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RHIWBINA Living Issue 21 Winter 2012
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news
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letters
interview
12 16 21 23 25 local talent
gardens
squidgy
local history
begin with some sad news unfortunately. I usually write these welcome pages with a little friend of mine sat next to me. Sadly, our little office cat here in Rhiwbina, and friend for the last four years, Kaytu, passed away suddenly in October. Abandoned as a kitten, he very much made Rhiwbina his home when we collected him. He was a very loving cat, and made us all feel very special. So we’d like to dedicate this Christmas issue to our feline friend, Kaytu. This issue, as usual at Christmas, is packed with festive treats and fun. First up, we were delighted to get a phone call from Cerys Matthews. She was at home in Pembroke, getting ready for Christmas and her winter tour. She recalls her childhood memories of Rhiwbina on page 8. We also meet a local author, Leela Dutt on page 12. Gareth Neale pens another fascinating history feature on page 23, while local gardener, Kevin Revell takes us through the winter with his gardening feature on page 16. It’s been such a busy year, but we sincerely hope that you all get some rest over the holiday period. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers.
pets page
Patric and Danielle (editors)
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A: 222 Pantbach Road, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6AG T: 07772 081775 / 07974 022920 E: editor@livingmags.co.uk W: www.livingmags.co.uk
recipes
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Welcome Croeso
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents, the publisher cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions, or for any matter in any way arising from the publication of this material. Every effort has been made to contact any copyright holders. Rhiwbina Living is an independent, apolitical publication.
Advertising booking and copy deadline for Issue 22 Friday 15th February 2013. Issue 22 publication date - March 2013. Rhiwbina Living is published 4 times a year.
LIVING MAGAZINES CELEBRATE We are celebrating our 5th birthday this month. Our first issue was published in November 2007!
JUBORAJ DONATES BENCH TO RHIWBINA RESIDENTS
news
Top Award for Living Magazines Editor
MAGAZINE EDITOR SCOOPS NATIONAL AWARD AT WALES BLOG AWARDS
Rhiwbina restaurant Juboraj has donated a bench to the residents of the village. Owner Ana Miah told Living Magazines: “We turned up one day to open the restaurant to find that a bus stop had been placed right outside our shop. Residents didn’t look too happy so we thought we’d get them a bench to sit on while they wait for their bus.” The bench was officially unveiled by Cllrs Adrian Robson and Jayne Cowan.
PACT MEETING The latest PACT meeting will be held in Rhiwbina on Tuesday 27th November at All Saints Church, Heol-y-Felin between 6.30pm and 7.30pm. Top of the agenda this month are nuisance neighbours and youth annoyance. PACT meetings are an opportunity for the community to have their say on what matters the most to them in their area.
Living Magazines editor Patric Morgan has won national honours at a recent award ceremony. Patric won the ‘Best Writing in a Blog’ Award at the 2012 Wales Blog Awards, organised by MediaWales and Warwick Emanuel PR. His blog, about his father’s
battle with cancer, was described by the judges as ‘moving and gripping’. It has also drawn much acclaim from its readers, calling it ‘a wonderful piece of work’ and ‘beautiful and brave’. Patric will be publishing the blog as a book early in 2013. You can find more about the book and at www.patricmorgan.co.uk
RHIWBINA RESIDENT CELEBRATES CENTENARY A Rhiwbina resident recently celebrated her 100th birthday with the help of friends and family. Mrs Budd received a bouquet and certificate from Cardiff ’s Lord Mayor. She also received cards from the Queen, First Minister Carwyn Jones and the Welsh Office. Mrs Budd moved to Rhiwbina after growing up in Canton. She set up the Rhiwbina division of the Girl Guides, and also worked with the Rangers. Even at her remarkable age, she has her faculties and still retains memories of the city over the years. She still takes an interest in laws relating to women working (both married and unmarried).
She spends regular time with Rhiwbina Good Neighbours, whom she visits for a fortnightly meal. She still uses her local hairdresser and even pops to Whitchurch to do her shopping and banking. Her grandson Dave told Living Magazines: “She’s an inspiration. Here’s to 101!”
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news
Deri Inn Raises A Grand for Charity
by Howard Wilkins Special Reporter Barry and Debbie, landlord and landlady of the Deri, organised an evening on the 27th October to raise money for the local Cancer charity TENOVUS.
The aim was to raise funds for a second mobile chemotherapy and counselling bus. With donations of prizes from local businesses in Rhiwbina, as well as a pair of signed shorts donated
Preparatory work is currently being undertaken for flood defences which will be installed in 2013
3rd Rhiwbina Cubs
It is the time of year when Scout groups all across the country are preparing for their largest fundraising event, Scout Post. Here, in 3rd Rhiwbina Scout Group, we have been planning for quite a few months now and things are slowly coming together! by Sam Warburton, the raffle was The children have been given a resounding success. their stamps to sell and our local They held a “slave auction” for outlets have received theirs. We some male staff and auctioned a are pleased to say that, unlike most signed 1966 Geoff Hurst framed things this year, the price of scout shirt. In total, the sum of £1,004 stamps is not increasing. Each was raised on the evening. stamp costs 20p, and can be placed Live entertainment was on Christmas cards that you need provided by the TENOVUS to send anywhere in Cardiff and choir and Motown singer Jackie the Vale of Glamorgan. Webbe. The Hallowe’en fancy Just a quick reminder that the dress theme was embraced by shops selling stamps for 3rd many who provided a great array Rhiwbina Scouts are: Caffi Cariad, of unusual costumes. The joint Mansells Estate Agents, Lloyds winners were local men Jon Pharmacy, Victoria Fearn Gallery, Wooller as “A Man in a Bin” and Snails, The Honeypot, Timba Phil Lawson as “Shrek”. Hair salon and The Deri Stores. The last day of posting is Monday 3rd December. We’d like to thank everyone involved in the deliveries. We have had a very busy year in Cubs, taking part in a variety of fun activities - including raising £500 for Thomas’ Wish to Walk, going on Cub camp in Swansea, and seeing Bear Grylls at the Urban Adventure Day amongst many other fun activities. Don’t forget that if your child is interested in joining Beavers, Cubs or Scouts, contact Jen or Simon at leaders@rhiwbinacubs.co.uk. history, please contact us. Our contact details are on the inside front cover. We will be producing a special edition of Rhiwbina Living to mark the special occasion and we’d love to hear from residents or ex-residents alike!
WE NEED YOU TO HELP CELEBRATE RHIWBINA CENTENARY IN 2013 Rhiwbina celebrates its centenary year in 2013 and we are needing YOUR help for our next issue in March. If you have any stories, photos, leaflets or memories of Rhiwbina throughout its 100 year 4
RHIWBINA’S FLOODING ADDRESSED
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
A THANKS TO YOUR READERS
letters
Just to inform you that I was nominated this year for the Community Safety Volunteer of the Year 2012 award for my work and commitment in Neighbourhood Watch. I was also invited to attend the presentation evening at the Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot on the 27th September, 2012. I enjoy my involvement with Neighbourhood Watch and don’t do this for any reward but, I must admit, it was very nice that what I do is appreciated and recognised within the community and by South Wales Police. I would like to thank everyone for their very kind comments regarding my awards and to thank you all for your continued
JMP SADDLERY RECOGNISED WITH BUSINESS AWARDS JMP Saddlery and Pet Supplies is a small family owned shop in Rhiwbina. My parents bought the shop in 1988 as a hardware store. In 1992, I persuaded my dad that we should start stocking horse feed. A year or two later, this progressed to a tiny stand with headcollars and brushes. Following that, in 1994, I gained my SQP qualification to allow us to sell horse wormers and by then, I had taken over another room in the store. Finally in 1998, we decided to close as Rhiwbina Home & Garden Centre and reopen as JMP Saddlery & Pet Supplies.
support for Neighbourhood Watch. BILL FARNHAM Acting Chair, South Wales Neighbourhood Watch Association Cardiff
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION – A POPULAR MISCONCEPTION? As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas, we often (rightly) make reference to the Virgin Mary, his mother, and often refer to Jesus’ birth as a result of the Immaculate Conception. Many people confuse the Immaculate Conception with the ‘virgin birth’; they are not the same thing! The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception teaches that Mary The shop has gone from strength to strength ever since. We have an all female staff employing 5 people parttime. Our first award was SQP of the Year in 2009. We feel very honoured to receive this recognition from within the trade, and we have now been nominated for SEIB Retailer of The Year 2013. Julia Young
TIPPY-TOE DANCERS PERFORM WITH STARS
herself was conceived without sin and her conception was thus immaculate. Mary’s sinless conception is the reason why Roman Catholics refer to Mary as “full of grace”. Mary received God’s grace from the first moment of her existence, and was totally and completely redeemed by this grace. Because she was redeemed, Mary spent her whole existence in a perfect relationship with God and led a life without sin. God did this so that Mary would be worthy to be the mother of God. I would point out, however, that this is the official viewpoint of the Roman Catholic Church, and is also held by Anglo-Catholics within The Church in Wales. Other Anglicans and almost all Protestant churches, however, do not see the need to believe this doctrine. HOWARD WILKINS Rhiwbina
This was a fantastic opportunity for young dancers to perform alongside professional dancers. Tippi Toes Creative Ballet was founded in early 2012. Classes are held at Rhiwbina Memorial Hall on a Wednesday afternoon. For more information about Tippi Toes classes please contact Miss Linda on 07867 550864, lindasmith100@aol. com or come along for a free trial class! Linda Smith
Students from Tippi Toes Creative Ballet School in Rhiwbina were recently chosen to dance with Angelina Ballerina when the UK tour of Angelina Ballerina - The Mousical came to The New Theatre Cardiff. 5
Sunday 23rd December
Christmas Eve Dinner Party
£12.50 per person Chicken & Daal Pakora, Chicken 65 and Curry Samosas *** (Choice of one of the following) LAMB CURRY (hot & spicy) or BENGALI CHICKEN CURRY (on bone medium) *** Served with pilau rice, papads, samosas, chutneys and fresh fruit salad or freshly baked cheese cake
New Year’s Eve Dinner Party
£12.50 per person Spicy Lamb Keema Balls, Chicken 65 and Chicken & Daal Pakora *** (Choice of one of the following) BHUNA GUSTO (spicy lamb curry, fairly hot/spicy) or BENGALI CHICKEN CURRY (medium) *** Served with pilau rice, papads, samosas, chutneys and fresh fruit salad or freshly baked cheese cake
We very much look forward to seeing you over the festive period. Our deli counter will be open throughout the week for the last two weeks of December, except New Year’s Eve. We would politely ask that you book ahead for Christmas Eve and ESPECIALLY NEW YEAR’S EVE. If you do book in advance, our promise to you is that your food will be ready for collection upon arrival. You can book in advance by calling us on 02920 529029, emailing us at enquiries@gateway-of-india.co.uk or by texting us on 07763 866416. We cannot guarantee swift service if you do not book in advance. Opening hours: Christmas Eve 3pm-10.30pm New Year’s Eve 12noon- 9.30pm
Have you tried Ellen’s Deli Counter? The true taste of Bangladesh. Please come and judge for yourself!
Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and a Joyous New Year I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to my loyal and appreciated customers who have supported me during this past year and previous years, helping me establish what the Gateway of India represents. I am pleased that my commitment is recognised, as is the uniqueness and authenticity of my cuisine. My business ethos has always been to go that ‘extra mile’ and to put my heart and soul into all I do. Recently, we have been awarded the only Silver Healthy Options Award by Cardiff County Council. We have also established a unique deli counter each weekend running Fridays and Saturdays. I believe that the better the ingredients, the better the flavour. That’s why I only buy Class A products and ingredients - hence the cost! I am in Rhiwbina to serve our community wholeheartedly with first class food, maintain a spotless cleanliness of the premises and to provide the most healthiest option of our cuisine to all of my patrons.
Many thanks for your continued custom and support. You have built an unprecedented business in your Rhiwbina.
Moslaur Rahman
236 Pantbach Road, Cardiff, CF14 6AG Phone: 029 2052 9029 www.gateway-of-india.co.uk 7
s y r Ce
Cerys Matthews talks exclusively to Living Magazines about Christmas, being cosy, and her childhood in North Cardiff
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I’ve just lit my fire and I’m getting cosy. What’s it like in Cardiff?” Cerys Matthews is at home in Pembrokeshire. For the exCatatonia front woman and Radio 6 DJ, it’s a rare time to relax at home. “It’s lovely here. The sun’s shining but it is cold.” The picture she paints is very different to the grey mist that has swallowed up Cardiff on a cold winter morning. The Welsh capital is of course, where Cerys was brought up and lived when she first shot to fame during the 1990s. “We used to live in Whitchurch. We had an Uncle Gwyn who lived at the top of Rhiwbina. We’d often go to visit him, and then head out into the woods to pick blackberries. The M4 was being built at the time and we’d sit and watch the workers. The thing I remember about it most was the soil. It was red, all of it red. They also created this monster mound with the waste soil and we’d play on it. I think it’s still there at the top of Rhiwbina.” For a moment, Cerys goes blank as she struggles to remember the name of the school she attended as a youngster. “Nan!” she shouts. “NAN! Which school did I go to in Llandaff?” There’s a muffled conversation in Welsh before Cerys comes back on the phone and announces the word ‘Bryntaf ’ very proudly. Cerys’s love of music started at a young age, yet it was during the nineties, when Welsh talent was riding on a crest of a wave, that she found recognition. Wellknown for fronting Catatonia, Cerys also collaborated with Tom Jones and Space.
interview After Catatonia split, Cerys began exploring other forms of music, taking her to the US and back. But it is her latest work that has seen Cerys really opening up her creative pools. During November, Cerys will be singing live at a Ballet Cymru performance in London. “Their Artistic Director, Darius, got in touch. They had all loved my latest album, Tir. Darius is something of a visionary. I did ballet as a child; it’s such a beautiful art-form so when they asked me to do it, I gave them an “Absolute Yes!” I’ve even taken ballet up again now as an adult. I like to pretend that I’m Margaret Fontaine, even though I probably look like an elephant. “But I’m so excited about the performances. And I’m so proud that Wales has its own wonderful ballet company.” Ballet isn’t the only show that Cerys will be putting on this winter. Her tour is set to take her the length and breadth of Britain in the run-up to Christmas. “I love anything mid-winter. I love Christmas. I want to be a bear and hibernate for the
winter when I think about the weather turning cold. “So the tour is my way of keeping people warm during the winter months. It’s just me, on my own. No pyrotechnics, no dance routines. Just a nice relaxing evening of traditional songs from all over the world by candlelight. “There are two gigs, one in the afternoon and one in the evening when we play Cardiff on Friday 7th December.” The show, at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama draws together a wide-ranging collection of songs that stretch back into history. “I find it fascinating to discover music and ways of life that people would have enjoyed 300 years ago or more. I’ve also got a Christmas album up my sleeve. And a sing-along book that will be published next year.” For Cerys, embracing new ideas means that life is more interesting. “I wouldn’t want to go back to the days of Catatonia. Life’s too short. It was enjoyable at the time but what I’m doing now is even more enjoyable. You grow up, and as you do, you open your eyes to the
magic of the world around you. You have to keep learning, keep reading.” Reading is one pastime that Cerys will need to undertake on an industrial level this winter. She has recently joined the judging panel of the Sony Reader Award for Unpublished Writers, a newly created category for the 2012 Dylan Thomas Prize. “I’m being forced to make time to read. Usually reading is something that comes at the end of the day when all the chores have been done. But now I’ve got twelve novels to get through. I’m reading them where and whenever I can. And I’m loving it!” Looks like it’s going to be a very busy winter for Cerys Matthews. You can join Cerys every Sunday at 10am on Radio 6. Twitter: @cerysmatthews W: www.cerysmatthews. co.uk
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02920 778 936 www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com Charity No: 701294
The Book Nook
Quality Second Hand Books & Gifts 14 A Beulah Road, Rhiwbina, Cardiff 07956895768 email: thebooknook@live.co.uk www.thebooknook.co.uk BOOKS ~ A wide variety of fiction & nonfiction. Children’s new & second hand CHRISTMAS CRAFT CLASS Friday 7th Dec 4.30pm – 6.30pm £10 Fabric, Paper & Mixed Media.
Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral Choir
Christmas Concert Tuesday 27 November 2012, 1:00PM St David’s Hall, Cardiff. £5.50 Box Office: 02920 878 444
GHOST STORY EVENING Wed 12th Dec 7.00pm £6 Mince pies, Mulled wine. GIFTS ~ Hand made gifts, jewellery, cards, gift boxes CHOCOLATE BARS ~ Café-Tasse JEWELLERY REPAIRS ~ re-stringing.
Living Life
Welcome to Living Life. We are the first showroom in South Wales displaying through-floor lifts. On display are easy access bathrooms and a unique bespoke adapted kitchen. bedrooms, bathrooms We are also a wholesale & log burners supplier of tiles. • A helpful and knowledgeable family-run business • Specialist suppliers and installers of: • Quality bespoke bathrooms and related products • Fully fitted bedroom and home office furniture • Stylish eco friendly log burning stoves • Fitting service by our own fully qualified electricians, plumbers and carpenters • Hassle-free fitting from our highly qualified team • Complimentary quote and design service Unit 7, Freemans Parc, Penarth Road. Cardiff, CF11 8TW
02920 231300 www.livinglifecardiff.co.uk
St John’s College, Cardiff a leading independent day school for boys & girls aged 3-18
Top A Level Results in Wales for the 13th Successive Year Leading Sixth Form Education in Cardiff
Please contact Admissions to arrange a visit:
02920 778 936 www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com Charity No: 701294
Last month St John's College Concert Orchestra and Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral Choir undertook a musical tour of the historic Belgian towns of Bruges and Ghent. The Cathedral Choir performed an afternoon concert in the magnificent setting of the Onze Lieve Vrouvekerk (Church of Our Lady), which boasts the tallest spire in the city and a marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child by Michelangelo. Beforehand, our close harmony group gave a preconcert rendition of songs by Michael Jackson and the Beach Boys to crowds near the square. The Concert itself was very well received by a large and appreciative audience. St John's College is the Choir School to Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral and the boy and girl choristers' principal role is to sing a small number of weekly services at the Wales's National Roman Catholic Cathedral in the heart of Cardiff. They also perform in broadcasts on BBC Radio and most recently appeared in a major Hollywood film to be released in 2013, as well as two annual concerts at St David’s Hall. Earlier this year, the Choir performed a joint concert with internationally acclaimed consort, The Tallis Scholars, and on Tuesday 27 November 2012 the Cathedral Choir will sing its annual lunchtime Christmas Concert at St David's Hall, Cardiff, 1pm (Tickets £5.50, Box Office: 02920 878 444).
Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral Choir
Christmas Concert
Tis the Season to Visit Pugh’s!
Tuesday 27 November 2012, 1:00PM St David’s Hall, Cardiff. £5.50 Box Office: 02920 878 444
Christmas Shop NOW OPEN!
Our very only winter wonderland is brimming with festive treats, including a huge selection of tinsel, indoor and outdoor lights, Welsh language decorations and gifts, faux trees and much more!
Fresh Christmas Trees from the 3rd Week of November! Keeping trees both safe and dry, our undercover Christmas tree area will this year house an unbeatable selection of Nordman Fir Non-Needle Drop, Value Nordman Trees, Norway Spruce, Pot Grown Living Xmas Trees, Tree Stands and Fresh Holly Wreaths!
New to Pugh’s!
Pugh’s Christmas Food Festival 1st & 2nd December
Our annual food festival will boast foodie stalls, scrumptious samples, specialist tasting sessions, food demonstrations and Christmas songs galore!
Pugh’s Garden Village, Tynant Nurseries, Radyr, Cardiff CF15 8LB Find us on Facebook & Twitter! 029 2084 2017 www.pughsgardenvillage.com
Oak furniture delivered for Christmas!
Find us on Facebook and Twitter
Local Types “I’m an outsider.” says Leela Dutt, sipping on the straw of her fruit juice. “I grew up in Golders Green with an Indian father and a Danish mother, and after reading history at Oxford, I’ve lived in Rhiwbina for most of my adult life.” Snails is busy and I’m sat opposite the local author and a resident of Rhiwbina for a the last few decades. “Ever since I was a child, I’ve always written about the things that happened to me and around me, as letters and later on emails to friends. As I began to travel around the world, I turned my experiences into fiction. I am always drawn to humorous situations but I also write about serious dramas and tragedies of life.” Cardiff has played its part in inspiring Leela to write. “My book Rubik’s Cube arose from the mingling of the different strands of life I saw around me in Cardiff in the 1980s: the local Quaker group I belonged to, the most peculiar people who lived next door in Lon-y-Deri, all set against the background of the geopolitical situation of the time – the Cold War, American cruise missiles based in Britain and the threat to life on earth itself. It was shortlisted in a Welsh Arts Council competition.” Another of Leela’s books was inspired by more modern-day influences. “Mathison is inspired by Alan Turing’s famous proposition that a computer program could one day be written that was so intelligent that it could fool someone into thinking that it was itself human.
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2012 is the centenary of Turing’s birth – a good time to read this novel, which is supposedly written by a computer program called Mathison. It has been wellreviewed on Amazon. “Kingfisher Blue is an affectionate collection of short stories about fictitious Quakers dealing with divorce, death and drains, told by a wide variety of men and women ranging in age from 22 to 90, set in Canada and Wales, in England and Outer Space. It was written in response to a request from the national body of Quakers for new Quaker fiction. They liked the first four stories I sent them and asked for more. “I was delighted to be picked to be part of the second Brit Writers Publishing Programme, chosen for my story idea, my writing talent and my platform. Through this scheme, I met a number of hardworking and talented writers, and I have been greatly encouraged and helped by being invited to join with them to form Wonderbookland, an online writing co-operative. “I have always written to share my work with friends around the world, rather than to make a lot of money, so with my latest novel now out on Kindle for £2.06 this has become more possible than ever before. But many of my friends have told me they don’t have a Kindle, so the novel is now a paperback for £7.99 which can be ordered from Amazon, the Book Depository or from bookshops.” Leela’s latest novel, Only a Signal Shown is a long-distance love story covering three decades at the end
of the twentieth century. “The chapters are set in many of the countries which I have visited. The story begins in a Nigerian university, inspired by my living there for a year in the early 1970s when my first two children were very young. I used the dramatic events of the South African armed invasion of Lesotho as the climax of my story. I was intimately involved with this invasion because our daughter Jo Attfield had just arrived in Lesotho to teach maths when South Africa invaded and Jo was immediately evacuated by the British; she had to ring me up from a hotel in a place I’d never heard of in South Africa and ask me to pay the bill. “I write a lot of short stories these days, and am thinking of publishing a new collection, together with some of the stories originally seen in Kingfisher Blue since those stories have been generously critiqued. As for travel, I am now setting my sights on Tanzania since a nephew of mine has recently gone there to work. I am also toying with ideas for my next novel.” http://leeladutt.wordpress.com www.leeladutt.co.uk http://www.amazon.com/ author/leeladutt
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Christmas at
Special Christmas Menu - Book NOW to avoid
Come and try our brand new menu including
Baburchi Khaas Chef’s Special Menu
Limited Time Only
A selection of new dishes carefully developed and crafted by our expert chefs mixing traditional techniques with contemporary flavours for a whole new Juboraj experience.
Khaas Baburchi l Menu Chef’s Specia Limited Time Only
d by our developed and crafte dishes carefully contemporary A selection of new g traditional techniques with ience. expert chefs mixin a whole new Juboraj exper flavours for
Appetisers & Starters
s Main Dishe
s, Murgh Malai Curry d with traditional spice cooke Tender chicken and lemon juice ....£11.95 , coconut milk .............................. mustard, ghee .............................. to a medium taste n Shahi Gosht-Birabeef steak pan fried drizzeled a ated and fries Spicy Marin .....£14.95 s, served with with spiced onion............................................................ spicy sauce .......... d with chopped .£10.95 Machli Kofta n tuna balls cooke Deep fried spicy coriander and a touch of cumi onions, tomatoes, Soup Juboraj Special soup ous authentic Deem Lazeez ............ £4.25 al recipe lentil cooked to delici .............................. Our own speci Spicy boiled eggs , ginger, garam masala, small nan bread ............£9.95 Served with a flavour, with garlic .................................................. leaf chilli’s and bay beef cooked to Salan-E-Gosht .........£12.95 marinated spicy .............................. Chunks of pre special receipe our chefs own nds, Chicken Fresh Mango with mild spices, ground almo .......£10.95 an d little a Baing cooke y taste .......... Chilli d with 5 Chicken potatoes cooke o for sweet cream .......................£8.7 mang .......... and .......... Aubergine and s cream and fresh chilli’ masala sauce ni beef, Birya of bi ks Nawa chun ...........£8.75 ni Recipe with Masala Panir Dall cooked in spicy lentil gravy Original Birya oes and ghee served with ......£15.95 Spicy cheese cubes .............................. pineapple, potat sauce .................... plain passanda h Naryali Aloo Murgcoked with potatoes, peas, ..£11.95 .......... dish .......... en .................... Mild chick ut and cream desicated cocon
............£5.50 balls .................... Machli Bora deep fried tuna Medium spiced ...........£5.75 Wings Masala Chicken ated chicken wings .................... Fried spicy marin ........ £4.50 Tikka Samosas tikka pastry parcels .................... en chick ded Shred .....£6.25 duck .................... Haash Kebab of succulent tikka Marinated strips
Dishes Vegetarian
d t) Murghi Zalzala(Ho ated deep fried chicken cooke a On the bone marin s for hot firey taste with ....£13.95 chilli’ pickle .................... with crushed ali Naga chilli touch of hot Beng t Gosh bhoona Anaras Methi Lamb cooked pple or en Chick pinea Choice of .......... £11.50 um strength with .............................. style to a medi .............................. and fenugreek
disapointment.
arters rs & St AppetiWhyse ion to share. not order a select rich sauce Aloo Chat (v) es served in a ..................£4.35 Diced boiled potato .................................................. nder with fresh coria Lamb Chat Chicken Chat or lamb tikka in our special : £5.25 l: £6.25 or ...........................c Diced chicken .......... .......... chat massala sauce a d chicken Chicken Pakor ls containing spice ...........................£5.25 parce y crisp .................... Golden, .............................. and vegetables
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the winter garden
by Kevin Revell
Christmas is a time of role reversal when trees, flowers and foliage are brought into the house along with gardeners, who may be found overindulging during the festive season. There is plenty to be doing outside however if sufficient enthusiasm can be mustered, with pruning and lawn care taking priority when conditions allow. Raking, scarifying and spiking are fine warming jobs on a cold winter’s day and it is possible to work up a good appetite prior to feasting, or work off a hangover and excess calories the morning after. Tasks are often better tackled now while the weather is relatively calm in December before the potentially foul weather of January and driving snow puts a stop to virtually any activity apart from building snowmen. Christmas trees were brought into popular culture by Prince Albert in Victorian times, the custom reminding him of his Germanic roots shared enthusiastically by many Anglo Saxons in Britain for whom such behaviour must have had some sort of folk memory. Some plants will forever be associated with the festive season; the holly and the ivy have been immortalised in a popular Christmas carol although their use as winter
16
decoration in the house has an altogether earlier pagan association. Likewise mistletoe is linked with Nordic gods and druids, with a distribution and life cycle that borders on the magical. We have a few isolated examples in South Wales, particularly in old orchards, but in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, numerous alder and field maples are garlanded with this semi-parasitic oddity. Many failed attempts at introducing it into my own garden illustrate that its passage through the digestive tract of a mistle thrush seems to be important in its likely success and it will only grow on certain trees. Although it relies on the host plant for water and nutrients, it can at least manufacture its own food so doesn’t place too much strain on the old trees it seems to favour. How cyclamen and poinsettia came to represent Christmas is anyone’s guess but probably has something to do with clever marketing and their convenient flowering time. Christmas cacti, while not actually true cacti, do at least flower at about the right time and can be relied to come back into flower year after year. Moth orchids (Phalanopsis) are now available in a bewildering range of colours and can also be
persuaded back into bloom with minimal effort. Once they were the preserve of Victorian glasshouses and moustachioed gardeners, who wore ties under their overalls and laboured for long hours persuading small seedling to grow at her ladyship’s behest. The persistence of holly leaves through the harshest winter weather must have seemed miraculous to our prehistoric and medieval forebears, when most other plants were bare and winter fodder for animals hard to come by so it was obviously treated with some reverence and brought into the house, behaviour we continue to exhibit to this day. The bright red berries make it invaluable for winter decoration and wreaths if you can beat the local blackbirds and thrushes that seem to take an interest just as the weather turns cold in the week or two before Christmas. Of course, it is its ability to feed and home wildlife that make it so useful in the garden and countryside; it certainly makes a prickly hideout for nesting and roosting birds and is ideal for us to use for burglar-proof hedging. Native holly is dioecious bearing male and female flowers on separate plants so a male plant will
christmas gardens
never bear berries. Not all holly is green and prickly however; there are numerous smooth leaved cultivars which useful in a garden where children are present and easier to use for wreath making. Ilex aquifolium ‘Silver Queen’, in spite of its name is a male form which will bear no berries, ‘Handsworth New Silver’ is a good berry bearing variegated form with handsome purple new shoots. Another popular evergreen shrub for the garden at Christmas time is Skimmia japonica, female forms of which bears bright red berries and is ideal for festive pots and containers. ‘Nymens’ and ‘Olympic Flame’ are worth seeking out over the more commonly seen ‘Reevesiana’ which looks good in a pot but does not perform as well in the garden. The male form such as ‘Rubella’ or ‘Fragrant Cloud’ has attractive buds which persist through winter blooming in early spring with a wonderfully strong scent which hangs on the air. Ivy is another evergreen plant which comes into its own in winter and is particularly welcome in the house at Christmas time, usually garlanding the fireplace or peeping out from behind picture frames. Flowering in
late autumn with fruits developing in winter, this is another invaluable wildlife attracting plant which is sadly persecuted in our gardens due to misapprehension over whether it will bring the house down like the similarly green incredible hulk but modern brickwork will not be damaged. If you can’t bring yourself to tolerate the native form there are a number of cultivated forms which are brightly coloured and are ideal for covering ugly block work on garages and walls. Hedera helix ‘Glacier’ and ‘Goldheart’ are both fine examples. Once established, it soon attracts nesting birds such as robins and wrens while blackbirds and wood pigeons love to eat the berries in the depths of winter. The Persian Ivy Hedera colchicum has larger leaves and is faster growing being ideal to turn chain link fencing into a narrow, low maintenance hedge. Winter flowering plants stand out by the flamboyance and the sheer beauty of their unseasonal flowers. Fragrance advertises their presence to what few pollinators are around so give them a prominent spot in the garden near to doorways and pathways. Christmas box, (Sarcocca confusa) is an essential plant being small,
tough and shade tolerant, it will reliably bear small fragrant flowers in time for Christmas. Christmas rose,(Helleborus niger) on the other hand in spite of its name, usually waits until January or February before revealing pure white flowers much loved by bees. Mahonia japonica ‘Charity’ is a large holly like shrub which benefits from a profusion of small, scented yellow flowers from December to January which are especially useful to any early flying insects which have emerged prematurely from hibernation, confused by the occasional sunny spring-like day. By planting a variety of winter interest shrubs in the garden and allowing them to reach a good size you will never be short of material to cut for the house at Christmas, either to provide foliage or blooms on bare branches. Viburnum bodnatense ‘Dawn’ and shrubby honeysuckle, Lonicera purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ are useful in this regard and will fragrance the room with a heady perfume which cannot be matched by the noxious fumes emanating from plug-in scent dispensers, more appropriate to a public convenience than a homely yuletide residence.
Kevin Revell is Plant Area Manager at Caerphilly Garden Centre and is a Llandaff North resident
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Winter in the Wenallt squidgy
by Squidgy Squirrel
I don’t know about you but I’ve been looking forward to Christmas for the last few months! Autumn was a busy time for us animals here in the Wenallt. Even before the end of summer, we were busy collecting food to see us through the cold winter ahead. Many people think that squirrels hibernate during the winter but the fact is that we don’t! The only reason we don’t see very much of each other is the fact that neither of us like to go out when it’s too cold! Towards the end of autumn, hedgehogs and other hibernating animals have a look around to find best places to build nests. Favourite sites are under hedges and roots of trees, inside compost heaps or in old rabbit burrows and underneath
timber buildings and sheds. They make their nests in old dry leaves, grass and other vegetation. Most hedgehogs seem to wake up fairly frequently during their hibernation but rarely leave their nests to go outside. Should the weather become too cold hedgehogs will not bother to add extra insulation to their original nest but will go and build another one somewhere else. At first glance, the Wenallt in winter appears to be dormant and quiet. Most of the trees will have shed their leaves and with many woodland animals are hibernating, it will seem as if the woodland is deserted. However, the woodland canopy and leaf litter help insulate the wood from the
worst of the winter frost. This allows insects and other invertebrates to stay alive and carry on going about their business. Fungi carry on fruiting and microbes in the soil are also still active - so the process of decomposition and nutrient recycling continues. The one broadleaved tree that is still green at this time of year, is the famous Christmas symbol, the holly tree. Other evergreens such as mistletoe and ivy also attach themselves to the deciduous trees adding a splash of colour to the otherwise bare winter woods.
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local history
The Battle of the Butchers by Gareth Neale The Battle of Hastings in 1066 started the Norman Conquest but the conquest of the part of Glamorgan by the Normans of which now includes Rhiwbina took another 27 years. By 1081, the Vale of Glamorgan from the coast to Cowbridge had been captured by Robert Fitzhammon, Lord of Gloucester. In that year, he built the keep of Cardiff Castle. But the Great Heath, Mynydd Bychan, together with the rest of Glamorgan, remained in the hands of Iestyn the Welsh Lord of Glamorgan. Then, and even up to the middle of the 1700s, the whole area north of what is now Cathays Cemetery, from the River Taff to the River Rhymney, was rough open ground with occasional farms. This was Mynydd Bychan, which is, of course, still the Welsh name for the Heath area of Cardiff. In the years after 1082, Iestyn and his men constantly attacked the Normans. Robert decided to remove Iestyn and seize his territory. Iestyn had promised the hand of his daughter Nest to his cousin Einon but he broke that promise. Einon turned to Robert Fitzhammon to revenge Iestyn’s betrayal and they agreed to join forces to overthrow Iestyn. As a reward he would have a share of Iestyn’s territory which, until the arrival of the Normans, had covered the whole of South Wales from Cardiff to beyond Swansea. In 1093, Robert and Einon marched on Iestyn and the result
was what the Chronicles called ‘The Battle of Mynydd Bychan’. But the actual site of the battle was an area known as ‘Butchers Fields’. The open area to the north of All Saints Church is now all that is left of it, but it was a huge open space each side of the stream. Robert cleverly suggested that Einon’s men should form the front of the attack and in the very fierce battle, Einon’s men were decimated by Iestyn’s forces. Einon survived and was later rewarded by Robert with a Lordship, west of Swansea, evidenced by the village of Port Eynon on the Gower. However, Iestyn’s men were no match for the heavily armed Normans and they were killed in their hundreds. Iestyn’s fate is less clear. He may have fled and taken refuge in the Monastery at Whitchurch. More likely is that he was killed. The dead and wounded, it is said, shed so much blood that the stream running through the field of battle turned red with their blood, and became known as the Nant y Waedlwyd (the Bloody Brook). The ford where a road crossed it near what is now the end of Beulah Road became known
as the Rhyd y Waedwlyd (the Bloody Ford) It is said that over half of all the men who took part in the battle were killed and that, as burying them was not practical, they were piled up and covered with earth and rocks forming the Tympath. However, archaeological excavations on the site in the late 1800s disprove this as a myth. The Tympath was probably a small motte (a mound upon which a small fort could be erected), from which a Norman occupying force could prevent future incursions. Rhiwbina streams run red from the hills to the north that contains large deposits of Red Marl. In heavy rains, even today, these give the water a reddish brown tinge. So maybe in reality it was not just the blood of the battle that gave the stream its ‘bloody’ name. But that battle certainly did take place right here in the middle of Rhiwbina in 1093.
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Are there any dangers to cats around the house at Christmas? I’m always worried that my cat will chew on the Christmas lights and electrocute herself. I’m also worried about her eating things she shouldn’t!
There are many potential dangers in the home for pets at Christmas; fortunately most cats are too sensible to come to any harm, but there are a few areas to look out for. You’ve mentioned the Christmas lights, and they could potentially injure her if she chose to chew the wires – but why should she? Does she chew other electric cables? If so, you are right to be concerned, but chewing wires is usually a puppy’s or a house-rabbit’s mischief rather than a cat’s. Make use a low-voltage set of lights to minimise the risk, and tape down or hide the wires to reduce their attractiveness. You need to make sure that your Christmas tree is stable so that if the cat decides to climb it (and why wouldn’t she – it’s just a tree!) it doesn’t come crashing down on your best ornaments. If you have a live tree standing in water, to reduce the needle drop, make sure the water is not accessible as resins from the tree could make it toxic; the needles are also dangerous if eaten, so hoover them up regularly. Tinsel should be out of her reach as it is interesting and she may try to play with it; if she ate it, the long strands could cause an obstruction. Artificial snow is toxic to cats, so don’t use it anywhere she could lick it. There are several plants particularly associated with Christmas which are poisonous to cats, including poinsettias, mistletoe and holly. Keep them out of the way and make sure you pick up any fallen berries or leaves. Don’t forget how poisonous lily pollen is, so pick off the stamens to eliminate the risk of it getting on your cat.
Are you able to give me advice about my dog who does not stop barking? He’s two years old and I’m worried that the neighbours are going to get annoyed while I’m out of the house at work. Dogs barking when left alone in the house are a major cause of neighbour disputes and complaints, so you are right to be worried. The cause needs to be established before you can try to correct it, and there are several possible reasons. Is he warning off potential intruders from approaching his den – including postmen, passers-by, even traffic in the street? More likely, he is worried because you aren’t there to protect him, and is suffering from “separation anxiety”, a well-recognised canine psychological problem. This is a complex area, and potentially quite a serious problem, so I would recommend you get professional help from a wellqualified dog behaviourist to sort it out before you have a visit from the Council noise enforcement police - ask your vet to recommend one. There are a number of products available to help, such as Adaptil, Zylkene, pressure vests etc, but these rarely are sufficient without behaviour therapy as well, so I am reluctant to advise you to try them alone.
My dog has a split nail, right the way down to the paw. Should I get him seen to or do you think it will clear up on its own?.
Unfortunately, this sort of split rarely heals unaided, because every time the nail takes weight, the split is reopened. Infection frequently results from the dirt and licking. It is likely that the nail will need to be removed, so take your dog to your vet and get it sorted out quickly. If the nail does have to be removed, it will slowly regrow and in a few months you won’t know anything had happened.
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What, not the grot shop! This edition includes Christmas and the New Year celebrations. So Heather and I are trying to do our bit for the village along with many others in the Rhiwbina Events Team and have started our own Christmas Tree Appeal. For those who enjoyed our china smashing stall at this year’s Summer Festival, Heather has now asked many of the local residents to donate unwanted items to the shop in order to raise both awareness and funding for this year’s Christmas Tree Appeal. She has, in the short term (until the 1st December) turned the Garden Village Garage into a similar version of Reggie Perrins’ “Grot Shop”. Residents need not worry. There will no mother in law ‘Hippos’ charging around the high street! We are not a charity shop although donations received are going into the Events Team for the Christmas Tree. I understand that many of the local residents think that the council fund the Christmas tree. However this is NOT the case and there are many individuals on the events team together with the local business community that do in fact provide the revenue for the tree, for all to enjoy. The tree costs almost £1,700 to light and install and as a result this is what’s needed from donations to make it happen. Please, try to do your bit and enjoy the lighting of the tree at this year’s Christmas Festival on Saturday the 1st December.
Back at the Garden Village Garage we have now been on the high street for nearly a year. During this period we have enjoyed many new relationships with the residents of Rhiwbina and have completed over 500 jobs (more than we expected). At the start of 2013, we are going to launch our “Sell Your Car” scheme. This scheme will operate like any estate agency with the client retaining full control of the sale price whilst still continuing to use their car. We will be able to arrange valuation, test drive, service and valet of all or any current cars whilst also taking care of part exchange matters. We will act as an agent and market any cars for sale and take the hassle out of dealing with ‘the buyer’. We can also advise on all matters with regard to any new car purchase and take the stress away from any negotiation. Just call us on our free phone number 0333 121 2012 to discuss. Across the page are some examples of cars we have bought and sold they start from £2,000 upwards. So if your wife fancies a new Mini or if the kids are learning to drive maybe we can help? Most of the cars history we will know, as they will have been sourced from our existing service clients! Finally some questions have been raised around our association with Laurel and Hardy and even our latest new friend - the gorilla. Why are they there? Why have you got two comedians representing your business? Well, it’s just supposed to be a bit of fun and in any instance if they are outside our shop then they are not able to be working on your car. Well they are not in our business anyway!
0333 121 2012 Call Free www.GardenVillageGarage.co.uk 1A Heol-Y-Deri, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6HA
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Everything you need for horse and rider Stockists Free Wormer Hat and Body of Burns Reminder Protector Pet Shop Service Pet Food Fitting Stockists of a range of products for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, fish, and much more
www.jmpsaddlery.co.uk
Tel: 02920 090359 Mob: 07508 839120
02920 624813
www.excelsweeps.co.uk
127 Heol Llanishen Fach, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6RE
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Christmas Eve Supper
‘ Gather around the table, or have ‘plates on laps’ in front of the fire for these festive treats
CHEESY BEEF BURGERS
Ingredients: 1 red onion, finely chopped 500g (18oz) extra lean beef mince 2tbsp sun-dried tomato paste 4tbsp chopped parsley 1 garlic clove, crushed 75g (3oz) Cheddar, cut into four thin chunks To serve: 4 large wholemeal baps 1/2 small red onion, sliced 3tbsp mayonnaise Method 1. Place the onion in a large bowl with all the remaining ingredients, except the cheese. Season with plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir until well combined. It’s a lot easier to use your hands to squidge all the ingredients together. 2. Shape the mix into 4 fat burgers and push a chunk of cheese into the centre of each one, make sure the cheese is covered. 3. Preheat grill to medium and cook for 15 mins, turning now and then until cooked through. Put the burgers in toasted baps and top with red onion and mayo. Serve with salad and potato wedges. Yummy!
ORANGE AND CINNAMON MINCE PIES Ingredients: 375g shortcrust pastry 250g good quality mincemeat 50g plain flour 4 tbsp demerara sugar 40g butter finely grated zest of ½ orange 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Method 1. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6. Thinly roll out the pastry and using a 7.5-9cm pastry cutter, cut out as many disks as you can, rerolling the trimmings as you go. Press the disks into the holes of one or two 12 hole patty tins. 2. Spoon a couple of teaspoons of mincemeat into each pastry case and set aside. 3. To make the crumble topping, rub together the flour, demerara sugar, butter, orange zest and cinnamon until you have a chunky crumble mixture. Scatter over the top of the mincemeat and place in the oven for around 15 minutes or until the mince pies are golden and the tops are crisp. 4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before taking out of the tins. Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar to serve.
PATRIC MORGAN
BOARD GAMES, BEER AND A BING CROSBY CD
Christmas Day 1993 It wasn’t very often that our large family would be in one place at one time so we always looked forward to Christmas Day evenings at our house. As kids, it was the only time of year we got to see our aunties and uncles drunk which we found amusing. It also meant that us kids seemed to have more authority. Alice, our little baby sister was tucked up safely far away in the back bedroom of the house. We’d occasionally hear her stir on the baby monitor we had on the mantelpiece and the room full of people would fall silent for a moment. “Shhhh. Baby monitor!!!” said Mum sternly. We all fell silent and watched the monitor. No idea what we were expecting to see. “Ok. All clear.” said Mum after hearing Alice settle herself down. The party resumed. We’d had two board games the previous Christmas. One was called Brit Quiz and the other was called Dare. Brit Quiz always came first before Dare was cracked open after a few beers. One of my brother’s friends, James was hammered before 6pm. He was around 19 and always seemed to be drunk. We’d often see him down the Friars night-club down at Barry Island, off his face and curled up asleep in a ball in the middle of the dance floor. “I’ve got a Bing Crosby Christmas CD in the glove compartment of my car! I’ll just go and get it!” he mumbled before falling out of the patio doors, never to be seen again. It was one less drunk for Dad to worry about. He hated people in his house. My brother Dylan picked up a Dare forefeit card and read it out. “Right! Brian! You need to do 50 press-ups.” Dylan had lied of course. The card’s instructions were to do ten press-ups but Dylan knew that Brian, who at around 5’3 and rather
round, would struggle. “On your knuckles!” added Dylan. The kids were in charge tonight. “Right! I’m there! I’m Brian the Lion - strong as iron!” shouted Brian before rolling up his sleeves and getting down on his hands and knees. We all counted out the press-ups while Brian got going. By seven, his face was turning red and a ring of sweat was rising up his paper Christmas hat. “8.9.10.” Brian started trembling and growling. “Come on Brian! We need these points!” “11.12.13...” Brian’s eyes were popping. His brown Clarks loafers curled up every time he lowered his heavy frame to the carpet. “He’s going to have a heart attack!” someone cried. “Come on Brian you big girl!” came another voice. “Come on!!!!!” Despite all his shaking and sweating, Brian incredibly managed to get to 40 and was still going. His red-raw knuckles were buckling and cracking. “Come on Brian!! Only ten more left!” Dylan, realising that Brian had defied his instructions, stood up. “I forgot to say,” he said, holding up the card “...with someone on your back!” And with that, Dylan jumped on Brian’s back. “Yay!” cried Dylan, sat astride the fallen beast “Another failure! I’m off to get a drink!” Dylan was enjoying his evening. He headed to the empty kitchen to see what he could drink and get away with while all the grown-ups were drunk. The kitchen table was strewn with empty beer cans, some used as ash-trays, half-empty wine bottles and plastic six-pack rings. The fridge offered up nothing of interest so Dylan quietly climbed the stairs and tip-toed down the long passage towards the back bedroom where Alice lay sleeping. He knew that Dad had a secret stash of beer hiding under Alice’s cot.
The door creaked open. “Sssssh!” said Dad. He was already there, sat on the floor, enjoying a sneaky warm Spar Pilsner lager. “Got any beer?” Dad exploded as quietly as he could. “For God’s sake! You as well? I’m sick of people coming to my house, eating my food, drinking my beer.” Downstairs, Mum shushed the crowd in the living room, waiting for their Master of Ceremonies to return. “Shhhh. Baby monitor!!!” The noise subsided to a hush. We could hear Dad and Dylan talking. We all sat there, listening to the conversation that was taking place
far away in the back bedroom of the house.
“I only want the one can.” said Dylan. “Greedy sods the lot of them. All I wanted was a quiet Christmas. All my food’s gone, my drink’s gone. That’s why I’ve had to put a secret slab here under the bed. Why can’t they all just clear off and leave me to my own house?” Us kids watched as our aunties and uncles sat heads down, peering into their flat beer. Brian took off his damp Christmas hat and stuffed it into the pocket of his tweed jacket. Within a couple of minutes, they’d all put their coats on and headed out into the cold Christmas night. Dad was up early the next morning, slugging out the bins full of empty cans and bottles. He hadn’t meant to cause offence and he protested his innocence to Mum as he struggled down the garden path with the heavy bags. “I was only joking.” he said “I knew they’d all be able to hear me!” But Mum didn’t buy it. As he passed James’s car, he placed his bags on the floor and peered in. James was sat in the passenger seat, head bowed asleep, and with his hand still in his glove compartment, clutching a Bing Crosby CD.
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JENKINS CARDIFF THE SUZUKI SWIFT
Jenkins Cardiff, Hadfield Road, Cardiff, CF11 8AQ / (029) 2064 2900 / www.jenkinsgroup.co.uk