AAtt tthhee hheeaarrtt ooff tthhee ccoommmmuunniittyy Issue 1Spring ‘11

NEW!

WHAT’SINSIDEInterviews: Merv ‘The

Swerve’ Daviesand Gareth Bale

Llandaff: Homeof Dr Who

Memories:MelingriffithBoys

Win tickets tosee Corrie! at the WMC

Pets’ Page

Local News

The rays of the spring sun stretch across North Cardiff. As ourvillages emerge from the harsh winter, we look forward to new

beginnings, fresh weather and warmth.WWeellccoommee ttoo yyoouurr aallll--nneeww iissssuuee ooff DDaanneessccoouurrtt LLiivviinngg

Welcome

Danescourt Living Page 2

Whitchurch and Llandaff Living, RhiwbinaLiving, Danescourt LivingEditors/Advertising: Patric Morgan & DanielleDummettAddress: 5 Burne Jones Close, Danescourt,Cardiff CF5 2RYTel: 07772 081775 and 07974 022920Email: editor@livingmags.co.ukWeb: www.livingmags.co.uk

While every effort has been made to ensure theaccuracy of the contents, the publisher cannotaccept any responsibility for errors or omissions, orfor any matter in any way arising from thepublication of this material. Every effort has beenmade to contact any copyright holders. DanescourtLiving is an independent, apolitical publication.

Advertising booking and copy deadline for Issue 2 - 18th May 2011. Issue 2 publication date - late May2011.Danescourt Living is published 4 times a year.

3, 4: NewsThe latest news from the area

5: CompetitionWin tickets to see Corrie! at the WMC

10: Interview:Wales and Lions legend Mervyn Davies

12: MelingriffithBoys - Memories ofa by-gone era

15: Pets’ Page

16: Out and AboutDr Who in Llandaff

24: GardeningThrough theSeasons

26: Spring WalkA local walk to blowaway those cobwebs

29: RecipesSpanish Tapas

30: Crossword

Welcome to the very first edition of Danescourt Living!Some of you may already be familiar with our Living Magazinestitles. We’ve been producing community magazines for North Cardiffsince 2007, but as editor, I actually started out here in Danescourt!Back in 2004, I took over as editor of the Danescourt News. I stillhave the very first issue that I produced. The magazine was the voiceof the Danescourt Community Association. As some of you may beaware, the Danescourt News has now moved to the internet. We feltthat we were able to continue the service, not only to the residents,but to local advertisers, who would like to reach this area directly.Danescourt Living will be published four times a year, in line with theseasons. We’ve worked with the Danescourt Community Associationon the hand-over and they have very kindly provided us withdistribution details. This means that we’ll be out and about, deliveringyou your free copy of Danescourt Living in the same way that youwould have received the Danescourt News.As with our other titles, we want this to be YOUR magazine, which iswhy we want you to get in touch and tell us all your stories and news.Next issue, we’ll be speaking to the man who bought the very firsthouse on the estate. We’ll also bring you the types of featuresincluded in this first issue. If you’d like to try your hand at penning afeature or story, feel free to get in touch.If you’re a local organisation or business, we also have opportunitiesto get your message into the hands of locals. We offer the completeservice, from free advert design, free distribution and free editorial onour popular North Cardiff website. See inside for details.In the meantime, enjoy your Spring issue of Danescourt Living!

Patric and Danielle

Cover photograph by Steve Burnett

WelcomeCroeso

with Bill Farnham

I am often asked “Why arewe in Cardiff WestNeighbourhood Associationwhen we live in CardiffNorth?”. Let me explain.There are two NWAs inCardiff - East and West. InCardiff West NWA, we coverthe following areas: Butetown(including Cardiff Bay),Canton, Creigiau,Danescourt, Ely, Fairwater,Gabalfa, Grangetown,Gwaelod-y-Garth, Leckwith,Llandaff, Llandaff North,Michaelston, Morganstown,Pentyrch, Pontcanna, Radyr,St. Fagans, The Drope,Tongwynlais and Whitchurch.Two local areas haveexpressed an interest insetting up a NeighbourhoodWatch. Hopefully as soon asI receive more information,we can get these Watches upand running.The next meeting of CardiffWest NWA is on the 16thMay at FairwaterConservative Club, Ely Road,Llandaff, starting at 7pm. Atthis meeting, we hope tohave a representative fromCardiff Prison as our guestspeaker. All NeighbourhoodWatch Co-ordinators andWatch members are invited. The next PACT meeting forthe Whitchurch andTongwynlais area will be onthe 1st March at theCommunity Centre, OldChurch Road, Whitchurch.The meeting starts at 7pm. Call 02920 527301 if youare interested in setting up aNeighbourhood Watch.

NEIGHBOURHOODWATCH UPDATE

Danescourt Living Page 3

ST DAVID’S DAY CELEBRATED IN STYLEAT DANESCOURT PRIMARY

The children of DanescourtPrimary School recentlycelebrated St David's Day instyle with their Eisteddfod. The day was full of singing,dancing, recitals andcompetitions and the childrendid themselves proud. Red

House was the winningHouse this year, but it was aclose call with the scores.A big thank you was given toeveryone at home for thefantastic models that came in- they were fantastic and aredisplayed in the school hall.

NEW LLANDAFF SIGN REMOVED AFTERCOMPLAINTS BY WELSH SPEAKERS

News

Two signs designed towelcome visitors to Llandaffhave been confiscated by theCouncil following complaintsfrom Welsh-speakers.The signs, which had onlybeen unveiled in early March,were removed following 16complaints to the Council.Welsh language campaignersinsist that there is only one ‘f’in the word ‘Llandaff’.The £2,000 signs wereunveiled by the LlandaffSociety after receiving adonation from the BBC. Thevillage had been transformedinto the village of ‘Leadworth’in a recent episode of DrWho.Llandaff Society chairmanGeoff Barton-Greenwood wassaid to be livid after beingmade aware by phone of thesigns’ disappearance.

Council spokeswoman AndreaCurrie said: “Following advicefrom the Welsh LanguageBoard and a number ofcomplaints received by thecouncil, the signs in Llandaffhave been removed as onlythe English variation of theplace-name Llandaff appearson the sign.“Officers from the council’shighways department andWelsh-language unit will bemeeting with members of theLlandaff Society shortly toreview the matter and discussa way forward.”The sign, near the Texacogarage on Llantrisant Roadalso caused concern when itwas unveiled, as someresidents felt that they hadbeen ‘placed outsideLlandaff’s boundary’.

Are there any unwanted toolsin your shed or garage?The Rotary Club of Cardiff iscollecting old, second hand orbroken tools used forgardening, carpentry, building,tailoring etc.The tools are repaired andrefurbished in workshops inCrickhowell, and then sent tocommunities in Tanzania,Uganda, Ghana andZimbabwe for the charity“Tools for Self Reliance”. Theyorganise skills trainingprojects for carpenters, tailors,blacksmiths, mechanics,builders and other artisans. The aim is to give local

artisans the tools and trainingthey need to earn a living andto help build theircommunities.If you have any unwantedtools such as a spade, fork,hoe, secateurs, hammer,chisel, saw, sewing machineetc, please contact DavidThomas on Cardiff 20614242

Residents of Danescourt arebeing reminded that, as from1st October 2011, shopperswill be charged at least 5p fora bag wherever they shop inWales. The charge will apply in allshops including clothesstores, take away foodoutlets and restaurants,corner shops and marketstalls. It will also apply whengoods are delivered inWales, such as dot.comgroceries.Explaining the new charge,a spokesperson for theWelsh Assembly Governmenttold Living Magazines: “During 2009 in Wales, wetook home an estimated 350million carrier bags from themajor supermarkets alone.Bags are bad for theenvironment, create litter andharm wildlife. The AssemblyGovernment is introducingthe charge to drasticallyreduce the number of bagswe use in Wales.”More information can befound atwww.carrierbagchargewales.gov.uk. Shoppers can alsoemail: carrierbagcharge@wales.gsi.gov.uk or phone 02920 826230.

DANESCOURTSHOPPERS TO HELPCUT DOWN ONPLASTIC BAGS

News

DO YOU CAN YOU DIG IN AND HELP THE ROTARY CLUB OF CARDIFF?

Local estate agent, Hern andCrabtree are running aspecial seminar on retirementaccommodation this month.‘Focus on Retirement Living’will take place at RestwayCourt, Danescourt Way onSaturday 16th and Sunday17th April 11am-3pm.Experts will be on hand todiscuss the options available.For further information, callHern & Crabtree on 029 20555198.

LOCAL RETIREMENTLIVING CHOICES UPFOR DISCUSSION

The Farmers’ Market inLlandaff North has provedsuch a great successfollowing a trial period inDecember, that it is nowopening on a permanentbasis in the car park of theRailway pub.The forthcoming dates foryour diary are: March: 11th and 25th April: 8th and 22nd May: 6th and 20th

FARMERS MARKETPROVES LOCALSUCCESS

If you have any items of local news, please emailus at editor@livingmags.co.uk. We will aim to

publish as much news as we can in ourmagazines. If we don’t have room, we’ll publish

them on our website atwww.livingmags.co.uk/blog

Danescourt Living Page 4

CCaalllliinngg AAllll DDaanneessccoouurrtt RReessiiddeennttss!!

TThhiiss iiss YYOOUURR mmaaggaazziinnee..IIff yyoouu hhaavvee aannyy ssttoorriieess tthhaatt yyoouu wwoouulldd lliikkee ttoo

sshhaarree wwiitthh tthhee llooccaall ccoommmmuunniittyy,, pplleeaassee eemmaaiill uuss aatt eeddiittoorr@@lliivviinnggmmaaggss..ccoo..uukk oorr

ccaallll uuss oonn 0077777722 008811777755.. DDaanneessccoouurrtt LLiivviinngg iiss ppuubblliisshheedd ffoouurr ttiimmeess aa yyeeaarr

aanndd ddiissttrriibbuutteedd BBYY UUSS ttoo 11,,550000 hhoommeess aannddbbuussiinneesssseess iinn DDaanneessccoouurrtt..

,

Celebrating the 50thanniversary of one of thecountry’s favourite soaps,Corrie! takes some of thebiggest story-lines andmost famous charactersfrom the Street and packsthem all into a couple ofhours of clever, wittycomedy. Murders, marriage break-ups, tram disasters – it’s allthere, and all parodied inan endearing, tongue-in-cheek way that doesn’tdisappoint.Fully endorsed by ITV andscripted by one of theseries’ writers, JonathanHarvey, it’s a new comedythat members of the ‘real’Coronation Street castenjoyed enormously when

they saw it performed lastyear in Salford. William Roache (KenBarlow) described it as ‘ahilarious roller coaster’ andSuranne Jones (KarenMcDonald) said it was ‘thebiggest laugh I have everhad’.With only 5 actors takingon a whole host oflegendary roles, andnarrated by ‘Alec Gilroy’himself – otherwise knownas classic British comicactor Roy Barraclough –this is a soapy tour de forcethat will take you acrossthe cobbled streets andright into the heart of theRover’s Return!We have teamed up withthe Wales MillenniumCentre to offer one luckyreader the opportunity towin 4 tickets to see theshow on opening night,Monday 25 April, as well asa two course pre- theatremeal with a bottle of house wine in the Centre’s

restaurant ffresh.To win, simply answer this following question:

Which Coronation Streetwriter has been involvedwith creating thisproduction?

Answers on a postcard tothe postal or email addresson the inside front cover by19th April.Corrie! runs at WalesMillennium Centre from 25– 30 April 2011. For moreinformation or to booktickets, call the TicketOffice on 029 2063 6464 orvisit wmc.org.uk.

COMPETITION

Competition

Hern & Crabtree is Cardiff’s longestestablished residential estate agentand what’s more….we really careabout our customers.

As well as providing value for money we also pride ourselves in the personal service that weoffer to each and every customer. Here are just some of the reasons why you shouldinstruct us:

• Convenience – we will arrange viewings and valuations to suit you and this is 7 days-a-week and in the evenings• We provide comprehensive internet marketing, press and magazine coverage to promote your home• For lettings, we have waiting tenants ready to move in• We have an experienced team who have extensive local knowledge and expertise

In a competitive marketplace it’s good to know that you are being looked after by a team who will go the extra mile to ensure that your house move goes as smoothly as possible.

So if you are considering buying or selling or are a landlord with property to let get in touch with a member of our team.

8, Waungron Rd, Llandaff, Cardiff CF5 2JJ www.hern-crabtree.co.uk 029 2055 5198

Back in 2004, I took over asEditor of DanescourtNews, a position I held for

over 2 years.As you may be aware, theDanescourt News has nowmoved to the web, which meansthat residents of Danescourtwould no longer receive their freemagazine. Since 2007, we have beenproducing high quality magazinesfor the North Cardiff suburbs ofRhiwbina, Whitchuch, Llandaffand Llandaff North. Some of youmay already be familiar withthem.Rhiwbina Living was launchedto help support local businesses.In today’s world, when bigbusinesses threaten the veryfabric of our local trade, we felt itright that the hard-workingmembers of our communityshould also be heard.We were careful not to produce

just another magazine full ofadverts. Far from it - we sourcedlocal news, interviewed localcelebrities, researched localhistory and even wrote our owncrosswords! Due to demand, we launchedour second title, Whitchurch andLlandaff Living in 2008. Sincethen, we have consistentlyproduced stunning and readablemagazines that have become arespected and well-loved part ofthe North Cardiff community.With the Danescourt News

now online, we felt right that thesuburb shouldn’t be without itsown publication too. Danescourt Living will bepublished four times a year. It willbe a full-colour A5 magazine, andit will be hand-delivered free ofcharge by us to absolutelyguarantee delivery. The magazine is designed to beYOUR magazine. We want tohear from residents - yourstories, your letters, yourconcerns, your memories. Feelfree to contact us and share!

Welcome to Living Magazines North Cardiff!

Danescourt Living Page 8

FREEEditorial on ournorth cardiff

community website

Has advertising in Living Magazines worked for us? Yes it has!Will we be advertising in 2011? Yes we will!

Matt Trevett,Absolute Care (Wales) Limited

We have been advertising in bothRhiwbina Living and Whitchurch andLlandaff Living since their very firstissues, and not a week goes by withoutsomeone saying that they have seen ouradvert in the magazines. We arepleased to be associated with suchprofessional magazines and we canhonestly say that it’s far better to be inthe magazines than not!”Paul Ballard, Serenade, (South WalesEcho’s Winner of ‘They’re theBusiness’ Award 2010), Rhiwbina

I placed an advert in Rhiwbina Living inautumn this year to try to boost my foodtrade and was extremely impressed withthe results. The advert generated aterrific amount of new trade through thedoor. It’s now very difficult to get a tablein my restaurant on a Sunday afternoon!I was so impressed that in the nextquarter, I placed an advert in both theWhitchurch and Llandaff Livingmagazine as well as the Rhiwbina Livingmagazine for a second time.I am looking forward to a bumperChristmas now!Paul Beales, Landlord, The ButchersArms Rhiwbina

We decided to advertise in both editionsof your publication in 2010 and werevery pleased with the response itgenerated in terms of attracting newcustomer enquiries and commentsreceived from our existing customers.Your magazine is eagerly anticipated byits readers and most importantly readunlike other free publications. Matt Trevett, Absolute Care (Wales)

When I opened my new Lighterlifecentre in Whitchurch I was looking forthe very best way to get the news out tolocal people - Living Magazines was theanswer. I found the help from the editorsinvaluable in identifying how to bestreach local residents and let them knowall about my weight loss/weightmanagement business. This coupledwith a beautiful, interesting and top endglossy magazine made it a fantastic toolto use to promote my business. Manylocal people have changed their lives atLighterlife thanks to reading the articlesin Rhiwbina Living and Whitchurch andLlandaff Living. Janet Pardue-Wood, Lighterlife

2011 is an important year formany businesses. In thecurrent economic climate, theproverbial tightening of beltswill be a common feature. Butbusinesses still need to drawcustomers to their order books,yet they still need to keep costsdown. It’s not easy.Our beautiful magazines havehad one purpose sincelaunching back in 2007 - tosupport local business. Localtrade is the heartbeat of thecommunity, and without it,villages become abandoned.As local residents, we areproud of our area and want tohelp maintain them.53,600 copies of our high-quality, full colour and glossymagazines are distributed by

us per year. Whitchurch andLlandaff Living is published fivetimes a year, and its oldersister publication, RhiwbinaLiving, is published quarterly.Danescourt Living is the latestaddition to our collection. It isalso delivered quarterly.We understand that placingan advert can feel a riskymove, but we do everything wecan to get your message intothe hands of thousands ofpotential clients. With prices starting at just £25per issue, and generousdiscounts for block booking andcross-bookings, we’ll take careof everything for you.Call 07772 081775 / 07974022920 or visit our website atwww.livingmags.co.uk.

FREEadvert design service

FREEdistribution onyour behalf

“Their locally produced magazines havebecome a vital source for news in the community”

Hannah Waldram, The Guardian

Your Local Magazine

Danescourt Living Page 9

The craggy features onthe face of Merv ‘TheSwerve’ Davies are very

much the same as they werein the ‘70s. Hands like shovelsand shoulders as broad as theTawe, his 6ft 3 frame sitsawkwardly on the pub chair. Opposite him is JohnDawes, architect perhaps ofthe legendary Golden Periodof Welsh rugby. To his right isBarry John, regarded by manyas the finest outside-half of alltime. Mervyn’s famousMexican moustache has longgone, and his deep, dark eyescrawl around the historicsporting pictures on the wallof the Butcher’s Arms,Llandaff, as he recalls his

childhood in Swansea.“Penlan County School wasa new school. There wasn’t ablade of grass in sight so weall played soccer. It wasn’tuntil I passed my 11+, that Itried my hand at rugby. Theschool had no history ofsporting or academic successand I had no recognition foranything I did there. I went onto do teacher training, andmoved to London to ply mytrade as a school master. Iplayed for Old Guildfordianswhere we played some god-awful rugby.“I then joined London Welshin 1968. The team was full oftalent and quickly becamerenowned for its free-flowing

style of rugby. JPR andGerald were there. We werehated on both sides of thebridge of course. The Englishhated us because we werethose ‘Welsh bastards’, holedup in their country; and theWelsh hated us because we’dsold our souls to the English.We became everyone’starget.“But you’ve got to rememberthat this was the late ‘60s, theage of flower power, magicmushrooms and free love. Lifewas good – for me at anyrate.”Mervyn’s first Welsh capcame in 1968 againstScotland at Murrayfield, whichWales went on to win 17-3.

TheSwerveKnown as Merv ‘The Swerve’, former Wales and British Lions No.8

Mervyn Davies was one of the stars of the glorious Wales sides of

the 1970s and was a key man in both the 1971 and 1974 British

Lions series wins. Instantly recognisable with his trademark white

headband, Mervyn stands out as one of Wales’s rugby greats.

Danescourt Living Page 10Photograph © Getty Images

Interview

Danescourt Living Page 11

“I don’t remember muchabout the game. JPRWilliams, who was with me atLondon Welsh was getting hisfirst cap too, so there was agreat sense of camaraderiebetween us both. We wereboth in it together. Thememory that sticks with methe most is simply standing onthe pitch and thinking ‘Is thisreally happening to me?’. I’dcome from total obscurity,having only joined LondonWelsh six weeks earlier, andyet here I was, stood on thepitch playing for Wales. “I had one objective thatgame, and it became aphilosophy that I took intoevery game: to eliminateerrors from my ownperformance. We won thegame and I never got droppedafter that.”Mervyn went on to play 38consecutive games for Walesuntil 1976 (when his careerwas cruelly cut short by abrain haemorrhage during aclub game for Swansea,which he had joined in 1972).During this time, Mervyn wontwo Grand Slams and threeTriple Crowns.Mervyn unfurls and lets out agreat roar of laughter at thesuggestion that he has beencited as the Best Ever Welshcaptain. “Did you hear thatJohn? Best-ever captain ofWales!”John Dawes, sat oppositehim, splutters on his drink andspits it back into his glass.“You’re joking aren’t you? Ican think of at least 10 or 11better captains than him!”The facts speak forthemselves however. In a pollof Welsh rugby fans in 2002,Mervyn was voted both‘Greatest Ever Welsh Captain’and ‘Greatest Ever Welsh

Number 8’. In 2001 he wasinducted into the InternationalRugby Hall of Fame.“Times were tough back inthe ‘70s you know. The nationwas going through a lot withindustrial unrest. There was ahell of a lot of expectation onus as players, and on me ascaptain to succeed. It was anadded incentive if you like, butit was hard on us. If we didlose, the nation would go intomourning.”The pressure was crankedup even further when Mervynwas selected to play for the1971 British and Irish Lionstour of New Zealand. But as ahard-runner and anaggressive tackler, Mervynhad the handling capabilitiesto link forward and back play,and keep the Lions on thefront foot against formidableopposition.His abilities at the back ofthe lineout prompted NewZealand legend Colin ‘PineTree’ Meads to claim that theWelshman had the All Blacks‘donkey licked’ during theLions’ only ever series win inNew Zealand. Mervyn also toured on theinfamous 1974 tour of SouthAfrica, which again, was asuccess for the tourists.“Playing for the Lions, is forany rugby player, the zenith oftheir career. 40 years sincethe ’71 tour to New Zealand,it’s sometimes mind-bogglingto think that no other team inhistory, either before or after,has won a series in NewZealand. To be part of anachievement like that is suchan honour – it can’t be takenaway from me. It was alsounique in that this was a timewhen rugby was amateur. Youhad to have an understandingemployer, which was

fortunately, something that Ihad in my teaching career.But spending 14 weeks awayfrom home meant that, for thefirst time, we could focuspurely on the rugby. We feltlike professionals, even if weweren’t paid. We could honeour skills and taste what itwas like to live as a rugbyplayer.”As Mervyn is speaking, BarryJohn pick-pockets Mervyn’sbus pass from his jacket andpasses it round like a naughtyschoolboy. Mervyn’s gianthand swoops down andswipes the pass clean out ofBarry’s hand. Age has notslowed the deftness of hishandling abilities.“Rugby is a distant memory.I’ve been there, done that.Got the T-shirt. I’m not an avidsupporter of any particularteam and for me watching thegame is way down on my listof life’s pleasures. That’s notto say that I dislike the game.The proud tradition of Welshrugby will continue foreverand good luck to them.“But for me, the game isabout abiding memories -mostly sounds. The noise thatthe crowd generated was aphysical thing. It would pickyou up and move you, sweepyou across the field, and carryyou across the park. Duringbreaks of play, you’d standthere, literally swaying in theswirling concoction of noise. Itis something that will stay withme forever.”

Interview

Danescourt Living Page 12

My early memories as a fouryear old are of our twoterraced cottages. They had,from memory, threebedrooms, one living roomand a rear scullery whichwould now be called akitchenette. We had nobathroom, no running waterand no electricity. We reliedon paraffin lamps for light. Outside, there was acommunal hand water-pumpwhich was shared by threefamilies – the Hopkins, theRichards next door, and theYoungs who were thefarmers. In my family were my mum,my dad Ned, and my twoelder brothers – Ron whowas ten years older and Billmy senior by eight years.There was another brother,Teddy, who died aged tenwhile undergoing surgery atCardiff Royal Infirmary.Phil Young worked on myfather’s farm. They told methat, as a nosey youngster, I

would follow him everywhere.One morning, I was watchingthe milking and stood toonear the cow’s tail. Phil liftedthe tail and I was at oncecovered from head to toe inbrown watery mess. I lookedlike a gingerbread man! Phil carried me back to mymother, who stripped myclothes off and washed themuck off me under thecommunal cold water pump.Luckily, the summers werewarmer in those days.On another occasion, Philwent on his horse and cart, tocollect some hay from thebarn. As he forked the hayonto the cart, he disturbed acourting couple. The girlscreamed, they both jumpeddown and ran off laughing.Phil chased them and warnedthem not to trespass on thefarm again. In my innocence,I wondered what it was allabout.Our outside toilet, whichwas at the very end of thegarden was a sort of mobileshed. It had four wheels andfour handles, like a rickshaw.My father would dig a largehole in the garden, throw a

bag of lime into it, andthen move the shed over thehole. Inside the shed, Dadbuilt a long wooden seat witha hole cut out in the middle.That was our toilet. After amonth or so, he would moveit along and dig another hole.With no running water tobathe, we had a longgalvanised tin bath which myparents would fill with bucketsof water heated up on theopen coal or wood fires.My father was good with hishands. He built us goalpostswith nets for us to playfootball and made a swingwith rope and a woodenswing seat, swinging from thebranch of a tree. The Youngshad a billiards or snookertable in the upstairs of theirbarn!In 1935, we moved to No.4,Heol Booker, and thecottages were demolished.We thought that our newcouncil house was quiteposh. We had a toilet, abathroom with hot and coldrunning water, a gas cooker,electric lighting and awireless with a battery thathad to be charged.

Ken Hopkins

was born at

Forest Farm

in 1930

History

Melingriffith Boys

Danescourt Living Page 13

There was a large gardenfront and back. The rest ofthe land towards the tinplateworks was all allotments. Myfather had three up on theBatter beyond the rugby club. My father was very friendlywith Billy Williams who liveddown in the Lock House. Hisbrothers Griff and Tommyworked as mill men in theMelingriffith Tinplate Workswith my family and twobrothers. This was of course,pre-war. My father and Billybuilt stables and a shed forBilly’s cart. He was known asBill the Fish because hemade deliveries of fresh fishand vegetables to all thehouses.One day, when I waslooking bored, as a seven oreight year old, Billy asked meif I would like to ride tobareback on his smallerhorse. “Yes please!” I said (Ihad never ridden on a horsein my life!). So Billy lifted me up and toldme to walk him slowly aroundthe top of the Batter. I wasdoing OK but then a dogcame barking at us. Thehorse started to trot and thengalloped towards VelindreRoad. I fell off where the newrugby club is now. I wasunhurt but the horse carriedon towards the road andturned sharp left down the hillin the direction of LlandaffNorth. I ran as quickly as Icould to Billy, shouting thatthe horse had bolted. Both my father and Billyrushed through the smallwoods, down to the road,almost by Billy’s house andthere was the horse, frothingat the mouth, steam risingfrom its body, waiting for itsdaily feed.

I would spend time with mygrandparents at a very earlyage in the late 1920s at theircottage. It has long beendemolished but it stood onTy-Mawr Road, LlandaffNorth, and was one of threeor four cottages virtuallyopposite the Williams’ houseabutting the canal. I remember the earlymorning sound of the tin-workers trampling past thecottage to their work at theMelingriffith Works, often witha white scarf round their neckto absorb the sweat from theheat at their workplace;memories also of the bargeson the canal towed by ahorse who would beunhitched at a bridge such asBand’s Bridge, for the bargeto pass under. The horsewaited on the other side to be re-hitched.The Isbergs lived the otherside of the locks. He waspresumably the lock-keeper,and it was in their house thatI first heard (at the age of four

or five) the miracle of radio.By that I mean, a scratchynoise emitted from a crystalset as it was known then.The old water wheel on thefeeder at the back of theirhouse has probably longgone – sadly Mrs Isberg fellinto the lock one dark nightand was drowned. Manymust have drowned in thecanal over the years,including a very young cousinof mine, who at the age of 13or 14, fell into the canal locknear the Cow and Snufferspub. I also have memories ofwalking down the canal pathto the ‘Ton’.Forest Farm was on the left,and was managed at thattime, I believe, by a JeffTroakes. The sudden sight ofa kingfisher darting acrossthe canal from the LongWood often made me gasp. Ibelieve that the kingfisherfamily are still there – aftersome 80 years!Yes – fond memories ofinnocence and pleasure inthe early thirties, unaware ofwhat was to come: training inCanada as a bomb aimer andnavigator for the RAF, andthankfully, for my conscience,not having occasion to drop abomb before the war ended.

DesmondMorley was bornin the 1920s andspent many dayson the canal inthe 1930s

History

The woodlands of Britain,like that up in Radyr Woods,have been developed overthousands of years. It actsas a home for hundreds ofvarious species of animalsand wildlife. The varioustypes of trees there act as afood source, shelter,playground and protectivehaven.Danescourt is also a verygreen area and you can spotwildlife even in your ownback garden!

Wildlife Watch: WoodlandIf you and your friends (andparents) fancy going bird-watching, print out pictures ofthe birds you’d like to spot andcarry them around with you.You could even make badgesout of them. Then head intothe woodland and record whatyou spot on a chart. This is agood way to remember whatbirds look and sound like!

Moth Magnet: GardenThere are literally hundreds ofdifferent types of moths inBritain but we don’t get to seethem because they come outat night. Now that the nightsare getting warmer, it could bea good time to make a moth

magnet.Pick a calm, warm night.Hang a white sheet over awashing line and prop a torchup so that it lights up the sheetfrom behind. As moths aredrawn to light, they should startlanding on the sheet. You cantake a good look at the mothsas they rest on the sheet. Simply turn the torch off whenyou are finished, but leave thesheet out overnight to give themoths a chance to fly awayagain.

Animal Tracks: WoodlandThe woodland is a place foranimals to be secretive. To findout what kind of animals areliving in the woodland, you canmake castes of their tracks.You’ll need the following:Plaster of Paris mix, water,plastic bowl or jug, spoon,card, scissors and somesellotape.Find a dry animal print andmake a ring with a strip of cardand place it around the printwith sticky tape. Push thecardboard slightly into theground.Mix your plaster, following theinstructions on the packet andthen pour in the mix so that itcovers the print by about a

centimetre. Leave it to dry (thiscould take up to an hour).When the plaster is hard,carefully pull the caste up.Brush off any mud or dust thathas collected. You can thentake the caste home to eithercheck online, or at your locallibrary.

Spider Home: GardenIf you’d like to see how clevera spider is at making webs,you can make it a temporaryhome. You’ll need: a clear boxwith a lid, modelling clay (orsomething similar) and twigsPut the clay at the bottom ofthe box and add some moistwood bark. Place the twigs in the clay,making sure that they arestable. Make a large V-shapeso that the tops of the twigsare about a hand span apart.Leave plenty of room for thespider to make its web andmove around.Remember to punch holes inthe lid to allow the spider tobreathe. Find a spider andgently put it in the box andclose the lid. You should beable to see the spider spinningits web. Release the spiderwhere you found it after a fewdays.

Danescourt Living Page 14

SSqquuiiddggyy tthheeSSqquuiirrrreell��ss PPaaggee

Kids

WWiillddlliiffee WWoonnddeerrss

Pets

Sniffly RatI have a 8 month old rat.When he breathes, hemakes a funny squeakingnoise. It’s like he’s got ablocked nose and it cancontinue when he’s eating.Have I got anything to worryabout?

Noise produced when ratsbreathe is always a sign of ill-health, unless the noise is him‘talking’ to you. If you think hemay be ‘talking’, check to seeif the noises coincide with hisbreathing pattern – if they do,they are not communicationsounds but signs ofrespiratory infection.Rats commonly suffer withrespiratory infections andthese need prompt thoroughtreatment with antibiotics.Other symptoms could includeloss of appetite, sneezing,discharge from the nose andlaboured breathing. Oftenrespiratory infections progressto pneumonia, and this is acommon reason for pet rats todie.Symptoms of sneezing alonecould be the result of inhalingdust from the litter in the cage,so if sneezing is the onlysymptom, you could trychanging the litter to apelletted cat litter or a fleecycage liner.

Worming Problems?My 3 year-old GermanShepherd dog, Sam, hasbeen rubbing his bottom onthe ground. I’ve given him aworming dose, but it hasn’thelped.

Rubbing his bottom on theground is Sam’s way ofrelieving an itch in that area –it’s nothing to do with him‘wiping his bottom’ as I haveheard some people claim! Itchy bottoms in dogs arerarely caused by worminfestations – that symptom isseen more commonly inchildren – so it’s not surprisinghe is no better after yourtreatment. The usual reasonfor an itchy bottom is that theanal sacs have become overfull or infected. Thesesacs produce scent which issecreted when the dog passes faeces (and

sometimes if he is veryfrightened). It tells other dogs about their identity,sexual status, etc. The sacscan become overfull if theyare not emptied properlywhen the dog defaecates.They will also becomeinflamed if they get infected.Anal gland irritation canusually be cured by your vetmanually emptying them.There are of course otherreasons that Sam’s bottommight be itching, such as fleairritation, rectal irritation(colitis), anal furunculosis andmany others. Really, you needto let your vet take a look.

Local Pets Our Pets Page gives you the chanceto put your questions to your local vet,

Chris Troughton of the Heath Veterinary Group.

Drop us a line if you have a questionfor Chris to editor@livingmags.co.uk

Pets’ Page is sponsored by the Heath Veterinary Group

(029) 2062 1511

Danescourt Living Page 15

Llandaff is one ofCardiff’s mostprestigious and scenic

suburbs, perhaps best knownfor its stunning cathedral. Butthis small hidden gem hasanother claim to fame –Doctor Who. Not only hasLlandaff been used as alocation for filming thepopular BBC TV show, but itslinks go further back than thatto a man called Terry Nation,who created one of the staplecharacters of the legendaryseries. Terry Nation was born in1930 and grew up living onFairwater Grove West inCardiff, where it is said hewould often sit and write as achild. After leaving school, heworked for a furniturecompany but after a briefstint as a comedian, he laterturned his hand toscriptwriting, working onradio scripts as well as a host

of TV shows before theopportunity to work on DoctorWho came up. Although Nation was at firstsceptical of his own ability toproduce any significantscripts for the show, he waslater proven wrong when hecreated The Daleks for thesecond storyline. Theyappeared in the fifth episodeand have since become awell-known symbol of theshow, proving that Nation’sself doubt was unfounded.He later went on to createother significant characterssuch as Davros, The Voordsand Roboman. Nation found later successin the 1970s within the sci-figenre working on Survivors,Blake’s 7 and Macgyver, butit is perhaps his invention ofthe Daleks that he is mostremembered for. In more recent times,Llandaff has been used as alocation for filming DoctorWho. Episodes in Series 3made use of Llandaff’swonderful cathedral scenery.The scene in The Family ofBlood where John and Joanget married use one of theCathedral’s archways as afocal point, as well as using cottages and interiors in

St Fagans’ Natural HistoryMuseum for some scenes. Human Nature, also of thethird series, which starredDavid Tennant as The Doctor,made excellent use of StFagans’ old buildings andgreenery as well as theinside of Llandaff Cathedralfor many scenes. The mostrecent series of the showwas filmed around LlandaffCathedral and the nearbygreen, most recognisable inVincent and The Doctor andThe Eleventh Hour. Llandaff itself was recentlytransformed into a ‘typicalEnglish village’ calledLeadworth.Spin-off series The SarahJane Adventures andTorchwood have both carriedout filming around theLlandaff area, furthercementing the area’s vastconnection with Doctor Whoand its franchise, whichbegan in the 1960s with TerryNation and his Daleks.

Danescourt Living Page 16

Out and About

by Joanna Cawley

Terry Na�on and some ofhis crea�ons:

Joanna Cawley isa third year EnglishLanguage student atCardiff University

When Two Worlds Collide

Danescourt Living Page 17Maps courtesy of Google Maps

Out and About

The Family The Eleventh Hour Vincent and the Doctor

The Eleventh Hour The Family of Blood

‘Victorian House’

Llandaff loca�onsas seen in Dr Who

Danescourt Living Page 18

Castell Coch (the Red Castle)sits proudly on the side of ahill overlooking North Cardiffand the valley that carries theRiver Taff.

Its fairytale appearancebelies the history that thebuilding contains in its stones.There has been a fortress onthe site since the end of the11th century when an earthand timber motte castle wasbuilt there by Norman lords todefend their land. Both IforBach and Gruffud ap Rhys aretwo Welsh rulers ofSenghennydd whose namesare linked to the castle.

During the 13th century, thede Clare family, the Normanlords of Glamorgan madegreat gains against the Welshin the upland regions of theirdisputed territory. It was duringthis time that it is thought the

castle was reconstructed intoa stone one, with a small ovalcourtyard with three circulartowers. It was probably Gilbertde Clare (the builder ofCaerphilly Castle) who addedthe towers in the 1280s. It isthe spur buttresses at thebase of the round towers thatsuggest it was of Normandesign, but it seems that thecastle was abandoned in 1316after Llewellyn Bren led anarmy against the de Clares in1316. It was never repairedand the castle fell into ruin.

By 1871, like many othercastles in Wales, the castlewas an overgrown ruin.Crucially however, ithappened to be owned byJohn Crichton-Stuart, the 3rdMarquess of Bute - one of therichest men in the world. TheMarquess was a landedaristocrat and an industrial

magnate, owing a lot of thiswealth from his father whohad risked a long-termstrategy in building Cardiff intoone of the busiestcoal-exporting ports in theworld. Lord Bute had a greatinterest in religion,medievalism, the occult, andarchitecture. He had alreadyenlisted the services ofWilliam Burges to remodelCardiff Castle in his ownunique style of gothic fantasy.

In 1872, Bute began hisproject of Castle Coch byasking Burges to look into thepossibility of restoring thecastle. Work began in 1875.The castle was to betransformed into a summerhome for the Marquess. Therestoration was a completeone, but Burges was not tosee the finished article dyingin 1881.

History

CastellCoch -

a historyof a

fairytalecastle

Castle Coch photographs by Gale Jollywww.flickr.com (user name gtj-45)

The castle may have anauthentic medieval look to theexterior but the interiors areVictorian fantasy, richlydecorated and highlyimaginative. After a visit toCastell Coch, it is worthvisiting nearby Cardiff Castleto see the ultimate example ofthe collaboration betweenLord Bute and WilliamBurges. At the time ofcompletion, the castlerepresented a medievalstructure, but it did have allthe modern conveniences ofits time - flushing toilets,central heating and a workingkitchen made it habitable.Burges also left behind somejustifications for his use of theconical towers, which somehistorians question forauthenticity. Burges wantedthem simply for visual effect.

The Keep Tower, the WellTower and the Kitchen Towerincorporate a series ofapartments; of which the mainsequence, the Castellan'sRooms, lie within the Keep.The Hall, the Drawing Room,Lord Bute's Bedroom andLady Bute's bedroomcomprise a suite of rooms thatexemplify the High VictorianGothic style in 19th centuryBritain. However some of thepoorer interior decorationscan be attributed to workcarried out after Burges' earlydeath in 1881. Some of thepainted decoration is basedon patterns found in Welshcastles. The Drawing Roomand Lady Bute's bedroom

have ceilings and wallpaintings that are almostequal to the best achieved atCardiff Castle.

The decoration and even thesmallest details - such as the door handles and the windowlatches were carefullyconsidered.Even some ofthe wallsfeaturepaintings ofvariousanimals,including birds,monkeys andsquirrels, aswell asmythologicalbeings.

Theuppermoststory of theKeep Towerholds LadyBute'sBedroom,painted in

brilliant colours with gilt andmirrors lighting up the double-domed chamber. Apart fromthe large bed, the furniture inLady Bute's Room is simplisticand uncomfortable - a resultof Burges determination tokeep true to the medievalcharacter of the castle.

In 1950, the 5th Marquess ofBute placed the Castle in thecare of the Ministry of Works.It is now administered byCADW on behalf of theNational Assembly for Wales.

Castell Coch has madenumerous appearances in TVand film productions. Driverscan also spot the magical-looking castle from the M4 asthey pass the CorytonInterchange.

History

Danescourt Living Page 19

Speaking from his pad inLondon, Gareth Baleisn’t feeling too well.

“I’ve had some kind of virus Ithink,” he says “but I’ve had arest and some pills and I feela lot better now.”Finding time to be ill is toughfor a Premiership footballer.Arsenal the previous night,Liverpool on the weekend.And that’s on top of Euroqualifiers for Wales. But for

the 21 year old fromWhitchurch, it’s a way of life.“Playing football for a livingis such a great feeling. Thefirst memory I have of playingthe game is when I was aboutthree or four. My Dad used totake me for a kick-about in thegrounds of WhitchurchHospital and Velindre. Iplayed football in EglwysNewydd Primary School,winning the league twice. “I was playing for CardiffCivil Service at the age ofnine too. I was spotted at a 5a side game in Newport onenight by Southampton scouts.From the age of nine toseventeen I was on Southampton’s books, playing for their Academyteam.”Gareth becameSouthampton’s secondyoungest player to start whenhe made his full team debutagainst Millwall in April 2006.He was just sixteen years old.His first goal came several

months later, scoring a freekick against Derby County.“By the end of May 2007, Ihad played a full season atSouthampton. I worked hardto impress and felt that I’dbeen playing well week inweek out.” Gareth’s modesty belies hisprecocious talent. He helpedSouthampton reach theChampionship semi-finals andeven won the coveted title ofFootball League Young Playerof the Year in March 2007. "I was delighted just to benominated, but it never reallyoccurred to me that I wouldwin. It came as a realsurprise. "It was a great honour too. Iknew I still had a lot to learnso to get it was a very specialevent for me.” His reputation was soaringand it wasn’t long before thescouts came sniffing onceagain – this time fromPremiership side TottenhamHotspur.

At the age of just 21,Gareth Bale has becomethe latest superstar of

Welsh football. Signed toTottenham in 2007,

Gareth is also playing forhis country. But the manfrom Whitchurch has amature head on his

shoulders. Gareth talksexclusively to

Danescourt Living abouthis childhood, his club,

and his country.

Skipping Bale

Danescourt Living Page 20Photographs courtesy of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club

Interview

In May 2007, Garethcompleted a £5 milliontransfer, with furtherpayments following.“I wanted to play in thePremiership. I felt that I owedSouthampton something andtried to help them into thePremiership.” Southampton’s ultimatefailure to reach the leaguehowever, prompted Gareth totake the offer that Tottenhamhad put on the table. And hedidn’t disappoint his newemployers, scoring in only hissecond game, charging downthe left flank and slotting theball past Fulham’sgoalkeeper.Gareth’s prowess on the leftwing has drawn comparisonsto his inspiration Ryan Giggs:“Ryan was a big inspirationof mine – playing on the leftwing and being left-footed andall that.”Gareth has followed inRyan’s footsteps into theWelsh national squad makinghim their youngest-everplayer. Against Slovakia in2006, Gareth became theyoungest player to play forWales. The goal was atrademark Bale free-kick,mirroring the goals usuallyscored by Ryan Giggshimself.“Toshack did a huge amountof work on bringing in a lot ofyoungsters to play for Wales.It makes a lot of sensebecause when it comes toqualifying for the bigcompetitions, we are going tohave a team that isexperienced. The currentWelsh squad is now gellingnicely and our confidence isgrowing that we can dosomething special. Otherteams are starting to take usmore seriously than they used

to. We’re much harder tobreak down these days andwe’ve been playing someexciting football.”“My ambition with Wales is toqualify for a majortournament.” Wales have notdone that since 1958. At just21 years old, Gareth has 27Welsh caps to his name. Andhe’s looking for more.Gareth’s club too now havegood reason to be positivewith a string of promisinggames under their belt withmanager Harry Redknapp.“My ambition withTottenham is for us to reachthe top four in the league.”says Gareth. “There areplenty of reasons to think thatwe can achieve that.”Gareth is sounding verymuch the part of aPremiership player – as partof a team. Speaking to theinternational press issomething with which Garethhas now becomeaccustomed, as well as to thecelebrity lifestyle. “My lifestyle may havechanged but I’m still the sameperson. I get stopped forautographs and so on but it’s part of the job. When I come

back to Cardiff, I still like to goout with my mates. I’ll stillhave a kick about with a ballover at Caedelyn Park.” Things have certainlychanged since Gareth’s kick-about days in Whitchurch, buthe’s still got his magic feetfirmly on the ground.“I’m living the dream at themoment– the dream I’ve beenwanting since I was threeyears old.” It seems that Gareth has along and successful careerahead of him (Welsh youthguru Brian Flynn has gone onrecord saying that Gareth isonly ‘one inch behind RyanGiggs in terms of potential-and we know what Ryan’sachieved in the game’).Gareth’s focus now is to dowell with his club and country.“I’m still young and have gotlots to learn. At Tottenham, weseem to have turned a cornerand I now want to help themget to where we want to go.”The journey from the WhiteChurch to White Hart Lanehas been a dream – butthere’s still a lot more to comeit seems.

Danescourt Living Page 21

Interview

Local History

Caerphilly’s history goesback nearly 250,000years when what we

know as Neanderthalsscoured the plains for foodand shelter.Leaving little impression onthe landscape, it wasn’t untilthe Ice Age glaciers retreatedin 7,000BC, that what weknow as modern humansbegan establishingsettlements. By 4,500BC, thesettlers had cleared a lot ofthe forests that had existed inthe area using stone axes.Within the next millennium,they had started producingpottery and had builttrackways that linked them toother part of the valleys. Over150 burial communalmonuments from this time stillexist in Wales, although nonehave been found in Caerphilly.By 2,500BC, metal wasbeing used for the first time intooling. Bronze in particularwas being utilised to createweapons, as the discovery ofan axehead at Rudry

confirms.The forests continued to becleared and farming spread tothe uplands. Bronze Ageburial tombs still pepperCaerphilly’s ridges today.They can be found at CefnGelligaer, Mynydd y Grugabove Ynysddu, Twmbarlwmand on Mynydd Eglwysilan.They appear as small moundsof stone and earth.By 1000BC, the peacefulsettlements were beginning toexperience unrest. Climatechange forced settlements toprotect their fertile lands. It isthought that the Silurescontrolled a lot of the area atthis time. Over the followingfive hundred years, they builthillforts such as the one atCoed Craig Ruperra.In 43BC, the Romans landedon British soil and within thenext four years, had taken allof Britain east of the RiverSevern. Needing a boundary,they formed their westernfrontier here, and the Silureslaunched many raids against

the Romans, angered at theRomans’ advancement. By 57AD, the Romans hadhad enough and begansilencing the Silures withinvasion. It took 13 years tocomplete.The Romans then set aboutcreating a network of roadand forts across Wales. A fortwas constructed at Gelligaerthat would have housed athousand soldiers. This canbe seen today on the roadbetween Cardiff and Y Gaer,near Brecon.The Silures were integratedinto Roman life, following inthe footsteps of others thathad successfully beenconquered and integrated intothe Roman way of living. Thiswas commonly known as‘Romanising’ and was a keyaspect of Roman success.But by the end of the fourthcentury, the Roman grip onWales, and Britain, wasloosening. Attacks by theBarbarians were causingdifficulties and the Romans

Danescourt Living Page 22

CCaaeerrpphhiillllyy

Danescourt Living Page 23

found themselves abandoningits territories and withdrawingtroops back.A great deal of uncertaintyand turbulence filled thevacuum that had been left bythe withdrawal of the Romans.Various factions struggled forpower. In the latter half of theeighth century, the Anglo-Saxon King Offa ordered theconstruction of an eartherndyke that seemed to cut off‘Wales’ from England. By now, Morgannwg had

evolved as an administrativearea. The King of Morgannwgwould often visit the variousareas of the ‘cantrefi’ and bewined and dined by the locallords. It is probable that one ofthese locations was at IsCaiach.By 1266, 20 years after theBattle of Hastings, all ofEngland was under completeNorman rule. Norman lordswere encouraged to push intoWales. One such lord, Robertfitz Hamo launched incursionsfrom his base in Cardiff andtook most of the lowlands. Hewas hesitant not to make anyattempt on the higher groundsthough, having come offsecond best once in a raid onGelligaer in 1094.Over a hundred years later,the Lordship of Glamorganwas in the hands of theDeClares. DeClarecommissioned the building ofCaerphilly Castle tocounteract the threat by theLordship of Senghenedd. Astand-off between Earl GilbertdeClare and Llewellyn apGruffydd, the Welsh Prince ofWales ensued. Ap Gruffydd’spatience finally ran out and heattacked Caerphilly Castle.DeClare’s army managed tofend off the attack and apGruffydd became increasingly

under threat from the Anglo-Normans. He retreated toBrecon and never set foot inCaerphilly again.By the end of the 12thcentury, the Welsh Churchhad gained influence and hadset about creating dioceses.Caerphilly fell under theDiocese of Llandaff. Therefollowed a substantial build ofnew churches, whichcontinued well into the 14thcentury. St. Barrwgs Churchin Bedwas is a good exampleof a church built at this timeand retains a lot of its originalbuild and features. TheCistercians, of Norman origin,lived a life of poverty andsilence and in 1179, they builtLlantarnam Abbey, four milesto the east of Caerphilly.Outlying farms providedsustenance for the monks.One such farm was located atCefn Rhyswg.Edward I was crowned Kingof England in 1272, andimmediately set about flushingout the Welsh. Llewellyn apGruffydd and his brother, nowforced back to North Walesrebelled, but paid the ultimateprice. In 1294, after muchsimmering resentment, theWelsh attacked CaerphillyCastle and burnt the town.

Twenty years later, in 1314,Llewellyn Bren instigated arevolt. He gathered an armyof ten thousand men whobesieged Caerphilly Castleand left the town in ruins. Agreat battle took place at CefnOnn, where Edward’s menjoined the local Anglo-Normanlords in crushing the rebellion.Bren was captured andimprisoned in the Tower ofLondon.Caerphilly as a town beganto flourish around the time ofOwain Glyndwr in the 15thcentury. Over the followingcenturies, trades such as wooland iron developed. Abercarnwas one of the locations of afurnace, and coal to fuel thefurnaces was mined onCaerphilly Common and fromRudry Woods. By the end ofthe 18th century, the coalindustry had revolutionisedthe area. Canals and roadscut through the landscape,and with it came thepopulation. Churches, shopsand schools sprung up tocater for the new inhabitantsof the area. Motorisedtransport and the introductionof electricity during the early20th century brought aboutmany of the changes that stillexist today in Caerphilly.

Local History

Castle Street , Caerphilly

April Cardiff’s gardening highlightof the year is the Royal Horticultural Society Springshow, which returns to the Castle grounds from 8-10April. Perhaps not strictly ajob in the garden, a visit tothis inspirational show is greatfor firing up one’s enthusiasm. There are two marquees fullof the very best in horticulturalspecimens as well as show gardens, which suggest practical design ideas forsmall gardens. There are lotsof plants to buy and a chanceto get expert advice from thegrowers themselves.Back in the garden, asclimbers start to twine andclamber, gently tie in theiryoung and fragile shoots toprevent them whipping aroundand breaking in the windwhich can still be quite strongat this time of year. Finding several inches ofhealthy broken shoot is

heartbreaking. Other climberssuch as winter jasmine andsummer flowering clematiswill need pruning now if youhave not already done so.Now is also the best time tostake the taller perennialssuch as lupins anddelphiniums so that they too,are safe from strong winds.Left until later, one struggleswith often large, unruly plantsthat resent being curbed.As the month progresses deadhead the daffodils. Theylook neater and it saves thebulb wasting energy onproducing seeds that are notrequired. This is not practical,of course, if there are acres ofnaturalised blooms.As soft succulent shootsstart to emerge, so will theslugs and snails. Cardiffgardens, I remember fromchildhood, have alwaysproduced the largest andslimiest slugs, so now is thetime to attack them! There arechemical solutions, organic

treatments such asnematodes and beer, andphysical barriers such aseggshells and copper bands.Whichever we decide to use,it is advisable to start thebattle now.

MayFor many gardeners May isthe most exciting month of theyear. Everything is full ofpromise and the disaster andmistakes have yet to show up.Lawns in good condition setoff beds and bordersbeautifully so give them somefood now. A single application of one ofthe feed-and-weed productson the market will repay youlater. The slow releasefertilizers promote rootgrowth, which protects thegrass from drought. Someeven contain moss killers,invaluable after a wet winter.

GardeningThrough The Seasons

by FranMullins

Danescourt Living Page 24

Gardening

Now is the time to clearaway the spring beddingplants ready for summerplanting. The job of choosingcolours and filling pots andbaskets for the summer isespecially pleasing and canbe done this month. Watchout for late frosts though.Harden plants off by bringingthem out during the day andcovering or returning them tothe greenhouse at night. Towards the end of themonth plant out the dahliatubers, or if they are in pots,start hardening them off too.Annuals can be sown directlyinto prepared borders. Clematis montanas will havefinished flowering, so it’s timeto prune them into the shapeand size that fits their site.They carry on growing fromwhere they finished last year,so they can become rampantif not controlled. Forsythias, quince andflowering currants will havefinished, so it’s time to prunethem. These flower on theprevious year’s wood so theidea is to prune them backhard to encourage new shootswhich will then bear nextyear’s flowers.

JuneJune is a month full ofpromise; the weather is moresettled, sunny with higher lightlevels and drier - everything inthe garden is fresh and bright. We can use the summersolstice to check where thesun sets and try to give eachplant what it would find in itsnative habitat. Whether it’s amore shade-tolerant plant orone that loves the sun, it willreward us for this little extra

thoughtfulness as to itsposition.Now, we can plant out eventhe tenderest of plants and besure they will come to noharm from frosts. Summerbedding, baskets and potscan all be planted up. Onetask we must do is water indry weathers otherwise ourhard work and cash will bewasted. Pots and baskets will needdaily attention but nowadayswater-retaining gels can beadded to the growing medium.These increase water-holdingcapacity and can even slowdown the leaching of soilnutrients.Collect rainwater from shedsand garage roofs. Try to water either in the early morning orevening to reduce waste from evaporation, unless a plant iswilting. Drench don’t dribbleas small quantities of water encourages surface rootingwhich makes the plant evenmore vulnerable to drought. Focus the water at the base ofthe plant, weed regularly andmulch to help slow downsurface evaporation.

With the warmer weathercomes increased activity frompests. A recent arrival is lilybeetle. As well as lilies, itattacks fritillaries and hasbeen seen on Solomon’sSeal. It is a striking scarletbeetle with black legs andantennae. Admire it for asecond but then dispatch itright away. It lays brown eggson the underside of lily leavesand the grubs that hatch outstart eating the leaves from tipto stem. The grubs coverthemselves in their own blackexcrement, which successfullyputs off predators - as well asus. If this black mash is inevidence, insecticide is theanswer.

Danescourt Living Page 25

Gardening

Photographs courtesy of Francis Mullins

Pull on a warm jumper and head out intothe great outdoors with this super springwalk. The walk starts in Llandaff andheads out to Radyr and back, taking inwonderful spring scenery and historicplaces of interest. You’ll pass rivers,

canals, wildlife and countryside. So fill upthe flask and get some fresh air to blow

away those winter blues

PPuutt aa SSpprriinngg

iinn yyoouurr sstteepp!!

Danescourt Living Page 26

Spring Walk

Starting at LlandaffBridge, head over intoHailey Park. On the left,

you will notice the old remainsof the original Llandaff Bridge.With the tennis courts onyour right, follow the pathbeside the river bank up-stream. You may see rowersfrom the nearby rowing clubplying up and down this river. The path is the Taff Trail,used by walkers and cyclistsalike- some heading to workin the city centre and someout stretching their legs on aspring walk. Willow and oaktrees line the left hand side ofthe river and you may spot agrey squirrel or two foragingfor food. The Taff Trail bears awayfrom the river just near the‘Please Cycle Carefully’ sign.The path then cuts through agathering of trees on the lefthand side of the car park.Heading straight on (past theblue information sign) youarrive at the MelingriffithWater Pump, built in 1807. Itappears on the left hand sideand there is an information

board detailing the Pump’shistory. On the other side ofthe road is Oak Cottage andbeside it is a cast iron postthat was once used by theGlamorgan Canal users to tieup their boats. The post hasbeen worn down by decadesof rope markings. The Taff Trail heads off leftbut proceeding straight aheadallows views of a housingestate which is built on thesite of the Melingriffith TinPlate Works. Take a left at theT-junction into Forest FarmRoad. Head into the GlamorganCanal Nature Reserve byleaving the road and turningright. Stay left and follow thelower path along the water’sedge. There will be water on eitherside for a while as the pathcontinues. The Melingriffithfeeder canal will be on theleft. Eventually, the GlamorganCanal will be the remainingcanal on your right. The canal played a significant part in thearea’s history. The canal was

opened in 1794 and enabledthe Merthyr iron works totransport their goods to thedocks in Cardiff. The 25 mile-long waterway fell intodisrepair during the 1940sand 1950s and waseventually closed in 1951after a dredger fatallydamaged the canal’s sea lockgates.The end of the canal comesafter about 2 kilometres whenyou turn left over a stile.Straight ahead is a road whichshould be joined, theAmersham InternationalBuilding lying on the left. Theroad will bear left and past apylon onto a footpath. The M4will be behind and there

will be a blue sign marked forCardiff. At this point, the pathfollows the Taff Trail. This partof the trail used to form part ofthe tramline that fed theMelingriffith works. Follow thetrail ahead- the river will be onthe right. The path crossesover the Melingriffith FeederCanal and past the RadyrWeir, which was built in 1775.When the blue footpath signsare reached, turn right andover the footbridge into Radyrtrain station.Head across the car park tothe entrance and intoJunction Terrace (there is astreet sign on the left). Headpast the “No Through Road”sign- there will be a row ofterraced houses standing onthe right. Bear left at the endof the road. Carry on past theinformation board and this will

lead into Radyr Woods. The main path leads straightinto the woods. Bypass thesteps on the right and headup the hill for just over 100metres. There will be a kissinggate at the top and to theright, a wire fence. Passthrough the second kissing gate. This will lead intoDanescourt housing estate.Ignore the paths on the rightand head straight ahead,down the steps and reachingthe end of the cul de sac.There will be some wasteground on the left- follow thispath. To the left will be viewsof the Wenallt, Craig yr Alltand Castell Coch. Thehillsides of north Cardiff at thistime of year will bebrimming with life. The pathreaches a narrow road that

leads off to the left. Followthis- it will lead under theCardiff to Radyr railway line,and round to the right. With the river now on yourleft, follow the banks back toLlandaff Bridge. The spire ofLlandaff Cathedral will comeinto view to herald the end ofyour walk. If you head right atthe bridge, this road will leadto Llandaff village, where youcan treat yourself to a well-deserved coffee

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Spring Walk

Danescourt Living Page 28

5.10am The small pitter-patter of paws across thebedroom floor heralds thearrival of the cat. He tries tojump up onto the bed, butimmediately wants to getback down again. It hasbecome clear that he’s notinterested in cwtching up –he’s just after his breakfast.

6.30am A cup of tea whilethe computer fires up. Firstjob of the day is to checkthe plan for the day- it’sgoing to be a long one!7.00am Respond to emails.There’s one from a ladyrequesting back copies ofRhiwbina Living – shewants to send a copy to herfriend (and former Rhiwbinagirl) in Lincoln.7.30am Get to work on avery late advert forDanescourt Living. The

advertiser had called lastnight and needed theiradvert designed for them.An hour later, and theiradvert is ready to send forproofing.9.00am Post arrives. Thereis a letter from a man inWhitchurch who is offeringto pen a historical piece. Igive him a call to arrangecopy. Call to our printers tocheck that Whitchurch andLlandaff Living proofs arebeing delivered today.10.00am Whitchurch andLlandaff Living proofs aredelivered from the printers.All attention is turned tothese. 12.00pm Lunch with the catin the garden.1.00pm Danescourt Livingis due at the printers in themorning. AmendedWhitchurch and LlandaffLiving pages arrive by emailand are signed off by us.4.00pm The late advertisercalls to say that there are afew changes that they needon their advert. Editorialwork goes on hold as theadvert is redesigned. Theiradvert is signed off immediately. An invoice is

emailed across.4.55pm A call is put in toour colleague at theGuardian, offering ourservices later in the monthto help small organisationsand charities raise theirprofile.5.30pm Contents page isfinalised and the Editor’sWelcome is finished. Now agreat number of hours ofproofing lie ahead.8.30pm First proofingcomplete. Files updated oncomputer.10.30pm A third and finalproofing is underway.12.30am The final files arechecked on screen for onelast time.2.10am The magazine fileis put onto memory stick,instructions are typed upand printed. A short drive istaken across a sleepingCardiff to our printer’shouse, where we post thepackage for him.

a day in the life of danescourt living

DEADLINE DAY

Feature

Danescourt Living Page 29

SSppaanniisshh TTaappaass

Recipes

For a Spanish-themed evening meal, serve with plenty ofcrusty bread, Spanish olives and cured meats

Artichokes withSpanish ham6 globe artichokesblack pepper1 tbsp olive oil4 cloves of finely slicedgarlic200g diced serrano ham50ml Manzanilla sherry

Prepare the artichoke bychopping off the stalks closeto the leaves and cutting awaythe tough outer leaves. Trimoff the tips of the remainingleaves. Place the trimmedartichokes in water acidulatedwith vinegar or lemon juice.Bring a large saucepan ofsalted and acidulated water tothe boil. Add the trimmedartichokes and cook untiltender for about 30 minutes.Drain the artichokes, quarterand scrape out the pricklychoke inside.Heat the olive oil in amedium, heavy-based fryingpan. Add the garlic andserrano ham and fry, stirringfor 1-2 minutes. Add theartichoke quarters and fry,stirring now and then forabout 5 minutes. Pour in the sherry and cookbriskly for 5 minutes. Seasonwith salt and freshly groundpepper and serveimmediately.

Patatas Bravas16 new potatoes, freshlyboiled, drained andsprinkled with mint4 rashers of bacon1 tbsp fresh basil

For the tomato sauce2 tbsp olive oilhalf an onion4 cloves of garlic240g canned choppedtomatoes1 tbsp tomato purée1/4 tsp caster sugar1 tsp vinegar1 pinch of black pepper1 pinch salt1 tbsp fresh basil

Making the sauceHeat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan.Add the onion and fry gentlyfor 2-3 minutes. Then add thegarlic and fry for another 2-3minutes, stirring often.Add the canned tomatoes,tomato purée, sugar, salt,pepper and basil.Bring to the simmer, reducethe heat and cook gently for6-7 minutes. Cool slightly,then blend using a blender.Fry the bacon until crispy.Place the minted potatoesinto a serving bowl, coat witha little of the tomato sauceand scatter with crispy baconand basil.

Crisp Fried Squid500g cleaned squidSpanish frying flourlarge pinch of sea salt1 lemon, cut into wedgesvegetable oil for deep-frying

Preheat the oil in a deep fryerto 180ºC. Rinse the squid andcarefully pat dry with kitchenpaper. Cut the squid into1.5cms rings and set to oneside, with the tentacles.Tip plenty of flour (if youdon’t have Spanish fryingflour, substitute with plain flourand plenty of breadcrumbs)into a large bowl. Toss a largehandful of squid into the flourto coat. Gently shake off theexcess and then carefully addto the hot oil.Deep-fry in batches for 3minutes each, or until crispand golden.Remove the squid and drainon kitchen paper. Repeat this,cooking the squid in batches.As soon as the squid iscooked, sprinkle with somesalt and lemon juice. Servewith the remaining lemonwedges.

Across1. north west city5. black and white

mammal9. clothes fastener10. waterproof

computer?11. painkiller12. wilderbeest13. keeping to oneself17. down or off?18. to make a sound

like name of the bird

20. to mix22. went the weasel23. humour25. circle, usually

found on a finger27. facial hairs29. sugary cake30. not out31. metallic rock

34. either side of the river

38. potato mesh42. king of the jungle43. conversation

equipment46. let slip47. jealousy

Down1. measurement2. without air3. Italian delicacy4. abbreviation of an

elderly person5. tinkle the ivories6. former Princess of

Wales7. dropping liquid8. gusty14. clings on to the

bolt15. uncomfortable post-eating

16. light19. smalls20. baby’s dining

garment21. small imp22. vegetable23. transparent glass24. belly button lint?26. dark area28. vessel32. lacking in colour33. small fruit35. marble shape36. oven37. living38. lament39. part of an

aeroplane’s wing40. remain41. other half of flop44. seed45. did it come first?48. never

Danescourt Living Page 30

Crossword

FALLINGDOWNby Patric

Morgan

Britain and most of Europewas shivering under a thickblanket of snow and ice

over Christmas and beyond. As Britons, we like to moan aboutthe way our country literallyfreezes to a halt when we getwinter weather. “The Canadianswould laugh at us” we say andthey probably do. Their roads arestill open and passable despitesnow on top of snow. And it isremarkable how the Canadians goabout their day to day business,seemingly without regard for theweather. I recently spent EasterDay at a friend’s house onVancouver Island. And yes, itsnowed. So out came theChristmas music and the crackers.And a fine festive feast was hadwith Lewis and James.Back in the UK, and having thecar snowed in, meant that I had totravel by foot to most places within5 miles. I don’t mind walking aslong as I have some music tolisten to and the weather hardlybothers me. But when it comes tosnow and ice, things become alittle more tricky. Many years ago, I was asked at ajob interview as to ‘what makesme laugh?’. My reply to that was “Peoplefalling over makes me laugh”.Some of the board memberssmiled. Others didn’t. But inside Iwas remembering a guy I hadonce seen fall over when I wasworking as an AA salesman at amotorway service station. This iswhat happened:My friend Mark and I were havinga quiet summer’s day, whichsometimes happens when you area salesman in a motorway servicestation. We passed the time of thisparticularly hot day by playing agame I had invented called “TheChewing Gum Game”. Thisinvolved both of us placing a piece

of chewed chewing gum on thefloor near our stand andwhoever’s got trodden on first,won a point. It was a close gameand the excitement whensomebody’s shoe clipped achewing gum was uncontrollable.We were “Ooooh’ing and‘Ahhhh’ing all afternoon.Mid-afternoon, a very posh carpulled up. The guy was obviouslyworried that some ‘commoner’ intheir Ford Mondeo might prang itso he parked away from all theother cars. He stepped from hiscar, patted down his uncreasedsuit and began his strut towardsus and the service station behindus.Mark and I didn’t say a word.This guy was the only one aroundfor miles and we knew he’d turnhis nose up at our “Got breakdowncover Sir?” quips. The guy couldsee us watching him. It was likeOK Corral. His eyes flitted between us,wondering who would bite first.The leaflet in my hand fluttered inthe slight summer breeze. A beadof sweat rolled down Mark’s noseand onto the parched floor. Theguy kept his cool and headedstraight for the door.But then he tripped. And hetripped quite spectacularly. Withhis focus on us, he didn’t see thekerb and BAM! - his Hush Puppystubbed its nose. The guy threwhis arms in the air. His mouth, Ican see it now, was wide open -like that old kids cartoon Dogtania.A small yelp came from him.He didn’t go down straightaway.He lurched forward, hisBrylcreemed haircut headingstraight for the bush. He tried torun it off but both Mark and I knew(we discussed it later) that heknew he was a goner. Therecomes a moment when you slipthat you know that you have gonetoo far; the angle of attack was tooacute; you’re going down – it’s amathematical certainty.It’s funny how the brain, in thatsplit second, calculates so manydifferent things. So many thoughtsgo through your head - where youare going to land, how you’regoing land - you even think about

how you are going to deal with theembarrassment of getting upBEFORE you have even hit thefloor. Can I run it off? Can I laughit off? What part of my body isgoing to hurt the most? Will I beoff work? Will I end up oncrutches? Who’s watching? Can Iget away with this?For this guy, he must have beenimagining the embarrassment ofhaving to pat his suit down for asecond time in front of the twoscruffy AA men. But first, he had todecide where he was going toland. He was too far away fromthe bush and if he put his twoarms out straight, he might landwith a splat. So he had to thinkthis through carefully. “Land like aman. Remember what you weretaught at the RAF ParachuteSchool when you were in AirCadets: Turn your shoulder in andbreak your fall.”So he did. In the nanosecond

that his toe hit the kerb to theinstant that he knew he was going,he turned his shoulder in. Andover he went.But that wasn’t the end of it. Herolled. And he rolled. Pavement.Sky. Pavement. Sky. As hehelplessly watched the flashes oflight and dark, he must have beenpraying: “Please God. Stop merolling.” He simply rolled and rolledand rolled.He ended up in the bush thathe’d aimed for and it was a fewseconds before we heard rustling.He struggled from the bush, hisarms and legs flailing like someinsect caught in a web. And ofcourse, Mark and I rushed to hisrescue. We laughed when the guy hadgone in and sniggered when heappeared again later. Bringing thisback to Britain in the grip of ice, Ihave seen many people slip andhave even slipped myself. But whydo we laugh at it? Jeremy Beadlemade a living out of it for God’ssake!If anyone has the answers, sendthem on a postcard. Don’t emailme. I like watching the postmanstruggling down my garden path. I find it funny.

Danescourt Living Page 31

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