Helo Cyfeillion y Gwanwyn,

Hoffwn roi ddiolch fawr i'r holl ysgolion a anfonodd geisiadau i mewn ar gyfer ein cystadleuaeth fideo newydd. Roedd o’n anodd iawn i ddewis rhyngddynt, ond pleidleisiodd pawb oedd yn rhan o'r prosiect a'r canlyniad oedd:

Enillwyr:

Clare Primary School

Yn Ail:

St Mary’s Church in Wales Primary (@StMarysCIWBJ)

Cydnabyddiaeth Arbennig:

Kirkmichael Primary

Our Lady’s RC Primary

Gwaith gwych Cyfeillion!

Athro’r Ardd

Annwyl Cyfeillion y Gwanwyn,

Hoffwn ddiolch yn fawr iawn i'r holl ysgolion a gymerodd ran yn Ymchwiliad Bylbiau'r Gwanwyn i Ysgolion eleni.

Plannodd disgyblion fylbiau ym mis Hydref a gwyliodd drostyn nhw tan wnaethant nhw flodeuo. Wnaethant nhw gofnodi taldra a'r dyddiad flodeuo eu planhigion. Wnaethant hefyd cymryd darlleniadau tymheredd a glawiad bob dydd oeddent yn yr ysgol rhwng cyntaf Tachwedd a diwedd Mawrth, a chofnodi'r wybodaeth hon i wefan Amgueddfa Cymru. Mae'r data hwn wedi bwydo mewn i'n hastudiaeth o'r  effeithiau newid hinsawdd ar ddyddiadau blodeuo bylbiau'r gwanwyn

Dyma'r ysgolion sydd wedi ein helpu ni eleni:

Enillwyr

Cymru: St. Mary's CiW Primary

Lloegr: Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Primary School

Yr Alban: Gavinburn Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon: Portadown Integrated Primary School

Yn Ail

Cymru: Cornist  Park  C.P

Lloegr: Roseacre Primary Academy 

Yr Alban: Our Lady's RC Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon: Sacred Heart Primary School - Omagh

Cydnabyddiaeth Arbennig

Cymru:

Ysgol Gymraeg Tonyrefail

Ysgol Pennant

Ysgol San Sior

Ysgol Tycroes

Lloegr:

Fleet Wood Lane Primary 

Stanford in the Vale 

Gogledd Iwerddon:

Irvinestown Primary School

St Joseph and St James's Primary 

St Patrick's Primary School - Eskra

Clod Uchel 

Cymru:

Bedlinog Community Primary

Churchstoke CP School

Forden CiW Primary

Hafod Primary

Henllys CiW Primary

Llanfaes CP School

Peterston Super Ely CiW Primary

Pil Primary School

Raglan VC CiW Primary

Rhayader Primary

Upper Rhymney Primary

Ysgol Bryn Pennant

Ysgol Casmael (Sir Benfro)

Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth

Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant

Ysgol Gynradd Llandegfan

Ysgol Tir Morfa

Lloegr:

Anchorsholme Academy

Eaton Valley Primary School

Educational Diversity

Ferndale Primary School

Kidgate Primary Academy

St John's CE Primary School

Sylvester Primary Academy

Yr Alban:

Abbey Primary School

Blacklands Primary School

Clare Primary School

Cortamlet Primary School

Cuthbertson Primary School

Doonfoot Primary School

Kirkhill Primary School

Kirkmichael Primary School

Langbank Primary School

Milton Primary School

Newmains Primary School

Newton Primary School

St Peter's Primary School

Whatriggs Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon:

Carrick Primary School

Clonalig Primary School

St John's Primary School

St Mary's Primary School - Maguiresbridge

St Peter Primary School - Plumbridge

St Teresa's Primary - Craigavon

Tandragee Primary School

Gwyddonwyr Gwych

Cymru: 

Albert Primary

Blaendulais Primary

Creigiau Primary

Eveswell Primary

Hay on Wye CP School

Mount Street Junior School

Neyland Community School

NPTC Newtown College

Pembroke Dock Community School

St. Mary’s CiW School - Wrexham

St. Michael's RC Primary

Trelai Primary

Waldo Williams Primary

YGG Bronllwyn 

Ysgol Deiniol

Ysgol Glan Morfa (Conwy)

Lloegr: 

Halsnead Primary School

Hamstead Junior School

Northwood Community Primary School

Old Park Primary School

Phoenix Primary Schoo

Prescot Primary School

Rowley Hall Primary School

Temple Meadow Primary School

Waterloo Primary Academy

Yr Alban:

Alloway Primary School

Bishopton Primary School

Elmvale Primary - Glasgow

Leslie Primary School

Livingston Village Primary School

Lochwinnoch Primary School

Logan Primary School

Our Lady and St Francis Primary School

Our Lady of Peace Primary

Underbank Primary School

Windyknowe Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon:

Grange Primary School Kilkeel

St Mary's Primary - Craigavon

St Mary's Primary School - Newry

Cyfranwyr 

Cymru:

Alaw Primary

Bryn Celyn Primary

Ffynnon Taf Primary 

Glyncoed Primary

Hafod y Wern Community Primary

Johnston C.P. School

Lloegr:

Childwall C of E Primary School

Cronton CE Primary School

Grange Primary School

Marton Primary Academy and Nursery

Roby Park Primary School

Shireland Technology Primary School

St Kentigern's Primary School

St Paul's C of E Academy

Summerhill Primary Academy

Yr Alban:

Fordbank Primary School

Meldrum Primary School

St Conval's Primary School

St Cuthbert's Primary School

St John Ogilvie Primary School

St Patrick's Primary - Troon

St Vincent's Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon:

St Paul's Primary School

Willowbridge Special School

gan Sam, Mark, Hannah a Caitlin gwirfoddolwyr Amgueddfa Cymru

Pedwar gwirfoddolwr ydym ni a atebodd yr hysbyseb cyfle gwirfoddoli ar wefan Amgueddfa Cymru, a drefnwyd gan Elizabeth Walker, Prif Guradur yr Amgueddfa. Roedd cyfle i helpu i ddidoli a chatalogio casgliad o offer carreg cynhanesyddol.

Daw'r offer o'r casgliad sylweddol a wnaed gan Henry Stopes, casglwr preifat, ar ddiwedd y 19eg Ganrif. Amcangyfrifir bod rhwng 50,000 a 70,000 o arteffactau, gyda hanner miliwn o flynyddoedd o hanes, yn bennaf Prydeinig, ond mae'r casgliad hefyd yn cynnwys rhai gwrthrychau tramor dirgel.

Bob dydd Iau, gydag Elizabeth, rydyn ni'n treulio tair awr yn didoli'r blychau, gan rifo a chategoreiddio pob eitem. Mae’n waith cyffrous ac yn aml yn cael ei stopio pan fydd rhywun yn dod o hyd i rywbeth mor anarferol, maen nhw eisiau ei rannu gyda’r grŵp. Megis pen bwyell gaboledig Neolithig, wedi torri ac yna'n amlwg wedi'i hailgylchu neu hyd yn oed bêl gerfiedig Neolithig. Bydd Elizabeth bob amser yn ein helpu i adnabod a chynorthwyo gyda ffeithiau diddorol am yr offer carreg. Wrth i ni weithio rydym hefyd yn cynnal trafodaethau diddorol sydd hyd yma wedi amrywio o Beyonce i Ryfel y Boer; Neanderthaliaid i ffilmiau arswyd Corea! Pwy a wyr beth fydd pynciau'r wythnos nesaf?

Rydym ni, fel gwirfoddolwyr, yn teimlo’n ffodus i gael y cyfle hwn i fod yn rhan o’r gwaith amgueddfa ymarferol hwn, i gynnig ein hamser ac i fod yn rhan o’r gwaith o gofnodi casgliad Henry Stopes a fydd yn helpu gydag ymchwil offer carreg yn y dyfodol. Mae’r cyfle hwn yn ffordd ddiddorol o weld sut mae’r tu ôl i’r llenni yn gweithio mewn amgueddfa, ac mae’r wybodaeth a geir yn hynod ddefnyddiol i’n gyrfaoedd ym maes archaeoleg yn y dyfodol. Mae'r swm yr ydym i gyd wedi'i ddysgu o ddim ond 3 awr yr wythnos yn llawer mwy nag y byddem wedi meddwl.

Hyd yn hyn rydym wedi didoli, ail-becynnu a dogfennu 4,659 o offer a mewnbynnu 2,265 o gofnodion newydd i gronfa ddata'r casgliad.

“March brings breezes, loud and shrill, 
To stir the dancing daffodil.” Sara Coleridge, The Garden Year 

March is Most Likely the Gardener's Busiest Month!

This month has consisted of sowing, sowing, and more sowing! We've sown different varieties of tomatoes, aubergines, runner beans, chilies, watermelons, salad leaves, herbs, and roots (to name a few!). Most have started life in propagators in the orange container (more on that later) or in the polytunnel, as most seedlings prefer a warm environment to germinate. Hardier seeds like spinach have been directly sown outside.

Move Over, Marvin Gaye!

Ani and Laurence expertly pruned the grapevine in the polytunnel. This is the time to cut back the vine to encourage new growth. Don't be afraid to cut back more than you think. The rule of thumb is to choose a few of the strongest canes to leave and prune the rest. Typically, people choose 10 to 12 good canes and shorten them to four or five buds each.

The Hügelkultur Method

We tried the Hügelkultur method with our raised beds alongside the glass panels of the colonnade. In Hügelkultur, you layer different organic materials together, which will slowly release nutrients into the soil for years to come. To try it yourself, simply add a base layer of cardboard, wood such as logs and smaller dried twigs, and hay or grass cuttings, followed by green organic material. Then layer a lot of compost and topsoil, and you're ready to plant. Please note that the soil level will fall as the layers decompose. In this case, simply add another layer of soil to the top.

Bye-Bye, Orange!

This month has seen us update one of the staples in the GRAFT garden: the orange container. Over the years, the vibrant orange container has, well, become a bit tired and showed its age. So we decided to give it a facelift and employed the expertise of brothers Hassan and Kareem, who designed and painted the container. It's turned some heads and really given the garden a new lease on life! The design reflects the important elements of the garden and connects to nature.

A Cockleshell Pathway

We took delivery of some Penclawdd cockles to build a cockleshell pathway, making the garden more accessible, especially on rainy days. This will be an ongoing project, so watch this space!

Natural Dyes Workshop

On Thursday, March 14th, GRAFT volunteers visited the National Wool Museum in Drefach to learn about natural dyes and how to incorporate them into the GRAFT garden.

Susan taught everyone about the natural dyeing process using different plants. Then, everyone had a go at dyeing wool themselves in various colors. They even gave GRAFT seeds to get started, which we plan to plant this month!

Chai and Chat Takeover 

We are fortunate to be able to work with and host many community events and groups here at the Waterfront Museum! We're even more fortunate to offer them a taste of different aspects of the museum. On Wednesday, March 27th, the Chai and Chat group, which meets weekly at the museum, visited GRAFT and helped plant some seeds, transplant tomato seedlings, move strawberry plants, and harvest salad from our polytunnel. We're excited to welcome them back to the garden in the future!

Farewell, Zoë!

March also sees us sadly say farewell to one of the project founders, Zoë, who will be leaving the museum for new adventures! She leaves a great legacy in GRAFT and will be missed by all the volunteers, partners, and staff who use the garden.

I will be updating readers every month or two months with the general work we have done in the garden. We will pass on information we have learnt, things we have done well (and not so well) and any tips for budding gardeners (or experienced gardeners) out there to take to your own green space. I will also include a seasonal recipe from The Shared Plate using ingredients from GRAFT. 

Sut oedd y tywydd yn 2023?

Roedd 2023 yn wlyb ac yn gynnes! Gwelwyd tymereddau yn torri record ym mis Mehefin, ton wres ym mis Medi ac un ar ddeg o stormydd a enwir! Hon oedd yr ail flwyddyn gynhesaf i'r DU ers i gofnodion cychwyn ym 1884, gyda dim ond 2022 yn dod i mewn yn gynhesach. Hon oedd y flwyddyn gynhesaf erioed i Gymru a Gogledd Iwerddon ac fe welodd rhai rhannau o'r DU dros draean yn fwy o law nag y bydden nhw'n ei ddisgwyl fel arfer.

Beth oedd y stormydd a enwir?

Y stormydd enwyd a ymwelodd â'r DU yn 2023 oedd Otto (Chwefror), Noa (Ebrill), Antoni a Betty (Awst), Agnes (Medi), Babet (Hydref), Ciaran a Debi (Tachwedd), Elin, Fergus a Gerrit (Rhagfyr).

Mae 'Tymor y Storm' yn rhedeg o fis Medi un flwyddyn hyd at fis Awst y nesaf. Mae hyn yn cyd-fynd yn dda â ffrâm amser ein Hymchwiliad, sy'n rhedeg am flwyddyn academaidd lawn. O fis Medi 2022 i fis Awst 2023 roedd pedwar storm wedi'u henwi. O fis Medi 2023 hyd yn hyn, mae un ar ddeg storm eisoes wedi'u henwi! Mae hyn yn gwneud am ddata a sylwadau tywydd diddorol iawn gan ein hysgolion! Y stormydd sydd wedi digwydd hyd yma yn 2024 yw Henk, Isha a Jocelyn (Ionawr), a Kathleen (Ebrill).

Pwy sy'n dewis enwau'r stormydd?

Dechreuodd y Swyddfa Dywydd enwi stormydd ar gyfer y DU yn 2015. Maent yn rhyddhau rhestr o enwau a gynlluniwyd ar ddechrau pob tymor storm. Mae gwledydd Ewropeaidd eraill hefyd yn enwi stormydd, ac os bydd yr un storm yn effeithio ar un o'r gwledydd hyn yn ddiweddarach, yna byddant yn mabwysiadu'r enw sydd eisoes yn cael ei ddefnyddio. Digwyddodd hyn yn 2023 gyda storm Otto a storm Noa, a gafodd eu henwi gan wahanol grwpiau.

Gallwch awgrymu enwau i'r Swyddfa Dywydd ar gyfer y Tymor Storm nesaf yma:

Pam mae stormydd yn cael eu henwi?

Mae stormydd yn cael eu henwi i godi ymwybyddiaeth. Mae ymchwil yn dangos bod pobl yn clywed am stormydd a enwir yn ehangach ac yn deall y cysylltiad rhwng y storm a'r materion y mae'n eu hachosi ledled y DU yn well. Mae pobl yn disgwyl i storm enwyd fod yn aflonyddgar, ac maen nhw'n fwy tebygol o gymryd camau i baratoi ar gyfer y tywydd garw. Mae'r dewis i enwi storm yn dibynnu ar yr effaith y disgwylir iddi ei chael. Nid yn unig cyflymder gwynt, ond gall pethau fel lle mae disgwyl i'r storm ddigwydd, yr adeg o'r flwyddyn, amser o'r dydd a hyd yn oed diwrnod yr wythnos i gyd effeithio ar y penderfyniad a fydd y storm yn cael ei henwi!

Beth yw'r enwau stormydd arfaethedig nesaf ar gyfer tymor stormydd 2023/24?

Lilian, Minnie, Nicholas, Olga, Piet, Regina, Stuart, Tamiko, Vincent a Walid.

Yn ddiddorol, dewiswyd pedwar o'r enwau stormydd hyn (Ciaran, Debi, Regina a Stuart) er anrhydedd i bobl sydd wedi cael eu cydnabod am helpu i amddiffyn eraill rhag tywydd eithafol.

Pa sylwadau mae ysgolion wedi eu rhannu am y stormydd hyn?

Ysgol Cuthbertson: A tree was blown up in our garden, revealing its roots and posing a threat to safety. We have limited access to the bulbs until the tree is secured. Two storms in one week, the highest wind we have ever felt. Storm Isha and Jacqueline. We have the beginnings of green sprouts showing though.

Ysgol Alloway: Stormy weather this week. Inside for play due to high winds and rain.

Ysgol Irvinestown: We weren’t able to record weather data this week due to storm Isha and Storm Jocelyn. Our potted bulbs all tumbled over and fell out of their pots and the weather recording equipment was also affected. We are aiming to get all back up and running again as soon as possible.

Ysgol Kirkmichael: What a week it has been. We have had two storms, so much wind and rain and even some power cuts. Our rain gauge had fallen over on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday because of the wind, so we discussed how we can wedge it into the soil more effectively. It was also getting warmer towards the end of the week.

Ysgol Doonfoot: We have had TWO storms this week which has meant that we have had lots and lots of rain. The temperature is definitely increasing as the weeks progress. No blooms yet. Our Mystery Bulbs have been growing and we already have a list of guesses snowdrops, bluebells, narcissi and...more crocuses just to fool us.

Ysgol Kirkmichael: What a week for the weather. Overnight on Wednesday into Thursday we hit lows of -14. So very cold, although we feel like once it hits a certain (low) temperature it doesn’t feel any more cold. We are hoping though that this extreme cold hasn’t damaged our bulbs, and hope to see some signs of growth soon. Next week we have a weather storm forecast - lots of crazy weather.

Ysgol St Mary's: Storm Debi was Monday.

YGG Bronllwyn: Bad storms with thunder and lightning on Thursday.

Ysgol St John Ogilvie: Very heavy rain. Storm conditions.

Ysgol Fleet Wood Lane: We seem to have survived Storm Ciaran on this side of the country.