Rhiwbina Living Summer 2018

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Rhiwbina Living

At the heart of the community Issue 43 Summer ‘18

SUMMER

Your multi award-winning magazine for Rhiwbina

Inside this issue Readers' Gardens We visit four beautifully-created Rhiwbina gardens and meet their owners who tell us what makes their gardens special

Top 10 Picnic Spots

Pack your picnic hamper and set out for a relaxing day at one of our favourite local locations

Outdoor Living

Get set to spend the summer outdoors with these inspirational garden features

History

Local resident Peter Lewis recalls his time flying Hawker Hunters and the memorable raid on Fort Harib he was involved with in 1964

Autumn deadline:

25th September 2018 Published 8th October 2018

a: 222 Pantbach Road, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6AG t: 07772 081775 / 07974 022920 w: www.livingmags.co.uk e: editor@livingmags.co.uk or danielle@livingmags.co.uk Distribution: 6,000 copies of Rhiwbina Living are personally delivered by us to every house in the Rhiwbina ward four times a year in line with the seasons. We also distribute to local shops While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents, the publisher cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions, or for any matter in any way arising from the publication of this material.

Every effort has been made to contact any copyright holders.

Rhiwbina Living is an independent, apolitical publication. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publishers.

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Welcome / Croeso Summer is upon us and we can finally spend more time enjoying the great outdoors.

Our summer issue therefore focuses on how to make the most of the warmer weather and time outside.

People in Rhiwbina love their gardens and so as well as our usual helpful instalment from Kevin Revell focusing on growing summer herbs, we visited four Rhiwbina gardens to find out what makes them unique. It was a joy to talk to the owners and appreciate the outdoor spaces they had created (as well as enjoy some freshlybaked banana muffins!).

If you're looking for some inspiration on how to improve your garden space, our Outdoor Living feature showcases some fabulous local products designed to help you create the perfect summer sanctuary at home.

Summer is the perfect opportunity for visiting places in the surrounding areas, so we've put together a useful guide to some of the most beautiful places to picnic in Cardiff and the Vale. Sometimes, it can be hard to be inspired for ideas on where to take the kids over the holidays, so we asked the children of Rhiwbina to tell us where they like to go and why and so a helpful guide on local places has been created!

People are at the very heart of our community and we have interviewed some inspirational people for this issue.

Rhys Griffiths is a Whitchurch fireman and a former professional footballer. This year, he's published his very first children's book which was

inspired by his late grandfather.

He tells us how he came to be a published author.

Leanne Hugglestone is another local inspiration who recounts her story about how the deepest challenges in her life led to her current life-changing happiness.

Our history feature was informatively written by Rhiwbina resident Peter Lewis, a former RAF pilot who recalls his daring raids flying Hawker Hunters.

Here in Rhiwbina, we love our pets and we interviewed a very special four-legged superstar from Rhiwbina about her career in the limelight!

We have two fantastic pairs of competition tickets up for grabs so be sure to check those out and you may be on your way to see Van Morrison in concert or going to the thrilling Speedway.

With BBQ season upon us, we present some delicious recipe ideas and finally, we celebrate summer with our light-hearted guide to what makes summers in Rhiwbina special.

Please continue to support our wonderful advertisers and enjoy your summer!

Danielle and Patric

Editors

@RhiwbinaLiving www.facebook.com/rhiwbinaliving

What’s on Rhiwbina Summer Festival Saturday 30th June from 11am Rhiwbina Village Rhiwbina Open Gardens Saturday 30th June 12pm-5pm 57 Beulah Road (entry £2.50), 66 Beulah Road (£1.50), 3 Heol-Y-Felin (£1.50),38 Wenallt Road (£1.50) The Game's Afoot Thursday 12th-Saturday 14th July Rhiwbina Memorial Hall

A RATS production of Ken Ludwig's mystery comedy Vintage For Victory Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th July Library Gardens, Whitchurch NGS Garden Open for Charity Sunday 22nd July 11am–4.30pm 50 Pen-y-Dre, Rhiwbina, CF14 6EQ Teas and homemade cakes. Plants for sale. Entry £3, children free

Juboraj Rhiwbina celebrates 20 years of Charity Golf

Juboraj Rhiwbina are celebrating 20 years of their Charity Golf Day this summer.

The first Juboraj Charity Golf Day took place in 1998. Held at Whitchurch Golf Club, it was the brainchild of Juboraj Group Managing Director Ana Miah and Juboraj regular Alan MacNeil. The first event was so successful that the pair decided to make it annual and so with Alan's wife Les as the official scorer, and more recently his daughter Joanna playing a pivotal role in the organising, the popular day has happened every year since.

Last year saw a strong field of 62 players take part in an exhilarating round of golf, and in the Presentation Dinner which was held at the Juboraj in Rhiwbina the same evening. Over £1,000 was raised for Rhiwbina Village Events and for BUEF (Bangladesh UK Environmental Foundation). Over the years, the Golf Day has raised many thousands of pounds for both local and national charities.

The event has been held at various

clubs around South Wales over the years, including Radyr, Llanishen, Glamorganshire and Peterstone.

This year it will take place at its now regular home of Whitchurch Golf Club on the 6th September. A full round of golf will be followed by a buffet meal and presentation at 7.30pm in the Juboraj in Rhiwbina.

Tee off times start at 11.30am and the price is £50 per player. Last year it was Mark Evans who held up the coveted Winner’s Cup and wore the cherished green winner’s jacket. His name is now engraved for all time on the trophy and so it will be up for grabs again in September.

“We would encourage all golfers to take part in what is a fun-filled occasion,” said Ana. “They can enjoy playing the sport they love with friends, eat great food and do some real good for the local community and worthwhile causes at what has become one of the biggest highlights of our year.”

Further details are available from Juboraj Rhiwbina.

Concern at Rhiwbina 'crime wave' Rhiwbina residents are being urged to be on their guard after a recent spate of break-ins, attempted breakins and reports of vandalism to property and cars.

There were recent reports of teenagers drinking alcohol and indiscriminately vandalising cars in Rhiwbina. Residents posted pictures of the vandalism to their cars on social media.

Two males were apprehended in early May after an attempted breakin, but further crimes have been reported over the last few weeks in

the area.

A man was also charged with attempted robbery in May. A cashier at the Spar on Heol Llanishen Fach was serving customers when a man burst in with what appeared to be a gun. The would-be robber was then chased out of the shop by the manager and the cashier, who managed to apprehend and detain him until police arrived.

Residents are being reminded to keep doors and windows locked at night, and to report any suspicious activity going on in the village.

news

Rhiwbina Library to get upgrade

Rhiwbina Library will be upgraded to a Wellbeing Hub under new plans by Cardiff Council.

The proposals state that the library will stay in its present location in Pen-y-Dre, but that the building will be transformed into a Wellbeing Hub as part of a network of similar hubs around Cardiff.

Staff will also receive extra training to deal with a broader range of enquiries. The library will see a small reduction in books on loan, with books that are currently not being used removed from the library. Extra services will be introduced, including a pop-up dementia café. The Jevons Room and open areas will not be affected.

The Hub proposal would keep Rhiwbina Library, albeit under a new name, open and in public hands. Councillors and residents have been told that they will be informed of any changes once they are confirmed.

Rhiwbina councillor Jayne Cowan said that the plans would almost certainly be approved by the Cabinet.

Nearly 500 public libraries have closed around the UK since 2010, as councils find ways to cope with budget cuts. 105 libraries were closed last year alone.

“

Extra services will be introduced, including a popup dementia cafe 3

news

Rhiwbina mum debuts comedy

Rhiwbina mum Claire Erasmus received a standing ovation in June after debuting her comedy, The Hall at the Tramshed.

The play was watched by a packed house and received rapturous applause as the final curtain came down.

Claire told Rhiwbina Living: "I was thrilled that my talented cast took a chance on new writing. They have been a pleasure to work with and we are hoping to bring The Hall to London later in the year."

The show featured the talents of Carrie Hill, Jennie Eggleton and Jodie Hay as the trio of mothers. They were supported by local actors Giles Thomas and young Lucas Heap, who Rhiwbina residents may recognise from Claire's shows at Rhiwbina Memorial Hall.

"Laughter and 'finding the funny' has always been an integral part of me. I have also watched women with babies in armbands saving local swimming pools from closure through peaceful protest. This play is definitely a salute to those female protesters and to the army of women who fight injustice!"

Orf to collect one's medal Rhiwbina resident Mary Clarke will collect her British Empire Medal in July, after being included in the Queen's New Year's Honours list earlier this year.

Mary has already attended a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace and will be collecting her medal at the Mansion House in Cardiff.

Mary will be receiving her award for Services to the Community, including her work relating to Rhiwbina's Flood Defence Scheme.

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Rhiwbina Festival to celebrate Wales' Year of the Sea Rhiwbina's popular Summer Festival will be celebrating the Year of the Sea this month.

The event is the highlight of the community's summer calendar and members of the Rhiwbina Events Committee have been working hard to put on another unforgettable day.

Sue Harding told Rhiwbina Living: "Following the success of last year's parade, we will be bringing it back but this year its theme is to promote Wales' Year Of The Sea. "The theme is a Welsh Tourism initiative but it sits nicely with the Rhiwbina Against Single Plastic campaign and allows us to remind everyone about what our community can do to save our seas and protect our environment."

There will also be another first at this year's festival in the form of a Photo Half-Marathon.

"Sarah Barnes, a local photographer approached us saying she wanted to give something back to the community and has offered to organise this for Festival Day. In summary, the idea is that 6 words will be given to the entrants on the day (all ages can take part) and then they'll have 5 hours to capture pictures that they consider portrays the word."

The day's traditional activities will also take place, including live entertainment, donkey rides,

children's rides, giant inflatables, bungee trampoline, face painting, hot food and drink, ice cream, the Bethany Tea Tent, Pimms in the Parc, magic shows, Punch and Judy, and stalls.

This year's Dog Show starts at 2pm and this year's categories are Best Nautical-themed Sea Dog, Most Waggiest Tail and The Dog That Most Looks Like Its Owner.

There will also be a children's fancy dress prizes for best boy and girl nautical, environmental costumes.

All entrants to meet behind The Edwards & Co Festival Stage on Beulah Road at 12.50pm to join the parade to Parc Y Pentre where judging will take place.

Petition for road safety at Monico A petition has been started to help increase the safety at a Rhiwbina road junction.

Residents are calling for improved pedestrian crossing facilities at the junction of Pantbach Road and Ty'n y Parc Road, commonly known as the Monico.

The petition states: "We call on Cardiff Council to prioritise a scheme to tackle the lack of 4 way pedestrian crossing facilities at Pantbach Road /Ty Wern Road / Ty’n y Parc Road (Monico) Crossroads.

Measures also need to be put in place to prevent cars from mounting the pavement.

"We would like the scheme to be implemented by the end of 2018."

The petition can be found at ipetitions.com

Rhiwbina leads plastic-free revolution Following the ‘Rhiwbina Against Plastic’ campaign, launched by Anna McMorrin MP and local resident Naomi England last month, Rhiwbina Village is now the first community in Cardiff to be plastic straw free.

Efforts are now being made to encourage other communities of Cardiff to ditch their reliance on single-use plastics. The UK is estimated to use nearly 5 million tonnes of plastic each year.

library

Cycling Saturday

Cycling Saturday was a hit with both proficient and novice riders.

Steve and Vicky from Cardiff Social Cycling led a guided cycle ride around the village, while cycle mechanics from Cardiff Council's Road Safety team carried out free bike safety checks. Whitchurch Cycling Club also tested young riders’ skills with an obstacle course.

Cardiff Cycle City were on hand to advise and encourage riders while Miss Tilley's Café served up delicious cakes throughout the day.

Thanks to all who took part. We’re hoping to make this an annual event.

Jigsaw Library

Our Jigsaw Library is open every Saturday (10am -12.30pm) and we’ve also introduced extra sessions during the school holidays. Our fame is spreading! We’ve had families come from as far afield as Caerphilly and The Vale to borrow puzzles.

Inspired by the The Beano comic’s 80th anniversary, the theme for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge is ‘Mischief Makers’. With that in mind, we’re on the lookout for donations of puzzles featuring iconic comic characters.

We’re planning to create a photo collage of jigsaws you’ve enjoyed (or hated!) doing. Send photos of completed puzzles to friendsofrhiwbinalibrary@gmail.com

Gardening Day

While young gardeners were enjoying a variety of activities in the Jevons Room (special thanks must go to Annette), the ‘Bring and Buy’ plant sale was in full swing downstairs. Thanks to all who brought and bought plants and swapped gardening expertise.

It made for a lively and sociable morning.

Ps. Would the courageous gardener who took on the challenge of the GIGANTIC Himalayan Honeysuckle, keep us posted?

Library News All the latest news and events from Rhiwbina Library

What's On July

Friday 6th: Children’s Book Club 4pm-4.45pm Saturday 14th: Launch of the Summer Reading Challenge Monday 16th: Read Aloud (for adults) 3pm–4pm Tuesday 17th: Book Launch – Jo Verity/Griffiths 7.30pm Wednesday 18th: Goldies ‘Sing & Smile’ 10.30am–11.30am Wednesday 25th: Quiz & Cuppa 3.30pm £2 Friday 27th: Children’s Pottery Throwing 10am–noon

August

Friday 3rd: Children’s Art Workshop with Eric Heyman 10am–noon. Free but ticketed event Saturday 4th: Rhiwbina Camera Club 60th Anniversary Exhibition Tuesday 14th: Art Workshop for adults with Eric Heyman 7.30pm9pm £6 Wednesday 15th: Goldies ‘Sing & Smile’ 10.30am–11.30am (Look out for additional Reading Challenge events throughout August)

September

Friday 7th: Children’s Book Club 4pm4.45pm Monday 17th: Read Aloud (for adults) 3pm–4pm Wednesday 19th: Goldies ‘Sing & Smile’ 10.30am–11.30am Wednesday 26th: Quiz & Cuppa 3.30pm £2

October

Tuesday 9th: ‘So You Think You Can Drive?’ Dave Lewis 7pm Tuesday 23rd: ‘Real Cardiff: The Flourishing City’ Peter Finch 7.30pm Wednesday 31th: Quiz & Cuppa 3.30pm £2

November

Tuesday 20th: 'Having a Go at the Kaiser' - A Welsh family at war. Gethin Mathews Wednesday 28th: Quiz & Cuppa 3.30pm £2

Get Involved

If you have suggestions for events or would be willing to give a talk/ demonstration on an interesting topic, please get in touch. Most importantly, support Rhiwbina Library by coming along to our events. Why not become a ‘Friend’?

Membership is free to all.

Contact Us

Become a ‘Friend’ or if you have any comments/suggestions, get in touch.

Email: friendsofrhiwbinalibrary@ gmail.com or leave your details in the ‘Friends’ box at the library desk.

Website: friendsofrhiwbinalibrary. weebly.com You’ll also find us on Facebook and we tweet @FoRhiwbinaLib

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The Yea r of the S ea

The

Rhiwbina Summer Festival A SUMMER FESTIVAL OF LIVE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT, FOOD, SHOPPING, COMPETITIONS, LAUGHTER AND LOTS, LOTS MORE!

30 june 18 th

RHIWBINA VILLAGE, CARDIFF 11am-6pm

PARADE | DONKEY RIDES | CRAZY GOLF | BUNGEE TRAMPOLINE | CHILDREN'S RIDES | STALLS | FOOD | COMPETITIONS | INFLATABLES | MAGIC SHOW DOG SHOW | LIVE MUSIC | PUNCH & JUDY BAKE OFF | ART | DANCE | FACE PAINTING

Airpro Systems | Andy Allen Printers | Calon Rhiwbeina | Coco Hair & Beauty | Edwards & Co Estate Agents | Garden Village Garage | Haus Contemporary Furnishings | Heath Vets | JA Hughes Solicitors | Juboraj Rhiwbina | Lazron Matia Joinery | Nest Vintage Living | Patios and Paving Cardiff Ltd | Rayboulds Butchers | Rhiwbina Baptist Church/Olive Branch | Rhiwbina Dental Surgery | Rhiwbina Living Magazine | Rhiwbina Plumbing & Heating Ltd | Rhiwbina Recreation Club | Serenade | Signor Barbers | SJ Autos | Snails | Sphere Solutions | Structural Systems Wales | The Art Workshop | The Butcher’s Arms | The Olive Branch | Tree Control | Victoria Fearn Gallery | Word of Mouth Maintenance

The parc-y-pentre arena 11.30 Magic Show 12.30 Punch and Judy 13.00 African Drummers 13.30 Arrival of the Parade 13.45 Children's fancy dress judging and winners announced 14.00 The Dog Show 14.30 Magic Show

16.00 Tug Of War Competition Gather a team of 8 adults and register by messaging Rhiwbina Village Events on Facebook

Festival Stage Acts (sponsored by Edwards & Co)

The Festival Stage on Beulah Road opens at 11am with DJ Sparky Marky. There will be performances by:

Sway Dance, India Dance Company, Suzanne Scale School of Performing Arts, Mundo Dance, Cardiff Rock Choir, Popstars, EK Wood Dance, Kinetic Theatre Arts, The Verge and Piping Hot. 1pm 'Wales 2018 The Year Of The Sea' Festival Parade 5pm Live Band - State of Fame

rhiwbina PHOTO HALF MARATHON An exciting first for our festival and kindly being organised

by Rhiwbina photographer Sarah Barnes Photography.

The photo half marathon needs you to take 6 pictures that you think capture the 6 specified topics around Rhiwbina on Festival Day. Whether it's a digital camera or your phone, each must have an empty memory card and you must bring a compatible USB for downloading on the day.

There are just 30 places up for grabs for people of all ages and if you want to enter you need to register at www. eventbrite.com (search for Rhiwbina photo half marathon).

It costs £5 to enter with all proceeds going to Rhiwbina Village Events.

A FULL PROGRAMME OF EVENTS IS AVAILABLE FROM RHIWBINA BUSINESSES WHO WILL BE RUNNING THEIR OWN COMPETITIONS AND FOOD & DRINK ON FESTIVAL DAY - POP IN AND SAY HELLO! Follow us on Facebook at 'Rhiwbina Village Events' or Twitter at @RhiwbinaC ROAD CLOSURES: The following roads will be closed on Saturday 30th June from 9am to 9pm: Beulah Road from the crossroads with Heol-y-Deri to Heol y Felin; Pen-y-Dre from the crossroads with Heol-y-Deri to Lon-y-Dail

CAN YOU HELP? We need marshalls to help on the day. If you can help, please contact Simon Poulson on 07810 791473 or by email at simon.poulson@talk21.com

Mini Ambassadors Our Mini Ambassadors have been working with Anna McMorrin as part of the campaign to reduce the use of single use plastics in school and our village. Pupils were filmed by the BBC and have led assemblies for the whole school.

Well done Ambassadors!

Schools News

All the latest success stories from Rhiwbeina Primary School Reception

Year 2

Reception visited Rhiwbina Library this half term. They had a great morning looking at books, learning how the library works and listening to stories. The teachers were very proud of your grown up behaviour and interest in books.

Year 2 have been keeping the teachers cool in the sun by making ice drinks as part of their technology project. The children researched the teachers' favourite flavours, colours and holidays before making a mocktail.

The teachers tasted the drinks and gave their feedback about appearance and taste. There were a few very interesting tastes!

Girls Football

Year 1 Year 1 brought our learning to life with a visit from @dino4hire as part of their topic ‘Stomp Chomp Roar!’ project. We had a super day learning facts about dinosaurs and looking at artefacts and even met a T-Rex!

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In June, we were lucky enough to host a Girls Football Tournament and played against 7 other fantastic teams from our neighbouring schools. The Rhiwbina teams loved the competition and wearing their new kit.

Well done to the winners from TonYr-Ywen Primary School.

Eco Committee Last half term, the Eco Committee teamed up with Keep Wales Tidy to complete a community litter pick around Rhiwbina Village and the local area. The children filled 11 bags of rubbish in 2 hours! We're hoping to keep up this effort each term to keep our lovely village clean and tidy.

Family Fun Run A family Fun Run was held at the school in May. There were two races - one at 1k and another at 5k.

Lots of people turned out for the run and there were lots of medals handed out at the end.

There was a barbecue and refreshments afterwards too,

schools

Llanishen Fach Primary May saw our annual Outdoor Classroom Day, during which we celebrated the rich range of contexts and opportunities we provide for our pupils in our common goal to make learning irresistible.

By providing outdoor learning opportunities, through play and exploration, we are equipping our pupils with critical life skills such as resilience, team-working and creativity, while not losing sight of what it means to be a child.

We have recently extended our play areas and gardens by establishing informal builders' yards, mud kitchens, beaches and play houses. Recently our neighbours would have seen a Sunday working party of parents, pupils and staff labouring to make these areas engaging and stimulating. The flexibility of these spaces is the key to them becoming successful resources that will facilitate and enhance children’s play. Children are hugely imaginative so only time will tell how these areas develop.

As we extend our play areas and gardens, it encourages our pupils to engage in varied types of play which can involve sustained concentration,

creative experiences, team building, co-operation, effective communication, increased sharing and negotiation, problem solving, and experiential learning. Through such play, our pupils discover how to manage their own level of risk, and also learn how to develop the ability to assess risks for themselves.

Our play areas and gardens provide an environment that enables children to play in a way that they choose. This may be by themselves, in large or small groups, or with children who perhaps they would not normally play with, encouraging greater inclusion in the play space.

Our grounds continue to evolve and transform as we listen to our learners and engage with their ideas, motivations and discoveries, favouring evolution over fixed thinking. Outdoor learning improves our children’s health, engages them with learning and leads to a greater connection with nature.

We now need to know when to step back and trust our children more, to let them independently make, break and rediscover. To do this, we must acknowledge their need to explore the boundaries while exercising their natural sense of self preservation.

Why are we promoting outdoor learning?

We believe that play is at the heart of children’s lives and that their well-being and development benefits from the freedoms it provides.

With this in mind, we

continue to develop and improve on the opportunities we provide to learn through play.

How we developed our outdoor learning into an area of ‘best practice’ Three years ago, we started our journey when we looked at concerns we had about how our playtime, in common with schools across the country, didn’t always meet the needs of some of our pupils. We had noticed that a few children didn’t like ball games and struggled to join social groups.

We asked the question 'What can we do with our grounds that would stimulate and raise self-esteem and promote a sense of ownership and companionship through inclusion?'

From this, an unused strip of earth was identified and provided with seemingly abandoned building materials and random items such as tyres, netting, barrel and pallets.

The success of this unstructured and undirected resource, which quickly became known as Lamby Way, suggested opportunities to extend outdoor provision alongside our developing outdoor learning curriculum.

But don’t take our word for it!

Following a recent visit from the ESTYN school inspectors to undertake a ‘best practice’ case study, they noted that at Llanishen Fach: 'Meaningful experiences provide rich contexts to deepen learning that embrace pupil voice to ensure that learning is irresistible.*' * Quote taken from ‘Matching the curriculum for Wales to school values and teacher aspirations.’ ESTYN May 2018

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r o F e Vintag l a v i t s e F y r o Vict Live Music

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Vintage for Victory Festival Inspired by the romance and glamour of vintage fashion and nostalgia, we are delighted to announce the return of the Vintage For Victory weekend to The Library Gardens in Whitchurch Village this July

Live music

The hub of the Vintage for Victory Festival is the NAAFI Tent, where you will be able to see and hear some fantastic vintage-inspired performers, with plenty to get your feet tapping. If you are feeling brave, get out there and dance the day away!

Whitchurch welcomes the return of the Vintage For Victory Festival this summer.

Set in the past, the unique festival celebrates all that was great from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. It is an opportunity to dress up to the nines in timeless style, among a crowd of people doing the same.

The festival’s organisers said: “Vintage For Victory has quickly become one of the highlights of the local festival scene over the last two years. This summer, we've introduced camping facilities to the event, which will be located a few minutes away from the main arena and where the exclusive after-party will take place."

There will be plenty to see and do over the weekend, amid a very musical backdrop. Taking centre stage is the NAAFI Tent, which will once again be home to live music from vintage-inspired performers.

There will be plenty of toe-tapping music to dance to, as well as jive lessons for beginners.

Away from the main tent, there will be an array of vintage emporiums to browse, as well as a wide range of great food and drink stalls.

There will also be a formation of vintage military vehicles on display, including full-scale replicas of a Spitfire and a Hurricane. Cars and bikes from the 1940s, 50s and 60s will also be on show and a fly-by from a Dakota is planned for the Sunday.

And don't forget to dress up for the occasion. The good news is that you don't have to spend a fortune to join in with the fun. The 40's, 50's and 60's were all key periods for fashion, much of which wouldn't look out of place on the high street today.

Street Food and Drink

The best artisan street food and drinks vendors are on offer to add to a great day out. From crêpes and steak burgers to tea and ales - we’ve got the lot!

Sat 14th July 2017 10am until 9pm Campsite After-Party 9.30pm 11.30pm Sun 15th July 2017 10am until 9pm Tickets are on sale via www.vintagforvictory.co.uk where there are discounts for early bookings and 'Weekender' tickets.

Child under 12 FREE with a paying adult. 10% of ticket sales go to Cancer Research Wales.

www.vintageforvictory.co.uk

Vintage Emporium

Come and browse our great selection of vintage inspired retailers. There’s plenty to tempt you here so come prepared to shop. Clothes, home décor, upcycled furniture, beauticians and hair dressers are all here.

people

Rhys griffiths: the fireman who became an author He's a Whitchurch firefighter and a former professional football player. But now Rhys Griffiths is a published children's author with his new book Billy's Grandad and the Search for Horris. This is his story If you ever hear a fire engine racing through Whitchurch or Llandaff, there's a good chance that firefighter Rhys Griffiths will be on board.

Rhys is a former professional footballer who has played for the likes of Plymouth Argyle, and has been the Welsh Premier League's top scorer on seven occasions. A three-time winner of the league's Player of the Year award, Rhys has also been capped six times by Wales at semi-professional level.

These days, as well as managing a Welsh Football League Division One team in Bridgend, you'll find him working out of Whitchurch Fire Station.

"I've been nuts about football since I was a kid. All I ever wanted to be was either a footballer or a fireman and I'm lucky enough to have done both."

Rhys's professional football career started in 2001 when he joined Cwmbran Town. After stints at Haverfordwest, Carmarthen and Port Talbot, he joined Plymouth Argyle for the 2012/13 season before signing for Newport County.

"I helped Newport get to the playoffs at Wembley that year which was nice. Sadly, I was injured by the time we got to Wembley but we defeated Wrexham 2–0 and

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returned to the Football League after a 25-year absence with promotion to League Two." Throughout most of his football career, Rhys has also been working as a fireman, first in Penarth and now based here in Whitchurch.

"I’ve been working as a firefighter since 2005. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do as I like to help people. There’s a lot of variety to the job – you never know what’s going to come next. One minute you could be sat having a meal or writing up a report, the next you’re flying out of the door to deal with a fire.

"I tried getting into the service initially in 2003. There were a lot of strikes on at that time and the application process took about 18 months, a lot longer than it usually does. Worse still, I failed to get in after that long wait and I was left devastated as it was something I was so passionate about."

Rhys took the rejection hard but inspiration came from two close members of his family.

"It was my grandparents who eventually phoned me a few years later to let me know that the fire service was recruiting again. After the hurt of the previous application, I was very unsure. I didn't know if I could put myself through that again

and be given the same outcome.

It was my grandmother who talked me back into it. ‘Give it a go,’ she said.

So I did.

And four months later, I was a firefighter. I had my grandfather and grandmother to thank for encouraging me because if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be doing what I am doing now for a job."

Grandfather William died a few years ago and his death hit all the grandchildren hard as the family all shared a close relationship over the years, especially as Rhys was growing up.

"My grandparents played a massive role in my upbringing.

I always think that there are two types of grandfather – the old grumpy types who are always moaning; then there’s the lovely, kind ones who’d do anything for

you. My grandfather was one of the latter. I have so many wonderful memories of him and my nan. She still lives in Rhiwbina.

"I remember him taking me down to his cellar many times and there he’d show me his ‘pet’ spider called Horris. Horris lived for about 25 years and in that time, he changed shape, colour and size. It wasn’t until I grew up and was told that spiders can live for about 2 years that I realised that Horris wasn’t in fact one spider, but a series of spiders over the years.

"My grandad died aged 82 but had been fit and healthy all of his life.

He served in the Army and did a lot with his life, something I've always tried to emulate."

Rhys has made sure that the memory of William lives on. In a series of events over the last year, Rhys has managed to become a published children's author - and his book has been dedicated to William's memory.

"I’ve got a photo of my grandparents up in my house and my two young boys kept asking about it. I felt that I needed to give my kids some context to the people in the photo.

"One night, I was putting the kids to bed and instead of reading them a usual story, I recalled the time that my grandfather took me down the cellar and showed me his pet spider Horris. A few nights later, my son asked me to tell him the story again so this time I had to write it down.

I retold the story several times a week so I started creating drawings on my iPad to go with it. Within a few weeks, I'd created my first book.

"It was obviously a rough version but my kids loved it and I thought about getting it published. Eventually, I got in touch with a publishing house who said that they’d put it in their catalogue.

The book needed a complete revamp though so I worked with the publishing house to get the book ready.

"The entire process took about 6 months. There was an editor working on the text and I also worked with an illustrator, which was my favourite bit. I'd draw a rough version and send it off and I'd then get a professional version sent back. Every time

the pictures came back to me to look over, I got more and more excited. It was great seeing the images that I had in my head coming to life."

Rhys had the most ardent of fans and critics in his two young boys: "Kids really are the best critics. I’d created drawings of my grandad for the book. There was one illustration in particular of my grandad winking to the reader at the end. My four year old looked at it and asked me why he had one eye closed. It hadn’t occurred to me that a four year old might not understand the concept of winking. It made me rethink about the audience I was writing for and I had to put myself in their shoes for the rest of the process."

The book was finally submitted for publication and Rhys will be officially launching it in the summer.

"I’ve had a few copies sent to me and my first job was to give a copy to my nan. Even if I do nothing else with the books, all the time and effort that I put into it was worth it just to see my nan’s face when she saw the book.

"I'll be officially publishing on June 30th at the Rhiwbina Festival but the book can be pre-ordered from Rowanvalebooks.com and Amazon. A limited number of copies are also available at the Little People Store in Rhiwbina.

"If someone had told me when I was a kid that I'd end up publishing a children's book, I wouldn't have believed them. In school, we always had comprehension drilled into us.

The problem for me was that it all focused on things that I had no interest in whatsoever. English lessons always centred around stories that had no relevance to me. Now if they'd given me a match report for a football game and questioned me on that, I'd have been able to answer all the questions, and get them all right.

"I always had a great imagination as a kid so I think that's helped

I want the book

to be a

lasting

tribute

because I was able to use that when it came to creating my book.

I was always a daydreamer in school but of course, the teachers always wanted you to do what they said. You can't get qualifications in daydreaming though can you?"

Rhys's pride in his publication is apparent but is also tempered perhaps with a little bit of shyness.

"I'm no English literature student but I've managed to publish my own book, which is something that I thought I'd never do.

"I’ve left the possibility of subsequent books open, just in case I do want to produce more.

I’ll also continue being a fireman because it’s a job that I have found rewarding."

Meanwhile, Rhys also continues his other passion of football as manager of Pen-y-Bont FC in Bridgend.

"Being a football manager takes a lot of dedication and devotion. But football is such a big part of me that I can't imagine my life without it. My book is a totally different part of my professional life but it's one that I felt I wanted to do.

"Now that I’ve written it, the next step is to market it. There are a few channels I’ll be using but as long as I break even, I’ll be a happy man.

I've wanted this book to be a lasting tribute to my grandfather and even if nothing comes of it, at least I will have had a go. That's all my grandad would have asked of me."

You can buy Rhys's book at https://amzn.to/2Ih6x7z and from www.rowanvalebooks.com

15

!

W O N

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We are delighted to be part of Rhiwbina Village and want to thank you all for a very warm welcome!

Coopers 10 Beulah Road, Rhiwbina 02920 625940 Coopers 25 High Street, Caerleon 01633 422138 www.coopersvintage.co.uk mail@coopersvintage.co.uk

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02921 671120

Rhiwbina’s longest-established shop first opened its doors in 1972. The Flower Lodge has provided exclusively-designed flowers for high profile events like the Royal Variety Show, the corporate world, as well as thousands of individuals WHY FLOWER LODGE IS SO WELL LOVED Flowers and creativity

Owner Tracy Bell has worked at the Flower Lodge for 22 years, having developed in interest in floristry as a teenager. She worked under the two previous owners and bought the business in 2001.

The Flower Lodge offers a truly personal and unique service, creating designs exclusively for customers and can offer a wide range of gift ideas.

“I love creating unique designs for people as everyone wants something different.

We have established relationships with good suppliers so we can ensure the best quality flowers. Rhiwbina is a special place and I know most people by name now, but I also love getting out and about and decorating venues for weddings and other events.”

Owner, Tracy Bell

FLOWERS AND PLANTS

WORKSHOPS

Whatever you need

Learn a new skill

Seasonal workshops are offered throughout the year, including Vintage Hand-Tied Flowers, Table Arranging and Christmas Wreaths. You can make private bookings for evening classes, which include Prosecco - ideal for birthdays or hen nights.

We provide flowers for weddings, birthdays, funerals and events, designed exclusively and uniquely for you. The best quality flowers are bought seasonally and a range of trending plants is available.

OUTDOORS

We stock Royal Botanical Kew Garden pots and Burgon & Ball products that will add colour and luxury to your garden

BAXTER BELL

Products inspired by Baxter the Border Terrier, Rhiwbina’s four-legged entrepreneur collars, leads and bandanas!

CANDLES

Our own brand candles are inspired by nature, and are environmentally and vegan-friendly

4 Beulah Road, Rhiwbina CF14 6LX www.flowerlodge.co.uk

NEAL’S YARD

A range of natural, safe and organic, beauty skin, hair and body care products for all the family, available to order

02920 627587

kids

What we like to do in the summer Evie aged 7

When it comes to taking the kids out over the summer holidays, sometimes it's hard to think of ideas. So we asked the kids of Rhiwbina where they like to go and why. Here’s what they said Lily aged 7 Where is your favourite place to go to in the summer holidays?

Penarth beach.

What is it about this place that you like?

I like going fossil hunting with my dad and my mum.

What do you think is the main appeal for children?

Throwing stones into the water.

What is your favourite thing to do when you are there?

Look for fossils! I always find one.

What age range do you think it would appeal to?

Maybe older than 3 because it’s hard to walk on the rocks.

Out of 5 possible stars how many stars would you give this place?

Because I found my first fossil there, I would give it AAAAA

18

Where is your favourite place to go to in the summer holidays?

Cardiff Bay Beach.

What is it about this place that you like?

I like it because it's got loads of fun stuff like hook-a-duck and there is a beach and a pool there.

What do you think is the main appeal for children?

The pool and the beach.

What is your favourite thing to do when you are there?

Spend time with my friend Lily; we love the bungee trampolines.

What age range do you think it would appeal to?

All ages.

Out of 5 possible stars how many stars would you give this place?

AAAAA

Holly aged 10 Where is your favourite place to go to in the summer holidays?

Go Air. What is it about this place that you like?

There are a lot of different things to do.

What do you think is the main appeal for children?

The foam pits are a big attraction.

What is your favourite thing to do when you are there?

Playing dodgeball with friends.

What age range do you think it would appeal to?

6-18.

Out of 5 possible stars how many stars would you give this place?

AAAAA

Lucy aged 13

Ben aged 7

Where is your favourite place to go to in the summer holidays?

Swimming at Cardiff International Pool.

What is it about this place that you like?

I enjoy swimming to keep fit and at the same time, socialising with friends.

What do you think is the main appeal for children?

The slides and the lazy river.

What is your favourite thing to do when you are there?

Meeting up with friends.

What age range do you think it would appeal to?

All ages.

Out of 5 possible stars how many stars would you give this place?

Where is your favourite place to go to in the summer holidays?

Going to the cinema and bowling in Nantgarw.

What is it about this place that you like?

Lots of different things to try out, which I enjoy.

What do you think is the main appeal for children?

Lots of things to do and have fun.

What is your favourite thing to do when you are there?

Trying to get a 'strike' in ten pin bowling and watching my favourite movies.

What age range do you think it would appeal to?

4-19.

Out of 5 possible stars how many stars would you give this place?

AAAAA

AAAAA

Rosie aged 7

Elizabeth aged 10

Where is your favourite place to go to in the summer holidays?

To Mountain View Ranch.

What is it about this place that you like?

Because it’s outside and there is a unicorn, fairies and baby dragons.

What do you think is the main appeal for children?

There is loads of exciting stuff to do there.

What is your favourite thing to do when you are there?

To look out for the fairies.

What age range do you think it would appeal to?

All ages.

Out of 5 possible stars how many stars would you give this place?

Where is your favourite place to go to in the summer holidays?

The Pantmawr Inn on a sunny day.

What is it about this place that you like?

The beer (lol). The beer garden.

What do you think is the main appeal for children?

The beer (lol again). No, the lovely relaxed atmosphere (because most of the parents are a bit tiddly!) And the food is scrumptious.

What is your favourite thing to do when you are there?

Play bulldogs with my friends.

What age range do you think it would appeal to?

All ages. I mean, who doesn't like a nice cold pint on a sunny day? (of lemonade)!

Out of 5 possible stars how many stars would you give this place?

AAAAA

AAAAA

James aged 8

Zara aged 7

Where is your favourite place to go to in the summer holidays?

Caedelyn Park.

What is it about this place that you like?

I practice football there with my dad.

What do you think is the main appeal for children?

There's a kids play area there with a seesaw - most kids like to go on the seesaw.

What is your favourite thing to do when you are there?

My favourite thing is to play football with my dad.

What age range do you think it would appeal to?

Ages 3-10.

Out of 5 possible stars how many stars would you give this place?

Where is your favourite place to go to in the summer holidays?

Bluestone.

What is it about this place that you like?

Going on the buggies and swimming.

What do you think is the main appeal for children?

Lots of activities and shows.

What is your favourite thing to do when you are there?

Arts and crafts and swimming.

What age range do you think it would appeal to?

All ages.

Out of 5 possible stars how many stars would you give this place?

AAAA

AAAAA

19

The Art Workshop Art courses for all abilities

Join one of our friendly classes taught by a team of qualified tutors Drawing Classic and contemporary

Oil Painting The versatile medium Watercolour Bring your paintings to life Printmaking Collograph and linocut magic Experimental Acrylics Try out the latest techniques

One Day Acrylics Workshops August 25th & 30th 10am-4pm

Creative Kids Holiday Workshops

July 30th - August 16th (Mon - Thurs) £18 (Ages 7-13) Adult Courses · Young Artists Art Academy (ages 7-12) · Private tuition · Group and Corporate Events

3 Lon Fach, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6DY For timetable and booking see w: www.theartworkshop.co.uk e: theartworkshop@live.co.uk t: 07947 003111

14a BEULAH ROAD, RHIWBINA WWW.LITTLEPEOPLESTORE.CO.UK

St John’s College, Cardiff A leading independent day school for boys & girls aged 3-18 Choir School to Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral

Clever shoes for smart kids

Welsh Independent Secondary School of the Year 2017 The Sunday Times - Parent Power

St John’s College, Cardiff a leading independent day school for boys & girls aged 3-18

Top School in Wales at A level for the 14th Successive Year Exceptional A level results 2017 A*/A - 83%

Children’s shoe shop supplying leading brands. Our fitters take time and care to ensure the best fit for your child.

A*/B - 98%

Pass Rate -100%

!

Estyn Inspection Report - ‘Excellent’

!

including the seldom awarded 'Excellent' for Standards of Teaching (2012) Nursery & Infants - Juniors - Seniors - Sixth Form Wraparound care - 8.00am to 6.00pm - Mon to Fri

Ogam Igam, 5 Royal Buildings, Penarth CF64 3EB t: 029 20704254 w: www.ogamigam.com

Admissions Admissions a visit:!to arrange a visit: ! Please contactPlease !contact !! ! to ! arrange !

www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com

029 2077 8936

www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com Charity No. 701294

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@SJCCardiff

Charity No. 70

Lasting Powers of Attorney

by Emyr Pierce Many of us have unfortunately experienced the effect which becoming either physically, or mentally incapable of managing their own affairs may have on the lives of loved ones.

It is increasingly important for all of us to consider who we would wish to manage our affairs should we become physically or mentally incapable to do so for ourselves as a result of illness, old age, or injury.

The creation of Lasting Powers of Attorney would enable you in such circumstances to appoint reliable and trustworthy individuals of your choice to manage your Property and Financial affairs, and also make decisions regarding your Health and Welfare.

The Health and Welfare LPA authorises the Attorney to deal with all matters involving the medical and welfare issues of the Donor, also granting the Donor the opportunity to authorise (or not as the case may be) the Attorney to give a direction on behalf of the Donor for the “ceasing of life sustaining treatment”.

It also deals with arrangements made for the Donor’s Care, and covers such matters as Nursing Home Care, packages for Care in the Home, and dealing with Social Services generally at a time when a lack of funding can cause disputes between the Authorities and relatives regarding the level of Care for a loved one.

When deciding on whom to appoint as your Attorneys, the obvious candidates pick themselves, as they are often those children or relatives who have already been caring for, or managing, the day to day needs of the Donor.

Executing an LPA will give those individuals the critical

legal right to act on the Donor’s behalf.

Great care and consideration should be given to those less obvious candidates as the power given by these documents is substantial, and potentially dangerous in the wrong hands.

You are advised to consider appointing more than one Attorney to ensure that, if your Attorney pre-deceases you, or loses capacity, then there would be no need to go through the whole process all over again. You are able to nominate, ‘Replacement Attorneys’ in the event that your Attorney, or Attorneys, may have either pre-deceased you, or are not able to carry out their duties as your Attorney, for whatever reason.

A critical change introduced by the LPA process is the compulsory requirement to register the LPA first and before it is valid, and capable of being used. This registration process involves a fee, currently £82 for each LPA. Together with a further requirement to notify at least one person of your intention to execute an LPA, and who has a statutory period in which to object if the Donor is deemed to have been unduly influenced, this results in the registration process taking, on average, up to 3 months from the date of their execution before they can be validly used by the Attorney.

Accordingly, it is very important to decide early should you wish to execute these documents in order to avoid either untimely delays in the future, or the absence of this legal authorisation should an Attorney need to act quickly.

At Emyr Pierce Solicitors, we recognise the importance of these documents and their potential cost to the Donor, and that these costs may prove to be a deterrent.

We have therefore introduced fixed price packages for individuals and married couples with an emphasis on the need to process applications as cost-effectively and as quickly as possible.

emyr pierce solicitors Our services include:

Experienced solicitors based in the heart of the village 6 days a week Monday - Friday 9am-5.30pm and Saturdays 10am-4pm

• Residential Property • Commercial Property • Wills and Estate Planning • Estate Administration and Probate • Lasting Powers of Attorney • Landlord and Tenant

1 Heol-y-Deri, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6HA

02920 616002

www.emyrpierce.co.uk

Leanne Hugglestone: The diagnosis that led to my life-changing birthday present "I dug these beds myself last year so that I could enjoy my garden this year."

Leanne Hugglestone is sat in the sunny garden that she's created.

And she has a story to tell.

Her story is a rather special one and the events of six years ago changed her life forever.

"In May 2012, I was working in the IT department at Companies House and had recently split from my boyfriend. I wasn't overly concerned about the lump that I had found in my breast but I got it checked out anyway. Even the doctor was about to dismiss it as nothing until I told her that my grandmother had died of primary breast cancer and secondary lung cancer at the age of 39.

"So my doctor referred me to get a biopsy. My response to the situation was more practical than emotional.

I tried to figure out the next steps rather than have a meltdown. In my head, I tired to work out the percentages of survival if I did have cancer, preparing for the worst but hoping for the best."

Leanne was potentially facing a deadly disease but her survival instincts were quick to kick in.

"I went for my diagnosis with a flowchart that I'd prepared. The first question on it was 'Is it cancer?'.

From there, I worked out what I'd need to do in each outcome. The specialist at Llandough Hospital was brilliant and told me straight away that it was cancer so I

22

went through all my questions methodically. Within 24 hours, I had a nurse at my house. My mum and sister were there too which was useful because it was going to affect them as well."

If a diagnosis of cancer wasn't lifechanging enough, what happened next certainly was.

"The following day, the nurse came back and asked me the question 'Do you want children?' I was a bit taken aback and asked her what she meant. She could see that I was single and career-minded but said that she needed to know as chemotherapy can bring on early menopause and can affect your fertility.

"I'd always thought that babies would play some part in my life but I hadn't considered things seriously until then. In all honesty, I thought that I'd have my treatment and be back to work within 4 weeks, allowing me to get on with my life."

The reality though was very different.

"She informed me that I'd have 6 months of chemo followed by radiation treatment. And if I wanted any children, I'd need to get some eggs frozen before any of that started."

For Leanne, the realisation of her situation was beginning to hit home very quickly.

"My eggs were frozen and a week later, I was having bloods done for my chemo. The chemo treatment took me through to the

end of November 2012 and then in December, I started radiotherapy. At the end, I was given some tablets and that was that."

With Leanne's treatment coming to an end, she began tentatively looking towards the future. But it wasn't straightforward.

"By the time February 2013 came round, I was asking myself ‘what happens next?' I’ve got no weekly appointments to go to. Could I go back to work? I had to go back to work because I was financially crippled, not having any critical illness cover or relevant insurance.

Everything was going on credit cards and overdrafts.

"My birthday was in the February so I arranged a party. It was a sort of end of chemo/birthday party. I then went back in work in May. "Going back to work was strange because having had cancer, I was now officially classed as disabled.

My managers were really good, but I felt that I’d lost my knowledge and skills. The guy I’d been teaching the year before was now teaching me things."

Leanne was not one for sitting around feeling sorry for herself though. In fact, she threw herself into her work.

"As part of my management degree, I was aware that Companies House was allowed to give each member of staff a day off to do voluntary work. With nearly 1,000 members of staff working there, I realised the big difference that we

people

could make to the community. I brought this to the attention of my managers, who put me in charge of this new volunteering project. We then had a new boss who asked me to go work for her delivering Corporate Social Responsibility. We invited people from all over the UK and became an authority on the subject. The Chief Executive loved it so much that he doubled the amount of volunteering to two days a year for everyone."

Despite all her success in work and the plaudits she was getting, Leanne was struggling personally.

"At that time, I was having counselling with Tenovus. The counsellor said that I had more of a male brain because I dealt with things practically rather than emotionally. But it would catch up with me. If I heard a particular song on the radio, I'd end up crying for one or two days.

"It was about 9 or 10 months later that my genetic tests came back and they told me that I had an 80% chance of the cancer recurring. They said that I'd need to start thinking about preventative surgery – in particular, a double mastectomy and an oophorectomy, which is the removal of my ovaries."

The news came as a big blow for Leanne, especially since she was still single and harboured hopes of raising a family when she met the right person.

"I started writing a blog as a way of dealing with my situation, and also because there was nothing on the internet for young women with breast cancer. I had got to a point where I stopped telling people how I felt because it all sounded so repetitive. Many of the friends I thought I could count on had disappeared and it was often the people who were just acquaintances who were there for me."

In May 2014, Leanne's story was picked up by ITV, who wanted to feature her as she underwent the double mastectomy that she'd opted for as a preventative measure.

"Sadly, one implant failed and I had to have emergency surgery. I remember worrying as I'd used up all my sick leave at work and had no one to lean on. But my thoughts then turned to my future and my concern that I may never have children as I was still single."

Leanne decided to try for a baby using donor sperm.

"I was allowed three attempts at IVF, but the original collection of my eggs had already counted as one. Sadly, the two actual attempts at IVF didn't work. This all took months and involved lots of injections. Just when I thought perhaps it was not going to happen, IUI was suggested. It was quite amusing because the doctor came in and set up the syringe, wished me good luck and told me that they'd be back in 20 minutes. They could have taken me to dinner beforehand I guess but that's life!

"The doctor then told me to do a pregnancy test 16 days later, which was my birthday.

"The first thing I did that day was take three tests. All of them told me that I was pregnant. I couldn't believe it. Being practically minded, I then started worrying about how I was going to manage now that I had a baby on the way – but I knew that I could do it and that we'd be ok."

Leanne gave birth to baby Thea in the autumn of 2016.

“It was a bit surreal, I couldn’t believe it,” she says. "Thea is now a headstrong and independent little girl. She wants to help. If I go out into the garden to give it a tidy, she'll come out of her own accord and help me. She even helps put the bins out for me. She is my shadow."

Juggling many aspects of her life is now Leanne's main focus.

"I've been dealing with the baby not sleeping and having to be her sole carer. I'm now working parttime and looking to build a future.

Life is challenging though. Even getting things like life insurance is a struggle. It's taken me a long time to get cover. Getting a decent bra is also another big problem. A lot of shops make out that they're doing a lot for cancer charities but when it actually comes to making a bra for someone with a prosthesis, all they can manage is a big bra that looks

like the sort your nan would buy. All I want is a nice lacy bra!"

The medical effects of Leanne's cancer are also still ongoing.

"I went in last August for some reconstruction on my boobs and for the first time in a very long time, my confidence returned and I got some of my mojo back. But I was rushed in for some emergency surgery on one of them a few days ago. In a few months, I should be able to get a new implant."

Living with so many challenges has certainly changed Leanne's life forever.

"I've been lucky in other respects in that I've won awards and met famous people because of my diagnosis. You can't grumble when you're spending time with people like Russell Watson or having your hand kissed by Brian May. That would never have happened to me if I hadn't had cancer."

Thea too has been in on the action, taking a starring role in the BBC series Casualty at the age of just 3 weeks.

"She was so small that they asked her to play the part of a premature baby," says Leanne.

Looking ahead, Leanne wants to focus on the future for her and Thea, who is now 19 months old.

"I've had people say to me 'Well at least be grateful that you’re still alive’. I've also had people referring to me going back to normal whatever that is. This is me - a new me. In fact, a better me. I want a future and nice things. Yes, I am worried that the cancer might come back one day, but now is about enjoying life and planning ahead."

At this point, Thea comes into the garden and Leanne scoops her up and throws her up over her shoulder.

Leanne smiles: "She wouldn't be here if it hadn't have been for my diagnosis."

23

5 Star Customer Rating The Garden Village Garage enjoys more 5 star reviews on Google and other social media platforms than any other independent garage in South Wales.

Service, MOT or repair.

Call us free 0333 121 2012 Visit online www.GardenVillageGarage.co.uk email us info@GardenVillageGarage.co.uk or in person

227 Pantbach Road, Rhiwbina CF14 6AE

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Legendary singer-songwriter Van Morrison shows no sign of slowing down as he continues to work on exciting new material and live gigs, including a date at St David’s Hall on Friday 12th October.

This year is a very significant one as it marks the 50th anniversary of the release of his seminal album Astral Weeks, and some of its tracks are sure to feature in the concert at the National Concert Hall of Wales.

Van Morrison started his career as a teenager in the late 1950s covering the top tunes of the day in various groups around Belfast.

He then rose to prominence in the

Win TICKETS TO van morrison at st david's hall

mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish R&B band Them, with whom he recorded the classic single Gloria.

Yet, it was as a solo star that Van Morrison’s career sky-rocketed when he released the hugely popular Brown Eyed Girl in 1967 followed by classic albums Astral Weeks and Moondance. Much of his music is structured around the conventions of soul, but he’s renowned for being chameleonlike in his ever-changing styles; encompassing blues, rock, country, jazz, gospel, skiffle and traditional Celtic sounds.

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets to see Van Morrison at St David's Hall, please complete the title of Van Morrison's 1967 hit song, Brown Eyed... a) Dog b) Girl c) Gerbil Please email your answer to SDHpress@cardiff.gov.uk by Friday 14th September 2018 along with your full name and address, plus a phone number.

Win TICKETS TO THE BRITish FIM speedway gp Fast and furious family fun, the Adrian Flux British FIM Speedway Grand Prix is set to return to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday 21st July.

The high octane race is celebrating its 18th year in the Welsh capital and we’re giving one lucky reader and a guest the chance to be there with a pair of tickets up for grabs!

The biggest event on the Speedway calendar, the GP was first held at the former Millennium Stadium in 2001 in front of over 30,000 fans. Now the longeststanding third party event in the stadium’s calendar, crowds

regularly top 40,000. Visitors are drawn to the capital to watch 16 riders - 15 permanent and 1 wild card – compete over 23 heats; four riders over four laps on 500cc bikes with no brakes!

The fun starts in the activitypacked fanzone, which will open on City Hall lawn at 11am. Engines start at 5pm and the event will end with a spectacular firework display in the stadium itself.

Multiple World Champions will be going up against each other this year in what is set to be one of the closest seasons to date,

All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is answer the question below: On what date will this year’s Speedway Grand Prix take place?

Email the correct answer, along with your name, address and telephone number to competitions@livingmags.co.uk or post your entries to our address on the inside front cover of this magazine. Closing date is Friday 13th July.

For further information about the event, visit www.speedwaygp.com

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The Secret Shed is the perfect place to while away a spring afternoon.

Our Welsh Tea Garden opens this Easter, serving all-Welsh produce supplied by Welsh companies. Even our coffee machine is Welsh!

Sit back on our deck, overlooking the historical babbling brook and watch the trout swim by. You will be surrounded by beautiful garden plants and ornaments - or you can sit in our bespoke log cabin and enjoy the warmth of our log burner.

Afterwards, you can browse our gorgeous gift shop and garden centre - and take home more than just lovely springtime memories.

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We were delighted to have had John and his team from the Secret Shed Garden Centre transform our garden, including the building of a lovely wrap around composite decking following a major building project at the back of our house.

Right from the first time we met John and started talking about our ideas and plans, he listened, made very helpful comments and without too much discussion, the plan and budget were agreed. He was willing to fit in with our timetable and even though the weather was not the best for an outside project, work progressed according to the planning.

The whole team is very friendly, hard-working and produce work to a very high standard. Cups of tea aplenty keep them smiling! We highly recommend the workmanship, as well as the friendliness of the team and we are so pleased we #shoppedlocal. Ian and Eleanor Sanders, Rhiwbina

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Readers' gardens Rhiwbina is well-known for its greenery and gardens.

Four Rhiwbina residents take us on a guided tour of their gardens and explain what makes them so special

Deb To me, my garden is a joyous celebration of nature and a multifunctional space. It changes dramatically from winter to summer, mainly because of my wisteria that has claimed its territory with unapologetic proliferation.

It's at its most stunning in May when the beautiful fragrant pendants of delicate flowers drape from the branches, giving the garden an ethereal quality. Alas, it is short-lived as their glory only lasts about two weeks. However, as spring turns to summer, the majesty of this plant is in its prime, so much so that it has to be constantly pruned. It does however, create a magnificent frame to the different spaces in my garden.

One of the main spaces is a log cabin, a haven of creativity for myself and also my students. It is a magical place of inspiration and possibilities.

It is in here that I teach sewing to adults and children. When the weather is good, my lessons spill out onto the duck egg blue cabin deck

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or onto my garden swing, which is of course, a big favourite with my young students. My deck is a great place to sit and catch the evening sun with dappled rays shining through the overhanging wisteria. When I have time, I will sit in my vintage wicker chair and do some hand sewing or just sit and think. I have had the cabin for 14 years and it is in desperate need of repainting which is on my to-do list for this summer - I can’t put it off any longer!

After my cabin, the swing is my favourite place. It is a shade of calming sage green with a wooden canopy for a bit of privacy and shade.

Most days I will sit with my breakfast, gently swaying and making a mental list of the day's itinerary. Even if it’s cold, I will sit with my coat on; I find it so relaxing and peaceful. I will often use it during the day to contemplate and re-focus.

I am more of an image-maker than a gardener so my garden is very low maintenance but I do like to plant my pots each year for a burst of colour. I do love colour. Living in a small terraced house, I treat my garden as another room and people that come to visit love the tranquillity and green lushness of it, as beyond my boundaries I am lucky to be surrounded by some beautiful trees.

I am very grateful to live and work in such a wonderful place.

Gwen When we moved in, all that was here was some grass and two apple trees. Every single plant that is here now has been planted by us over the years.

We have so many different trees here and the garden changes from season to season. During the winter months, I almost forget what’s there and then when spring comes around and all the trees and plants start flowering, I remember what I’ve planted. It keeps me interested!

The design of the garden isn't necessarily deliberate but I'm happy with the way that things have worked out. We have yellow trees and green trees and they all seem to balance themselves out. We use the garden for coffee mornings and we also used it for Labour Party events when my daughter Mari was involved.

Every Summer Festival, we run an Open Garden here and we invite a friend of ours, who is an artist, to host an exhibition.

We use one part of the garden to

outdoors

Mel My garden was used for bringing up my kids. There wasn’t much point in growing things back then but I've spent 8 years developing it since.

There's a metal arch that has two rose plants climbing on it and the arch offers a nice welcome to the garden. A lot of plants have been grown from cuttings that friends have given me and some of the plants I've bought from places I've visited to remind me of them. At over 100ft long, people often remark about how long the garden is. There is lots to discover here, including a pond that contains frogs and newts. We have one patch which is succulent and needs little watering - I've only watered it once this year!

We have a greenhouse where we grow basil, cucumber and tomatoes and we also have some raised beds where we grow things like courgettes, beetroot and Swiss chard. It's a very secluded garden and we don't hear many noises out here which is why we like to eat out in the garden at breakfast time.

Eirion

grow all kinds of vegetables and herbs.

Over time, we've introduced arches to give the garden height as it was a very flat garden and we've also added wind chimes. We don't plan our garden as such - ideas just suddenly dawn on us and we get to work on it.

People are impressed when they come here; they often say that they love it but it is a lot of work.

The garden is a lovely place to spend time. The morning light is a lovely time to look at the plants, especially at this time of year. There are different lights at different times of the day and it’s reassuring when everything comes back at spring.

My husband and I always have a cup of tea or coffee in different parts of the garden throughout the day. It’s lovely to share it with people too and it’s nice when people say that they love it.

have here as many people don't have them. It's not a flat garden so the garden includes a few steps here and there. The garden looks beautiful in the autumn when everything turns red and we have evergreens for the winter so that there's something here all year round.

If we do get time to relax in the garden, my family come round and we walk around with a glass of wine in our hands, admiring the flowers.

I walk around sometimes and remember how it's changed since we moved in. I'm very proud of what we've managed to achieve here.

Last year, we had people here for the Open Gardens Day and people were sat on the lawn. I remember thinking that they must feel at home here. People say that it's very calming and that's very true.

I moved into my house 8 years ago and the garden was quite overrun.

I knew what I wanted to do and it was difficult to get someone to do it. It took me two years before my son told me that he was having someone to landscape his garden and when I went down one day, I realised that this man knew what he was doing. I asked him to come and look at my garden and at first, he just stood there and didn't say very much at all.

Eventually, he asked me what I wanted and after we talked about some ideas involving curves, he took out a mountaineering rope and laid it out exactly as I had envisaged.

The first thing people do when they walk into the garden is look at the Weeping Willow tree and say 'What a beautiful tree'. Then they look at the rest of the garden.

I like the raised borders that we

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The Superb Herb Nothing beats cooking with home-grown herbs so Kevin Revell gives his expert advice on what herbs are the best to grow in the garden

I

t is a mistake to think of herbs as being somehow related to one another purely because they all smell pleasant or have similar culinary uses.

They are as distinct from one another as a carrot and a cabbage and will have different cultural requirements as anyone who has attempted to grow a selection of herbs in a pot will know – invariably one takes over as others go to seed or die off.

Herbs have been known throughout civilisation around the world and have been used throughout history for as long as flavouring for bland food has been required. Early man would have

36

been attracted to the pleasant smell and taste of certain plants and passed this knowledge on down the generations via family members. This shared knowledge would have grown as civilisation advanced. Herbs are commonly known for aromatic or tasty leaves but flowers, roots or seeds may also be used.

Strewing herbs had some insecticidal properties and were used to mask bad smells in the Middle Ages and less sanitary times. Lady’s bedstraw, sweet woodruff and wormwood are no longer widely grown but were formerly mainstays of the Tudor household. They were widely grown in the gardens of the great houses and more modest cottage gardens of the peasantry.

Victorian and Edwardian conservatism gave way to post-war freedom of travel and interest in foreign cuisine, along

with immigrants bringing their traditional herbs and spices to this cosmopolitan country, much to the benefit of our shops and markets.

The rise of the takeaway and health food shops have changed the way we shop and eat, so meal times are very different to our parents’ and grandparents’ generation.

Modern TV chefs advocate the use of handfuls of fresh herbs in stark contrast to the rather conservative approach of those in the 1960s and 1970s, for whom a pinch of dried herbs was considered enough to flavour a bolognaise. Of course, the strident flavour and nutritional benefit of fresh herbs far outweighs the rather musty whiff of an old jar that has been in the back of the cupboard for years. Equally, fresh home-grown herbs are going to have far more freshness and flavour than those bought in shops and are much cheaper. Herbs are now used more liberally mixed in with salads for added piquancy. Exotic herbs such as basil, coriander and dill leaves are usually annual, tender plants that grow from seed and live for only one year.

Traditional British herbs such

gardens

as parsley, chives and mint are often used sparingly in sauces or as a garnish. They require moist, fertile soil in part shade to do well and will do well in pots of multipurpose compost. A sprig of mint in with the boiled potatoes or a few chopped leaves of parsley in with a potato salad was as good as it got in the 1970s. The old favourite mint sauce is usually made from the old Bowles mint variety and is traditionally served with roast lamb and little else in the same way as the horseradish sauce only came out with roast beef. Today, it is acceptable to mix things up a bit – horseradish makes a fine addition to mashed potatoes while mint is great mixed with yoghurt to accompany curries. They may also be used to liven up smoothies which seems a great way to introduce their flavour to a younger generation in search of enlightenment having been reared on e-numbers and junk food.

Mediterranean herbs such as sage, rosemary, thyme and oregano are often woody shrubs or subshrubs requiring a well drained position in full sun to develop their strong, pungent aromas. They are perennial and will often live for many years and will tolerate occasional trimming for kitchen use but won’t stand being cut hard back unlike chives and mint.

It pays to have a number of your favourite herbs so that only one is harvested at any one time, allowing recovery time in between. If grown in pots, use a soil-based John Innes compost, perhaps with additional grit. Although they can withstand the cold, our wet winters and heavy

soil will cause them to fail. Lavender has similar cultural requirements but has few culinary applications other than using a few flowers to decorate cakes but many uses for pot-pourri and to fragrance rooms.

Many people grow these herbs just for appearances and their ability to attract and sustain pollinating insects either in pots and containers or larger numbers in the garden.

A lavender or rosemary hedge will be alive with bees come flowering time and will reward those walking by with a waft of fragrance as they brush past.

Herbs aren’t just for cooking however. They also make excellent hot drinks - a refreshing caffeinefree alternative to tea and coffee.

Perhaps the best is mint tea – a sprig left to steep in boiling water for five minutes makes a wonderfully refreshing drink. Black peppermint is good as is spearmint but by far the best is Moroccan mint, which is worth growing for this purpose alone. Lemon Verbena is another less common herb which makes a lovely invigorating, citrusflavoured tea. It is not a hardy plant however and will need winter protection or treating it as an annual and replacing it each year.

Many herbs have been used for centuries by herbalists for their medicinal properties to treat a variety of ailments. Such knowledge was once held by monks in monasteries but was lost with their dissolution while ‘wise women’ with knowledge of plants and potions have long been treated with suspicion or persecuted for witchcraft. Chamomile makes a

soothing tea, great for relaxing at the end of a stressful day and is not just to be enjoyed by flopsy bunnies, while feverfew has long been used to treat headaches.

It is wise to stick to only wellknown family remedies or consult a qualified herbalist to be on the safe side regarding dosages and possible side effects.

Kevin Revell is the Plant Area Manager at Caerphilly Garden Centre

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a

Constituency News with Julie Morgan AM

Many constituents are very concerned about the over-use of plastic packaging, plastic bottles and single-use items such as cutlery and the damage that these are doing to our environment.

So I’m pleased to report that Rhiwbina is leading the way in cutting plastic pollution by becoming the first community in Cardiff to have a ‘plastic-free’ champion.

Local resident Naomi England came up with the idea of being a community champion and sought the help of Anna McMorrin MP. She plans to go around local businesses and organisations to advise them on how to reduce their reliance on plastic. I hope she will be the first of many community champions who emulate this initiative.

I joined forces with Anna and we held a launch event at Snails Deli in April, calling on more community champions like Naomi to come forward.

The event was also attended by local businesses keen to know more about going plastic-free – and telling us how they are already reducing their plastic waste. It was also great to meet Year 3 ‘Mini Ambassadors’ from Rhiwbeina Primary School who shared their ideas for reducing plastic waste.

We already have a champion earmarked for Pontprennau and hope that other communities in north Cardiff will follow suit. If you would like to become a champion for your area, please contact my office – details below.

In May, I attended the ‘ground-breaking’ ceremony for a Maggie’s centre which is planned in the grounds of Velindre Hospital.

I’ve campaigned for Cardiff to have a Maggie’s cancer support centre for many years and there has been a massive fundraising effort to create it. It will enable patients and their families to have ‘round the kitchen table’ support in a relaxed atmosphere.

It’s great that this is finally coming to fruition and the digging has started. This kind of support centre will make such a difference to those undergoing cancer treatment and will benefit patients from across the whole of South Wales who access their treatment at Velindre.

How to get in touch Constituency office: 029 2061 4577 Website: www.juliemorgan.org.uk/contact Facebook: JulieMorganAM Twitter: @JulieMorganLAB Surgeries: Mondays 10-11am, Llangranog Road, Llanishen; Fridays 17 Plasnewydd, Whitchurch 12:301:30pm

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How do you clean your ears?

In my years of being a Hearing Audiologist, I have been told many stories about what people clean their ears with - from the everyday cotton swabs and pens through to paper clips, hair grips, glasses arms and car keys. Nearly everyone is guilty of sticking something in their ears that they are not supposed to so I’m going to explain why the old wives tale ‘nothing smaller than your elbow’ is so true.

By their very nature, our ears are designed to be both selfcleaning and self-protecting. That’s why by using the wrong cleaning methods, you risk causing injury to the ears, damaging your hearing or even causing infections.

Earwax (also called cerumen) is necessary for the ear’s selfcleaning mechanism to work properly. Earwax is manufactured by glands in the skin of the outer ear canal, the hole through which sound travels to the eardrum. Earwax serves several important functions: it coats the skin of the ear canal, repelling water and helping to protect it against injury and infection; it also helps to keep the skin inside the ears from getting dry and itchy. In addition, earwax traps dust and germs, keeping them from reaching the eardrum. Usually, you don’t need to do anything to help this natural cleaning process unless you suffer from an impaction that may n& Microsuctio y have to be removed.

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eardrum. This can increase your risk of infection and lead to a permanent hearing loss needing either surgery or a hearing aid to correct the impairment. So it is best to leave the inside of your ear alone and not disturb its natural environment. This means no cotton swabs, no fingers and certainly no sharp objects - keep your hair grips for holding your hair back and keep your car keys for unlocking your car!

The ear canal is narrow and curved. Consequently some people are susceptible to getting blockages of wax, skin, foreign objects and debris from infection. If a blockage is present, you may notice your hearing seems dull, there may be a ringing sound in your ears or your ears may feel full become itchy or ache. If this is the case, you will need to have it professionally removed.

Although there are several methods to clean your ears such as syringing, sprays and drops, Microsuction is renowned as the most efficient and the safest. It is highly recommended by GPs, audiologists and ENT consultants. Microsuction of an ear canal is performed under direct vision using a microscope. The ear canal is cleared using gentle suction, proving to be the most effective way to clean the ears reducing all risks of infection.

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hunter The attack on Fort Harib on 28th March 1964 was arguably the highest profile incident involving the Hawker Hunter during its eight years of operational service in the Middle East. The operation caused a political storm back in the UK and in the United Nations. Cardiff's Peter Lewis was awarded the Air Force Cross for this and 118 comparable strike or surveillance operations. These are his words.

S

ome time around the end of March 1963, Wg Cdr John Jennings (OC Tactical Wing Khormaksar) sent for me and announced that the Hunter FR.10s from 8 Squadron were to be hived off to form 1417 Flt, and that I was to command it. I would be given the five Hunters, the four other recce [reconnaissance] trained pilots, and a dozen ground crew.

The pilots were Johnny Morris, a veteran from flying Mustangs in the South African Air Force in the Korean War; Jim Dymond, a PAI (Pilot Attack Instructor); Tony Rimmer, a past member of the Aden Protectorate Recce Flight, which had flown Meteor FR.9s in the late 50s; and Geoff Timms, a solid, quiet, ex-Halton apprentice. We were all over 6ft, all 30 or over, all married with children, and all were 2nd or 3rd tour pilots. All the ground crew were very experienced on the Hunters and were those that the squadrons didn’t want because they were difficult to manage!

42

The first task was to get the FR.10s back into shape. The FR.10 was undoubtedly the most beautiful of the Hunters. There was a lot of work for the ground crew; the Warrant Officer said that it would take at least a fortnight’s damned hard work to get those lovely jets back to the thoroughbred status they deserved. That was a blessing in disguise as we reckoned that we needed at least that time to get the rest of the Flight into shape! We were allocated a drop tank store as our accommodation and with a lot of help from the Station ‘Works and Bricks’, we did some DIY and set to building partitions to give us a ground crew room, a pilot's crew room, an office for the engineering Warrant Officer, a little store, and somewhat against my wishes, an office for the Commanding Officer.

'We don’t want him breathing down our necks all the time," was one of the things I overheard. I got a nickname of ‘Prussian Pete’, and some months later, two little

notices appeared on the door to that office; one read ‘Be reasonable, do it his way’, and the other read ‘Diplomacy Department. He says and does the nastiest things in the nicest way.'

I annexed one of the Wing T.7s (two seat Hunter) whenever possible, and flew with each pilot on a ‘QFI/IRE’ check ride. A bit laughable really - they were all damned good flyers, but it did demonstrate that we could follow as well as read the dreaded ‘Air Staff Instructions’. Johnny Morris meanwhile gave us all a very hard time on visual recce techniques, and had some masochistic variations on ‘Kim's Game’, with which he sought to tune our ability to remember and reproduce on paper what we had seen. One of his favourites was to stand each of us on a chair whilst he sprinkled mapping pins on the floor behind us. Then it was ‘turn round’ and you had fifteen seconds (about the time taken to run past a target) to count

history the pins and memorise the pattern they had formed. It was amazing how good we all got at instinctively working out the difference between looking and seeing.

We designed cardboard ‘prayer wheels’ which we could use for fuel calculations in the air, and for speed adjustments to ensure a correct time on target.

Johnny taught us the importance of planning a good IP (Initial Point) which would give the best photographic run past the target whilst maintaining whatever element of surprise was going to ensure a clean getaway; the desert is a very quiet place, and the Hunter will have been heard long before it appeared!

The strike on Fort Harib began as an RAF classic. The wing had a stand down for two days, apart from one recce Hunter and four Day Fighter Ground Attack (DFGAs) who were on two hours standby. As a result, there was one hell of a party at someone’s house which went on a bit.

At around 4.00 am, there was a beating on the door, and there was Roy Bowie, the Wing Ops officer, saying 'Get down to flights! We’re going to start some nastiness!'

The Wing Leader, John Jennings (JJ) had laid on a mass of toast and coffee, but as the briefing started, the adrenalin took over; I’m convinced that it is the best hangover cure there is.

The fort was to be leafleted fifteen minutes before eight Hunters led by JJ struck. Sid Bottom (8 Squadron) and I were to carry the leaflets tucked in our raised flaps and I was to photograph Sid’s leaflets going down on the fort. We were then to pull up to 30,000ft and keep an eye open for any opposition which might choose to join the party.

Once the strike was over, I was to photograph the fort again.

It was all going smoothly until while filming Sid’s leaflets, I saw at least one and probably three AA guns on the ground just to the

Harib Fort before the raid...

south of the fort. There followed an agonizing fifteen minutes - break radio silence and warn the strike boys, or keep quiet? As the strike was going in from 20,000ft, the gunners would have to be pretty good to get a result and they probably weren’t that good, so I decided to shut up and sit tight.

I need not have worried. JJ led the eight Hunters down and his salvo was a ‘pickle barrel’ shot. I guess he must have hit a magazine or something as there was a huge yellow flash and a ‘mini mushroom’ of dirty brown and black smoke. I reckon that the other seven could only fire into the smoke and hope for the best but there were no more big explosions.

I told Sid to join the others and go home as it was going to take some time for the smoke to clear and allow a decent photograph. The smoke cleared after about half an hour and I made the second pass.

The fort was an awful mess and there were several bodies lying about around where the guns were.

The thought occurred that JJ's salvo had probably blown bits of the southern end of the fort all over the poor sods.

So far, so good. I reckoned that I hadn’t exposed too much film (a short length of film gives the Mobile Field Processing Unit a chance for a really quick turnaround) and that I’d got the line about right on the second run. So now it was just wait and see.

The MFPU did a smashing job and the film was on the light bench by the time I’d walked in and signed up. The photos were good and I marked the two I wanted printed up and went into the debriefing with them. I handed them to JJ and his face lit up with a smile which was a mixture of pride and relief. All he said was 'Thank you 1417'. That was enough; and in the eyes of the DFGA boys, we’d arrived.

The SAS were very active in the Radfan and did a lot of surveillance of the enemy resupply routes. One morning there was a message that a camel train had been spotted the previous night, and was resting up near the Yemen border. I was sent up for a look-see, but despite being pretty sure I was in the right place, I saw nothing. Then a voice (on the R/T Operational frequency) said 'They’re there'; that was all. So I looked more carefully.

There was a sort of a track which followed the dried up bed of a stream, and which went through the odd pool of water which had not dried up.

I noticed that the colour of the track above these pools was different to that below them and remembered some of Johnny Morris’ training - the camels’ wet feet had probably washed the sand off the path below the pools.

And then, suddenly, what had appeared to be just rough boulders, turned out to be couched camels; but no sight of any humans.

'Time to help the Army' I thought; I turned round and gave the camels no more than a two second burst of four guns, then turned again to photograph what I’d done. There was that brown/black smoke (as at Harib) all over where the camels had been, and no hope of any pictures.

On return to base, I asked Johnny Morris to go back up there and do some pictures but he came back without any; he said that there were so many vultures in the air and on the ground there was no way he was risking a bird strike just for my photo album!

There was a strange aftermath to this episode. Many years later, when I was out of the RAF and holidaying on the West Coast of Wales with the family on Dinas Head, I was having a lunchtime pint in a pub called The Sailor's Safety when a voice said: “It's Peter Lewis isn’t it?”

“Yes," I said, "but do I know you?”

“Better than you know," replied the man. "Do you remember some camels up in the Radfan?”

“Yes.” “And someone telling you they’re there?”

“Yes.” “Well that was me.” The man speaking was the local postman.

DO I warn the strike

boys or keep quiet?

...and after 43

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Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a flower bun, created

by Teigan from our Rhiwbina salon.

You’ll need: Redken 15 Quick Tease hairspray, mini elastic bands, bobby pins, and Redken Tripletake 32 hairspray

STEP 1 Part your hair and bring it all to a preferred side

Create a Flower Bun in 6 easy steps STEP 4 Work from outer left braid and roll into a circle. Use your fingers to hold it in position and put the pin in place for a tight grip

STEP 5 Wrap the middle braid around in the same way and again pin in place.

You can make this as tight or as loose as you want

STEP 2 Spray in Redken 15 Quick Tease at the root for added volume and tie into an elastic band

STEP 3

ng di n ed aso rW e fo S ct rom rfe P Pe and

Split your hair into 3 sections and braid each section to create 3 individual braids and tie with elastic band.

You can tease each braid if you want a more undone and chunky effect

STEP 6 Finally, loop the last braid in the opposite direction around braids 1 & 2. Pin where your fingers hold the braid. You can tease again for the final touches. Use Redken Tripletake 32 for extra hold. You can also tease each braid if you want a more undone and chunky effect

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out & about

0 1 s p t to spo

c i n c i

p

The great British tradition of packing a basket with food and heading out for a picnic has arrived. Here are our favourite local spots

Bute Park A firm favourite for both locals and visitors, Bute Park has become one of the city's top places to picnic.

Surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers, and not forgetting the iconic sight of Cardiff Castle, Bute Park offers the ultimate spot for the summer picnicker.

The Castle Green was landscaped in the late eighteenth century by Capability Brown, but the park itself was laid out from 1873 by Andrew Pettigrew, Head Gardener to the 3rd Marquess. Sophia Gardens and Pontcanna Fields are on the opposite side of the river, and can be reached by two footbridges.

48

Llandaff Fields

Heath Park

Llandaff Fields is made up of a mixture of vast mown grass land and woodland, which is home to lots of wildlife. The park is situated in the valley of the River Taff and you'll find many varied places to picnic - from open greens to private shady trees.

Weaving through the park is the popular Taff Trail which runs from Cardiff Bay all the way up to Brecon.

There's the popular Cafe Castan providing indoor and outdoor refreshments and an impressive playground. Car parking is provided.

This 37 hectare park provides sport and play facilities for all ages, but also contains woodland areas, ponds and wetland which are a habitat for a wide range of plants and trees.

For kids, it's a great place to explore. There's a pond full of wildlife, a pitch and putt 9 hole golf course, a sensory garden and then there's the King George V Memorial playing field where you can while away the afternoon with your picnic.

The woodlands themselves are really great habitats for birds and other wildlife and the paths allow you to explore this at your leisure.

Perhaps the icing on the cake is the miniature railway. You'll need to check opening times and be prepared for crowds when it is open (the volunteers do a great job of keeping them to a minimum) but it's a sure fire winner for both kids and adults.

Disabled access has greatly improved in recent months and there is plenty of seating and catering outlets available if needed.

on a water taxi after you've eaten and head up into the city centre in style.

Alexandra Gardens

Cosmeston Medieval Village There are over 100 hectares of lakes, meadows and woodlands in Cosmeston, which lies just outside Penarth. The former quarry has some areas that are designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, protecting the rare and diverse plant and animal species. Several picnic tables are dotted around the park but there's also plenty of open space to unfurl your picnic blanket and spend an afternoon in the sun.

Nearby, there's also a reconstruction of a medieval village, which is set in the year 1350.

This Grade 1 listed park includes Alexandra Gardens, Gorsedd Gardens and Friary Gardens. They provide a stunning setting for the impressive buildings that surround them, and also offer a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city - a perfect place to picnic.

Alexandra Gardens and Gorsedd Gardens are open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week whereas the Friary Gardens are open from 7:30am to 30 minutes before sunset.

Porthkerry Country Park, Barry

Caerphilly Castle Constructed by Gilbert de Clare in the 13th century as part of his campaign to conquer Glamorgan, Caerphilly Castle is the second largest castle in Britain.

Famous for its concentric defences and its large gatehouses, there are plenty of grounds that can welcome those looking to take in a picnic for an afternoon.

You can also feed the ducks if you fancy a walk around the castle and you can pay to enter the castle itself and explore some of its history.

Cardiff Barrage You can take in the fresh sea air and the great views of the Bristol Channel at the Cardiff Barrage. The area is flat meaning that you can easily get there by bicycle or on foot with plenty of space to picnic.

There are also opportunities to hop

Porthkerry Park is comprised of 220 acres of woods and meadowland in a sheltered valley leading to a pebble beach and spectacular cliffs.

The park has a number of nature trails, picnic sites, a cafĂŠ, an adventure play area, barbecue areas and a mini golf course. Picnic tables and benches are situated a short distance from the main car park.

There are also extensive areas of grass to lay your picnic blanket or if you'd like to look out over the Bristol Channel while you eat, the nearby pebble beach can provide you with extensive views of Somerset and any aeroplanes on their final approach to Cardiff Airport nearby.

Alexandra Park, Penarth Alexandra Park is a well-preserved Edwardian public park overlooking the Bristol Channel. Retaining many of its original features, the park was awarded the coveted national Green Flag award in 2012.

The park was laid out in 1901-1902 and was extremely popular from the beginning. In 1924, the Cenotaph, by

Cardiff-born sculptor and medallist Sir William Goscombe John, was erected in memory of those who lost their lives in the First World War. The original octagonal bandstand was removed in the 1950s and a square wooden shelter survived until 1994, when it was replaced with the present structure.

There are plenty of areas to picnic, surrounded by pines, conifers and Cypress trees. It's also a short walk from Penarth Pier if you fancy stretching your legs after your picnic.

Forest Farm This wonderful nature reserve situated in Whitchurch, was formed in 1967 and straddles the last remaining stretch of the former Cardiff/Merthyr canal which still holds fresh water to a quality good enough to provide a good hunting ground for kingfishers, herons and many other species.

The majority of the woodland is beech and oak with several trees being over 200 years old, and the part called Long Wood is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

There are some lovely safe walking paths around the reserve, including one which runs alongside part of the remaining section of the former Glamorgan canal.

Started in 1790, the canal linked the ironworks of Merthyr at a height of 568 feet to the sea at Cardiff, a distance of 25.5 miles that included 52 locks. There are plenty of opportunities to picnic on the reserve, and if you don't fancy taking the car, Radyr train station is close by.

Forest Farm is popular with walkers, cyclists and wildlife spotters and it's also worth taking your camera as you never know what wildlife you'll come across.

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Gladys What's got four legs, a cute little face and likes to appear on TV? That's right. It's Gladys, Rhiwbina's very own mini superstar

R

hiwbina is a favourite place for dog walkers. And among them walks a star of film and TV. Meet Gladys. She’s the Havanese dog that’s appeared on TV more times than she’s had birthdays.

Owner Sarah-Jane and Gladys have become a well-known sight around the village.

"We got Gladys back in 2013,” says Sarah-Jane. “We had never owned a dog before so we did our research into what type of dog we'd like to come live with us. We were wanting a quiet dog and the Havanese breed seemed perfect for us.

"We got in touch with the Havanese Club of Great Britain and were put on a waiting list.

When it was our time, we were called up to Derby where the litter had been born. We drove all the way up to Derby to see Gladys and once we were there, we had to undergo an interview so that they could check that we would be suitable owners. They asked all kinds of things - about our work, where we lived, what

kind of lifestyle we had. We were also asked how we'd look after her if we were successful.

"I'd gone to a pet shop and bought loads of stuff before I went up there.

What nobody prepared us for was the car ride back. Coming back home from Derby was one of the worst journeys ever. Poor Gladys, who was only 13 weeks old, was very sick in the car. We spoke to the breeders later who said that they'd not told us about the car sickness on purpose!"

Gladys soon settled into her new home in Rhiwbina, quickly becoming a favourite in the house.

"Over the next few months, we held a few parties where friends and family got to meet her.

It took a bit of time getting used to her being in the home. We were intending getting her puppy trained but I started training her myself. I worked specifically on agility and

interview the basics and it ultimately paid off."

It was Sarah's work that helped propel Gladys into the world of showbusiness, which she now takes in her stride.

"My career started off in the world of fashion and I began my work in TV and film costume in 1994. By the time Gladys came along in 2013, I was well-established in the industry.

"I was working on a music video for Lewis Watson who had been signed up by Warner Bros. The video's producers were looking for a dog and Gladys was still a little puppy at that point. Half my family ended up being in the video as Supporting Artistes and it was all filmed at Cathays Cemetery. Gladys wasn't the only creature in the video - there was also a crow who had been trained to swoop down and fly off on demand too."

It wasn't long before more roles came along.

"After that, Gladys got a part in a dark comedy called Prevenge, which was mostly shot in Cardiff.

She played the part of Gemma Whelan's dog. Film-goers will know Gemma from Game of Thrones where she plays the part of Yara Greyjoy.

"Prevenge was nominated for a British Independent Film Award that year so it was nice to be involved with that," says Sarah-Jane.

Gladys's next role was one that she held for more than two years, becoming a popular character on a Welsh show.

"S4C commissioned a new comedy series called Anita. Caryl Parry Jones played the unlucky-inlove Anita, a proud Cardiffian who had to make a choice about moving to Anglesey when her new love had to move back there.

"We filmed both in Cardiff and Anglesey and when we went up north, we were given a cottage to stay at, which was lovely. Gladys had to do all kinds of things in this show. In one scene, she had to play the part of a barman and in another, she had to sit in a handbag.

"The training that I'd given Gladys really paid off because she became a real star of the show. It's given us

such a special bond and a huge amount of trust which allows us to do things with Gladys that she wouldn't normally do."

More recently, Gladys has played starring roles in more high-profile features. Viewers may have seen her in Keeping Faith and she also appears in a new Pixar movie - Showdogs.

"For Keeping Faith, we had to film both in the Welsh and English language as there were two versions of the series. There was one shot in particular that involved a 360° shot on a beach and we all had to huddle behind the camera as it rotated.

"The producers were looking for a cottage to film in with Gladys and they were very good because they chose to shoot in my mum's house in Ogmore which meant that Gladys was familiar with her surroundings.

"We filmed Showdogs down at Cardiff City's Stadium where they used some of the rooms. Although Gladys didn't have a starring role, it was great to be the other side of the camera for a change, and not worrying about costumes which is what I usually do."

Gladys is well looked after by both her owners and the cast and crew of the features she takes part in.

"Pamela Anderson was complaining on TV the other day about people mistreating animals in film and TV but I'd never put Gladys in a position where we know she'd be uncomfortable," says SarahJane. "Because I know her so well, I know what her limits are. I take lots of treats with us to each shoot but I'm aware that giving her too many will make her put on weight.

"Gladys is always very popular among the cast and crew that she works with. If we walk onto set together, I often hear 'Hello Gladys!' before anyone talks to me. People always talk to her in that highpitched doggie voice that people do. We had a senior member of staff once who'd often get flustered and stressed during her work. She was very good at her job but when the stress came on, we always sent Gladys in to calm her down."

Like other dogs, Gladys seems to be aware of sadness and illness: "It's funny how intuitive dogs are and Gladys is no exception. My mother-in-law was ill not so long ago and Gladys seemed to pick up on this and was trying to make her laugh by jumping on her and doing funny rolls on the bed."

For Gladys, Rhiwbina is where she feels most at home.

Gladys with Gemma Whelan

"Rhiwbina is a great place to live.

There are lots of characters in the village and we love walking around and meeting all the other dogs. In 2015, Gladys won a few prizes in the annual dog show at the Summer Festival. She picked up the Best Personality prize and then went on to win the overall competition. She's very proud of that!" laughs SarahJane.

Gladys's social diary is always full.

"We regularly take Gladys to Havanese Fun Days. They're useful to us owners too because we can all chat to each other and swap notes. Gladys also stays in touch with her brothers and sisters which is nice. We have a forum on Facebook so we all get to know each other pretty well.

"We were on Caldey Island a few years ago and we took Gladys.

While we were there, we stepped outside of a building and I noticed that one of the other dogs from the forum was stood right in front of me. We recognised her straight away. It's this kind of closeness that makes our group special."

Sarah meanwhile continues her day job, creating costumes for TV and film. She was short-listed for a BAFTA Cymru in 2011 for her work on Whites, which starred Alan Davies.

"I've just finished work on a new production that's been written by Owen Sheers called To Provide All People. Michael Sheen, Tamsin Grieg, Martin Freeman and Meera Syal are amongst the all-star cast of BBC Wales’ latest landmark television drama commission as it celebrates the 70th anniversary of the NHS. I had to recreate nurses costumes from 1948.

"You won't see Gladys in this one though. She does deserve a rest at some point."

53

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pets

Your pet questions answered

Chris Troughton is clinical director of Heath Vets. He’s here to answer all your pet questions. If you’d like to ask Chris a pet-related question, drop us a line Some friends of ours are taking their motorhome to the south of France for a few days in the summer and have asked my husband and I if we’d like to go. If we did go, we’d have to take our small dog Milly. Aside from all the legal stuff, do you think a trip like this would be good or bad for Milly, both physically and/or mentally?

She’s a 10 year old Yorkshire terrier and quite placid.

If Milly is a good traveller and used to long journeys, I’m sure she’d cope well with the trip to the south of France. The temperature there will obviously be a good deal warmer than she’s used to in Wales, so ask yourself how she copes on really hot days in the summer. Consider also Milly’s health risks. Rabies (which she will be vaccinated against) is probably the most unlikely risk, but there are several very nasty infections that dogs can pick up in this area of Europe which are transmitted by bites from mosquitoes, sandflies and ticks. There is a vaccine against one disease, Leishmaniasis, but three doses are required, and it does not give very reliable protection. It is essential to get advice from your vet in good time before you go, as the necessary medicines may not be routinely stocked at the surgery.

I’m vegetarian and I’ve recently been buying vegetarian dog food for my 3 year old beagle. She eats it as keenly as she does her meat meals but I wondered whether it’s safe to switch her to an allvegetarian diet. I obviously avoid meat and I’m mindful that dogs’ needs are different to ours but I don’t know whether vegetarian dog food would give her all the nutrition she needs.

Dogs are able to live happily on a vegetarian diet. However, it is more difficult to formulate a ration with all the right nutrients in the correct proportions for a healthy life, so make sure the food you are buying is from a reputable company, and do not try to home-cook for her.

Beagles are notorious for their appetites, but not all dogs will enjoy a vegetarian diet, and even your beagle may get bored with the vegetarian option after a while!

My five year old cat has been scratching off the same bit of wallpaper since we took him into our home 6 months ago. I don’t know why he seems obsessed by the same piece of wall and despite our best attempts, nothing seems to stop him. Is this a phase that cats go through or are we stuck with it forever?

When cats scratch the wallpaper or the furniture, they are marking their territory by first roughening the surface texture, then rubbing sweat from their paws (which contains pheromones) into the surface. The locations used are often adjacent to the entry point, or on prominent points along an internal route, and they do this to enhance their feeling of security in an area. Some cats will also spray urine in similar places for the same reason.

To deal with the problem that you have, you need to enhance your cat's feeling of safety and security as much

as you can.

First, make sure that no strange cats are entering your house through an unprotected cat flap.

If there is a possibility of this, get a microchip-operated locking cat flap. If there are opportunities for a cat outside to look through floor-level windows at your cat inside, cover the bottom of the window with cardboard or paper. If you have other cats, minimise the conflict they might create by having separate feeding, drinking and toileting areas for each of them.

There is a very useful treatment for cats called Feliway. This is a synthetic version of cats’ pheromones and is applied in several ways. If there are other cats involved, either your own or strangers', you should set up a room diffuser in the main area of your house. This plugs into an electric socket and works like an air freshener. In addition, the same pheromone should be applied as a spray directly to the area that the cat scratches, and this might be sufficient if you cannot identify any other cats that might be causing him stress.

It can sometimes help to provide a catnip-impregnated scratching post for your cat, but this is unlikely to stop the wallpaper-scratching as a stand-alone measure.

A: 123-125 Heol-y-Deri, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6UH T: 029 2062 1511 W: www.heathvets.co.uk

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For our highly qualified and professional team, your health and wellbeing are our priority

02920 627888

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223-225 Pantbach Road Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6AE

BBQ delight A good old British summer wouldn't be complete without a hearty barbecue. Here are some delicious recipes that will go down a treat

The Ultimate BBQ Beef Burger 1 egg 1 tsp mustard (regular or Dijon) 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 small onion, finely grated 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 50g medium ground beef cheese (optional) bacon (optional) ☐ Lightly oil your barbecue grill and then heat coals to a medium heat. ☐ Whisk one egg in a bowl and

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add your mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. ☐ Crumble in the beef and using your hands or a fork, gently mix everything together. Handle the meat as little as possible – the more you work it, the tougher it gets. ☐ Gently shape the mixture (don’t firmly press) into burgers to about ¾ inch thickness. ☐ Using your thumb, make a shallow depression in the centre of each burger to prevent it puffing up during cooking. ☐ Place the burgers on the grill, close the lid and cook on your barbecue until the burgers are no longer pink inside. Turn once during cooking, about 6 – 8 minutes per side. Don't prick or press your burgers as they will lose juice and dry out. An instant read thermometer should read 90°C if inserted into the burger. ☐ Once cooked through, serve in a crusty bun with cheese and bacon or toppings of your choice.

Hotdog Toppings Pekingese Dogs: Sprinkle your hot dogs with five-spice powder; grill, brushing with hoisin or plum sauce. Then serve on toasted potato buns with sliced cucumbers, chopped spring onions, coriander and more sauce.

California Dogs: Serve boiled tofu dogs on whole-wheat buns with diced avocado and cucumber, pea shoots and shredded carrot.

Drizzle with vegan sriracha mayo.

Hot Diggity Dogs: Serve grilled hot dogs on grilled buns with shredded jalapeño, Jack cheese and sliced pickled jalapeños.

food

Chicken Kebabs 4 tbsp vegetable oil 5 tbsp honey 5 tbsp soy sauce 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets - cut into cubes 2 cloves garlic 5 onions, cut into pieces 2 red peppers, cut into pieces skewers ☐ In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, soy sauce and pepper. Before adding the chicken, set aside a small amount of marinade to brush onto the kebabs while they are cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers into the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer, the better). ☐ Preheat your barbecue for high heat. ☐ Drain the marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard the marinade. Thread the chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers. ☐ Lightly oil the cooking grate. Cook the kebabs for 12 to 15 minutes, until the chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with your reserved marinade frequently.

Top Tip: If you're using wooden skewers, don't forget to soak them in water for a few hours or they'll burn.

Tangy Summer BBQ Coleslaw

20ml Stubb's Original Bar-B-Que Sauce 1 tbsp yellow mustard 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 450g package shredded coleslaw mix ☐ In a small bowl, whisk together the Bar-B-Que sauce, mustard and vinegar. In a large bowl, combine the sauce with the coleslaw mix and stir to mix.

Serve immediately.

Make ahead: Combine the shredded coleslaw mix and the dressing the night before the day of serving. The longer the cabbage sits in the coleslaw dressing, the softer it will become.

Vegan BBQ Ribs 125g vital wheat gluten 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 1 tbsp smoked paprika 2 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder freshly ground black pepper 175ml low-sodium vegetable broth 2 tbsp natural peanut butter 1 tsp liquid smoke 1 tbsp soy sauce 200ml barbecue sauce of choice, plus more for serving ☐ Preheat your oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5). Lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish and set it to one side.

In a medium bowl, stir together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and the pepper. ☐ In a measuring jug, whisk together the broth, peanut butter, liquid smoke and soy sauce

until it's incorporated. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir gently until it's well-incorporated and the mixture has formed into a soft dough.

Knead the dough gently for about 2-3 minutes. ☐ Transfer the mixture into a greased baking dish and flatten it evenly across the pan. Use a knife to make one lengthwise cut across the dough, then cut evenly crosswise to make 1-inch slices.

There's no need to pull them apart; it just makes separating them after grilling a lot easier. ☐ Place the pan in a preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes.

While the ribs are baking, heat up your grill or lightly oil a grill pan.

Remove the ribs from the oven and brush the top of them with the barbecue sauce. Place sauce side down onto the heated grill (or grill pan on the stove over medium heat). Brush the top with more barbeque sauce. ☐ Once the bottom of the ribs are deeply browned (this takes about 5-6 minutes), flip them over and cook the other side until brown.

Remove them from the heat and serve immediately, with more barbecue sauce if desired.

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Electricians · Plumbers · Heating Engineers · Boiler Installation, breakdowns & services · Fuse board upgrades · Full bathroom installations ·All domestic electrical and plumbing work

27 Heol Cae Rhys, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6AP

www.amc.wales

02920 028983

Jane Clarke Hypnotherapy Help with weight loss, body confidence, self-confidence, relationship issues, smoking, addictions, fears, phobias & anxiety Appointments in Rhiwbina or online via Skype

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07538 474807

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Building & Property Maintenance Interior & Exterior Painting Wallpaper Hanging Carpentry & Decking Patios Plumbing

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Varnishing Small Building Work Tiling UPVC Gutters & Downpipes cleared (of all rubbish, debris, moss etc) Public Liability

Call Gary on

02922 472160 or 07717 154011 garywoldfield@hotmail.co.uk

Providing full tree, grounds and estate maintenance and landscaping services.

We’re very proud of what we do for our clients and like most people who work in nature we spend a lot of time on our knees in one way or another. This is always humbling.

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A-Zummers

An

of S in rhiwbina

Summer in Rhiwbina is often a genteel affair - from drinks in the garden to the Summer Festival. Here's our A-Z Afternoon Tea Caedelyn Park Festival A very British affair, afternoon tea is best enjoyed in the garden. If you have friends coming around, remember to make the sandwiches very, very tiny and to charge your friends ÂŁ30 for the privilege.

Barbecues

There are two types of barbecue in Rhiwbina. The first is when you have one - they're the best things ever.

Great friends, delicious food and a time to unwind. The second type is when someone else is having one.

Then barbecues are smelly, noisy and a disturbance of the peace.

One of the finest places to spend a summer's day. Acres of open space, a playground for the little ones and the scene of local panic when travellers pull up and park their caravans there during the summer months.

DIY

When the temperature reaches a certain point during the summer months, Rhiwbina's DIY-ers emerge from their homes where they have laid dormant and begin their annual ritual. Swarms of workers converge on their houses, stripping out the old and installing the new.

This tradition is often accompanied by the sounds of drills, electric saws and Talk Radio.

Elvis

Yes, you read that correctly - that really was [not really] Elvis you saw 'leaving the building'. The King is usually spotted entertaining the locals in the Juboraj during Festival Week.

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You know when it's been a good Festival Day when you're sat at home in the evening with a glass of wine, you're rubbing after sun into your sunburn and the kids are asleep with their face paints on.

Grass cutting

If there's ever a sound that captures the essence of summer, it's the lazy fizz of a lawnmower. Sadly, this does not apply at 8am on a Sunday morning when there's some idiot disturbing everyone's lie-in with their Flymo and hedge strimmer.

Hedges

You know how it goes. The man down the road comes out and does his hedge. The next door neighbour takes one look at their own and decides that they need to do theirs.

This continues until everyone is well-mastered in the art of topiary.

Invasion

Usually by those little fellas - ants, wasps, fruit flies, bluebottles, earwigs - why can't they just leave us all alone and let us eat our barbecues in peace?

Jacuzzi

If you've got one of these in your garden, you can consider yourself one of Rhiwbina's poshest residents.

What you need to do now is open it up to the rest of us so that we can come over and try it out. It's only fair.

on ball, the affable ripple of applause and the delicate murmurs of a few choice words when a shot is missed.

Ketchup

School

Often overlooked when it comes to planning a barbecue. Luckily, the Co-op holds an emergency stock in case of these last-minute emergencies.

Laughter

Wander the streets in Rhiwbina on a summer's evening and you'll hear laughter spilling out from people's gardens. That and the sound of lawnmowers and kids on trampolines.

Music

"If music be the food of love, play on," said some writer once. Clearly, he'd never been sat at the traffic lights at Beulah Road, listening to the car next door thumping out Bump N' Grind on volume 11.

Neighbours

You may not see them for the rest of the year but come summer, you can't really miss them. Yes, summer forces us to interact with them so it's best just to accept that and get on with it whether you want to or not.

Overcoat

You know it's summer in Rhiwbina when some of our older residents undo the top button of their heavy overcoats.

Pimms

Anyone for Pimm's? Yes, quite a few of us actually. You can spot Rhiwbina's Pimm drinkers on bin nights - they're the ones gently placing the plastic green bins on the ground very, very carefully. This is to avoid making very loud clinking noises and making the neighbours think that they have a drinking problem.

No. There's no school.

School's out.

Forever. Well, until the end of the summer holidays at least.

This means that there will be no rush hour at either end of the day in the village but you will have kids bouncing on their trampolines in gardens until 10pm every night instead. Hooray!

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four years. For some, this is a blessing, especially as the tournament lasts a month.

Xeriscape

In all the greenhouses in all the village, there is one fruit that threatens to take over the world in the late summer harvest - the prolific tomato.

A landscaping method that employs drought-resistant plants and special techniques to conserve water. Bet you didn't know that did you? Impress your friends this summer by saying things like 'My Rhiwbina garden has been totally xeriscaped this year, darling'.

Ukulele Nights

Yobs

Tomatoes

A recent addition to the Rhiwbina summer scene, this kind of thing would be unheard of a few years ago. Just don't expect George Formby to be there. He's probably cleaning windows or something.

Vapourisation

To convert or be converted into vapour. Often occurs when sat on a Cardiff Bus that's stuck in traffic coming down Heol-y-Deri on a hot summer's day.

World Cup

Summer brings with it plenty of less-than-welcome visitors - flying ants, wasps, and of course, the teenage yobs. At home, these are probably well-meaning and polite young people. But once they're up the Wenallt with their mates and a slab of Skol, they turn into noisy drunkards who leave behind a trail of litter and destruction.

Zillionaires

These are the posh people of Rhiwbina - the ones who live up the top end. See Jacuzzis and Pimms.

It only comes around once every

Quaint

This is what outsiders call Rhiwbina as they drive through the village and see us drinking Pimms in our gardens.

Recreation Club

What sums up summer more than a gentle roll-up on the bowling green? The soft knock of ball

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