Rhiwbina Living Issue 57

News | People | Features | History | Lifestyle | Interiors 

Rhiwbina Living 

At the heart of the community 

Issue 57 

CRAFTED IN 

RHIWBINA 

CRAFTED IN 

of Rhiwbina Living 

Your multi award-winning magazine for Rhiwbina

2 

Inside this issue 

My Memories 

of Rhiwbina 

Dianne Bartley 

recalls memories 

of Rhiwbina from 

the 1940s to the 

modern day 

Wellness 

Creative ways to 

cleanse your mind 

and set you up for 

the challenges of 

the year ahead 

History 

A look back at 

some of the 

much-loved 

Rhiwbina shops 

throughout the 

years 

Winter walks 

Discover the 

beauty and 

serenity of the 

local nature trails 

that we have 

right here on our 

doorstep 

Spring deadline: 

17th February 2023 

Published March 2023 

a: 222 Pantbach Road, 

Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6AG 

t: 07772 081775 / 07974 022920 

w: www.livingmags.co.uk 

e: editor@livingmags.co.uk or 

danielle@livingmags.co.uk 

Distribution: 6,000 copies of Rhiwbina Living are 

personally delivered by us to every house in the 

Rhiwbina ward four times a year in line with the 

seasons. We also distribute to local shops 

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. 

Whitchurch and Llandaff Living is an 

independent, apolitical publication. 

No part of this publication may be 

reproduced without the express 

written permission of the publishers. 

Welcome / Croeso 

Welcome to your latest issue of 

Rhiwbina Living. 

This issue celebrates 15 years 

of publication. Over the decade 

and a half, we've learned that 

Rhiwbina is packed full of 

interesting and amazing people 

and their stories. There's a 

tale or two to be told behind 

every door, and we found 

that out when we spoke to 

lifelong Rhiwbina resident 

Dianne Bartley. Dianne recalls 

her memories of Rhiwbina 

stretching all the way back to 

her childhood in the 1940s. 

Rhiwbina was a very different 

place back then and her tales 

remind us of what a great 

community spirit Rhiwbina has 

always had throughout the 

generations. 

Dianne also recalls the shops 

in Rhiwbina, which have 

always been the lifeblood of the 

community over the years. We 

take a walk down Memory Lane 

with a look at our village shops in 

years gone by. 

And if your memory would like a 

challenge, we've created a super 

quiz all about Rhiwbina to test 

your powers of knowledge and 

recollection. 

As a guide, we like to focus on 

the seasons in each and every 

issue of our magazines and while 

spring is still a little way off, we 

can celebrate what winter has to 

offer. 

Poetry is one of the most 

creative ways that we can 

express our innermost feelings 

and we've collected a series of 

winter poems from our readers 

to observe the season. 

Although staying indoors seems 

the natural choice at this time of 

year, getting active outdoors is 

good for body and soul. We've 

put together a collection of 

winter walks that you can take 

in the south Wales area. They'll 

help you feel revitalised and 

ready to take on the year ahead. 

The start of the new year is 

often a time of reflection and 

reset. With that in mind, we've 

created some wonderful features 

that can help you get back on 

track as we start another year. 

First up, we show you how you 

can help cleanse your mind, 

which will help you feel calmer 

and more in control. We've also 

hand-picked some products that 

can help you detox, which many 

of us feel we need after a heavy 

season. 

Following the same theme, 

we've also gathered together 

some delicious detox recipes 

which will leave you feeling full - 

and cleansed! 

Llanishen Fach Primary School 

have also been knocking up 

some treats in their kitchen. They 

tell us how they set aside Fridays 

to encourage active learning in 

the kitchen for their students. 

War artist Dan Peterson takes 

us on a journey to war-torn 

Afghanistan and we've also got 

the story of rugby in Wales to 

tie in with this year's Six Nations 

campaign. How will Wales do 

now that Mr G is back? Let's keep 

our fingers crossed. 

To sign us off for this issue, we 

have an inspiring short story 

from award-winning author 

Allie Morgan. It's a story of new 

beginnings and of hope for the 

future. 

We've already started work on 

our next issue so until then, enjoy 

the start to your new year and 

we'll see you in the spring! 

Danielle and Patric 

Editors 

@RhiwbinaLiving 

www.facebook.com/rhiwbinaliving 

@livingmagazinescardiff

Beulah Road residents and 

businesses concern at HGV traffic 

news 

Rhiwbina Living 

celebrates 15 

years in the 

community 

Residents and businesses on 

Beulah Road have voiced their 

concerns about the dramatic influx 

of HGV traffic using Rhiwbina village 

as a diversion. 

Large vehicles, including 

articulated lorries have been 

using Beulah Road after traffic was 

diverted away from a bridge on 

Caerphilly Road that is undergoing 

repairs. 

A Council spokesperson told the 

press: 

"The Council has implemented 

on-street signs to direct HGV traffic 

along the diversion route, which is 

Heathwood Road and Fidlas Road. 

However, recent traffic monitoring 

indicates that some HGVs are 

continuing to travel via Beulah Road 

and through Rhiwbina village. This 

could be due to the bridge height 

restrictions on the Heathwood 

Split recycling 

scheme set to 

be rolled out 

across Cardiff 

Cardiff Council's split recycling 

scheme is set to be rolled out 

across the city, despite a less-thanfavourable 

response from Rhiwbina 

residents that took part in the trial. 

Around 4,000 homes in areas across 

Cardiff, including Rhiwbina, took 

part in the six-month pilot to gauge 

whether the new system would work. 

The trial saw recyclables separated 

out by residents themselves and 

placed into three reusable specific 

containers for collection. This 

replaced the single-use green plastic 

bags that most residents have been 

familiar with for many years. 

Road/Fidlas Road route. 

"To clarify, any vehicle weighing 

over 18 tonnes should use the 

Heathwood Road/Fidlas Road 

route. Any vehicle that is higher 

than 14.9 foot cannot use this route 

and has to use Beulah Road. The 

Council is unable to stop HGV 

traffic using Beulah Road, without 

an additional Traffic Regulation 

Order (TRO) being put in place. Due 

to the ongoing road works in this 

area, from a network management 

perspective, this isn’t feasible 

until the road works have been 

completed on Caerphilly Road first." 

Several businesses have told the 

Council that the increase in HGV 

traffic has affected trade during 

an important time of the year. 

Residents has also said that the 

noise levels have also increased 

since the diversion. 

Feedback from the residents 

showed that they weren't happy 

with the arrangements, with storage 

problems being the main issue. 

Cardiff Council said that despite the 

feedback, the trials had helped with 

their recycling targets. 

"Kerbside sort recycling will be 

rolled out city-wide over the next two 

years, as it is the Welsh Government’s 

preferred method of collecting 

recycling from residents’ homes," said 

a Council spokesperson. 

Rhiwbina's award-winning 

community magazine has 

celebrated 15 years of 

publication. 

Rhiwbina Living was first 

launched in November 2007 

and has gone on to provide an 

effective marketing platform 

for local businesses, and 

something that the local 

residents genuinely love. 

Co-editor Patric Morgan said: 

"When we published our first 

issue, we had no idea that we'd 

still be here 15 years later. We 

are very proud of the fact that 

we've been able to continually 

produce a high-quality 

publication that the community 

can be proud of. We are also 

proud of the fact that we have 

been able to support so many 

local businesses during that 

time, especially during the 

challenges that we have all 

faced during recent times." 

The magazine has won 

awards both at regional level, 

and at national level, including 

a Cardiff Business Award. 

"We've met some wonderful 

people along the way, and 

have made some lifelong 

memories. We will strive to 

continue the work to our 

best ability on behalf of our 

advertisers, and to provide 

the Rhiwbina people with 

something worthwhile to read," 

added Patric. 

3

news 

Llanishen Fach 

park to be 

upgraded 

The play area at Heol Llanishen 

Fach is to get an oak-themed 

refurbishment, complete with 

acorn and oak leaf shaped features, 

in addition to log sculptures, 

accessible play equipment, and 

new seating. 

Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks 

and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke- 

Davies, said: 

"The play area at Heol Llanishen 

Fach is the latest facility to benefit 

from our ongoing £3.2 million 

programme of investment in parks 

and play areas across Cardiff. Once 

completed, it should be a fantastic 

facility for local families to enjoy." 

The designs include a toddler 

area as well as a junior play area, 

and are designed to appeal to 

children from the age of 5 upwards, 

encouraging imaginative play, 

climbing, education, and physical 

activity. 

Children with as wide a range of 

abilities as possible are catered for, 

and play equipment will include a 

wheelchair accessible roundabout, 

and accessible swings. 

The works also include a new 

circular seating area, as well as 

other additional and restored 

seating and bins. 

Refurbishment work is due 

to commence in January and 

is currently expected to be 

completed in spring 2023. 

Rhiwbina Library 

reopens 

Rhiwbina Library is set to officially 

reopen on 16th January, following 

months of renovation to the existing 

building. The improved venue will 

reopen as a community hub after 

closing its doors in April last year. 

A Council spokesperson said: 

“Community hubs bring more 

services and improved facilities to 

an area and the plan in Rhiwbina is 

for a strong focus on wellbeing." 

4 

Residents save up to install 

life-saving defibrillator in 

their Rhiwbina neighbourhood 

In light of strain being placed on 

the ambulance services in Cardiff, 

the residents of Waunfawr Road, 

Rhiwbina and parents from Year 1, 

Ton Yr Ywen Primary School, have 

raised over £1,300 to purchase a 

public access defibrillator that has 

been placed for anyone to use, 24 

hours a day at the junction between 

Caerphilly Road and Maes-y-Coed 

Road. The junction is a very busy one 

and it is hoped that it will be seen by 

as many people as possible. 

Sarah, a resident of Waunfawr Road, 

told Rhiwbina Living: 

"Having recently lost a colleague to 

a heart attack, who had an extended 

wait for an ambulance, I wanted to 

help do what I could to give anyone 

needing a defibrillator in the area the 

best chance of survival with early 

intervention." 

The device gives a high energy 

electric shock to the heart of 

someone who is in cardiac arrest. 

Survival rates for out-of-hospital 

cardiac arrests are poor, often 

less than 10%. It is hoped that the 

defibrillator can help improve those 

statistics. 

The defibrillator was installed just 

before Christmas, and saw many 

small businesses donate to the 

project. 

Waunfawr Road resident Andy, who 

also donated £250 (the largest single 

donation) from his business Heath 

Tyres, said: 

"Living and working in the area, I felt 

that it was important to support this 

project. A defibrillator could save a 

life one day and that's priceless. Since 

Covid, we have developed a strong, 

caring attitude in our neighbourhood 

and long may it continue. The 

residents of Waunfawr Road have 

a philosophy of being caring and 

helpful, and we were only too happy 

to support this." 

Chris Saltmarshe, outside whose 

shop the defibrillator has been 

installed said: 

"We have no hesitation in 

allowing this valuable asset to the 

neighbourhood at our premises. Even 

if it only saves one life, it is still one life 

and a family that is saved from grief." 

Even the local electrician 

got involved. Dan from 

ForEverythingElectrical said: 

"When I heard the plea for a last 

minute electrician, I immediately 

made space in a very busy week to 

get this life-saving bit of equipment 

installed and fitted before Christmas. 

We are always keen to help out the 

community where possible." 

Cardiff's air 

cleaner than prepandemic 

levels 

The latest study into air pollution in 

Cardiff shows that residents enjoyed 

cleaner air across the city throughout 

2021 when compared with prepandemic 

figures in 2019, a new 

report has revealed. 

Air quality is monitored on an annual 

basis across a full 12-month period 

to ensure figures are representative 

across a full year. A reduction in road 

vehicles is thought to have helped.

Your letters 

WE 

letters 

WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! 

We love to hear what you've been up to 

so send us your letters and photos! 

We'll do our best to print them all. 

editor@livingmags.co.uk 

Percy’s Dilemma 

I wish to thank everyone who 

bought a copy of my children’s 

book, Percy’s Dilemma. 

All 200 copies that I had printed 

have raised £750 for the Tŷ Hafan 

Children’s Hospice in Sully. 

My thanks also to local shops 

and Rhiwbina Living magazine for 

their kind generosity in helping 

with sales, as well as schools and 

libraries in Cardiff and Penarth 

who bought many copies. 

Tŷ Hafan and myself thank you 

again for your support. 

Geraldine Seymour, 

Rhiwbina 

Recycling Chaos 

I was one of the 'chosen' ones 

that was selected to trial the 

council's new recycling scheme. 

The new scheme involves 

me placing different types of 

recycling into separate bags and 

putting them out for collection. 

I understand the reasons 

behind the trial - harnessing 

the collective strength of the 

individual. 

However, on a practical level, it 

just doesn't work. For starters, I 

don't live in the biggest of houses 

and having to store these bulky 

bags is a pain in the backside. 

Previously, I was able to store 

the green plastic bags neatly in 

a kitchen drawer but I now have 

to keep these large and unsightly 

bags elsewhere. 

There have also been problems 

when it comes to collection. The 

bags are emptied and then left 

scattered on the pavement. God 

knows how this is all going to 

work out when the winter storms 

come along. We'll all be chasing 

empty bags around the street, 

trying to find whose bag belongs 

to who. It just doesn't work. Can 

we rethink this please? 

Cathy Williams, 

email 

Welsh Blood 

Service at WHS 

On Thursday, 24th November our 

Headteacher, Mark Powell was 

very pleased to welcome back the 

Welsh Blood Service (WBS). It was 

our second Blood Donor Day, the 

first being in November 2019. The 

original plan was to return every 

year, but for obvious reasons that 

proved impossible to put in place 

in early 2020 and 2021. However, in 

April this year we were pleased we 

could secure a date in November, 

then set about the planning. 

Thankfully, a lot of the logistical 

planning was in place from 2019, 

nevertheless we still underwent 

a rigorous process to ensure we 

were fit for purpose. It’s a major 

operation that the Welsh Blood 

Service do often, but we as a 

school need to plan accordingly 

for the one off event. A month prior 

to the day, Paul Chiplin from the 

WBS delivered two presentations 

at our assemblies for Year 13 

and 12 students, which in itself 

was very educational. It was 

an opportunity for them to ask 

questions too. 

If you wished to donate, you had 

to register for an appointment 

slot, via the Welsh Blood Service 

website link dedicated to our day. 

69 appointments were available 

and our 6th Form pupils were 

quickly filling them. We later 

opened them up to staff and with 

a few days to go, all slots were 

booked up. Very promising! 

It proved to be an extremely 

rewarding and successful day. Of 

the 69 available appointments, 

68 donors attended, 50 were able 

to give blood, with 39 of those 

50 donations giving blood for 

the first time. The Welsh Blood 

Service were also impressed that 

a remarkable 24 bone marrow 

samples were taken too. 

Some of our staff were able to 

donate, but the overwhelming 

majority of donors were Year 13 

pupils, and we also had some 

from Year 12. Our Headteacher 

took the opportunity to pass on 

his sincere admiration for our 

pupil contribution and the way 

they conducted themselves 

throughout the day. They were a 

credit to Whitchurch High School. 

We are very proud to provide for 

our community and Wales as a 

whole. 

The Welsh Blood Service were 

very complimentary of the 

school, hugely impressed with 

the students, and amazed by the 

overall results. It was beyond their 

expectations. 

We still remain the only school in 

Cardiff to have a Blood Donor Day 

and we look forward to inviting 

them back next year. 

Mrs Shepstone 

Whitchurch High School 

If you have anything you’d like our readers to know about, drop us a line at 

editor@livingmags.co.uk You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter 

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Rhiwbina’s Gateway of India recruits Master Chef from Bangladesh 

Only the best is good enough. 

It’s a motto that has carried 

Rhiwbina’s Gateway of India 

to many successes over the last 

28 years. And for owner Moslaur 

Rahman, only the best will do. 

“I believe in honesty and integrity 

and these are the foundations of 

our success. Our brand is the most 

valuable thing we own, customer 

service is our way of life, and our 

doors are always open. We bring 

you the true flavour of Bangladesh 

to you every day.” 

And to prove his point, Moslaur has 

recently hired Master Chef Rozario 

from Dhaka’s esteemed 5 star 

Intercontinental Hotel - the best in 

Bangladesh. 

“I've invested heavily in getting 

Rozario here. Everything about our 

award-winning takeaway is backed 

up with distinction and passion - 

from the highest quality ingredients 

through to the personable and 

friendly service in store. 

“It’s this that makes the 

difference here at the 

Gateway of India,” says 

owner Moslaur. “From 

the highest quality 

This is a sponsored post 

premium meat to the finest onions 

we can find, we only ever buy the 

very best ingredients. We tread our 

own path with our famous blastchilled, 

heat-at-home philosophy 

which we believe gives you a 

fresher, more nutritious taste and 

greater convenience around busy 

lives,” he says. “We also offer frozen 

options, which have a shelf-life of 

three months.” 

The takeaway, which opened in 

1995, is a firm favourite for Rhiwbina 

residents and beyond. 

“From the bottom of my heart, it’s 

been an absolute honour to serve 

the local community for the last 28 

years,” says Moslaur. “I feel humbled 

to have seen and known so many 

customers over the years. It’s great 

to know that the Gateway of India 

plays a special part in people’s 

lives, whether we are providing a 

family meal or catering for bigger 

functions.” 

The food forms the cornerstone of 

the Gateway’s continued success 

and Moslaur is passionate about 

its preparation, its creation and its 

delivery. 

“We go to great lengths to look 

after your health. From premium 

fresh Welsh lamb to farm assured 

British grade A chicken breast 

only, every ingredient meets our 

exceptional standards. 

“Each recipe is perfected using 

traditional methods and closely 

guarded, family recipes developed 

over decades. Locking in the 

nutrition giving a fresher flavour - 

just order at your leisure and swiftly 

heat it up in the oven, microwave or 

hob when you’re ready to eat.” 

The Gateway is also bringing 

back the true 

flavour of 

Bangladesh by 

reintroducing 

the popular 

Weekend 

Specials. And 

if that wasn’t 

enough, 

they have 

also started 

cookery 

lessons where 

you can learn 

first-hand from their professional 

chefs. 

“If you’re passing and our lights 

are on, pop in for some food. We’ve 

got plenty of food freshly prepared 

for you so it’s simply a case of 

Grab and Go! Our chefs create the 

dishes daily and each meal comes 

in a container that can be frozen, 

microwaved or even popped in the 

oven. The eco-friendly containers 

are made from sugar cane and are 

biodegradable. 

“We feel a great sense of pride 

about the way that the people of 

the community feel about our 

takeaway. We would also like to 

thank the community for all their 

support during the pandemic. 

We also want to reassure you 

that despite the continuing rise in 

production costs, we’re not passing 

these on to our customers. 

“It goes back to the saying that 

only the best is good enough and 

we like to think that Rhiwbina is 

well deserving of a place like the 

Gateway of India.” 

www.gatewayofindia.co.uk

A recipe 

for success 

providing the reassurance and 

familiarity they needed to readjust 

to a very different school life. Bake 

Off Friday became an established 

and cherished part of the school 

week and sustained the class 

through the ups and downs of the 

Covid period. 

Bake Off Friday, with all its 

opportunities to develop valuable 

life skills, continues to be a 

mainstay of our curriculum with 

pupils putting our teaching kitchen 

to regular use. What we cook 

reflects the seasons, class topics, 

celebrations, visitors on site, or just 

what takes our fancy. 

Where we can, we source 

ingredients locally, with ‘food miles’ 

reduced to food metres when it 

comes to eggs, thanks to our school 

chickens. Autumn brings with it our 

apple crop from our Welsh native 

apple orchard and an abundance 

of blackberries from the school’s 

hedgerow so of course, blackberry 

and apple crumble is very definitely 

on the menu. 

Another autumn favourite is the 

baking of a harvest loaf, sculpted 

from dough and displayed as the 

centrepiece of our charity Rainbow 

of Hope and The Cardiff Food Bank 

donations. 

Pasta and tomato sauce is a great 

staple, and one that is incredibly 

popular with our pupils. In line with 

our ethos of showing our pupils that 

meals are the sum of a range of 

ingredients, Llanishen Fach pasta 

doesn’t come out of a bag! Instead, 

the children have experience 

making fresh pasta, combining flour 

with our own eggs and rolling and 

cutting into fettuccine, topped off 

with tomato and onion sauce and 

Bake Off Fridays 

The old proverb, ‘the proof of the 

pudding is in the eating’ still rings true 

at Llanishen Fach Primary School, 

but we like to say, ‘the proof of the 

learning is in the eating’. 

It has been two years since our 

pupils were first learning online, with 

shared experiences happening over 

8 

Zoom. And it was at this time that we 

established ‘Bake Off Fridays’ where 

our pupils with additional learning 

needs (ALN pupils) came together 

to join in with a Friday cooking 

activity from the comfort of their own 

kitchens. 

In time, Dosbarth Enfys, our special 

resource base, attended by our ALN 

pupils was welcoming them back 

from Covid lockdown, with cooking

grated cheese. Yum! Once we had 

pasta sorted, we moved on to pizza, 

another favourite of our pupils. 

Spring, and in particular the buildup 

to St David’s Day, is a great 

excuse to dig out some traditional 

family recipes and to pass them 

on to the next generation of Welsh 

cooks. 

Welsh cakes are a particular 

speciality of Mr Barrett, one of 

our ALN teachers, who guards 

his recipe closely, only sharing 

the knowledge of his two secret 

ingredients with his pupils. But 

especially for this readers of 

Rhiwbina Living, Mr Barrett has 

been persuaded to share some of 

his Welsh cake cooking tips: 

- As they cook, they will rise 

slightly, and the edges go a bit 

gooey. 

schools 

- Don’t leave them too long before 

turning; they should only just be 

firm enough not to fall apart and 

definitely should not be cakey. The 

cooked side should be light brown. 

- As they are cooking on a low to 

medium heat, they take a while to 

get to this point; be patient. If you 

can’t see any rise after about three 

minutes then your bakestone is 

probably too cool. 

One question Mr Barrett can’t 

answer definitively is how they 

should be served; he goes with a 

sprinkling of sugar, but his mother 

stays true to her family roots and 

spreads with butter. How do you 

serve yours? 

Throughout the year, a range of 

other festivals, both religious and 

secular, provide ample opportunity 

to get cooking; but first a trip to the 

local shops is generally needed, as 

shopping trips play an important 

part in the learning experience, not 

to mention clearing and washingup 

and a quick lesson in using the 

washing machine. 

In fact, if you were to audit one of 

our Dosbarth Enfys Bake Off Fridays 

for skills acquired, both curricular 

and life, the breadth would amaze 

you. That is why Bake Off Friday 

is so successful and yes, we can 

confirm, ‘the proof of the learning is 

in the eating’. 

the proof 

of the 

learning 

is in the 

eating 

9

people 

The Rhiwbina Queen 

There aren't many people who have witnessed Rhiwbina's transformation 

from a quiet hamlet to a bustling village. But Dianne Bartley is one of them 

"I can't begin 

to tell you 

how beautiful 

Rhiwbina was 

back in the 

day." 

When it 

comes to our 

village, Dianne 

Bartley has 

seen it all. 

From rolling green hills to suburban 

splendour, the great-grandmother 

has played her own part in 

Rhiwbina's history. 

"I moved to Rhiwbina at the age 

of three in 1939. My father, Harry 

Marjoram, was a golf professional 

and my parents had relatives who 

sat on the committee of the Garden 

Village. The committee kindly 

offered my parents a house in the 

Garden Village to rent while they 

were having another one built. But 

then war broke out and building 

stopped. 

"My mother, Charlotte Marjoram, 

was a Llandaff girl and she was 

reluctant to move away from 

Rhiwbina so we stayed there." 

Dianne recalls her happy 

childhood in the village, when 

10 

things were very different. 

"We lived on Pen-y-Dre with 

the stream just behind us. It was 

fantastic. There were hardly any 

cars; you could almost count them 

and you knew who owned them. 

We were right out in the country 

and there were only a few main 

roads – the ones in the Garden 

Village, Wenallt Road, a little bit of 

Rhiwbina Hill, and Pantmawr Road 

was just a narrow road with farms at 

the bottom." 

Life in those days was a lot more 

serene than today's Rhiwbina. 

"We used to whip and top on 

the road in Pen-y-Dre because of 

course, there were very few cars 

around. The library wasn't there 

either when we were children. 

It was just a little green patch 

with trees on it. I don't think we 

realised at the time what a beautiful 

environment we were in." 

Dianne attended Rhiwbeina 

Primary School on the outskirts of 

the Garden Village. 

"The school was out in the fields 

and I remember walking there in a 

gas mask because the war was on," 

says Dianne. "I think I had a Mickey 

Mouse gas mask because I was 

small at that time. My 

main ambition was 

to have a mask in a 

brown box because 

they were for older 

children and mine 

was in a black tin. 

"Mr Pugsley was the 

headmaster and he 

was a lovely man. 

Miss Price was my 

first teacher at the 

age of five in 1941. 

She would draw beautiful pictures 

on the blackboard in chalk. 

"We were also taught how to 

thread beads onto cotton and 

we'd often have to suck the end of 

the cotton that had been sucked 

by another child the day before. I 

distinctly remember there was an 

alphabet on the wall and I can still 

recite what it said to this day. And 

then there would be the milk that 

would sit outside in all weathers; 

we'd literally watch it curdle during 

the summer months." 

But the war years were also a time 

of fear and worry. 

"We had an Anderson Shelter 

made from very heavy metal in our 

dining room and it almost filled the 

room. When the siren went off, our 

neighbours would come in to use it. 

"Pantbach Road past the Monico 

area was bombed and I remember 

many times, my Dad would take me 

out of bed and put me in the shelter 

because the siren had gone off. I 

remember there were these huge 

balloon-type barrages floating in 

the sky to stop the bombers coming 

in. All the children in the area were 

allocated houses to go into in case 

of a bombing, and we had three 

children who came in, only once 

though on a 'dummy run.'" 

Growing up during the war years 

brought out the kindness in people. 

"Everyone was so caring during 

those war years. We had neighbours 

who would go and pick raspberries 

and make desserts out of them. 

They'd shout over to ask if we 

wanted any. Because of the rations, 

everyone shared what they had and 

there was a deep concern about 

everyone else.

"We'd often know who was ill 

based on whether their bedroom 

fires were lit, which didn't happen 

that often because of the shortage 

of coal. We once had a telegram 

that was passed down the street to 

Mrs Jones and we were all worried 

as telegrams were only ever sent 

in the event of a marriage but more 

often than not, bad news from the 

frontline. 

"We were allowed to pick 

bluebells and primroses back 

then so neighbours would often 

bring some to your house from the 

Wenallt. 

"Christmas was pure magic. I 

had my first taste of peaches and 

pineapples one year. They had 

come from tins that the American 

soldiers had handed to the villagers 

as they marched down Heol-y-Deri. 

My mum had put them away for 

Christmas." 

Dianne's parents eventually moved 

away from the Garden Village to a 

house near the Butchers Arms. 

"Everything past the Butchers 

Arms was just all fields. Ty Gwyn 

Road and Heol Iscoed weren't built 

and near the pub; where there are 

now bungalows, there was a little 

cottage with a small duck pond 

outside." 

The fields stretched all the way up 

to Wenallt Road in the north, and 

Rhiwbina Hill in the west. 

"The Deri pub was still a farm 

back then, run by Farmer George. 

My husband’s parents owned the 

Deri Stores opposite; it was a tiny 

little shop and they just sold a few 

things. After the war had ended, 

they did start selling ice-cream. 

"I remember people used to come 

down from the Wenallt and you 

could see them with sticks. They’d 

pick primroses and tie them to 

these sticks, and they’d come past 

the shop, happy and laughing." 

Village life back then was a world 

away from the hustle and bustle of 

today. 

"I remember the 

shops. There was 

Beads the Chemist; 

Miss Llewellyn had 

a tiny shop selling 

children’s clothing 

and wool. There 

was Rayboulds and 

there was Lloyds the 

sweet shop. Then 

we had Grooms the 

greengrocers. 

"On Heol-y-Deri, there 

was a bungalow that 

was Tanner's Dairy and 

it had an entrance on 

the side. They sold 

cream, eggs and milk. Then on 

Beulah Road, there was Jones the 

Chemist and Goochs. 

"The village also had memorable 

characters. There was Arthur Davies 

who ran Wilsons and he was quite 

formidable. Then there was 'Copper 

Lewis', the local policeman who 

lived on Heol-y-Deri. If we saw him, 

we'd all respect him." 

As Dianne grew into a young adult, 

her life would change too. 

"There were two main hubs in 

the village when I was younger 

- Beulah Church and the Scouts. 

Beulah Church thrived back in 

those days - it was bursting at the 

seams. My parents were Church 

of England but I went to Beulah 

because my friends went there and 

I was also a Sunday School teacher." 

The Scouts were the other major 

force in the village, based at the 

Scouts Hall on Heol-y-Bont. 

"I met my future husband when I 

was in Girl Guides. I must have been 

around the age of 11 or 12 when 

they decided to do a pageant. He 

was 7 years older than I was. I was 

dressed as Pocahontas and he was 

dressed up as Capt. John Smith and 

we were put together. The other 

girls were envious of me because I 

was the only one to be set up with 

a boy." 

The Scout Hall quickly became 

one of the main focuses of the 

village. 

"My husband was a Scout Master 

and pantomimes became the big 

event in the village. We had a Scout 

Master who’d come over from 

Yeovil. He had a wonderful singing 

voice and he produced the first 

panto and brought in these girls 

with beautiful voices. He even hired 

costumes from London. 

"He eventually went to Africa so 

my husband and his brother took 

over running the pantomimes. I 

became a Fairy Queen around the 

age of 16 and we thought that we 

were chocolate because we were 

chosen to go 

with all the 

boys. 

"These shows 

went on for 

years, and 

always took 

place the 

week before 

Christmas. They 

were so much 

fun. We were 

eventually 

asked to go to 

the Prince of 

Wales Theatre 

to perform. 

"Beulah had 

a youth club 

and a Sunday 

School too at 

that time and 

as there were 

no TVs, that 

is what we 

did. That was 

my life until I 

got married 

in 1957 at 

the age of 

20. Out of 

the Scout 

group, seven 

couples got married – five in one 

year, and two the following year." 

But as in all aspects of life, the 

incessant march of time and 

change began to shape Rhiwbina. 

"By Beulah Church, you used to 

be able to see the stream. And as 

children, we used to put leaves in 

there and watch them come out 

the other side of the bridge. It’s now 

built up beyond measure so you 

can't do that anymore. 

"The village started to spread. Heol 

Llanishen Fach got built and it was 

all different from then on. Peny-Dre 

was extended and people 

complained when the half-made 

footwalks on Heol-y-Deri were 

covered in tarmac and made into 

proper pavements. 

"I can remember distinctly when 

Pantmawr Estate was built - there 

was uproar! Manor Road at that 

point was hardly a road at all." 

Dianne left the village ten years 

ago when she downsized: 

"My husband died and I stayed in 

Rhiwbina for five more years but the 

house was too big for me. I’m cosy 

where I am now. 

"I have such fond memories of 

Rhiwbina as it used to be; but I also 

find it hard - if I sit down and think 

too much, I feel really sad. 

"I think back to the times when 

we'd run to the bridge on Pantbach 

Road and breathe in the smoke 

coming from the steam trains as 

they passed underneath. And the 

times we'd go to the Monico on 

weekends. They were wonderful 

times." 

Having produced two children, 

five grandchildren, and two greatgrand 

children, Dianne's performing 

legacy still lives on through her 

daughter Debbie, who runs Debbie 

Chapman Dancers - in the same 

Rhiwbina Scout Hall in which 

Dianne used to perform. 

"The place has hardly changed in 

all these years," says Dianne. "It's 

nice to know that some things stay 

the same." 

11

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DRIVE TOGETHER

sport 

the story of 

Welsh 

rugby 

Cardiff has been home to Welsh rugby for more than a century. This is the 

story from its roots in the late 1800s through to the modern game 

Sport divides and it unites. As far as 

Welsh culture goes, rugby is part of 

its very soul. 

Sport goes a long way back in 

Welsh history. In fact, the earliest 

documented source for a group 

ball game in Great Britain actually 

comes from Wales. Historia 

Brittonum (The History of the 

Britons), written in the ninth century, 

depicts group ball games after the 

Romans had left Britain. Cnapan 

was a Celtic medieval form of 

football around that time. The 

sport was one of the ball games 

traditionally played to celebrate 

Shrovetide and Eastertide within the 

British Isles. 

Rugby union is believed to have 

reached Wales during the 1850s, 

when the Reverend Professor 

Rowland Williams brought the 

game with him from Cambridge to 

St. David's College, Lampeter. The 

college fielded the first Welsh rugby 

team later that year. In September, 

1875, the South Wales Football 

Union was created ‘with the 

intention of playing matches with 

the principal clubs in the West of 

England and the neighbourhood – 

the rugby rules will be the adopted 

code.' 

Rugby union spread throughout 

the industrial south Wales valleys 

not long after, brought there by 

former college students who had 

played the game during their 

education away from home in 

England. At a time when soccer was 

flourishing in other parts of the UK, 

rugby union was taking Wales by 

storm. By 1892, there were 70 rugby 

clubs in south Wales alone, and by 

14 

1905, Cardiff had over 200 known 

teams. 

The Welsh Rugby Union was 

formed in 1881 to help facilitate the 

game more formally and out of the 

many clubs that were being formed, 

there rose some of the larger clubs 

throughout south Wales, such 

as Cardiff, Swansea, Llanelli, and 

Newport. Known as the 'Big Four'; 

these clubs led the way in the 

game's development. 

It's been argued that the game's 

popularity could be down to the 

fact that rugby had originally 

been embraced by the betteroff 

students that attended the 

universities in the south and the 

west of the country. It would also 

explain why rugby never gained the 

same affection in the north of the 

country. 

South Wales was also a heavily 

industrialised part of the UK, and its 

workers were traditionally involved 

in more manual labour. This meant 

that they already had a physical 

advantage over other players who 

were perhaps in more white-collar 

work. Rugby was embraced by the 

working class as it gave them a 

sense of identity. 

At a more local level, many clubs 

were also being created from 

work places and social groups. As 

industrialisation spread and the 

towns and cities expanded, so too 

did the number of clubs popping up 

in the communities. 

Here in the capital, Cardiff Rugby 

Football Club was founded in 1876 

following at meeting at Swiss 

Hall, Queen St. The club was 

the amalgamation of two clubs, 

Glamorgan and Cardiff Wanderers, 

and their first competitive game 

took place against Newport at 

Wentloog Marshes in December of 

that year. 

The club's home games were 

initially played at Sophia Gardens 

but they subsequently relocated to 

Cardiff Arms Park, named after the 

nearby pub. 

Originally the Arms Park had a 

cricket ground to the north and a 

rugby union stadium to the south 

and the first spectator stands 

appeared at the ground during 

1881–1882. That same season also 

saw the first Welsh international 

match taking place, and the team 

included four players from Cardiff 

Rugby Football Club. 

It wouldn’t be until 1890, and their 

seventh attempt, that the Welsh 

national team achieved their overriding 

ambition and finally beat 

England. The team's first Triple 

Crown came in 1893 and was the 

launch pad for the first ‘Golden Era’, 

when Wales dominated the world 

game. 

They won Triple Crowns in 1902 

and 1905 and were also runners-up 

in the 1901, 1903 and 1904 Home 

Nations Championship. They won 

the title in 1906 and even beat the 

touring Australian team in 1908. 

In 1905, Wales played New 

Zealand in what has since become 

known as 'Gêm y Ganrif' or 'The 

Game of the Century'. 

The game was part of the New 

Zealand 'Originals' tour, where they 

played 35 games. By the time the 

All Blacks arrived in Wales, they 

hadn't conceded a single point

in their previous 600 minutes of 

rugby. They had systematically 

demolished many of the best 

English clubs and had also put 

Ireland, Scotland, and England to 

the sword, without conceding any 

points to Ireland and England. Many 

thought that Wales would succumb 

to the All Blacks' dominance. 

On match day, the New Zealand 

players performed the Haka, which 

the Welsh crowd respected by 

falling silent. Not to be outdone 

however, Welsh player Teddy 

Morgan began a rousing rendition 

of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, directed 

back at the All Blacks after they had 

finished their Haka. Other Welsh 

players joined in and the watching 

crowd added their voice. It was 

the first recorded account of a 

national anthem being sung at an 

international sports fixture. 

It has also been argued that the 

singing of the anthem helped Wales 

take a famous win over the All 

Blacks, the New Zealanders' only 

defeat on their tour. Wales scored 

the only try of the game, winning 

3-0. New Zealand player Bob 

Deans had gone close to scoring 

a try but the referee deemed that 

he had touched down too short 

and the try was disallowed. The 

foggy conditions also added to the 

confusion of the onlookers. 

1911 saw the final Home Nations 

Championship format, which 

Wales won, and they also won in 

the following year when France 

joined what became known as the 

Five Nations tournament. Wales 

scooped a Grand Slam in 1911 and 

it would be another 40 years before 

Teddy Morgan 

they would achieve one again. 

Following the First World War, 

the Welsh national team fell into 

decline. A national recession led to 

many players emigrating away from 

the country to find work. The player 

drain continued until the economy 

recovered in the early 1930s, and 

Wales won their first Five Nations 

title for a numbers of years, in 1931. 

The Five Nations was suspended 

during the Second World War and 

the 1940s and 50s saw a mixed 

bag for the Welsh team. Their 

dominance had waned and it 

wouldn't be until the late 1960s, 

when Wales recruited world-class 

players like Barry John, Mervyn 

Davies, and Gareth Edwards, that 

the Welsh team began chalking 

up victories. During 1969 and 1979, 

Wales lost only seven of their 

games and dominated the game in 

the northern hemisphere. 

Wales hosted New Zealand again 

at Cardiff Arms Park in November 

1978, and lost 13-12 in another 

controversial scenario. Wales 

were leading the game with a 

few minutes to go when New 

Zealand lock Andy Haden dived 

out of a line-out in an attempt to 

earn a penalty. The penalty was 

awarded and replacement New 

Zealand fullback Brian McKechnie 

successfully kicked the goal. 

It was later discovered that 

Haden admitted that he and Frank 

Oliver had pre-agreed to jump out 

of the line-out should they find 

themselves in difficulty. 

As key players left the national side 

during the early 1980s, the team 

once again slipped into decline. 

Often referred to as 'the barren 

years', apart from the occasional win 

against the odds, including a Five 

Nations title and a first-ever win 

against South Africa in 1999 under 

Graham Henry, Wales struggled to 

maintain any consistent form. 

Following Henry's departure in 

2002, fellow New Zealander Steve 

Hansen took over the role of coach. 

Under his leadership, the WRU 

restructured the game in Wales, 

adding five (which would later 

become four) regional teams that 

sat on top of the traditional clubs. 

In 2005, Wales won a famous 

Grand Slam under Mike Ruddock. It 

had been 12 years since Wales last 

beat England and a long-range kick 

from Gavin Henson set them on 

their way to a first-round win over 

the Old Enemy and set the side up 

for their clean sweep. 

Their success proved shortlived 

however and Mike Ruddock 

stepped down as national coach 

halfway through the 2006 Six 

Nations campaign. He was replaced 

by former Llanelli coach Gareth 

Jenkins but Wales's poor showing 

at the 2007 World Cup meant that 

Jenkins lost his job. 

His replacement was New 

Zealander Warren Gatland and his 

first match was against England at 

Twickenham in 2008. Wales hadn't 

beaten England there since 1988 

but went on to win the game 26-19. 

Wales didn't stop there, beating 

all-comers in the tournament and 

winning another Grand Slam. 

Wales reached the semi-finals 

of the World Cup for the first time 

since 1987 in 2011, but narrowly lost 

to France, despite being down to 14 

men for most of the match. Wales 

won further Grand Slams in 2012 

and 2019. 

Gatland left Wales in 2019, only to 

return in 2022 after coach Wayne 

Pivac's tenure proved frustrating for 

both players and fans. 

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wellbeing 

Make a list of your 

proudest achievements 

uways 

to beat 

Imposter 

Syndrome 

Imposter Syndrome is defined as 

'the persistent inability to believe 

that one's success is deserved or 

has been legitimately achieved 

as a result of one's own efforts or 

skills'. Here's how to free yourself 

of it and to thrive. 

Visit your younger self 

Take a minute to dwell on your 

achievements, no matter how small. 

Think about how far you have come. 

Picture yourself, ten, twenty years ago. 

What were you doing then? How far 

have you come since? What have you 

learned in that time? Jot them down in 

black and white so they feel real. 

One powerful way to gain perspective is to visit your young self and 

speak to them. 

Clear your schedule for 15 minutes. Turn your phone off. Take yourself to 

a quiet room and lie down. Close your eyes and take a few minutes to let 

yourself settle. Focus on your breathing. When you feel fully relaxed, in 

your mind, take yourself back to a comfortable place in your childhood. 

Wherever you find yourself, gently sit down alongside them and 

introduce yourself. Get talking to 

them. Ask them what they’d really 

love to do when they grow up. 

It’s quite probable that they’ll tell 

you that they’ll want to do what 

you are doing now when they 

grow up. You can tell them that 

that’s what they’ll do in their future 

life. You’ll tell them all the amazing 

things you’ve managed to achieve 

so far. 

Accept that you can’t win everything all the time 

It’s good to be reminded that it’s a physical possibility to win everything 

all the time. It’s equally important to 

remember that failure is part of life. 

Failure is part of learning. It’s part of 

developing and seeing failure as part 

of that process will remind you that 

you can’t go winning at everything. 

The fact that you are making mistakes 

doesn’t show that you are necessarily 

bad at anything. In fact, it shows that 

you are at least trying. 

Perfect doesn’t exist. 

Remember that no one 

is perfect 

Believe it or not, despite what 

society presents to us, there is 

not one perfect person in the 

world. Because, what is perfect? 

The constant pursuit of 

perfection can leave you feeling 

exhausted, both emotionally 

and physically. Cut yourself 

some slack when you’ve 

performed to your best ability. 

Allow yourself to congratulate 

jobs well done. 

Recognise your areas 

of expertise 

Everyone has their own strengths 

and weaknesses and it's 

always good to remind yourself 

that directly comparing your 

vulnerabilities to someone else's 

strengths does not mean that 

they are better than you. 

Don't ask yourself if you are 

clever. Ask yourself what you are 

clever at. You will have strengths, 

just as much as you will have 

weaknesses. But that's normal. 

That's human. 

Acknowledge your weaknesses 

but celebrate your expertise. 

19

MEDITATE 

Meditation gives you new 

perspectives on stressful 

situations. It also promotes 

tolerance and patience, as 

well as build better ways to 

deal with stress. 

JOURNAL 

Expressing your 

thoughts, especially in 

the written form, allows 

you to empty your 

mind of thoughts that 

can otherwise become 

stagnant. This method 

of self-expression 

allows you to transfer 

your fears and worries 

from your head to a 

page. It also allows you 

to reflect and monitor 

your feelings, and 

identify any factors 

that are affecting your 

moods. 

USE MUSIC 

In a world of uncertainty, we 

are all looking for ways to 

manage our emotions. Music 

is a great way of keeping our 

emotions in check, whether 

we use it to calm ourselves, or 

to provide us with energy and 

strength. Mindful listening can 

even help you resynchronise 

you with your body to reduce 

stress. 

You can also use music 

to provide an alternative 

to traditional meditation, 

with slow repetitive sounds 

providing a wonderfully 

relaxing soundtrack for your 

mind. 

MINDCleanse 

Giving your mind a blast of detox can help set up your year ahead. 

Here are some ways to de-clutter your mind and give you head space 

GET QUALITY SLEEP 

Sleep is nature's healing 

process and making sure 

that we get enough of 

it will help lower your 

risk of serious health 

problems like heart 

disease and diabetes. 

Getting quality 

sleep also keeps our 

emotions in check and 

improves brain function, 

allowing us to deal with 

stressful situations more 

effectively. Aim to get 

yourself between 7 and 

8 hours of quality sleep 

every night. 

EMBRACE THE OUTDOORS 

Spending time in nature has been found to help 

with mental health problems such as anxiety 

and depression. Connecting with the natural 

environment can bring calm to 

muddled minds, especially 

when combined with 

the active aspects of 

walking or running. 

Being outside in 

natural light can 

also be helpful if 

you experience 

seasonal affective 

disorder (SAD), 

which affects people 

during the darker 

months of the year. 

20

wellbeing 

ZONE OUT 

Taking a few moments to 

switch your mind off can 

prove beneficial for your 

mental health. Grab a few 

minutes to simply look out 

of the window or at a fixed 

point on a wall. Let your 

mind wander wherever it 

takes you. It'll help refresh 

your mind. 

TIDY YOUR ENVIRONMENT 

Keeping your home neat and tidy is not easy, especially if you have 

children. But de-cluttering and tidying your house helps to promote a 

positive mental attitude and can also leave you feeling more energised. 

Having one area of your life that feels under control can also have a 

positive impact on other areas of your life so take small chunks of time a 

day to organise your environment. 

DIGITAL DETOX 

Many of us have a 

deeply connected 

relationship with our 

digital devices, which 

takes us away from 

being in the present and 

can affect our moods. 

Ditch the digital, even if 

it's for an hour a day. 

ENJOY THE PEACE 

Our lives have become 

a jumble of noise and 

stress so making the 

most of quiet times 

is an absolute must 

if you are looking to 

calm your mind. 

Whether it's indoors 

or outdoors, spend 

ten minutes in total 

silence to help simmer 

your mind down and 

promote calmness. 

TALK TO FRIENDS 

AND FAMILY 

Often the first casualties 

when you are struggling 

are friendships. It's all too 

easy to withdraw from 

socialising but connecting 

with trusted friends can 

have a therapeutic and 

positive benefit. 

The simple act of talking 

to friends and family 

means that you are 

emptying your head of 

your worries and giving 

yourself a chance to get 

rid of your built-up stress. 

It will also help validate 

your feelings and in some 

cases, provide you with 

some perspectives that 

you've not yet perhaps 

considered. 

Talking to friends and 

family will also serve to 

remind you that people do 

care about you, and that 

you are loved, and this will 

help calm your mind and 

make you feel happy. 

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HAIR - BEAUTY - WELLNESS 

Here at Michelle Marshall Salon, 

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Lagom is a word they use that 

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Lagom är bäst is also a popular 

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25

feature 

15 

years of 

Rhiwbina 

Living 

Fifteen years ago, two friends decided to create a magazine for 

Rhiwbina. The pair reflect on their last decade and a half 

On a sunny August day in 2007, two 

long-time friends sat down with a 

blank A4 note pad and a pen in a 

Rhiwbina garden. They didn't know 

it at the time, but it would be the 

start of a journey that's taken them 

to every corner of Rhiwbina village - 

and into the glare of stage lights at 

award ceremonies. 

It all seems 

like a long 

time ago 

now and for 

co-editors 

Patric 

Morgan and 

Dr Danielle 

Dummett, 

the 

magazines 

have 

become 

an integral 

26 

part of their lives. 

"Creating and sustaining a 

successful publication against so 

many odds has been very hard 

work," says Patric. 

"While other publications have 

the support of a large team behind 

them, the fact that we are fiercely 

independent has meant that 

we've done all the work ourselves 

- everything from writing and 

designing, through to supporting 

our advertisers and hand-delivering 

the magazines door-to-door 

throughout Rhiwbina. We live and 

breathe the magazines every day of 

our lives." 

There have been many challenges 

along the way, starting with the very 

first issue which was published way 

back in 2007. 

"From the outset, we decided 

that the magazine had to be a 

high quality publication," says 

the magazines other co-editor, 

Danielle. "It needed to have relevant 

and readable features that readers 

would relate to. With that in mind, 

we planned on having our first issue 

out in time for Christmas." 

With no funding or financial 

backing behind them, the pair 

visited the local shops to source 

advertising to fund the first issue. 

"The initial response wasn't quite 

we had hoped for. We had one 

shop owner who told us that 

Rhiwbina had a magazine back in 

the 1980s and that it never worked 

because they couldn't get enough 

advertising; then we had someone 

telling us where to go with the 

words 'Don't you know there's a 

bl**dy recession on?'. 

"It wasn't until we visited Paul and 

Mags in Serenade that we got our

very first advertiser. Paul smiled at 

us and said 'Count us in.' Once Paul 

was in, everyone wanted to go in!" 

With funds raised to finance the 

first issue, Rhiwbina Living was 

officially launched in November 

2007. But there were more 

challenges ahead. 

2008 proved to be a tough year. 

While Danielle was working fulltime 

as a Clinical Psychologist, 

Patric was working full-time as a 

teacher but also holding down four 

other jobs that filled his evenings. 

"We worked on the magazines 

whenever we could – usually in the 

small hours," says Patric. 

But worse was to come. The 

second issue was published in 

March and as they had done with 

their first issue, they entrusted a 

company to do the deliveries for 

them. 

"About a week after the deliveries 

were finished, we started getting 

phone calls from local advertisers 

who said that they hadn’t received 

their copy. Since they lived locally, 

they should have had one so we 

started getting concerned. We did 

some digging around to find that 

only 12% of our stock had been 

delivered. Two battered boxes 

containing what was left of our 

magazines was handed back to us." 

"We really felt that we’d let 

our paying advertisers down," 

says Danielle. "While we sought 

expensive legal advice, we decided 

that we’d run all of the spring 

advertisers in our summer issue 

at cost to ourselves. Before we 

could make any decisions from 

a legal point of view however, we 

were floored by news that Patric’s 

teenage sister Alice had a rare form 

of aggressive cancer in her knee. 

"She spent nine months in hospital 

having chemotherapy and surgery, 

and had to learn how to walk again 

following an operation to give her a 

replacement knee. Danielle's stepdad 

also died suddenly in October 

that year, just as Alice was starting 

The magazines won Community Business of the Year 

at the Cardiff Business Awards in 2017 

to recover. 

"2008 did have its good points. In 

November that year, after much 

demand, we launched our second 

title – Whitchurch and Llandaff 

Living." 

In 2010, Patric left his teaching 

post for good to concentrate solely 

on the magazines. 

"Everything we do has all been 

self-taught," says Patric. "Back in 

the early days, we were producing 

the magazines on a bashed up 

computer and using Microsoft 

Publisher. We'd then upload all our 

pages onto a memory stick and it'd 

usually be about 4 or 5am by the 

time we hand-delivered it to our 

printer who lived in Y Groes. 

"After our disaster with the 

deliveries on Issue 2, we decided to 

do them all ourselves - something 

we still do to this day. For the first 

few years, I never had a car so 

I literally had to carry each box 

individually to different parts of 

Rhiwbina, deliver its contents and 

then go all the way back home to 

get another box." 

But every year that passed meant 

another year to hone their skills and 

improve the product. 

In 2014, Living Magazines picked 

up two prestigious awards at a UK 

awards ceremony. And in 2017, 

they were crowned Community 

Business of the Year at the Cardiff 

Business Awards. They were up 

against some big names like the 

Wales Millennium Centre and Big 

Learning Wales. 

"To be recognised as Community 

Business of the Year for the 

whole of Cardiff meant so much 

to us, especially since we were 

approaching our tenth year," says 

Patric. "The judges commended us 

for our passion for the magazine 

which we feel because of the 

contribution it makes to the 

community." 

But then of course, the world got 

turned upside down in early 2020 

when the pandemic struck. 

"Like all other small businesses 

across the world, Covid hit us really 

hard. Most of our advertisers were 

forced to close, meaning that for 

a while, we couldn't fund any new 

issues of the magazines. Due to the 

novel nature of the virus, we were 

also unsure as to whether we were 

safe to hand-deliver magazines 

door-to-door. Were we putting our 

readers at risk and were we putting 

ourselves at risk? Frustratingly, we 

had to wait and see. 

"Eventually, with the rollout of the 

vaccines, and things starting to 

open up, we were able to publish 

some issues. Combined with the 

decline of the economy, very little 

in the way of government support, 

plus some serious health issues of 

our own, we somehow managed 

to come through. It's had a knockon 

effect, both in terms of the 

magazines' schedule, and on our 

emotional health but we're getting 

ourselves firmly back on track so 

that we can provide the awardwinning 

service that we've been so 

proud of." 

The pair are now planning 

another year of publications for the 

residents of the village. 

"After fifteen years, you'd think 

that we would run out of stories 

to publish but that's the beauty 

of speaking to people in the 

community - there's always a gem 

of a tale to tell. 

"One of the biggest things that we 

have learnt over the fifteen years is 

that there lies a story behind every 

door in Rhiwbina," says Patric. "The 

everyday people we see around 

our village all have a story to tell. 

And in a way, it has been our duty to 

document these for generations to 

come." 

27

Rhiwbina's shops 

of yesteryear 

Our local businesses are the heartbeat of our community. 

Here are some memories of the village shops from times gone by 

Gooch's 1960s 

Estate Office, date unknown 

Jones the Chemist 

Thomas & Evans 1940s 

Milk queue 1980s 

28

memories 

Beulah Road pre WW2 

Mrs Scott and Mrs Wilson 

Arthur Davies, date unknown 

Heol-y-Deri 1990s 

29

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people 

If you happen to see a man walking 

around Rhiwbina with an easel 

under his arm, his name is most 

likely Dan Peterson. 

Dan follows in the footsteps of 

Welsh artists Frank Brangwyn 

and Augustus John, who once 

documented the First World War 

as war artists. Dan is now just one 

of two official war artists in Wales 

today. And it was in 2011 that Dan 

spent a month in Afghanistan with 

the Queen's Dragoon Guards, 

known as the Welsh Cavalry, 

capturing their life, their struggles, 

and their work. In a world of smart 

phones and instant imagery, Dan's 

original art captured the essence of 

the work carried out over a century 

ago by Brangwyn and John. 

But Dan's story starts right here in 

Rhiwbina. 

"My wife Caroline and I have had 

connections with Rhiwbina over 

many years. As early as the 1930s 

my grandfather, Jack Peterson 

(fighting name Petersen), a famous 

boxer back then, used to run 

through Rhiwbina as part of his 

training and earlier still, he was 

32 

Dan Peterson is only one of two official war artists in Wales. The Rhiwbinabased 

artist tells the tale of his time documenting the war in Afghanistan 

a Boy Scout and Scout Leader 

with 1st Rhiwbina Scouts. He was 

awarded the King’s Scout Award 

there. 

"When Caroline was little, she used 

to visit her aunt and uncle who lived 

on Groes Lôn." 

Dan's love of creating visual art 

stretches back many years. 

"My first job was as a trainee sign 

writer back in the days when signs 

were still mostly painted by hand. 

In fact, the gold leaf lettering on 

the shop front that we now run was 

painted by Adrian of Fresh Graphics 

in Tudor Lane, who was my mentor 

and work colleague nearly forty 

years ago. 

"I bumped into Adrian when 

working with specialist joiner, 

Lazron Matia, a past resident of 

Rhiwbina, who was making some 

beautiful bi-fold doors for me in his 

workshop. 

"After my trainee role, I then 

worked as an illustrator for the 

Heritage Coast in the Vale of 

Glamorgan before going to the 

Cardiff School of Print to study 

graphic design and printing." 

Dan's formative years included 

plenty of corporate work in the field 

of graphic design, creating powerful 

visuals for businesses across the 

country. 

"From there, I spent years in that 

field," says Dan, "first for Cardiff 

University and then a number of 

design agencies across the city

efore starting my own agency on 

Museum Place in 2002. 

"All this time, I kept up with the 

illustration and artwork, illustrating 

a number of books and producing 

comic strips and cartoons here 

and there. Then in 2009, Caroline 

pointed me towards a degree 

course in Illustration that had just 

started in Cardiff School of Art and 

Design and so the move back to 

illustration and art fully began." 

It would be a decision that would 

steer Dan's career away from the 

city - and into possibly the most 

dangerous place on earth at that 

time. 

"I enrolled on the course and then 

remained at the school teaching 

on the same course for a number 

of years after that. It was during 

my time there that I discovered 

War Art with a rich history of artists 

accompanying the armed forces 

during times of conflict. 

"When I learned that the practice 

still existed and with 14 years of 

Territorial Army experience with 

7th Parachute Regiment Royal 

Horse Artillery behind me, I knew 

what I wanted to do. So, after a 

lengthy process of research and 

communications with a number of 

Army regiments, I found myself in 

Helmand Province Afghanistan in 

the winter of 2011. 

"The Regiment felt that a War 

Artist could help them capture the 

feelings and experiences of their 

time in a way that photographs 

could not. So after months of 

preparation, form filling, phone 

calls, visa requests and Hostile 

Environment Training, I found 

myself on a Cyprus Airways flight 

out of Brize Norton. 

"Many hours later and after a 

lengthy stop at a place called 

Minhad, near Dubai UAE, I climbed 

onboard a C130 Hercules aircraft 

and flew in darkness into Camp 

Bastion, where I was met in the 

early hours by the Media Ops team." 

Dan's own TA training helped him 

slot into the challenging everyday 

life of the army. 

"I was embedded with the 1st 

The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, The 

Welsh Cavalry, and joined them for 

a month as they conducted patrols 

and combat operations across 

Helmand. 

"When I first got there, they weren't 

so sure of what I was doing there, 

and how I'd fit in. But within about a 

week, I was out patrolling on foot. 

A few weeks later, I was out on 

operations with explosions going 

off all around me and bullets flying 

over my head." 

Some of the soldiers thought that I 

was a bit crazy. 

"They told me 'You must be 

mad, sir, carrying a pencil and not 

carrying a weapon.' But I told them 

that's what they were there for - so 

that I can look, and they can look 

after me." 

It was often during the soldiers' 

down times that Dan got to see the 

real characters behind the uniforms, 

and to sketch them. 

"Those are the moments that 

mattered; it's that time after the 

frenzied action that's taken place, 

in which they can contemplate 

what's just occurred. It was my job 

to capture that moment. 

"There were places and moments 

I'll remember forever. As we drove 

through the notorious town of 

Gareshk in open top armoured 

vehicles called Jackals, each with 

a top gunner armed with either a 

50 cal machine gun or a 40mm 

cannon, I kept my eyes peeled for 

the grenades that have, in the past, 

been thrown into the vehicle from 

within the crowds that throng in 

the busy market places. Gareshk 

itself was like a bizarre medieval 

bazaar with fruit and veg stalls right 

next to blackened oily motorbike 

garages. The people walk the litter 

strewn dirt tracks and pathways 

often burdened with great bundles 

of goods, from sticks and reeds to 

dirty yellow plastic containers, oily 

spare parts and scrap. 

"During my time with the group, 

as well as dealing with bullets 

and IEDs (Improvised Explosive 

Devices), I drew pictures and made 

paintings that have been published 

in books and exhibited throughout 

the UK and Europe." 

Dan's talents have also earned him 

a number of awards along the way, 

including the Lord Mayors Award 

for Design (Swansea 2004), Cardiff 

Design Festival (2012), the Best 

of Welsh Design Award (Winner 

Illustration), the Linda Kitson 

Prize (2013), and AAS (2013 Highly 

Commended). He also became the 

artist behind the first pack of Welsh 

Political Figures collectible playing 

cards. 

"Since Helmand, I have produced 

reportage illustrations for the 

Royal Navy, rescuing refugees and 

migrants off the coast of Libya in the 

Mediterranean, the British Council, 

the BBC and UNHCR in places like 

Refugee Camps in Bangladesh, 

and for the NHS in the Dragon’s 

Heart Hospital, the Covid Hospital 

that was built within the grounds of 

the Millennium Stadium during the 

pandemic." 

For someone that likes to keep 

his hands busy, Dan has also taken 

on a dream that had been floating 

around his head for many years: 

"I opened my own shop in 2021 

after spending a year renovating the 

place." 

It seems that the Peterson legacy 

that stretches back over a century 

will continue in Rhiwbina for some 

time yet.

Seasonal 

Poems 

WINTER 

AMONG THE 

TREES 

Among the trees 

that hid us from the world, 

kept our secrets, 

hushed 

and hidden. 

The warmth has faded now. 

And winter earth is wrapped in 

bleak browns and blacks. 

But among the trees 

Our love glows. 

Those kisses 

That melt away 

The outside reality 

Will linger in our souls 

Forever. 

And when we are gone 

There will remain our story 

That lived 

And breathed 

Among the trees. 

34 

Alec Harvey 

SCARLET 

EMBRACE 

Beneath the darkness of a winter sky, 

When icy rain disturbs the pools of mud, 

And roaring gales, engendered by the sea 

Compel the grey and heavy clouds to rage 

And veil the fading sunlight’s cheerless eye, 

Behold the sad procession of the reeds, 

Entombed within the river’s turgid flow! 

They sigh and shiver, quiver in the wind 

And whisper with convulsive restlessness 

The secrets of a green and fertile past, 

Of fish and sunlight through the water-weeds – 

A season full of summer’s birds and rain 

And light, caressing breezes from the south. 

Yet now, in melancholy drab and brown, 

They bow beneath the eastern wind and hail. 

Beneath a bank of weeping willow trees 

They sign and whisper in the winter breeze. 

Anne James 

Her voice sings melodies of folk 

whose black wings once soared 

these icy slopes, 

blessing love not too forgotten 

for hope that harmony 

might live again. 

Now, let her weep sorrow 

across frown-frozen brows, 

bow your heartstrings 

to glide through the tears, 

and call up your song 

to ghost the chill breeze. 

As your fingers play 

the opus of their eulogy, 

warm our souls 

with this gifted babe, 

wrapped safely in the scarlet 

embrace of memory. 

Colin Ward

poetry 

THE STAR 

It's settled 

The snow 

Woven in 

Icy threads 

I've never been this cold 

How many people 

Will die? 

Is all I can think of. 

Take the glass from your eye. 

It's time to go back. 

Share heat 

Put the homeless' sleeping bags in the dryer 

I don't have one 

My clothes take a week to dry 

Feed them 

WINTER SOLSTICE 

Heavy boots crunch on crisp grass, 

blizzard flakes fall from pink hue sky 

as Winter announces its arrival. 

Patricia M Osborne 

Google your nearest food bank and send them a fiver 

Inside old people shiver 

Boilers stay silent, no coal fires, 

While people in threadbare blankets sleep on their sofa, 

How can they survive this winter 

We need money to migrate, but we have nothing. 

Those alone. 

It's when you get too cold, you can't think. 

No one wanted you for the holidays, means no one wanted you at all. 

You stop trying to call. 

How many people will die? 

How many people will die? 

Jessica Milner 

ANGELS IN THE 

SNOW 

Once so long ago 

When I was a child 

Energetic and a little wild 

I woke up to a sight 

Most wondrous to behold 

Oh what a wonder 

I shouted 

“wake up sister mine!” 

“Look outside! It’s wintertime!” 

We squealed in plain delight 

At a sight 

so marvellous and thrilling 

so beautiful and bright 

A blanket of sparkling diamonds 

Two young girls 

From a country full of warmth 

Witnessing 

for the first time in our lives 

A winter wonderland 

And so 

With gloveless hands 

Daring, brave and bold 

We ran out to the cold 

arms stretched out wide 

We laughed and cried 

In awe of that which stunned us 

We spun circles round and round 

Until we crashed onto the ground 

The two of us now grown 

We made angels in the snow 

AR Stone 

35

Winter 

Walks 

The south Wales area has 

an abundance of natural 

places to see Winter in all 

its glory 

65 1. THE GARTH 

Why go to all the trouble of getting to and up Peny-Fan 

when the Garth offers its own magic closer to 

home? You can start your winter walk in Pentyrch 

and reach the summit in less than half an hour. The 

views from the Garth's ridge are worth the effort. 

6 2. ABERGAVENNY 

The Abergavenny to Govilon route takes you past 

Abergavenny Castle and Castle Meadows before 

crossing the River Usk and heading under the 

Heads of the Valleys Road to Llanfoist. Passing 

canals and wharfs as you continue to Govilon, the 

return route brings along the old railway line. 

5 3. USK LADY HILL 

Starting at Twyn Square, this walk takes in the woodland 

and farmland of the local area. As well as Usk Castle, it 

also takes in the site of the Battle of Pwll Melyn (which is 

also known as the Battle of Usk), a battle that took place 

between the Welsh and English in May 1405 as part of the 

Glyndŵr Rising. 

6 4. NANT BRYNGLAS 

The Nant Brynglas Circular Walk is a 2.5 mile walk 

that can be started either at Coity or Brackla. It 

takes in the quaint villages of Coity itself, as well 

as Coychurch, and can be completed in around 

two hours - just about long enough to clear the 

cobwebs before heading home to thaw out and 

warm up. 

36

5 5. TALYBONT FALLS 

There's something magical about waterfalls at 

this time of year. The crystal cold water leaves 

you feeling somehow refreshed and the walk at 

Talybont Waterfalls in the Brecon Beacons will 

reward you with this feeling plus forest tracks and 

extensive views of the ridges of Craig Y Fan Ddu 

and Cwar Y Gigfran. 

8 6. THE WENALLT 

outdoors 

Situated north of Rhiwbina, the Wenallt is a 

favourite for walkers and dog walkers alike, and 

takes in acres of woodland and forests. There are 

even abandoned caves to be spotted. 

65 7. SALMON LEAPS WALK 

Recently featured as one of ’20 of the UK’s most beautiful 

woodlands for winter walks' in The Times, this gorgeous 

winter walk includes a glacial valley and the Cwm George 

Iron Age hill fort. Starting in Dinas Powys, the walk takes 

you through fields and forests. You can also take the 

diversion that leads to Caerau Hill Fort and the ruined 

church that overlooks the west side of Cardiff. 

8 8. COSMESTON 

Cosmeston Country Park features two lakes formed 

by flooding disused quarries. The lakes attract many 

waterfowl throughout the year and the trail will take you 

around the lakes, trees and picnic areas. Some areas are 

designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest, protecting 

the rare and diverse plant and animal species. 

65 9. KEEPER'S POND 

High on a hill near Pwll Du, Blaenavon, you can find 

The Keeper’s Pond, also known as Pen-ffordd-goch 

Pond or the Forge Pond. 

The large pond was originally built in the early 

19th century to provide water for Garnddyrys Forge, 

which started production in 1817. After the forge 

was dismantled during the 1860s, the site quickly 

became a local beauty spot. It also became known 

as Keeper’s Pond after the gamekeeper of the 

grouse moors who lived in a cottage nearby. 

6 10. CAERPHILLY MOUNTAIN 

The short walk from Caerphilly Mountain to the Black Cock 

Inn and back again via the mountain top affords you 

stunning 360 degree views of woodland, Caerphilly Castle 

- and on a clear day, far over the Bristol Channel. Starting 

from the mountain car park, you can complete the walk in 

under two hours, taking in the rolling hills, gurgling streams 

and plenty of fresh air. 

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If you or someone you know is 

new to wearing hearing aids, it 

can take a while to get used to 

them. 

Using hearing aids can allow 

you to engage in meaningful 

conversations with friends 

and family more easily. Many 

hearing aid users experience 

more profound interactions with 

their loved ones and find it more 

enjoyable to participate in social 

gatherings. So while not all 

change is seamless, it can take 

can a while to get used to it. 

Here are a few quick tips on 

how to embrace your new world 

with your hearing aids: 

● Use them consistently. The 

true benefits of hearing aids are 

only achieved through frequent 

use. 

● Speak to people. The act 

of conversation is such a 

rewarding experience for new 

hearing aid users. 

● Journal your experiences. 

Keeping track of your new 

experiences serves as a great 

tool, both for you and your 

hearing care professional. 

Get a good start to 

life with hearing aids 

this coming year 

● Rechargeable 

● Connect to iPhone or Android 

● Wireless accessories available 

● Tinnitus relief option 

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You think you know Rhiwbina well? Time to get your brain into action and to 

take on our big quiz and see how much you know about your local area 

6 1. Rhiwbina Memorial Hall 

was officially opened in which 

year? 

a) 1953 

b) 1958 

c) 1961 

6 2. The legendary Rhiwbina 

Twmpath is what exactly? 

a) an 11th century Norman 

motte 

b) a 12th century castle ruin 

c) a 13th century burial site 

6 3. Which iconic Rhiwbina 

building served as an Air Raid 

Warden's Post in WW2? 

a) Beulah Church 

b) Smart’s Garage 

c) The Wendy House 

40 

6 4. The 2011 Dr Who Christmas 

Special was filmed in which street 

in Rhiwbina? 

a) Charlotte Square 

b) Heol-y-Deri 

c) Y Groes 

6 5. Rhiwbina’s Monico cinema 

played its last film in which year? 

a) 2002 

b) 2003 

c) 2004 

6 6. Which historical figure has 

connections with the Rhiwbina 

area? 

a) Henry VIII 

b) Charles II 

c) Oliver Cromwell 

6 7. Rhiwbina Living Magazine 

was launched in which year? 

a) 2009 

b) 2008 

c) 2007 

6 8. Which famous British 

actress used to live in the Garden 

Village as a child? 

a) Angharad Rees 

b) Dame Maggie Smith 

c) Helen Mirren 

6 9. Football superstar Gareth 

Bale once played for which school 

side? 

a) Llanishen Fach 

b) Eglwys Newydd 

c) Hawthorns 

6 10. Which Rhiwbina road 

used to be called Homfray Road? 

a) Beulah Road 

b) Heol-y-Deri 

c) Pen-y-Dre 

6 11. Which legendary rock 

band once sponsored Rhiwbina 

Squirrels rugby team? 

a) Def Leppard 

b) Iron Maiden 

c) AC/DC 

6 12. Which local musical 

group can justifiably claim to be 

the oldest band in Wales? 

a) City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) 

Brass Band

) Cardiff Arms Park Male Choir 

c) Caerphilly Male Voice Choir 

6 13. Which 80s musical star 

was brought up on Heol Llanishen 

Fach? 

a) Simon Le Bon 

b) Rick Astley 

c) Howard Jones 

6 14. Which historical Welsh 

prince is said to have been killed 

in Rhiwbina? 

a) Iestyn ap Gwrgant 

b) Gruffydd ap Llywelyn 

c) Owain Glyndŵr 

6 15. Which famous screenplay 

and novel writer grew up in the 

Garden Village? 

a) Russell T Davies 

b) Andrew Davies 

c) Gareth Evans 

6 16. Which Rhiwbina park 

was originally destined to be a 

residential cul-de-sac? 

a) Parc-y-Pentre 

b) Caedelyn Park 

c) Llanishen Fach Park 

6 17. In which year did Sam 

Warburton make his senior Welsh 

debut? 

a) 2008 

b) 2009 

c) 2010 

6 18. What was the name of 

he world-famous sheep who 

lived in a house with his owner in 

Rhiwbina? 

a) Shaun 

b) Timmy 

c) Nick 

6 19. Which legendary Welsh 

footballer once owned a sports 

shop on Heol-y-Deri? 

a) John Charles 

b) Ian Rush 

c) Dean Saunders 

6 20. What was the name 

given to the Rhiwbina tearooms 

that used to be situated on the 

present-day Clos-Yr-Ardd? 

a) Simples 

b) Smudges 

c) Smarts 

6 21. What is the nickname 

given to the stream that runs 

through Rhiwbina? 

a) The Bloody Brook 

b) The Babbling Brook 

c) The Cold Brook 

6 22. Outside which wellknown 

Rhiwbina building will you 

find a 'benchmark', traditionally 

used to calculate mean heights 

above sea-level? 

a) The Wendy House 

b) Beulah Church 

c) Rhiwbeina Primary School 


the former cricketer and sports 

commentator who grew up in 

Rhiwbina? 

a) Alan Shearer 

b) Alan Sugar 

c) Alan Wilkins 


Rhiwbina Living's now-retired 

mascot who would frequently be 

seen at village festivals? 

a) Sammy 

b) Squishy 

c) Squidgy 

6 25. In which year did 

Rhiwbina railway station first 

open? 

a) 1911 

b) 1921 

c) 1931 

6 26. How many schools are 

there in Rhiwbina? 

a) One 

b) Two 

c) Three 

For answers, head to 

www.livingmags,co.uk/quizanswers 

41

detox 

delight 

The start of the year is always a great time to renew health 

commitments. Here are some delicious ways to get back on track 

Superfood 

smoothie 

handful of fresh kale 

handful of rocket 

handful of mixed berries 

1 orange, peeled and chopped 

a few mint leaves 

thumbnail-sized piece of ginger 

chia seeds 

honey 

two ice cubes 

☐ 

☐ Wash all the ingredients and set 

aside some berries, a slice of orange, 

and chia seeds. Place the rest of 

them into a blender and blitz until 

smooth. 

☐ Pour the smoothie into a tumbler, 

leaving an inch or two from the top. 

☐ Drizzle the honey along the edges 

of a tumbler and scatter a small 

amount of chia seeds around the rim. 

☐ Pile up the remaining berries, chia 

seeds, and the slice of orange on the 

top. Garnish with a few mint leaves. 

☐ Experiment with various 

ingredients but always aim to make 

at least two thirds of your ingredients 

vegetables. All-fruit smoothies 

are high in sugar content and can 

damage your teeth. 

42

Pan-roasted 

salmon with 

pomegranates 

500g fresh salmon 

300g asparagus 

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses 

salt and pepper 

2 tbsp pomegranate juice 

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce 

a few mint leaves 

thumbnail-sized piece of ginger, 

grated 

pinch of dried pepper flakes 

1 garlic clove, minced 

fresh basil and chopped spring onions 

to serve 

☐ Preheat the oven to 220°C. On 

a large baking sheet, place the 

asparagus, olive oil, and scatter with a 

pinch of salt. 

☐ Toss in the mixture well to evenly 

coat and place the tray in the oven 

and roast for 15 minutes. 

Detox 

breakfast 

2 free range eggs 

1 avocado 

cucumber 

100g prawns 

100g shrimps 

salad leaves 

walnuts 

green olives 

handful of tomatoes 

lemon, quartered 

☐ While that is cooking, mix 

the pomegranate molasses, 

pomegranate juice, sweet chilli sauce, 

ginger, garlic, and a pinch each of red 

pepper flakes and salt in a small bowl. 

☐ Remove the asparagus from 

the oven and add the salmon to 

the middle of the pan. Spoon the 

food 

pomegranate glaze over the salmon 

and transfer back to the oven. Roast 

the salmon for 10-20 minutes to your 

preference. 

☐ Top with pomegranate seeds, 

chopped spring onions, and chopped 

basil. 

☐ Prepare the prawns by holding 

on to the prawn tail in one hand and 

with your other hand, twist the head 

and pull it away from the tail. Peel 

away the shell of the prawn, starting 

from the underbelly. Finally, with a 

sharp knife, make a shallow incision, 

1–2mm deep, down the length of the 

back of the tail to reveal the prawn's 

intestinal tract. It should appear 

as black but can sometimes be 

translucent. Remove this and discard 

it. Do the same for the shrimps. 

☐ Cook the prawns and shrimps in a 

pan over a medium-high heat with a 

splash of oil. 

☐ Layer the salad leaves and add the 

tomato, walnuts, olives, cucumber, 

and lemon. 

☐ Poach the eggs, add to the plate 

and serve. 

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the wolf moon 

A 

drop of condensation rolled 

down the glass and pooled 

on the windowpane. Charlie 

watched it as it made a damp spot 

on the wood and tutted. Lifting his 

cigarette to his lips, he took a long 

drag and looked back to the glaring 

screen of his laptop. 

'And it was there that Jonah 

decided he must…’ he read aloud. 

‘Must what? Must what, Charlie?’ 

He was halfway through his 

third novel and for the life of him, 

he couldn’t seem to slip back 

into writing the way he used to. 

Since September, he had chained 

himself to this desk, missing out on 

birthdays, reunions, even Christmas 

parties just to hit his February 

deadline. But for some reason, the 

words just weren’t coming. 

The moonlight shone in through 

the window, bathing his small study 

in a wintry glow. It was almost 

midnight but he refused to close 

the curtains, hoping inspiration 

would somehow strike from the 

quiet scene below. Rows of slanted 

rooftops reflected the moon’s 

beams back up to the sky. Nothing 

moved. Nothing murmured. No 

46 

inspiration would strike here tonight. 

Pushing his chair back, Charlie 

stood and started to pace. With 

no other light in the room, he 

moved in and out of the moon’s 

gaze, enjoying the way the beams 

danced on the rim of his glasses. 

Why was it so hard to write this time 

around? The first two books had 

simply jumped from his fingertips to 

the keyboard and become instant 

hits with readers around the world. 

Perhaps it was because it was the 

last one in the trilogy but this one 

was just not working. 

Downstairs, he heard his wife 

turning off the TV, her slippers 

shuffling across the floor as she 

started to make her way up the 

stairs. How long had he been sitting 

here? Five hours? And the most 

he’d written was 100 words. At 

least three hours had been spent 

deleting sentences that just didn’t 

work, over and over again. He 

couldn’t disappoint his fans, he just 

couldn’t. 

‘Charlie?’ he heard Georgie’s 

familiar voice call. 

‘Yes, love?’ 

‘I’m going to bed.’ 

‘I know, I know. I’m just thinking-’ 

‘Have you seen the moon tonight?’ 

she said, climbing the couple of 

steps up to his attic room. 

‘No,’ he replied to the closed door. 

‘Oh, you should see it,’ Georgie 

said. ‘You’d like it.’ 

Charlie stopped pacing, aware of 

his wife hovering on the top step. 

He should ask her in, tell her to 

come and look at the moon with 

him. He knew he should and yet, 

if he did, it would take him ages to 

get back on track. Not that he was 

going anywhere at the moment. 

‘It’s called a Wolf Moon,’ Georgie 

said, quietly. ‘Because of the wolves 

howling in the winter.’ 

‘Nice, love. I’ll have a look later.’ 

There was a quietness between 

them as he gazed up at the moon 

outside his window. She would 

know he had already seen it. She 

knew he never closed the curtains 

when he was writing. 

Realising she wouldn’t be invited 

in, Charlie heard her turn and start 

to descend the stairs. 

‘Goodnight then, love,’ she said. ‘I 

won’t disturb the genius at work.’ 

‘Goodnight, Georgie,’ he replied. ‘I

won’t be much longer.’ 

Her footsteps faded away and 

Charlie was left with the Wolf Moon 

and an unfinished sentence that 

was haunting him. Somewhere 

along the line, he’d lost his love 

for the stories he was creating. 

His publishers had promised his 

readers that each book would be 

bigger and better than the last - 

more epic battles, more nail-biting 

cliffhangers. More, more, more. 

And now here he was, writing about 

a man called Jonah that he didn’t 

even care for. It had all become so 

detached from the original story 

he wrote - a love story, essentially. 

Holding the backspace key down, 

he watched the letters disappear 

from the page. 

‘Sorry Jonah,’ he sighed. ‘I’m 

making a mockery of you.’ 

Georgie’s faint cough from the 

floor below made him stop. He 

wished he could go down to be 

with her instead, but the publisher’s 

deadline sat heavy on his shoulders. 

What was it she’d said? A Wolf 

Moon? What was all that about? 

Clicking away from his third book 

and on to the internet icon, Charlie 

brought up the search bar and 

typed in ‘wolf moon.’ Thousands 

of results came back, telling him 

that the bright January moon 

was named after the wolves who 

howled at it in the depths of winter, 

on the search for food. The famine 

and the feast - he could tell them 

a thing or two about that, Charlie 

chuckled to himself. The name of 

the Wolf Moon had Celtic origins, 

said one website - derived from 

Native American tribes said another. 

What would it have been like to 

hear those howls in the dead of 

night? An icy cold January night, no 

less. 

He shivered to think of it. 

The first full moon of the year. How 

was it January already? He thought 

back to the text he’d received from 

his oldest friend, Jerry. ‘Happy New 

Year, mate. Have to try and get 

together soon - I’m forgetting what 

you look like.’ 

He’d rolled his eyes when he got 

that one. It was the same story 

every year when he was trying to 

get a book finished. Nobody said 

anything when he was at every 

summer BBQ, but miss a few 

months in the winter to keep to your 

contract and suddenly, you were 

the devil incarnate for not being 

around. 

His father had been the same, 

missing out on time with friends 

and family. As a baker, he’d been 

the one person everyone had 

come to for their fresh loaf and 

some sweet treats. He’d go to bed 

early to rise before the sun and 

start baking all over again. They’d 

hardly see him over Christmas while 

he was out delivering goodies to 

people around the neighbourhood, 

but he’d always be back in time 

for Christmas dinner with all the 

trimmings. You have to do what 

you have to do to get by, Charlie 

told himself. Even if it meant staring 

unhappily at a screen for a few 

hours. 

The problem was that this book was 

just going deeper into a rabbit hole 

that he needed to escape from. 

He wasn’t writing to satisfy his own 

hopes and dreams anymore, he was 

writing for his publishers who made 

demands on him. And that wasn’t 

why he started creating stories 

in the first place. The characters 

had all become a little too 

predictable; they weren’t allowed 

to be contradictory as real people 

often are. They had become onedimensional 

caricatures instead, 

and while the story had taken them 

on adventures to far-flung corners 

of the world, it just wasn’t the same 

as the original. 

Charlie sighed and rubbed his tired 

eyes. He couldn’t go back and start 

again now…could he? Make this a 

book he was actually proud of? Do 

Jonah some justice? 

A bird flew past his window, jolting 

him out of his stupor. The moon 

was still there, watching him suffer 

with the consequences of his own 

actions. 

‘Oh shush,’ he said to it. ‘You don’t 

have to deal with problems like this.’ 

He remembered gazing out the 

window of his dad’s van at a full 

moon when he joined him on his 

deliveries one year. Trays of bread 

slid from side to side in the back 

as they came to the end of their 

rounds. 

‘Sun will be up soon, boy,’ his father 

said. ‘Just a couple more to do and 

you’ll have to be off to school.’ 

‘Moon’s still out,’ Charlie replied. 

‘Full moon too.’ 

‘Oooh yes,’ his dad said. ‘What a 

beautiful sight.’ 

They pulled up at Mrs Hardy’s 

house, light from the small kitchen 

pouring out onto the front garden. 

Opening the back of the van, 

Charlie pulled out a tray with a loaf 

of bread and some freshly baked 

scones on top. 

‘Come on then, lad. Don’t ring the 

bell, you’ll wake her baby.’ 

His father’s hand on his back, 

Charlie was guided up the path and 

they both knocked gently on the 

door. 

‘Oh hello, you two,’ Mrs Hardy 

whispered. ‘Thank you so much - 

this smells delicious. Let me get 

your money.’ 

‘You’re more than welcome,’ 

Charlie’s father said quietly, as she 

tiptoed back into the hall. 

‘You two must be exhausted 

before the day even begins,’ she 

replied, placing the money into his 

father’s hand. 

‘Ah, well we love it, don’t we 

Charlie?’ 

Charlie nodded enthusiastically 

back at his father. 

‘Do what you love and you’ll never 

work a day, eh?’ Mrs Hardy smiled. 

‘Exactly. You take care now, love. 

See you next week.’ 

They walked back to the van, and 

Charlie felt his father’s hand ruffling 

his hair. What his dad had said was 

true. He did love it. They climbed 

back into the warmth of the van and 

Charlie’s dad whistled as they set off 

back home. 

Charlie smiled to himself as he 

recalled it now. One of those core 

moments that stuck with him for 

years. Looking back at his screen, 

his eyes scanned the plan for this 

chapter. What was he doing? None 

of it made sense. According to 

his agent, it was what the public 

expected after two books that had 

been real page-turners. It was The 

Grand Finale. 

But it wasn’t him. It wasn’t his 

characters. It had all turned into 

a bit of a pantomime, and it just 

wasn’t real anymore. No wonder it 

had been so painful to write. 

‘Forget it,’ he sighed. ‘I’m not doing 

it.’ 

Opening a brand new document, 

he wrote ‘Chapter 1’ at the top, Mrs 

Hardy’s sage advice ringing in his 

ears. ‘Do what you love and you’ll 

never work a day.’ 

Charlie picked up his whisky and 

held it up to the moon. 

‘Here’s to new beginnings,’ he said 

to it. 

And then he began to write… 

‘Jonah looked up at the icy Wolf 

moon…’ 

By Allie Morgan 

short story 

You can find more of Allie's work at 

allie-morgan.com 

47

www.cardiffwindows.com 

02920 692690

Rhiwbina Living Issue 57

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