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.

Ballet - Under Milk Wood

Under Milk Wood performed by Ballet Cymru

Watching the performance of Under Milk Wood last night I decided that this was the absolute best of the three performances by this company that I have seen. Ballet Cymru have  performed How Green is my Valley and Lady of the Lake previously and I saw them both, but this one definitely has the edge.A play for voices is now a dance for words!

A Review Quotes:

Ballet Cymru are a young, vital group who are pushing back the barriers of classical ballet.  Using powerful and timeless stories the company challenges it's dancers to interpret some of the finest characters in literature. With a unique unpretentious style, Ballet Cymru is the perfect way to enjoy the highest possible standard of dance and storytelling.

Jane Eyre

Having watched this film last night I found it slow and dark - dark as in lighting not in content . Directed by Cary Fukunaga, starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender, based on the 1847 novel of the same name by Charlotte Bronte. The content was as accurate as I have seen and Mia Wasikowska has possibly given the best performance of Jane Eyre to date. But somehow it didn't work for me.  Almost two thirds of the film was shot in candlelight and, although atmospheric, became difficult to watch which made the film seem slow. No criticism of the performances though, and Dame Judy Dench was superb as Mrs Fairfax - as usual. The film was apparently shot in mainly in Derbyshire. Northern England – Yorkshire and Derbyshire, the moors and dales – they look like they’re something straight out of a  horror film.  Ten out of ten for atmospherics all the way through.

Death in a valley...

On Friday and over the weekend there was a desperate search for four of seven miners that had been trapped in a coal mine near Pontadawe. It was a grim exercise which had become invasive by media presence. We all read or saw the television news about the men that were trapped in the Gleision colliery and what a major operation it was after the men became trapped in the flooded shaft. Every family had the sympathy of the country - rightly so.

It is the first mining disaster for many years and there are many people, like myself, that did not know coal was still being mined in South Wales. But how did the families of the men feel with all the press and media attention during the most private and awful time that they are likely to experience.  A day when it must have felt like Russian Roulette with names of the dead being released to them one by one no-one knowing who's body would be found next?

How do families respond at such a time? Through what mechanisms are they warned of media interest and by what criteria are these warnings assessed?  We all want the news, but I suspect it's very hard ordinary families who live private lives to suddenly be thrust forth into a spotlight.  I think in our thirst for the latest piece of news, whether it's to satisfy our curiosity or genuine interest in the subject or people, we forget about the grieving relatives rights to privacy at such a time.

We were all hoping last weekend for our own version of the successful Chilean Miners outcome which occurred last year, but sadly it was not to be.

My Latest Pottery Creation.

'Smudge Bowl' - This fruit bowl came out well.  Trying to smudge the paint was really difficult

Having decided not to go back to pottery classes, I did wonder this morning if I had made the right decision. My pottery partner brought down the dish I made last term and I think it's rather nice. It's a hand made fruit bowl - not thrown.  Then it needed a 'distressed smudge'.  I think I did quite well! I have to blow my own trumpet, no one else to do it for me!!!

The accredited class which cost £28 for thirty weeks has been dropped in favour of the more popular Lifestyle class. This costs £43 every ten weeks plus £3 a week towards the clay.That totals £219 for thirty weeks.  This fee is out of the reach of most people wanting a hobby and a huge hike up from the £28 which is my own objection.

Matthew Jones is the tutor and classes are still held at Oxford House in Risca if anyone reading this wishes to join.  I would thoroughly recommend Matthew, he is an excellent teacher  Telephone: 01633 612245

Proms in the Park

 A Real Old Fashioned Cloudburst

 Caerphilly Castle at Night

One programme that got soaked through inside my handbag!

It seemed a great idea to go to the Proms in the Park, to listen to wonderful music, link up with the Royal Albert Hall at nine thirty and to sing along with the Promenaders. No one could have forecast the deluge that arrived just as we did! My friend and I were soaked through to our underwear.  By the time the organisers called it off for health & Safety reasons (water in the electrics) we were ankle deep in mud too! A disappointing evening, but the atmosphere was good.  The BBC National Orchestra and BBC Chorus of Wales had been there all day rehearsing, so I guess they were as disappointed as the promenaders.  A real Wash out!

Trying to get a refund on the tickets at the moment.  That will ease some of the disappointment!

Lyme Regis

Part of the Jurassic Coast

Sailing Yacht Race in Lyme Bay.

A recent short break in Dorset was relaxing.  I just love the place.  During a four day break my cousin and I managed to find some family graves, eat plenty of beautifully fresh fish, visit an Art Gallery and walk on the beach.  One thing we didn't do was find any fossils; if we had found some we could do anything about them anyway as it is an offence to remove or tamper with any fossils found on the beach.

The Jurassic Coast is a great place to find fossils and the best place to find them is around Charmouth and Lyme Regis. The Jurassic clays here formed in a deep tropical sea, the soft muddy bottom of which was often stagnant, creating a sulphurous and anoxic environment, the best conditions for preserving the shells, bones and even soft tissue of dead prehistoric creatures.

It is these stagnant seabed conditions which have given the cliffs around Charmouth their dark colour (and smell!), and it explains why the sediments found here, the 195 million year old Green Ammonite beds and 197 million year old Belamnite Marls, are some of the richest fossil bearing deposits to be found anywhere along the Jurassic Coast.

A lovely, interesting part of the country, a place I have known for over forty years and never tire of going back.

Bank Holiday Monday

I was asked to go to Llancaiach Fawr Manor on Bank Holiday Monday. I was told it was on the B4252 between Nelson and Gelligaer. I simply couldn't place it.  In the past I had been very knowledgeable in that area, but this I couldn't bring to mind; this tourist attraction that everyone seems to know about but me.

Llancaiach Fawr Manor.

The reason for this I have found out, is that it was simply a dilapidated manor house when I knew the area in the 1960/70s.  Restoration commenced in 1991.


Visitors today step into the Manor House restored and furnished as it would have been in 1645. All the furnishings in the rooms are accurate reproductions of items from the time of the Prichards and many of the originals can be found in the Museum of Welsh Life at St. Fagans. It has all been done extremely well and deserves it's popular status.  It also attracts people into the valleys where the economy requires boosting.


In a recent poll Llancaiach Fawr was named as one of the Top Ten most haunted buildings in Britain. Strange things have been experienced in almost every room, along corridors and upon stairs. Things seen, heard or felt, or sometimes odours in the air of violets or lavender - and on some occasions, roast beef!

Whether it is haunted or not, it's a nice day out. I am glad I went.  They had a dog show in the grounds on Monday, and that was fun.  They have an extensive range of events coming up for the Autumn and Christmas.  I was very impressed by the whole experience and shall certainly be going back.

Break in Brighton

Well, firstly I have to thoroughly recommend the book listed in the previous posting.  One of the few books that has held my attention completely, all the way through, for the last few years.  Well worth recommending.


My trip to Brighton was uneventful until I had to change at Fratton, and there, quite by accident, I met someone who was born and brought up in Tredegar, my home town, and we seem to know a lot of the same people and even went to the same school!  How about that for coincidence?  Whether or not I believe in coincidence or not is the subject for another posting. It was just amazing!

'Myrtle'  My friends home on a 1930's barge.

I will tell you something of the community on the Riverbank at Shoreham-by-Sea. The banks of the river Adur (pronounced Ada) heave and settle at low tide, exposing their riches to the appetites of wildfowl.  This is where I went for my break.  The weather was lovely most of the time; the Riverbank community was fascinating. This is my second visit and the eclectic mix of artists, potters and aging hippies is very Bohemian. Brilliant for 'People Watchers'. On warm summer days this community of houseboat-owners potter about in shorts and swimming costumes, emptying bilges and repairing woodwork like modern day Robinson Crusoe's


These people have cast themselves away from the pre-occupations of home ownership in the traditional way, from mortgages and re-sale values, to live in old torpedo boats and oyster catchers that are no longer sea worthy, moored to the shingle bank that separates Shoreham in Sussex from the sea.  Across the footbridge that spans the estuary in front of them lies the little Victorian town of Shoreham with it's street pavement cafes and old-world shops, such as Ironmongers that still sell loose nails and a fantastic Wool & Craft shop.


This is where reality and fantasy meet.  Is it sane to seek sanctuary from the claustrophobia of the suburbs and have the glistening shallow waters as your view?  Or is it insane to live on a boat that possibly leaks when it rains, where the pumps have to be turned on every time the tide floods the bilges, and you lie awake at night listening to the wind tugging at the moorings when the winter arrives?


Well, I suppose it's a matter of choice.  I don't know that I would be brave enough to take on this way of life, but I certainly take my hat off to people who do!

Recommended Book



Two friends, in different parts of the country, recommended this book to me this week.

How is it a person goes months, years even, with nobody recommending a good book; then two people recommend the same book in one week?  It's not as if it is a new release. My theory is that it must be worth reading.  I am going to a friend in Brighton tomorrow for a few days, I think I shall get this to read on the train.  This is what I found when I googled the book... 



'WRONGED. HANGED. ALIVE? (AND TRUE!) Anne can't move a muscle, can't open her eyes, can't scream. She lies immobile in the darkness, unsure if she'd dead, terrified she's buried alive, haunted by her final memory—of being hanged. A maidservant falsely accused of infanticide in 1650 England and sent to the scaffold, Anne Green is trapped with her racing thoughts, her burning need to revisit the events—and the man—that led her to the gallows. Meanwhile, a shy 18-year-old medical student attends his first dissection and notices something strange as the doctors prepare their tools . . . Did her eyelids just flutter? Could this corpse be alive? Beautifully written, impossible to put down, and meticulously researched, Newes from the Dead is based on the true story of the real Anne Green, a servant who survived a hanging to awaken on the dissection table. Newes from the Dead concludes with scans of the original 1651 document that recounts this chilling medical phenomenon.'


Hmm... should hold my attention on a four hour train journey!

Who killed 'Dripping' Lewis?



Mrs Monty Dart, Writer & Researcher.



Yesterday, I went to listen to a talk in Pontypool Museum given by writer and researcher Monty Dart.  She is investigating the 1939 murder of Pontypool landlord William Alftred Lewis, after coming across the case at the National Archives. The talk was extremely interesting.

Fifty-nine-year-old Mr Lewis, also known as Dripping Lewis, was a wealthy landowner who owned  properties for rent in Pontpool. He was killed in his home 'Plasmont' in Pontypool, in May 1939. A builder and decorator, Mr. Thomas Brimble, who had been renovating Mr Lewis’ house discovered the body.

Mr Lewis had been a draper at Cwm, Ebbw Vale until 1931.  The morning of the discovery of the body, the local milkman told Mr Brimble that the milk he had left on Monday was still in the two jugs and had not been used or taken inside.  It was then that Mr Brimble went into the house to investigate. He found Mr Lewis’s body sprawled across his bed with a pillow over his face. He contacted the police at once. The story made headlines both locally and nationally.


Scotland Yard was duly informed and four of their officers came to investigate. They discovered that Mr Lewis had suffered several blows to the back of the head but could find no weapon nor any other clues. They later discovered that about £300 was missing from the house.

Mrs Dart said: “Nearly half of Pontypool was interviewed – if you weren’t interviewed then you would have known somebody who was. It was a very notorious crime. Technically the murderer could still be alive if he/she was very young at the time."

Mrs Dart is appealing for anyone who has information about Mr Lewis or the crime to get in touch. She hopes eventually to turn her research into a book. Anyone reading this blog with any knowledge of the 'Dripping Lewis' story could maybe help Mrs Dart with her research; you could contact me via the comments section, and Mrs. Dart will immediately be informed of your interest in the case.

Butternut Squash

During early summer I noticed some Butternut Squash plants for sale.  I had not seen these before so I bought two, one for my friend and one for me.  I don't have a greenhouse, so mine has had to survive outdoors.  My friends plant took off in his greenhouse and mine just plodded along.  Now, at last, mine have flowered.  I have two super flowers and the beginnings of small fruit forming.  I am so pleased!

What happened to my friends plant?  Well, his was eaten by something in his greenhouse!!! Sad  :) !

Seagulls

I live in an urban area.  This summer there has been a huge rise in the seagull population around these street.  I agree that we are approximately five miles from the sea, but as the crow flies (or seagulls in this case) that is not too far obviously.

                                 This is the kind of thing that greets me when I open the doors in the morning.

I know that seagull population is soaring and are proving a serious headache in urban Britain. Noise, mess, and the threat of physical attack have prompted a range of measures aimed at repelling the winged invaders. But as efforts to curb them fail, the gulls get ever more aggressive. But I have never seen them in these parts in such numbers.

One perched on top of my car a few mornings ago, but soared away before I could capture the scene with my camera. Conservationists say the problem is partly the result of human actions. According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity, the loss of cliff-top breeding sites to coastal development and depleted fish stocks at sea are propelling the inland migration. Well, they know where to go.  Last week there were dozens in Asda's car park, not too far from the city centre.

"Heaven for a gull is any place with lots of open-top litter bins, flat roofs on which to nest, and tourists feeding you in summer," said Grahame Madge, RSPB spokesperson. Well, I don't know that we get many tourists in Newport (and who can blame tourists staying away from the city centre? - That's another subject), but there are plenty of flat roofs and open top litter bins in the suburbs.

"Seagulls are very territorial and protective of their young," said Madge. "Most incidents occur during the summer breeding season when fledglings leave their nests but are still unable to fly. If someone gets too close, the parents will defend their young. The intention is not to strike people, but deter them from coming nearer."



Menacing?



As an observer in this area this summer I can see that with so many gulls living next to humans, the two are bound to come into conflict eventually. I don't know what the answer is, and I don't mind them personally, but if they came too close, I guess I wouldn't be too pleased!

Halls of Learning & Barry Island!

Newport University - New Town Centre Campus



I have spent most of the weekend and all of today finishing off my end of year assignment for university. It has been one of the more difficult terms in the sense of study; the subject is Language Study and Creativity.  I have written about the Welsh Valley accent (being valley born & bread) I wanted to write about a subject and area that interests me.


My story is called The Chapel Outing which is about the annual trip to Barry Island, organised by the Chapel in the 1950s. Hopefully this will satisfy the criteria. The idea that a small valley town could be interesting enough for a story seemed challenging. When researching the development of this distinctive accent I realised the research itself had provided me with the basis I was looking for.


I have the utmost respect for valley people and writing about the accent is not a form of ridicule, but endearment. I travelled to the town of my childhood to assist with research and requested local people read it. The response was favourable and I was able to incorporate their comments. This gave me the encouragement to refine, edit and make the decision to present it.



Barry Island in the 1950s, with the original Miss Jones sitting in the middle!

I wonder how many people will read this posting and will remember the days when a trip to Barry Island was exactly like the photo above; a place of pure magic for children? Come to think of it, almost all of the photos on the Blog introduction (on the right hand side) of me as a child were taken at Barry Island.  I am sure there are thousands of these photos in peoples attics all over the Welsh Valleys. Tucked up with memories of stalls selling gaily-coloured buckets, metal spades with wooden handles and beach balls all hanging up; candyfloss booths with a smell of burning sugar, and the Figure Eight was swooping and people whooping, Barry Island was certainly a magic place to be.