage women of all ages, shapes and sizes to have a go at learning these wonderful dance forms, all of which are proven to improve mobility, posture, balance and overall fitness.

Lyza won the Tribal Dancer Rising Star Award at a national festival last year and is an incredible dancer as well as an inspirational teacher. You can see her dance on YouTube - search for 'Lyza Tribal Dance'.

Dixey has trained with many well-known teachers in Spain and in England, and has taught and performed Flamenco for over 20 years. With her group, Zambra Flamenca, she has toured many parts of the world.

Dixey's Flamenco classes are lively and enjoyable and are open to men and women. Pupils practise beautiful hand and body movements, footwork patterns and clapping rhythms (palmas). Added benefits include improved posture and co-ordination.

Rose, who teaches a Belly Fit for Over 50s class as well as a Belly Dance for All Ages class is a relative newcomer to dance, starting eight years ago at age 51. She says: "I firmly believe you are never too young or too old to take up and enjoy dancing. I don't know of a better way of getting and staying fit and having fun at the same time. All these dance forms concentrate on elegance and posture and are enjoyable to do as well as being a real discipline for the body. We decided to organise the 'World Dance Festival' to raise the profile of these wonderful dance forms in Lampeter and to encourage more women to benefit from taking up dance, no matter what age or fitness level they may have."

The Festival kicks off with free taster classes, then a show at Victoria Hall on Friday 19 April featuring each of the teachers and their classes, plus some special guests.

On Saturday 20 April there will be 90-minute classes with each of the teachers. Everyone is entitled to one free class and can attend more than one for £5 per class.

More details: Rose 01239 851737, rosebarter@btinternet.com and see listings on page 12 for all regular dance classes.

lampetergrapevine@gmail.com

at a glance 1

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The Laugharne Weekend Festival, Dylan Thomas Boathouse (5,6 & 7)

Primrose Day

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Earth Day

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St. George’s Day

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World Malaria Day

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Children’s Hospice Week

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Wonderwool Wales, Builth Wells (27 & 28)

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Rose Barter

April Fools’ Day Bowel Cancer Awareness Day International Irritable Bowel Syndrome Month World Autism Awareness Day

Parkinson’s Awareness Week Real Nappy Week

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Multiple Sclerosis Week

Cookie’s Corner Lampeter is lucky to have more than one outlet for good-quality local food, but even they are supplementing stock with roots from cold store and bringing in from further afield. I was chatting with one shop this week and it raised an interesting question about the definition of local - is Herefordshire, at 75 miles or so, really that far away? I know it is a lot Photo: Jane Evans Bonacci www.theheritagecook.com closer than Holland or Spain. Well, it was when I last looked. Go on - write in, I dare you. chilli powder, 1oz of salt and 1oz of ground For this month's treat I went along the shelves and coriander. Cover this mixture with 17 fl oz of cider considered roasted potatoes and beetroot - served vinegar. (Malt vinegar is too harsh for this recipe but warm smothered in horseradish sauce - but decided you can use wine or even distilled vinegar - but cider it was too ‘rooty’. Spinach and potato tortilla nearly is best.) Leave this little concoction to brew made it onto the page - but we had spuds last overnight. month. (Tip: if you do want to try the tortilla then Transfer the mixture to a preserving pan, or just a remember to really dry out the spinach once you large saucepan - don’t forget to scrape out all the have wilted it - or the tortilla becomes too watery.) spices at the bottom of the bowl. Add 10 fl oz of So, in the absence of the elusive Welsh Winter water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes Courgette, this month I am going to share with you yes, your kitchen will smell of cider, coriander and my favourite chutney - even better than the banana ginger! Now add 4 fl oz of honey (preferably local) and 1½ lb of sugar. Don’t get hung up on ‘preserving and date recipe I have since lost!

This recipe has a long heritage. Nearly always sugar’ - it’s all the same! Bring this back to the boil credited to Oded Schwartz, a chef who specialises in and simmer until it thickens to a ‘runny’ consistency preserving, it has also appeared in Sophie Grigson's should be about 30 minutes. Now add 3 oz of flaked book Eat Your Greens and is now on the web in almonds and boil for 5 minutes to soften them up. various forms. It is not original to me but I can assure Chutney consistency is a matter of taste. I like it you it is one of the best chutneys around - great with runny enough to mostly stay in the sandwich but any cheese or hummus and, I am told, a perfect licking your fingers is one of the joys of eating - just match for cold meats. For those who can remember remember it will thicken as it cools. life before the interwebby thing, I will save you ‘a Spoon the mixture into hot sterilised jars and seal google’ and provide the recipe in old-fashioned immediately. Sterilising jars is easy: wash them in hot soapy water, rinse well and place in the oven format. Here goes… put it on low (100oC), leave the door open and wait Carrot & Almond Chutney till they dry. Try not to touch the inside when taking them out and of course, use a cloth or oven gloves.

To make about 5lb of chutney, grate 2lb of carrots lengthways - you want nice long pieces. Alternatively Now go and find some nice bread and a lump of slice them thinly - takes 10 minutes but is worth the cheese and scrape around the pan - gorgeous. You effort. Take 5oz of fresh ginger and cut half into can eat this chutney immediately but it will improve matchsticks. Grate the other half, but be careful not with age. to throw in all the hairy bits that happen when you grate ginger. Throw them away - you do not want hairy chutney!

Put the carrots and ginger in a large bowl along with the grated zest & juice of 2 lemons, a teaspoon of 17

Tim Martin

Small World Theatre presents: ONE WAY STREET Sat 20 April 7.30pm at Victoria Hall Encounter the femme fatale and the hard-nosed detective in a new adult puppet show!

Small World Theatre invites its audience to dress in 1930s outfits, perhaps inspired by their favourite film noir character, and enjoy this exciting new show.

One Way Street is a live theatre performance with puppets and animated film projections. The show is in glorious black and white and contains all the moral ambiguity embodied in the film noir genre. It takes the hero, private investigator Sam Stone, on a tour of San Francisco’s high and low spots, travelling by car, boat, and plane on a journey that eventually brings him to Wales.

People come to Sam to solve their problems, but lately these problems have become more difficult to solve. One day a woman walks into his office with what seems to be an open and shut case, but this one is going to get him into a whole lot of trouble…

Small World Theatre's show highlights the similarities between the present economic climate and the late 1930s depression. Many of the noir classics were written in this time and filmed later, but their ambiguous morals resurface in our own time.

This show offers adults cunningly skilled puppetry and animation that will astonish and inspire them.

The directors, Ann Shrosbree and Bill Hamblett, have been working together since 1979 and formed Small World Theatre in 1997 to develop some of the issues that were close to their hearts. These issues

are often environmental, educational or cultural, and subsequent projects support human rights, democracy, refugee issues and intergenerational work.

Tickets £7.50 on the door, or book ahead with Small World Theatre, 01239 615952, whatevertheweatherwales.co.uk

Saturday April 27 Neuadd Fictoria/Victoria Hall, Heol y Bryn/Bryn Road, Lampeter/Llanbedr Pont Steffan

Fest Noz - Gweithdy dawns, bwyd a Cyngerdd!

Breton Dance Workshop, food and Concert with Brigitte Kloareg and Yann-Fañch Perroches!

Breton Dance Workshop 5-6pm

Cyfle anghyffredin i glywed deuawd arbennig o Lydaw.

Concert 8pm Bwyd bydd ar werth rhwng 7-8yn - dewch a'ch potel! (food on sale 7-8pm, bring your own bottle) Admission: workshop £3, concert £5 A rare chance to listen to two fine exponents of the Breton tradition: lively dance tunes, ballads, compositions. Yann-Fañch played melodeon with the epoch-making band Skolvan, and Brigitte is a great multi-lingual singer.

More info / Gwybodaeth bellach: Lynne Denman 01570 480818 lynne@ffynnon.com 18

Barbara Brennan* Healing Science This is a non-invasive energetic therapy which restores and balances the natural flow of the human energy field which surrounds and penetrates the physical body. When energy flows freely through all parts of the body and energy field, the body, mind and spirit are in harmony and the body can heal and reach its optimum state of health. Where the flow of energy is blocked, diverted or stagnant for prolonged periods of time, this works its way down into the physical body and causes weakness and/or dis-ease.

Brennan Healing Science is a holistic tool, healing physical, emotional, and mental as well as spiritual conditions. It is also a tool for awakening your consciousness and a tool for personal transformation.

Sometimes it is very hard to believe that we don’t have to live with our chronic pains and symptoms, by ignoring them, by stopping feeling… This is an invitation for you to believe that you can heal your body, mind, emotions and spirit. As a Brennan healer it is my privilege to facilitate you in your healing journey, transforming the relationship you have with your Self and your life. Creating space in you, for your true, authentic, joyful Self to emerge.

Barbara Brennan refers to our map of 'the Four Dimensions of Humankind': Physical (the body), Aura (the energy field that surrounds and interpenetrates the body), Hara (Intention, as used by the martial arts to focus power) and Core Star (our inner light, our divine spark of life). Brennan healers sense and work intimately within all these dimensions and on all levels of the field using their High Sense Perception - the ability to sense beyond our normal range.

Each healing starts with a chelation** (derived from the Greek 'to claw out'). The healer charges the client's energy field, increasing its strength and filling some of the areas that are depleted. Once the client's field becomes charged, it begins to clear itself spontaneously and he/she is now ready to receive deeper, specific work.

Techniques include: • Organ and chakra re-structuring – to repair damaged or deformed organs or chakras • Repairing Lines of Light- to speed the mending and strengthening of damaged or broken bones, joints, muscles, surgical incisions etc • Relational cord healing – healing of relationships

past and present • Time capsule – releasing past-life or present, traumatic experiences that have ‘frozen ’affected areas of the energy field • Hara healing – clarity of intention, life purpose.

Strengthening the bridge between the personality and their Life Plan • Core star healing – connecting the client with their divine spark, their essence and true potential • Microbe removal – infections This healing modality is an effective therapy in its own right, but it also complements conventional medical treatments and other therapies. As Brennan healers we are happy to work with your doctors and health professionals.

Healing can have positive effects on Your Physical Health: backache, joint pain post-operative recovery digestive disorders skin problems more serious illness such as cancer and heart conditions side-effects of chemotherapy, radiotherapy etc Your Emotional Health: stress, anxiety, panic attacks, fears depression feeling stuck loss or bereavement shock, trauma and abuse Your Mental Health: belief patterns, habits, OCD unclear thinking indecision Your Spiritual Health: unresolved longings and loneliness feeling like a failure/fear of success/money issues clarifying your intentions, making decisions/choices clarifying your direction in life or career discovering your life purpose, your talents and gifts * Dr Barbara Brennan is a former NASA astrophysicist, author of the books Hands of Light and Light Emerging, and creator and director of the international Barbara Brennan School of Healing. For more information: www.barbarabrennan.com ** Rosalyn Bruyere pioneered this technique

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Louise Nadim

Recent Reviews An Eye Opener On 4 February, more than 50 people "had their eyes opened", as one person in the audience put it, about the current situation on the ground f or or dinar y Palestinian people. Jane Harries is a Quaker who spent three months in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories as part of the Ecumenical A c c o m p an i m e nt Pr o Yanoun villagers gramme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), a World Council of Churches (WCC) initiative. She gave us an excellent and professional thirty-minute presentation about her experience of spending three months in a Palestinian village, in the Cliff Tucker Hall of Trinity St David.

There were many questions from the audience.

Surprise was expressed at the extent and nature of the way the Israeli settlements snake their way across the land cutting villagers off from water, their own land, stock and crops. Jane told us of incidents of harassment by the Israeli army and individual settlers: shooting stock, demolishing new buildings and homes, taking away water tanks and blocking access to water and sanitation. Sometimes villagers got in the way of these hostile activities and were themselves shot and injured. She said that these actions were a strategy by more extreme settlers to make the Palestinians move off their land, based on a belief that making life impossible for these simple farming communities would force them, eventually, to move away from their villages and their farms.

We learnt an Arabic word sumoud, meaning "resilience, patience, forebearThe reality of life in Yanoun ance": it seems that this was the Palestinian way of resisting by simply trying to get on with their lives, trying to farm despite all the difficulties and the hostility from the settlements that now border and isolate their villages. It isn't a cohesive way of resistance, and Jane described it as a "mosaic".

We also learnt about the role of the ecumenical accompaniers (EAs), which comprises:

路 Protection by presence 路 Monitoring human rights abuses 路 Support of Palestinian and Israeli peace activists 路 Advocacy All EA activity is underpinned by principled impartiality, which means that EAs don't take sides, but base their words and actions on respect for human rights and International Humanitarian Law. The presence of EAs is greatly appreciated by the villagers, though the mayor of Yanoun described them as "aspirin" that eased the symptoms of a headache but not the causes.

Even though the EAs are based in Palestinian villages Settlements overlooking Yanoun and towns, they are also encouraged to talk to Israelis, and Jane's group did go into a settlement and talk to a settler. She described how frustrating the EA role can be, observing what is happening but without being able to do anything.

We in the UK don't realise how little information there is about the difficulties caused to these small farming communities. It is easy to turn away and not recognise what is going on in an incredibly complicated and difficult situation. We felt that the British government must know what is going on and, further, given the obvious intransigence and unwillingness to negotiate, that the Two State solution is no longer viable. Indeed, Jane quoted our Foreign Secretary: "Continued systematic settlement activity, and repeated breaches by the Israeli government of international law, is provocative, undermines the prospects of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and makes the two-state solution ever harder to realise." (William Hague, 8 June 2012) There seem to be no sanctions against what is recognised by our own government as an illegal activity.

The audience wanted to know what we could do to help. We discussed boycotting Israeli goods, or writing to our MPS and MEPS to encourage the USA to put pressure on the Israeli government and discourage trade with the USA and the European Union. But perhaps the best thing we can do is to follow up the initial eye-opening by finding out more information, monitoring the media and telling others about it.

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Liz McDermott

Grapevine Readers’ Survey results

Poetry C

orner

Thank you to all those who took the time to fill in the survey. Here is a summary of the results.

Q1. This edition of the Grapevine (Feb 2013) is the 6th edition since its first edition dated July/August 2012.

Including this edition, how many have you seen?

Rhifyn hwn o'r Grapevine (Chwefror 2013) yw'r 6ed argraffiad ers ei rifyn cyntaf dyddiedig Gorffennaf / Awst 2012. Gan gynnwys y rhifyn hwn, faint ydych chi wedi gweld?

Seen 1 or 2 15%

3 or 4 12%

From The Earth Singing (Lapwing)

by Sue Moules

SNOWDROPS Green patterned

5 or 6 73%

this flower lifts its whiteness through the snow.

Q2. Will you look out for it again next month?

A fyddwch yn cadw llygaid amdano eto’r mis nesaf?

Yes 73%

No 15%

Clusters of white petals

No answer 12%

Q3. Do you have any favourite sections?

A oes gennych unrhyw hoff adrannau?

Listings, Articles related to Letters theme 69% 51%

and petticoats small, silent hope.

Regular Features

BIRD SONG Bird song,

49%

mixed chorus of spring,

Q4. Would you like to see any of the following as regular features? A hoffech weld unrhyw un o'r canlynol fel nodweddion rheolaidd?

Local Kids’ Poems / Recipes Sustainability History page Puzzles 69%

50%

38%

35%

soft as new green sprouts from trees.

Gentle, like starlight,

20%

spirals my waking.

Q5. How important is it for you to see more Welsh language / bilingual articles in the Grapevine? Rate 1-5, 1 being “not important” to 5 being “very important”. Pa mor bwysig yw hi i chi i weld mwy o erthyglau Cymraeg / dwyieithog yn y Grapevine? Ar raddfa o 1 i 5, gydag 1 yn "ddim yn bwysig" i 5 yn "bwysig iawn" Very Important No preference Not Important 23% 31% 46%

SPRING SONG Sing bird, sing let your fireworks glint, explode your repeated light over my garden.

Sample of positive requests: “Articles relating to sustainable living e.g. experiences with alternative energy in Lampeter area” “Sections that can appeal to different age groups e.g. children, teenagers, elderly” “More politics and controversy”

under your gleam of stars.

Sample of negative feedback: “Very incestuous, we hear too much from a very small minority group of contributors” “Boring” and “A bit hippy”

Final Copy Deadlines

Fountain me

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

Our answer: “please send us your contributions as we’d really appreciate more of you getting involved!”

-x-

June issue: Fri 10 May Theme: ‘Festival Fever’

Mostly, though, we don’t seem to be doing too badly.

“Daliwch ati / Keep it up” was a common sentiment.

-x-

July issue : Fri 7 June Theme: ‘Keep it Local’

Thank you!

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small ads & classified complementary & alternative therapists Charlotte Allen RSHom Homeopath 14 years' clinical experience.

Homeopathy is a safe, holistic method of treating both emotional and physical conditions. Llanfair Clinic, 41 Bridge Street, Lampeter, SA48 8EG. 01570 493746 Joanne Camlin BSc WSHom. Homoeopathy is a system of medicine that treats mental, emotional and physical illness, and can be used by everyone, including babies and children. Lampeter. 01570 421480 (mornings)

Gina Heathersprite. Physical and Emotional Therapy. Massage, reflexology, hypno-psychotherapy, counselling. Llanfair Clinic, 41 Bridge Street, Lampeter. 01570 493526, gina@courtofcircles.org.uk Pearl Jebb. Reflexology, Bowen/ Neural Technique, helps with back, sciatica, shoulder pain, stress relief and much more. Qualified & registered practitioner. Contact: 01974 299224 / 07967 647920

Alison Kaye MBAcC. Traditional Chinese Acupuncture. Llanfair Clinic, Bowen Technique, about an hour’s 41 Bridge Street, Lampeter, SA48 treatment, works by gently stimulating 8EG. 07779 256388 the body’s own sympathetic nervous Susan McAllister (Bsc Hons). system, allowing it to find balance Transformational Teacher, Theraand release from tension and pain. pist & Consultant. Over 20 years of Contact: Ceredwin, 01570 421476 teaching, complementary therapy & The Light of Love ten-minute (off- healing experience. Available now for the-body) treatment harnesses the Crystal Healing Workshops & Angelic power of the universal life force: re- Tarot Readings. To book, contact: laxing, healing, promoting well-being. 01570 493006 / 07572 672986, Offered FREE at People’s Market sue@tranquillight.vpweb.co.uk (no booking required) or at other Louise Nadim BSc Hons, Ph.D. Fully times by appointment. Ceredwin: qualified, insured Brennan Healer.

01570 421476 Working in the Human Energy Field Cathy Crick Stanton. Yoga teacher / assessing, balancing and healing, to therapist (Iyengar trained) and Bar- restore physical, emotional and spirbara Brennan Healer. For class de- itual health. Contact: 01570 tails, or to book 1-2-1 yoga or thera- 4 2 1 1 4 4 / 0 7 9 2 0 1 1 2 2 2 8 , py/healing sessions: 01570 421144 / louise_nadim@hotmail.com 07748 031614, Dr Colette Power. Mindfulnesscathycrick@hotmail.co.uk based Stress Management, MB Pain The Art of Well-Being: Reflexology & Illness Management; Introduction and Indian Head Massage. Glennis to Mindfulness Courses; 1-2-1 coachGratwick, MAR, FFHT, fully qualified, ing. For future courses, or to discuss insured, 10 years' experience. Stall at ways of working with mindfulness for Lunar Market (see listings) selling you/your group, aromatherapy products.

Contact: 07890 835873, colette@mindfulnesscourse.co.uk Contact: 01570 493288 www.mindfulnesscourse.co.uk

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Ashley Ward MAR GJC (Dip Reflex).

Dancing Tree Reflexology. Reflexology in the comfort of your own home, within 15-mile radius of Lampeter. Fully-insured member of Association of Reflexologists. Contact: 01570 422985 / 07811 767563, www.dancingtree.co.uk Reflexology. Annie Zakiewicz MAR is a fully-insured member of the Association of Reflexologists and practises from Cellan. Contact: 01570 493295 / 07790 107521, www.reflexologywithannie.co.uk

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Christine Stephenson BSc MNIMH. Medical Herbalist at Llanfair Clinic, 41 Bridge Street, Lampeter. Contact: 01239 858946

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Eva Ryan MTI. Wholistic massage to help rebalance and heal body, mind and emotions. Treatment tailored to your unique needs.

Registered, insured practitioner. At Taliaris, or arrange home visits. Contact: 01558 822390 / 07792 748191

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small ads & classified

Don’t Lose Out - Copy deadline is Fri 12 April Miss it & you risk not being included in the May issue!

Very able self-employed woman looking for extra work.

Wide range of job skills and lots of common sense.

Most things considered.

Contact: Trish La, 07967 591672

Computer services and repairs in the Lampeter area: hardware upgrades, virus and spyware removal, health checks, backup advice.

Fast, friendly service.

Contact: Ben, 01570 493706

Solid fuel Esse stove, 1930s original, no back boiler, needs restoration.

Offers: Lynne 01570 480818

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