FEBRUARY 2021
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WELSH EUROVISION STAR AND WEST END PERFORMER JAMES FOX returns with self-penned album tackling gambling addiction and offering hope
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CARDIFF TIMES
PUBLISHER Cardiff Times
EDITOR Louise Denning 07903 947594 FEATURES EDITOR Mark Denning 07758 247194 SALES & MARKETING Beth beth@cardiff-times.co.uk CONTRIBUTORS Wyn Evans, Vince Nolan, Sara John, Michael James, Molly Dutton, Carl Marsh, Natalie McCulloch, Jen Abell, Michael Fogg
EDITORS LETTER
Welcome Hi All, and welcome to our February issue.
It was great to see the joy the recent snowfall brought to people in Cardiff, the scenes of children (and some adults!) laughing and smiling while sledging down slopes and even roads was a welcome relief. Let’s hope we get some more snow this winter, as we now have two brand new sledges which the children are desperate to use! January is usually a busy month for us as a family with quite a few birthdays, unfortunately we couldn’t celebrate as we would normally do, but we still tried to make them as special as possible. February will be the same, with Valentine’s Day still being celebrated, but not in the same way. We are now into a second full month of Lockdown, we know it is difficult for many people, but with the rollout of the vaccines gathering pace, there will be a time in the hopefully near future when we can return to some kind of normality. There are so many people who are continuing to work under extremely challenging circumstances, to all of you thank you so much for the work you are doing, you truly are heroes.
This month’s issue is again packed with a number of amusing and informative articles, including one on protecting your wealth via Trusts by our new contributor, Michael Fogg, a very warm welcome to Cardiff Times Michael! Finally, good luck to the Welsh rugby team in the Six Nations which starts this month, we will as usual be cheering the team on, unfortunately this year it will be from our homes and not at the Principality Stadium.
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Louise & Mark
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4 CARDIFF TIMES
4
4
February CONTENTS 6 Past, present and future by Wyn Evans
20 41 40
10 Animal Magic by Vince Nolan 29 15
14 Helping Cardiffians in need during lockdown by Natalie McCulloch 18 COMING SHORTLY Going to The Pictures by Sara John
30
26 Protect your wealth by Michael Fogg 28 Beautiful You 30 Foraging Four Months by Jen Abell 34 In The Words Of by Carl Marsh 40 Beauty and Health Done Your Way by Molly Dutton 44 Hair (Here) We Go, Again! Another Lockdown and Good Intentions by Michael James
18
7 31
Past, present and future ByWyn Evans My fourteen-year-old daughter, The Girl, has at bedtime taken to asking me or her mum (The Boss) to tell her something about our past, present and future. She is our only child and I believe that this is her way off rooting herself in the family story. However, predicting the future is a bit of a challenge and the present is forever slipping through our fingers like sand through an hourglass. Thus, it is events from our past that elicit the most fascinated responses. Stories about past relationships, in particular, lead to laughs of recognition or, sometimes, to frowns of puzzlement. For instance, I brought a bottle of wine to our first date never fails to raise a chuckle. The Boss is constitutionally intolerant of alcohol. She’s intolerant in the sense of having an almost allergic reaction to the stuff (rather than taking a moral stand against it). “Dad, did you forget?”, The Girl will ask me incredulously. “Mum never has alcohol!” So I tell her the story one more time. We met in Cambridge in 1988. I was studying for a Masters degree and my unsuspecting future partner was working as a trainee accountant and studying for her professional exams to become a Chartered Accountant. We’d both arrived in Cambridge married, just not to one another. I’d gotten spliced straight out of university, in 1980, to a woman who was extremely passionate. About horses. We didn’t bring out the best in one another but we both gave it a good crack of the whip. By the mid-1980s we were living separately, she in Tiverton, training to be an Instructor with the British Horse Society and me in Cambridge reading Theology. We necessarily lived apart for much of our time, being at opposite ends 6 CARDIFF TIMES
of the country, and came together for extended weekends and holidays. I suspect that choosing to live our relationship in this way was more a symptom of a growing estrangement than the cause of it. After a year of our respective studies, it dawned on us that we were hurting each other and desperately unhappy. We made an irrevocable break and eventually set the wheels of divorce in motion. The Boss had married even younger than I and my first wife – not even waiting to complete her university course in Leeds. She then got a job with one of the ‘Big Six’ (as they then were) professional Accountancy firms and moved to Cambridge. Unfortunately, the longer they were together the more they realised that they had married if not in haste then at least too young and were now discovering what it was like to repent at leisure. They separated irretrievably in 1987. So, the stage was set and all that was needed was for The Boss and me to meet and fall in love! I say the stage was set; it’s more than the stage was the Rose and Crown pub near Madingley Road. We were both out with respective friends and fell into one another’s orbits. I remember a vivacious brunette wearing a soft, green mohairEsque jumper and she remembers thinking that I had a cute butt (those were the days). We got on well and made a date for Friday night - a week’s time. I’ll spare you the saga of building myself up for the said date and just let you imagine the doubts and excitements, feelings of hope and inadequacy that assailed me during the course of the next seven days. But cometh the hour cometh the woman. We’d agreed to meet at 1830 hours near St John’s College, opposite the Theology Department. My
ded osing to symptom of it. After ed on ther and made an eventually orce in
radiant date was arriving straight from work and had her briefcase with her. The plan was to attend a performance of Faure’s Requiem Mass at St John’s College Chapel before going back and having a bite to eat at The Boss’s place. She didn’t want to eat out in her work gear and had offered to make us a meal once the concert was over. Naturally, and sensibly, keeping control of the venue in this way gave The Boss (as she was not quite yet) control of the evening. If I’d been a bore or a boor she could just draw the evening to an early close.
So, as I saw my squeeze walking purposefully toward me, married briefcase in hand, she an I and saw a rather nervous ot even fellow standing outside ete John’s clutching a small ourse in but charming bunch of got a flowers and a tasteful and he ‘Big expensive bottle of Sauvignon were) Blanc. A quick kiss on the cheeks ntancy and we turned and made our way ambridge. into the Chapel. We sat in the pews at the r they side of the room, the choir to our left at the front of y realised the venue. The flowers were on the bench between ste then us and she agreed when I offered to move them g what out of the way. The concert was in full flow when ed she whispered to me, “is that wine for us?”. “Yes!” and all “That’s a shame, I don’t drink alcohol, it’s like I’m to meet allergic to it.” Silent for a moment, we simultaneously more started to giggle. During the ‘Pie Jesu’ I think it was. b near But my faux pas had broken the ice and the rest of spective the performance, and the subsequent meal went emember swimmingly. We even held hands at one point. I mohairknow, daring, right?! that I had “So what happened next, dad?” n well and e. “Well, next we went on our second date - a week
later.” p for the s and “Tell me...” cy that Don’t forget, reader, I was a student again and even could barely afford to keep a car on the road. an. Especially since the said car was an old Vauxhall John’s Chevette estate that had holes in the footwell through . My
which the road could be seen and rainwater would enter. But it was a relic of my first marriage and I was glad to have it. She Who Was Not Yet The Boss had salvaged from her first marriage a delightful but very ill Old English Sheepdog puppy. It had problems with its white cell count and was effectively allergic to life itself. For our second date, SWWNYTB decided to bring the dog along. I drove up to their small, rented home in Manhattan Drive and collected them for a short trip to Grantham where we had booked a table at a local pub that specialised in basket meals. Rather, I tried to drive us on what ought to have been the short trip to Grantham village. For it is hard to drive when a large, shaggy puppy is draped around your shoulders like a stole, and when you yourself and your date are laughing hysterically at the dog’s antics (by now she was on my lap – the dog not the date). Eventually, we arrived and decided we ought not to leave the dog in the car on her own, and could not take her into the restaurant. So we nixed the meal and walked the dog instead. In this way, a large part of our second date was spent picking up dog poo. (Didn’t I mention yet that part of her illness was that she was prone to eruptions from both ends?!) It got worse - or better, depending on your perspective, since there was to be a third and subsequent dates. Next, she threw up on the pavement outside the car (the date, not the dog – pay attention!). She put this down to too much belly-laughing and a dose of irritable bowel syndrome). Sounds like a nightmare doesn’t it?! But it was a really good date in fact. “What about the present time dad? And the future?” “Your mum and I have been together for thirty-three years now and we’ve had you. For the present, that’s enough; for the future, well, that’s a whole other story. Goodnight my love.”
CARDIFF TIMES 7
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Animal Magic ByVince Nolan
Animal Magic
The crocodile is by paying attention to whether the animal current sees you later or in a while. Mrs Nolan and I were In related academic news, a college student having our enrolled on a course, a module of which covered approved ornithology. After one week of study, a test was held. exercise by The Senior Lecturer (see what I did there) passed out sheets of small paper and each square contained strolling around a carefully drawn picture of a bird’s legs. No bodies, Cardiff no feet, just legs. Each student was asked to identify Bay. It the birds from their legs. One student sat and stared being the at the test getting angrier every minute. Finally he nearest up to the front of the lecture theatre and bay stomped to us and threw the test on the Lecturer’s desk. “This is the therefore worst test I have ever taken” he said. The Lecturer within permissible strolling regula@ons. We sat down outdoors to have a coffee (I know, I looked up and said: “Young man, you have not filled The current Mrs This Nolan andtoI Pier were having our to the now closed constantly spoil that woman). was close Head and adjacent in anything which will mean that you have definitely bars and restaurants. A quick movement in the water caught our eye Bay. and we witnessed a approved exercise by strolling around Cardiff failed the test. What is your name?” real live oKer going his or her business. one in the wild before so another It being theabout nearest bay to us Never and seen therefore within first for the budding Nolan zoologists. Staying with Lutra lutra, (you look it up, I had to), I permissible strolling regulations. We sat down The student pulled up his trousers to the knee have decided to combine my interests in taxidermy and bomb-making by making you an outdoors to have a coffee (I know, I constantly spoil revealing his legs and said, “You tell me! “ oKer you can't defuse.
that woman). This was close to Pier Head and
A friend of ours is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University and Turning to matters human, I feel sorry for the adjacent to the now closed bars and restaurants. amongst other things, is a rep@le expert. He was telling us that the failsafe way to younger children in the current climate. They have A quick movement wateriscaught eyetoand dis@nguish between an alligator in andthe a crocodile by paying our aKen@on whether the animal lost their freedom, their sense of belonging and witnessed a real live otter going about his or sees we you later or in a while.
their school chums. Oh, and they are being tutored the main which must cause some
her academic business. one in the before In related news,Never a collegeseen student enrolled on awild course, a module of which by alcoholics in covered ASer for one week of study, a test was held. The Senior Lecturer (see so ornithology. another first the budding Nolan zoologists. familial unrest. whatStaying I did there)with passedLutra out sheets of small anditeach lutra, (youpaper look up,square I hadcontained to), I a carefully drawn picture of a bird's legs. No bodies, no feet, just legs. Each student was asked to have decided to combine my interests in taxidermy iden@fy the birds from their legs. Our student sat and stared at the test geVng angrier and bomb-making by making you an otter you can’t every minute. Finally he stomped up to the front of the lecture theatre and threw the test defuse. on the Lecturer’s desk. "This is the worst test I have ever taken" he said. The Lecturer looked up and said: "Young man, you have not filled in anything which will mean that you have definitely failed the test. What’s is your name?" The student pulled up his trousers to the knee revealing his legs and said, "You tell me! "
Birdsofofprey, pray perhaps? Birds perhaps?
Mark Dacey, CEO of Neath Port Talbot Group of Colleges I recently had a great Zoom call with Mark Dacey
(above) rning to maKers human,of I feel sorry the younger children in the currentofclimate. They who is the dynamic CEO of Neath Port Talbot A friend ours is aforSenior Lecturer in the School ve lost their Biosciences freedom, their at sense of belonging and their chums. Oh, and Group they areof Colleges. It does not need me to suggest Cardiff University and school amongst other ing tutored by alcoholics the main whichHe must cause someus familial unrest. the uncanny resemblance he has to actor Ricky things, is a inreptile expert. was telling that the failsafe way to distinguish between an alligator and a
10 CARDIFF TIMES
Tomlinson or vice versa.
conservatory is so big that we couldn’t pinpoint and we were on the ferry. it but because it sounded like our next door There was no Customs inspection in France as neighbour was messing about in his garden. A few forwe had already inspected and we off tothree the first time been the other day and thewere unique hours later a sparrow introduced itself to us which word Paris. We repeated people exercise location I was the looking forsmuggling was “You Are Lost!” on the fault way back. Quite what would have happened must have flown in when the patio doors were Design or user error? if Customs had found Colonel Gaddafi stowing open. Being man, the hunter, I used my instinctive Talking of intolerance, I am led to believe that the away on a St. Peter’s Rugby Club bus is anybody’s tracking and trapping skills and picked the little guy term heckler originated from the textile trade, where guess but it would certainly have caused a major up and released him back into the wild. No harm to heckle was to tease or comb-out flax or hemp diplomatic incident. done………………..well, until next door’s cat got he animal fibres. The modern meaning was coined in Dundee Just to be clear: Did you hear about the urologist him. in the early 19th century. As the hecklers toiled in who was eaten by a bear? He was a meteorologist Staying with hunting, if I were illegally hunting for the factory, one of the team would read out the days’ ent (meaty oh please mushrooms, would I have questionable morels? news andurologist, the others wouldyourselves). butt in with constant vered The Leader of the Opposition I weredebate.” sitting in With Also, what do you call a deer who has lost both interruptions and a stream ofand “furious was held. ourinsocially distanced local, The Funky Furlough, eyes in a hunting accident? No eye deer. this mind I have collated some quality put-downs passed whencomics a lady close to usto asked Barmodern Manager I have decided that when Trump dies, I will give which havebyused dealthe with day contained if the toilets were still upstairs. He of course his eulogy. I will say: “He is today how he was as hecklers: o bodies, President……….wearing make-up and lying in front confirmed that they were but I thought this to be a o identify “What size of shoe does your mouth take?” very stupid question. I would have said something of us. Amen.” Ricky Tomlinson nd stared like: “I don’t I was recently asked by the son of a good friend “This is what comes from drinking onknow an empty ally he I know I have written about sell-buy dates before when madam was of mine if I would write a urology for his Dad’s head.” e and but a recentfuneral. trip to Imy local supermarket on a Friday last with us but we didn’t have the heart to say eulogy is the “I know where you were when they were handing revealed almost noZoom perishables would the I recently had a great withthat Mark Daceymake (on the moved them out to but I knew whatcall he meant. Anyway, here is leS) who is the dynamic CEO of Lecturer the brains out………getting an extra helping of following Monday. In fact I had some doubt whether not filled Neath Port Talbot the car park many what IGroup wrote:of Colleges. It does not need me to suggest the uncanny mouth.” they would make the Ricky car for the journey home. he favourite hasittotoactor or vice versa. efinitely resemblanceMy months ago as a Mike tale,Tomlinson (he was affectionately What is going on because it’s nothing to do with EU you know, if you wore direct soundproof trousers no consequence asabout Gaddafi because his likeness Isupply know I issues? haveknown wriKen sell-buy dates before but a recent trip“Do to my local supermarket Closer inspection of of the packaging one would hear a word you’re saying.” Perhaps of Covid19.” to the former Libyan leader), involved a trip on a Fridaycountries revealed almost no perishables revealed of origin for fruit andthat vegwould like make the following Monday. In fact I knee this is whyamount do not run to Paris to watch Wales play France. Wecar for the Tanzania and Argentina. So these comestibles had some doubt whether they would make it to the What is going one journey day“Is leSthat onhome. theyour sell-buy date. It takes an inordinate of skill to supply goods “justreal face or are you stillI celebrating a pub. hadnothing 20 year relationship withCloser in-@me” with 24 to spare. Waste levels must be astronomical. arebecause cultivated indeveloped exotic picked, Halloween?” on it’s to climes, doa with EU supplypackaged, issues? inspec@on of hours the packaging the A wife sent her French side and distributed themaround and taken tocountries thea port or origin airport, UK and of for played fruit and veghome like Tanzania Argen@na. these Staying with food,So I have been doing some research into what is no longer manufactured in y have revealed “Your bus leaves in 10 minutes... Be under it.” husband a romantic away ondelivered French international weekends. On warehouses then to the shops and put on thetaken UK. The list isport endless but here is a small sample: Pringles (Belgium), Smar@es (Canada), comes@bles are cul@vated in exo@c climes, picked, packaged, to the or airport, and text message. She wrote: “If you are sleeping, send particular tripleft (Mike’s first), we did date. it in the the shelvesthis with one day on the sell-buy It Colman’s English Mustard ( Germany), Terrys Chocolate Orange “Well, it’sthe a night out for him.. and a night(France) off forand hisHP (Houses of around UK warehouses then delivered to the shops and put on shelves with tutored distributed (The Netherlands). Staggering. takes an inordinate amount skilltotoDover, supply goods me Sauce your dreams. If you are laughing, send me your old-fashioned way, of a bus ferry crossingParliament) family.” some “just-in-time” with to spare. Waste smile. If you are knock.” eating,“Who’s send me a bite. If you are “LiKle old lady who?” and then24 onhours to Paris. I was sitting nextlevels to him. AtHere’s one for you: “Knock there?” “LiKle old lady.” “Idrinking, need stereo.” must be astronomical. idea youyou could yodel.” sendlike meVan a sip.Gogh If youneeded are crying, send me Dover, a uniformed Customs Officer came onto “I had no I love Her husband texted back: “ as our food, bus and said: “Just up some your passports of tears. a certain age soyou.” my tolerance threshold does work as well it used to Iyour walked into our local bar, The Moaning Monet and Staying with I have beenhold doing researchI am a man when being asked to embrace technology. I was therefore I’mVan in theGogh toilet, please advise.” and I will come along and them and par@cularly saw sitting at thenew end on a bar stool. I heartened when into what isguys no longer manufactured in count the UK. The Must Be Obeyed suggested I download a new app called What3Words. This is a you.” Mike turned me and said “I Pringles didn’t know She Who shouted “Hey Vince do you want a drink?” list is endless but here is a to small sample: naviga@on aid which divides the World into 3 metre squares and gives each square a unique Happy New Year Dear Reader, the Year of the we needed(Canada), a passport and I haven’t got one.” I (Belgium), Smarties Colman’s English combina@on of three words. I s@ll“No drivethanks, about a lotI’ve for business, believe it or not and I was He shouted back: already got one Ox. this going to be lucky said “oh spiffi ng” orChocolate words to that effect. Then, inassured a Mustard (Germany), Terrys Orange that Apparently this system would beyear muchis more accurate than using our sat nav. I used it for ear.” theother Ox representing diligence, scene a World War Sauce 2 prisoner of war (France) and HP reminiscent (Houses ofofParliament) (The the firstwith @me the day and the unique three wordpersistence loca@on I was looking for was “You Design fault orNot user for error? and honesty. going to be Trump’s year escape story, Mike ducked down into the footwellAre Lost!” Netherlands). Staggering. Adios Amigos then is it? next to me and I piled his coat and mine on top of Here’s one for you: “Knock knock.” “Who’s there?” him. I told him not to move, whilst we were both Talking “Little old lady.” “Little old lady who?” “I had no idea reduced to laughing uncontrollably. The Customs of you could yodel.” guy walked the bus, did the count, missed Mike
I am a man of a certain age so my tolerance threshold does not work as well as it used to particularly when being asked to embrace new technology. I was therefore heartened when She Who Must Be Obeyed suggested I download a new app called What3Words. This is a navigation aid Dacey which divides the World into 3 metre squares and Port Talbotgives each square a unique combination of three suggest words. I still drive about a lot for business, believe it or not and I was assured that this system would be Ricky much more accurate than using our sat nav. I used it
CARDIFF TIMES 11 intolerance, I am led to believe that the term heckler originated from the tex@le trade, where to heckle was to tease or comb-out flax or hemp fibres. The modern meaning was coined in Dundee in the early 19th century. As the hecklers toiled in the factory, one of the
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Helping Cardiffians in need during lockdown By Natalie McCulloch “There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.”
whether this be nursing staff in UHW, UHL or St David’s or staff in homeless shelters or just those that they meet on Facebook.
― Mandy Hale.
Sue told me in 2021: “I’ve met and made some wonderful friends that have been part of the team enabling all this help to happen. Without them, I couldn’t do it... I had a huge sort out and wiped out my nightwear and toiletries early on!”
I think it is fair to say that since the start of the pandemic one thing which has shone through is the unwavering support of individuals from all walks of life, the kindness expressed by people and the overall increase in community spirit which has brought people together in many ways, even when physical proximity is not permitted. One amazing example of this comes from an inspiring local duo, Sue and Diane. What started as a simple request for nightwear, has blossomed into an incredible outlet for people wanting to lend a helping hand in the pandemic and have a clear-out at the same time as well as becoming a saving grace to the many people their kindness helps! Initially, Sue started helping as her ironing business went quiet at the start of the pandemic. She joined ‘Scrub a dub dub’, by offering to be a drop off and collection point. Local people made items needed by staff at the local hospitals and care homes, such as scrubs, hats and scrub bags. Following a friend’s request for nightwear for patients on a ward in Llandough, Sue posted on Facebook. The support for Sue’s mission increased dramatically and now she has a wide range of helpers on Facebook who are all keen to help out with provisions whenever they are able. She has now teamed up with Diane who she saw was also posting requests on Facebook for items of need and together they provide all sorts of goodies to hospitals and the homeless during these trying times. Needless to say, this is no easy feat! A lot of hard work, determination, organisation and dedication goes into running such a project. Di and Sue help so many people through requesting items which are needed on Facebook, then sort out what people donate between ‘homeless, hospitals and charity shops’. They are constantly making connections with local folk who have the ‘know-how’ of what’s needed 14 CARDIFF TIMES
As a member of the NHS myself I can wholeheartedly say how much of an incredible difference what Di and Sue are doing makes. Especially during these trying times where visiting is not permitted and some relatives are unable to come into the hospital on the set ‘clothing drop off days’ due to commitments, shielding themselves or fear of Covid. Many patients come in without appropriate clothing, footwear or toiletries and ward stocks quickly get depleted. By providing items such as slippers, clothing or toiletries they are not only giving patients items they are also giving them respect, dignity and a sense of worth. A recent example of how much this has helped was when one of my patients had to attend her husband’s funeral and was mortified to do so without having had rollers in her hair. I contacted Sue who within moments had posted the request on Facebook and obtained rollers! This made a huge difference to this lady, to her family and us – these aren’t just donations, these are magic!
Sue tells me in 2021 she “Would love to get more organised about what wards actually need. I fear I hand over stuff they don’t really need. Not all wards request sizes required, so I hand over a selection, it is a lot of work, receiving, juggling, sorting, storing stock and being organised!”
• • • • • • •
Feedback given from nurses:
or St those
“Thank you so much for all the toiletries and clothes. We are so desperate for these. Patients don’t get visitors and people are too scared to come to the hospital”
ome team em, I ped out
“We’ve had 2 ladies admitted today with nothing at all. We would have to go through social services to get stuff. We are so short-staffed. You won’t believe how much this helps.”
On a personal note, Sue tells me doing this helps ble her as due to her health problems she is currently s. working from home alongside her husband, Richard, visiting is who she states is “one in a million coping with me!” e to come They have an ironing company and do this alongside days’ from their own home in Llandough, with Richard or fear being the “wonderful husband that goes back and propriate forth the door, thanking people that do the noncks contact drop-offs.” ch as nly giving I think it is fair to say that Sue, Di and Richard are pect, doing an incredible job and are true heroes for how mple of they are serving the community during these trying f my times! l and was Sue and Di would welcome help from anyone able in her ad postedto get involved. If you are a member of staff in a rs! This care setting or homeless shelter, or if you have amily and items you could donate then please consider getting in touch via Sue Sugarman on Facebook or keep magic! your eyes out on Facebook sites, such as Penarth Reuse Project, Dinas Powys Reuse Movement or Llandough old and new residents to see what items are needed.
more I fear I all wards ection, , storing
Soap Creams Toothpaste Toothbrushes Hairbrush Combs Adhoc .. eg magazines, books, rollers.
“Thank you so much again. Patient loved the car newspaper and air fix I wish you could see difference xxx” “ Odd request I don’t suppose you have any rollers??? I have a lovely 94yr old who is going to husband funeral Monday and she’s horrified she hasn’t got rollers for hair :( I’m working till 7.30 so can’t even buy some :( xx The day of the funeral- Her daughter says thank you so so much she looks a bit more her now. Thank you. You’ve not given rollers, you’ve given dignity and selfworth xx” Email: suesugarman1@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/sue.sugarman
We regularly supply East 6, East 8, East 7, HYC, E2, Stroke Unit, A1 UHW and a ward in St David’s Hospital. We are working on expanding this to more areas! Type of things asked for are: • • • • • •
Men & Ladies nightwear, clothes, shoes & slippers, pants, socks... Shower Gel Bubble bath Deodorants Shaving cream Razors CARDIFF TIMES 15
16 CARDIFF TIMES
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COMING SHORTLY Going to The Pictures
By Sara John The first time I went to the pictures, as they were called in those days, was when I was about five years old. The Red Shoes was being screened in the Workman’s Hall in Ton Pentre, in the Rhondda where we lived. I was taken by my parents to see it as a treat. The cinema was part of the Workmen’s Institute for the Maindy and Eastern Colliery. The colliery was closed in the 1930s but the main Institute was still a haven - for men only! Men who played Billiards were heavy smokers and leaned well to the left. Men who had known about scurrying to the soup kitchens set up by the chapels in times of strikes and disputes, clutching their enamel plates under their coats so the neighbours would not know how bad things were.
Some of the buildings - from the troubled times before the war - were still just about standing. There were ruined colliery sites with pit - headgear still in place but rusted to hell and back by the 1950s. These informal playgrounds, fraught with dangers unacknowledged by the boys who played there, were then, my everyday surroundings. No television in those days, but the wireless was an early entertainment and information system. It was excellent for the News, Workers’ Playtime, Listen with Mother, Larry the Lamb, football results and classical music. Oh! and Dick Barton, Special Agent And Journey Into Space. No pictures. No colours. The Welsh Valleys, then, appeared to be in black and white, and very dark grey and I had not experienced many colours in my life up until that evening when I was to see my first film. The entrance to the Institute’s picture house was around the side to the rather grand (to me aged five) building that had been built from contributions from the miners themselves. As we approached I saw the big poster pasted up on the board outside. I could read the title but had never seen RED shoes, with Red ribbons tied in a bow, or a beautiful ballerina ever before. Shoes were black (grannies), brown (everyone else). And NO ribbons to be seen. We sat upstairs in the middle of the front row. No sweets or chocolates then, they were still rationed and/or scarce. The lights went out and I was frightened, I hated the dark, still do. On the stage the threadbare dark red (they had once been velvet) curtains with a foot of ratty gold fringe at the bottom swished open, the film was starting! Such excitement. It was mesmerising.
Marilyn Monroe 18 CARDIFF TIMES
Mr Powell and Mr Pressburger who made the film in 1948 could not have had any idea of the contrast, for me anyway, between the state of the Rhondda
then, and the magical place that I saw on the screen in front of me. The story, in words, in music and ballet, told of a ballerina, played by Moira Shearer who wore ‘magical’ ballet shoes, the Red Shoes
Marlene Dietrich Anton Walbrook and Marius Goring also starred. No film since then has had the same effect on me although I still watch and hope! The importance of the film in cinema history has been verified recently when Martin Scorsese played a critical role in achieving the re-mastering and subsequent release of The Red Shoes. On my 2 disc-special restoration edition – which is too precious for me to watch, he is quoted as saying, “Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger created a vision in the Red Shoes that has never been matched. Truly the most beautiful Technicolor film ever made.” The Tales of Hoffman, again a Powell- Pressburger production followed a year or so later, another beautiful colour film with music and ballet, luscious costumes and settings. It did less well at the box office. George Perry in his book, the Great British Picture Show, wrote that “…..long and absorbing, its violent décor and brilliant colour work well ahead of
its time, but it nonetheless proved to be above the heads of its general release audience”. My parents who had done their courting, as it was called in those days, during the war had a particular interest in film music. They both played the piano and had established ‘going to the pictures’ together long before I came on the scene. I was taken along but only if the film was deemed suitable. Abbot and Costello for instance. Well, that left me restless and wanting to go home early. But I clearly remember the haunting film, ‘While I Live’ with the exquisite piano music, ‘The Dream of Olwen’. It starred Sonia Dresdel, Tom Walls and Carol Raye. By the time I was ten or eleven, I had worked out for myself that the best films were being saved for the grown-ups. The usual cinema programme in those decades of the forties and fifties began with the B picture, then Movietone News or Pathe News and, but rarely, a cartoon, then a trailer for the films coming the following week. Before it was time to start the Big Film there appeared on screen a large caption which read “Coming Shortly”, hence the title of this article. It offered a brief look at films booked by the distribution company to show at a future and possibly secret date. These were the films I wanted to go and see. Beautiful women, with no shopping bags but in evening dresses going off out with handsome men, who were never seen in ‘working clothes’. It was all glamour and chandeliers. Often starring Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding, films such as ‘Spring in Park Lane’, directed by Herbert Wilcox gave me aspirations for my future. I did not share any of these aspirations, with anyone else but my father did buy me a white toy telephone to put beside my bed. I still have it but it has never rung. There has never been any sign, in my life either of another of my aspirations, a uniformed maid like Scarlett O’Hara had in Gone with the Wind, played by Oscar-winning Hattie McDaniels. The other thing that I observed at this time but kept to myself, (I did not know ‘popular culture’ or ‘critical reviews’) was the fact that the length of the queue waiting in the pouring rain outside before the cinema had opened, was related to the consensus on the CARDIFF TIMES 19
enjoyability or quality or worth of the Big Picture being shown. I recall being taken to see David Lean’s ‘Oliver Twist’ and running off during the long wait outside to find the far end of the queue and to attempt to assess if everybody could get in. Recalling times long ago, there was, I remember something called ‘Standing Room only’ available once every seat was filled. You could stand at the sides or behind the four foot or so wooden screen at the back of the back row. The hope was that an empty seat would appear vacated by someone who had attended the earlier showing. This was long before Health and Safety legislation, and at least if you stood all evening your wet clothes were dry for going home.
Teenagers, old enough to stay out later would sit for at least part of the second showing. People who arrived late for the first screening stayed until the film reached the part that, as they would then impart to the surrounding audience in a very loud whisper, “this is where we came in”. Shuffle, shuffle, thump, oops, oh! Sorry, sorry, thank you, thank you. Before the spread of televisions in the home, and, more to the point in those days in the Valleys, adequate reception, going to the pictures was very popular, affordable and convenient. Many, many people went every week, or twice a week, whatever the weather or the film being shown, because the programme of films being screened was changed not just weekly but twice a week. If you were really keen there were other cinemas a short bus ride away. You could go out every night and see a different Big Picture each night.
By this time I was old enough to go to the pictures with my friend Diane. After school and tea, we walked up to Ton Pentre, bought two ounces of tiny sweets in the “Bracchi”s and for Audiences might not be too sixpence each bought our particular about what films tickets. We arrived ready they were watching anyway. for ‘the first house’ which On the other hand, there were started at about five o’clock. many film magazines such as Greta Garbo By this stage we were rarely Picturegoer, Film Parade, Film Revue and Picture able to select what we were going to see, we did not Show, reasonably priced that informed many cinemawant to anyway, it was magical enough for us to sit goers across the country. Also, quality Annuals such there in the dark and the cigarette smoke, with the as Hollywood Album were available at Christmas and rustle of sweetie papers, the smell of other peoples’ not just for youngsters. oranges, wet raincoats, and much whispering about Readers of these magazines frequently overcame what was going to happen next because someone’s the accepted code of behaviour for cinema audiences Auntie Morfydd had been to see it the night before of being “quiet!” and offered supplementary and recalled every detail with her well-honed forensic information about the performers gleaned from skills. Average for the South Wales Valleys, but their most recent copy of Picturegoer. Why did they damned annoying for the paying audience within always choose to sit directly behind me? earshot. The lights were dimmed. The curtains opened. The film was starting. The projector’s beam full of dancing particles and cigarette smoke hit the screen. We were transported. We were somewhere else. The ‘second house’ was continuous and it was a repeat of the programme shown in the ‘first house’. 20 CARDIFF TIMES
Westerns, weepies, crime, musicals, murders, war, biographies, love stories, horror, travel, Tarzan, Laurel and Hardy; many are favourites still today. The buildings themselves showing these pictures, often in poorer localities, were hardly noticed by cinema-goers eager, perhaps after a hard day’s work
to be in the dry, to sit down, to escape. Many of these picture palaces had been adapted for screening films after a previous life as a music hall or even, a wartime factory. So, a huge treat was to go to the cinema in Pontypridd. It was called The County and it was large, fresh, elegant and a little like the 1930’s hotels seen in the Fred and Ginger Song and Dance films. There were glossy photographs of film stars in a glass case in the entrance hall. All long since gone.
the Nile with Debra Paget, The Robe with Richard Burton, With a Song in my Heart with Susan Hayward as Jane Fromann, Imitation of Life with Lana Turner, West Side Story, Hiroshima Mon Amour, The Leopard, A Town like Alice, Death in Venice, Don’t Look Now, Apocalypse Now, Taxi Driver. I could add an awful lot more. I began this piece by recalling the first film I ever saw, the Red Shoes with Moira Shearer. To conclude I must add that many years after that first visit to the Workmans’ Hall in Ton Pentre I was at a very grand event in the Grosvenor Hotel in Park Lane. My husband and I were having a cocktail in the bar before going into dinner. It was a ‘media’ do so there were lots of famous faces which I was registering but without really looking if you know what I mean.
The most luxurious “Film Theatre” in Cardiff was the wonderful ‘Capitol’ in Queen Street. Opened in 1920 it had a cinema, concert hall, ballroom, and restaurant. There were lifts, glorious light fittings, amazing Art Moderne décor, Lloyd loom chairs, confectioners, extra comfy velvet seats, potted palms. The foyers had foyers! The Andrew pointed out Ludovic last time I was there was with Kennedy a few yards away. my friend Carolyn, we were It took a few moments to mere students and went to see remember that he was Cleopatra with Richard Burton married to Moira Shearer! and Elizabeth Taylor. Would Yes! Yes! She was standing you believe we were two of next to him. This was the one Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh only about ten people in the audience that evening, chance I would ever have of speaking to the beautiful such was the growth and lure of television by the ballerina, the star of The Red Shoes! First seen by middle of the 1960s. me all those years ago in the Workmans’ Hall in Ton Pentre. Could I do it? She may just say, “go away, This inevitably led to the closure of many cinemas ghastly person” or, look straight through me and go all over the country: In Cardiff, we have lost the on her way. Odeon, the Olympia, the Park Hall, the Empire. I found myself just next to her as we all went into Many Cardiff film fans still miss the Globe in Wellfield the large dining room, she was floating along, I was Road, the Ninian in Penarth Road, the Tivoli in Llandaff North, the Rialto near the Fox and Hounds clumping. Taking a deep breath I explained about the in Whitchurch, the Plaza in North Road, Gabalfa and Red Shoes and she was charming. She asked where the Monica in Rhiwbina. I was from and I explained very briefly, Rhondda, contrasts and so on. She said, “I know exactly what Although I still hear people saying, ‘come round to you mean I was brought up in a mining district in our place, you can’t miss us, we are the first house, Ayrshire in Scotland.“ second turning after the Monico. My evening was already complete! I had met and Films I will never (personally) forget include, The spoken with my favourite film star, ever. Blue Lagoon with Donald Houston, Princess of
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the village you’ll find a florist and a pub. When you need more than a loaf of bread, a bunch of tulips or a pint of ale, a short drive away is Talbot Green where you will find larger outlets including Next, Boots and M&S and New Look.
Situated within a peaceful village, it’s hard to believe that you are on the fringes of a bustling city. It’s the ideal development for first-time buyers and growing families alike.
Then, when you’re really in need of some retail therapy, a 20-minute drive away is Cardiff city centre, boasting all of the largest names in retail, as well as quirky arcades and trendy coffee shops.
Here Joy, sales advisor at Regency Park, explains what makes the development special. Location As Kirsty and Phil would tell you, it’s all about the location when searching for a new house. Few could fail to appreciate the excellent surroundings that Regency Park enjoys. Surrounded by green fields, the location really does have a peaceful village feel to it. However, any worries about being out on a limb are unfounded with local amenities nearby, and the heart of Cardiff just eight miles away. Outdoor pursuits Nature lovers will be in their element at Regency Park. There are fantastic trails for walking and mountain biking right on the doorstep, as well as opportunities for horse riding and climbing. Enjoy a relaxing day out with nature reserves, fishing lakes and historic castles all nearby. Schooling for all The development will have its own primary school. In the meantime, there’s Creigiau Primary School, which is bilingual, and nearby Pentyrch Primary School. For older children, Radyr Comprehensive School is a short drive away; and for older and mature students, Cardiff Metropolitan University and Cardiff University are popular choices. Shops – big and small For life’s little essentials, Creigiau is well equipped with a Tesco Express less than a mile away. Also in
A park and ride is coming to the development, taking you almost from your driveway into the city centre in under half an hour. Great choice of properties Regency Park has a great selection of Charles Church’s finest four and five-bedroom properties. The Fenchurch is an amazing five-bedroom property featuring an open plan kitchen/dining/ family room with garden access with a spacious front-aspect living room, a separate utility room, two ensuites and a double integral garage. The Harley is another of my favourite house types with an open plan kitchen/dining/family room with French doors leading to the garden, a bright living room, a separate utility room, an ensuite and a study and an integral garage. Other options include The Knightsbridge, The Marylebone, The Mayfair and The Strand. Whichever house type you choose, add your own style with our Finishing Touches. Help to move We’re here to help get you moving. If you have a property to sell, our Part Exchange scheme can help alleviate the stress of moving as we will find a buyer for your existing home and sell it for you at an agreed price.
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Discretionary Trusts Where Trustees have discretion to decide what gets paid out to which Beneficiary, as set out by the Trust Instrument. This could be any Trust income or capital. Accumulation Trusts Like Discretionary Trusts, the Trustees may be able to pay income out. These Trusts also give the Trustees the ability to accumulate trust income and add it to trust capital. There is also the potential to mix elements of the four Trusts detailed above. It is also possible for the Settlor to be a Beneficiary and/or a Trustee of a Trust that they decide to set up. There are different rules which govern Trusts when some or all of the Trustees are not UK residents for Tax purposes. As a professional Private Client Solicitor, I’m often asked about Trusts. For my first article in the Cardiff Times, I’ve tried to answer some of the more common questions. Please get in touch if you have any other questions you want answered in future months. What is a Trust? A Trust gives an individual (called the Settlor) the ability to appoint one or more people to look after assets for others. It is a legal entity, much like a person, a business or a society. A Trust is created by a document called a Trust Instrument which: • appoints one or more Trustees, (who are responsible for managing the assets and dealing with legal responsibilities like tax returns), • defines the Beneficiaries of the Trust, and • states how the Trust assets can be managed. A Trust can legally own assets – either as real estate property or more liquid assets like life policies, shares, or cash, for the benefit of the Trust’s beneficiaries. There are several types of Trust which can be used by a Settlor, with differing aims. These include: Bare Trusts Where the Beneficiary has a right to all Trust capital and income at any time from their 18th birthday. Interest in Possession Trusts Where Trustees have to give all Trust income (less any expenses) to the Beneficiaries when it is received.
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What are the Costs? The legal wording of a Trust Instrument needs to be precise, so you should ask a solicitor to set it up for you. The cost charged by a solicitor will vary, but is likely to start from between £1,000 – £2,000. There are also often additional costs, chargeable to tax, depending on the amount that is initially put into the Trust. Are Trusts just for the ultra-wealthy? It is a common misconception that Trusts are just for those who have significant wealth. In fact renowned American polymath Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr once advised that a man should “put not your trust in money, but put your money in trust”. Now more than ever it is sensible for anyone who wants to leave assets to members of their family to consider one. It is possible to set up a Trust for several reasons, including: • Making sure that your own money is used for you if you can’t look after yourself; • To look after the needs of someone who isn’t able to manage their money (for example, someone with mental health condition or learning difficulty, especially if they are in receipt of means tested benefits); • To ensure that your assets get to your chosen Beneficiaries before your death. If you are interested in discussing how a Trust could help you, we would be happy to answer any questions by phone or email. Please get in touch at TrustingWillpower@outlook.com or on 029 2021 1693.
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HOW TO USE Use the flat side of the pencil to shape the beginning of the brow and the pointed )p to define the edges of the brow. For a bold, super-defined look, use the pointed )p to define the length of the brow. Comb brow hairs into place using the aDached brush. Visit: bobbibrown.co.uk
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CARDIFF TIMES 29 Take the 14 Day Hair Detox Challenge With the start of the New Year, it’s )me to switch up your rou)nes and look at the ingredients in some of your favourite products. With hair being exposed to so many resins, silicones, synthe)cs and dangerous toxins, it’s
Foraging Four Months
Words and Photography: Jen Abell
Keen-eyed wanderers spend years taking trips to find foraging spots, many of them fruitless. This is why we’ve all met foragers reluctant to give their maps and tip-offs. This is fair. It’s important to respect the protection of their hardwon annual rituals when we start our soil searching. Before you read this guide, remember three things: 1) Think of your neighbours. Leave enough for them to enjoy. 2) Think of the birds and the ecosystem. Fill a bottle with elderflower cordial, not a cellar. The agricultural revolution has long been thought of as an advancement of humankind. For the first time, we staked a claim in one spot, relishing the safety of predictable food sources. Eventually, new-found nutritional safety allowed us spare time, instigating a surge in all manner of useful inventions we take for granted today. With Climate Crisis no longer looming, but hovering over our heads, historians like Yuval Noah Harari are citing the agricultural revolution not as the moment that we took a step to secure lifestyles, but that we fell for a Trojan horse, trapping ourselves in a static cycle of damage both to ourselves and our planet. We know this as the moment that provided an opportunity for animal-derived virus’ to make the leap from beast to man. We have goats to thank for tuberculosis, horses for the common cold, ducks for influenza, cows for measles and as for Covid-19: the jury’s out… Is this the moment our diets became less varied? (Would you like some wheat with that wheat?) That the planet began to groan under the weight of human industry? The beginning of physical inactivity and excess food supply evolving into the lifestyle diseases we now think are unavoidable? Diabetes, stroke, gout to name a few. What were we doing before we made this ‘leap’? We were gatherers; eating our way across the planet with the seasons and without passports. We moved monthly, sometimes daily, eating all the antioxidantrich varieties nature had to offer, no mile-long lorry queues at Dover required.
3) Doubt what you’ve found? Leave it in the ground. That said, you don’t have to be an expert to dip your snips into foraging. Start with common plants and see where your interest takes you. Here are some of nature’s obvious offerings to look out for over the next 4 months: March: What? Nettles. Green coarsely toothed leaves that grow 2-5ft tall. Used for: Soup, risotto, fritters, pizza, cake, plant food, smoothies, tea, beer. Nettle is a blood purifier, mild laxative and packed with Vitamin C. It adds a similar taste to broccoli in soups. Where? Incredibly common. Railway embankments, the Ely River, Bute Park. Foraging tips: Don’t pick the plant when in flower, this changes the nutritional quality. Early Spring or Late Autumn is advised. Wear gloves. If eating raw, use a pestle and mortar to pulverise the formic acid (this puts the ‘sting’ in stinging nettle).
We can’t change the past. But with a strange locked down Spring around the corner, we can use home sprung exercise expeditions to channel the spirit of our ancestors and improve our present. In and around Cardiff, even on short strolls, I stumble across blackberries, dog rose and apples. We are spoilt by nature’s spoils, no gardens or allotments necessary. With high vegetable diets proven to fight disease, and time in nature a known mood booster, we may enjoy more than a tasty chutney for our rummaging endeavours.
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April: What? Wild Garlic (pictured). Green leaves with white flowers with separate triangular petals. Used for: pesto, pickle, ketchup, stir fry and as a salad leaf.
fritters (especially recommended!) Where? Bute Park, Penarth coastal path. Foraging tips: Pick flowers from shrubs away from traffic fumes mid-morning when freshly opened. Leave the majority of flowers on the plant for bugs and for elderberries to develop in Autumn. Caterpillars love elderflower, if you see tiny black balls (eggs), leave that flower. What? Marsh Samphire. Miniature asparagus/cacti looking green plants without spines or leaves. Where? Bute Park, Plymouth Woods. Foraging tips: Only pick leaves, bulbs need to stay in the ground for next year’s growth. Pick longer, older leaves from the bottom to allow for new growth above. Shallow baskets are better as leaves are easily crushed. Easily confused with: Lily of the Valley which should NOT be eaten and can be differentiated by its bell-shaped white flower. May: What? Dog Rose. Pink tipped white petaled flower with striking yellow anther. Used for: tea and Turkish delight flavouring. Come Autumn, the Rosehips can be used for tarts, syrups, jam and are packed with Vitamin C. Where? Near the Taff along the Marl, Rover Way. This is considered a weed and common amongst Welsh hedgerow. What? Dandelion. Yellow ‘puff’ flower with green leafless stems, leaves at bottom of the plant. Used for: caffeine-free coffee, soap, dandelion leaf pesto, dandelion leaf greens, jelly, tea. It has a sweet flavour and is filled with iron, folate, Vitamins A, K and D and potassium. Half a cup of dandelion greens has more calcium than a glass of milk! Dandelions pull nutrients from low in the soil for other plants so think twice before weeding. Foraging Tips: The entirety of the plant can be used from the root (for tea) to tip (for battered flowers). Stay away from growth on roadsides or near chemical use. Spring and Autumn are best for picking. June: What? Elderflower (pictured). A flat-topped creamy white bloom that grows in clusters on a shrub or tree. Used for: cordial, syrup, deep-fried elderflower
Used for: Boiling or steaming, as a salad, fried in butter. Great if you’re vegan and missing the taste of the sea. Packed with Vitamin C, D, E. Where? A short cycle to the beaches around Sully. Foraging tips: Clip the tops of the stems only, leave the root system for new growth. Clean thoroughly and don’t add salt when cooking. Whilst any lockdown is restrictive, we’re fortunate in Cardiff to be able to enjoy fresh, seasonal produce whether we have a garden or not. Lockdown could be an opportunity to explore something new, rather than losing time. For those of us going through redundancies and income cuts; foraging for homemade produce is a great way to save funds whilst giving thoughtful, heart and earth healthy gifts. Cardiff lost heritage elderflower trees last year. Destroyed in the development of (you guessed it!) new housing. With due diligence, this could have been avoided. With the imminent loss of more green space to a military medicine museum, it’s vital to observe and protect local food sources. Don’t be afraid to ask if companies hold permission to remove habitat if you notice activity that could destroy something important. Remember to look close to home, foraging isn’t confined to public spaces. If you spot a plant in your neighbour’s garden that isn’t being eaten, chat to them about it! Chances are, they’d love it to be used. By cutting you’ll encourage growth, doing them the favour. Just be sure to bring them a bottle of your spoils! I’d love to hear your foraging tips and experiences. Get in touch on @diffmustbetheplace on Instagram and happy hunting! Jen Abell @ffotojenic
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In The Words Of
By Carl Marsh
In The Words Of
By Carl Marsh
closed. Year resolution, why don’t Month oneproviders of 2021’s nowAs a New Interviews to read a book a month/week? Learn a departed, you nowdecide February, The interviews I have for you this month are two language? is now to create and stick to the monthnew that gives The timeCardiff connected guys, in that one grew up here a New Year’s resolution. Fitness might be your thing/ us Valentines Day will and the other was born and bred here. One is James dream.as Just be pointless, wedo it. Fox, who you will all know from maybe singing the still can’t go out! Last Cardiff City FC official FA Cup song back in 2008, or Do. It. year, I wasJust. in Poland perhaps him representing the UK at the Eurovision Interviews visiting Auschwitz, a place Song Contest in 2004. Well, he has a new album out, This month, very cool interviews for everyone should visit - I have two and I love it. you.chance One is with Outlander star and the new star of when you get the - as HAPPY NEW YEAR! season two/three of A Discovery of Witches, Steven it makes you realise what real horror and what My second interview is with the multi-awardCree. He plays the character of Gallowglass, who, authoritarian rule was/is. winning, and BAFTA Cymru nominated Writer/ Let’s hope this new forthcoming year turns out to be
apart from being a fan favourite in the books, he is Director, Joseph Ollman. His latest work is a short known his strength, so Steven has had to Still, I have had zero offerings of anyalso place tofor go, film available to watch on the BBC iPlayer called get into impressive shape for this role. He is a great as there are zero places allowed to open. However, Bitter Sky - acting as a pilot for a feature he has in Usually, I would be saying what amazing Christmas individual chat with; I hope you enjoy the interview. TV, film, books and music offerings have beento in development under the same name. It’s a very dark parties I had been to or concerts attended; sadly, abundance, and dare I say it, too many! The highlight and hard-hitting story, but it’s shot beautifully and it’s a no. Life has been hard for all of us in 2020, My other a young rapper/ out of everything on offer to me (and you) has interview to be is with carries a strong message. Christmas practically cancelled as the bars/clubs/ singerweekly, called Jenna Dickens, aka Rude Grl. Jenna The Serpent, which is on BBC One. Aired That is all! I will see you next month, do try and restaurants were either closed entirely or had to raised in Cwmbran before running away to but you can binge-watch it, as I did. I was have done a have as good a month as best as you can! shut by 6pm. And that’s without any alcohol on sale! aged 16. She is a remarkable person and review, which you can read on one ofLondon the next three Drinking isn’t the be-all and end-all, but… a joy toachat with. She is part of Rude GRL & CC, pages of this column. I have also selected movie Carl Marsh which consists for review this month, it is called Songbird, and it’sof herself, legendary bassist Chris Twitter - @InTheWordsOf_CM What will the New Year bring in the form of (Lou Reed and Adam Ant notoriety), quite a controversial one seeing as it’sConstantinou about COVID, entertainment, that is the million-dollar question? It’s Facebook - @InTheWordsOf and Bunni Morretto. They have just been awarded but this virus is COVID-23! As I have quite a few a tough one, plenty of TV shows and movies either - InTheWordsOf Bestno Hip Hop track atYouTube the PMA Mark Awards 2020 due to arrive in the next few weeks, I the have book better than the last one!
didn’t happen or got delayed beyond the entirety of
in Los Angeles. reviews, but I will be talking about those over the next few months.
2020. My favourite show, The Walking Dead, has
been pushed back until who knows when! At least we have the marvel of Netflix, Apple, Amazon Prime and Disney+. Can you imagine if this was the 1980s and
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we only had four channels! Terrestrial TV these days has plenty of re-runs they can re-run. I hope output gets back to where it was before.
That is all! I will see you next month, do try and
have a: ‘HAPPY NEW YEAR!’ Carl Marsh
REVIEWS (TV:) The Serpent - BBC One + iPlayer (soon to be also aired on Netflix) When you thought the BBC couldn’t redeem itself after the non-stop repeats of old TV shows broadcasted last Christmas, and the garbage that is Mrs Brown’s Boys or The Vicar of Dibley; out pops this masterpiece. The Serpent, based on the actual events connected to Charles Sohbraj (played brilliantly by Tahar Rahim) and the killings he committed or was involved in across Asia in the 1970s. If it weren’t for the actions of a Dutch diplomat called Herman Knippenberg (expertly played by Billy Howle) who was working in the Bangkok Dutch Embassy, then Sohbraj would not have been caught. Costing Knippenberg his marriage due to his determination to get Sohbraj and with many other pitfalls along the way, the TV series takes a little bit of getting used to, as it time shifts quite a lot, but this is needed. I binge-watched the whole show on BBC iPlayer and was even saddened when it came to an end, that’s real proof of how good this is. Quite shocking at times, but never too graphic, yet the story will make you think twice about trusting anybody new you will meet in real life. The show will be in my top ten list for a very long time. Doubtful it will come out of it!
MOVIE: Songbird - Netflix Many people reviewed this film by just watching the trailer; that’s not fair or clever. OK, so it’s about a COVID virus, but this one is variant number 23. It’s a film, hopefully there to entertain, but most people critiqued it just because it has the five letters that spell COVID in the storyline! But that’s not why you are reading this; you want to know what I thought of it - I hope! I liked it, it’s not brilliant but when you realise it was filmed over 17 days, well then you get to appreciate it that little bit more. Much more. Demi Moore and Peter Stormare star in this feature and perform very well in the roles they portray. The plot is based around what you would gather from what I have already mentioned, but it is a love story based in LA - between a boy and girl that have not physically met, yet, due to self-isolating reasons for her, as you will find out. The boy is immune from catching COVID. The girl lives with her Aunt, who catches the virus and dies. What reminded me of a Romeo and Juliet situation ends up not actually ‘ending’ as the Shakespeare play, but, things go awry when Demi Moores character, well, you’ll have to watch it!
INTERVIEW: James Fox Cardiff’s very own, James Fox who has represented the UK at Eurovision, having a song selected by his (our) beloved Cardiff City FC for their 2008 FA Cup Final song, and appearing in many a production around the world, including Broadway in New York and the West End in London. I chatted to James ahead of his new LP release (All The Fours) on February 5th. Carl Marsh You’re back with a cracking album of sublime songs, when did you start writing the music for it? James Fox To be honest, I wrote the song Nightfall, which is the first song of the album, maybe about a year ago. I then played it to a few people I know who work in radio and a few other friends in the (music) industry. And they liked it. And it was (just) something I produced on my own in the flat! I’ve been writing and playing for a long time, but I’ve never produced or recorded anything myself. So I did that as an CARDIFF TIMES 35
exercise. And that was February last year. I thought, well, maybe I’ll do like a small EP or write a few more songs. Carl Marsh And then Lockdown happened, so time at home must have been somewhat of a blessing in disguise for you to write more songs? James Fox When March came along and forced the world to stop, it turned from an EP into an album, because all my life work and everything I was doing - like most people - just stopped. I thought, am I going to sit here and wallow in self-pity, or try and get on with some recordings. So that it was, basically, as a result of writing that (initial) one song and I just found it sort of therapeutic. And I enjoyed the whole process, like I said, of producing it all myself, because we had a lot of time on our hands. Lockdown was, in one way, good for that, as it was the only thing I could do, really, Carl Marsh Did any of the tracks come to you more naturally than say some of the others? James Fox Do you know what? I’d like to say they were all easy. Still, they were all sort of the best part of a month 36 CARDIFF TIMES
between getting the original idea, recording the initial kind of melody or lyric idea with just a guitar on my phone, and then let that sit for a couple of days. Then I’d go back and revisit it, so they all had the same sort of process. And without sounding too arty, I felt like they were being, sort of channelled through me and when one finished, the next one started. It was very much like a three week or four-week process for each song from recording it initially, that original idea, thinking, what’s that about? What can I write about? What do I feel like I want to write? And then with the whole thing, I’d play every part, record it, produce it, then put it away, as that was one done. Carl Marsh Is that the usual way to record an album, or am I mistaken? James Fox A lot of people do an album but go back and forth to different songs. I did one (song) at a time. So it was a three or four-week process for each of them. And just as soon as I’d finished one, I’d have a day off. And then another one would sort of come to me - for want of a better word. It was just like they seemed to be coming from various angles. It was an odd experience. I’ve never done that before. All The Fours by James Fox is out on February 5th.
Carl Marsh I’ve seen a few of your short films now, and one that stood out for me was your debut Throw Me to the Dogs, and your style throughout your work reminds me of Ken Loach - is he someone you are a fan of? Joseph Ollman Yeah, he is, and also Shane Meadows and those of that ilk. And with ‘Throw Me to the Dogs’, we did it quite similar to those two directors’ by making a mainly improvised film in that the people in it didn’t know what was going to happen. The kids especially, they never saw the scripts or anything like that. We just wanted to keep it very naturalistic and realistic with that improvisation in mind. It was the same with Bitter Sky; a lot of it is improvised.
Born in a different part of Wales but then moving to grow up in Cardiff, Joseph Ollman is a very talented young man. He acts, writes and directs. His latest project is his latest short ‘Bitter Sky’, co-production with BFI Network, Ffilm Cymru and BBC Wales. It’s available on BBC iPlayer until the end of February.
What was different with this Bitter Sky is that the kids had seen the script, they had read it, but I didn’t ask them to learn the lines verbatim. Every take was different, we got something different every time, and then we patched it together in the edit.
I asked Joseph if this short feature will act as a pilot for a show or film, and had he anything in development under the same name?
Carl Marsh Did you let the kids say the swear words they had always wanted to without any tellings off?
Joseph Ollman The intention was for it to be a pilot for a feature film, but basically through making this. I was like, why would I want to be then making this into a feature because you do all of the initial work you would have to do in a feature anyway. So, after making (this short film), I was unsure if I wanted to tell this story again. So what I’d like to do and what I have proposed is to do a follow-on, picking up immediately after the short film event.
Joseph Ollman (Laughs) That was funny actually as they were quite shy, especially Rowan who played the boy. So to make him not so nervous, I said to him ‘I don’t want you to worry, you’re not going to get in trouble if you swear”. And then, and then he was doing it so much while we were shooting I had to tell him “I think you just need to hold back a little bit with the swearing and just say it when it is necessary!”. He called me up and said, “When we were rehearsing, you said you encouraged it!” (laughs) and I said, “Maybe not quite as much”. There’s a lot of swearing, but maybe next time I shouldn’t encourage it as much!
Carl Marsh It ends on an intense cliffhanger with Richard Harrington’s character Roy being in a situation with his adopted daughter Nia (played by Darci Smith) and her new friend Aron (Rowan Jones). Did you intentionally want to keep us guessing?
Bitter Sky in on BBC iPlayer.
Joseph Ollman Yeah, I wanted to keep that open to interpretation, and that’s for the viewer to find out if we ever do get to make the feature. But in my eyes, he is alive. CARDIFF TIMES 37
No job too big or too small !!
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Beauty and Health Done Your Way By Molly Dutton February. Or should I say, the season of love (although it doesn’t quite feel like it given that we are currently still in a national lockdown). Personally, I feel that we should be showing ourselves that extra bit of love this time around. Self-care is a term that I have used frequently in my life but one that I didn’t really know the
true meaning of. It is thrown around daily on social media platforms, with influencers raving about the proven benefits of self-care and how it can change your life for the better. But what actually is self-care? From a very basic perspective, self-care is ‘the practice of taking action to preserve one’s own health’, which is very hard to narrow down for one article. In my experience, self-care can be an internal and an external process with things like meditation and nutrition that better your inner health alongside beauty, haircare, and skincare which better our outer self. It is very personal to the individual and how they find peace in their environment which, for me, is found in the joys of social events and family gatherings. This was going very well for me until big, bad COVID came around and lockdown meant that that social interaction became lost, being replaced by zoom calls and socially distance walks which placed me in a rather tricky situation as 40 CARDIFF TIMES
someone who relied on others to fuel their positivity. That was when I realized that it was time for some drastic change in my life; I needed to venture out (not literally, that would be illegal in these current times) and find other ways that could nourish my mind and make sure that I wasn’t in a constant slump for the months inside. Based on this mini epiphany, I decided that this month I would take you all on a little self-care journey so that we can all come out of lockdown 3.0 feeling refreshed, calm and, most importantly, happy. My tip for all of my new self-care apprentices would be to find a beauty-based activity that you can participate in once a month. This may seem like a silly suggestion, but I do believe that the majority of busy people don’t invest enough time out of their day to do something that makes them feel good about themselves which means that relaxation time can be long forgotten before you know it. A beauty activity can be something as small as a fresh paint of nail varnish (the chipped nail varnish of my past still haunts me to this day) or as big as a ‘self-care day’ filled with face masks, bubble baths and lots of good books. I know that this time can often be hard to find, especially for the millions of people who are working from home at all hours, but I promise that this small act of dedication to yourself can make a world of difference; there is something lovely about the way that it takes you away from reality for a second and brings you back to yourself (something that we can all do with at the moment). My new routine now consists of ‘Tanning Tuesday’ (to hide the reality that I’m starting to look like a Twilight character having not left the house in so long) and a long bath whenever I’m starting to feel any stress or negativity build up after a hard day. Each week you will find yourself looking forward to this time as it provides that much needed luxury which everyone deserves.
Another quick and easy idea that you can do whilst getting on with the other items on your to-do list is a hair mask; this was an entirely new concept to me as of summer (when I had completely overdone it with the straighteners and was left looking like Ozzy Osbourne) and they work absolute wonders on the dryness that comes with the winter weather. I am particularly obsessed with the Garnier ‘Hair Food’ range as they smell absolutely delicious and can be left on for twenty minutes before a quick rinse to finish off. To add to the haircare miracles available on the market, my lovely friend @ch_creations.xo on Instagram has created some beautiful hand-made crotchet scrunchies, along with some other lovely items, that are the softest things I’ve ever owned and have helped me massively during this lockdown as I can sleep and get on with my day without the horrible uncomfortable tug of a tight hair bobble, which I’m sure many of you can relate to. Receiving the scrunchies in their perfect packaging is a form of self-care in itself and it’s made me feel so warm inside to be able to wear something that’s been handmade with so much care.
Now I know this is a controversial one so please bear with me. Exercise can be a huge uplifter during any situation and, now that we are confined to our houses in what is turning out to be the coldest month in my whole eighteen years, it is the perfect way to fill up the time that we’re all desperate to get rid of. By exercise, I do not mean a 20-mile run or these ‘get abs fast’ videos that are circulating around the internet, I simply mean going for a nice walk or doing some home workouts that get your blood pumping and your body moving just so you can feel alive. The range of workout guides available is incredible and there is something for everyone, even if you just fancy having a quick stretch every now and again. Most importantly, the best form of self-care is allowing your body to do exactly what it needs to in the moment and giving yourself time to breathe, even if it doesn’t fit in with the routine that you’ve made for yourself. Let’s all take a big breath as we enter a better time where we are treating ourselves well every day.
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LANDSCAPES
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Hair (Here) We Go, Again! Another Lockdown and Good Intentions By Michael James
Will this New Year, bring our wished-for new beginnings? It doesn’t seem so, as the Prime Minister announced in the first week of the New Year, we are once again in National Lockdown. I assume that he means England, for here in Wales, we have been in Lockdown since 20th December 2020, except for the brief ‘holiday’ at Christmas, when I assume that you went mad and let your hair down. That’s all you could do with it, as hairdressers and barbershops are not open. I was already beginning to look like an ageing hippy with curls I haven’t had for many, many years, goodness knows what I will look like before I get it cut again. I think that I might let it grow into a ponytail but my wife says I am too old. Still, with us not being able to go out and ‘live it up’, I will be able to save a few pennies to pay for a new hairstyle, whenever that may be.
I usually keep my hair short, having it cut and thinned every five or six weeks, in the old familiar style I have had for many years. That is, of course, since the first National Lockdown in March of last year, when I took on the look of a long-haired, Father Christmas, but without the beard! That’s the strange thing about my hair. It grows profusely on the top of my head but very slowly elsewhere In fact if I had stopped shaving at the start of
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the pandemic, you would hardly notice the thin excuse of a beard and moustache that I would have had by now. That doesn’t bother me; the less I need to shave, the better. but, as someone remarked some years ago, “hair only grows to protect the parts of the body where there is a weakness!”. Hearing that I wonder if my general, strong hair growth, only on the top of my head, is telling me something? Not being able to have my hair cut doesn’t bother me but, it’s my wife I am worried for. Like me, she keeps her hair in a shorter style but, unlike me, she gets really bothered if it is not cut every six or seven weeks. Fortunately, she has a friend who comes to our house and, since the first Lockdown finished, she has had her hair cut at regular intervals and is due another soon. However, we in Wales are in Lockdown until, at least, the 31st January and by the time you read this in February, goodness knows what state she (and I) will be in! Let’s hope that by then her friend will be able to visit to do the job, if only in the garden and observing all the necessary precautions. Watch this space! I am sure that you will be thinking that considering what many others are going through, problems with hair is a minor issue and of course, you are perfectly correct. Indeed my wife would whole-heartedly agree with you. As I write (mid-January) there are already concerns about the speed that a new variant of the virus is infecting the nation, with its ability to be able to transmit itself to so many more people in quicker time. Our hospitals and their staff are close to being overwhelmed and the two superheroes on the scene, said to be able to save us, are the new vaccines and all the population (that include you and me) obeying the rules of, ‘Stay Home: Protect the NHS: Save Lives’. This later bit of advice is simply down to all of us whereas, receiving the vaccine is more of a monopoly, depending on your age and/or health. Both my wife and I are in our early eighties and so we should be among the first to get ‘the jab’, after of course our wonderful NHS staff, local GP’s, teachers, care home staff and residents and all the other essential workers who manfully keep us going. Hopefully, any day now, we should get our notice to attend our vaccination centre. It can’t come quickly enough for us.
my training, before my trek, a good omen I thought. We live close to the lovely Roath Park Lake, ideal for a short stroll but, unfortunately, many others had the same idea. An opportunity to work off the Christmas excess or, perhaps, just get out of the house with the children or the dog. The whole of the path around the lake was jammed full of people, all diligently following the oneway system, as directed but, not following the advice to keep socially distanced which, together with the joggers, cyclists, skateboarders, prams and pushchairs and what seemed like hundreds of different variety of dogs, made what should have been a gentle stroll a huge health hazard. I know that being outside is good for us but why don’t people stick to the advice given?
n excuse ad by o shave, ears e body onder if p of my
other she e, she seven es to our she has e another until, at Another new year has dawned with signs of fresh ad this in hope all around us, this picture of a daffodil in our nd I) will be neighbour’s garden was taken on Christmas Day and, ble to visit with possibly, new (good) intentions for us all. I no ng all the longer make new year resolutions as I inevitably fail to
keep them but, new intentions seem more possible. As
you know, I have become something of a couch potato, dering officially during this last year due to my various health s with problems, “You must stay indoors”, I was told. That erfectly I happily did and settled down with television shows y agree and films, with occasional diversions into books. But, ready strangely, towards the end of the year, I was beginning of the to get fed up with what my wife says is just wasting time. e able I was keen to get some fresh air but with the restrictions uicker about driving to our seaside resorts or up into the being scene, mountains and just sit in the car with all the windows es and all open (fresh air), while enjoying a nice cup of hot coffee, there seemed to be nothing to do. My wife, who has ing the Lives’. This gone out for a daily walk during Lockdown, suggested, hereas, “Why not go out for a walk?”. My immediate reaction depending was, no! I have been told to stay indoors. To counteract that, the general advice has been that being out in the are in g the first fresh air is good for both, our health and mental well NHS staff, being. The more I pondered on that, I gradually came dents and round to the idea that I should do it, after all, I had (once) completed a trek in the Himalayas. eep us
our notice So it was that on New Year’s Day, I set off on a quickly relatively short walk, following my wife’s advice to just walk for fifteen minutes, turn around and walk back. This was exactly seven years, to the day, since I had started
The whole scene put me off but, determined to stick with my idea of a daily walk, I decided to walk on the pavement outside the houses on Lake Road West and, from where I had started down to the main gates of the park, outside the promenade, took exactly fifteen minutes. I crossed the road and walked back along the pavement, just above the lake, back to my starting point. Having finished the walk, I checked my pedometer on my phone to see all the various times, distance, speed and calories expended and, to my horror found that nothing had been recorded as I had forgotten to switch on before I started. Disappointed, but pleased that I had, at least, walked a short distance, I vowed to carry on a daily walk, which I did for the next six days. The same walk as on the first day but with my pedometer switched on, which confirmed that I walked for approximately 25-30mins and covered a distance of up to one and a half miles. Hardly more than a snail’s pace but, at least it was a start. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that on carrying out even gentle exercise, I should have factored in rest days. I discovered this on the next day when it hit me hard. Once again, I started on my daily walk and within ten minutes I felt I could go no further so sat on a wall to recover. I carried on walking to the promenade and sat for a few more minutes on a bench just inside the gates. Rested, I carried on but, once again, had to stop and sit-in in the bus shelter. Eventually, I arrived home and saw that I had more or less covered the same distance but took twice as long. A lesson learned the hard way. I haven’t been walking since my excuse being the rainy days we have had. As I hadn’t made a resolution as such, there was nothing to break. I am determined to carry on with my good intention to have a daily walk but, perhaps in the spring, when my extended rest day(s) finish. Don’t let my experiences put you off, you are probably younger and definitely fitter than I am. I wish you ongoing safe health and happiness. Roll on the vaccines for all of us and the hope of a better future. May God continue to bless us all.
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