Whitchurch and Llandaff Living issue 41

News | People | Features | Competitions | History

Whitchurch Living and Llandaff

At the heart of the community

Issue 41 Dec ‘16/Jan '17

the magic of

christmas Win family tickets to Swan Lake and Peter Pan Your multi award-winning community magazine

Contents

3-4 News 5-6 Letters 9 School News 12 Lucy Owen

Exclusive interview 16 Dear Santa

What local kids

want for Christmas 20 Competitions

Win family tickets to

the ballet and panto 22 Winter Crafts 26 Believe

Anna Bates’

inspirational story 28 Festive Gifts

Local gift ideas 30 The Bard of Ely 34 Welsh Football

25 years of Welsh Football magazine 38 All Aboard

Cardiff’s trolleybuses 41 Pet Questions 42 Gardening 46 A-Z of Christmas

Light-hearted look at Christmas 50 Festive Treats

Tasty festive nibbles 53 Winter Walk

Radyr to St.Fagans 54 The Gift

A Christmas Story

Spring deadline: 13th February 2017

Published 27th February 2017

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 Whitchurch and Llandaff Living are distributed to retail outlets and public places across Whitchurch, Llandaff and Llandaff North five times a year.

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

Winners at the 2014 UK Independent Magazine Awards 2

What’s on Santa's Sleigh Run Whitchurch and Llandaff North Monday 5th December 6pm-8pm Hosted by Cardiff Round Table Spirit of Christmas Carol Concert St. Mary's Church, Whitchurch Thursday 8th December 6.45pm Christmas Carols and festive readings Awen@The Library Christmas Concert Whitchurch Rugby Club Saturday 10th December 7.30pm Tickets £5 available from awen.cymru@ gmail.com

Llandaff Cathedral Christmas Fair Llandaff Cathedral Friday 16th December 6.30pm Meet at the Cross for a Carol Procession A Talk on the St. Nazaire Raid St. Michael's Centre, Cardiff Road Wednesday 7th December 10am Geoffrey Barton-Greenwood will relate the St Nazaire raid for 50+. Entry is £2.

The Wondercrump World of Roald Dahl Wales Millennium Centre Until 14th January 2017

Welcome / Croeso Welcome to your 9th Christmas issue of Whitchurch and Llandaff Living! The magazine is now entering its 10th year and has been the official community publication for almost a decade. It’s also been one year since we set about improving the quality of the publication and we are so pleased that the feedback from both advertisers and readers has been so positive. Thank you for your ongoing support.

We’re delighted to offer you this wonderfully festive issue in time for Christmas. We caught up with broadcaster Lucy Owen, who has just published her first book for children.

Lucy reveals why she wrote it - and how it’s going to help children here in Cardiff.

The magic of Christmas is all about the little ones, so we asked a group of North Cardiff children what they were looking forward to about Christmas this year. Their answers are both sweet and comical!

We’ve got two great competitions this Christmas. If you like the winter spectacle of the ballet, you can win a family ticket to see Swan Lake at St. David’s Hall. We also have a family ticket to see this year’s festive pantomime, Peter Pan at the New Theatre. What better way to spend the holidays than with loved ones?

If the weather outside turns frightful, why not try your hand at some of our delightful winter crafts? We’ve got a selection of stunning things to make at home, both for kids and for grown-ups!

Christmas is a time for reflection and love, and our interview with Anna Bates is a very poignant and thoughtprovoking one. Following a devastating tragedy last year, Anna has gone on to set up the charity ‘Believe’ to raise awareness of organ donation. Her story www.facebook.com/ whitchurchandllandaffliving

will inspire you.

If you are a Britain's Got Talent fan, we have an exclusive preview of a local man, Steve Andrews, who will be appearing on our screens in the New Year.

Welsh Football magazine celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The national magazine is created right here in North Cardiff, so we spoke to editor David Collins about its history and its future.

If you’re looking for some inspiration for Christmas presents, look no further than our selection of gifts that are available right here in our villages.

Who needs to head to the city when we have everything we need on our doorstep? It’s the perfect time to shop local.

You may be showing your age if you can remember Cardiff’s trolleybus service but we’ve got a great feature about the much-loved mode of transport for you to reminisce.

We have a selection of delicious festive dishes for you to make and enjoy, and if all that Christmas eating is too much, we’ve got a great winter walk from Radyr to St. Fagans to blow away the cobwebs.

Finally, we’ve got a heartwarming short story from our editor and his god-daughter. The pair wrote the story together on a rainy autumn day.

So snuggle up by the Christmas tree and enjoy this festive issue.

Please continue to support the advertisers who make the magazine possible and send us your stories and suggestions. Let's make our 10th year something special!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

Danielle and Patric Editors

@Whit_Llandaff

news

Llandaff North Whitchurch welcomes Christmas with big switch on Hub nears Whitchurch kicked off Christmas in style on November 20th when the Christmas lights were turned on at a new style Christmas At Whitchurch event.

Cardiff Council reported that thousands turned out on the night to celebrate the new Christmas illuminations.

Organiser Tom Champ told Whitchurch and Llandaff Living magazine: “This has only been possible thanks to some amazing sponsors and individuals who understand the importance of thanking the community for their custom and attracting people to our amazing village. I'd like to thank Jason Lewis from Autocraft and all the people who helped on the night. Our volunteers really made it all possible.

“We’ve had people coming up to

completion

us saying that the lights have made them smile every time they’ve driven through the village. We were very lucky with the weather; everyone enjoyed the atmosphere with the stalls and the lantern parade.

Tom added: “ Don't forget Christmas At Whitchurch is season-long and we are still short of our 10k budget. We still need your support in making this a sustainable event. Watch out for the amazing Grand Draw - your golden tickets will be available soon."

Ceremony marks Llandaff North birthplace of Welsh National Opera A ceremony to mark the birthplace of the Welsh National Opera took place in Llandaff North in November.

During the mid-1940s, 40 Station Road in Llandaff North was home to Idloes Owen, a founding figure in the establishment of Wales’ national opera company. The company made its debut at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Cardiff in April 1946 with a double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci.

The house is now home to Arfon and Rachel Jones and their three children. Working with the Llandaff North Festival and local councillors, the couple happily agreed to a commemorative plaque being placed on the front of the house.

The ceremony began at 12 noon on November 4th with a fanfare by Dean Wright, principal trumpeter with the WNO Orchestra. There were then opening words from Lewys Wootten, Chair of the Llandaff North

Festival Committee.

Songs from the children of Ysgol Glan Ceubal, Hawthorn Primary and Ysgol Glantaf preceded the unveiling of the commemorative plaque

by Mathew Prichard, Honorary President of WNO. The event concluded with a solo

by Sian Meinir, mezzo soprano with the WNO Chorus. The event was open to local residents and was also attended by Julie Morgan AM. Lewys Wootten told Whitchurch and Llandaff Living: "We want to thank WNO, Arfon and Rachel, our local councillors and everyone who came along to help us celebrate Llandaff North's first blue plaque. It's a mark of what a great community we have here."

Llandaff North's new Hub is nearing completion following months of refurbishment work.

Formerly known as Llandaff North Library, the building closed its doors in late April.

The refurbished building, which will include a cafe, will lead to £144,000 worth of savings by bringing a range of services under one roof. The cost will be £1.2million.

The hub will offer a large, modern library offering a full range of services including rhyme time and story time, as well as other activities to support literacy. It will also house a full advice and information service including housing and benefit advice, and services from partners including the Citizens’ Advice Bureau.

There will also be flexible community space which can be used for social, learning and training activities for all sections of the community.

The Hub is expected to open in December. It follows the successful opening of a Hub in Fairwater. A Council spokesperson said: "Hubs bring together a number of community services under one roof, meaning resources are shared and costs reduced."

“

The hub will offer a large, modern library offering a full range of services including rhyme time and story time, as well as other activities to support literacy.

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news

Kids launch charity CD

A group of two to four-year-olds from Whitchurch have made their recording debuts, singing on an album of their favourite songs.

Money raised from the CD will help a charity in its annual drive to raise the £3,000 needed to play its part in keeping the Welsh language alive in the village.

The Cylch Meithrin playgroup, like others across Cardiff and Wales, holds quiz nights, summer and Christmas fairs and other fundraisers organised by the parent committee to try and bring in the cash.

“It's always a struggle. A lot of people think they drop their children off and everything is in place. Unfortunately it isn't that simple,” said playgroup leader Clare Loveluck.

While parents pay about £12 for a morning or afternoon session and the Cylch gets funding to take children who have not secured school nursery places, the extra money is needed to cover costs ranging from paying the seven staff, renting its base, the Scout Hall on Penlline Road, to buying supplies such as paper and glue.

The album recorded by members of Whitchurch's Cylch Meithrin features songs they have learnt and will be sold to parents and family members to help them understand the Welsh words many of them come home singing.

For details about the CD, fundraising or attending the playgroup, visit the Facebook page Cylch Meithrin Yr Eglwys Newydd.

Joint-leader Natasha Young believes the increase in the popularity of Whitchurch's Cylch Meithrin is part of a picture across the city. She said: “There is a real growing need for Welsh-medium primary education.

There is a lack of it in Cardiff and the more Cylch Meithrin playroups, the more pressure it puts on the Council."

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Whitchurch junction causing concerns for local residents Residents in Whitchurch have spoken out about the dangers of a local junction, despite Cardiff Council carrying out improvements there.

Local group Communities Together, along with Whitchurch Police, had both complained that the traffic lights at Pendwyallt Road were unsafe. The Council disagreed with the groups as there had been no deaths at the junction

Photo: Google

Through a Freedom of Information request, the leader of Whitchurch PACT Janice Hughes, found out that there had been 40 incidents on the road from 2011 to 2016. However, according to South Wales Police statistics, there had been only 17 incidents in the previous five years.

Llandaff residents voice traffic worries at new development Llandaff residents say that they are still concerned about increased traffic congestion if the housing development at the current BBC studios gets given the green light.

Developers Taylor Wimpey have won outline planning permission from Cardiff Council to build 364 houses on the Llantrisant Road site when the BBC moves to new premises in the city centre.

Developers Taylor Wimpey have insisted that traffic entering and exiting Llandaff Park will have minimum impact on the current traffic situation. They have staged public consultations to

answer questions and allay fears about the possible impact of the development.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “After engaging with the community at two consultation events, traffic concerns raised on these occasions, as well as footpaths connecting into and out of the development, have been addressed to the satisfaction of the highways and planning authorities.”

But some residents remain unconvinced and have lodged formal objections to the Council about the planning application.

Local councillor takes up walking challenge for charity Local councillor Dilwar Ali is set to embark on a bold quest to raise money for a cancer charity in 2017.

Dilwar will be joining Cancer Research Wales' epic trek across the Great Wall of China to support the Lord Mayor of Cardiff's chosen charity.

He will be joining many others on the 13th May 2017 when they travel from London to Beijing. You can donate to Dilwar at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ Dilwar-Ali

letters

Your Letters

If you have anything you’d like our readers to know about, drop us a line at editor@livingmags.co.uk or by letter to our postal address which can be found on the inside front cover

Whitchurch Common at its finest I was very impressed by your October/November issue of Whitchurch and Llandaff Living. The article on the Autumn leaves was especially good and the amazing colours were well depicted on Whitchurch Common this year. A truly breath-taking sight.

Some time ago, I wrote a poem about Whitchurch Common and how very much it is appreciated. I would be delighted to see it in print.

Congratulations on your excellent publication.

Whitchurch Common We were house hunting and it was love at first sight; Serendipity after a long search for a place to stay, An oasis in the pale Spring sunlight, to Whitchurch Common We had found our way.

We stayed - and lived - and watched Spring bulbs stuggling through, after months of tread Daffodils survive and raise their golden heads, A gift from Holland we were told as were the line of trees Gratitude from our US Allies across the seas.

Then the trees, in full leaf now, have lost their vibrant blossoms To the March winds, but not too late to show off their beauty to the continuous traffic thundering by; The green grass remains through Summer's sun which brings out the children, dogs, picnics and days of fun.

It's not all about the cats at Christmas I am disappointed that you see fit to give column inches to those serially defecating, flea-ridden murderers better known to your readers as domestic cats.

At this festive time of the year, when you love to adorn your Christmas cards with jolly images of robins, perhaps you will remember that Britain’s 8 million cats kill 55 million

Magnificent shades of Autumn leaves hide the green grass, guarded by the denuded trees Standing proudly like the men who gave them and their lives for us.

Mists lie low while the everchanging public Weaves its way across the Common.

The verdant sward is lost under a blanket of Winter white, Children with red noses and freezing fingers build snowmen, such a pretty sight.

This space is still a wondrous place and struggling 'neath the dead leaves and litter, Slush and snow are the bulbs fighting to burst through Letting us know that Spring is round the corner and the whole cycle starts again And I pray I may long live near Whitchurch Common.

M Williams Heol-y-Gors Whitchurch birds and 275 million small animals a year - in studies carried out by the Mammal Society and others.

If this was happening to you humans, I suspect regime change would be on the agenda - or at least a bombing campaign against the perpetrators.

Of course being a bird, maybe I have got you all wrong, but at least try to limit the numbers of these selfishly overfed predators – one is more than enough per household. If you own

Please help fill our Food Bank I volunteer with Cardiff Foodbank, the local charity that helps local people through times of financial difficulties by providing three days worth of food.

Local churches and schools help by donating their Harvest Festival collections. Periodically, we collect outside the big supermarkets by inviting people to buy an extra food item (like UHT milk, rice, tinned soup etc) and donate it on their way out, and we have a number of permanent collection points around the city.

We have just placed a new collecting box in the window of the Co-Op in Whitchurch village. We would be delighted to receive donations of food in

packets, tins and jars (no fresh food please, as we don't have any refrigerated storage). There is a list of suggested items on the collecting box.

I would like to encourage your readers to donate a tin of vegetables, a packet of rice, a carton of UHT milk or whatever they can manage. There is also a collection box in Whitchurch Library, and soon we hope, in a number of other local venues.

For more information, contact info@cardiff.foodbank.org.uk Thank you.

Helen Nolan, Foodbank

a cat please don’t feed the birds this winter or if you do, provide a bell attached to its collar. At the very least, give us some warning and a fighting chance to escape and maybe make it through to next year.

Merry Christmas readers!

Robin Redbreast

Have I missed out?

Your Letters

If you have anything you’d like our readers to know about, drop us a line at editor@livingmags.co.uk or by letter to our postal address which can be found on the inside front cover

Is love in the offing?

Dear Kato Well, I meow, I meow.

What a charming letter you sent to me via this esteemed magazine.

A favourite read of mine this Whitchurch and Llandaff Living both to sit on and absorb through silent meditation. Containing more information than The Western Mews, I had not previously realised it also catered to 'Lonely Tails' and smitten kittens such as yourself, although you describe yourself in your letter in Issue 40 as 'a wise and thoughtful old cat'. However, as you have come so far forward as to write a warm and affectionate letter, I feel I must respond.

I recognised you from your photograph as someone I have seen over the hedge but, as yet, from afar. As you rightly say, in the neighbourhood there are a number of charming cats of all colours, sizes, denominations and cultures.

Pixel, the well known Party Cat was the first to make me welcome. We often pass the time of day as my garden path is on an important ley line leading to somewhere else.

Pixel’s partygoing, I notice interferes with his healthy eating regime, (if he has one) although I understand his people do their best.

So, in a word, or a meow, Pixel and I are friends. Just friends. As yet.

Black and white Beaumont Bickleton, Beau to his catpanions, who lives across the way, is strikingly handsome, perhaps with a whiff of Gregory Peck or George Clooney about him. However he is very shy of girls like myself, which makes me wonder about his interests?

Further down the street lives another very fine black and white cat. A classical and traditional cat, always in evening dress. I think he must be a professional musician, always wearing tails and a white bib and tucker. Maybe he plays on the piano? I have heard cats on the keys in the past playing very modern jazz. Or is it Hoddinot? I refer to him, as we have not yet been introduced, as Yin-Yan, but maybe his real name is Brubeck?

So. Yes, there is, at present, a place in my life for a special

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someone. Could it be you? I will tell you a little about myself and ask that, if still interested in a warm friendship, possible romance, maybe more, you would be kind enough to reply to a few questions I have for you.

Me first.

Like all cats, I have a strong sense of entitlement. As a species we are truly blessed, although my people ask me from time to time, “WHO do you think you are?”. They should know by now! I enjoy patrolling, thinking, snoozing, sleeping, investigating, meditating and sun bathing.

I used to hunt, jump, climb trees, curtain climb, hide in obscure places and flirt – a lot, but no longer. My people are older now and find it harder to keep up with me. So I have slowed down a little.

I watch television and enjoy, One Dog and his Man, Caternation Street and Cattery Challenge.

Now, maybe you could reply to some or all of the following questions about yourself?

1. Occupation of father, tick one of the following: Lord Mayor, Show cat, Front of House Cat – as in grocer’s shop, opera house, seaside hotel.

2. Star sign (very important).

3. Blood group (red is not an acceptable answer).

4. Diet preferences – might you be vegetarian/vegan/meaty/fishy/ road puddle drinker?

5. Recreations and interests. As many as you wish to list.

And finally, a small matter of delicacy.

6. Did you, as a kitten have a minor medical intervention that changed your outlook on life? (even though you were told it was minor).

I enclose an illustration of myself, when I was on the stage, playing Heather Gabalot. By a Mr Hibsen I believe, long gone of course and far from Welsh.

I await your responses with great interest. Sincere best wishes.

Princess Yasmin of Whitchurch

P.S. you can call me Yazz.

Dear Princess Jasmine, My ‘servants’ failed to read me your letter in issue 39 of Whitchurch and Llandaff Living, so I am somewhat in the dark about what you said, but they told me about Kato’s pleading letter to you in issue 40.

I simply had to interject as fast as I could. Princess Jasmin! Do not be rash! Do you not know that I am here too? Your loyal neighbour and trusted tomcat friend! I do not wish to be catty towards Kato - he is a fine cat and a great friend (we regularly sit next to one another whilst staring in opposite directions – a true cat friendship), but I have to reveal my feline feelings for you, whilst I still have waking energy to do so!

I fear that you may not even have cast your wondrous eyes on me or even padded over the road, but this unrequited feline love is simply too [p]awful to endure (pardon the pun).

Princess Jasmine, in between copious shifts of sleep and eating, I try my utmost to patrol my patch, darkening your driveway to sneak a peek of your wondrous whiskers. It’s not easy to compete with the likes of the rather intimidating tabby Pixel and handsome Kato but, do I not also cut a fine figure as I pass by? (admittedly my undercarriage too is a little on the heavy side but I am trying my utmost best to resist my penchant for cake). I am told that I have wonderfully soft fur and a fine temperament, Princess Jasmine.

Perhaps you could simply pop over the road and share a few festive Dreamies with me?

I do not make this offer lightly.

I just wanted to air my purry thoughts and truly hope you will take them on board. Roll over, Kato!

Yours with feline fondness, Boo Boy xxx

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School News

All the latest success stories from Whitchurch High School Remembrance Day

On Sunday morning 13th November 2016, in brilliant autumnal sunshine, many men, women and children gathered at the War memorial at Whitchurch. Angus and I took part in the march and ceremony and laid a wreath on behalf of Whitchurch High School. The wreath was placed under the name of Richard Fice, the ex-Whitchurch High school pupil who died serving in the armed forces. This year’s march was probably the largest seen in the past decade.

The Legion is also asking us all to, ‘Rethink Remembrance – there’s a new generation of veterans that need your support.’ Catrin McCarthy

Drama production

After the massive successes of last year’s musical ‘Into The Woods’, Whitchurch High School drama department are now setting their sights on a new challenge.

‘A View from the Bridge’ by Arthur Miller is the showcase of 2017 and will be performed in early March, so keep on the look-out for tickets! The story of the troubled Eddie Carbone, a jealous Italian New Yorker and his family has begun and roles have been cast. It's not long now before the rehearsals start and another production begins!

Year 9 students take on engineering tests

Lucky Year 9 pupils recently visited Cardiff University to take part in the 2016 ICE (Institute of Civil Engineers) challenge with the Design & Technology department. Pupils competed against other schools to complete engineering problem solving challenges.

Student Hannah Aguis said: "Today we took part in the ICE Competition at Cardiff University.

We had loads of fun taking part in three problem-solving engineering challenges, building towers, building a bridge and protecting eggs. We learnt so much from the activities and from the young volunteer engineers who were very friendly and helpful.

We had good feedback on our designs and won prizes."

1st prize team winners are: Hannah Aguis, Emma Seal, Sophie Davis, Lily Haberfield and Annabel Williams.

The Geology Department have been working hard this term with GCSE and A level students out and about across South Wales.

Year 12 kicked the season off with the short journey to Taff Gorge and Garth Mountain, quickly realising that we are blessed to have such amazing geology right on our doorstep.

Year 12 set off in the footsteps of woolly mammoths and soon discovered a whole range of amazing evidence to prove ice occupied this area as little as 18,000 years ago. Following on from their encounter with an eagle on Penderyn Mountain in July, the team crossed paths with a stunning adder basking in the autumnal sunshine. There really is never a dull moment!

Next up, Year 11 headed for Ogmore to independently collect evidence to understand Wales’ tropical past, evidence of tectonic plate movement and subsequent changing environment.

The Year 10 group also had their opportunity to experience the joys of fieldwork and unleash their shiny new rock hammers as they studied the Jurassic Coast at Lavernock. They relished the chance to hunt and collect some stunning fossils, enthused by the recent discovery of complete 7 foot Ichthyosaur in the same location.

Not to be left out, the Year 13 group took to stunning Southerndown to map the tectonic and sedimentary setting of the area in what is the penultimate field experience, and the final preparation for their A level coursework. The day included a somewhat exciting traverse of the Trywn Y Witch headland, made all the more interesting by a rapidly rising tide!

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Lucy

OWEN Newsreader Journalist Author

Lucy Owen is one of the country’s most recognisable broadcasters.

Living Magazines caught up with the newly-published author She appears in homes across the country most evenings and her charity work has helped raise vital funds for those in need. But for broadcaster Lucy Owen, writing her own book wasn’t something that she ever thought she’d do.

“My dad was a solicitor when I was younger and he worked on Vincent Kane’s radio shows. People would phone in and ask Dad their questions and Dad would give them advice.

“I remember going along to the BBC studio in Llandaff as an 11

12

year old girl and being fascinated by the whole process. I was sat there thinking that everything was going out live to homes across the country – to me, that was just extraordinary. That one moment really inspired me and several years later, I wrote to Vincent Kane asking for his advice as I was looking to get into broadcasting and current affairs. He got me some work experience working on a lunchtime radio show and that’s where it all started.”

Born in Dinas Powys, Lucy

attended Howell’s School in Llandaff.

“I was lucky to spend a lot of time in the North Cardiff area growing up.

Even back then, I was aware that the area has the best of everything.

There’s so much on your doorstep - in one direction you’ve got fields and greenery and in the other direction, you’ve got a bustling capital city.”

Lucy is now the established face of Welsh TV news and has been for well over twenty years.

She began her broadcasting

career at BBC Radio Wales as a researcher, and later progressed to a reporting role. She then moved on to co-presenting for a features programme. She joined HTV Wales in 1995 as a newsreader for regional opt-outs during GMTV, and between 1996 and 2007, she co-presented Wales Tonight, the regional news programme on ITV Wales, broadcast from Cardiff.

Lucy also presented on the now defunct ITV News Channel, and was also seen anchoring the main ITV News: Lunchtime News, Evening News and Weekend News. She signed off from her last edition of Wales Tonight on Friday 19 October 2007. She now appears on Wales Today.

But for all her TV work, she is also renowned for her endless charity work, particularly with the Welsh Children’s Hospital charity, Noah’s Ark. “I’m very lucky to do the job that I do. I feel very privileged that I am able to give something back via the various charities I try to help.

My work with Noah’s Ark is very important to me and I love doing it. As a parent of an eight year old, I like to know that should anything happen to him or to any other child, that there is a welcoming place for them to try and get better. The Children’s Hospital is an amazing place – everything from the colourful lighting to the incredible staff there. The children there are amazing and it’s important for me to help them where and when I can.”

Lucy’s work with Noah’s Ark took an unexpected and exciting turn earlier this year when she was helping plan ways to boost funds.

“We were having a fundraising meeting back in May earlier this year and I suddenly hit upon the idea of writing a book that could raise money. I’ve been writing

I’m very lucky to do the job

that I do.

I feel very privileged

that I am

able to give something back

as a hobby for many years and as soon as I mentioned about writing a book as a fundraiser, the charity was backing me all the way.

“Boo-a-Bog is about a little boy called Tom who finds it difficult to make new friends. It has three voices – firstly Lucy with illustrator Andy Catling the narrator, secondly Tom himself, and lastly the monster. The book was launched in mid November Wales football manager Chris at the hospital with my husband Rhodri and my son Gabriel there. It’s Coleman descibed the book as: been a real family affair, with Rhod “A delightful, rhyming story with translating and Gabriel coming up excellent imagery which I’m really with ideas for quizzes and games at looking forward to reading with my the end of the book. The theme of children.” the story makes a good fit with the Even actor Matthew Rhys took to charity too. social media to say: “Writing the book has been a bit “This is a beautiful song of hope of an eye-opener into the world for the Tom in all of us. If only there of children’s publishing. There are were Boo-a-Bogs in adult life too. lots of different things to be taken Lucy’s obvious flair and talent for into account and the story we’ve rhyme lets this poem of hope fly.” produced is very gender neutral.

For Lucy, it’s when the book makes Now that I’m a published children’s its mark on its intended readers that author, I can’t help but notice how really makes her happy. many books are clearly geared “We did a reading of the book towards boys or girls! at the launch at the Children’s “In the story we tried not to relate Hospital. One of the nurses came to anything about Tom’s home life. over to me afterwards and told This was to maximise the amount me that one of the girl patients of children who can relate to it had smiled for the first time since - they may find that their family she had come into hospital. It’s situation is very different to Tom’s. moments like that that make it all My publishers Gomer are very worthwhile.” good at pointing these things out So are there any more books in the things I’d never have even thought pipeline? about before setting out on this “I’ve got plenty of stories in my adventure. head but I want to do well with this “During the writing process, it book and see how it goes before was also interesting trying to make committing to any more. every word count. I’ve read a lot Boo-A-Bog is available from The of Julia Donaldson over the years Welsh Books Council, Amazon and and I was always fascinated how all good book shops. she used her words carefully. The fact that she used rhyme to help convey thoughts and ideas also appealed to me and that’s something I used in Boo-a-Bog. I think the rhythm helps children engage with the words more and also provides a sense of movement.”

Boo-a-Bog has already drawn admiration from esteemed names.

13

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Dear Santa

We asked a group of North Cardiff children what they are looking forward to about Christmas. This is what they said

Lucas aged 7 What are you most looking forward to about Christmas and why?

I’m really looking forward to opening my Christmas stocking because it’s exciting to see what’s inside.

What are hoping to get this Christmas and why?

I would love a Messi football kit because I love playing football.

What are you most looking forward to doing over the Christmas holidays?

Hopefully building a snowman!

Will you be on Santa’s good list or naughty list?

Don’t know which list I’ll be on.

Why should Santa put you on the good list?

I deserve to be on Santa’s good list because I’ve been really kind and always share my sweets.

Martha aged 4 What are you most looking forward to about Christmas and why?

I’m really looking forward to going over my Grandma & Grandad’s on Christmas Day because I love them.

What are hoping to get this Christmas and why?

I’d really like some Shopkins Dolls because I don’t have any of the

dolls yet.

What are you most looking forward to doing over the Christmas holidays?

I’m really looking forward to going to the Winter Wonderland.

Will you be on Santa’s good list or naughty list?

Good list.

Why should Santa put you on the good list?

Santa should put me on his good list because I’ve been a really brave girl this year.

16

Evie aged 5 What are you most looking forward to about Christmas and why?

I get to see the dust by the fireplace and outside from Santa and Rudolph. But I really want to put on my list “please Santa make me fly!”

What are hoping to get this Christmas and why?

I’m looking forward to getting a Pocahontas doll and Barbie Dreamhouse because there is a swimming pool and the Barbies get to go in there. I want these things because I haven’t got them.

What are you most looking forward to doing over the Christmas holidays?

Opening presents and eating Christmas food.

Will you be on Santa’s good list or naughty list?

Good list.

Why should Santa put you on the good list?

Because I keep my house tidy and because I do lovely drawing.

Lily aged 5 What are you most looking forward to about Christmas and why?

I can’t wait for it to snow hopefully and for Santa and presents, and making reindeer food because it’s fun.

What are hoping to get this Christmas and why?

I really hope I get Mario Kart for my DS computer.

What are you most looking forward to doing over the Christmas holidays?

I really can’t wait to relax and play games.

Will you be on Santa’s good list or naughty list?

GOOD, GOOD, GOOD! Why should Santa put you on the good list?

Because I looked after my hamster really well.

kids Bronwen aged 5 What are you most looking forward to about Christmas and why?

We normally go to Nanna and Bampa’s house and I like their house.

What are hoping to get this Christmas and why?

A toy doll that can walk and talk and close its eyes when it is night time because I’ve never had one before and it sounds really exciting.

What are you most looking forward to doing over the Christmas holidays?

Building a snowman if it snows.

Will you be on Santa’s good list or naughty list?

Good.

Why should Santa put you on the good list?

Because I am good more often than I am naughty.

Zara aged 5 What are you most looking forward to about Christmas and why?

Opening my presents on christmas morning with Mummy, Daddy and Ben. What are hoping to get this Christmas and why?

A real horse and a robot cat. I really like horses and I really love cats!

What are you most looking forward to doing over the Christmas holidays?

Playing with my horse and cat and eating lots of chocolate.

Will you be on Santa’s good list or naughty list?

Probably the good list.

Why should Santa put you on the good list?

Sometimes I share with my brother, I read my school book every day and I listen to Mummy and Daddy.

Ben aged 7 What are you most looking forward to about Christmas and why?

I am most looking forward to snow as it hasn’t snowed for 3 or 4 years, What are hoping to get this Christmas and why?

A bike as my old one is too small and doesn’t have gears.

What are you most looking forward to doing over the Christmas holidays?

Having a lie in! It’s my baby cousin’s first Christmas too.

Will you be on Santa’s good list or naughty list?

I think I’m on the good because I’ve only done a few naughty things this year.

Why should Santa put you on the good list?

I helped Mummy cook dinner, I do what I am told and I listen to my teacher.

Tilly aged 9 What are you most looking forward to about Christmas and why?

I’m most looking forward to decorating the house and the Christmas tree because I get to help.

What are hoping to get this Christmas and why?

I really want a new long sleeved gymnastics leotard and some gymnastics shorts because I only have sleeveless ones and it’s getting cold now.

What are you most looking forward to doing over the Christmas holidays?

I’m really looking forward this year to catching up with my friend, Eva, who now lives in America.

Will you be on Santa’s good list or naughty list?

Good list.

Why should Santa put you on the good list?

Santa should put me on his good list because I’ve been kind to my brother and sister, and help Mummy.

Joseph aged 5 What are you most looking forward to about Christmas and why?

The presents, they are really good and I love them.

What are hoping to get this Christmas and why?

I’m hoping to get an awesome skateboard.

Because it’s so cool and I really want to skate.

What are you most looking forward to doing over the Christmas holidays?

Making a snowman and doing snowball fights.

Will you be on Santa’s good list or naughty list?

I have no idea. I think I will be on the good list really.

Why should Santa put you on the good list?

Because I have been really good. I’ve done stuff, but I can’t remember.

Merry Christmas to all our customers!

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Win tickets to the ballet and the panto Win a Family Ticket to see Swan Lake at St. David’s Hall

What better way is there to get in the Christmas spirit than to enjoy a world class ballet with your loved ones at St. David’s Hall?

The greatest romantic ballet of all time is brought to life by Tschaikovsky's haunting and unforgettable score. From the impressive splendour of the Palace ballroom to the moonlit lake, where swans glide in perfect formation, this compelling tale of tragic romance has it all. From Odile, the temptress in black tulle as she seduces the Prince by spinning with captivating precision, to the spellbound purity of the swan queen, Odette as she flutters with

emotional intensity, the dual role of Odette/Odile is one of ballet's most unmissable technical challenges.

Performed by the Russian State Ballet of Siberia and accompanied by the Orchestra of the Russian State Ballet, this sensational ballet turns the stage into a winter wonderland - a perfect way to celebrate your Christmas in style.

We’ve teamed up with St. David’s Hall to offer you the chance to win a Family Ticket (4 tickets) to see Swan Lake on Monday 2nd January at 5.30pm.

All you need to do to enter is answer this simple question:

Swan Lake at St David’s Hall is presented by the Russian State Ballet of: a) England b) Siberia c) Wales Email your answer to SDHpress@ cardiff.gov.uk by Monday 19th December at the latest for your chance to win.

Two other ballets are appearing at St. David’s Hall over Christmas.

La Fille Mal Gardée is showing on 20th and 21st December, while The Nutcracker appears from 22nd December to 28th December.

Win a Family Ticket to see Peter Pan at the New Theatre Global superstar David Hasselhoff is at the helm of this year’s New Theatre pantomime Peter Pan, taking the role of Captain Hoff the Hook.

Best known for his roles in the iconic television programmes Knight Rider and Baywatch, The Hoff is thrilled to be returning to

Cardiff, a city that holds a lot of happy memories for him: “I love being in pantomime, it’s a lot of fun and to tell the story of Peter Pan is a huge honour, especially as I made my stage debut in the show as a child. I’m particularly happy to be spending Christmas with the people of Cardiff - so watch out Wales!”

Joining David will be Cardiff’s much-loved dame Mike Doyle who will star as Mrs Smee. Following last year’s critically acclaimed appearance as Widow Twankey in Aladdin, Mike will bring his array of comedy, costumes and audience participation to the high seas this Christmas.

With amazing flying effects, barrels of laughter, magic and fairy dust, you can join Peter and the Lost Boys and set sail in the ultimate pantomime adventure complete with all of the ingredients audiences know to expect in this swashbuckling festive treat.

We’ve teamed up with the New

Theatre to give you the chance to win a Family Ticket (4 tickets) to see Peter Pan at the 7pm show on Tuesday 13th December.

All you need to do is answer this simple question: What role is David Hasselhoff playing in this year’s Peter Pan? Is it: a) James Hook b) Captain Hoff the Hook c) Michael Knight Email your entries to competitions@livingmags.co.uk by midday on Friday 9th December.

You can also enter by post by sending a postcard with the correct answer on it to our address on the inside front cover by the same date.

Peter Pan runs at the New Theatre from Saturday 10th December 2016 to Sunday 8th January 2017.

Please ensure that you provide your name, address and telephone number so we can contact you.

Whitchurch & Llandaff Living 41_Layout 1 02/11/2016 15:46 Page 1

Miles Jupp

An Audience with Joe Calzaghe

Anton & Erin

11.03.17

19.02.17

Songs of Freedom

with Darren & Mike of The Overtones

Stephen K. Amos

Lord of the Dance

26.01.17

27.01.17 - 29.01.17

24.01.17

World Famous

Dangerous Games

Serious Joker

Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra

Paul Carrack

09.12.16

18.02.17

A Night at the Movies: Heroes & Villains

RAYMOND GUBBAY presents

Russia’s acclaimed ballet company returns to Cardiff in 2016

La Fille mal gardée The Nutcracker Swan Lake The Russian State Ballet of Siberia Accompanied by The Orchestra of the Russian State Ballet Performed by

THREE MAGICAL BALLETS ONE EXCITING SEASON

20 - DECEMBER - 2 JANUARY

Lee Nelson

Swing Time

12.03.17

Soul Shadows

winter crafts

Christmas Trees

These homemade Christmas lights are operated by battery-powered lights and can look so cosy anywhere around the home. They are especially handy for putting next to the kids’ beds.

You’ll need some green card that you can cut and glue into a cone shape as in the image above, remembering to taper the bottoms so that they sit nicely on a flat surface.

Pop some holes in the card and push through the lights so that they poke out of the holes. To create the star, cut two stars out of paper and put Scotch tape over both sides. Cut out a star shape but leave one edge untaped so that you can slide a light bulb into it. You may find that you’ll need to use the endmost bulb on your string of lights.

You can hold the star in place by sticking some tape on the inside of the cone. Place the battery pack inside the cone and turn your lights on.

22

Tinsel bells What you’ll need Paper or plastic cup Ribbon Scissors Jingle bells (you can get these from most hobby stores) Paintbrush White glue Tinsel garland Poke a small hole in the bottom of the cups. Cut some ribbon to a length that is about four times the height of the cup. Thread a jingle bell halfway onto the ribbon and double it. Knot the doubled ribbon together about halfway, making sure that the bell will hang just below the opening of the cup.

Push the ends of the ribbon through the hole in the cup and tie at the top to hang.

Spread glue on the outside of the cup and wrap the tinsel garland around until covered completely; let dry.

Fabric Baubles

These baubles are easy to make but do require the use of a paring knife so you may want to provide some adult help.

Start by cutting up some fabric into around 2 or 3 inch pieces. Use whatever fabric you want - you can use a mixture of fabrics.

Next, you’ll need a styrofoam ball, which you can get from any hobby store. Larger ones will probably work better as the smaller ones can become too fiddly.

Take the paring knife and with the edge of the knife, push one end of the fabric strip into the ball.

Work your way around the ball, adding fabric until the entire ball is covered. The fabric should stay in place if you have pushed it in far enough using the paring knife.

To finish off your bauble, take a piece of ribbon and secure it to the top of the ball using a pin. Push the pin into the ball to make sure that it can take the weight when you come to hanging it up.

crafts crafts Winter scene jars

These winter scene jars are easy to make and can even be given away as gifts.

You’ll need a jar with a screw lid on it and it will need to be a fairly wide jar to accommodate your winter scene. It will be the lid that is actually the main thing to work on. You can buy miniature trees and fake snow from any good hobby store. The idea is to glue the base of the tree to the inside of the jar lid. At this point, you can glue anything you want, for example a creature or snowman.

Leave your glued items to dry for a few hours.

When the glue is completely dry, fill the glass jar with the amount of fake snow that you want to feature. Screw the lid back onto the jar and once it’s tight, tip the jar upside down so that the snow now drops to the bottom, covering the base.

Instant Outdoor Christmas Lantern

Greet visitors to your home this Christmas with this easy-to-make outdoor lantern.

Large metal lanterns are available from any good garden centre so take one of these and fill it with a mixture of shiny baubles and battery-powered lights. It’s up to you what coloured lights and baubles you want to use but once you’re ready, simply pop your lantern outside or even in a window.

Ice Lamps

Homemade Christmas tree hanging decoration

You can experiment with designs.

You may want to have the jar lying on its side but you’ll need to place your ‘scene’ inside the jar instead of glueing it to the inside of the lid.

If you’re feeling very adventurous, you may want to use a battery-operated tea light inside the jar. To do this, glue a button magnet to the inside of the lid and place the tea light on the magnet.

This will be different to the above design as the lid will remain on the top of the jar instead of inverting it.

You may want to add bows or ribbons to your jar and you can also paint the outside of the jar.

There is also the option to fill your jars with water so that you can create your own snowglobe!

Begin by taking sticks of increasingly long lengths and lay them out on a table in the form of a Christmas tree.

With one length of thick cord, begin tying the sticks together, leaving a loop at the top for hanging.

Decorate with baubles, ribbons and cones, attaching them to the sticks with hot glue. Leave to dry before hanging on a wall.

The beauty of these candle lamps is that you can make them as little or as large as you like - and they’ll also cost you next to nothing to make.

They are perfect for illuminating paths to your front door if you are thinking of having a festive party.

You’ll need two containers - one larger one and one smaller one. The difference in width between the two is going to be the thickness of your lamp.

Start by placing the smaller container inside the larger container.

Ideally, you want the smaller container to sit directly in the middle of the large one. Make sure you place this on a flat surface as you’ll end up with a wonky lamp if you don’t.

Fill the small container with stones or pebbles as you’ll want it to remain central. Fill the gap between the two containers with water. At this point, you can add in twigs, berries or other festive foliage. You could even add food colouring.

If the weather is below freezing, leave the two containers outside overnight to freeze. Alternatively, place in a chest freezer until it’s frozen solid.

When suitablty frozen, run warm water over the outer container so that the inner container comes free and you have yourself an ice lamp!

23

Nail Divas

We are an independent neighbourhood coffee bar, home-wares and Welsh gift shop offering unusual and bespoke Christmas gifts for all the family as well as amazing deli products from some of Wales’s best producers and much more

Professional Manicure Specialists · Beginners & Foundation Courses in Nail Technology · Eyelash Courses a Christmas! · Beauty Therapy v i D Courses starting at £75 · Plus full range of nail and beauty treatments available in salon

Pop in for breakfast, light lunch or just a coffee, cake and chat or visit the new Bodlon store at Yr Hen Lyfrgell (The Old Library) on The Hayes, Cardiff

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Charity Director Sharon Owen explains about the great work that Welsh Hearts is doing - and how you can get involved We are the leading heart charity in Wales for placing defibrillators in communities, delivering CPR and defibrillator training, and heart screening sessions throughout Wales.

With 8,000 sudden cardiac arrests outside of Wales each year, the survival rate is just 3%. When a defibrillator and good effective CPR is applied, the survival rate increases to 50%. In 3 years, Welsh Hearts have placed 457 defibrillators throughout Wales and taught CPR to over 14,000 people. We have also screened 800 people for heart defects.

I was inspired to set the charity up after a routine check-up with my GP at the age of 11, when I was told I had a heart defect. I want to give something back to Wales – I have been fundraising for over 20 years, and I lost both my nan, pops and various

relatives and good friends to heart disease.

Wales at last has a heart charity that is saving lives every day, but there is still so much work to do.

Saving lives is the most satisfying part of my job.

There’s no better feeling than knowing that you have helped people, who without help, may have never known they had a condition until it was too late.

We are currently looking for new trustees to take Welsh Hearts to the next level. We are always grateful for volunteers to help in any way they can.

I’d like to see a future where nobody in Wales dies prematurely from heart disease. Help us to raise more funds to saves more lives in Wales.

For more information about how to apply for a defibrillator or to attend a heart screening session please visit our website www.welshhearts.org.

Our next heart screening is 28th January in Llandaff Village.

welshhearts.org/everysecond

02922 402 670 Registered charity number 1154109

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Believe

The gift of life.

Anna Bates is a woman who has always appreciated life and what she has. She was blissfully married to Stuart and family life with their two children, Elizabeth and Fraser was the thing they valued the most.

But last year, on December 6th, life changed dramatically for Anna and Elizabeth when Stuart and young Fraser, just seven years old were knocked down as the family were on their way home from a Christmas party. Both Stuart and Fraser tragically died.

Through the donation of their organs and tissues, lives were saved, despite theirs being sadly lost. Since then Anna has campaigned tirelessly for the charity Believe, which she set up as a legacy to the boys to raise awareness and support surrounding organ donation.

For Believe, encouraging people to have a conversation around organ donation is one of their four main objectives. On the night of the accident, at a time of unimaginable shock and sadness, Anna knew organ donation was the right decision because of a conversation the family had had just a few weeks before.

The donation of Fraser’s organs

especially has given me such strength and positivity

26

“I’m always so thankful for that, because if we hadn’t have had that conversation I wouldn’t have known what Stu or Fraser would have wanted me to have done.”

She reflects on the comfort she gained from the process: “The donation of Fraser’s organs especially has given me such strength and positivity to realise what an amazing gift that was, and to realise the fact that he went on to save at least four lives. To have that knowledge before Christmas last year helped us get through Christmas.” The ‘Fraser Bear’ has become the mascot of the charity which came about when the House of Fraser donated Fraser bears to all of Fraser’s friends after he died, because of his nickname of Bear within the family. Anna explains: “The Bear has helped to start conversations, along with what has become the ‘Fraser stance’, the Believe stance, which celebrities have reproduced worldwide. I think as a society we treat death as a taboo, where it shouldn’t be a taboo, because unfortunately death is part of life. If something so amazing can come after your death, then why are we not discussing it with our children, why are we not discussing it with each other?”

Wales became the first country in the UK last December to enact an ‘opt out’ for organ donation, meaning that everyone in Wales is automatically considered an organ donor unless they specifically register their wishes to not become a donor after their death. Having

these conversations with loved ones therefore seems all the more important, especially as decisions can be overridden.

“What struck me was that even though Stuey had opted in as an organ donor, I as next of kin still had the power to overrule his decision, which surprised me.” This leads onto the next main objective of the charity, which is education surrounding organ donation. The charity has had discussions at both a local council and government level about incorporating the subject of organ donation into the national curriculum.

Anna explains: “There have been assemblies that have already been done on organ donations as result of our work.

Willows High School have actually incorporated Believe into their logo.”

Anna was amazed by the reaction of the Year 7s at Willows when she went to talk with them and believes that conversations should start in junior school.

“We start sex education early.

Fraser’s friends are having conversations in relation to organ donation and saying they want to be a superhero like Fraser. Elizabeth is so bright and she understands that Fraser went on to save four lives. We discount our children and we think if we don’t discuss things with them it will never happen to us.

But death is there, it is reality.”

Anna explains that the highest number of organ donors come from the 16-18 age group, because they are statistically more likely to be Cardiff City photograph courtesy of Media Wales

involved in a RTA and most organ donations come from a traumatic event. Currently, the first thing a child knows about organ donation is a month before their 18th birthday when they get sent a letter from the Government explaining about the opt out. Anna believes this is too late.

“There is a real shortage of child organs which can go to adults as well as children. Fraser’s heart went to a baby boy, his lungs went to a child boy, his kidney went to a child girl and his kidney and liver went to a woman in her 30s.” Anna has been moved by the heartbreaking stories of parents waiting for organs for their children and similarly the guilt that parents can feel when their child becomes a recipient. This links with the next level of what Believe is trying to do, which is to provide the appropriate support to donor families and recipients.

Anna explains: “At the moment, everything is there but there is nothing that bonds it together. We are going to use the charity money to train our volunteers to be mentors for families. They will advise about the various sources of support that are out there and continue to follow up with families and assess their ongoing needs over time.”

Support and education from the charity also extends to professionals such as family liaison officers working in the police force across the UK. Anna has recently bravely presented at the BRAKE conference in Birmingham about the difficulties around having such sensitive conversations at a time when a family are going through intense trauma, but when time is of the essence with regards to organ donation.

Finally, Believe aims to streamline the process around organ donation.

“Even though Stu had opted in, I still had to complete paperwork to be able to donate and due to the time delays we couldn’t donate

We set sail at 4 o’clock, the time that Stu and I got married, so we can toast Stu

on our special day and I can remember him

as fondly as

I did last year

as much of Stu’s tissues as we wanted to. So we’re looking to try and streamline the process with the assistance of NHS Blood and Transplant. We have got an app and website in development, and interactional videos and educational tools.”

It’s inspirational to see how much has been achieved by Anna and the Believe team over the past 12 months. Anna is especially proud that North Cardiff has the highest number of people who have opted in to the organ donor register. She has a clear vision for the charity which has raised over £110,000 and hopes that it should be selfperpetuating, with models in place for education and support in Wales that the rest of the UK may follow.

So what have been Anna’s highlights? “On a personal level it was meeting Bear Grylls, because Fraser was Bear and so I gave him a bear from me. Obviously being nominated for the Pride of Britain Award and then winning the Welsh Pride of Britain and being surrounded by so many inspiring and phenomenal people was a privilege.” Anna also held the first Believe Ball in September just after the boys’ birthdays to celebrate their lives and the gift of life. But perhaps Anna’s proudest moment was when her son Fraser was honoured posthumously with the Order of St John Award for Organ donation.

Asked what she thinks the boys would think of Believe and what she has achieved, she pauses and her eyes fill with tears.

“I know they’d be proud. It took me ages to say that. I always used to say that the boys did it all, but I think they gave me the strength through their love. I also think they would be so proud of Elizabeth and how she deals with it all too.” The tears give way to laughter as Anna reflects how Stuart would also be envious.

“Stu would be absolutely fuming and jealous about me going to the Pride of Britain, both him and Fraser would be jealous about me meeting Bear Grylls and Stu would be just ridiculously jealous about where the bear has travelled as he loved to travel.”

It seems poignant that when Anna produced a Pride of Britain photobook that Stuart and Fraser managed to get in there, by the sheer coincidence that some yearly memories had popped up on her phone and so ended up being incorporated into the book.

Words strictly copyright Living Magazines, Cardiff. No reproduction of this interview, in part or whole is permitted.

Anna and her sister Bridget at the Pride of Britain Awards “It was hilarious and was like they were saying ‘ey you love, I was there too!’”

With the first anniversary of the accident and the boys’ death approaching, Anna has clear plans for how they are going to manage this difficult time as a family.

“Elizabeth and I, along with my parents are going away on a cruise.

It will mean we are in the sunshine and because we are on a cruise, there are no cars; so Elizabeth and I can mark it as we did Fraser’s birthday, appropriately as a family.”

Poignantly and deliberately, the family are boarding the cruise on Anna and Stuart’s wedding anniversary.

“We set sail at 4 o’clock, the time that Stu and I got married, so we can toast Stu on our special day and I can remember him as fondly as I did last year.” The family will return for Christmas and Anna has planned how she will approach the holidays.

“For the first time ever I am cooking Christmas dinner, my mother and father have actually allowed me to do it and to host it.

We will have Christmas together, a new Christmas, new memories, a different Christmas, but we will never ever forget. We will decorate our Fraser Bay tree, our Christmas tree which is a Fraser tree that’s out in the garden, we will sit and have a glass of wine around our Stuey and Fraser roses because we have got our Forever Young and our Never Forgotten roses, and we will sing carols around the piano.”

Anna pauses as the tears come again.

“They will be here.” Anna reflects on the festive season and concludes: “Everybody has difficulties in their lives and I have seen that in the last 12 months especially, and I think us as a society are so willing to judge people or to judge ourselves. So just face Christmas with what you’ve got, celebrate what you’ve got, make memories, deal with things as positively as you can, because life and the gift of life is so important.”

A poignant message for us all.

27

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Festive Gifts

1. Sophie Allport Starry Night Village Scene Mug £10 This white fine bone china mug depicts a festive village scene with Father Christmas riding his sleigh.

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2. Welsh Christmas crackers from £12.50 Celebrate Christmas with a bang with these high-quality Welsh crackers.

Contain eco gifts and Welsh jokes by Dewi Pws. From Bodlon, Whitchurch

3. Encode Rock Zero 50 Two Steepletone Jukebox £999 Rock around the Christmas tree with this stunning reproduction floor standing Radio/CD Juke Box. From Cardiff Bed Centre, Whitchurch

5 There’s no need to head into the city this winter when our villages have all you need for those perfect Christmas gift ideas 4. Range of Yankee Candles Christmas isn't Christmas without those festive smells.

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5. Standing Wooden Reindeer £20-£40 These free-standing reindeers are made from recycled wood and look great either indoors or outdoors. Look out Rudolph!

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7. Wire Reindeers from £7.95 Simple and stylish, these wire reindeers come in three different sizes.

Quirky and artisan, they add a splash of festive fun to your home.

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8. Christmas Eve Boxes £25 The Christmas Eve boxes contain a milk bottle and plate for Santa, hot chocolate a candy cane and reindeer food - all you need for the big night!

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9. Nadolig Llawen cushion £22 Made to order, these perfectly Welsh cushions are guaranteed to be the talking point when your guests visit over the Christmas period.

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10. Burgon & Ball Garden Accessories From £3.99 Store and organise your garden paraphernalia in style! Solutions for storing everything from garden tools to bird seed!

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29

of Ely

The Bard

Here's a question for you: what's got a green beard, writes about nature and comes from Llandaff? Got it? Give up?

The answer is Steve Andrews.

Steve is a singer-songwriter, writer and journalist with a strong interest in botany and conservation. And he's through to the live auditions of Britain's Got Talent. Living Magazines caught up with the man known as the Bard of Ely. What effect did your childhood have on what you do now?

My childhood gave me a love for nature and, from around the age of 10 onward, an interest in pop music. Both these passions have stayed with me and have become part of my work as a writer and as a musician.

In the case of the natural world, besides giving me something to be taking pleasure in and finding out about wherever I am, it has

30

given me subject matter for my writings; and so I have written many articles on plants and wildlife for various publications when I have been living abroad, including for the Tenerife News and the Tenerife Weekly newspapers, and Mediterranean Gardening and Outdoor Living magazines. In the UK, I have contributed articles about foraging to Permaculture and Welsh Coastal Life magazines. I have also been published by Moon Books with two books about herbs: Herbs of the Northern Shaman and Herbs of the Sun, Moon and Planets.

What does Llandaff mean to you?

Llandaff is where I went to school as a child. I started school at what is now the Llandaff Institute, and for me it has been strange finding that it now has a bar and open mic nights. I actually played there last year. As a boy I used to spend my pocket money at Pickards sweet shop on the corner by the Village Green. I used to spend a lot of time down Llandaff Weir too where I would catch fish like eels, loaches and sticklebacks, and frogs and newts in the ponds that were once there. As a boy I used to collect conkers in Insole Court, and years later in the 1970s I worked there as a gardener for Cardiff Parks Department. One thing I really like about Llandaff, though, is the way it has kept its village atmosphere and so much of its past.

You’ve been described in some quarters as a hippie. Is this a fair description?

I was once called 'South Wales' most cosmic hippie guru' in the South Wales Echo and I can see why the term hippie gets applied to me. I have had long hair, a beard and flamboyant clothing most of the time since my late teens. I have also had an interest in various branches of alternative culture and I was very much a festival-goer. I started going to these events back when I was 16. I went to the Bath Blues Festivals, two Isle of Wight Festivals and many of the free festivals back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. And I used to do a lot of hitchhiking and that is something hippies do.

Your love of nature shines through. For you, what makes it so fascinating?

Everything about nature for me is simply so incredible and beautiful too. I am fascinated by the complexity of it all, by the complex life-cycles of animals and plants, and how one species depends on others. There is a ‘magic’ about the natural world. I am still as amazed now by how a butterfly or moth transforms from a caterpillar to a chrysalis or pupa and finally to a winged adult, as I was when I was a child. I am also fascinated by how some form of life has adapted to live in every habitat on this planet.

Top photo by Marc Roberts

people How does art allow you to express yourself?

I express myself artistically as a writer, a poet, a singer-songwriter, a performer, and with how I dress.

Words are my tools as an artist, and all my songs are written as lyrics first before I compose a tune. I was first inspired by the great singersongwriters, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Donovan and Cat Stevens.

It was their words that spoke to me, far more than their music.

As a performer I like to create audience participation. Then it becomes a shared creative experience and everyone has a good time. I play a cover of Stand

By Me and this always gets a great response from the audience because I encourage them to get involved by singing along, dancing along and standing by me!

Where did the name The Bard of Ely come from?

In 1998 I had a regular column in Big Issue Cymru and it was this publication that dubbed me the 'Bard of Ely.' This was because I was known to the magazine as a local singer-songwriter and poet, and I was living on the Ely estate at the time. So it was an apt description.

As a matter of interest, I was Peter Finch’s guide to Ely when he was writing the first in his series of Real Cardiff books.

How did the Britain’s Got Talent episode come about?

Over the years, many friends have told me I should enter these TV talent contests, and for some reason I haven’t. I suppose I just couldn’t see myself as right for these shows, but then one day back in September I saw a notice somewhere that there were going to be auditions for Britain’s Got Talent in Merthyr Tydfil, and I thought, why not give it a go?

My performance went down really well and it was all captured on

camera. About 10 days later I got a call to say I was through to the next stage, which was another audition in Birmingham. Eventually the big day arrived and when I got to the ICC in Birmingham I really got an idea of how big the BGT contest is and how many other people enter it.

I was asked to pretend Simon Cowell was there and to introduce myself and tell him what song I was going to do and why. Anyway, it all appeared to have gone down really well, but again I was told that I would have to wait to hear from them again to find out if I was successful. Some weeks later I was thrilled to get a phone call congratulating me on making it through to the next stage which will be before the judges and an audience, and will take place in London, Birmingham, Manchester or Blackpool. I know this will be in January or February but haven’t been given a date or venue yet.

time for me, kicking off with a gig at Chapter Arts Centre on 7th January, when I will be heading the bill for a Wyrd Wonder Evening of Music and Poetry, presented by Marc 'Zeuk' Roberts.

I am also looking forward to continuing work on an album being produced by Jayce Lewis and recorded at his fabulous Northstone Studios in Bridgend. We already recorded my song Ever Yours.

Then there’s my Britain's Got Talent audition coming up, and in early February I am doing a book signing event at Wellfield Books to promote my new book Herbs of the Sun, Moon and Planets.

I am also looking forward to getting together again with fellow poets Mab Jones and Rufus Mufasa to see what we can create together.

It is something we have been planning. 2017 already has plenty in store for me!

You can read more of Steve's What’s with the green beard? musings at his blog. Head to: I was in the first Green Man Festival www.bardofelysays.blogspot.co.uk back in 2003 and was an MC as well as appearing on stage as a singer and musician. I thought if I dyed my beard green that it would go with the image of the festival and also reflect my An eclectic mix of design-led love of nature. It's home furnishings and gifts. stuck ever since.

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If your data is compromised or your system damaged by a cyber attack, having it all backed up so you don’t lose everything will make the situation easier to deal with.

If your business comes under cyber attack, the consequences can be serious: you could find yourself held to ransom, unable to operate your business or access your systems, having to spend time restoring your IT systems and website, losing customers, suffering damage to your reputation and even receiving fines or facing legal action for failing to keep customer data secure.

3. Install antivirus protection Antivirus and anti-malware software are essential tools to protect your IT systems.

4. Update your programs regularly There is little point in installing antivirus software if you do not keep it up to date. Frequently updating your programs makes sure your protection includes any recent issues or holes that programmers have found and fixed.

Watkin Davies Insurance Consultants are pleased to offer a new Cyber and Data Insurance policy to help protect your business.

5. Secure your laptops and mobile devices Because of their portable nature, laptops, phones and other mobile devices are at a higher risk of being lost or stolen than company desktops. Use encryption software so that the data on laptops and mobile devices cannot be read without the correct password.

Never leave laptops or devices in vehicles where they are an easy target for thieves.

Password protect all your devices to make access more difficult for thieves. Enable remote wiping so that if you discover a company device has been stolen, the data can be wiped before it falls into the wrong hands.

6. Be careful with email and instant messaging Be aware that emails or messages might not be from who they claim to be. Be on the lookout for suspicious links on emails or instant messages that you were not expecting. Clicking links is the most common way that malware finds its way onto a computer.

7. Backup regularly Schedule regular backups to an external hard drive, or in the cloud, to ensure that all your data is stored safely.

Ideally, servers and personal computers should have a complete backup weekly, with incremental backups daily or every few days depending on the type of data stored and how your business needs to use it.

Here are ten ways you can protect your company from attack and minimise the damage if the worst does happen.

1. Use strong passwords The Government’s Cyber Aware campaign recommends using strong passwords made up of three random short words. You can also use a combination of capital and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols, You should never use anything which may be easy to guess by looking at your social media pages such as: • • • • • • •

Current partner’s name Child’s name Other family members’ name Pet’s name Place of birth Favourite holiday Something related to your favourite sports team

You should change your password at least every 90 days and never share passwords with anyone else, including members of staff.

2. Put up a strong firewall To protect your network properly, you must have an effective firewall controlling the internet traffic coming into and out of your business.

8. Monitor your systems diligently You can use data-leakage prevention software, set up at key points to look for specific information coming out of your internal network. It can be configured to look for credit card numbers, pieces of code, or any bits of information relevant to your business that would indicate a breach.

The sooner you can identify that a breach has taken place, the sooner you can act to rectify it and minimise the damage to your business.

9. Educate your employees Make sure your employees understand how important your company’s data is, and all the measures they can take to protect it. Always encourage staff to use strong passwords and not to share them. When a member of staff leaves the company, it is very important to delete their user accounts from the system to prevent any unauthorised access.

The Government offers free cyber security training for businesses www.gov.uk/government/ collections/cyber-security-trainingfor-business

10. Protect your company with Cyber and Data risk insurance Even if you take all the measures possible to protect your company’s systems and data, a determined hacker may still be able to get in.

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s d l e i f n In gree d n a l e h across t

rsary this year. e iv n n a th 5 2 s it s te azine celebra Welsh Football mag ina resident David Collins tells its story Editor and Rhiwb

2016 has seen a host of football books published in Wales on the back of the success of Chris Coleman’s team in the Euros. It hasn’t always been so - football publications in Wales have been few and far between - but one constant over the past twenty-five years has been the independentlypublished Welsh Football magazine.

Rhiwbina resident David Collins has edited and published this national football magazine since its foundation in late 1991.

“1991 was a significant time for football in Wales,” David explains.

“The Football Association of Wales knew its independence as a separate football nation was under threat; as part of the response to this threat, a new national League of Wales, outside the English football system, was to be launched in 1992. There was a feeling that

Rhiwbina resident and Welsh Football magazine editor David Collins

34

Wales should have its own football magazine as well, but a previous publication, published in England, had folded after a handful of issues.”

Together with several other football writers and enthusiasts based in Wales, David became one of the founders of the new independent publication Welsh Football, whose first issue appeared in January 1992.

“It was a gamble. We put up the money to finance the early editions, not knowing what sort of response there would be. But the small print run of the first issue quickly sold out, and that told us there was a market.”

It is maybe ironic that the driving force behind our national football magazine is an Englishman by birth. Having moved to Rhiwbina from London a decade earlier, avid Wimbledon FC fan David had been increasingly watching local football around Wales as a way of immersing himself in his adopted country.

“The 1980s were the hey-day of football fanzines, before the internet age, and I sent in contributions to a few publications. Over the years, I became known as someone with a knowledge of semi-professional and amateur football in Wales, and that’s why I was approached when the idea of a Welsh Football magazine was taking hold.”

Writing about football satisfied his creative instincts but he says his central role in the magazine came about by accident.

“There were three of us as joint editors to start with but after a couple of years there was just

me. By about 1997, we’d got a settled format and a good team of writers and I just carried on because coverage of Welsh football competitions (as opposed to English football) was still very limited. At times it was hard to fit it around work and family life but I enjoyed it, especially as it was taking me to so many different parts of Wales, and I was making so many friends at clubs up and down the country.”

Milestone issues came and went: five years, ten years, 100 issues.

“The magazine developed a recognised style: we aimed to celebrate what was good about football in Wales - great clubs at the heart of their communities, wonderful scenic grounds and above all, the fact that Wales was an independent football nation with its national team and its champions and cup-winners representing the nation on a European level. We also aimed for the most professional standard achievable, and made gradual improvements in print quality as and when we could.

After Euro 2016 this summer, we produced a special celebratory edition that I’m pretty sure was our best ever.”

“We have stayed independent though - the Welsh FA have always been supportive and helpful but we knew that we’d lose something if we became seen as their mouthpiece.

We’ve been able to be critical on occasions. We don’t set out to be controversial or campaigning but because of that, when we do speak out, people tend to take notice.”

These days, Welsh Football

sport

appears eight times per season, a professionally-produced A5 magazine with a minimum of 36 pages.

“It’s a fairly well-established routine from the season preview edition in August through to the end-of-season review in June,” David explains.

“The gap between issues is about six weeks, which is as short as we can comfortably manage. As soon as we’ve despatched one issue, I start planning the next one; talking to contributors about ideas for articles and writing the club features, history articles and programme reviews. Then just before the copy deadline, there’s another flurry of writing to produce the regular columns on the various Welsh leagues and the national team’s fortunes.

“The editing process takes a day or two before everything is compiled as digital files for Harris Print and Design of Porthcawl to work their magic on it. The best part of the whole process is when I see their artwork for the proofs - that feeling of seeing the finished product emerge on the page.”

David bemoans the fact that his publication, despite having a devoted reader base, has always

struggled just to break even and cover its printing and postage costs - neither David nor any other contributor receives anything - “not even expenses - we do it because we choose to!”

“There was never enough surplus for an advertising budget so we’ve always relied on word of mouth and recommendations to bring in new subscribers. And it’s almost impossible to get an independent publication into the big newsagent chains without taking inordinate risks, so distribution is mostly via subscriptions and independent shops, though I’ve always got a few copies on me at every game I go to.”

Many print magazines have disappeared in the past decade as people have turned to the internet and social media, but Welsh Football is one of the publications that endures.

“We’ve had to adapt, of course,” David admits, “In the nineties, people could tolerate information being a few weeks old, even league tables and other statistics, but the pace of life has changed and now we expect everything to be absolutely current. So our core content is more feature-based, while any match photos we include need to tell a story that will still be of interest when they’re read. A statistics supplement with up-todate league tables is assembled and photocopied the day before publication. But we have a website where we can publish results, and a blog, as the internet is the right medium for these now.

“I think as technology evolves, print publications will have to keep adapting. But predictions of their demise were premature - there really is a continuing demand for something you can hold in your hand and keep for reference. We also have to remember that technology has made the editing and publishing process easier and better, and opened up new possibilities, so it’s wrong to see it purely as a threat.”

David, who is now retired after a 40-year career in IT, attends between one and two hundred matches a year, mostly in Wales.

“I don’t follow any team in Wales particularly, though of course I do have my favourites.

But as editor of the national magazine, it helps that I’m fairly neutral and just love watching

football, anywhere and at any level.

“I just wish more people appreciated the pleasure that can be derived from watching football at their local clubs. For instance, here in North Cardiff we’ve got Cardiff Met, over at Cyncoed, playing really attractive football in the Welsh Premier League and only charging a few pounds admission yet in a city of 350,000 people they get very little publicity and crowds of only a few hundred.”

After twenty-five years, the inevitable question is how much longer David plans to continue: “So many people go out of their way to encourage me to keep the magazine going that I know it’s still valued, so as long as the demand is there and it manages to cover its costs, I’m happy to carry on producing it. After all, the next milestone is our 200th issue in less than a year’s time!”

Welsh Football magazine is published eight times a year and is available via subscription. The normal annual cost, including postage, is £27.00 but residents of Rhiwbina can benefit from a special post-free rate - details available from info@welsh-football.net. The magazine is also regularly available in a few retail outlets, including Albany News in Albany Road, Roath.

The magazine’s website is www. welsh-football.net and David Collins can be followed on Twitter at @CollinsWFM

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history

All aboard The Cardiff trolleybus service opened on March 1st 1942. Keith Walker charts the rise and fall of the much-loved service

Transport in Cardiff today involves road, rail, bus, water and air. But 75 years ago, the city introduced a fleet of buses driven by electricity collected from overhead wires.

Britain had 50 operators between 1911 and 1972 running in many large towns and London suburbs.

By the standards of the various now-defunct trolleybus systems in the UK, the Cardiff system was a medium-sized one, with a total of 14 routes, and a maximum fleet of 79 trolleybuses.

The trolleybuses were introduced to Cardiff as an option as replacement for the ageing tramcar fleet. After many years of discussion and debate, the first route was opened on St. David’s Day, March 1st 1942. It became operational from Wood Street to Clarence Embankment via Grangetown and later extended to Llandaff Fields via Cathedral Road.

The council transport department

38

purchased ten new vehicles and over the first twelve months, they covered around 250,000 miles on the 3.19 mile route carrying over six million fares.

The vehicles were designed to a low height standard to allow for passing beneath the numerous railway bridges in Cardiff. As this first route was on the western side of the city, the vehicles were accommodated in the Clare Road tramcar depot. The Newport Road depot that had been built in 1902 contained the bulk of the tramcar fleet, but as other routes were developed across the city, trolleybus services to the west were located there. Once the tramcars were phased out, all trolleybuses were based at Newport Road from 1953 onwards.

The expansion of trolleybus services recommenced in 1947.

The tram track along Bute Street had deteriorated so much that

Cardiff’s second trolleybus route was introduced there. This wasn’t that straightforward however as the railway bridges at the city end would not permit double deckers to pass beneath. An order was placed for five single deckers but due to a backlog in orders, there was a delay. Nearby Pontypridd had seven single deckers, and although they were eighteen years old, they were soon purchased as a stopgap.

Due to the age of the trolleybuses, there were limitations on their speed. There was also a noticeably distinctive whine from the motors, which after the recent conflict, sounded similar to the Doodlebug flying bomb. The vehicles adopted this nickname which was passed to their successors from 1948.

The original aim was to replace each tramcar route as it became too expensive to maintain, but the grander plan was to operate trolleybuses across the city which Photographs by kind permission of David Christie (Flickr)

d

history would have seen them reach Whitchurch, Heath, Llandaff, Rumney, Splott, Llanishen and Cyncoed. To this end, the Council had applied in 1934 for powers to run to these areas but decisions made in 1960 saw the end of the trolleybus operation by 1970. The only significant extension outside the tram network was to be the extension from Victoria Park to the expanding Ely housing complex in 1955.

At its zenith, the Cardiff fleet operated 79 vehicles and all were three axled six-wheelers being one of only two systems in the United Kingdom to do so. It is interesting to compare the Cardiff fleet which operated over around nineteen miles of overhead wires, to the largest fleet in London with approximately eighteen hundred vehicles using two hundred and fifty miles of overhead. Cardiff was one of only fifty systems in the UK and it is thought that when London decided to scrap their system with undue haste, this led to a collapse of the market which saw many systems close.

During the final decade as the routes closed, the final service was to Ely - the 10a and 10b. With the depot being the opposite side of the city, enthusiasts had some consolation of seeing the vehicles running over the longest section of overhead. The final week of operation was during the first week of January 1970, when the preserved Cardiff trolleybus owned by local preservationists Number 262 was the last trolleybus to enter Newport Road depot. The power was then switched off and Cardiff was the last trolleybus system to operate in the country. It was also the furthest operational in the west of the UK. In the early 1970s, vehicle restoration was very limited but four of the Cardiff fleet have survived. One is with a national

Trolleybuses on Cardiff’s High Street

Cardiff’s last trolleybus makes its last journey through the city

group, another is within the National Museum and Galleries Wales at their Nantgarw centre, but of more interest, two examples are within the care of a self-funded noncharitable group founded in 1992.

The Cardiff and South Wales Trolleybus Project has quite a story to relate, having brought two vehicles home from exile in Yorkshire, established a workshop over the last sixteen years and commenced their extensive restoration. Both vehicles are very unique - the double decker fleet number 262 as mentioned, closed the Cardiff system. It is the sole survivor of a batch of twenty-five built in

Cardiff. Because Bruce Coachworks in Tremorfa only ever built this amount, it is the only Bruce-bodied trolleybus in the world. The single decker delivered in 1955 is the last three axled single decker built in the UK. Both are worth saving and restoring, preserving for future generations.

Although the present group restoring the vehicles have achieved much, there is still one objective to be realised - the establishment of an overhead circuit in the Cardiff area to run the vehicles on. The project is considered an important part of our transport heritage, an education facility, a leisure addition, a tourist attraction and is the only group of its kind in the country. It’s also right on our doorstep.

Find out more at www.cardiff-trolleybus.org.uk

39

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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 How important is protein to a dog? I’ve come across lots of pet foods that seem to be made mostly of anything other than meat and I’ve fed my dog on a few of these over the years without any noticeable difference to his demeanour or health.

I think there is a slight confusion here between ‘meat’ and ‘protein’. Although meat is (largely) protein, protein is also found in many other foods, including eggs, milk, nuts, grains, even vegetables and grass. Protein is an essential part of the diet of all animals. Every species is different in the way they digest food, and what is a good source of protein for one might be useless for another – for example, people don’t thrive on a diet of grass but cows do.

Dogs are able to digest some plant material (principally grains) to extract the proteins and other nutrients. Because grain is much cheaper than meat, it is often used to supply a fair proportion of the protein in poorer quality dog food. Some dogs seem to be able to do well on this lower quality food, but many do not thrive, and we often see a dramatic improvement in coat condition and general demeanour when we switch dogs from a high-cereal/lowmeat to a high-meat/low-cereal diet. The premium quality foods for dogs are made with much higher proportions of meats, and there are now several brands made without using grains at all.

Another aspect of the meat content of food, and for your dog this is probably more important, is taste! Meat is tasty, and the

more meat there is in the food, the tastier it is and the more he will enjoy it.

At Heath Vets, we have our own range of high quality grain-free dog food, made with 50% meat content. If you bring the coupon on this page to the surgery, you will get 20% off your first bag!

I have a two year old cat who seems to enjoy playing when I go to bed rather than during the day when he sleeps. This has a knock-on effect when I’m trying to sleep and I often spend the next day very tired!

Do you have any suggestions as to how I solve this problem?

Cats are of course nocturnal hunters. They naturally spend much of the daytime asleep, and are active in the evening and night hours, so wanting to play at night is really quite normal, although not very convenient for their human companions!

You need to provide plenty of interaction and play in the evenings to give him lots of stimulation and exercise. Cat toys such as plastic wands with feathers dangling on a string are really good for this, and so are laser pointer toys. Some cats will chase (and even retrieve) balls of crumpled up paper. When your cat is left alone in the day, provide some entertainment for him – hide treats or cat biscuits in the specially designed balls and toys, so he has to bat them around to make the food fall out. This simulates hunting behaviour and will help to tire him out.

It’s also important not to reinforce your cat’s nocturnal play by inadvertently rewarding

it with your attention. If you get up and play with him for a while or even shoo him away, he’ll more likely do it tomorrow! Take away noisy toys (for example ping pong balls that bounce on a hard floor) and replace them with stuffed toys scented with cat-nip. You might be able to move his living quarters further away from your bedroom. If all else fails, buy some ear-plugs!

How often would you say cats cough up hairballs? My cat seems to be bringing a lot up over the last few months and I don’t know why.

All cats groom and ingest large amounts of hair in the process.

Normally this passes straight through the digestive tract and we see nothing of it but some cats vomit hairballs from time to time, often accompanied by a loud retching sound (which is why they are often said to have ‘coughed up’ the hairball).

Unsurprisingly, long haired cats suffer more with the problem. I wouldn’t worry about it if it’s only one or twice a month. However, more frequent hairballs can be a sign of gastric problems, and it might be worth getting your cat checked over, especially if there are any other symptoms such as weight loss or non-hairball vomiting.

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41

gardens

winter

magic

Watery sunshine, elegant silhouettes and coarse stems and bark.

Kevin Revell reminds us that the winter garden is a place of beauty

T

he garden in winter is often avoided and rarely visited due either to inclement weather or a lack of interesting plants to justify the effort of wrapping up to go and have a look. Hitherto unnoticed evergreens revealed by the die back of herbaceous plants and the loss of deciduous leaves from trees and shrubs now give the garden a sense of permanence and solidity in an ever-changing seasonal journey, and are useful in giving winter cover to wildlife in the worst of winter weather. Some have glossy, colourful evergreen foliage which stands out well in winter, contrasting with the desolation surrounding them or have berries

which persist well into winter.

Autumn leaves have dropped to reveal the internal architecture of trees and shrubs which can now be appreciated more for the colour or texture of their stems or bark.

Even the dead stems and flowers of deciduous shrubs such as hydrangeas need not be ignored as they all add to the tapestry of colour, even if it is in shades of grey and brown, so prevalent at this time of year. Seeing the faded flower heads rimed with frost is another seasonal treat. The monochrome garden of winter contrasts with the riotous colours of summer, but differences between the plants can now be discerned that would scarcely be noticed at other times of year - both in terms of subtle changes in bark colour or texture and the differing shades of green, which are picked out by the weak, lowangled sunlight.

Occasionally a hard winter will hold the garden

in an iron grip for a number of weeks, but more frequently we are subjected to wet miserable days without end. At least in cold weather it is possible to venture outside but pruning is best avoided to avoid frost damage to the exposed cuts. Walking on a snow covered lawn may be an interesting experience, but can lead to damaged grass, so a walk around the garden is best confined to paths and hard standing. In persistent wet weather, there is little joy to be had working in the garden as soil and lawns turn to a quagmire underfoot and time is better spent inside by the fire, planning the year ahead.

Top Five Shrubs for Winter Interest Cornus alba ‘Baton Rouge’ – Dogwood A common enough shrub in garden and landscape plantings, where after a good display of autumn colour, the bright red

gardens them relatively expensive and consequently relatively rare in our gardens. Flowers are produced on older growth, so larger plants which bear the better flowering display are often prohibitively expensive.

Mahonia japonica ‘Winter Sun’- Bear Berry

winter stems are revealed. The variety ‘Baton Rouge’ is a superior form to the better known ‘Sibirica’ or ‘Westonbirt’ having a more intense winter colour which almost fluoresces in the winter sunshine, but all are garden worthy. To prevent it becoming too big and woody the stems should be cut hard back in spring, which will encourage fresh replacement growth, given a good dressing of general fertiliser. This treatment will keep the plant to a manageable 1.52m. There are numerous varieties with contrasting bark colours, such as the acid yellow-green ‘Budd’s Yellow’ and the purple ‘Kesselringii’.

It’s another virtually indestructible plant which suffers from no pests or diseases and is happy growing in a range of soil types, even wet clay.

Hammamelis mollis ‘Arnold Promise’ – Witch Hazel

This is a large prickly holly-like shrub which should be kept well away from pathways. Apart from its sheer size at 2-3m, it has little to make it stand out from the crowd until the nights turn cold in autumn which is a signal for the

While Euonymus is best known as an evergreen groundcover plant, there are a number of deciduous forms which display excellent autumn colour. The large growing native spindle Euonymus europaeus has a bright red autumn colour but the smaller winged spindle goes a shocking cerise crimson which in a sheltered spot, will persist for a number of weeks.

They may be accompanied by shocking coloured pink fruits which split to reveal bright orange seeds.

A further benefit is provided by the corky wing-like structures which develop on the bark as the stems mature, giving winter interest to the mature plant. This is another low maintenance shrub which requires no pruning and should not exceed 1.5m. Although attractive to look at, care needs to be taken with placing this shrub as all parts are toxic.

Viburnum bodnatense ‘Dawn’

eruption of whorls of bright yellow fragrant flowers which open in December-January, much to the delight of early foraging bees.

Later in spring, the flowers drop to reveal pendulous blue berries which are attractive to birds and larger mammals such as bears in its native Oregon. This large evergreen has a solidity to add bulk to plantings while the stems have an architectural quality. Occasional removal of larger stems will help keep the plants in bounds and it is tolerant of the dry shade found under larger trees.

This is a tall upright shrub, suitable for squeezing into narrow borders close to the house where it will go largely unnoticed for most of the year until it takes on a fine red shade of autumn colour. The foliage drops to reveal clusters of

Sarcococca confusa – Christmas Box

This archetypal winter flowering shrub deserves to be more widely grown. Copious long-lasting small, spidery yellow fragrant flowers appear in January and February, which resemble mini crepe paper streamers and survive the hardest of frosts that are possible at this time. Another benefit is the stunning yellow, orange and red autumn colour. Eventually it may attain a height of 2-3m. Plants are hard to propagate and are invariably grafted, which makes

bright pink, trumpet shaped flowers which open in the depths of winter to unleash a heady perfume on an unsuspecting world. This will provide a welcome to visitors in the dark days of winter. Stems picked in the depths of winter can be taken inside and placed in a vase of water which will fragrance the house and act as an early harbinger of spring.

Kevin Revell is Plant Area Manager at Caerphilly Garden Centre

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Constituency News with Julie Morgan AM

Whitchurch is an excellent place to do your Christmas shopping, with plenty of individual shops to buy gifts and of course it has the chemist, the Post Office, the health food shop and greengrocers for your everyday needs.

But one thing Whitchurch now lacks is a public toilet – and lots of people, particularly older people, tell me this is offputting. I was contacted by a constituent from Whitchurch, Betty Lewis (pictured), to say how she and many people she knows, are worried about the lack of public toilets in Whitchurch. This can really stop older people leaving their homes and having the social contact of a short shopping trip. It also affects the parents of younger children too. As Betty told me, not everyone is happy with the idea of using a pub or a café, even if there is a sign up saying that their toilets are open to the public.

So Betty and I have launched a campaign for a public toilet in Whitchurch. I’ve been out with my team on the high street and had a great response. I hope this will help make the Council think again about provision in Whitchurch, as well as in other smaller shopping centres around the city.

Also in November, I attended an event to mark Boots’ 120th anniversary in the Pierhead in the Bay. I was pleased to meet the manager of Boots in Whitchurch, Sian Kirby (pictured), who had been specially chosen as one of a handful of store managers from across Wales to attend the event.

Last month, I hosted an event in the Assembly to explain about Velindre’s plans to transform cancer services across the whole of south east Wales. It was a very well attended event and we were informed about the plans for the new Velindre, which I hope will gain access from Coryton roundabout to reduce the impact of traffic in the village. We were also told of the satellite radiotherapy and other cancer services it plans to offer at hospitals outside Cardiff. In fact, we learned that only 20% of the patients at Velindre come from Cardiff, so the new access plans should make a huge difference to the traffic in Whitchurch.

How to get in touch If you have any concerns or issues please contact my office on 029 2061 4577. I can also be contacted via Twitter @juliemorganlab and email julie.morgan@ assembly.wales.

christmas

a-z

It only comes around once a year but for some, that seems like once too many. For others, it’s the best time of the year.

Here’s our A-Z of Christmas - all in alphabetical order of course Alcohol

Let’s be truthful. Whether it’s that bottle of Blue Nun that’s been sitting in your cupboard since last Christmas or a belly-warming glow of your usual tipple, Christmas and alcohol just seem to be made for each other. Sadly, some of us can get carried away and use the holiday as an excuse to get totally legless – but hey! It’s Christmas.

We’re allowed!

Bonus

Bonus? Do they still do them or are they just an urban myth? If they do, it will have been long spent by the time the big day actually comes around and what have you got to show for it?

‘As long as we have a nice Christmas.’ Those are the words you’ll be repeating to yourself over and over as you sink into your sofa with a warm glass of eggnog.

Crackers

There’s a knack to winning a gift from a cracker. Simply wrap both hands around the entire cracker and

46

then push the opposing player off with your foot, thus ensuring that you win cracker and pointless gift.

Debt

Just think - the end of January is just a few little weeks away. By then, your December pay packet will be a distant memory and you’ll be clinging on for dear life and praying for January’s pay packet to magically appear in your bank account early. It won’t. It’ll come on the very last day of the month.

Eating

Diet starts January 1st right? Ok. Maybe the Monday after that.

Maybe February. Realistically, that’d make more sense.

Friends

You don’t see them all year long and when you do see them, you pledge that you’ll make an effort to catch up with them in the New Year.

This process can be repeated every Christmas, meaning you’ll only have to see them once a year.

Games

Traditional Christmas games involve sitting around, smiling politely at each other and asking what else there is to do.

Hangover

You’re having a night in front of the telly. Those glasses of wine have gone down a treat and why not?

Your wine rack is fully stocked up and that’s why it’s there. But by 3am,

traditional

christmas

games involve sitting around, smiling politely at each other

and asking

what else there

is to do

feature you’re slipping off the edge of the sofa and beginning to think about tomorrow morning. How bad will this hangover be? Will it last into the following day? Will it ruin that catch up you had planned with your friends tomorrow? Well, the damage has been done already.

Let’s have one more glass before bed. Oh no. There’s none left.

Where’s that bottle of Blue Nun you had from last year?

Indigestion

Cheese, chocolate, meat, alcohol and fresh veg. All at one sitting.

That’s just asking for trouble now isn’t it? While you roll around on the sofa clutching your gut, making all sorts of noises, spare a thought for the rest of us.

Jumpers

Once upon a time, a Christmas jumper was a must-have Christmas accessory. Then they went so far out of fashion that they made a come back as a comedy item of fashion. A bit like moustaches.

Karaoke

It seems a good idea at the time and you could have sworn that you put in an epic performance. That was until you saw the video that you didn’t know was being taken and is now shared all over social media.

It’ll blow over one day. Promise.

Lying

A tricky one this. For a Christian holiday, it’s pretty much full of lies yes, that jumper you just bought me is lovely; that Christmas dinner was the best one I’ve ever had; and of course, that big one about wanting to spend time with your family over Christmas.

Money

Haha. What’s that then?

Nuts

These are the things that your other half buys from the supermarket in huge batches in November, lays them out around the house for guests to nibble on, and then puts them all in the bin after no one has eaten them in January.

Online shopping

All your Christmas shopping done in a few hours and you haven’t even got out of your

irritating and pointless song ever written. Someone stop it. Please.

pyjamas. Perfect.

That’s until you arrive back from collecting one of your parcels from the Post Office sorting depot to find that the postman has left a note saying that he couldn’t deliver another of your parcels to your house and that it’ll be waiting for you down at the Post Office sorting depot. This routine will play out over several days. Stay patient.

The most boring presents known to man. At least you can get the correct size underwear if you receive any.

Parties

Wrapping Paper

The time and place for people to shed their work demeanours and to show their true colours. Sadly for most, this won’t be a pleasant thing to experience and they’ll all come sneaking back into work quietly in the New Year and pretend it never happened.

Quality Street

They went on sale in September and at the time, you thought it’d be a good idea to stock up ready. By the end of October, you’re on your third tin. You’re best off just getting them just before Christmas eh? By ‘just before’, we mean never.

Relatives

You can’t get away from them can you? Actually you can. You can buy a plane ticket to Uruguay or somewhere similar. Wouldn’t that be the best Christmas present you’ve ever had?

Snow

We did actually have some of the white stuff here in Rhiwbina a few years ago. And it was carnage. Traffic ground to a halt, milk and bread were stripped from the Co-op in industrial amounts and people struggled to battle through the two inches of snow to get home. It was awful. Looked pretty though.

Underwear

No matter what size you buy as a gift, it’ll either be too small or too large.

You’re best off getting vouchers so that they can go and buy their own size underwear.

Vouchers

You buy so many rolls of the stuff that you end up wrapping birthday presents with it the whole year round.

Xmas

The only word that relates to Christmas that begins with the letter ‘x’. We were told as kids that we should never use the term Xmas because it’s taking Christ out of Christmas. The ‘x’ actually comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word which in English is ‘Christ’. Or something.

Yuletide Log

A bit of tree that you set fire to. It’s very festive. Probably.

Zzzzzzzs

If there’s anything worth doing over Christmas, it’s getting some sleep. That way, you’ll be bright and cheery to start work again in the New Year.

Sort of.

Twelve Days of Christmas

Eurgh. Possibly the most drawn-out,

47

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The cold weather has arrived and we all rely on our homes to keep us warm and dry, so it makes sense to prepare them ready to see us through another winter.

Eleanor Richards-Jones, from Rhiwbina-based chartered surveyors Jones Battye, says: “I really enjoy this time of year with the prospect of Christmas ahead. But the harsh winter weather can really take its toll on our homes so it’s worth taking the time to look after them properly.”

Here’s Eleanor’s top 10 common sense tips for looking after your home both inside and out this winter: 1. Take a good look outside. Check roofs and walls for damage and replace any cracked tiles, poor pointing or hollow render. Rain will always find its way in if it can, and frost can cause pointing and render to crumble.

2. Clear gutters, gulleys and drains of autumn leaves and debris. Overflowing gutters are a major cause of dampness.

3. Keep paths and paving well drained. Standing water will freeze and may cause accidents.

4. Remove debris from sub-floor vents and check they are not obscured by flowerbeds or decking.

5. Make sure your loft insulation is in good condition and meets the current depth recommendation of 300mm. And while up in the loft, check the cover is on the cold water tank and that pipes are properly lagged.

6. Get your chimney swept if you have an open fire or log burner, and make sure you have an active carbon monoxide detector.

7. Check your heating system. Get your boiler serviced, insulate hot tanks and bleed radiators.

8. Put silver foil behind radiators on outside walls to reflect the heat. It’s an old idea but it works!

9. Reduce draughts the old-fashioned way. Invest in (or make your own) draught excluders, line curtains, put down rugs on bare boards and get a chimney balloon.

10. Give your home adequate fresh air and ventilation.

Drying clothes indoors, showering, cooking and even just breathing causes a lot of moisture which needs to escape or it will cause condensation and mould growth.

Fit extractor fans in bathrooms and kitchens, and open trickle vents on double-glazing.

For professional advice, property valuation and RICS Home Surveys, give us a call on 02920 625433, visit www.jonesbattye.com or pop in to see us at 5 Heol y Deri, Rhiwbina, Cardiff.

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FESTIVE treats Whether you’re entertaining guests, or just fancy some tasty nibbles to snuggle up with, these delicious dishes are the perfect festive treats

stilton & chutney rarebit For the chutney 2 red onions, thinly sliced 4 tbsp muscovado sugar 100ml balsamic vinegar For the rarebit 300g Stilton, crumbled 200g Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated 2 tbsp crème fraîche 2 eggs, beaten 2 tsp wholegrain mustard 6 slices sourdough bread or German rye bread

q Put the onions, sugar and

vinegar into a large pan on a low heat. Cook for about 25 minutes, stirring now and again, until gloopy and sticky. Cool. Mix together the cheeses, crème fraîche, eggs and mustard with

some seasoning, then chill.

q To serve, heat the grill,

lightly toast the bread and cut each slice into chunks. Put onto a baking sheet, spread a teaspoon of chutney on each chunk, then pile on the rarebit mixture – as much as the little squares can hold. Grill for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

sticky sausages 30 meat/Quorn cocktail sausages, about 400g (14oz) 2½ tbsp hoisin sauce 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 1-2 tsp sesame seeds

q Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) gas mark 6. In a small roasting tin, mix together all the ingredients. Cook for 2025 minutes until sausages are

cooked through. Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

cheese and bacon bites 1 tube crescent dough sheet 350g smoked ham/Torfurkey smoked ham, thinly sliced 12 slices Swiss cheese, thinly sliced 170g butter, melted 1 tbsp poppy seeds 1.5 tbsp yellow mustard 1 tbsp dried minced onion ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

q Preheat oven to 180ºC and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Roll out your crescent dough and press into an approximately 13x18 inch rectangle. Top with ham and cheese. q Starting on the long side, roll the dough up tightly. Pinch the

recipes ingredients with some salt and pepper, then spoon it all into a small bowl. Heat about 5cm of oil in a wok or deep pan. Add a tiny blob of batter. If it rises to the surface surrounded by bubbles and starts to brown, then the oil is hot enough to proceed. q Add heaped tablespoons of onion mix to the pan, a few at a time, and then cook for a few minutes, turning once until they are evenly browned and crisp. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Drain your bhajis on kitchen towel, sprinkle with some salt and keep warm while you cook the remaining bhajis.

Serve with the raita. ends together and place with the seam facing down. Cut into 12 pieces. q Place your rollups in your baking dish, evenly spaced.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the butter, poppy seeds, mustard, onion, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the sauce evenly over the rollups. q Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes until lightly browned.

RED ONION BHAJIS WITH COOLING RAITA 2 red onions 100g gram flour (chickpea flour) 2 tsp curry paste or powder ½ tsp baking powder 1 green or red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped vegetable oil, for frying For the raita 150g tub of natural yogurt 1 small garlic clove, crushed 2 tbsp chopped mint

q Finely chop one red onion and

thinly slice the other. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add in the curry paste or powder, the chopped chilli and a good dusting of salt. Add 150ml of cold water to make into a thick batter. Stir in the chopped and sliced onions until they are well coated. q Mix together the raita

Gingerbread Pudding 400g packet gingerbread mix 240ml milk 110g raisins 280g water 165g packed brown sugar 165g butter

q Lightly coat the inside of a

slow cooker with cooking spray; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine gingerbread mix and milk until mix is moistened. Stir in raisins (batter will be thick). q Spread gingerbread batter evenly in the bottom of the prepared slow cooker. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, brown sugar and butter.

Bring to boiling and reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Carefully pour sugar mixture over batter. q Cover and cook on high-heat setting (do not use low-heat setting) for 2 hours (centre may appear moist but will firm up as it stands). q Remove liner from cooker, if possible, or turn off cooker. Let cake stand, uncovered, for 45 minutes to cool slightly before serving. q To serve, spoon warm cake into dessert dishes. If desired, serve with vanilla ice cream.

shortbread christmas cookies 250g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 125g caster sugar 240g plain flour

q Heat the oven to 150°C (gas mark 2). q Line two oven trays with baking paper. Beat the butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon until it is soft and smooth. q Add the sugar and plain flour, and work the mixture with the spoon until it is blended. Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface to form a firm dough.

Then chill the mixture for 20 minutes. q Divide the dough into two portions and roll out each between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of 5-7mm (¼in). q Cut the dough into desired shapes using cookie cutters.

Place onto the oven trays and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until pale and dry. This recipe makes 20-25 biscuits.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week.

51

Property Advice with Chambers Estate Agents After a successful information evening regarding the new Rent Smart Wales legislation at our office in Whitchurch village, we thought we’d share some valid questions that were raised by some of our clients and associates on the night.

My friend and I own a rental property in Cardiff and we manage the property between us. Do we both need to register as Landlords?

Nadine B, Whitchurch, Cardiff Yes. It’s probably best to decide between you which of you would like to register as the ‘lead’ Landlord and list both peoples’ details on the registration form. As you both manage the property, you will have to apply for a Landlord licence too.

I own properties across England and Wales.

Will I have to register them all?

David C, Whitchurch, Cardiff No, just the properties in Wales.

I have a large rental portfolio in Wales. Will it be particularly time consuming for me to register these properties? Can I upload them in bulk?

Steve J, Roath, Cardiff You can upload properties in bulk via the Rent Smart Wales website.

You manage my properties on behalf. Can you register me as a Landlord?

Phil F, Cathays, Cardiff No, sorry! Only you, the Landlord, can complete the registration. We can do the rest.

I understand there is a fee to pay to register myself as a Landlord, but what does the money go towards?

John W, Whitchurch, Cardiff Rent Smart Wales insist that any fees collected are for the running costs of the scheme, which includes ensuring that Landlords who try to ignore their legal responsibilities are dealt with accordingly. No profit is made from the fees.

When is the deadline?

Phil E, Whitchurch, Cardiff 23rd November 2016!

If you require any further information regarding the Rent Smart Wales legislation, please contact our Lettings Manager, Kathy Challinor, on 029 2052 2106 or via email at kathy@chambersestateagents.co.uk.

Chambers Estate Agents

35 Merthyr Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 1DB 02920 522106 www.chambersestateagents.co.uk

In Whitchurch village All your business needs We are your local accountants Huw Llewellyn FCCA

Codas House, 52-60 Merthyr Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 1DJ t: 02920 624230 m: 07970 272812 e: huw@llewellyns.co.uk

walks

Walking in a winter wonderland Radyr to St. Fagans Winter Walk

Starting point Radyr Railway Station, Radyr, Cardiff Nearest postcode: CF14 7JH

From Radyr railway station's main entrance, turn first right and up into Station Road to reach the junction with Heol Isaf.

Cross Heol Isaf at the traffic light crossing, turn right, then an immediate left into Windsor Road.

Head forward along Windsor Road, taking a wide path on the left when the road curves to the right. Just before a cycle barrier on the main path, take the narrow path on your right. Follow the path as it skirts the golf course, keeping the hedges and trees close on your left. Watch out for golfers and golf balls here.

At the fork in the path, keep left through a wooded area and head across the lane and into another section of the golf course. The footpath goes directly ahead to some trees and then 90 degrees left to a stile in the hedge. Golfers would appreciate you keeping to the hedge on your left to reach the stile.

Cross the stile and aim diagonally right to another stile in the corner of the field. Cross this stile (taking due care as you'll be joining a busy road on a blind bend and without a pavement!), cross the road to the opening directly opposite and enter the field. Head for the waymark post directly opposite.

Push forward into the next field, then go diagonally left across the field to reach the stile hidden in the hedge opposite. Cross the stile and descend to the track. Turn right and forward onto the track curving left to reach the bottom of the field and a gap into the next field.

Head forward to the waymark post directly ahead (just visible to walkers with 20:20 vision) and on to the dismantled railway bridge.

After passing through the

dismantled railway bridge, cross the stile and go forward with a line of trees on your right to the stile in the hedge. Cross the stile and head left in the direction of the transmitters to reach a stile in the hedge. Cross the stile (or, if the stile is overgrown with nettles, go through the gap in the hedge to the left of the stile) and go forward, keeping close to the hedge on your right to reach the stile and farm track. Turn right to reach the busy road.

Turn left and forward into St. Fagans, ignoring any side roads.

Take care here as there is about a 10 minute walk along a road without a pavement, though the right hand verge does permit walkers to step off the road.

In the delightful village of St. Fagans, you have a choice: either enter and explore the National History Museum (lots to see and you need to allocate several hours to do the museum justice); or restrict your exploration of St. Fagans to visiting St. Mary's Church and/or The Plymouth Arms and/ or The Old Post Office tea rooms.

To return to the walk, retrace your steps passing The Old Post Office and the Plymouth Arms on your right; take the signed footpath on your right where the high wall ends, opposite Chestnut Cottage.

Move forward along the path, cross the road and resume the grass surfaced path to reach a lane.

Turn left along the lane to reach a road. Cross the road and negotiate the gate for the path. Head forward until you reach the stile, but do not cross the stile. Instead, turn left and follow the path with the low stone wall on your right until you reach a ladder-stile. Cross the ladder-stile and head diagonally left for the stile

alongside the gate giving access to the road.

Cross the stile and turn right down the lane. Head forward on the lane for about 5 minutes until you reach the stile on your left in the hedge. Cross the stile and head forward, keeping the hedge on your left. Cross the stile in the corner of the field, then right to cross another stile. Go forward, heading towards the pylon directly ahead, crossing the bridge to your left, before crossing the stile to reach a dismantled railway.

Cross the stile beneath the electric pylon, and go forward to join the track going right. Remain on this track, passing another pylon on your right, and follow it to and through a farmyard. At the track junction, turn right and forward to the stile alongside the gate (if the stile has overgrowth, stay on the track to reach the road). Cross the stile and forward to another stile on the other side of the field. Cross this stile, then the road, and turn right.

Follow the pavement to reach the roundabout.

At the roundabout, cross Heol Isaf and go left to clear the path between the hedge and the fence.

Keep going forward along the path until reaching a crossing path with a kissing gate. Do not go through the kissing gate - just turn left. Just after a second kissing gate, the path forks. Go right and down, crossing the stream to reach a picnic area.

At the picnic area information board, go through the kissing gate and left along the path, passing a children's play area on the right, to reach a road with former railway workers' cottages on your left.

Head along the road and turn left for the railway station.

Please take appropriate steps to ensure your own safety and the safety of others. This includes wearing the clothing suitable for the environment and familiarising yourself with the Countryside Code. Living Magazines is not responsible for your safety. Route courtesy of Ramblers Cymru.

53

short story

The gift

A short story by Evie Loynton and Patric Morgan

I

t had been a long and tiring winter’s day for Evie. Mum had dragged her around every shop in town looking for Christmas gifts and things to make the house cosy.

The shops had been so busy that all Evie could think about was getting home, stepping into her pyjamas and snuggling up with teddy.

Evening was slowly falling in the village as they stepped off the train at Rhiwbina station. The purple sky was speckled with tiny silver stars and in the nearby homes, the kitchens were busy with bustle and bubble.

“Why do we need to get everyone presents?” asked Evie as they headed home through Caedelyn Park. Evie was still finishing her packet of mini gingerbread men.

“To show people how much we love each other,” said Mum, struggling with all her bags. She was almost too tired to talk. All she wanted to do was slump into her sofa and curl up with a piping mug of cocoa.

“But it’s not Christmas for a few weeks yet. Why do we need to buy them so early?” Evie was an intelligent girl, and also an inquisitive one. She asked a lot of questions for a five year old.

the purple sky

was speckled with tiny silver stars

and in the nearby homes,

the kitchens were busy with bustle and bubble 54

“I want all the shopping out of the way so I can actually enjoy Christmas,” said Mum wearily. “What usually happens is Mummy spends so much time worrying about getting the right Christmas presents that she leaves it too late and ends up buying rubbish.”

Evie was still a little confused.

Surely Santa sorted all that out?

“I’m really looking forward to getting my big doll’s house,” said Evie eventually. “All my dollies can live there.”

“Yes, you’ve been very patient waiting for your doll’s house haven’t you? I’m sure Santa has it ready to deliver to you on Christmas Eve.” Evie smiled at her mother. Mum always made Evie feel safe and happy.

The cold night was closing in around them. Up ahead in the gathering gloom, they could make out the shape of a small animal sniffing around the base of the trees.

It was a small dog-shaped creature, light in colour and moving quite slowly.

“What is it Mum?” asked Evie.

“I’m not sure,” replied Mum. She peered into the mist. “Looks like a little dog.” She looked around for the owner but there was no-one around.

As they approached, it became clear that it was indeed a little dog, looking a little scruffy and looking a little lost. Evie rushed forward to touch him but without warning, the dog scarpered into a nearby bush alongside the path.

The pair looked at each other in

surprise.

“Come on. Let’s get home,” said Mum. “I’m so tired.”

“No!” remarked Evie! “He has no home!”

“Who?” “The doggy.”

“Of course he has,” said Mum “His owner will be around somewhere.”

Mum cast a hopeful eye over the park once again but the park was empty and still. This is all she needed. A lost dog.

Evie marched over to the bush and crouched down.

“Here doggy,” she squeaked.

From underneath a bush, she could hear heavy panting. She beckoned Mum over. Mum headed over and stood over her girl, wondering what she was going to say next.

“Come here doggy,” Evie cooed.

She held out her hand and offered the dog a mini gingerbread man from her packet.

To her delight and surprise, the dog slowly emerged from the bush and gobbled down the gingerbread man in one gulp.

“See? He’s hungry,” said Evie.

“I don’t think we should be feeding him. His owner might not like it.”

Evie took out her last gingerbread man and held it out with her cold hand.

“You can have my last gingerbread man,” she said “You need it more than me.” The dog took the treat and crunched it up before sniffing around Evie’s pockets for more. He was a cute looking dog with big sad eyes and floppy ears. Around his

neck was an old blue collar and on it was an old brass fob. Evie held it and read it out in the fading light.

“Bubby,” she said. Mum crouched down to have a look.

“Buddy,” it says.

“Aw. He’s called Buddy,” called Evie.

Within a few minutes, the dog had snuggled into Evie’s winter coat to keep warm.

“Can I have this dog as he hasn’t got anywhere to live?” asked Evie.

Mum wondered how long it’d take for that question to pop up.

“We can’t just take him home Evie. He might have an owner.

If his owner doesn’t come soon, we’ll need to take him to the dog warden.”

Evie didn’t like the sound of that very much. Poor doggy. What he needed was a warm home and someone to love and care for him.

With no sign of the owner coming, Mum put down her shopping bags, took the belt off her coat and attached it to the blue collar around Buddy’s neck.

“Come on. Let’s get him to the warden.”

It really was the last thing that Mum wanted to do. As they arrived at the house, Mum put Evie and the dog straight in the car and dropped the shopping in the house.

“Seatbelt on please,” said Mum as she got back into the car. She started the engine and together they headed off to the dog pound a few miles away.

Buddy sat on the back seat next to Evie. For once he looked a little warmer and a little happier.

“You’re a good boy Buddy,” said Evie looking at him. She patted him on the head reassuringly. She’d never spent time with a dog before.

She always thought that they’d be smelly and silly but she felt an instant love for him.

“Here we are,” said Mum

COLOURED LIGHTS

GLOWED SILENT

AS STARS AND AT THE BASE OF THE TREE WAS

CAREFULLY PLACED

A MINCE PIE, A CARROT AND

A GLASS OF MILK

eventually. Evie’s heart dropped.

She would have to say goodbye to Buddy.

The dog warden was just as Evie had imagined. An unfriendlylooking man who had no gingerbread biscuits in his pocket.

“He’s got no microchip. I’m not sure where he’s come from,” he said, “but we’ll keep him here for now and sort him out with a bed for tonight.”

“Can’t we take him home?” asked Evie. “He can have my bed.”

“We can’t take him Evie and that is that,” said Mum. The warden didn’t say a word. He simply placed Buddy down on the floor, took Mum’s belt off the collar and replaced it with a lead. Then he made for the kennels with Buddy in tow. It was the last time that Evie saw Buddy.

Evie didn’t say a word as they headed home. She simply peered out the back of the window. She looked at the lights from the homes – each and every one of them preparing for Christmas - and everyone seemed to be having fun.

Except for poor old Buddy. What kind of Christmas was he going to have? He had no-one to look after him. No-one to snuggle up with at night and no-one to say goodnight to.

“Where will the dog spend Christmas, Mummy?” asked Evie.

“I’m not sure,” came the reply. Evie decided that she would ask Santa to find him a home.

Over the following few weeks leading up to Christmas, Evie could think of nothing but her friend Buddy. She hoped and hoped that he’d come back for Christmas and that way, they could stay together forever. She went to the park with Daddy several times but never saw Buddy again, no matter how hard she looked.

Christmas Eve arrived.

Mum and Dad had done a wonderful job of decorating the house. The log fire had been lit, giving the living room a warm glow.

In the window stood their Christmas tree. Coloured lights glowed silent as stars and at the base of the tree was carefully placed a mince pie, a carrot and a glass of milk on a plate.

Outside the window, snowflakes had begun.

“Time for bed, Evie,” said Mum. “Santa won’t be able to come unless you’re asleep will he?”

Evie was very excited to climb the stairs with her stocking but after Mum and Dad had kissed her goodnight, she found it very hard to settle. She tossed and turned, thinking about the new doll’s house

that was on the back of Santa’s sleigh. But she also thought about Buddy and wondered whether he was spending another night alone in the pound. She hoped and prayed that he had found a home for Christmas and as she drifted off to sleep, she imagined him sleeping on her bed.

She awoke early. Light was silently streaming through the window and the warm smell of bacon had drifted up from downstairs.

Evie bounded out of bed and dashed downstairs. Mum and Dad were already up and dressed, and sat enjoying a glass of Buck’s Fizz and a bacon roll.

“Good morning lovely girl!” said Dad. Evie didn’t hear. Her eyes were filled with the sight of a large box underneath the tree. Evie’s heart leapt. Was it Buddy? She skipped over to the box and tore at the wrapping paper. Within seconds, the box was unwrapped but Evie’s heart sank.

“It’s the doll’s house you were wanting!” announced Mum. Evie looked up. “Thank you,” she said. It was what she’d wanted. She couldn’t be ungrateful. It was a beautiful house - everything she’d ever wished for. She would have hours of fun with her dollies.

She carefully opened the large door on the front to look inside. In the living room, there was a family of figures stood around a Christmas tree. There was a Mummy doll, a Daddy doll and a girl doll.

“Look!” cried Evie. “It’s us!” But then she noticed the small figure of a dog alongside them. Her heart dropped. She’d forgotten about Buddy. She picked up the small toy dog and looked at it.

“You’ve also got a visitor,” said Mum nonchalantly. Evie turned around and her jaw dropped.

There sat at Mummy’s feet was Buddy.

“Oh my goodness!” Evie squealed.

She ran towards him and threw her arms around him.

“Can we keep him forever?” she asked.

Mum smiled. “Yes, he’s here to stay for good.”

“Really?” asked Evie. She could hardly speak.

“Yes. We went back to get him.

This is his new home.”

Evie cupped Buddy’s face and looked into his eyes.

“You’re the best dog in the world,” said Evie. “And this is going to be the best Christmas ever!”

55

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