1. Fill a pot about one-third full with water and heat to medium-low.
2. Set a standard or large-sized mason jar inside of the pot. This creates a double boiler effect. (You could also just use a double boiler, but beware: my mason jar was impossible to get clean afterwards so I am glad I used something fairly disposable.)
3. Put the beeswax in the jar and heat, stirring often, until it’s melted. This took about ten minutes. (Tip: I used a wooden skewer to stir so I wouldn’t ruin a spoon.)
4. Add the coconut oil, olive oil and shea buetter. As you can see, I was pretty loose with my measurements. Heat until melted, stirring often.
5. Remove from heat and add the vitamin E drops. Stir.
6. Pour the mixture into storage containers. I used smaller mason jars. (Tip: I like the wide-mouth jar the best because I can put Dallas’s paw inside the jar and simply rub her paw on the balm to apply it.)
7. Let it sit for an hour or so until it hardens.
Voila! You now have an all-natural, yummy-smelling paw protector for your pooch! I hear this stuff also works well for dry human skin.
Dallas didn’t mind me putting it on her paws AND she didn’t try to lick it off. I’m calling this one a win.
A warmly spiced chicken dish from Kozani, a part of Greece famous for its saffron. This simple stew of chicken thighs is brought to life with saffron, paprika and prunes.
Put the chicken thighs in a large saucepan with 1 litre/1¾ pint water and the saffron. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and poach for 10–15 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat and sweat the onion gently until very soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the paprika, cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken thighs, about 700ml/1¼ pint of the cooking liquid and the prunes. Season with the salt and pepper and simmer for about 20 minutes, until heated through.
If the sauce is very watery, remove the chicken, prunes and onions with a slotted spoon and keep warm while you reduce down the sauce, so that you have a small amount to spoon over each portion.
We’re a nation of wildly romantic souls. Welsh history and mythology are full of red-hot young lovers who are brimming with passion. Here are just a few of our favourites, with some suggestions for places you can create your own mini legends and stories to tell with your beau for many years to come (awwww!).
by Nant GwrtheyrnWhen childhood sweethearts Rhys and Meinir decide to marry, it’s the custom in their little village of Nant Gwrtheyrn that the bride-to-be hides, and the groom’s friends find her and bring her to the church. But Meinir is nowhere to be found: heartbroken, Rhys wanders the hills for a year, trying to find his lost love. One stormy night, Rhys is sheltering under their favourite oak tree when a mighty bolt of lightning strikes, splitting the trunk in two. And inside is a skeleton… wearing a wedding dress. Rhys dies of a broken heart. On a cheerier note, the village of Nant Gwrtheyrn is now a Welsh language learning centre, and (ironically) a popular wedding venue.
Culhwch and Olwen: a giant love story
Cader Idris, Gwynedd
by Wales On ViewCulhwch’s wicked stepmother has put a curse on him: he can marry no one except the beautiful Olwen. The problem is, Olwen’s father is the giant Ysbaddaden Pencawr – and he’s got a curse on him, too: he’ll die if his daughter ever marries. Culhwch’s cousin King Arthur sends six of his finest warriors to help find Olwen. The giant (understandably) won’t let them get hitched – unless Culhwch completes 40 impossible tasks. With the help of Arthur’s men, Culhwch finishes his to-do list, marries Olwen, and they live happily ever after. (But not Ysbaddaden the giant: he dies.) No one knows where in Wales these tales were based, but we would wager a bet that there are smoky hills and sweeping vistas like those in Gwynedd involved. Cader Idris is a real mountain where the giant Idris sat (hence the name ‘Idris’ Chair’), expect lots of sweeping dramatic scenes and secrets to explore – just like those in the Culhwch ac Olen tale.
Geraint and Enid: a knight of passion
Capel Curig, Snowdonia
by Wales On ViewHere’s another yarn from the Welsh folk tales known as the Mabinogion. Geraint is one of King Arthur’s best knights. But since he got married to the lovely Enid, the word around the campfire is that Geraint’s gone soft. Enid hears the rumours, and breaks down in tears, blaming herself for not being a true wife. Geraint misunderstands her: he thinks that she’s been unfaithful. So the couple go off on a series of gung-ho adventures, during which she proves her devotion, and he proves that he’s still a lean, mean fighting machine. Happiness ensues. Despite a rocky start, Geraint and Enid lives happily ever after – but you can have your own rocky and romantic weekend in Snowdonia where there are ample opportunities for racing pulses. You could even create your own proposal opportunity at Snowdon’s summit, where King Arthur supposedly buried the remains of a giant (Rhitta) under the stony boulders. Romance on the rocks, just like Geraint and Enid!
Myfanwy and Hywel: songs of love
Castell Dinas Bran, a ruined castle which sits prettily above Llangollen, was once the home of a beautiful (if vain) princess called Myfanwy. She is wooed by a talented (if penniless) local bard called Hywel ap Einion, but dumps him for someone richer and more silver-tongued. Poor Hywel roams the forests, singing a sad song of unrequited love. The story inspires a 19th-century ballad, Myfanwy, which is still sung by every male voice choir in Wales today.
Macsen and Elen: dream believer
Caernarfon Castle, Gwynedd
by Wales On ViewMacsen Wledig is based on the real-life Magnus Maximus, a 4th-century Roman governor of Britain. In the Mabinogion version, Macsen dreams of beautiful maiden in a wonderful, far-off land of rivers, mountains and valleys. He’s dreaming about Wales, obviously – and that’s where he eventually finds the gorgeous Elen, who is the daughter of a Caernarfon chieftain. Macsen marries Elen, and builds her three castles at Caernarfon, Caerleon and Carmarthen. The real Magnus Maximus didn’t fare quite as well: after usurping the Roman throne and becoming emperor, he was executed for treason in AD388. With Elen’s roots firmly in Caernarfon, Caernarfon’s majestic position as a fort of Edward 1st is a great place for history hunting and basing yourself for a longer Snowdonia adventure. With romantic walks around the harbour, it’s a great spot to see a sunset.
by Wales On ViewWe’re a nation of dog-lovers, so here’s a tragic tale about man’s best friend. The name of the pretty Snowdonia village of Beddgelert means ‘Gelert’s grave’, supposedly after Llywelyn the Great’s trusty hound. Llywelyn returns from hunting one day to find his baby missing, and Gelert licking his blood-stained chops. The prince draws his sword and slays the dog … only to find the infant safe and well, next to the body of a great wolf that Gelert had killed while protecting the baby. Oops. Filled with remorse, Llywelyn buries Gelert with great ceremony, and never smiles again. This may be the one children remember for sadness and tragedy, Beddgelert is a wildly beautiful town – perfect for rambles and cosy beverages in country pubs (keep your dogs close in case of wolves).
Llyn y Fan Fach, a little glacial lake at the western edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park, is home to the beautiful Lady of the Lake. She married a local farm lad, Gwyn, with a pre-nuptial clause that if he struck her three times, she would go straight back to her lake and take all the farm animals with her. Predictably, the marriage ended in tears, but their sons went on to become the first of many generations of expert herbalists and healers, the Physicians of Myddfai. Taking inspiration from the area’s legacy, you can now find your own herbal goodies and beauty products via a social enterprise and even partake in a spot of wild swimming and a picnic at Llyn y Fan Fach. We’re sure the Lady of the Lake won’t mind.
Burton & Taylor: Hollywood’s greatest romance
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor met on the set of the 1963 epic Cleopatra, the first of a dozen on-screen collaborations that peaked with the magnificent Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). But the drama of their off-screen relationship eclipsed all of their films. They were both married to other people when they had their first fling. They tied the knot twice, in 1964 and 1975, and were twice divorced. There were legendary gifts (a $1m diamond; a yacht) and legendary tempestuous arguments. And there were trips home to the Miner’s Arms in Pontrhydyfen, where Taylor had her first pint of bitter. Interested in other Neath legends? How about a romantic waterfall walk at Pontneddfechan or a tramp around the ruins of the beautiful Neath Abbey, founded in 1130.
The wolves of Yellowstone have some surprising lessons on being a man.
BY CARL SAFINA FROM NEW YORK TIMES
TIM FLACH/GETTY IMAGES
If you watch wolves, It’s hard to escape the conclusion that perhaps no two species are more alike behaviorally than wolves and humans. Living as we do in families, we can easily recognize the social structures and status quests in wolf packs. No wonder Native Americans recognized in wolves a sibling spirit. And no wonder human males often face pressure to measure up as “alpha” males—to “wolf up,” as it were. The term alpha male connotes a man who at every moment demonstrates that he’s in control in the home and who away from home can become snarling and aggressive.
This alpha male stereotype comes from a misunderstanding of the real thing.
By observing wolves in free-living packs in Yellowstone National Park, I’ve seen that the leadership of the ranking male is not forced, not domineering, and not aggressive to those on his team.
“The main characteristic of an alpha male wolf,” the veteran wolf researcher Rick McIntyre told me as we were watching gray wolves, “is a quiet confidence, quiet self-assurance. You know what you need to do; you know what’s best for your pack. You lead by example. You’re very comfortable with that. You have a calming effect.”
The point is, alpha males are not aggressive. They don’t need to be. “Think of an emotionally secure man or a great champion. Whatever he needed to prove is already proven,” he said.
There is an evolutionary logic to it.
“Imagine two wolf packs, or two human tribes,” McIntyre said. “Which is more likely to survive and reproduce: the one whose members are more cooperative, more sharing, less violent with one another, or the group whose members are beating each other up and competing with one another?”
Thus, an alpha male may be a major player in a successful hunt, but after the takedown of the prey, he may step away and sleep until his pack has eaten and is full.
COURTESY DOUG SMITH/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
McIntyre has spent 20 years watching and studying wolves in Yellowstone for the National Park Service. He rises early, uses radio telemetry to pinpoint the location of a pack via a radio-collared pack member, then heads out with his spotting scope to observe the animals, keeping careful notes of their activities.
In all that time, he has rarely seen an alpha male act aggressively toward the pack’s other members. They are his family—his mate, offspring (both biological and adopted), and maybe a sibling.
This does not mean that alpha males are not tough when they need to be. One famous wolf in Yellowstone whose radio collar number, 21, became his name, was considered a “super wolf” by the people who closely observed the arc of his life. He was fierce in defense of family and apparently never lost a fight with a rival pack. Yet within his own pack, one of his favorite things was to wrestle with little pups.
“And what he really loved to do was to pretend to lose. He just got a huge kick out of it,” McIntyre said.
One year, a pup was a bit sickly. The other pups seemed to be afraid of him and wouldn’t play with him. Once, after delivering food for the small pups, 21 stood looking around for something. Soon he started wagging his tail. He’d been looking for the sickly little pup, and he went over just to hang out with him for a while.
Of all McIntyre’s stories about the super wolf, that’s his favorite. Strength impresses us. But kindness is what we remember best.
Biologists used to consider the alpha male the undisputed boss. But now they recognize two hierarchies at work in wolf packs—one for the males, the other for the females.
Strength impresses us. But kindness is what we remember best.
Doug Smith, the biologist who is the project leader for the Yellowstone Gray Wolf Restoration Project, said the females “do most of the decision making” for the pack, including where to travel, when to rest, and when to hunt. The matriarch’s personality can set the tone for the whole pack, Smith said.
Or, as McIntyre put it: “It’s the alpha female who really runs the show.”
Clearly, our alpha male stereotype could use a corrective makeover. Men can learn a thing or two from real wolves: less snarl, more quiet confidence, leading by example, faithful devotion in the care and defense of families, respect for females, and a sharing of responsibilities. That’s really what wolfing up should mean.
Carl Safina is the founder of the Safina Center at Stony Brook University and the author of the book Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel.
