gower e-news issue 8 - 7th october 2011
DESCRIPTION
This Issue: Gorgeous Gower Labradors Puppies; Swansea's Latest Cookery School; Gower Cider Weekend; and Gower News, Weather, History and Event Information!TRANSCRIPT
Gower’s Independent Online News, Event and Information Guide
Issue 87th October 2011
www.gowernews.co.uk
INSIDE:
Gorgeous Gower
Labrador PuppiesPage 33
GOWER EVENTSPAGE 11
GOWER CIDER WEEKENDPAGE 13
SWANSEA’S LATEST
COOKERY SCHOOLPAGE 5
WEEKEND WEATHERPAGE 17
ICE AGE GOWER
PAGE 19
GOWER NEWS
It’s a funny time of year: we’re caught
between the epic summer session and
Christmas. In just a few week’s time,
the clocks will go back an hour, the
kids will be off school for half-term,
colourful flashes and loud bangs will
be all the rage in the lead up to Guy
Fawkes, and no doubt the Christmas
decorations will start to appear across
the City shortly after. In the
meantime, there is still a fair bit going
on if you know where to look. Our
mission is to bring ‘grass root’ news
and events from around the Gower
region to the forefront - if you know
of anything going on, no matter how
big or small the event, then please let
us know. Although we’re entering the
throws of autumn, this edition is
p a c k e d w i t h n e w b e g i n n i n g s
synonymous with spring: new born
Labrador puppies born and raised on
Gower, and the start of a new
restaurant venture for Swansea’s latest
cookery school run by Tatiana Bento.
This Week’s Contributors:
• Ian Ambrose
• Tatiana Bento
www.marmaladecookeryschool.co.uk
• Chris Ridgway
• Emma Jones
www.ambiencefinearts.com
• Gower Labradors
www.gower-labradors.co.uk
Cover Picture: Gower Labrador Puppy © 2011
www.gower-labradors.co.uk
E-mail the Editor: [email protected]
From the Editor
A quick dash into Mumbles t o d ay re s u l t e d i n a n u n e x p e c t e d l e v e l o f ou t s t and ing cu s tomer service from a local trader. Popping into UNO on lower Newton Road for s o m e Ya n k e e C a n d l e suppl ies i s a lways an
uplifting experience - today they went the extra mile to make it an even better visit!
Having missed their loyalty evening yesterday, the kind lady in the shop - as an act of generosity and excellent customer service - provided a free goody-bag with lots of Yankee Candle products: OUTSTANDING service!
Thank you UNO of Mumbles :)
7th October 2011GOWER NEWS
Editor / Design / Illustration
Ian Ambrose
Publisher
Gower News | www.gowernews.co.uk
Gower News is an independent and privately owned
online publication.
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Gower News' Editor. Gower News does not accept responsibility for the
products, goods or services featured or advertised throughout this e-
publication. Gower News does not personally endorse any business,
organisation, product or service featured in this publication. Every effort is
made to ensure the information contained within this publication is accurate
and up to date. The contents of this publication are subject copyright and
must not be reproduced in any way without the express prior permission of
the publisher.
This W
eek’s Contributors
Gower News In Brief
3
Wind farm plans off the Gower coastline:
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/Gower-wind-farm-fears-voiced-villagers/story-13490357-detail/story.html
Gower coastline pathway closer to becoming a reality:
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/10/01/single-path-around-gower-coastline-a-step-closer-91466-29518109/
Gower MP under fire over coastguard station closure campaign:
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/09/27/gower-mp-accused-of-trying-to-pit-one-area -aga ins t -another- in -coastguard-battle-91466-29491645/
Contents
4
5 Swansea’s Latest Cookery School
11 Gower Events
13 Gower Cider Festival: Apple Days
15 Local Produce and Craft Markets
17 Gower Weekend Weather
19 Ice Age Gower
21 Tide Predictions
33 Gower Labradors
Swansea’s Latest Cookery SchoolPage 5
Gower LabradorsSee Page
33
Local Produce MarketsPage 15
Marmalade: Swansea’s Latest Cookery School
Ian Ambrose catches up with cookery entrepreneur, Tatiana Bento who runs Swansea’s latest cookery school with a Portuguese twist!
Marmalade is a new cookery school based in Swansea. They are are looking to revolutionize the way we buy, cook and eat food!
The school was founded by Tatiana Bento, a Portuguese architect with a passion for cooking who moved to Swansea 3 years ago.
When Tatiana first moved to the UK she had a big shock!
"What I found most disturbing was the quality of the food compared with what I had become used to back home.
“Perhaps more concerning was the general acceptance of this food by the British people.
“The lack of locally grown i n g r e d i e n t s a n d t h e h i g h dependence on 'convenience' were really distressing,” said Tatiana.
As time went on, Tatiana realised that not many people really knew about food beyond what's fed to them by the television and in magazines. “This, I thought, had to change,” she said.
All Photography by Jon LewinPhotography & Design
Tatiana wanted people to understand food in their own intuitive way. She started cooking for people and friends, showing them her own methods for choosing quality ingredients to produce tasty, wholesome food, for relatively small cost.
“Before I knew it I had people asking me to teach them recipes for everything I had been making, up to the point where I had to turn it into a business as I had no time for other work!
“We are now getting requests for events and weddings, with completely tailored menus, all locally sourced and cooked by us,” explains Tatiana.
Marmalade Cookery School - which aims to help people of all levels
understand and get excited about cooking and food in general - holds
introductory classes every week at the Monkey Café on Castle Street.
Telephone:01792 678 678 or 07565 252858
E-mail:[email protected]
Website:www.marmaladecookeryschool.co.uk
We teach everything -
from going to the market and choosing good ingredients, to preparing and
cooking.
“”
Covering a vast range of cuisine, Marmalade Cookery School love to emphasize the importance of seasonal, local food.
“We go into depth with everything we teach, so that the pupils can really get a good understanding of what they are cooking and eating, and how this can be really good for themselves and the communities they live in," said Tatiana.
Already the cookery School is evolving and Tatiana will be opening her own restaurant in the city centre as Marmalade takes over the kitchens at Monkey Cafe on Castle Street.
Tatiana said: “We will be using local produce to create delicious lunch time meals.”
Marmalade Cookery School also offer private lessons for people who want to really expand their abilities and knowledge - these lessons
are available at a beautiful farmhouse in Gower, or can be taught at the student’s
home if they prefer.
Telephone:01792 678 678 or 07565 252858
E-mail:[email protected]
Website:www.marmaladecookeryschool.co.uk
11
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Get Regular Updates
Gower Cider Weekend15th and 16th October 2011
Gower Heritage Centre, Parkmill, Gower
Visit www.whatsongower.co.uk for more information.
Looking for something to do during half term week?
Date Time Details Contact
08/10/11 11am - 3pm Mynydd Bach Chapel Restoration Open Day
07854 883469
08/10/11 9am - 1pm Mumbles Produce and Craft Market
-
08/10/11 10am - 4pm The Funky Craft Fayre -
08/10/11 9.30am - 1pm
Gorseinon Canolfan Food and Craft Fayre
-
09/10/11 9.30am - 12.30pm
Pennard Produce and Craft Market
-
15/10/11 11am - late Apple Days at Gower Heritage Centre
01792 371206
16/10/11 11am - 6pm Apple Days at Gower Heritage Centre
01792 371206
WhatsOnGower.co.uk
The National Trust Gower have got a few spaces left on their guided ‘Walk to the Worm’ on Wednesday 26th October 2011.
If you'd like to find out more about the tidal island at the end of Rhossili and enjoy some spectacular views, then
give them a call on 01792 390636 to book your place.
Cost: £4 per adult, £2 per child.
12
APPLE DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN
The Gower Heritage Centre and Transition Swansea Present
“Apple Days”
Part of the Gower Cider Festival weekend onSaturday 15th October 11am until Late & Sunday 16th October
11am until 6pm.
Do you know anyone who has any apple trees?Do you know anyone who has windfall or damaged apples that
are no good for eating?Would you like to use these apples to make your own apple
juice, or even better, cider?
Bring your own apples to the Gower Heritage Centre throughout October and you can press your own apples and
collect your own juice. You will need to bring your own containers, but anything will do. There will be instructions and recipes on hand, along with expert knowledge from our on site
cider makers!
During the Gower Cider Festival (15th & 16th October) you can watch cider apples being pressed on an antique 1890
mobile cider press. The apples used by the Gower Heritage Centre are grown in their own orchard.
Learn about the process from picking the apples to crushing the fruit to fermenting the juice. You’ll have the chance to try dozens of award winning Welsh ciders from across Wales, all traditionally made, no flavourings, additives or preservatives.
SaturdayHoudini Dax.Supported byThistledown,Will Killeen,& Andy Jones (Boys from the
Hill).
SundaySicknote Steve.Supported by
Last Tuesday Society,Patrick Ellis,Ian James,
& Afternoon in Paris.
For further details contact the Gower Heritage Crentre on 01792 371206 or contact the events organiser, Richard Saunders, directly on 07891 508688
Pontarddulais Produce and Craft MarketSecond Wednesday of every month between 9.30am - 12.30pm
The Institute, 45 St. Teilo Street, Pontarddulais
Mumbles Produce and Craft MarketSecond Saturday of every month between 9.00am - 1.00pm
The Dairy Car Park, Oystermouth Square, Mumbles
Gorseinon Canolfan Food and Craft FayreSecond Saturday of every month between 9.30am - 1.00pm
Canolfan Centre, Millers Drive, Gorseinon
Pennard Produce and Craft MarketSecond Sunday of every month between 9.30am - 12.30pm
Pennard Community Centre, Pennard
Penclawdd Produce and Craft MarketThird Saturday of every month between 9.30am - 12.30pm
Community Centre, Banc Bach, Penclawdd
Clydach Produce and Craft MarketLast Saturday of each month between 10.00am - 1.30pm
Moose Hall, Beryl Road, Clydach
Local Produce
The Funky Craft Fayre Second Saturday of every month between 10.00am - 4.00pm
Ostreme Centre in Mumbles, Swansea
& Craft Markets
‘Highlight of the Week’
What?
The Funky Craft Fayre
When?
Second Saturday of every month between 10.00am - 4.00pm
Where?
Ostreme Centre in Mumbles, Swansea
~~~
The Funky Craft Fayre is held at the Ostreme Centre in Mumbles, Swansea on
every second Saturday of each month between 10am – 4pm, featuring local
crafts, arts and food from around Swansea.
Community
17
Gower Weatherw
eeke
nd w
eath
erWeather Outlook for Weekend 07/10/2011-10/10/2011
What a difference a week makes with stark contrasts in the recent weather! A brief last gasp of summer followed by a return to the cool, wet autumn conditions - the vagaries of a Temperate Climate!
Wednesday saw the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia pass over the UK, bringing wind, rain and cloud. It has been quite an active autumn so far with a number of hurricane remnants passing over the UK. The hurricanes have been sweeping up the east coast of the USA - as opposed to entering the Gulf of Mexico - captured by the Jet Stream and spun across the Atlantic.
The remnant of Hurricane Philippe is potentially the next to impact on the UK. Currently the storm is situated in the mid-Atlantic, east of Bermuda. It is likely to be caught up in the meandering Jet stream over the weekend, and may potentially arrive on our shores by mid-week. I will keep an eye on that one - tweeting @gowernews on Twitter with an update over the weekend if necessary.
The autumnal feel will continue this weekend with the variable blustery conditions continuing as a low pressure system is situated between Greenland and Iceland, which will affect the weekend weather.
CommunityFriday is looking like the best day of the weekend, following the passing of the remnants of Ophelia, with a ridge of high pressure pushing in off the Atlantic. It will bring a settled, dry, sunny day with lighter winds. The wind direction will still be from a NE direction making it feel cool, temperatures ranging between 13-15°C.
Saturday should get off to a dry start, the morning will bring increasing amounts of cloud as a warm weather front associated with a low pressure system over Iceland pushes in. The increasing amounts of cloud will produce some rain and drizzle as the day progresses. The winds will be from a SW direction so feeling a little milder, temperatures 15-16°C.
Sunday the warm front should pass over the UK and into the North Sea overnight Saturday, brining a westerly airflow - there will be a notable increase in wind speed, up to 20mph, gusting 30-35mph. The winds will continue into Sunday daytime as a cold front moves down from Northern Britain bring more cloud and rain. Temperatures will be around 15-16°C about the seasonal norm.
Monday after the rain of Saturday and Sunday, the working week should start off dry, with high pressure sitting over France and Spain pushing up over Southern Britain. As the day progresses the cold front over Northern Britain will move south bring us cloud and some rain. The temperatures however will remain about the norm of 16°C as the wind is still from a westerly direction.
Not a great outlook for the weekend if you intend getting out and about or tidying up the garden, the weekend looks as if it is book-ended by dry sunny weather with Saturday and Sunday looking a bit damp and miserable.
Whatever you are up too this weekend, have a good one and good luck to Wales on Saturday morning!
Chris.
Specific detailed daily forecasts can be obtained from professional organisations like the Met Office:http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/wl/swansea_forecast_weather.html
Weekend Outlook
18
19
Pictu
re: Arthur’s Stone, C
efn Bryn, G
ower. ©
2011 Em
ma Jones
Ice Age Gower: A Look at Gower’s Glacial ErraticsWords by Chris Ridgway
In a previous article I discussed how the dynamic changes in
climate - from the Medieval Warm Period to Little Ice Age -
had a dramatic affect on both the landscape and the people of
Gower in a relatively recent historic past.
The scenic landscape of the Gower peninsula we see today was
mostly forged during last Ice Age. From Arthur’s Stone on Cefn
Bryn and Whiteford Point to Rhossili Bay and the Ilston Valley - all
were created by the waxing and waning of glaciers and a cold
climate.
20
Picture: Arthur’s Stone, Cefn Bryn, Gower. © 2011 Emma Jones
Ice AgesImagine standing on top of Cefn Bryn, 18,000BP: to the North you
would see a vast glacier in what is now the Burry Inlet creeping and
carving its way slowly down from the hinterland of the South Wales
Coalfield out into Carmarthen Bay. To the South, a glacier would be
spilling out of the Swansea and Neath valleys across Swansea Bay -
the edge of the ice sheet terminating to what would be now
Langland Bay. Ahead of the ice sheet the Bristol Channel would
have been tundra plain - a frozen world now restricted to the realms
of the Arctic circle.
At the height of the glaciation, the sea level would have been up to
120m below the current level - there would have been even a land
bridge to Ireland and south to Devon and Cornwall, and even
Brittany!
21
22
Eventually if you walked out and far enough into what is now the
Celtic Sea - without freezing to death! - you would find a coastline
of frozen sea ice with rafts of icebergs off in the distance. It truly
was a world of Woolly Mammoths, Musk Ox, Walrus and Reindeer!
Believe it or not, in a geological sense, we still are currently living
in a period dominated by Ice Ages. At this moment in time we are
just in a little warm 10,000 year interval known as an Interglacial.
The glacial periods themselves can last up to 100,000 years! The
current era of Ice Ages, known as Quaternary Glaciation, started
approximately 2.58 million years ago (MA - million years) and
marks the start of the current Geological Era: The Quaternary.
Over the last 800,000 years there have been at least 8 Glacial /
Interglacial cycles identified by geologists. The landscape of Gower
within these periods of cold and warmth has been sculptured out,
destroyed, reformed and changed by the dynamic changes in
climate, creating vast ice sheets to warm temperate conditions and
everything in between.
The last glacial period to affect us is known as the Devension Cold
Stage - it started approximately 115,000BP and finished only
around 10,000BP. However it must not be imagined that it was just
purely a 100,000 year frozen period - there were short milder
hiatuses with in this glacial age, with the presence of hominoids,
other creatures and fossilised plants being found in numerous sites
around Gower.
23
The Signs of IceIn the 18th and 19th century, geologists studying the Alps pondered
and considered the origins of many unusual landforms and deposits
they encountered in their journeys through the mountains. The
encountered giant isolated boulders (erratics) the size of houses
perched on hillsides; ribbons of crushed up rock that stretched from
one side of the valley floor to the other (moraines); polished rock
surfaces with lateral scratch marks on them; and the deep flat
bottom valleys in between the vast mountainous peaks. “What could
have caused them?” - they wondered.
Pioneering geologists like James Hutton (1726-1797) and Louis
Agassi (1801-1873) eventually concluded that the unusual
landforms that occurred in the Alps - many miles away from the
position of the glaciers at the time - was the result of the movement
of ice; in the past the glaciers must have been more extensive than
in their day.
25
It was soon discovered that similar landforms were being discovered
hundreds of miles away, right across Northern Europe including the
UK, from the glaciers in the Alps. Geologists concluded that it must
have been an era of great ice sheets covering much of the Northern
Hemisphere, although they didn’t know at the time what caused
such events to happen.
Today on Gower, if you look in the right places, there are still
remnants of this glacial world.
26
Picture: Arthur’s Stone, Cefn Bryn, Gower. © 2011 Emma Jones
Glacial Gower –Arthur’s
Stone and Whiteford
PointGower is littered with relics from the last Ice Age: famously
Arthur’s Stone - although now incorporated into a Neolithic tomb -
is a glacial erratic.
The stone itself has been identified as a boulder of Quartz
Conglomerate, commonly known as Millstone Grit. This type of
rock is found in the northern part of the South Wales Coalfield; the
glacier that moved down the Bury Inlet scoured the rock out many
miles to the north, and dumped it in the vicinity of Cefn Bryn as the
glacier melted and retreated back up the valley. Our Neolithic
ancestors then heaved the rock into its current position to form the
burial mound.
27
The Burry Inlet, as mentioned, is an ancient glacial valley: strip
away the current layers of sand and mud you see now and you
would find a deep flat-bottomed trench (u-shaped valley) across to
Llanelli on the other side running north up the Loughor Estuary.
At its peak, the lateral extent of the Burry Inlet glacier may have
run in a north-westwards direction from Rhossili Bay to Pendine
Sands. As it melted and retreated, it left a series of deposits of
crushed up rock called Moraines. One such moraine forms the base
of now what is known as Whiteford Point and the Cwm Ivy Woods
- around 17,000BP Whiteford Point would have marked the edge
of the glacier.
The moraine can be seen below the mudflats around Llandimore,
where the mudflats have been scoured by the numerous creeks and
channels - the mud can be seen resting on top of layers of loosely
consolidated stones and boulders. Even this material contains
smaller glacial erratics moved by the ice from the coalfield
hinterland.
28
As the climate warmed towards the end of the last Ice Age, the
glacier retreated further and further up the valley. As it did, younger
moraine were deposited - one occurs roughly in the vicinity
between the area of now Bynea and the old Berthleyd Pub.
Glaciers didn’t directly affect all of the Gower: the cold tundra
environment beyond the edges of the glacier produced its own type
of deposits and different landscape. For instance, the Ice Age
formed the Ilston and Park-le-Broes valleys and the panoramic
landscape of Rhossili Bay, all of which I will talk about in my next
article.
29
31
Date Low High Low High Low
MUMBLES Predicted Times Shown in British Summer Time.Predicted Times Shown in British Summer Time.Predicted Times Shown in British Summer Time.Predicted Times Shown in British Summer Time.Predicted Times Shown in British Summer Time.
Friday 7 - 03:42 09:46 16:11 22:17
Saturday 8 - 04:43 10:40 17:05 23:04
Sunday 9 - 05:30 11:21 17:47 23:41
Monday 10 - 06:08 11:57 18:24 -
Tuesday 11 00:15 06:42 12:29 18:58 -
Wednesday 12 00:44 07:14 12:59 19:29 -
Thursday 13 01:14 07:43 13:28 20:00 -
Oct
ober
201
1 |
Mum
bles
Mumbles Tide
!!!
Predictions
Tide Predictions: © Crown Copyright and/or database rights. Reproduced by permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office and the UK
Hydrographic Office (www.ukho.gov.uk).
GO
WER
LAB
RAD
OR
SA chocolate Labrador living on the Gower peninsula has just given birth to nine black Labrador puppies!
Chocsi: proud mum of nine black Labrador puppies out on LLanmadoc Hill
Available November 2011
www.gower-labradors.co.uk
C h o c s i ʼs b l a c k L a b r a d o r Retriever puppies will be ready to go to their new homes from November 2011.
• Excellent Pedigree;• Kennel Club Registered;• Male and Female Pups;• Damʼs Hip Score = 2;• Sireʼs Hip Score = 5;• Dam and Sireʼs Eyes = Clear;• Sire prcd-PRA = Unaffected;• 1st Vaccine, Microchipped & Wormed;
• KC Registration Documents & Pedigree Certificate Supplied.
If you would like to buy one of Chocsiʼs puppies and can provide a good home, then please call
07702 832 552 for details.
Puppy Pack Includes:
•Kennel Club Registration Documents;
•Five Generation Pedigree Certificate;
•Free Eukanuba Puppy Pack;
•4 Free Weeks Puppy Insurance;
•Contract of Sale; and
•Breederʼs Puppy Guide.
CLICK FOR LOCAL ACCOMMODATION
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36
GOWER NEWSwww.gowernews.co.uk
BiographyIan Ambrose - Editor
BA (Hons) FInstAM (Dip) MInstLM
Ian grew up in Swansea and spent much of his summer holidaying around the Gower peninsula.
After leaving school at the age of 16, Ian enlisted into the British Army as a professional musician. On completion of 12 years service in 2003, Ian became Community Manager for The Salvation Army at their Richardson Street Citadel in Swansea, having first gained a Diploma in Administrative Management through the British Army’s resettlement training programme.
In 2007 Ian established Prestige Ironing, a professional collect and return ironing service in Swansea.
As part of his continuing professional development, Ian graduated from Swansea Metropolitan University in 2011 with a First Class Honours in Public Services. Ian is a Fellow of the Institute of Administrative Management and a Member of the Institute of Leadership and Management.
Ian’s interests include: management, leadership, administration, marketing communication, writing, hyper-local blogging and social media. He is married with three children and lives on the Gower peninsula.
Gower News was established by Ian in 2009 - it has continued to develop and grow into Gower’s most up-to-date independent news, events and information service for Gower.
BiographyChris Ridgway - Scientific Editor
BSc (Hons)
Chris was born and bred in Gowerton and attended Gowerton Comprehensive between 1987-1994; he subsequently gained a BSc (Hons) in Geology from the University of Wales, Cardiff in 1997.
After graduating, Chris worked as a Geophysicist for an Oil Exploration Company based in Aberdeen, Scotland. He subsequently gained his professional qualifications in Houston, Texas and has performed many exploration surveys across the world from sub-Sahara Africa to former Soviet Republics.
Since returning to his home town of Swansea, Chris has taken the lead role of Environmental Scientist at Tir-John Landfill.
Chris is married with three children and currently lives in the village of Grovesend in the Gower Constituency.
GOWER NEWSwww.gowernews.co.uk
Issue 8 - 07/10/2011 - Copyright 2011 - All Rights Reserved
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