Croxley Chronicles no. 4 August 2020

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Hello all, Well, I’m writing to you in a rather enhanced capacity as at the AGM at the end of our last monthly meeting on August 19th you very kindly elected me to be Chair of Croxley Green U3A, so I suppose I ought to formally thank you and ‘introduce’ myself! Firstly, of course, I must thank Paul on your behalf for his calm, good-humoured and dependable stewardship over the last three years. He’s going to be a tough act to follow: I think we’ve all appreciated his friendly and welcoming approach in monthly meetings and that informality (albeit with a finger firmly on the pulse) was also very evident in our committee meetings. Fortunately, the rest of the committee remains unchanged: as Paul said in his farewell as chairman, his job was made easy by virtue of a committed, reliable and loyal group of people all of whom are so supportive and encouraging whilst never shy of constructive criticism to ensure that we do our best for our local U3A. So, again on your behalf, I thank the committee for their efforts and I shall try to ensure that they enjoy committee meetings under my ‘chairmanship’ as much as we all did when Paul was in charge! As the Croxley Chronicle (currently replacing the quarterly Newsletter) is not password-protected, I won’t give contact details of committee members here, however you can find them in previous Newsletters (which are password-protected). As ever, do feel free to contact any of us with a query, a comment, a suggestion … even a compliment! Our second monthly meeting talk delivered via Zoom was, again, really well attended with over 70 attendees. Our speaker this time was a local osteopath, a charming young lady. I think giving a talk was a new experience for her so she was a wee bit nervous to start with but once she got into her stride, she had an amazing life story of courage and perseverance to tell and was delightful. Mary Coulson has written to her to thank her on our behalf.

Our next monthly meeting is on Wednesday 16th September at 2pm. As before, you’ll be sent a

Zoom link – we’re all becoming more familiar and confident with this ‘new’ normal, so do please encourage people to join us if they are still a bit hesitant, especially as our next speaker Dr Helen Fry is, on past experience, going to be very interesting. I am certainly looking forward to it.

Just to also draw your attention to a flyer at the end of this issue alerting members to a Herts U3A Network lecture available via Zoom given by Peter Webb, an Art historian, on David Hockney on 4th September. This looks very interesting, it is open to all U3A member, there is no charge: all you have to do is register your interest by emailing Hilary Holt on hertsnet.sec@gmail.com, who will then email you the Zoom link. Hoping this finds you all well, keep safe and best wishes,

Irene Dubuis

Wed Sept 15th ‘The London Cage’ by Helen Fry A return visit from Helen Fry, author of many books on the second world war. Her last talk was a high light of the year when she described the special velvet glove treatment at Trent Park and Latimer house of important prisoners of war. In this second talk she describes how in WWII, behind locked doors in Kensington Palace Gardens, British Intelligence established a clandestine interrogation centre called the ‘London Cage’. It held prisoners of war who would give information in regular interrogations. Then, at the end of the war, it was transformed into the most important war crimes investigation unit outside Germany and across its threshold came the worst Nazi war criminals and perpetrators of Nazi atrocities.

Wed Oct 21st ‘From Bangladesh to Banksy’ by Pepe Martinez Pepe Martinez is a highly qualified Blue Badge Guide. He will take us on a good hour+ virtual tour of the East end of London from the Second World War to present day. This proved a fascinating talk and comes highly recommended by two local groups. Unlike walking a tour one is able to see everything close up and hear every word! There will be plenty of time for questions afterwards.

DINGBATS (Many thanks to Geoffrey from Ware U3A! Answers at the end.

FORTHCOMING MONTHLY MEETINGS: online at 2pm

PUB LUNCH GROUP

As Vicky Holbrook promised in the last issue of the Croxley Chronicle, the planned gatherings of the Weekend Pub Lunch Group in her garden have all gone ahead, despite some anxious glances at the weather forecast which, as we all know, has been rather more variable recently! Ever meticulous, Vicky has given new meaning to the word ‘scrupulous’ in her planning and implementation of this new venture, so a big round of applause and appreciation is due to her. Below is a selection of photos of those (suitably socially-distanced) participants who enjoyed her hospitality and pandemic precautions (e.g. hand sanitiser etc): Alma Whitbread, Joyce Dwight, Ann Moran, Jeanette Thomson, Jenefer Dye Heather Marsh, Liz Frow, Mavis Peasey, Denise Coulson, Alison Thompson, Sheila Nicholls, Gladys Lumley, Audrey McLachlan, Jo Power, Val Finnegan, Margaret Wiggs, Brenda Leather

POETRY GROUP 1 During this difficult time our group has been meeting fortnightly, which we find a bonus (so many poets and poems and so little time). We have recently read poems by Simon Armitage, our Yorkshire Poet Laureate, and realised just why he was selected to be honoured with this title. We enjoyed his humorous and emotional themes and his love of the outdoors. Then the following week, what an excellent choice as we delved into the many poems written by UK and USA’s ‘Black Poets’. Amongst others we read ‘The British’ by Benjamin Zephaniah, our Rastafarian poet, ‘Telephone Conversation’ by Wole Soyinka, ‘Ballad of Birmingham’ by Dudley Randall, a mother’s view of the 1963 church bombings in the USA, and – always a great favourite – Maya Angelou’s beautiful and poignant poem, ‘Why the Caged Bird Sings’. With our other chosen poems, it was a joy and privilege to read and hear them all.

At our next meeting we will be reading poems written in the 21st Century and we are already looking forward to researching and reading our choices as usual.

Audrey McLachlan

Croxley Chronicle Quiz 3 (Thanks to John Murphy of Herts Network U3A Answers in the next issue)

General Knowledge

1 In which country were castanets developed?

2 in which town is the HQ of the Open University?

3 For what does IoM stand

4 For what does IoW stand?

5 Which Devonshire town has an exclamation mark after its two-word name?

6 Which British legal job is shortened to DPP?

7 Where in London would you find the Whispering Gallery?

8 What colour sari is traditionally worn by the bride at an Indian wedding?

9 What is the two-word name of London’s Central Criminal Court?

10 In which book do we meet Boo Radley?

Geography

1 Which English city shares its name with the capital of Nebraska?

2 Which country has been called Kampuchea?

3 Where in Britain does the Up Helly Ya celebration take place?

4 Which country borders Denmark to the south?

5 In which American State would you find Disney World?

6 New Street Station can be found in which English city?

7 Where is the Wailing Wall?

History

1 When leaving the Army you are demobbed. For what is demobbed short?

2 In what year did the Six Day War happen?

3 What nationality was Karl Marx?

4 Who became the first Labour Prime Minister, in 1924?

5 Which two countries were joined together by the Act of Union of 1707?

6 Which monarch said: Let not poor Nellie starve?

7 And about whom did he say that?

8 Lady Jane Grey was the great-granddaughter of which English king?

9 In which London area did Jack the Ripper operate?

Science and nature

1 How many hearts does an octopus have?

2 For what do the letters LED stand?

3 The word pachyderm, as in elephants, translates into English as what?

4 After which Roman god is the apparent bow just above the upper lip called?

5 Name the two planets that usually orbit between the Sun and Earth.

TV and film

1 Who played Bootsie in the sixties TV series The Army Game?

2 Which fictional creation is blue, with a No 1 in yellow on his sides?

3 What was the name of Basil's wife in Fawlty Towers?

4 What are the first names of The Blues Brothers?

5 Which boy owned the toys in the original Toy Story film?

6 Who played The Doctor when Dr Who first aired in 1963?

7 Who invented the phonograph?

8 Who directed the film 2001: A Space Odyssey?

9 In which Shepherds Bush road did the Steptoe and Son live?

10 The Remorseful Day was the final episode of which TV programme?

11 Whose TV characters included Stavros and Loadsamoney?

Can you name the following sports trophies? Answers at the end!

DINGBATS Answers

Lockdown U3A Quiz answers from Lockdown Quiz no. 2 July 27th issue

(thanks again to John Murphy of Herts Network) Shakespeare 1 In what month is William Shakespeare believed to have been born? April 2 What is the name of the Shakespearean theatre still active in his hometown of Stratford-upon- Avon, used as a base for the Royal Shakespeare Company? The Swan 3 Name the three categories into which Shakespeare’s plays are divided. Tragedies, comedies and histories 4 Which Shakespeare play has been adapted for film the most number of times, as of 2013? Hamlet 5 Which character says the line ‘A plague on both your houses’ in Romeo and Juliet? Mercutio 6 From which play is this quote taken? “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?” The Merchant of Venice TV and film 1 Who played Purdey in The New Avengers? Joanna Lumley 2 In which film did we meet The Cooler King, The Scrounger and The Forger? The Great Escape 3 Who are the leads in the film When Harry Met Sally? Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan 4 The Malt Shovel (or The Malt) is the lesser known pub in which soap? Emmerdale 5 Who was the cinematic partner of Lou Costello? Bud Abbott 6 In which American TV series did we meet Miss Ellie? Dallas 7 Which film star was born David Daniel Kaminsky in 1911? Danny Kaye 8 Anneka Rice and Annabel Rice famously flew in a helicopter for which TV show? Treasure Hunt 9 What sort of creature was Slowcoach in The Flowerpot Men? A tortoise Geography 1 Which river forms much of the border between Cornwall and Devon? Tamar 2 Name the cathedral in Red Square, Moscow. St Basils

1. A fuss about nothing. 2. Love, honour and obey. 3. Dolly mixture. 4. The good, the bad and the ugly. 5. Excuse my French. 6. Easy on the eye. 7. On the right side of the law. 8. Divide and conquer. 9. Twos company, threes a crowd. 10. Doctor in the house. 11. The Three Degrees. 12. You turn me on.

3 Where is Louis Armstrong Airport? New Orleans 4 Which British town did the Romans call Aqua Sulis? Bath 5 In which English county is Hever Castle? Kent 6 Name the capital of Jersey. St Helier 7 Where is January 10 celebrated as Margaret Thatcher Day? The Falklands 8 In which American State would you find Amarillo? Texas Music 1 Which Vaughan Williams piece often tops Classic FM’s Hall of Fame list as Britons’ favourite music? The Lark Ascending 2 Who wrote the score for the film Oliver!? Lionel Bart 3 Jazzman Kenny Ball was famous for playing which instrument? Trumpet 4 Which PM was born first…Disraeli or Gladstone? Disraeli 5 The ukulele originated in which US State? Hawaii History 1 What became Edward VIII’s title after he abdicated in 1936? The Duke of Windsor 2 In which city was Terry Waite kidnapped, in 1987? Beirut General knowledge 1 For what do the initials GCSE stand? General Certificate of Secondary Education 2 The Prince of Wales’ heraldic badge shows three white feathers from which bird? Ostrich 3 Of what were Bubble Jet and Dox Matrix examples? Printers 4 Which road sign is the only one that is octagonal in shape? Stop

Sports trophies: answers

1. Stanley Cup (NHL National Hockey League) 2. Venus Rosewater Dish (Wimbledon Ladies

Tennis) 3. Vince Lombardi Trophy (NFL/Superowl,

American football) 4. Borg-Warner Trophy (The Indianapolis 500,

motor racing) 5. Calcutta Cup (Six Nations Rugby, England v

Scotland) 6. La Coupe des Mousquetaire (French Open

Tennis) 7. (St Andrews) Claret Jug/The Golf Champion

Trophy – winner of the (British) Open Championship

8. Commissioner’s Trophy (MLB – Major League Baseball winners of the World Series)

9. The Golden Glove (Awarded to football goalkeepers with the biggest clean sheet in a World Cup)

10. Guiseppe Garibaldi Trophy (Six Nations Rugby, Italy v France)