Posts Tagged ‘wales’

The Ancient History of Barry, South Wales: Part Two

March 4th, 2010

In the 1700’s, dishes, saws, knives, flints, a scraper, a prehistoric horn celt with strange markings, a spokeshave and some arrowheads from the Neolithic Period were found. These are now safely housed in the museum in Cardiff, but at the time no one thought to organize an excavation and later a housing estate was built on the site.

An ancient Roman kitchen, complete with remains and utensils underwent a similar fate. In 1533, Leland was made the Kings Antiquary and was directed to make a tour of all places where records were held. This took him nine years and his description of the island was:

“It is about a mile in circumference and has good corn, grass and some wood, and there is no dwelling on the Island, but in the midst of it is a fair little Chapel of St. Baruch which is visited by many pilgrims. It took the name Barri from this holy man who was buried there and whose remains are yet on the Island”. (The Welsh name for Barry is Y Barri).

Vikings raided the coastline of south Wales in the Tenth Century often taking hostages from the monasteries, but they did not seek to settle the area. The island was known as the ‘Saints’ Retreat’ or the ‘Island of Saints’ for a long time. Later, in the Sixteenth Century, the island was used by smugglers and pirates and was known locally as the ‘Smugglers’ Fortress’. This occurred at the same time as Bristol, Britain’s second largest port, was growing rapidly.

Barry Island became the centre of piracy in the Bristol Channel. In 1784, the island was known as the Fortress of Knight. Knight was the top smuggler and pirate in the area and people were frightened of testifying against him, although he was also something of a local hero. His armed brig’s name was John O’ Combe. He was eventually moved on to Lundy Island, which he also turned into a fortress, although he and his successor, Arthur, still returned so often to Barry, that H.M. Customs requested the government to permanently post a cutter to Penarth and 60 light infantry to Barry.

Rhoose was infamous for its wreckers and George II sent troops to break up the smugglers and wreckers. They landed at Aberthaw “the Rhoose men’s favourite landing zone, from where they could easily transport the contraband along Port Road to Cardiff, the main market for such things”. Several large caves were filled in while constructing the present day docks and it is likely that they were used by the pirates until they were moved on in about 1850.

If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, visit our website at Welsh Products Online You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

The Ancient History of Barry, South Wales: Part One

March 3rd, 2010

Much of what we know or have supposed about Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan, in which it is situated has been gleaned from the buildings found there, many of which have been badly neglected for too long. There are also legendary stories, such as that of Joseph of Arimathea, who traded tin in Glastonbury, just across the channel and who was one of the first missionaries to this part of the country.

Tradition maintains that the father of Caractacus took his son to Rome and was converted to Christianity. They returned to the Vale of Glamorgan with the missionary Bran the Blessed. We do know that Christianity had become fairly popular by the early 4th. Century and that south Wales sent some bishops to the Council of Rome.

One of the oldest shrines in the vicinity is St. Baruch’s Church on Barry Island, but it is also in very poor condition. Barry Island was one of the most important monastic retreats of the period in south Wales. Steep and Flat Holm islands in the Bristol Channel were also highly significant in this regard. Another very important part of the puzzle was St. Illtyd’s Seminary in Llantwit Major which had 2,200 students.

There was an ancient Roman fort and accompanying naval dockyard on Porthkerry Point, which had obviously jutted out further into the sea than it does now and later a castle was built on their ruins. There have been found many wolf and deer bones between Sully and Barry – enough to show that they had existed there in great numbers. There have also been a large number of findings of arrowheads, flints, needles and coins, proving that people were there to prey on them too.

‘The Island’, as it is known locally, was first named Baruch’s Island after St. Baruch, who was found washed up on one its beaches dead in 700 AD. He had been drowned on his return from Flat Holm, where it was common practice for religious students to spend Lent.

He and Gwelches were disciples of Saint Cadoc at that time and on their return to the island, they realized that they had forgotten their enchiridion or religious manual. St. Cadoc made them do back to fetch it. Neither men returned alive. St. Baruch’s most acclaimed student, St. Illtyd was educated there.

Barry Island has had its name changed several times over the centuries. It was once called ‘Island of the Saints’ and ‘Insular of Peiros’, after St. Peiro, who was St. Illtyd’s successor at the seminary at Llantwit Major. He was also St. Samson’s luminary. There was also a St. Doeninas, who was abbot of a nearby abbey on Friars’ Point.

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Decorating Wedding Cakes

February 27th, 2010

Nearly every family or social occasion involves the eating of food and the imbibing or liquids in the celebration. Think of Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings. In this piece of writing, I would like to talk about that centre piece of any wedding reception: the wedding cake.

The guests come to eat, drink and be merry and the bride’s parents always put a great deal of effort into the preparation for the wedding party. The wedding cake is the central point of the top table and the whole function in general. The wedding cake has traditional significance and it is often thought bad luck not to have a piece of the wedding cake.

There are precise rules for the timing of the cutting of the wedding cake that have become part of tradition. For example, if the wedding reception takes place at lunch or dinner, it is traditional to cut the wedding cake just before the sweet is served.

However, if the reception is to take place in the late afternoon or early evening, the cake is served as soon as the guests arrive. In some traditions the bride and groom cut and eat the first slice together as a symbol of their vows to love, honour and obey each other. The remainder of the cake is generally cut by one of the assistants, like the maid of honour or a family relative.

It can be quite difficult to choose the wedding cake. Traditionally, people go for a white cake with white icing for weddings, however nowadays, people are becoming more daring and are choosing more exotic flavours and colours.

Some couples choose to have a wedding cake which has different flavours on each layer. While white icing is still the overwhelming favourite, people do order other colours like pink and yellow. Chocolate and mocha are also popular. These days you can have what you like. It is your day, after all.

Everyone likes the wedding reception. It is the favourite part of the wedding day and everyone looks forward to seeing the cake cut and sharing it with the bride and groom.

If you are considering becoming a cake decorator, you have a few choices to go about it. You could buy a book or a course or get a video in order to teach yourself how to decorate cakes from the plain to the ornate. You could also go to a night school class to learn the art or cake decoration.

Without a doubt, the very best way to learn cake decorating is to take a course. DVD’s, videos, and books are all well and good, but you cannot talk to them or ask questions. If you take a class for three months or more you will learn more and get a deeper understanding of the art of cake decoration. You will learn how to put real feeling into the decoration of the cake and you will be able to translate the wedding couple’s dreams into a cake that you and they can be proud of.

If you are interested in a Welsh gold wedding ring, or Wales in general, go to our web site at Welsh Products Online

Wedding Favours

February 18th, 2010

There are many gifts that can be given as wedding favours, after all the point of wedding favours is to illustrate to your guests that you are grateful for them coming to your wedding and expressing their support for your wedding. Therefore, you ought to really try to find wedding favors, that your guests will be keen on.

Naturally, the gift that most appeals to your guests, may not be one you would choose for yourself, but you are buying the wedding favours for your guests, not yourself. If you think about it, you should be able to come up with something that everyone will like and that you are pleased to give. In order to help you get the task done, we will offer you a few tips below.

Love spoons are a prevalent souvenir at Welsh and other Celtic weddings. A love spoon was a wooden spoon carved by a love sick man for the woman he cherished. She would then either take or reject the love spoon, although she was not bound by the acceptance of the spoon. Miniature copies are often used as wedding favours. They can be carved with dates and names and symbols of love such as a hearts, bells, vines, key holes, anchors and knots.

Wedding favours can also be suitable to eat. There are a lot of choices available for couples who wish to give their guests some type of edible favour. You can have many items personalized these days. Some firms specialize in personalized presents, which can also be given as wedding favours. Some examples of edible, personalized wedding favours might be: chocolate bars, mints, biscuits or gourmet chocolates. The box or wrapper could bear your photo or / and your names and the date.

Small wedding cakes are another concept for edible wedding favours. Miniature wedding cakes have a short shelf life so they will have to carry a warning, which will probably be put on the packaging automatically, but it is worth checking.

A half / quarter or small bottle of wine or other drink would also be fairly easy to arrange as wine bottle labels can be bought in any home brew shop.

Picture frames are frequent wedding favors. You could give a picture frame and follow it up with a photo of the beneficiary of the frame enjoying your wedding reception. This might be costly and tricky to set up as you will have to keep records of who has been photographed and who has not. It would be dreadful to miss someone out, would it not? You will probably also need a professional photographer or at least a dedicated amateur.

Wedding favours can be anything really, but I reckon that they are best if they are useful. We gave very atypical bottle-openers away at our wedding. They had a pattern of a couple getting married, our names and the date. They also had a magnet in them to collect the bottle top as it came off. I have seen dozens of our bottle-openers stuck on our friends’ fridges over the years and the wedding was three years ago.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Welsh love spoons, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online

The Traditional Use Of Dairy Produce: Part 3 – Eggs

December 15th, 2009

Basic Preparation Of Foods: Dairy Produce.

EGGS: Part 1

Eggs can be fresh or dried, dried eggs being only chickens’ eggs without the shell and water. Dried egg should be stored in a cool, dry place – it may not be stored in the refrigerator! Store eggs for several days or a week in a cool place not close to strong-smelling foods. An egg stand is an ideal gadget for this. If the eggs are dirty, wipe them clean with a damp cloth- washing will only remove the natural oils which help to preserve the eggs.

Pickled Eggs: eggs laid in the Spring keep longer than those laid in other seasons. Eggs that can not be cleaned-up, must be refused. Waterglass or the special preparations should be used. if an egg floats to the surface, use it immediately. Try to maintain the room temperature between 2 and 8 degrees C and they should keep for 6 to 9 months.

Preparing Eggs for Cooking: break each egg separately into a cup, before adding it to the other ingredients to ensure it is not ‘off’. If you wish to separate the white from the yolk, tip the contents back and forth between the two eggshell halves and the white (albumen) will run off. Beat eggs with a whisk or a fork in an appropriate bowl; whip egg whites with a knife on a dinner plate – a pinch of salt will help.

Raw eggs used to be prescribed for invalids as they are easily digestible, but, this not advisable these days due to the prevalence of salmonella. One method, presented here for the curious was to strain a beaten egg into a mug and slowly add a cup of hot milk (or tea, coffee or lemon water; add sugar to taste. Sherry was often added also.

Cooking Eggs: eggs should be cooked slowly because the white solidifies at a temperature lower than that of boiling water and becomes ‘tough’ at higher temperatures. Similarly, if raw egg is used to thicken a sauce and the liquid is later allowed to boil, the sauce will ‘curdle’, i.e. the egg will solidify into small specks, ruining its texture.

Coddling: produces easily digested egg-whites, making it an ideal meal for invalids and children. Lower the eggs into 75mmof boiling water; replace the lid and remove from heat. Let it stand for: 7 mins for medium-, 5 mins for soft- and 20 mins for hard-boiled eggs .

Boiling: lower fresh eggs gently into 75mm boiling water with a spoon. Cover and boil gently for 3-3″ mins for soft-, 4-5 mins medium- and 10 mins hard-boiled eggs.

Place the eggs in eggcups: tap the shell to crack it, pemitting the steam to escape and so preventing further cooking. For sandwiches, salads etc: boil egg for 12 mins and plunge into cold water. This enables the shell to be easily removed and discourages a black ring around the yolk.

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The Traditional Use Of Dairy Produce: Part 1 – Milk

November 25th, 2009

Basic Preparation Of Foods: Dairy Produce.

These fairly basic tips may seem quite irrelevant to most modern householders who own a refrigerator, but modern technology do make people sloppy and so it is very worth while to know ‘why’ we ought do some things. For example, it is worth remembering these tips when your refrigerator is broken or is so small that it will not hold everything you have, such as when camping or boating or on holiday in some (parts of) countries in the world.

MILK:

Milk is known as ‘nature’s perfect food’, because no other food, consumed on its own, can support adult human life. It is of the utmost importance for the growth and development of adolescents, but it must be clean, because bacteria find it very nourishing too and quickly grow in it. If you did not buy your milk pasteurized, then you should scald it and cool it quickly before drinking it.

How To Scald Milk: Rinse out a clean pan with cold water, pour in the milk and heat until bubbles rise around the side of the pan. Maintain the milk at this temperature, ie, do not let it boil, for three minutes. Do not let it overheat, as milk burns very easily. Pour immediately into a clean receptacle and stand it in a basin of cold water and cover with a muslin cloth to discourage the ingress of flies and dust.

How To Keep Milk Fresh: If milk is not be kept in the containers in which it was bought, transfer it to a clean jug, which has been rinsed with cold water. A warm container will cause milk to stick to the sides and go off more quickly. Keep milk in the coolest place in the larder and always covered. it is worth remembering that draughts are often at ground-level and that hot air rises. Never keep milk in an airless cupboard and in hot weather stand the jug in a bowl of water with the cloth covering dangling in the water. The cloth will soak up water, which will evaporate, which uses up heat, ensuring that the containers remain cool. Keep milk away from strong-smelling foods, as it absorbs odours easily. Never mix new milk with old.

Sour Milk: Milk straight from the cow is slightly alkaline, but as it ages, lactic acid is formed and it becomes what we call ’sour’. Pasteurizing or scalding the milk slows down this process. Milk which is ‘just on the turn’ can be revived by boiling with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to restore the alkalinity. Once the milk has gone too far and has curdled, it can be strained through (cheese) cloth, thereby separating the curds from the whey. The curds can be used as a filling for cakes, tarts, scones etc and the whey can be used as the liquid for making scones, cakes and soups etc., as it still has much goodness.

Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk is ordinary milk, which has had some of its water content evaporated by heat in some form or other before being canned. Once reconstituted by adding water, it will last only slightly longer than fresh milk does.

Condensed Milk: This form of milk is merely evaporated milk to which sugar has been added before being placed in its container. The sugar acts as a preservative and preserve the milk for about a week. Do not keep in the tin, but decant it into a jug or bottle.

Dried Milk: Dried milk comes in a variety of forms and notice should be taken of the instructions on the label. Specialized products can be bought for babies, invalids, convalescents and dieters, all of which contain varying amounts and types of added vitamins and minerals. Usually, they are very much lower in fat content than conventional milk.

For the best gourmet Traditional Welsh Recipes, go along to our website at http://welsh-recipes.the-real-way.com/ You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

Gardening Tools: An Outline

November 14th, 2009

You doubtless already know the best way to keep your plants growing healthily in your garden. However, in order to keep your vegetables and garden plants growing well, you do require good quality soil, sunlight and enough water. Although these are supplied by nature, you also require contemporary gardening tools to keep your garden in good condition. Gardening tools are a great help in taking care of your plants and providing the right growing environment that have such a positive effect on your plants’ health.

Inadequate gardening tools can also cause injury to your plants. In order to minimize this risk, you ought to use the best gardening tools you can afford. Frequently, when people talk about the ‘best gardening tools’, they really mean gardening tools that allow energy efficiency.

Here are a few of the best gardening tools available on the market. They will provide better care than ever for your flowers and your garden.

Lawnmowers: The Luxus Push Reel Mower was voted the best lawnmower by gardening aficionados. It has a large top shield to protect overhanging fruit, flowers and shrubs. Another extraordinary gardening tool is the American Lawn Mower Deluxe. It has also been accredited as one of the best. It is hand operated, therefore causing no pollution, but it is not useful on very long grass.

Garden Shredders In general, all garden shredders have a high power motor and a near-silent crushing system. This sort of gardening tool is employed to speed up shredding garden waste. Garden shredders can be electric or gas powered. The electric shredders are easy to assemble. They assist in disposing of tree and hedge prunings up to a maximum of 40 mm in diameter. This gardening tool is considered to be among the most useful by gardeners. They are obtainable with fixed wheels for added manoeuvrability.

Cultivators These modern gardening tools are available with special tines to help in cutting into firm, compressed soil without difficulty. Several cultivators are available with a free border edger. The cultivator is just the thing for clearing moss and aerating soil. This garden tool is especially helpful for turning over vegetable plots, flowerbeds, etc..

Leaf sweeper These gardening tools are extensively employed for removing large numbers of leaves from smaller lawns. They often include a very large 200-liter collector.

Hedge Trimmer This gardening tool has also been endorsed as important equipment by gardening enthusiasts. It is used for trimming hedges and pruning plants.

Garden Fork This is a fantastic gardening tool employed for aerating and transplanting. You can also use this gardening tool to split grasses and perennials. Furthermore, the spading fork is valuable for working compost, mulch and sorting hay in smaller gardens.

Mattock The mattock is an important gardening tool for splitting up clay soils and working around older trees with big roots. A mattock can be employed as a substitute for a pick and a hoe in your garden.

So, if you are new to gardening or you want to purchase a gardening enthusiast a useful present, check out what they already have and choose something from this list.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on several subjects, but is currently involved with Black and Decker Tools. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Woodworking Power Tools

About Power Screwdrivers

November 13th, 2009

Have you ever had to deal with a obstinate screw that just would not go into the material as easily as you had wanted? How about one that would not come out for you either? This is frustrating as well as time consuming. Electric screwdrivers are a great solution for these issues. They are very effective and inexpensive.

In line electric screwdrivers are designed for fundamental household projects. They are not very powerful, but more than adequate to get the task finished. For heavy duty work, consider using a drywall screwdriver. Some models offer various speeds. There are a number of models to choose from. Some are very similar in design to a straightforward screwdriver. Other are shaped like the number seven, with a handle for you to channel the screws in. Others come with a handle that pivots to help you to get into just about any angle you can come across.

Choose a electric screwdriver that fits well in your hand. Some of the handles are coarse and others have a soft, foam grip on them. Hold the power screwdriver in your hand and see how it feels after a few minutes. If you will be using it for long periods of time then comfort is very important. You don’t want to finish up with sore hands or blisters.

Different electric screwdrivers have different amounts of torque electric and speeds. You will want to evaluate this information before deciding on the electric screwdriver you want to purchase. Take some time to appraise what each electric screwdriver is suggested for. Compare that with the jobs you are liable to take on with the power screwdriver.

It is a good plan to maintain your power screwdriver fully charged. This will give you the best possible results from it. If the battery won’t hold a charge for very long, you will to swap the battery. Some people opt to purchase a second battery from the start so that they can have one charging and one in the power screwdriver. This is strongly recommended if you are going to be using the power screwdriver on a regular basis.

For those of you who aim to use your power screwdriver often, consider buying a power screwdriver kit. It comes with a sturdy carrying case. Inside you will find the power screwdriver and a slit for each accessory. You will normally get many sizes of tips to use. It will also include a power cord. Some of the power screwdriver kits also include an extra battery as well as a charger that plugs into your cigarette lighter. You can get a power screwdriver kit at a much better price than having to buy accessories individually.

Very few accidents actually result from using a power screwdriver, but they can. When using a electric screwdriver, remember the driving force behind it. Both of your hands should be away from the part that turns. The turning blade can cut your hand if you aren’t careful. It is a good idea to use eye protection as well.

Electric screwdrivers will drive through almost everything. It is very important that you make sure there are no power cords or wires behind the spot where you are screwing. Keep your hair pulled away from your face too. Leaning forward to check your progress can result in loose hair getting caught and twisted on the blade.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on several subjects, but is currently involved with Jet Power Tools. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Woodworking Power Tools

Barry, South Wales: Ancient History: Part 3

November 9th, 2009

Barry Castle was owned by William de Barri in the twelfth century, but it was raized to the ground by Llewellyn Bren in 1316. Many believe that the Cavaliers rebuilt and that the Roundheads destroyed it again. Whatever is true, it was never rebuilt again after that.

The Normans were hated by the locals and they had to build large mansions to protect themselves from the frequent attacks carried out on them from the people of the valleys and mountains. During the time of Henry III, there were 12 castles within six miles of Barry. In Glamorgan, there were 30 castles and in south Wales as a whole, 150.

Porthkerry and the church to its west is said to have taken its name from Ceri, who, it is said, founded a port ‘Port Ceri’. It is believed that Ceri ap Caid, the King of Essyllwg, lived in Porthkerry before the Christian era. His bard, Corvinor, is stated to have been the first to have built a ship with sails and a rudder for the race of Cymru. Some believe that Ceri was a nephew or grandson of Caractacus (Caradog) and that he assumed the head of government in south Wales when Caractacus was sent to Rome.

John Wesley preached in the Porthkerry Church and sometimes outside in the churchyard too between 1741 and 1743. Today, there are two very old churches still in use in Barry: St. Cadocs Church in Cadoxton and Merthyr Dyfan Church in Merthyr Dyfan. One-hundred-and-fifty years ago, Cadoxton was the largest village in the Barry area: thus, in 1844 the Parliamentary register contained 25 names: 20 from Cadoxton and five from Barry. The one church was dedicated to St. Cadoc, who had been accustomed to spend Lent on Flat Holm and Barry Island. The village (Cadoc’s Town)took its name from the church, which was founded in 800 AD.

Merthyr Dyfan Church, which is situated in the north of Barry, was founded in 600 AD and the name means Dyfan The Martyr. There were two saints of this name. The one travelled to Barry to convert the local people to Christianity and the other lived in the sixth century. He was the son of a Welsh chieftain. His sister was also martyred and the town of Merthyr Tydfil is named in her memory.

The Christian faith flourished in the Vale of Glamorgan and in the middle of the Second Century, Llewrwg, Prince of Siluria, became the first king of all time to be baptized into the Christian faith anywhere in the world. He sent to Rome for more preachers and was sent Dyfan and Fagan. The former was martyred near the site of the church and the latter was canonized.

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A Family History of Carpentry

November 5th, 2009

My family has had carpenters in it for at least four generations and I can not go back any farther than that. My father’s father came from Anglesey, an island off north Wales called Ynys Mon in Welsh. I visited his place of birth once. We were directed by a local old-timer to a meadow, but we could not see a house or any ruins. I scrambled up unto a mound of earth to get a better view and then we realized that I was standing on his old home.

He had lived in a hole in the ground covered over with earth! A door was still on it, overgrown after 70 years or so of neglect and there was a kind of stone chimney in the long grass on the top. I was 10 years old and my Dad was 33 and it was the only time either of us went the length of Wales to look up our family history. It is more than probable that my great-grandfather was a shepherd.

My grandfather ran away from home at 14 years of age to Liverpool and became an apprentice ship’s carpenter. That would have been in 1914. What a time to choose to go out into the big world – the start of the First World War in Europe. He could not speak English at the time, but must have taught himself as he learned his apprenticeship.

He passed out as the best in his year and was given a set of the finest woodworking tools of the age. Each tool had a small brass plate in the handle with his name etched into it. My father still cherished them when I was growing up.

I never met my granndfather; he died a month before I was born, but I was named after him and, knowing that I was due and that he was going, he left me a teething ring, which I still have. More to the point of this article though, there was not a single power tool in his tool bag when he died in 1954.

My father was the youngest son and when he was old enough, he had to leave school to be apprentice to his father who had stopped his roaming by then. Growing up with my father in the 1950’s and 1960’s, I do not remember him using power tools either. He used a brace-and-bit for drilling, several assorted hand-sharpened saws for cutting and his only acquiescence to modern technology, a Yankee, which was a pump-action screwdriver. Everything he needed to hang a door or cut a roof was in one bag or later on a box, which he made himself.

I went away to study and travel and when I returned for good 12 years later, my brother had finished his carpenter’s apprenticeship and was working for my Dad. That would have been in about 1980 and my brother still vows to ths day that Dad only bought power tools then because he, my brother, had learned how use them in technical college. Something which my father always denied, although it did seem a bit of a coincidence to me. My brother, now in his Fifties, still uses hand tools where he can, but also has the full range of power tools in a near-by van.

His son, now nearly 30 is also a carpenter and he has a power tool for every job and throw-away saws. How times have changed.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on several subjects, but is currently involved with Black and Decker Power Tools. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Woodworking Power Tools