Editor David Hardy has just produced the latest edition of Yr Ardd.
The A4 glossy is the magazine of the National Botanic Garden of Wales and this season celebrates the attraction’s 10th birthday.
Its features include a welcome from Garden director Rosie Plummer, arguing strongly for extended Assembly funding, news that rugby’s Gareth Edwards is now honorary president and a piece on a 10th birthday cake created by volunteer Alison Howell.
Favourite
My favourite items, however, remain the forthcoming events and activities.
As always, they’re a fragrant propagation of niche interest, super-popular and splendid curiosity.
Amongst the entries in the niche category flutters a lifelong learning course in January: Painting Leaves in Watercolour. Students will tackle the mixing of greens, will paint vein structure and wil capture a variety of surface textures.
Water lilies
On October 30, they can attend Painting Autumn Leaves and Berries; on November 13 it’s Painting Fruit and Vegetables. There’s more through the spring but I’ll be waiting for the water lilies course – apparently there’s money in them.
The most popular events in the coming weeks are likely to be Christmas-themed temptations such as a tree decorating competition for schools, Santa’s grotto and a December 11-12 craft and food fair.
One of the year’s most enchanting occasions at Llanarthne comes a week and a bit before December 25 when it’s Carols at the Garden evening.
Oddball
More oddball will be lifelong learning programme’s Doorstops to Die For sessions, with designs featuringchickens, turkeys and rabbits. Even the blurb describes it wonderfully as “something dfferent and a little silly.”
Failing that, there’s always improvers classes for beekeepers, quilting and cushion making for those “petrified” of patchwork and plenty of woodturning advice.
Now if that’s not worth Assembly funding, what is?
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