Llanyrafon Manor Rural Heritage Site. Cwmbran.

After an amazingly relaxing morning out yesterday at local arts centre, my friend and I ended up at 'The Raspberry Tea Rooms' at Llanyrafon Manor. The autumn sunshine was warm enough for us to sit outside and we had a beautifully prepared and presented Welsh Rarebit for lunch. This was followed by home made cake and preservative free ice cream. Delicious! This is not the first time I have visited this lovely old Manor House (which is being restored to it's former state) where I had been for a cream tea previously. The standard has not dropped, if anything it has improved! All this within five miles or so of where I live. You have to count your blessings sometimes.
 

 

I have now become interested in this lovely place and discovered through reading and research that it is run, not too dissimilarly, along the lines of the Nantgarw pottery project.

 

I discovered that if it weren’t for a group of local volunteers who gathered together in 2006 with a view to saving the building, the Manor would not be there, in it's preserved state, as it is today. These campaigners became the Llanyrafon Manor Community Group (LMCG) and it was this group that secured various funding streams which covered the refurbishment of the Manor and its consequent opening.



They have been heavily involved in the restoration and re-use of the Manor and Torfaen County Borough Council retained their pro-active involvement in planning for its future. Well done to committed people like this who are looking out for, and succeeding in, preserving local history.

NATO Conference

Whatever we may think of this NATO conference it's here... here in Wales, on my doorstep.  The disruption to date has not been too bad.  The media have hyped it up far more than it actually is.  We cannot help but be aware of it, but what is it all about?

Probably they will discuss the wars in Islamic countries.  Russia's increase in spending on military weapons, sanctions against Russia and so on. But why doesn't someone set out a possible agenda for the British public to help them understand what is happening and why all this public money is being spent.

A TV program perhaps, explaining the NATO beginnings and it's continuing role in world affairs, probably needed today as much as ever.  There is an argument that we should all know these things I suppose, but why? The only way the public can be educated on such issues is if they are told. Information has been scarce on the significance of NATO discussions, but the disruption much evident and costings staring us in the face.

Perhaps if we knew more about what they stand for and why their venues and debates are causing such public expense, there would be more enthusiasm coming from ordinary folk like the people of Newport.

A Literary Evening.

I went to my second Literary Evening on Sunday.  This is not something I discovered through my studies but was introduced to me by my sister, herself a Professor at Kingston University.  This second evening in a sequence of planned events was a talk on the work and life of Daphne du Maurier.  I love the gothic genre and du Maurer's writing; this was an opportunity to learn more and I certainly did.

I didn't realise that Daphne du Maurier had written so many books, including 'The Birds' made famous by Alfred Hitchcock in the movie of the same name. There are the ones we all know of course, Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, My Cousin Rachel and so on, but there are some that I didn't know of.  These books of course head a list of 'must reads' for me. Mary Anne, The House on the Strand, The Scapegoat and so on...

The evening is held at my family's recently acquired hotel 'The Dragon Inn' in Crickhowell, but more of that in another posting.  The evening is held in a private dining room, discreetly lit with candles, and a three course dinner is served on a refectory type table.  A glass of chilled Presecco is served upon arrival with the meal  served shortly afterwards.  The menu is extensive and the food wonderful.  This is all inclusive with the talk (complete with visual aids) for £25 per person.  A total number of approximately 30 people will have tickets.  It's a first come, first served basis and sadly a lot of people are disappointed; but if you feel this sort of evening is for you, make inquiries early!

It was a lovely evening with like minded people, and a thoroughly enjoyable one.

A New Start

Good afternoon.

When I stopped posting on this blog, I never intended it to be over three years before my return!  Many events and all this time later here I am - again!  I still intend to write about the daily living of a retired lady and promote the Welsh valleys whenever I can, but some things have changed.  I am more qualified to write now, after taking a three year course at Newport University in Creative Writing.  It was at the start of this course that I gave up blogging.

I quickly realised that all my energies were require for writing and research for my course, one that I thoroughly enjoyed. When I completed it, I stopped writing for almost a year - I don't know why - but I am going to start again with this blog.  I hope some familiar followers will re-discover the blog and some new people will join me along the way.  I have a bit of catching up to do, so I'll end this re-introduction right now so that you can catch up with Miss Jones as she is in 2014!

Ahhh... Autumn

A wonderful season and this year we have had the weather to appreciate it in all it's glory. For me it's a time of reflection; of the months gone by, other Autumn seasons, other places, other homes.  But no matter where you live the season remains the same, rich in reds,oranges and ochres, a season crying out to be photographed - a season of remembrance.

One Solitary Grave

Just up the incline from the Viewing Point yesterday (see previous posting) was a grave on the side of the road which led to where we had parked. My friend and I had already concluded that this was formerly a limestone area, but this headstone confirmed the fact.

Well, if you choose to be laid anywhere, this was a wonderful spot for it.

View of Three Counties

'Observe all around you and be thankful for all that you have in this transitory life time'. That was the first quote for homework this week.  Beautiful I thought. The second instruction was to go to a place that you have never been before, sit a while, then close your eyes and commence a story. Hm mm...

I went to visit a friend in the Swansea valley on Friday.  I asked to be taken somewhere where I could achieve this. I was taken to a viewing point in the Brecon Beacons National Park.  It was superb, perfect for the project. I made some notes and felt I had enough material to complete the task set for me.  When I got home and re-read the instruction it said 'begin your storey with an action'! Difficult .... as I had visited one of the most beautiful and peaceful place imaginable!

Having to commence the story this weekend - ready for Tuesday morning - I decided to put a hang glider in the tale, completely fictional of course, but then my course is Creative Writing.  I commenced with him and his cavorting and the rest was easy as they say!

The pictures above are not nearly good enough to reflect the beauty of the views of the three counties below, but they indicate the serenity of the place.