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RHIWBINA
Living
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Issue 29 Winter 2014
Your FREE Award-Winning Magazine for Rhiwbina
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contents
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@LivingMags
Welcome Croeso
News Letters Lulu Interview Christmas Quiz Short Story e? What’s In A Nam e Why I Don’t Lov Christmas 25 Pets’ Page y News 29 Communit 30 Recipes
3 5 9 13 15 16 21
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As I sit here, putting the finishing touches to your WARDS TO A R U O G N TI A DEDIC Christmas issue of Rhiwbina Living, I feel very READERS much that Christmas is over. OUR FANTASTIC It is in fact, still November. But looking back the on t ou ab ad re through my records, I can see that I laid down the ill w As you ed ht lig de are template for this issue back at the end of August. opposite page, we K U p to o tw up ed And every time I’ve come to work on it, I’ve had to have pick . ar ye is th ds to put some unseasonal Christmas tunes on to get magazine awar is me in the mood. When Christmas really comes, I’m We’d like to take th e os th k going to be all Christmassed out. opportunity to than articles d te bu ri nt In spite of that, I’m pretty sure that we’ve got a who have co agazines m e th suitably festive edition for you to enjoy before the and features to really year is out. over the years - they rt in the pa We spoke to music legend Lulu a few weeks ago. have played a huge ines, and az ag m e I have to admit that I forgot she was calling and success of th the judges. had to pull the car over and write my notes down was duly noted by te our two on a cardboard box. Don’t tell her I said that. She e We therefore dedica ers and Our first ever issu read reminisces about her time in Cardiff - and looks 07 awards to you, the ntributed. 20 from co forward to her return - on page 9. to those who have Local authors have stepped up this year and we have two festive short stories to enjoy - on pages 15 and 23. If you think you know everything there is to know about Rhiwbina, you’ll want to get your brain around our Big Quiz on page 13. Let us know how you get on! ardiff Local vet Chris Troughton is on hand to lend you ad, Rhiwbina, C Ro h c a tb n Pa 2 A: 22 pet advice on page 25 and on page 30, there are some CF14 6AG tempting recipes for an early Christmas morning fry022920 081775 / 07974 2 77 07 T: up. Yummy! mags.co.uk E: editor@living We’d like to thank all our advertisers who have ags.co.uk W: www.livingm marketed their services through us this year. publisher of the contents, the ing e the accuracyfor any way arisrigh sur in r en tte to ma de y ma an t en s be s, or And that just leaves us to wish you all a very happy contact any. copy ors or omission to err While every effortanha de for ty ma bili en nsi be po s res on ha cept y of this material. Every effort endent, apolitical publicati ac ot nn ca and peaceful Christmas. See you in the spring. blication d Llandaff Living is an indep from the puitch an e for holders. Wh urch d copy deadlin n a g n ki o o b g rtisin 15. Patric and Danielle (editors) Adve 16th February 20 y a id Fr 30 e Issu 2015. ion date - March Issue 30 publicat 2 year. a ished 4 times
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RHIWBINA CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL The Rhiwbina Christmas Festival takes place on Saturday 29th November from 4pm - 8pm
CHRISTMAS SERVICES IN RHIWBINA
news
Beulah (United Reformed Church) Christmas Eve 10.30am Carol Singing in the Village 5pm Children’s Nativity Service 11.30pm Midnight Communion Christmas Day 10.45am Christmas Day Celebration Service 12-4pm Christmas Dinner and Tea. Open to all. Booking required. Transport available. Contact Peter Cruchley-Jones on 029 2069 3517
Bethany (Baptist Church) Sunday 21st December 6pm Carol Service Christmas Eve 5pm Children’s Pyjama Service (Main Hall) 11.15pm Christmas Eve Communion Christmas Day 10.30am Christmas Day Worship
All Saints (Church in Wales) Sunday 14th December 6pm Nine Lessons and Carols Christmas Eve 5pm Family Christingle Service 11.30pm The First Eucharist of Christmas (Midnight Mass) Christmas Day 8am Holy Eucharist 10.30am All Age Eucharist with Carols
LIVING MAGAZINES CARDIFF SCOOP TWO PRESTIGIOUS UK AWARDS Our Living Magazines have scooped two prestigious awards at the UK Independent Publisher Awards held at the Heart of England Conference Centre. Judged by industry experts, we picked up the Best Website Award and the Best Editorial Award from hundreds of entries. The judges said about our website: “It’s vibrant and talks to both readers and advertisers. Format friendly – easy to navigate – we liked the non standard format with most of the tabs and menu removed.” About our editorial content, the judges said: “A fantastic breadth and depth of editorial, business, historical and celebrity. We love the involvement of readers in
creating content, and careful handling of contributed editorial.” Editor Patric Morgan said: “We are absolutely delighted to have received these two awards. We know our readers love our magazines but it was great to have received recognition from a panel of industry experts. We can now continue our good work with the confidence that awards bring.” This is the third award that Patric has won in the last two years – he won Best Writing On a Blog at the 2012 Wales Blog Awards. Rhiwbina Living was set up in 2007 by Patric Morgan and Dr Danielle Dummett, followed a year later by Whitchurch and Llandaff Living.
OBE FOR RHIWBINA RESIDENT Rhiwbina resident Robert Lloyd Griffiths recently received an OBE from Her Majesty The Queen. Robert is the director for the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Wales.
He received his prestigious award for ‘services to the economy in Wales and for voluntary services, including to Autism in Wales’. Robert says of the accolade: “I am delighted
and very proud to have been honoured in this way. I am particularly pleased that the award is for two very important strands in my life, those being the economy and voluntary services.” 3
newss ne
LLANISHEN FACH POST OFFICE TO MOVE JUST A FEW DOORS DOWN
The popular Post Office in Heol Llanishen Fach is set to move just a few yards down the road. The branch at 105 Heol Llanishen Fach is set to move to numbers 99 to 103. The new Post Office will become part of the existing Spar supermarket and as a result, would be open late in the evening and at weekends for certain services. The branch, which is planned to open in spring 2015, would be one of 8,000 branches being converted into a new-style Post Office opening around the UK.
These feature both screened and open-plan counters. If plans are approved, the new branch would open from 7am until 11pm from Monday to Saturday and from 7.30am until 10.30pm on Sundays. Post Office Regional Network Manager for Wales, Adrian Wales, said: “I am delighted to announce news of an important investment in our service. We know how important the Post Office service is to the community and we feel sure that our customers will welcome the longer opening hours.”
RHIWBINA PR COMPANY TAKES GOLD IN NATIONAL AWARDS A small Rhiwbina communications agency has been awarded the Gold standard in the ‘BestFor PR’ awards. Weltch Media was adjudged to have progressed since last year, when it won a gold Wales ‘regional’ award as well as silver awards for its work in the sport and public services sectors. This year, the awards are for overall performance – with gold representing the highest level of achievement. Nigel Iskander, head judge of the BestFor PR judging panel, said: “The BestFor PR panel were 4
delighted to see Weltch Media build on last year’s success. As an agency they demonstrated they had built on the achievements of their previous work to register strong results for their clients again.” Andy Weltch, who set up Weltch Media in 2006, said: “This is a further endorsement of the high-value, high-quality service which we provide. “Again many of the winners are big city agencies with income in the millions. We don’t operate at that kind of level, but this shows that small consultancies can still deliver great results for clients.”
POP UP CHRISTMAS SHOP AT BETHANY Open in the Lower Hall between MonFri, 10am-4pm and 10am-1pm on Saturdays until the 11th December.
RHIWBINA LANGUAGE CLASSES CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS
Frenchtastic, Rhiwbina’s newest children’s language classes will be saying Joyeux Noël this year with fantastic French Christmas parties. The parties will be a mix of traditional French Christmas fun, arts and crafts, songs as well as an opportunity to learn new vocabulary and phrases. Everyone is invited, whether your child already attends French classes or is a complete beginner they are welcome to come along and join the fun! Frenchtastic will be holding two Christmas Parties on Monday 22 December. The pre-school party for children aged 18 months to 4 years is at Café Junior on Fanny Street in Cathays and the afterschool party for children aged 4 – 7 years is at Canolfan Beulah, Rhiwbina from 2 – 4pm. Tickets are £8 per child and £15 for two children from the same family. To book a Christmas party ticket or to book a free Frenchtastic class, simply email Annie at annie@frenchtastic.co.uk with your child’s name and age and the venue you would like to attend. For more information or to book a free class, contact Annie on 07866 522 266 or by email.
If you’d like to get in touch, you can find our address on the inside front cover. Alternatively, you can email us at editor@livingmags.co.uk
lletters tters
A BIG WELL DONE We have lived in Rhiwbina for many years and we have been reading your wonderful magazine since it was launched. We read on your website that you have recently won two UK awards and we wanted to give you a big ‘well done’. As Rhiwbina residents, we are extremely proud that our little
THE FRANCIS LEWIS MYTH CONTINUES The item on pages 8 and 9 of Issue 29 of Whitchurch and Llandaff Living raises once more the report that Francis Lewis – who did indeed sign the American Declaration of Independence in 1776 – was born in Llandaff. This claim has surfaced at regular intervals for many years and appears to have originated in an entry in the American Dictionary of Biography, 1888 edition, which had been contributed by Lewis’s great, great granddaughter, Julia Delafield. It seems likely that she confused the DIOCESE of Llandaff – which at that time included what is now the Diocese of Monmouth (its cathedral is St Woolos in Newport) – with the PARISH of Llandaff. She might also have been confused by the spelling of certain Welsh place names. As a former Cathedral Archivist at Llandaff I have searched in vain for any documentary evidence supporting any connection between Francis Lewis, Reverend father or signatory son, and Llandaff. The American biographical entry in question states that Francis Lewis was the son of
village has been ‘put on the map’ with your publication. We have friends in various parts of Cardiff - Llanishen, Penylan and Creigiau - they have all said that they are very jealous that we have such a lovely magazine for free. We sincerely hope that you continue to produce Rhiwbina Living for as long as you can - we for one look forward to receiving
it through our letterbox. Keep up the good work! A WILLIAMS Email
the Reverend Francis Lewis, Rector of Llandaff, and his wife Amy Pettingal, the daughter of the Reverend Dr. Pettingal of Carnarvon. ‘Rector of Llandaff ’ was not a post that existed as, at that date, the livings of both Llandaff and Whitchurch were in the care of the two Vicars Choral of the Cathedral, Francis Davies and Thomas Andrews who are both well documented. Llandaff ’s baptismal registers do not go back as far as 1713, so we cannot establish that a Francis Lewis was born or baptised at Llandaff from that source. However, nowhere in the Cathedral records, which are more extensive than the Parish registers and start nearly two centuries earlier, does the name of the Reverend Francis Lewis appear. The late David Williams, Professor of Welsh History at Aberystwyth University, made a study of the supposed Francis Lewis connection with Llandaff and published what can be considered as a definitive statement on the matter. He was quite adamant that the reference to Llandaff was wrong and that at least some of the confusion came about in the recording and translating of place names. He suggested that a Francis Pettingale was vicar of St.Gwynllyw of Newport on Usk (St.Woolos). Pettingale
supposedly died in 1726. Prof. Williams also suggests in his paper that there is a misreading of Llanaravon in the Monmouthshire Parish of Llanfrechfa as Carnarvon which would have been much more recognisable even in America! It also transpires that Pettingale had at least two sons and two daughters who figure quite prominently in Newport’s local affairs. It is just Francis Lewis’s place of birth that is in debate, a matter which needs to be clarified once and for all. If you have a proven source which might substantiate the claim that Francis Lewis was a son of Llandaff I am sure that both Church and local society would be delighted to hear of it so that this American connection might act as an additional attraction to our trans-Atlantic visitors. NEVIL JAMES Email
Editor’s Response Hello and thank you for your kind words. We’re delighted that the magazines are a source of delight for you. Creating them is hard work but we do have lots of fun making them!
Editor’s Response Many thanks for pointing this out Nevil. Whilst we try to cross-check historical facts when putting our features together, we can’t always guarantee accuracy. We welcome your through response and invite anyone who has any further information on the matter to contact us. Editors 5
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Seasons Greetings from Rhiwbina Baptist Church Rhiwbina Baptist Church is a community of faith proclaiming and " demonstrating Christ in mission; committed to vibrant worship and fellowship and equipping believers for fruitful ministry and service."
2014 Seasonal Celebrations Sunday 7th December - Christingle (5pm): Oranges, sweets and an amazing light show. A great way of kick starting Christmas Sunday 14th December - Children's Christmas takeover (10.30am): A festive and fast moving presentation led by the children. 5pm Olive Branch: Soul Christmas A contemporary evening of music, readings and mulled wine Sunday 21st December 10.30am 'A Child's Christmas In Wales' 5pm: Strictly Come all ye Faithful! A celebration of Christmas with a nod to Hollywood and our favourite BBC1 ballroom dance programme! Join us for a great family event with carols and great music, courtesy of the Cardiff Sinfonietta Brass Ensemble (conductor Jonathan Mann) 7pm: Carols by Candlelight. A traditional service of lessons and carols with the Cardiff Sinfonietta Brass Ensemble (conductor Jonathan Mann) Christmas Eve Communion Service (11.15pm): A Christmas Eve a service of reflection, communion and wonder Christmas Day 10.30am All age service to welcome the king of the ages Sunday 28 December 10.30 End the old and look ahead to the new year at this all age celebration
Carols, flickering candles, stained glass images, faded nativity scenes handed down the generations. Most of us hope that sometime during the Christmas period, there will come a moment of wonder. Even the most jaded cynic fondly hopes that they will feel the power and mystery of the festive season. Maybe in a school concert, Handel's Messiah, a reunion of old friends, we long to climb inside the magic of Christmas. Rhiwbina Baptist Church is mad about Christmas. Whether you're talking about Christingles, looking at loved one's faces dancing in candlelight, concerts, mince pies, O Come All Ye Faithful, even more mince pies, RBC is the place to be this December. The reason for our delight is simple. We believe that the invisible, immortal God has made himself uniquely known in Jesus. Joining the human family, he lived among us, died on the cross for the rubbish in our lives that separates us all from God, rose to new life and offers forgiveness and new life to all who today turn to him. Christmas is more than great. It's extraordinary. So pay a visit to RBC this Christmas time. Take part in the simple beauty of the Christingle service; enjoy the timeless appeal of carols by candlelight; experience the powerful stillness of Christmas Eve communion or take part in an evening of bilingual carols and readings. Christmas is a time for all ages. Why not make it your time this year?
Rhiwbina Baptist Church, Lon Ucha, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6HL
Tel: 2062 3791
www.rbc.ac
An Audience with Steven Berkoff 2 December
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - 28 November
Russian Ballet Festival 20 December - 3 January
Brit Floyd 8 December
Karl Jenkins 70th Birthday Concert - 21 November
Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra - A Night at the Movies - 5 December
The Music of John Barry 12 December
The Bootleg Beatles 4 December
The Sixteen 7 December
people
Lulu: Why Cardiff holds so many special memories for me
“
Oh my GOD!” shrieks Lulu. “I’ve just remembered coming to Cardiff and watching the All Blacks play at the Cardiff Arms Park!” 60s legend Lulu can’t stop squealing. “Ah. It’s all coming back to me now! I used to be in Cardiff a lot when I first started my career because I spent a fair amount of time with Tom Jones. But this memory of watching the All Blacks jumps out at me! I think we all went to the Angel Hotel after as that’s where the All Blacks were staying. God! That was a long time ago!” Singer, actress and TV personality Lulu is excited at the thought of returning to the Welsh capital after a long time away. “But I did a gig in Cardiff when I first started out and it was the first audience in my career that participated in my show. It’s something that’s stayed with my shows since, but it’s one of the gigs that I’ll always remember.” Lulu shot to fame in 1964 at the age of just 15. Her version of The Isley Brothers’ ‘Shout’, (as Lulu & the Luvvers) was delivered in a raucous but mature voice. It peaked in the UK charts at No.7. “I’d had a tough upbringing. It was a difficult childhood. I had loving parents but my father was a very violent man. As a result, I think I grew up pretty quickly emotionally. I became selfsufficient but looking back, it was probably the best thing for me.”
“The woman who discovered me and managed me for the first 25 years of my career, Marion Massey, had the biggest impact on me. She became my surrogate mother and guided me when my career could have gone down the plughole. She’s passed away now and I feel a great sadness when I talk about her – but happy at the same time, if that makes sense.” In 1967, she made her film debut in ‘To Sir, with Love’, a British vehicle for Sidney Poitier. Lulu both acted in the film and provided the title song, with which she had a major hit in the United States, reaching No. 1. ‘To Sir With Love’ became one of the best-selling singles of 1967 in the US, selling well in excess of a million copies; it was awarded a gold disc in the UK. After appearing on the BBC in 1967 in a successful TV series that featured music and comedy, Three of a Kind, Lulu was given her own TV series in 1968, which ran annually until 1975 under various titles including Lulu’s Back in Town, Happening For Lulu, Lulu and It’s Lulu, which featured Adrienne Posta. Her BBC series included music and comedy sketches and appearances by star guests. Lulu began 1970 by appearing on the BBC’s highly rated review of the 1960s music scene Pop Go The Sixties, performing ‘Boom Bang-A-Bang’ live on BBC1, 31 December 1969.
In 1974, she performed the title song for the James Bond film ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ and in 1977, she married hairdresser John Frieda. She is one of only two performers (Cliff Richard being the other) to have sung on Top of the Pops in each of the five decades that the show ran and in 2000, she was awarded an OBE. “People say ‘but won’t you get tired?’ Hell, of course I will! But that’s the point – it re-energises me. If someone had told me at the beginning that at the age of 66, I’d be recording a new album and touring, I’d have told them to shut right up! Someone up there’s been looking after me – I’ve got angels looking out for me, that’s for sure!” In August 2014 Lulu opened the closing ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and in 2015, she visits Cardiff as part of her new tour. On Monday 18th May 2015, you can spend an Evening With Lulu in the Welsh capital. “You’re going to have a great time if you come to the show. I’m going right back to my roots – there’ll be some songs from my new album but there’ll also be the songs that people know and love.” To book tickets, visit St David’s Hall website at www. stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk or call the Box Office on 029 2087 8444 9
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Harris Tweed, Brogue Shoes and a Model Steam Boat My brother and I were given a model steam boat for Christmas by my grandfather. It had a sleek wooden hull with a brass boiler, a meths burner and a two-piston engine. Our neighbour, ‘Uncle’ Dick Dicker (a jolly man with rolling gait) came on Christmas morning, saw the boat and decided that it should be launched on Boxing Day (Uncle Dick always wanted to be the first in all things!). After breakfast on Boxing Day, the party departed to Roath Park lake. The party consisted of Uncle Dick (leader and skipper), resplendent in Harris Tweed Norfolk Jacket (with matching plus fours), heavy socks, heavy
Bob Lewis recalls a Christmas in the 1930s
brogue shoes and a matching cap. My father Brin, John and myself and Eileen and Richard, the Dicker children. “Don’t let the children fall in!” was the cry! Heartbroken, we discovered that the lake had been drained for the winter. The alternative site was the canal at the rear of the Cow and Snuffers in Llandaff North. The water level was about two feet below the bank and was a little bit dirty, shall we say. Steam was raised, the engine tested and our pride and joy was launched by Uncle Dick with Brin looking after the children. The boat was sailing well, aimed at the far bank to return in a wide arc. With Captain Dick in charge, all was well and quite a few people followed to watch. The
boat was turned several times in a continuous voyage until Captain Dick failed to notice a fault in the bank – missed his footing and fell, with a very large splash, into the mucky water. The spectators erupted with laughter at a very wet Captain Dick, standing in the mud and sludge – his tweed cap floating away after the boat. When all were recovered, the boat stored, we made for home. The tweed clothing took weeks to dry and Mrs Dicker forgave him for his loss of dignity. Although this happened a long time ago, the memories are very clear. Eileen and I talked about it last year on one of our rare meetings.
We take this opportunity to wish Serving the community all our clients, both past and present, a Merry Christmas and for over 30 years a Happy New Year
With Thomas Simon
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The Great Big Christmas Quiz
Think you know 5 Rhiwbina pretty well? Test yourself right here! 1
2
3
4
Rhiwbina’s Monico cinema played its last film in which year? a) 2002 b) 2003 c) 2004
b) Iron Maiden c) AC/DC
12 Which local musical group can justifiably claim to be the oldest band in Wales? a) City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) Rhiwbina Memorial Hall was 6 Which historical figure has Brass Band officially opened in which year? connections with the Rhiwbina b) Cardiff Arms Park Male Choir a. 1953 area? c) Caerphilly Male Voice Choir b. 1958 a) Henry VIII c. 1961 b) Charles II 14 Which 80s musical star was c) Oliver Cromwell brought up on Heol Llanishen The legendary Rhiwbina Fach? Twmpath is what exactly? Rhiwbina Living Magazine was a) Simon Le Bon 7 a) an 11th century Norman launched in which year? b) Rick Astley motte a) 2009 c) Howard Jones b) a 12th century castle ruin b) 2008 c) a 13th century burial site c) 2007 15 Which historical Welsh prince is said to have been killed in Which iconic Rhiwbina Which famous British actress Rhiwbina? 8 building served as an Air used to live in the Garden a) Iestyn ap Gwrgant Raid Warden’s Post in WWII? Village as a child? b) Gruffydd ap Llywelyn a) Beulah Church a) Angharad Rees c) Owain Glyndŵr b) Smart’s Garage b) Dame Maggie Smith c) The Wendy House c) Helen Mirren For answers, visit www. livingmags.co.uk/christmas-quiz9 Football superstar Gareth Bale The 2011 Dr Who Christmas answers/ Special filmed in which street in played for which school side? Rhiwbina? a) Llanishen Fach a) Charlotte Square b) Eglwys Newydd b) Heol-y-Deri c) Hawthorns c) Y Groes 10 Which Rhiwbina road used to be called Homfray Road? a) Beulah Road b) Heol-y-Deri c) Peny-y-Dre 11 Which legendary rock band recently sponsored Rhiwbina Squirrels rugby team? a) Def Leppard 13
St Michael’s College
54 Cardiff Road, Llandaff, Cardiff, CF5 2YJ
Tel: 029 20563379 Fax: 029 20838008
Email: info@stmichaels.ac.uk www.stmichaels.ac.uk
Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral Choir Christmas Concert
Tuesday 25 November 2014, 1pm St David’s Hall, Cardiff The girl and boy choristers are all pupils of St John’s College
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the harbour lights
C
hrissie turned on the lamps in the front room as the darkness drew in around the harbour. Her children were lying on the sofa, top to tail, wrapped in blankets. Their eyelids fluttered every now and again as sleep called them to shut tight. They fought its charm each time. Waiting…waiting… Flames flickered in the fireplace as the wind roared down the chimney and the smell of bacon filled the house. Nico was finishing late because it was Christmas Eve and Chrissie had decided that they would have bacon and egg sandwiches for supper when he arrived home. And inevitably, after they had put the children to bed, they would open a packet of chocolate digestives and eat the whole lot between them. A Christmas tradition that the children still believed was Father Christmas’ doing. She pulled back the curtain to see if Nico’s little boat was coming into the harbour. The other houses that sat along the waterfront were all lit from within, the yellow light spilling out on to the pavement. The Price children’s bedroom was in darkness. They were eagerly awaiting Father Christmas’ visit, awaiting the crinkle of wrapping paper at the bottom of the bed as they wriggled their toes. The Joyce children were probably doing the same. The only ones who were still awake were Chrissie’s children who were waiting for their own father to come home first. In the distance, Chrissie could see a small yellow light weaving
its way through the waves. He was coming home at last. She hoped he wouldn’t be bringing any tales of woe with him this Christmas. Last year, Johnny Price had swung from the edge of a local pier, hands barely gripping on to the railings, threatening to throw himself down into the black sea below. As the local coastguard and a good friend, Nico had been called to talk him down. Luckily, he succeeded in reminding Johnny what he had to live for and now Johnny Price was singing ‘Last Christmas’ at the top of his voice as he stumbled back from the pub. As if anyone needed reminding about last Christmas… Nico’s boat floated through the dark harbour and he alighted at the steps while Paul Joyce steered the dinghy towards the coastguard station. With a wave of his arm, Chrissie faintly heard Nico wishing Paul a ‘Happy Christmas!’ and then he turned towards her. She watched him make his way past the other houses…the Price’s…the Joyce’s…until he finally stood on the other side of the window. ‘Daddy’s home,’ she whispered to the children who were barely clinging on to consciousness. They sat up as she opened the
BY Alice morgan door to Nico and he stepped out of the cold, shivering. The children rushed to him, knowing that as soon as they had given him a hug, they would be able to go to bed and wait for Father Christmas. Their father sat by the fire to thaw out while they told him, one last time, about all the gifts they were waiting for. Chrissie shut the door on the
icy wind that threatened to rid her home of its warmth. The bacon sizzled in the kitchen and the chocolate digestives lay out in wait for Father Christmas. While the sea crashed against the harbour walls and rain began to lash at the windows, Chrissie’s family were safely gathered around the fireside for Christmas. Alice Morgan is an awardwinning writer. You can read more of her work at www.alicemariarose. wordpress.com/ 15
history
Rhiwbina: What’s in a name?
Most of us take for granted where place names come from. The name Rhiwbina has long been the focus of discussion, with various theories being put forward. Gareth Neale examines the contenders There have been a number of ideas put forward as to how the name Rhiwbina evolved. In the current Wikipedia entry for Rhiwbina, it is suggested that it is derived from a combination of Rhiw (the slope on which Rhiwbina sits) with the name of St Beuno but as he was the Abbot of a Monastery on the Llyn Peninsular, with no seeming connection to South Wales, that is highly improbable.
Heol-y-Deri 1903 16
Another suggestion is that it was derived from the Welsh word for pannier referring to the panniers of the mules carrying the iron ingots and rods from the Forge in Caerphilly to the town of Cardiff down over the hill (rhiw) and panna hence Rhiwpanna. This can almost certainly be rejected as historically the name existed before the Forge. Another suggestion is the name derived from the abundance of pine trees on the slopes above Rhiwbina giving rise to Rhiwpina but again the name existed before these imported trees became naturalised. In his book Old Whitchurch, Edgar Chappell, an eminent local historian and long serving local
councillor for Rhiwbina, suggests that the name of Rhiwbina Farm refers to its spread from the Rhiw below Castle Coch to St Ina’s wood, as the wooded left hand side of the Castan valley looking up the hill is still known. Thus the name arose from the combination of these two locations hence ‘Rhiw by Ina’. Having made that suggestion Edgar Chappell says that he was not convinced. What we do know is that to the north of the town of Cardiff was a large open area known as Mynydd Bychan or The Heath. Part of that Heath was what was to become known as Rhiwbina. However, what did exist was a hamlet of three residences and a scattering cottages near Beulah Chapel, some cottages close to the Deri Mill, and another hamlet on the hill, close to the site of the now Rhiwbina Reservoir, a scattering of farms and a small number of isolated but substantial houses and villas.
history
The first development of what we now call Rhiwbina was in 1910 when a group of villas was built in what is now Heol y Deri and they now form part of the older shops in the village. The brook we now know as the Rhydwaedlwyd was up to then known as the River Castan and it ran over what is now Heol y Deri as a ford. The name for a ford in Norse is a ‘wallaw which suggests there was a Norse or Danish settlement in this area in the 8th or 9th centuries. There are references to the hamlet near the ford in the Glamorgan records of 1702 as Nant Walla and in 1802 the reports of the Heath Enclosure Commissioners refer to it as Rhyd Wathla. The Hamlet near to the Rhiwbina Reservoir site was known as Rhiwbrien and consisted of a number of cottages and four larger residences one of which was called Brooklyn. There is a reference to Rhiwbrien in the 12th century Book of Llandaff. It records that in 1040 Rhiwallon, son of Rhan a member of the bishop’s household appeared before the Consistory Court (an Ecclesiastical Court under control of the Bishop) charged with murdering a member of the Bishop’s household. He was found guilty and for his ‘utter wickedness’, he was excommunicated. After being unable to attend Mass for a year and a day he was allowed to appeal and was restored to communion but only on condition that he gave up all claim to the title of his
Rhiwbrien property and that it be transferred to the ownership of the Bishop. A papal Bull of Honorius II, dated 1129, confirmed that the property called Rhiwbrien fell within the Bishop’s land Holdings and was part of what we now know as Rhiwbina and Tongwynlais. Rhiwbina as an entity is referred to in official documentation on a number of occasions. In a survey of the hundredth of Senghenydd in 1630, it states that the ground on which the ruins of Castell Coch stood belonged to Henry Morgan of Rhiwbyna. In a Will of 1708, there is a reference to Rhiwhina and in a Will dated 1777, there is a reference to Rhubina. In the minutes of a 1789 Cardiff Corporation Committee meeting, there is a reference to Rhiwbina, its current spelling. We know that the suburb of Rhiwbina got its name from the Railway Halt which got its name from Rhiwbina Farm which
formed part of the Estate of the Morgan family, a junior branch of the Tredegar family, who were known in the 15th century as the Morgan’s of Rhiwbina. The last of the Morgan Dynasty, Elizabeth married Thomas Lewis of New House and on her death in 1787, the Morgan Estate became part of the Lewis Estate subsequently the Wyndham Lewis Estate, the current trust of that name still owning areas of land here in Rhiwbina. So there would appear to be no clear answer as to the source of the name Rhiwbina. It probably evolved from Rhiwbrien but could be from Rhiw to St Ina’ Wood. But we are called what we are called because the Marquis of Bute was persuaded not to call our Railway Halt Nant y Walla Halt and we can be grateful that when we are on the telephone explaining where we live that it is even less difficult than it might otherwise have been.
17
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Why I (don’t) Love Christmas by Brian Jones ‘Tis the season to be jolly? Not according to Rhiwbina resident Brian Jones THE TREE So let’s get this straight - we head out to buy a tree that up until a few weeks ago, was a perfectly healthy tree minding its own business in a field somewhere. What’s worse, is that we want to bring it into our house? Would you bring a tree into your house at any other time of the year? Of course not. So what are we doing? ‘It’s Christmas!’ I hear you plea. Hm. Did Jesus ever put a spruce up in his house? I’d say probably not. Especially as he wasn’t in Norway. I’m sure he’d not be in favour of us ripping all these healthy trees out of the ground. After all, he made them all. Probably the worst bit of it all is the actual choosing of the tree. Getting someone to stand there with it while you decide, and then deciding to have a look at another one to compare. Then another. Then another. Then going back to the one you looked at in the beginning. PRESENTS Let’s look at this from an objective point of view. You work hard all year round. Times are hard. You don’t even think about Christmas until Bonfire Night has come and gone. So then you panic. You panic about what you’re going to buy everyone for Christmas. You head to the shops and before you know it,
you’ve blown the money that you thought you could get everyone’s presents with - and that was only on that lavender bubble bath set from Marks and Spencer. You then go into the money you’ve kept for food and the mortgage. You reassure yourself that you’ll feel better once the presents are done. And then, after many weeks of stressing and panicking, it’s all done. Time to wrap them up and have done with them. Feel better? No. There’s the big stress of getting the correct presents to the correct people in time for the big day. You can’t wait to hand over that lavender bubble bath set from Marks and Spencer. You just can’t wait to see the excitement on their face. But it never comes. Instead, you get a short thank you and a dreary pair of socks in return. Worse still, when you run the gauntlet the following year, you get the lavender bubble bath set given back to you from the person you’ve given it to this year. What’s it all about? THE NATIVITY PLAY It’s every parent’s proudest moment. Their little one has been chosen to be in the nativity play. Excitement reaches fever pitch when you hear that they’ve been chosen to play one of the starring roles. But then it all goes belly up. The other mothers express their annoyance that their child has not been chosen to play one of those leading roles. How could anyone overlook their 2 year-old’s mastery of amateur
dramatics? What is wrong with these teachers? And what? You have to make the costumes yourself? Don’t you realise how busy I am? All that is long forgotten when the show finally gets underway. With enough ‘ooos’ and ‘ahhhs’ to challenge the local firework display, the only thing missing is a sick bucket being passed around. CHRISTMAS PARTIES As a self-employed salesman, my Christmas parties these days have only two guests - me and the cat. It’s wonderful. I don’t have to speak to anyone I don’t like and best of all, I can get as off my face as I like and no-one will notice. Apart from the cat. Even better, if I feel like a lie down, I can go to my bedroom and do just that. Who needs people for a party? CAROL SINGERS There comes a knock on the door. For a split second, the excitement that someone has taken the time to visit you at Christmas makes your head go dizzy. But then you hear it - that drawn-out drawl. Oh no. It’s them again. After ten minutes of excruciatingly toe-curling embarrassment as they finish another song, you hand them the 10 pence piece you had in your pocket. Surely there are easier and less painful ways to earn some money. 21
Evie’s Long Wait by Emma Price
“
I’ll prove it. Just you wait and see.” Evie was a very wise 5 year-old. She had not long started school - not that she needed to go of course - she knew everything. She knew what Christmas was all about and this year, she was going to prove her point. Dad dipped his final sausage roll into the dollop of brown sauce on the edge of his plate. “You’ll be up all night.” he said. “Santa only comes when you’re asleep.” Then he popped the sausage roll into his mouth and smiled. It had only been a few days earlier that her new friend Charlotte told her that Santa didn’t exist. “You do know that it’s your Mum and Dad who gives you presents.” she had said. Evie believed Charlotte. She had once told Evie that milk comes from cows. When questioned, Mum admitted the whole damn thing. Evie excused herself, climbed down from the dining table and headed over to the Christmas tree that sat in the front room window. This was the family’s first Christmas in Y Groes. They had moved in on a searing summer’s day. But tonight was a perfect Christmas Eve - snow had started falling earlier in the day. Evie looked at the porcelain Santa that hung from the tree. She lifted her hand and held it gently between her thumb and forefinger. She smiled at it, and
then promptly said: “I’m sorry but you don’t exist.” *** Mum had called Evie to bed three times before she eventually moved from her warm spot on the sofa. Within the space of five minutes, she’d brushed her teeth, had a wee and shouted ‘N’night’ to Dad downstairs. Evie pulled back the sheets and climbed into bed. Clean sheets always for Christmas Eve. They felt divine. Mum gave her a hug and a kiss and disappeared out the room, pulling the door, leaving Evie in near darkness. At first, it was easy to stay awake. She listened to the TV and imagined the faces that matched the voices she could hear. At long last, she could hear Mum and Dad locking the house up for the night. Within a few minutes, she could hear them slowly coming up the stairs. Evie snuggled down under the duvet as quickly and as quietly as she could. Then the moment she had been waiting for – her bedroom door opened slightly. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell it was Dad – the room became slightly lighter. Then, as slowly as she could, she slightly opened one beady eye. In the mixture of light and shadows, she could clearly make out Dad’s head peeping around the door. He stayed there an extraordinarily long time, to the point where she thought that she should say something. But finally, he disappeared.
Now it was only a matter of time before he’d come tip-toeing into the room with all the gifts. And as soon as he did, Evie would pretend to wake up and catch him red-handed. Evie rolled over onto her back, lay very still and waited. And waited. And waited. It must have been a good half hour before she had had enough. Stepping out onto the cold wooden floor, she tip-toed across to the window and peered out. The square was quiet now and the snow fell silently. She raised his eyes to the sky but with the swirling snow, it was hard to see any further. No Santa. Definitely no Santa. Climbing back into bed, she pulled her duvet up tight under her chin and sighed. It was going to be a long, long night. Maybe Dad had set an alarm for the small hours. That meant that she’d have to wait up ALL night. She had think of a way to keep her mind occupied. She decided to make up a story in her head. It was going to be about a fairy called Fidget Heartfrost who lived in the Dingley Dell. Fidget had a fairy friend called Dancer who always... “Merry Christmas!!!” Evie opened her eyes wide. There stood at the foot of her bed in the bright morning light were Mum and Dad. At Evie’s feet were gifts and presents galore. “Looks like Santa’s been!” said Dad, smiling. 23
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Pet problems CHRIS TROUGHTON OF HEATH VETS ANSWERS YOUR PET-RELATED QUESTIONS
IF YOU HAVE ANY PET-RELATED QUESTIONS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE CHRIS TO ANSWER, PLEASE EMAIL US AT EDITOR@LIVINGMAGS.CO.UK AND WE’LL PASS THEM ON. We picked up a 2 month old puppy several weeks ago and when we took him to the vet for a checkup, he was found to have ear mites. We were given treatment which worked but a few months on, he seems to be scratching his ears again, although not as much as he did when we first got him. Do ear mites come back and if so, would using the same treatment lessen its effectiveness? Ear mites are little parasites which live in the ear canals of dogs and cats and cause an intense itch, particularly in young animals. They are reasonably common in puppies and kittens, but because they need close contact to spread from one animal to another, once you have got rid of them you don’t often get recurring problems. There are three key points for successful treatment: 1. Use an effective drug. Over-the-counter pet shop remedies are rarely effective. You need to see your vet. We usually use ear drops, sometimes a spot-on insecticide as well. 2. Treat for sufficient time. Ear mites lay eggs which cannot be killed, so you must keep treating until they have all hatched out and been killed. In practical terms, this means treating for at least 4 weeks. 3. Treat all in-contact dogs and cats for the same duration to avoid the problem passing back and forth. So, to answer your question, the ear mites could have come back if they weren’t treated for an adequate time or if an in-contact animal also has them. Equally, there could be a different problem. Either way, you need to get them looked at. Using the same treatment again will not reduce its effectiveness – just make sure you do it for a sufficient time. Page is sponsored by Heath Vets 02920 621511
Is it possible for my cat to get flu? Several weeks ago, she was sneezing like crazy and looked like I felt when I have a cold! She was ok after a few days but it got me wondering! Yes cats certainly do get flu – it is one of the main infectious diseases we have to deal with. Cat flu is different to human flu and we can’t catch it, nor can we infect our cats. It can be a very nasty disease, lasting several weeks and sometimes leaving permanent damage in the nose or eyes. But if you are lucky and your cat has a strong immune system, symptoms can be quite mild, as in your case. Cat flu used to be a very common problem 40 years ago, but now, thanks to widespread use of effective and safe vaccines, we don’t see so many serious cases. There seems to be an increasing trend of dressing pets up in Christmas outfits. Do you think it’s unnatural and cruel? I agree, there is a growing trend to dress pets up, and not just for Christmas. Unnatural? Yes, for the pet of course it is. But for many people these days, their pets are their children and it’s natural to want to ‘spoil’ them by giving them presents – edible treats, toys, or new outfits! However, I don’t think it’s cruel – animals are not embarrassed by the way they look, and the clothes are not uncomfortable; it they were, they would not be tolerated by the pet. Warm and waterproof coats can very useful for elderly animals or those with very thin fur.
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Local News
News in the Community NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH With Bill Farnham We have been very busy again since the last issue of this magazine with various activities taking place. I have launched six new Neighbourhood Watch groups around the city, two in Fairwater, one in Pontprennau, one in Whitchurch, one in Gwaelod-y-Garth and the whole of Creigiau Village. Why I say ‘I’ have is because everyone on our committee, be they Officers or Committee Members, has a dual role and my ‘dual role’ is Launch Coordinator for new Neighbourhood Watch groups. What this entails is that when someone expresses an interest in setting up a new watch I am contacted and informed, usually by the local Neighbourhood Policing Team but sometimes by the person concerned. I then arrange to visit that person, explain to them what Neighbourhood watch is about and then in partnership with the Local Neighbourhood Policing Team, carry out door to door visits (although not in every case) talking to the residents and telling them about the benefits of belonging to a watch. A meeting is then arranged and all interested parties attend, including myself. I then explain in more detail to everyone what Neighbourhood is all about, including the benefits of being in a watch, then the coordinator for the new watch registers the watch with our Association and the watch is then up and running. South Wales Police held a Property Marking event in the Pentyrch Village Hall car park on Sunday 5th October 2014, using a Mobile Police Station as
their base at which I represented our Association. The event went very well with people being made aware of property marking and how to carry this out, this advice included bicycle security. For the second year in succession we took part in the Suzy Lamplugh Trust National Personal Safety event which this year was spread over a week last year was held on a specific day. This is the trust set up by the family of Suzy who, sadly whilst working for an estate agent, visited a property to meet a ‘prospective’ customer and was never seen again. In fact, her body has never been found. The family set up the Trust in the format it is today with the sole aim of making everyone aware of how to keep themselves safe, especially younger members of the community. This year, they supplied posters, leaflets and information cards and I applied to the Trust for a quantity of each of these. These were then taken and distributed to the sites that were visited by us which were fifteen High Schools, Cardiff University Students Union, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. I finished the week off by visiting Asda Superstore, Pontprennau, where there was a Mobile Police station on site, which I used as my base. Working in conjunction with the local Neighbourhood Policing Team, we engaged with several hundred members of the community handing out leaflets and cards and advising on personal safety. If anyone is interested in setting up a Neighbourhood Watch group please contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team or contact our office on 02920 527301.
ROTARY YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARD COURSES Rotary in South Wales organises Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) courses every year in the summer holidays. These are held at the residential Outdoor Activity & Education Centre at Dolygaer in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Many of the activities undertaken, such as abseiling and caving, are new to candidates and stretch their abilities to cope, whilst helping to build and develop their personal confidence. The Rotary Club of Cardiff Breakfast has been sponsoring candidates to RYLA for the last six years. The Club believes it is one of the best opportunities Rotary offers to develop young people as well as showing what the Rotary family offers to individuals and communities. This year our two candidates were Anna Curle from Howells School and Harri Lang from Whitchurch High School. Anna is seventeen and has recently been elected as President of her Rotary Interact (Rotary for 14-18 year olds) club, while Harri is a keen rugby player. The Club meets every Wednesday morning at 7.30am in the Whitchurch Golf Club. Visitors are always welcome. More information about the Club can be found at www.cardifbreakfastrotary.org
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recipes
p U y r F g in n r o M Christmas The warm waft of dinner drifts through the house. Christmas music meanders around the rooms. But before the day’s activities start properly, it’s an early morning fry-up that will warm your belly and your soul.
Sausage and Egg Rolls with Spicy Tomato Sauce 12 Cumberland sausages 1 tsp vegetable oil 4 large eggs 4 large soft white or wholemeal baps
For the sauce 4 large, ripe plum tomatoes, chopped 1 tsp English mustard powder ½ tsp chilli flakes 1 tbsp each red wine vinegar, soft brown sugar, tomato ketchup 1. Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a large pan. Cook over a medium-high heat for 10-12 mins until most of the liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes have broken down, leaving you with a thick, spoonable sauce. 2. Squeeze the sausagemeat from the skins and shape into 4 flat patties. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Cook the patties for 4 mins each side, squashing them down with the back of a spatula, until crisp and golden on both sides. Remove from the pan and keep warm. 3. Heat the grill. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook to your liking. Meanwhile, slice open the baps and lightly toast, cut-side up, under the grill. Add a spoonful of the spicy tomato sauce to each bap, then a sausage patty, then top with a fried egg.
Eggs Benedict
3 tbsp white wine vinegar 4 large free range eggs 2 toasting muffins 1 batch hot hollandaise sauce 4 slices Parma ham (or Serrano or Bayonne) 1. Bring a deep saucepan of water to the boil (at least 2 litres) and add the vinegar. Break the eggs into 4 separate coffee cups or ramekins. Split the muffins, toast them and warm some plates. 2. Swirl the vinegared water briskly to form a vortex and slide in an egg. It will curl round and set to a neat round shape. Cook for 2-3 mins, then remove with a slotted spoon. 3. Repeat with the other eggs, one at a time, reswirling the water as you slide in the eggs. Spread some sauce on each muffin, scrunch a slice of ham on top, then top with an egg. Spoon over the remaining hollandaise and serve at once.
Spicy Scrambled Eggs
6 eggs 2 fluid oz milk 1 tablespoon oil 4 mushrooms, sliced 2 slices hot salami, chopped 1 slice ham, roughly chopped 2 cherry tomatoes, diced shaved tasty cheese, 1 spring onion ¼ teaspoon wholegrain mustard Break eggs into a bowl and whisk in milk, add to fry pan on low heat and stir constantly until cooked as desired. Add oil to a separate frying pan. Add mushrooms and fry on medium - low heat for 2-3 minutes, then add ham. Add salami to the eggs and toss to warm. Serve eggs on toasted light rye bread with butter, top with cheese, spring onion and tomato. Serve mushroom and ham onto plate and top ham with mustard.
Guest Columnists PATRIC MORGAN
CHRISTMAS PAST, CHRISTMAS PRESENT AND CHRISTMAS FUTURE
I
t was just about a year ago that I was sat on my settee late at night. Earlier in the evening, my wife and I had put the Christmas tree up and dressed it in its finery. It sat silently glowing in the corner of the darkened room. It seemed as if an old friend was home with us. After my wife had wearily climbed the stairs to bed, I poured myself a large Baileys on ice and plonked myself down on the settee in front of the telly. The first show that come on was a festive episode of The Royale Family. It was a jolly, uplifting show but as the camera pulled out, there was a picture of ‘Nana’, who had passed away in the previous series. Admittedly, I’d had a few glasses of red so I was feeling a little emotional anyway, but it was an old Christmas episode of Top of the Pops that followed that set me off. It wasn’t any of the songs that did it. In fact, it wasn’t anything in particular. It was the fact that this particular show happened 40 years ago. I would have been celebrating my first ever Christmas when this show was being aired. As my father passed away last year, and it was our first Christmas without him, watching this festive episode of Top of the Pops got me thinking: “I wonder what Mum and Dad were doing when this show was on for its first broadcast?” No doubt, they would have been very excited about the fact that it was their first Christmas with a child. I wondered what their Christmas tree looked like; I wondered what they did on that Christmas Eve together. I wondered if they had watched Top of the Pops like I was doing 40 years later. As Top of the Pops moved through the years, it brought back memories of Christmasses
past - the one where we all had recorders for Christmas and we drove everyone mad; the one where Dad had bought an extra large Christmas tree and trudged 3 miles home with it - only to find that it was too big for the living room and Mum made him trudge 3 miles back to get a smaller one; the one where I’d found the stash where Mum and Dad kept our Christmas presents - and couldn’t say a word when they forgot to give me my Superman annual as I would have given the game away. Mum always got us our presents from the catalogue and it was the arrival of these catalogues in September that heralded the start of the Christmas season. For me at least. It was the thought of my Lego sets that kept me going through those darkening autumn nights. Each night, I’d take the catalogue to bed and thumb my way to the same page to look at what Santa would be bringing me. Church played a big part of our childhood. My two brothers and my sister all sang in the church choir. As a result, we had to attend most, if not all of the services over the Christmas period. Christmas was truly here when the church organised its yearly tableau. It was a candlelit service and the players, dressed as the figures in the nativity, made their way to the altar to the strains of ‘O Come O Come, Emmanuel’. Incense was used by one of the men playing one of the kings. He was the church organist and if anyone anywhere was to get excited about Christmas, it would be John the organist. I still remember the fausty smell of the robes that made just the once yearly appearance. Dad played the part of Joseph once on account of his moustache. The beard that was
glued to his face was totally the wrong colour and he wasn’t too happy about having to walk barefoot throughout the church. They were good days, they were happy days. I’m sure you’ve got your own memories that you look back on with fondness. I’m not the only one to look back on Christmasses of yesteryear. One of the biggest charms about Christmas is its ‘happy golden days’ - the Christmasses we look back on with fondness. Most of these go back to when we were children ourselves. They were the magical Christmasses, the ones that we smile about when their memories nestle in our consciousness. They were the ones when everyone we loved was there. As life passes, so too do some of our loved ones. Christmasses aren’t the ones we used to know and love. In some instances, they change beyond all recognition. I think back to my parents celebrating their Christmas 40 years ago. I’m pretty sure that at the time, they too would have been looking back on their childhood Christmasses. Enjoy this Christmas. In years to come, it’ll be one to look back on.
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