April 2024 Meeting: Tangling

Cymraeg 

Main speaker: Richard Cowie: How Llanishen and Lisvane Reservoirs were saved.
Secondary speaker: Nor'dzin Pamo, one of our members: Tangling.

Tangling

Nor'dzin explained that this art form has many names, such as constructive doodling, creative patterning, zen tangling. Different groups use different names, and also the various groups give names to the patterns used. Zentangle is perhaps the most popular and well-know group.

Some tangling groups have particular rules or approaches to this creativity. Some say that tangles should only ever be made in black ink on white paper. Others are happy with colour being employed. Some groups say that the artworks created should be abstract and never figurative – and then other groups are completely open about what is created. There is an emphasis on the meditative aspect of tangling for some people.

Nor'dzin expressed that she felt that having fun was the most important thing. She follows the rules of a group when creating with them, but does whatever she likes otherwise. The purpose of tangling is to enjoy creating. It is a relaxing and pleasurable pastime. 

One principle of tangling that seems to be common to all groups, is that there is no such thing as a mistake. The creation of a tangle is a gradually developing process. Although it is inevitable that one has an idea in mind when applying the pen to the paper, if something doesn't go quite as intended, then it is an opportunity to change direction, an opportunity for a new idea. Tangles are always created in ink as part of this principle – they are not sketched out first and then 'tidied up'. The artists commits to the mark they are making as soon as the pen touches the paper. Pencil is only used for creating a basic frame and string as an opening for the tangle, and for shading. The frame and string are for inspiration and can be used—or ignored—as appropriate. The frame and string can be erased when wishes.

To end her presentation, Nor'dzin presented a short video of the process of a tangle made on her computer, followed by a slideshow of some of her work.

April 2024 Meeting: How Llanishen and Lisvane Reservoirs were saved

(Cymraeg)

Main speaker: Richard Cowie: How Llanishen and Lisvane Reservoirs were saved.
Secondary speaker: Nor'dzin Pamo, one of our members: Tangling.

How Llanishen and Lisvane Reservoirs were saved.

Richard began with the history of the resevoirs. 
In the early 19th century Cardiff had around 6,000 residents, but by 1900, this had grown to around 142,000. This was because of the importance of Cardiff for the coal industry, and for the iron and steel industry in Merthyr Tydfil.

In 1832 and 1849 there were two outbreaks of cholera, and John Snow identified contaminated drinking water as the cause in 1854. This led to Health Boards being set up in the major cities across Britain.

This in turn led to to the creation of Lisvane and Llanishen reservoirs. 

Lisvane Reservoir, completed in 1865, covers 20 acres, and Llanishen Reservoir, completed in 1886, covered 60 acres.

An extension was made to the Rhymney railway line to enable stone to be more easily brought to the site for building Llanishen Reservoir.

Later filter bed were created off Allensbank Road, Heath.

The Taf Fawr scheme was set up by John Avery Brandon Williams. This connected three reservoirs by a 30 mile pipe to Llanishen reservoir. The three reservoirs were Beacons, Cantref, and Llwyn Onn.

The reservoirs supplied Cardiff into the 1960s, but after droughts in that decade, a new reservoir was established near Pontypool, north of Newport, and the Taf Fawr scheme became redundant. Llanishen was kept as an emergency water supply, but was mostly used for recreation from then on: the sailing school, fly fishing, walking, bird watching.

Richard then gave an account of the changes of ownership of Llanishen Reservoir from 1970 and the threat to its existence. Lisvane was not under threat because it had been declared an area of special scientific interest (SSSI), but Western Power Distribution (WPD) wanted to drain and build houses on the site of Llanishen reservoir.

The Reservoir Action Group (RAG) was set up in 2001 to campaign to save Llanishen Reservoir. There was a huge response with already 1,200 members by 2002.

WPD put in a planning application for 350 houses on the site in 2002.

Fortunately for RAG, a rare type of fungi was found on the embankments of the reservoir, and these were declared a SSSI site in 2006.

WPD adapted their plans, retaining the embankments, but still intending to destroy and build 325 houses on most of the reservoir land.

Referring back to the Taf Fawr scheme, Richard explained that Cadw had already adopted Cantref and LLwyn Onn reservoirs. In 2009 they were persuaded to also adopt Beacons and Llanishen reservoirs, so that the whole scheme was included.

WPD did not want to give up, however, and eventually there was a public inquiry. They lost!

Celsa then became the owners of the reservoirs and they granted a 999 lease to Welsh Water. They overhauled the Victorian plumbing so that the reservoir could be refilled in 2019. In 2023 a visitor centre was opened and RAG was disbanded as its job was completed.

The reservoirs are a lovely place to visit and for walking, but visitors must keep to the paths. Dogs are not allowed because of the fungi which would be killed by dog pee.

Richard showed us the book he has written about saving the reservoirs and offered it for sale to members.

It was a most interesting and enjoyable presentation.

March 2024 meeting

(Cymraeg)

This was a full and lively meeting.

The guest speaker was unable to attend because of illness, so one of the members, Pat Phillips kindly stepped up to offer a presentation. Pat and her husband are professional dancers and have represented Wales in international competitions.

Pat continued the theme as advertised: Keep on Moving. She stated that the old adage 'use it or lose it' holds true, and that physical activity is important to keep the body strong, and helps in everyday activity. She told us that dance tones the whole body as well as being a workout for the brain in remembering the steps.

She start the session with a few warm up exercises with controlled breathing, and then led us in a few dances. First a tango to the tune 'Hey Mambo', then a jig to the tune 'Pot of Gold' that was quite fast. The last dance was like the movements of line dancing. A good number of members joined in.

Then Pat showed a video of her and her husband competing in the finals of a competition. It was wonderful to see their graceful and expert dancing. She had also brought a few of her beautiful dance dresses with her, including the one seen in the video.

Pat ended her presentation by demonstrating the use of the hula hoop, and then led a few simple, slow, warm-down exercises to the tune of the 'Dying Swan'.

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Janine Williams talked to the members about her company Viney Hearing, based in Whitchurch. She gave information on the types of hearing loss and explained that hearing aids can only be aids – that is, they can only help individually, with whatever hearing loss and strength an individual has. She explained that Viney hearing off free hearing tests and a free ear health check. Wax removal costs £55 for both ears. Many people asked questions which she was happy to answer. They covered causes of whistling in a hearing aid; tinnitus; the need to change an ear mould every 4-5 years because the size and shape of the ear changes over time; preparation before having wax removed (she recommended Earol spray); and the cause of pain in the ear when flying and how to avoid it.

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Other items:

Linda announced that raffle tickets are on sale. £1 a ticket.

Voting for this year's charity (see newletter for details of options) – Wales Air Ambulance received the greatest number of votes and was adopted.

Gill Irwin announced that the joint choir with Rhiwbina WI has restarted. The choir will meet for every Wednesday morning, 11:30 – 12:30 except for the Wednesday of the Rhiwbina WI meeting. Meetings will be in the Royal Hall, Rhiwbina and there will be a cost of £28 a term to cover the expense of an accompanist.

St Mary's Gardens, Whitchurch

(Cymraeg)

St Mary's Gardens, Whitchurch

The central feature of the Gardens is the outline of the remains of old St Mary’s Church which served the community from at least the 1500’s, the time of the Tudors. At that time, a chapel was built on the site, possibly replacing an older one. It gave the area its name: Eglwys Newydd (New Church in Welsh), or Whitchurch (White Church in English), because it was lime washed. Although minor alterations were made over the centuries the shape of the chapel remained basically the same. There is an anonymous nineteenth century painting, currently housed in The National Museum of Wales, that gives an idea of what the church looked like.

From the 1500’s until the Industrial revolution in the nineteenth century, Whitchurch was a scattered farming hamlet with a population too small to qualify as a parish with its own vicar. Llandaff Cathedral was its Parish Church and the local people had to go there for baptisms, weddings and funerals, and to receive mass at Christmas, Easter and other major festivals. On ordinary Sundays a priest came out from Llandaff to St Mary’s to conduct the obligatory Sunday Mass. In this way it was a Chapel of Ease, saving the local people from the long distance to Llandaff. In 1616 the parishioners were given greater ease when the Chapel was licensed for christenings, marriages and funerals and the churchyard was licensed for burials. 

Yew—also called the Churchyard Tree—was planted at St Mary’s. One yew is the oldest tree in the churchyard and, it is believed, in North Cardiff. It looks the worse for wear following a century of neglect but it is hoped that its health can be restored and it can live, as yew trees can do, for many more centuries.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century development of the Melingriffiths Tinplate Works and other industries changed Whitchurch from a small agricultural settlement to an industrial one. Incoming workers and their families caused a population explosion which placed ever-increasing demands on the church. The numerous Victorian gravestones in the churchyard are a fascinating social record of the time. There are memorials to the local important families such as the Bookers, three generations of whom managed the Melingriffiths Works and were well known local philanthropists.

There is a poignant group of gravestones to the Lewis family, who were politicians and major landowners in North Cardiff. The graveyard also gives a vivid picture of the more ordinary people, recording their professions and trades and giving glimpses into their personal lives. Only those social groups too poor to afford a gravestone are missing.

Because of its population growth, in 1845 Whitchurch was promoted to a parish in its own right with its own resident vicar. St Mary’s was no longer a humble Chapel of Ease but a fully functioning Parish Church. However these glory days lasted a brief forty years. By now the churchyard was crowded with gravestones and the church building was felt to be too small. The third vicar of Whitchurch, the Reverend J.T. Clarke made it his mission to acquire a new site for a modern church which would seat 400. In 1885 the new St Mary’s in Penlline Road was consecrated. Suddenly after centuries at the heart of the village the old St Mary’s had had its day and was abandoned literally, without ceremony. It was the end of a long era during which this site had been of central importance to Whitchurch.

The church then became neglected and decayed. By 1904 Old St Mary’s Church was considered dangerous so it was pulled down. Until 1967 the brambles were cleared from the graves annually and burnt on the site, but then even that came to an end – to the distress of those who had family buried there. The closed churchyard had now become what seemed an insoluble problem. There followed 70 years of wrangling between the Church-in-Wales and local authorities as to who should take responsibility and what should be done with the land. Then a visionary solution presented itself which should have ensured this site remained an asset to Whitchurch forever.

In 1972  Edward Heath’s Government brought into being a scheme known popularly as “Operation Eyesore” with the aims of giving grants to ‘improve the appearance of neglected and unsightly land in assisted areas, to remove local eyesores and to create additional jobs in those areas.’

Because of the overwhelming number of applications throughout the U.K. the Government closed the scheme almost as soon as it opened. However Cardiff County Borough Council had acted swiftly and got their foot in the door. In July 1972 they received a grant of £14,500 to take the derelict churchyard off the hands of the Church-in-Wales and turn it into a Public Open Space. A junior member of the Parks Planning Department, Richard Coleman, was given the task. Most of what is known about the 1972‒1974 creation of St Mary’s Gardens by Richard Coleman, comes from Terry Davies, a distinguished horticulturist and Grand Old Man of Cardiff Parks.

Before Richard was allowed to move a single stone in the churchyard Whitchurch Parish Council stipulated that the location and text of every gravestone had to be recorded. A further important preliminary was the gathering of the remains of over 1,000 bodies and their re-internment with due rites away from the proposed site of the Public Gardens. Now Richard could move on with his plan for the Gardens.  

All the trees from the churchyard, apart from the seventeenth century yew and a Victorian yew, had to be removed as they had become diseased after nearly a century of neglect. The collapsing walls were renovated with matching stone and the gravestones, apart from the most prominent, were moved to line the walls. Others were used to pave Richard’s intriguing path design and the outline of the church which he had controversially decided to retain.

With the enormous task of getting the basic structure in place achieved, Richard moved on to the planting ‒ and ran into trouble with his bosses over the cost of his exacting requirements. It is believed that there has never been a source of water in St Mary’s Gardens so perhaps that is why Richard’s extensive planting left out bedding plants and consisted of 28 types of heathers, shrubs and specimen trees.

The old entrance to the churchyard had been replaced with a new opening made in Old Church Road and Richard wanted an appropriate gateway. Terry Davies said:
‘Richard looked at various Lych Gates. He designed one for SMG and a contractor was engaged to build it. He was criticised for the saloon bar swing-gates because they were immediately seized by local children as play equipment and the hinges regularly broken despite the City Engineer's efforts in installing stronger and stronger, hinges.’

The children’s fun was eventually curtailed by the installation of metal gates.
Finally a full-time park-keeper/gardener was appointed with a hut in the south west corner of the Gardens. The Park was officially opened to the public only two years after receiving the Government Eyesore Grant. Later that year it won First Prize in a Wales in Bloom Competition. For a brief decade the Gardens remained a significant feature of Whitchurch.

In the 1980’s, under Margaret Thatcher, the Compulsory Competitive Tendering Policy came in which prioritised economy over everything else. The first cut made by Cardiff Parks’ Department was the St Mary’s Gardens’ Park Keeper. Thereafter the Gardens with its shrubs and young exotic trees remained untended. In an extraordinary repetition of history, it again became neglected and largely forgotten, with many residents unaware they were even allowed on to the site.

Despite difficulties, the achievements of the St Mary’s Volunteers must be applauded. They are regularly recorded as carrying out the most volunteer hours of any Cardiff Parks’ volunteer group. This, along with the over £6,000 fundraised by the Friends, finally persuaded the Parks Department to allocate one of their finest young Rangers as a regular Ranger for the Gardens, and 2023 was therefore the most successful year to date. In collaboration with Rhodri the Ranger the volunteers have a clear plan for major progress in 2024 towards restoring the Gardens to a resource of which Whitchurch can be proud. Zoe said that she had enjoyed immeasurable fellowship and fun in the Gardens and they had never failed to be  magical for her.

Sadly, once again, proposed drastic cuts in public spending are posing a threat to plans and to the Gardens’ future by cutting the number of rangers. A Ranger must be present in order to carry out working parties or hold open days, and professional direction is needed.

Bees – it's not just honey.

(Cymraeg)

Mavis Tierney talked to the members about the life cycle of bees, the structure of a hive, caring for bees and the importance of bees. It was a fascinating and informative talk.

She had brought a small example of a hive structure to show the different levels: such as where the queen lives and broods, and where the honey is stored.

She explained the importance of having the correct gear for bee keeping, saying that she has only been stung once whilst wearing a bee keeper's suit, and that was because there was a split in the seam.

From hatching, the bee goes through many stages of development. Straight after hatching they clean the cell where they formed. Next, their job is feeding the larvae, then they produce wax, carry food and do undertaking duties. Then they become guard bees. By this time they are 21 days old and will live for another 3 weeks gathering pollen. Only females fly and develop a sting. The males' job is to fertilise the queen and they do not develop a sting or leave the hive.

The bee keeper has to open the hive to check that there is brood and a queen in the bottom layer, and a honey store. If there is no queen... the hive dies. Mavis explained that bees take their personality from the hive queen. Most bees are gentle, but occasionally a hive can be aggressive. The bee keeper will also help people who need a swarm removed, if they are resting in an inconvenient place or setting up home. They are happy to do this, because it means free bees!

Glenys chatting to Mavis
in front of the skep beehive.

Mavis showed a beautiful old wicker hive called a skep. In this the bees develop wild cones, but unfortunately the skep often has to be destroyed to harvest the honey, so it is not an economical method these days.

There may be 10,000 bees in a hive. Mavis explained that they always leave them a jar of honey and give them a special feed especially when it so cold or wet. Bees gather pollen in the spring, and start to shut down in July. 

A queen bee lives for about 18 months these days, but they used to live for 3 years. No one knows why this has changed. A larva given royal jelly for the first 2 days of life, will develop into a queen.

Mavis suggested that it is important to eat local honey for health benefits. The wax that is cut off to get at the honey has a lot of pollen in it. Chewing this, some people have found, can help with allergies such as hay fever.


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My Life as a Puppeteer – Helyn Latimer

 

At the November 2023 meeting, Helyn Latimer informed the members of Whitchurch WI that becoming a puppeteer combined her three passions: drama, art and craft, and teaching.

Helyn explained that puppets are found in all cultures across the world.

She invited members to remember experiences of puppets in their lives, and this led to a lively discussion of childhood memories of puppets, and of their use in theatre and television.

A wide range of different types of puppet were shown. These included:

- simple puppets made during workshops with children, built on a stick with two more sticks to manipulate their arms

- puppets with strings

- glove puppets

- flat shapes, like shadow puppets

- and also detailed and complicated examples used in professional productions.

 

The puppets, ranging from an exquisite tiny mouse to a little horse nearly the size of a Shetland pony, all came to life in Helyn's expert hands. Her skills as actor, artist and teacher were indeed demonstrated as she spoke through the personality of the puppets. She was perfectly correct when she said that the puppeteer disappeared as the audience interacted directly with the puppet as a character in its own right. It was a most enjoyable and informative talk.

 

 

 

Amy Dillwyn presented by Debra John

Debra John as Amy Dilwen, the Victorian philanthropist

At the October meeting, Debra Dillwyn, dressed in the style adopted by Amy, spoke as if looking back from the age of about 50, musing on the main events and influences on her life. 

Key events, such as the birth of a sister when she was seven, the marriage of her older sister, and the loss of her fiancé, all caused her to question her role within the family and in wider society. 

She remained single and struggled to find a role that was permitted for a female. She wrote feminist novels and joined the suffragist movement. Amy was close to her father and on his death she inherited his factory, and his debts, and became a successful industrialist and philanthropist.

 

This complex person was brilliantly and sympathetically brought to life through Debra's presentation. 

Also at this meeting, Lynette Chappin gave a short talk about The Family History coffee morning and showed the members one of the knee shawls that she finishes off. She crochets together squares knitted by the members, which then go to the residents of Nazareth House care home. 

Basket weaving with Hatton willow

The September meeting welcomed Sarah of Hatton Willow. She gave an entertaining explanation of her basket weaving business. As well as weaving beautiful and intricate crafts, she also grows and harvests her own willow on her land in Caerphilly.

Her website says:

'In 2012 with a myriad of baskets filling her house she set up her business, Hatton Willow, which she began to grow attending local craft fairs and running courses. Sarah started selling her baskets, willow cuttings, bundles of willow both dried and fresh and living willow.

'In 2015 Sarah took the huge personal gamble to leave her career in IT to focus all her passion and energy into basketry. Since then Hatton Willow has gone from strength to strength and continues to grow.' 

 

Sarah has worked on some exciting and interesting projects, such as Country File and 'The Repair Shop.' She also teaches workshops and details can be found on the Hatton Willow website.

 

July 2023 meeting

The last meeting before the summer break was most enjoyable. There was a quiz, cake, and entertainment from the twins who call themselves CL Raven.

 

 

They entertained us with their 'Pole Fitness' routine, using a suspended hoop, and a silicon pole.  As well as practising and teaching pole fitness, they are also acclaimed authors.

 

 

Their Amazon profile describes them as '... mistresses of the macabre. They're horror writers because 'bringers of nightmares' isn't a recognised job title. They write novels, short stories, comics and film scripts. Their work has been published in magazines and anthologies in the UK, USA and Australia. In their spare time, they hunt ghosts, host a horror radio show, look after their animal army, and try to look impressive with polefit. Their attempts at gymnastics should never be spoken about.'

National Gardens Scheme

 

On the 17th April Bob Priddle gave an interesting and informative talk about the National Gardens Scheme.

The piece of information that I found most useful and memorable was about coping with slugs. Bob said always water plants in the morning, before 11am. That way, they get the benefit, but the soil has dried out by the time the slimy beasts are ready to come out and feed. He also suggested, for those who feel okay about killing slugs, to put a few slug pellets in the soil underneath a new plant.

Report by Nor'dzin Pamo