NEWSLETTER. The Deepings Third Age Group. (Visit our Web site) CYCLING GROUP VISIT VELODROME AND. TOWER BRIDGE (Report page 3) Deeping St.

Transcription

1 Issue No. 141 Deeping St. James CYCLING GROUP VISIT VELODROME AND The Deepings Third Age Group NEWSLETTER (Visit our Web site) Deepings Web site CHAIRMAN S REFLECTIIONS! It really is great to have lighter evenings and of course the good weather around Easter was a real bonus, which I hope you all managed to enjoy, and it is meant to be a scorcher this week as I write this! APRIL 2015 We held our first coffee morning for new members at the end of March, which I hope members enjoyed as much as the committee. It was good to meet new members more personally. We plan to hold another one later in the year, probably end of September and we will try and avoid holiday/half term times as grand-parenting duties did intrude a bit in March. TOWER BRIDGE (Report page 3) Committee Members 2014/2015 Liz Noble Chairman Jennie Sharman Secretary Anne Burton Treasurer Olwen Cole Group Coordinator Janice Cosham Membership Secretary Kath Allen Jim Pringle Welcome Coordinator Lyall Seale ) Speaker Garth Perry ) Finders Ann Holmes Newsletter Editor David Scott Contact through website Webmaster We have received some comments that a buffet would be welcome again for the August meeting and so we are arranging that on a similar basis to last year and we will do it by ticket as before to assist with catering. We will be in the Deepings School Hall then which seems to lend itself to a more informal friendly layout for us.christmas meeting is still under development, but your thoughts would always be welcome! We are back in the Methodist Church this month until and including July. Please remember to park in the Waterton Arms AWAY from the Pub building although the Waterton car park should be first choice, if the street is used please do park responsibility to allow good access for the buses and emergency vehicles. Look forward to seeing many of you there. Best wishes, Liz Chairman Programme of Speakers 20 April OPRAH WINFREY TOUCHED MY ELBOW (interviews with TV celebrities) by Graham Keal (AT THE METHODIST CHURCH) 18 May FUNNY GARDEN FEATURES unusual and weird features in gardens from Romans to the Victorians by Andrew Sankey (AT THE METHODIST CHURCH) 15 June THE FALKLAND ISLANDS BY Martin and Mrs Beaton (AT THE METHODIST CHURCH) Unless otherwise stated, doors open at 9.30 am at all monthly meetings. Coffee is served until and meetings begin at am. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE RETURNING TO THE METHODIST CHURCH, DEEPING ST. JAMES, FOR OUR APRIL, MAY, JUNE AND JULY MEETINGS. WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS Joan and Gordon Walkley from Market Deeping and Barbara Wilson from Northborough, Bernadette Walker, Deeping St James and Colin Kerrison from Baston. GROUPS WHO WOULD WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: Book Weevils and Book Worms, The Wanderers Walking Group, Discussion Group, Nordic Walking, Guitar for Pleasure, Quiz Group, and Good Food Group. Please contact the group leader for more information. U3A SUNDAY LUNCH GROUP The next Sunday Lunch will be on Sunday 26 APRIL, at the Blue Bell at Helpston,12.30 pm. If you wish to join this event please contact Tony Semple or Michael Griffith or add your name to the list at the meeting on Monday, 16 March. Tony or Michael will be located near the coffee/tea hatch. 1

2 SUMMER COACH TRIPS Several groups arrange coach trips during the summer months and when they have spare seats offer them to any of our Deepings U3A members. Bookings are being taken at the moment for the following two trips: WATERPERRY GARDENS AND BUSCOT PARK, Oxfordshire on Thursday, 18th June. This trip is being organised by Eddie Adams and John Marsh for the Gardening 4 Petals & Produce Group. Waterperry is a place to explore, relax and shop in beautiful surroundings. There is also a café. Buscot Park, owned by Lord Faringdon, but run by the National Trust, is regarded as: one of Oxfordshire s best kept secrets. It has magnificent gardens and grounds, plus a late 18 th Century house, also open and included in the price. (The same as last year) After an early lunch at Waterperry, we leave for Buscot to arrive at 2.00 pm. There will be an opportunity to visit the teashop here before leaving at 5.00 pm. We plan to arrive back at the Deepings by 8.00 pm. The cost of this outing is pp (NT members 20), payable when booking and cheques made payable to The Deepings U3A. For further details contact Eddie Adams or John Marsh. There are five seats left. ELY CATHEDRAL AND TOWN on Tuesday 14th July. This trip is being organised by The Church Mice Group to include a guided tour of the Cathedral and entry to the Stained Glass Museum. An additional attraction close by the Cathedral is Oliver Cromwell s House which some of us may like to visit. There is a separate admission charge for this, not included in our fare. Whilst the Cathedral is Ely s main attraction there is a pleasant walk alongside the river Ouse with the possibility of a 30 minute cruise, and interesting small shops in the town. We aim to arrive in Ely by in time for a cup of tea/coffee before a guided tour of the Cathedral arranged to start at a.m. Following this you will be able to arrange your own lunch in one of the cafes or restaurants in the town or picnic in Jubilee Gardens or by the River Ouse. Your ticket will allow you re-entry to the Cathedral and there is no extra charge for still photography within the Cathedral although a charge is made if taking videos or using a tripod. The coach will leave Ely at 4.30 pm, reaching the Deepings by 6.00 pm. The cost of this trip, which includes coach, a guided tour of the Cathedral and entry to the Stained Class Museum is 21 payable at the time of booking. No refreshments included. (Cheques payable to The Deepings U3A). For those not wishing to visit the Cathedral, the coach only fare is 12. For bookings or further information contact: Ann Holmes ) or Geoff Whittle. There seems to have been some confusion about Membership Numbers recently. These are, of course, individual so cannot be printed on the renewal card given to each member each July. However you will find your personal number written INSIDE the folded card you hopefully wear on a lanyard to each meeting! GROUP NEWS GROUP LEADERS: Thank you to the group leaders that have sent me a list of their group members, if you have not yet sent me a copy please let me have one as soon as possible, including membership numbers. If you are short of a few membership numbers I can fill them in for you. Members can find their number inside their membership card. FLOWER ARRANGING: A venue and demonstrator has been arranged and the first meeting of this group will take place in May - those members who expressed an interest will be notified of the details shortly. PLAY READING: If you are interested in joining this group do put your name on the list at the meeting or contact me. CRAFT GROUP 3 & WINE MAKING: Sadly neither of these groups has received enough interest to start a new group. Please phone or me if you would like to discuss this. Do you have a suggestion for a new group? Would your group like more members? Are you having difficulties joining a group? Please let me know if I can help. OLWEN COLE Group Coordinator U3A HISTORY GROUP Before the talk, members paid their 10 deposit for the August visit to Hampstead. Thank you to everyone who helped out at the meeting. Our speaker was Jim Pringle who told us about Scotland s Lost Empire. We were surprised to learn that it wasn t about the house of entertainment that had ruined many a comedian but an expedition that had a knock on effect to the history of the United Kingdom. For centuries the ruins in the swamps of southern Panama have been testament to Scottish folly, an attempt to create a tropical empire to rival that of the Spanish. The five ships which sailed from Leith in the summer of 1698 carried the hopes of a nation. Success in Darien, a Central American wilderness, and chosen as Scotland s gateway to the new world would bring riches and power and guarantee independence. Instead, it brought disaster. The Scots tried to colonise a region plagued by malarial swamp, the pioneers fell sick with fever, they starved and soon abandoned the isthmus. The financial and psychological blow led to Scotland surrendering sovereignty in the 1707 Act of Union with England. Jim s description of events conjured up tales of Errol Flynn and swash buckling pirates. It also brought home the time taken for news to travel from different parts of the world in days gone by, the deviousness of people and the helpless state of well being when travellers visited tropical countries. A great deal of research went into the talk and Jim was thanked by his audience for an enjoyable morning. Report: SANDRA JONES s: SANDRA JONES / ELIZABETH PARKINSON U3A CRAFT GROUP 1 Cross stitch is the craft of choice for most of us at the moment, Edna has embarked on another one of her amazing Angels, and if I can persuade her, I will put a photo of some of her work in next month s news letter. Our soon to become grandma, is working on a beautiful baby blanket, but with plans for a more elaborate piece on the cards, I think she may have to get her skates on... We send our sincere condolences to Flo, our thoughts are with you and we look forward to seeing you again soon. JULIE MANCEY Group leader 2

3 U3A CYCLING GROUP It was Monty Python that coined the phrase and now for something completely different. This was certainly the case for the cycling group s March outing on Tuesday 24 th March seven of us took a train to King s Cross and went to the London Velodrome followed by tour round Tower Bridge. The Velodrome was just a short walk from Stratford Underground Station. Our group was joined by five more riders. The 1 hour session started at 1:00 PM. However, before this we were each kitted out with all the necessary safety equipment as well a special bike. The bikes were specially made for track racing and were radically different to the roadster type we normally ride. The main differences were fixed wheel (high ratio), short wheelbase, smooth tyres and no brakes. The bike itself was much lighter than a normal roadster. Also our feet were strapped into the pedals which was extremely awkward when stopping as it was necessary to be able to hold on to a hand rail. Our instructor (Clair) first took us through the basics before letting us make a tentative first circuit in the safety lane just to get the feel of how the bike handled. This was followed by more instruction on the myriad of safety aspects for the track for real including over and under taking. We now went back on to the track and this time ventured up on to the banking the banking angle is a constant Confidence built up with every circuit and towards the end we found coming off the banking at speed very exhilarating indeed. Having got used to the bikes and the track we found that it was possible to achieve much higher speeds than would be reached on our normal bikes on a road surface. We estimated that on average we reached between 20 and 25 mph. On completion of the session each one of us was presented with a certificate to commemorate the experience. Our one hour session over we walked to the Thames and took a water taxi to Tower Bridge where we embarked on a self-guided tour. This entailed climbing the steps in the North Tower and crossing to the South Tower affording spectacular views over the river and of London. The walkway across included a section with a glass floor giving views of traffic passing beneath. After descending to ground level we proceeded to an exhibition of the original steam powered hydraulics for lifting the bridge. The twin boilers and compounded engines had been beautifully preserved and this was a fascinating experience in itself. A real must for anyone visiting this part of London. Special thanks must go to Fred Skipper who arranged and coordinated this superb day out. It certainly was a lot different to our normal ride around the Fens finishing at a local pub for lunch. Report: TERRY NOBLE : FRED SKIPPER I understand Terry ended up with well over 100 photographs taken by various members of the group. My sincere thanks to him for filtering them down and I hope my collage on the front page managed to give a flavour of an enjoyable day for the group. Ann U3A LEARN POHOTOGRAPHY GROUP The photography group met on Wednesday 18th March at the R C Church Hall. Members were shown twenty tasks that they should be able to do with their compact cameras, and digital single lens reflex cameras. After each task I asked the members to do it on their own cameras. And if they got stuck to check with their instruction books. It certainly got members talking. At our meeting on Wednesday 15th April, I gave members advice on how to take good head and shoulder portraits. If any new members would like to join, please contact me. DAVE PENDRY s DAVE PENDRY / DAVID SCOTT U3A NATURAL HISTORY GROUP For our January meeting 16 members of the group spent an enjoyable morning at the Etton Road-Maxey Nature Reserve. The reserve, a disused gravel pit owned by Tarmac, is managed by the Langdyke Country Trust and is normally closed to non-members. However, we were shown round by Brian Lawrence, who is a Trustee. It is an interesting place of varied habitats, including open water, grassland and reed beds. It was a cold and damp day but we did get some sunshine later. Unfortunately we chose a day when most of the birds were elsewhere. Our sightings included a flock of Teal, Snipe and Grey Wagtail. Many thanks to Brian Lawrence for the opportunity to see the reserve. Report by PETER EDWARDS Eleven of the group met at Frampton Marsh on a very blustery morningn in March.. At least it had stopped raining! We were greeted by Vincent, a volunteer with the RSPB. His knowledge of the reserve and the birdlife was excellent, which made the visit a real treat. We identified 46 species and Vincent gave us a lot of information about the habitats needed by the birds and the management of the site. We were glad to welcome Joan and Gordon to the group and hope they enjoyed experience. Our next outing will be to Baston on Thursday April 23 rd organised by Don and Jean Foster. Details to follow. NORAH LITTLER Photo: KEN BUNCH U3A GARDENING FOR PETALS & PRODUCE GROUP We all met at Birchgrove Garden Centre on the Wednesday morning and then on to the Bulb Museum. 17 members attended and we were given a real treat. Alan, the speaker, has been at the centre for 37 years and his knowledge of the growth of Bulb Trade and its Associated Industries knows no bounds. Draining the land had made the soil and silt ideal for bulbs. Spalding, a small Market Town, was to become the centre of the Bulb Trade. Mr White a shop keeper started it all in the 1800s selling bunches of snowdrops for a 1d a bunch. The rest is history and it made Spalding very prosperous. After the slide show and talk we were guided around the Museum which was full of the special tools and equipment (all manufactured locally) including the Cooke Plough, with other exhibits, even a model horse. (See photograph). A real treat we recommend to other U3A groups. Many thanks to Julia and Roger Smith for getting the ball rolling. The next Event for the Gardening 4 Petals and Produce Group is on Tuesday 21st April, - a visit to Rasell s Nurseries, Little Bytham - meeting at 10pm. COLIN WARD U3A FILM GROUP The next Film Club will be on Wednesday 22nd April starting at 2pm at the Community Centre. This month's film is "Paddington" a recent successful film telling a story of Paddington Bear, a familiar character to both young and old - enjoyable escapism! MAUREEN WHITTLE / RITA BROWN s: 3

4 U3A JAZZ, SWING & BIG BAND GROUP Our March meeting was at 10, Hyde Gardens, Langtoft and Maurice was our host. His program was an easy listening one with lots of vocals from standard favourites and we began with 'Sweet Georgia Brown' from the Swing Shift Big Band. 'Fly Me To The Moon' sung by Julie London was something a bit different and not her usual style. Two pieces by Ray Anthony and his Orchestra followed on, 'Blue Moon' being one and then 'An Affair To Remember' the second. Carol Kidd and Andrew Drover's Orchestra gave us a lovely version of 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' a nice alternative to the Barbra Streisand/Neil Diamond recording and then the Carol Kidd Trio sang and played 'Night and Day'. Billy Eckstine sang 'I Apologise', Louis Armstrong played 'Mahogany Hall Stomp', then we heard Percy Faith and his Orchestra play 'Theme from The Summer of 42'. Ella Fitzgerald sang 'Basin Street Blues' and did a very good impersonation of Louis Armstrong, well who else could? 'The Shadow of Your Smile', the theme from the film 'The Sand Piper' was the Johnny Dankworth offering together with the London Symphony Orchestra. 'In The Mood' it's got to be Glenn Miller and Michael Feinstein teamed up with George Shearing in 'September in the Rain'. Jimmy Lunceford, Woody Herman and then Duke Ellington followed on with Nat 'King' Cole playing and vocalising 'It's Only A Paper Moon' next. Jamie Cullum sang and played 'Our Day Will Come' and Diana Krall sang a delightful version of 'I've Got You Under My Skin'. Back to 'Satchelmouth' Armstrong and 'Jeepers Creepers' and then something seldom heard - Jelly Roll Morton's ' Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say...' Maurice warmed us up with Peggy Lee's 'Fever' and then blew us away with 'Wild Is The Wind' by Nina Simone, to finish the morning! Thanks Maurice, we enjoyed it and all those chocolate biscuits too! Our next meeting is at Barbara and Peter Baylis's home, with a programme put together by Geoff Whittle. Report: ANNE JONES s: ANNE JONES / PETER BAYLIS U3A THURSDAY WALKING GROUP The largest turn-out of the year, 28 members, were greeted by a warm and sunny day to undertake a walk led by David Scott around the Dyke, Cawthorpe and Fox Wood area north of Bourne. The walk commenced from The Wishing Well at Dyke proceeding down through the village before turning right through the countryside to cross the A15 and then left through the village of Cawthorpe. From here the walk continued up Wood Lane and through Fox Wood before doubling back to cross the A15 once again opposite the junction to Dyke before returning to The Wishing Well for a very good lunch. Many thanks to David for leading the walk and organising the lunch. The next walk on 14 May will be led by Maureen and Peter Jackson and will be in the Castor, Ailsworth and Sutton areas commencing from The Prince of Wales Feathers, 38 Peterborough Road, Castor PE5 7AL. If you would like to attend this walk, could you please phone Peter by the Tuesday preceding the walk, if possible. Photo: DAVE PENDRY s: GODFREY PARKES / DAVID SCOTT U3A THURSDAY GARDENING GROUP Many thanks to Barbara Workman for hosting us this month where our discussions made us wonder if we should change our name to the Thursday Food Group as we talked so much about lunches accompanying our meetings and outings. There were some gardening aspects discussed amongst the food with very helpful suggestions about how Linda Hill might revamp a south facing border with very poor soil. We had a successful plant swap and several members (particularly Sandra Bowers and Gill Ronaldson) had brought plants including an ornamental black grass, lily of the valley, chrysanthemum, primroses, purple cobaea and a mystery penstemon. The weather was kind enough to allow us a tour of Barbara's lovely garden where she was soon getting cuttings of various plants to hand out. The garden was full of spring colour with a scarily pristine lawn and a variety of heathers playing a starring role. Unfortunately, with David Scott having to give apologies we didn't have our expert cameraman to take the usual photos. Our next meeting is at am on Thursday 7th May at The Herb Garden, Thistleton, Nr Oakham. LE15 7RE. LINDA HILL U3A ART APPRECIATION GROUP For our meeting this month several members paid a visit to the Peterborough Museum. We were treated to a talk by a member of a Roman re-enactor. Dressed as a Roman legionary he talked about what the life of a legionary was like, the fact that the legionary was unlikely to be local or Roman, that they were usually from lands conquered by Rome, which was world wide (at the time). The legions built roads and forts and required men with a variety of skills as well as the ability to use weapons and follow orders. The weapons were demonstrated and the personal defences such as shield and body armour. The pictures shown consisted of portraits of dignitaries and a one woman exhibition of life studies by Prue Pye, a contemporary fine artist. The theme of the exhibition is Movement, each painting numbered and subtitled. The artist used a number of media to produce the paintings, including watercolour, oils, acrylic, pastel, using on different grounds of canvas, paper, board etc. An interesting display of figurative painting using various methods. A permanent exhibit at the museum is of the Norman Cross prison camp of the Napoleonic war, this includes a number of decorative and other items carved by prisoners from bones and other scraps. They showed advanced skills of design, carving, and construction. These were originally made for sale to buy goods to improve their lot as prisoners of war. On Friday the 20 th several members travelled to the Spalding Grammar School to attend a lecture on Caravaggio A Life Sacred and Profane given by Andrew Graham-Dixon, noted art historian, author and television presenter (including Italy Unpacked). It was a very polished exposition of a superb artist with a troubled soul. The lecture was the last in the current series hosted by the Spalding Gentlemen s society. At our next meeting on April 21 th Hendy Farquhar-Smith will give a talk on Angelica Kauffman RA. We would be pleased to welcome new members. PETER WITHERINGTON 4

5 OVER THE GARDEN WALL GARDEN GROUP Our March meeting was a joint visit with the Gardening 4 Petals and Produce group to The Bulb Museum at Birchgrove Garden centre Pinchbech. This was a return visit for some of us but we were pleasantly surprised how interesting this visit was. Bulb growing in the area started from a few snowdrops to a multimillion pound industry providing work for a large number of people to its virtual decline today where most bulbs are imported. Our thanks go to Colin and his group members for the invitation. Our next meeting is on Tuesday April 28 th at Springfields. Meet at the visitors centre at 10am. Andy Boyden is our host and the focus of today s visit will be tulips. There is no cost for this visit. Please contact Maggie if you wish attend. If any members of the U3A would like to join us for this visit please feel welcome. Group leaders: MARGARET GRIFFITHS / GLENYS NICE U3A BOOKWORMS READING GROUP Netherwood by Jane Sanderson. This story is set in Yorkshire about Eve Williams is the wife of one of Lord Netherwood employees when her life is brought crashing down after her husband is killed in a mining accident. Eve must look to her own self-sufficiency and talent to provide for herself and her three young children. She makes a success of her business baking and cooking then selling her goods from the front room of her home. The Bookworms found this an easy book to read, although we felt the story somewhat predictable. Next meeting at Ann s home on 27th April 2015 ANN THORNTHWAITE U3A STROLLER S WALKING GROUP U3A ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES GROUP For our March meeting we had Mr. Bill Sandles making a return visit to give us an illustrated talk on endangered species. Known as C.I.T.E.S. which is The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and the laws applicable to it. Some of the endangered species are Rhino Horn, Elephant and Marine Ivory, Coral, Rosewood, Sandlewood, Tortoiseshell, certain Snakeskin, Birds and Animal skins. Rhino Horn was used in the 17th-18th Centuries for presentation trophy pieces and walking sticks, and whether myth or legend as an aphrodisiac in the middle East. The finest Ivory is Indian, there is African, Marine, and Walrus Ivory, and since 1947 it has been illegal to bring Ivory into this country. Many items were made of ivory; walking sticks, snuff boxes, and we were shown pictures of a George III ivory tea caddy circa.1780, value 3,500 and many other items. Giant Starfish are killing off the Coral in the oceans. Leopard and Tiger skins were made into rugs, and tortoiseshell and turtle shell were used in tea caddys and inlaid cabinets. In Russia, they are destroying sea beds to get out fossilized Amber, in Brazil Amber has to be dug out. There are a lot of designer handbags (Kelly Birkin) and briefcases made from animal skins, alligator, and python costing between 30,000 to over 40,000. mostly bought by the wives of the sheiks when they come shopping in London. It was a very informative afternoon. Bill usually delivers an interesting talk, and this gave us all food for thought. Report IRENE BEEKEN s: IRENE BEEKEN / PAM PENDRY U3A WEEKENDERS GROUP Ann welcomed 29 members to the Oddfellows Hall on Saturday April 11 th. Jean handed out tickets and details for the trip to Foxton Locks on April 20 th and Anita gave final details to members going on the Ilkley and Saltaire trip. Ann suggested we have a special summer coffee morning on June 30 th details to follow. We all then wandered over to the Deeping Stage for a most enjoyable lunch organised by Ann. The next meeting will be on May 9th. Report by BARBARA MCNICOL s: ANN BRADSHAW / BARBARA MCNICOL The latest stroll took place on Monday 23 March, when a record number of strollers took part starting from the Sailing Club at Ferry Meadows in Peterborough. On a fresh sunny morning, 24 members of the group set off from the Sailing Club, led by Colin Ward who led us on a clockwise circuit around the three main lakes. Stopping for a group photograph at the western end of the Gunwade Lake, we followed the long sweep of it s northern bank, then skirted the Overton Lake, towards it s southern end, before stopping outside the Visitor Centre. The final leg took us alongside Lynch Lake and back to the Sailing Club for lunch. Our next walk will take place on Monday 27 April and will take us to an area known as Castor Hanglands. The meeting point will be the Blue Bell public house in Helpston at about 10:10, where we will be able to order lunch. Afterwards we will drive about 2 miles to the start point of the walk, which will be the car park at Southey Wood. Members of the group who wish to take part should contact me, as the walk leader, a few days before. BOB DELLER : U3A CRAFT GROUP 2 We had our creative session from our group store boxes and came up with some interesting cards, and all without any extra cost! Thanks to everyone for bringing accessories and equipment which was a good opportunity to try out some alternatives - well done to all. We are going back to quilling again next month. We meet on 20 April as usual. LIZ NOBLE A Challenge!? A. 5

6 U3A WEDNESDAY GARDENING GROUP The meeting this month for the group was a trip to Ayscoughfee Hall Museum and gardens. We were met by Julia Knight who gave a interesting talk on the very complex history of the Hall, its many owners and uses. She also explained that the gardens today are very much like they were when first designed many years ago. After the talk we wandered around the Hall and then the gardens before having a welcome cup of coffee. Thank you Heather for organising the visit. The meeting next month is a trip to Rassell's garden centre. Meet at Rainbow at to sort out lifts. If you are unable to attend please ring Jean or Angie. Report: AVRIL WILLIS s: JEAN FOSTER / ANGELA DORWARD U3A NORDIK WALKING GROUP March has been a very hit and miss month for members to be able to walk every Friday afternoon. On a few occasions only two members have been able to attend and walk together, but they have reported that they still thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. We try to vary our walks as much as possible and this month we have walked at Low Locks, Hills and Holes, Ferry Meadows and Maxey Lakes. Our walks usually last about one to one and a half hours which we find is adequate for the range of fitness within the group. Our next walk is to be at Burghley House. The photo was taken at Low Locks ANNETTE WATKINS U3A BOOK WEEVILS READING GROUP Last month we read Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves. This crime novel is set on Fair Isle in the Shetlands featuring Detective Jimmy Perez. Central to the story is the Fair Isles bird observatory where the first murdered body is found. Autumn storms are raging and the island is cut off from the rest of the world, tempers become frayed and tension is high. Ann Cleeves describes the storm and the isolated conditions of the island so well that the reader feels part of it. The story moves at a quick pace and the killer is not disclosed until the very end. A very enjoyable crime novel and we would all like to read more of Ann Cleeves books. Book Weevils next meeting is on Tuesday 21 st April at 2.00 at Cathryn s home. CATHRYN SEALE U3A PACERS WALKING GROUP We set out from The Packhorse, Northborough on a bright but very windy morning. Opposite was the Northborough Castle a 14th century medieval fortified manor house where in1646 John Claypole married Elizabeth, Oliver Cromwell s daughter. We walked down Church Street past John Clare s cottage. We crossed over the Peakirk road and turned left down a drove and onto the Welland river bank. We followed the river bank down to Deeping Gate and crossed the road near the damaged stone bridge. We went up Bridgegate Lane and back to Northborough along the old Lincoln Road. Our next walk will be on Wednesday 6th May at Foxton Locks. The walk will be led by Maggie Griffiths details as the already sent out. s LYNN AND STEVE WHITE U3A MONDAY READING GROUP An unusual book this month, in that most members found it confusing and episodic but still quite enjoyed it and went on to finish it. The book was Gods and Beasts by Denise Mina. Set in Glasgow, it is a crime story first and foremost but with some personal stories woven in to the plot of corruption and murder and it was this mixture of the straightforward whodunnit with, many of us felt, promising but underdeveloped characters, which made it disappointing. The author set many hares running; a corrupt but charming philandering MP and his wife, the family of the victim, a strange eccentric who had inherited a fortune and a woman DCI who happened to be related to one of the suspects. She also juggled amongst all this an armed robbery plot and a story of drug money laundering. As a result, it seemed that there were several books struggling to get out of the rather crowded end product. The writing and scene setting was skilful, however, and this probably carried us through the book, at least to the solving of the crime if not to the tying up of all the loose ends. We did enjoy casting the film or, more likely, TV series that the novel could easily become spending some time in choosing which politician could play the MP without any acting ability or training at all! Our next meeting will be on May 11 th at Linda Bates house and our book is The Janus Stone by Ellie Griffiths. LIZ WATERLAND U3A WANDERERS GROUP Our April wander, organised by Liz and Tony Gilbank, took us down through Greetham Valley Golf Course to Fort Henry and then via a part of the Viking Way back to Greetham where we enjoyed a first class lunch at the Wheatsheaf. The country side was, at last, showing signs of waking up: the birds were singing, the trees were budding and the grass was freshly green. The sun shone and the wind was soft [ish]. A few early house martins were seen. It was a lovely walk on a shining Spring morning. Our next walk is on May 12th and will be in the Barnack area and new members are welcome to join us. Contact 6 HILARY AND BARRY AKAM s

7 U3A MONDAY WALKING GROUP Twenty eight members turned out for our April walk in beautiful spring sunshine. Our starting point was the Queen s Head in Nassington and our leaders were Dave and Lynn Alcorn. The route initially followed the Nene Way footpath towards Fotheringhay giving us good views of its distinctive church tower on the way. We then turned eastwards towards Elton and the river before returning to Nassington. This was a very pleasant 5.5 mile walk through lovely countryside and the fact that we were able to complete it free of the customary wind and waterproof clothing was much appreciated by all. Our next walk will be on May 11 th and will be led by Garth Perry. I believe the start point is likely to be the Blue Bell in Helpston but I will confirm this with group members nearer the time. CHAS FERGUSON U3A FAMILY HISTORY GROUP We welcomed two new members to the group again yesterday. We hope that Dee Cox and Jean Brennand will enjoy the group and we hope that we can help them along with their research. As I had been away for the last meeting we concentrated on a catch up session, where everyone talked about what they had been doing and what their intentions are for future research. I would like to thank Brian for holding the fort last month and for the group members who attended. A quick note to anyone who is interested Find My Past is offering a 50% reduction on their World Subscription (from to 64.75) but only until 18 th April. This is a very good offer as it is cheaper than just the UK Subscription. Our next month s meeting will be 2.00PM on 11 th May at the Community Centre. We would be more than pleased to welcome any new members who would like to either start or enhance their family history. PEG TORRANCE U3A CHURCH MICE GROUP On a sunny, warm spring afternoon, 19 Church Mice visited the magnificent village church of St Peter and St Paul, Gosberton, Lincolnshire,which has lots of history and things to see. Its spire reaches nearly 200 feet above the countryside and if you are brave enough to climb the steps to the top you will have wonderful views of the fens and beyond. There was originally a Saxon church on the site and Norman remains can still be seen. However, most of the church dates back to the 12 th to 14 centuries. It has many memorials and a life size effigy of a local knight and his wife which marks their tomb, dates back to about 1300 AD. The stained glass widows are beautiful. Many of the gargoyles are in tact, one even depicts and elephant with a recently restored trunk! ( 4000 restoration costs for one large trunk!) Maintaining such a historic building is extremely costly. The guide did a roving tour of the building, stopping at various points of interest. He was very knowledgeable. Tea was delicious too! Thanks to Lyall for arranging today s visit. Next month s visit is to Castle Bytham and Kay is in charge. A card for member David Wright was signed by the group wishing him a speedy recovery. Report: SANDRA JONES s: LYALL SEALE / ANN HOLMES (Admin.) Photo: Recent expensively restored Elephant head Gargoyle. Taken from Google U3A LISTENING TO MUSIC GROUP Our April Programme was held at the home of John Bloomfield and he entitled it -THE FOUR SEASONS. It certainly was the Four Seasons, John, but not as we know them! Astor Piozzolla Beginning with 'AUTUMN', the violin was played by Tianwa Yang accompanied by Astor Piazzolla and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. Following this we heard Richard Strauss' 'September' from the Four Last Songs. Soprano: Anne Schwanewilms, Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder. Lotte Lenya sang Kurt Weill's 'September Song' and The Cambridge Singers sang 'To Everything There is a Season' arranged by John Rutter. WINTER' followed (as usual) with Tianwa Yang once more on violin and Astor Piazzolla conducting. Then we had something different with Cleo Laine singing 'When Icicles Hang by the Garden Wall' from Shakespeare's play 'Love's Labour's Lost.' A lovely song, new to most of us, was 'Blackberry Winter' sung by Counter Tenor, David Daniels, accompanied on the guitar by Craig Ogden. 'SPRING' arrived with another violin solo from Tianwa Yang, accompanied by Astor Piazzolla. Laidibus sang a beautiful arrangement of 'All In The April Evening' and then 'Springtime At Kew' by Phyllis Tate was played by the London Concert Orchestra. Finally we arrived at SUMMER, beginning once again with the wonderful violin playing of Tianwa Yang, Orchestra conducted by Astor Piazzolla. Then something the group had not heard before, Samuel Barber's 'Knoxville, Summer 1915' with prose sung by Karina Gauvin, Soprano, withthe Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop. There was a mixed reaction to this quite unusual piece. Frederick Delius and his 'Walk To The Paradise Garden' was very enjoyable as was the finale' to John's morning - Louis Armstong and 'What A Wonderful World.'. Thank you John, for giving us something different. Report: ANNE JONES s: TERRY NOBLE / JIM PRINGLE U3A GOOD FOOD GROUP The Food Group celebrated the month of St George's Day by concentrating on English Food. Seven of us had a wonderful lunch of Potted Smoked Trout, a Ploughman's pork Pie with pickle and cheese, Brown Windsor Soup, Huntingdonshire Fidget Pie, Lancashire Hot Pot, and then two puddings, Old English Egg Nog Pie, and Lemon Possett (and starvation for the next two days!). We couldn't find a Union Jack to include in our photo, taken by Ian, but it does demonstrate that some more cooks of the male gender would be welcome. Next themes, Irish Food, Claudia Roden recipes, and celebrating USA Independence Day. If you would like to try us out contact - KATHLEEN TANNER U3A WRITING FOR PLEASURE GROUP Our Writing group meeting in April was well attended with ten of us enjoying listening to each others stories on Buying a new pair of shoes. The same theme of a teenage girl buying fashionable but uncomfortable shoes, ran through several pieces, and took most of us back to our youth! There were also two poems from Anne, who admits to being a shoe-aholic who actually enjoys buying shoes. Next month our theme is Tea with Grandma which should produce some nostalgic pieces of writing. JUDY ROBINSON 7