This Weekend July 4th and 5th Skenfrith Festival

A family friendly music festival running over 2 days and set in the grounds of Skenfrith Castle.

Entrance fees are £2.00 per adult, £1.00 per child, under 5's are free.

Live music from Silurian, Rob Lomax, Chris Egan, 3MPH, Crockers Ash Scratch Band, Red River Blues, Michigan Avenue, Big Sky, Broome Cupboard Blues Band, Arthur Mills and Black eyed Friday, BBC Acoustic, Sam Huffer, Karl Paiz, Acoustically Numb and the Rock Choir

Plenty of fun events for all the family, fairground rides, treasure hunt, face painting.


Plenty of food!With "Noodles in a box" offering choices of noodles, dumplings and spring rolls. BBQ, Hog Roast, Traditional Ploughman's and afternoon teas will also be available. And for the early risers and campers there will also be bacon rolls on sale between 9.00 and 10.00.

Vegetarian options available including fantastic goodies from our local producers including Kelsmor artisan icecream



Beer and Cider For the grown ups.featuring 25 real ales and ciders from our local producers see The Beer and Cider Festival Page for more information on the tipplers featured. We will also have a very well stocked Wine Bar supplied by AL K Wines featuring white, rose, red and sparkling wine


For More details got to http://www.skenfrithfestival.co.uk/

More photos of wild flowers around Abergavenny

Wild flowers around Abergavenny

I went for a little walk near my home and took some lovely photos what is around here.

   Hedgerow Cranebill

Red Campion

 A meadow full of buttercups

 A Lane full of Cow Parsley and buttercups

A busy bee on a Granny Bonnet

A Wildflower Garden for the Bees and Butterflies in Abergavenny.

A selection of wildflowers including Granny Bonnet,cowslip and wild grasses

invertebrates - Animals without backbones (Kidport 2012)

I am enjoying a day off in my lovely garden in the rural part of Abergavenny.
I am a novice to gardening, but I am really rather proud of my wildflower section that seems to be growing really well.

A study from Prof Jonathan Baille of the Zoological Society said that insects, slugs and snails may not be seen as lovely as Tigers or Elephants, but they are just as important to providing the food we eat and the countryside we love. The risk of the butterfly and bee is at risk of dying out.(Telegraph 2012)

“These critters form the basis of many of the essential benefits that nature provides; earthworms recycle waste nutrients, coral reefs support a myriad of life forms and bees help pollinate crops,” he said. “If they disappear, humans could soon follow.”

The UN body asked the society to conduct a survey to ensure that animals are not endanger of becoming extinct. As invertebrates make up to 98% of the animal species Prof Baille was shocked to discover 'that roughly one fifth of vertebrates and plants were threatened with extinction, but it was not clear if this was representative of the small spineless creatures that make up the majority of life on the planet,” he said. “The initial findings in this report indicate that 20 per cent of all species may be threatened.”

So what has this study got to do with Butterflies and Bees?

Well, research has shown that due to losing their habitats through various ways such as intense farming, building, use of pesticides and loss of grassland, the butterfly and bee are losing out.

So what can we do?

Wildflowers provide food for the bee and butterfly and also help pollinate crops. If we lose these two lovable creatures, our own diet will change considerably. You can do your bit by planting wildflowers in your garden. I have noticed throughout Abergavenny, round abouts and certain verges are now full of wildflowers. These can be herbs such as Lemon Balm, Thyme, Borage, Mint plus you get to use them in your kitchen.
Flowers such as Cornflower, Poppy,Lavender,Mallow,Cowslip not only look beautiful in the garden but will attract both bees and butterflies.

Lemon Balm Plant

Also some of the windflowers are fit for human consumption too and really add a dash of colour to your food. You can also grow hedgerow fruits such as Blackberries and Loganberries.

Herb selection including Parsley, Garlic Chives, Thyme, Sage and Mint

In conclusion we can see that not only by growing a wildflower garden will look pretty but it is essential food for both the bee and butterfly to survive as well as assisting us to have a full and nutritious diet as well as some of the plants and fruits are edible so very yummy too.

For more information on what plants to grow, go to:-

 https://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/Pollinator_Friendly_Plants/

References

http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/animals/animalindexinv.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthnews/9510234/Butterflies-more-endangered-than-tigers.html

Update 18/01/2015

Well I have been very busy working and doing plenty of overtime at my job in Abergavenny as a Support Worker. I do enjoy my job and have decided to enroll at the Open University and sign up to do a Degree course in Health and Social Care. I am nervous and excite but it has to be done. I need to stretch my brain and get as many qualifications as I can. I will be starting this at the end of this month so wish me luck. Also, December kept me busy and crafty and I kept up to my promise to myself of making and baking. I made mini Christmas Cakes and also re did the bunting outside the house.

I have plenty of other little projects to keep me busy through out the New Year as well.  Its going to be a very busy time!

Sugarloaf Mountain, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

I had made a vow to go up the Sugarloaf Mountain on Tuesday 02/09/2014.

This is part of my vow to myself to lose weight and get out and about without having to spend a fortune. By exploring the area around me means that life is not all about work, work, work (even though I do enjoy it) coming home and sitting infront of a box of moving images.

It's about taking in what's around you and loving it.

So after making a box of sandwiches (with homemade bread and home grown rocket). I packed up and off I went. 

Parking the car at the top of Chapel Road in Rees Jeffery’s Car park, I ventured down to the National Trust’s landmark and started my walk from there. The walk isn’t too steep and is more of a gentle incline to the ridge of the mountain. 

There are five walks up the Sugarloaf, but this particular walk didn’t take me to the top. I wanted the cover all the walks on Sugarloaf before reaching the top. 

The views are amazing. You walk through the beautiful ancient woods where the tree are all twisted and knarled while reaching the nearest shaft of light. The sheep and cows keep you company, well they look at you and run off. Unless they are calling out for help. One little lamb got himself locked out on the other side of a walker’s gate. Once let through he was jumping for joy.

I was sure that I had misread the map that I had printed off the laptop, but I stuck to the path which swept me around to the right hand side of the mountain.

The path levelled out and I found myself walking through beautiful purple heather. The Skyline was amazing and I took advantage of this for photo opportunities. The top of the Sugarloaf Mountain posed very nicely for me and I got a ‘selfie’ of us both. 

I carried on following the path to the right and then it started to descend, back through woods and then opened up to the view of Abergavenny Town.

There was here, an abundance of Blackberries. 

Here was another opportunity to pick these lovely plump blackberries to make a pie. Of course a few were eaten and very lovely and sweet they were as well. 

So why not take yourself up a Mountain? If you’re feeling down, confused and just want to escape from it for a while.

Gore's Literacy Trail - Goytre Wharf, Monmouthshire, South Wales

Still enjoying my week off and investigating around the area of Abergavenny, South Wales where I live.
I took off to Goytre with the fur kids to explore the canal and after parking up, saw this new trail. I know it's for kids, but I still like to explore. Starting off with Gore's giant book, welcoming you in and helping you to find your way, look in the trees and there is Incy Wincy spider. A little further down the path and I can only describe them as wooden wig whams, it sorted of reminded me of the Blair Witch project and could be a bit spook and intriguing at the same time. There were plenty of wooden carvings in the wood including the witch in the log, the otter and also Gore's Enchanted chair where you can sit down and tell your stories to a keen audience. Then over the bridge and a stroll down the tow path to the side of the canal. Pass the crooked chair with an extract of the poem 'Leisure' by WH Davies:-

WHAT is this life if, full of care, 

We have no time to stand and stare?— 

No time to stand beneath the boughs, 

And stare as long as sheep and cows: 

 No time to see, when woods we pass, 

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass: 

 No time to see, in broad daylight, 

Streams full of stars, like skies at night: 

 No time to turn at Beauty's glance, 

And watch her feet, how they can dance: 

 No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began? 

 A poor life this if, full of care, 

We have no time to stand and stare. 

 Follow the tow path towards and under the aqueduct and towards the lime kilns where you can read how they used to work in these tiny kilns. There is also a place to get refreshments from as well. This walk is then complete.

To begin at the beginning.

 It is spring, moonless in the small town, 

starless and bible-black, 

the cobble streets silent and the hunched, 

courters’-and-rabbits’ wood 

limping invisible down 

to the sloe black, slow, black, crow black, 

fishing boat bobbing sea.

 DYLAN THOMAS

Skirrid Fawr Mountain in Abergavenny, South Wales

Well as I wrote earlier on Bubblews, I was planning to walk up the Skirrid Mountain which is not to far from here I live. I am determined to get fit and thought this would be an excellent and free way to do it. I don't need a gym membership, I have the countryside right on my door step. So I invested in some decent waterproofs which cost me £50 but I will need them for my work if we have a bad winter. So plenty of wear out of that investment!
My Mom and Dad came down on Friday night for my Birthday, we had a lovely meal the night before and we were contemplating going into Cardiff, but that meant spending money and I am trying to be thrifty at the moment.
They are experienced walkers them selves and have down the Coast to Coast walk and most recently Ben Nevis.
So the challenge was on! Would my dodgy ankle keep it together for me to climb to the top of the Skirrid?
We parked the car at the bottom of the Mountain and started the steady incline up hill. So far so good. We then followed the path to the right and followed it until it reached a gentle walk. We passed some sheep grazing under a tree, One took a particular interest in us ( See YouTube Video).
We carried on a little while further and then the path got a little steeper when we walked through to the ferns. This was the last part of the walk.
Although I was a slow walker, I have pins in my ankle so I have to be careful how I put my feet on rocks etc in case I slip or fall over, it doesn't bend as normal.The walk took about 2 hours 30 mins. Most people would do it in 1hr 30 mins
I was so proud when I got to the top. I had persevered and felt on top of the world. Most people would think its a strange way to spend your birthday, but I actually felt I had achieved something.
The view from the top of the mountain is truly breath taking and the air is so clear that it invigorates you.
This morning I am a little achey and my ankle hurts, so i will be taking a long warm bath to help my muscles etc, then I will be planning a journey up to the Sugarloaf Mountain.


Its great!