The Publishing Committee of the Glyn News wishes to sincerely thank all those who have so generously given a donation to the Glyn News. These donations will help in meeting the rising publication costs of The Glyn News and goes someway to safeguard the continued publication of the Glyn News.
Pontfadog Afterschool Club
The children have been very busy this term, lots of outdoor running around and playing. We have also had lots of activity evenings, such as: Dance Mat Night and a Sausage Rolls Night.
We have held a Guess the Name of the Bunny competition, which Julie oor cook won. She guessed the name of Amigo. We raised £35, which will go to our club funds. Gayle and the children would like to thank everybody who entered the competition for their support, also John and Gilly Keen at the PO for donating and egg and the Spar for donating a chocolate chick and also Francesca Watkin for the bunny and Alice Watkin for the chocolate bunny. We have also had an Easter Egg Hunt, which the children really enjoyed. They followed the markers wearing easter face masks and carrying easter baskets that they had made themselves. Joe and Francesca found the most eggs. Each of the children went home with mini chocolate bunnies and a small egg.
We are looking forward to next term when we will hopefully be holding a pram race to raise funds which should be a lot of fun for the children. We will let you know how it goes!
GW

The Oyster Man In the days of John Wesley, lay preachers with limited education would sometimes conduct the church services. One man used Luke 19:21 as his text : "Lord, I feared Thee, because Thou art an austere man". Not knowing the word austere, he thought the text spoke of an "oyster man". He explained how a diver must grope in the dark, freezing water to retrieve oysters. In his attempt, he cuts his hands on the sharp edges of the shells. After he obtains an oyster, he rises to the surface, clutching it in his torn and bleeding hands. The preacher added, "Christ descended from the glory of heaven into …sinful human society, in order to retrieve humans and bring them back with Him to the glory of heaven. His torn and bleeding hands are a sign of the value He has placed on the object of His quest". Afterwards 12 men received The Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Later that night someone came to Wesley to complain about unschooled preachers who were too ignorant even to know the meaning of their texts they were preaching on. The Oxford educated Wesley simply said, "Never mind. The Lord got a dozen oysters tonight". Our best may not measure up to the standards of others. But God takes our inadequacies and humble efforts and uses them for His glory. Paul said to the Church in Corinth , "That the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us," 2 Corinthians 4:7 The Master can use what you have to offer, Though you may consider it small; His work here on earth is done through His children, So give Him your best, give your all. Hess "Do what you can where you are with what you have" Let us all take this advice today. Rev R Glyn Jones, Bryn Glas, Glyn Ceiriog, Llangollen , LL20 7EU Tel 01691 718086, m 07760328752

At this time of year the nettles are young and tender. They spring up a rich soft green with stings like fire ants. I am sure the nettles are fiercer here in the valley than where I grew up in Somerset . Thankfully, the sting disappears with cooking and nettle leaves become a brilliant, even ‘super’ food that you see occasionally wrapped around expensive and delicious cheese in the supermarket or mentioned in recipes by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. I imagine it is either the risk involved in picking that stops them being a popular vegetable or maybe the fact that they are free and not pre-packed. Whatever it is, in April and May it is worth pulling on your sting proof gloves and going out to gather nettle tops. If they are over 30cm high they are really too big and after June nettles are only fit for stinging, but around now pick the top 2 or three whorls of leaf and stalk and fill a mixing bowl full for 4 people. Wash them well in cold water.
To cook the soup you will need a big saucepan with a strong base. Chop up a couple of leeks and soften them for 5–10 minutes in a little butter and oil over a low heat. (If you don’t have leeks, use an onion). Next, throw in the washed nettles and continue to cook on a low heat for another 5 minutes before adding the stock (about 1½ pints or just under a litre). Vegetable or chicken stock works best (I think) and I keep chickens so I usually have some stock in the freezer. It really is worth using a good stock for soup. Add a peeled and chopped potato in with the stock and bring it all up to a simmer for 25 minutes.
At this stage it needs to be whizzed either in a food processor, a liquidiser or with one of those stick whizzers you can use in the pan. If you don’t have one then chop the nettles, leeks and onions into very small pieces before you start cooking (keep your gloves on to chop the nettles). Finally, season it with salt and pepper to your taste. This soup is as good as watercress soup but watercress is more expensive.
Mum used to make nettle pudding every year with pearl barley, dandelion and spinach leaves—and any other odds and ends, then make us guess what was in it. We always knew, of course, but now I do the same with nettle soup, and as often as not the boys help get the nettles so they have inside knowledge, but I still ask.
This soup is delicious with some fine fresh bread or toasted / fried squares of staler bread. My Granny used to slice her stale bread and put it in the oven to go light brown and crispy. She kept it in an airtight tin which she put on the table at meal times. We used to spread it with a bit of butter and it always snapped into crispy delectable pieces.
SA

Mrs Celeline Davies of Erw Wladys would like to say a big thank you to the family and for all the cards that she received while in hospital, telephone calls and also to all who visited her in hospital and at home.

June Chatton and her family would like to express their appreciation for all the cards, messages and sympathy shown to them in their unexpectedly and sad loss.

were your parents living in The Glyn when you were born in 1938?
Would you be interested in a re-union to be held later this year at a venue in or near Glyn Ceiriog, depending on the response?
You may be living in The Glyn now or know of persons (male or female) that have moved away. They may be your son/daughter, brother, sister, uncle/aunt or anyone else that you may know.
Please contact Meirion initially: Tel: 01691 650691
or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or Bethania Melus, Chirk Road, Gobowen, Shropshire SY11 3LB

Here is an update on our Leonard Cheshire 60th anniversary celebration at Dolywern on the 10th May at 2pm .
The Welsh Regiment from Wrexham will be opening our event with 'Pipe and Drums' but unfortunately no mascot 'Billy the goat" this time, as the poor old sausage has passed away. They opened our Fête 3 or 4 years ago and it was such a splendid sight to see, so I am so pleased that we have them on this 'special day'. We hope also to have several vintage fire engines on display, together with some dancers from a local dance class on the front lawn (hope there isn't any rain), and Weston Rhyn choir singing in the dinning room.
We have invited some of the fund-raising and volunteer groups like the Lions and Rotary club to come along and the St John Ambulance to demonstrate first aid and fund raise for themselves. We will be serving tea and cucumber sandwiches (Yuk! lets hope our kitchen Queens can come up with something better than that) and scones with jam and a dollop of cream. We have hope that there will be some people displaying some history from over the past 60 years. Last, but not least, RAF Shawbury have said that if the weather is OK and as long as it is not needed anywhere else they will send a helicopter for anyone interested to view in the field over the road. There will be lots more to see, so fingers crossed that all goes well and please come along and share our day with the Residents you are very welcome.
Diane G and Diane R

Along with millions of others I have been living with the frustrations of our grey squirrels making a living off our bird feeder. Their rise in this country in the past 150 years has been an evolutionary success of the first magnitude, but regardless of common opinion they are not the main cause of the demise of our native red.
The red squirrel has been in severe decline since the 17 th century, the deforestation due to shipbuilding and industry is the main cause, as unlike their transatlantic grey cousins they do not have the ability to make use of alternate food sources. A good example being acorns, the greys will eat and grow fat, the red will eat but lose body weight, indeed the greys have a huge range of feeding and the brains to find others that our forefathers would never have thought of!
However, with or without the greys, our reds were doomed to be pushed into small enclaves where pine-cones still exist alongside hazel and beech, and rather than have no squirrels I’ll live with the cheeky, extrovert grey, even at their most frustrating they remain engaging characters.
Early April and Teg and I were watching a weasel hunting in a rabbit warren nearby. He checked each hole in turn in hopes of finding someone at home until he finaly noticed us. At this he did the typical weasel action of standing up and closely scrutinising us, until after a number of seconds deciding discretion being the better part of valour to quietly but unhurriedly find a less densely populated place to hunt!
Tom Baker, Hyfrydle, Hen Ffordd, Dolywern Tel. 712835