fairford & district newsletter june 2015.pdfmonday 6 bridge, french, short tennis, yoga, solos...
TRANSCRIPT
Please send items for the
July/August issue to Don Cobbett
by 17th June
June
Mon 1 Bridge, French, Short Tennis, Yoga, Solos
Tues 2 Main Meeting, Computers, Keep Fit, Spanish
Wed 3 Table Tennis, Quilting, Needlework, Pétanque
Thu 4 Model Making, Traditional Jazz, Latin
Fri 5 Poetry 1 and 2, Recorders
Mon 8 Bridge, French, Short Tennis, Yoga
Tues 9 Computers, Keep Fit, Book Circle 1 & 2
Wed 10 Table Tennis, Walk with PL, Philosophy, Geology,
Pétanque
Thu 11 Model Making, Rummikub
Fri 12 Ballroom Dancing
Mon 15 Bridge, French, Short Tennis, Yoga
Tues 16 Computers, Keep Fit, Birdwatching, Postcards,
Spanish
Wed 17 Table Tennis, Five Rhythms, Family History 1 & 2,
Needlework, Pétanque
Thu 18 Model Making,
Fri 19 Music Listening, Recorders, Solos
Mon 22 Bridge, French, Short Tennis, Yoga
Tues 23 Computers, Keep Fit, Striders
Wed 24 Table Tennis, Chess, Pétanque
Thu 25 Model Making, Photography, Garden, Cycling with PL
Fri 26 Recorders, Strollers,
Mon 29 Bridge, French, Short Tennis, Yoga
Tues 30 Computers, Keep Fit
July
Wed 1 Table Tennis, Quilting, Needlework, Pétanque
Thursday 2 U3A BBQ, Model Making, Traditional Jazz, Latin,
Friday 3 Poetry Circle 1 and 2, Recorders
Monday 6 Bridge, French, Short Tennis, Yoga, Solos
Fairford & DistrictFairford & DistrictFairford & District NewsletterNewsletterNewsletter
Issue 218 June 2015
The History of Pinewood Studios
with
Mike Payne
www.fairfordu3a.org.uk Registered Charity No 1072658
General Meetings
Palmer Hall, 2.30pm
Forthcoming events
7 July 2015
One Egg or Two? Rosemary Prosser talks about her 30 years in Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast. 'One Egg or Two?' was the question she always asked her guests at breakfast time.
4 August 2015 This is a walking tour of Oxford. Please refer to the insert for full
details
1 September 2015 A Policeman's Lot. Alan Rodgers tells us of his experiences during his 30 years in the police force.
Today, 2 June Mike Payne on
The History of Pinewood Studio
Tea Rota 7 July : Bridge 1 September : Chess
Photo Album If you have any interesting
photographs of U3A activities, please pass them to Ann Wightman (01285 712723) for
inclusion in the album
Editor this month: Sarah Bottomley
2
Reminder
Should you change your email
address, will you please let the
Membership Secretary know, so
that our records can be up to
date.
Jilly Salvat
New Members We welcome:
Michael & Daphne Barham
3
Fairford U3A May Meeting
Laughter and Tears In a presentation filled more with music than the spoken word,
Andy Smith entertained members of Fairford’s U3A with his ‘Life in Music’. He had songs about babies and boyhood, adolescence and manhood and a charming tale of how he met and courted his wife.
They have now been married for 31 years. Most of the songs, some funny, some saucy and some which touched a raw nerve, he
had composed himself. They were skilfully intermingled with John Denver’s ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’ and Don McLean’s ‘Vincent’ (Starry, Starry Night). His voice could bear comparison
with these two, although he said Jake Thackeray had been a great influence. He had brought an array of stringed instruments including his favourite ‘Ovation’ guitar and introduced each as
though they were old friends because there was always a tale to tell about the way he had acquired them. His lifelong love of music had fitted well with his interest in recording and he included a
demonstration of how he built up multi-track pieces. At the end there was an opportunity to contribute to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, either through donations or by buying a CD,
because since his son has married a girl born with the problem he contributes 20% of all his sales to this charity.
Sylvia Jones
2016 Diaries We have been advised by National Office that next year's U3A
diaries can be ordered from 1st June and they will start despatching orders from August. They have not advised us of the unit price, but I imagine they will
be the same or similar to the 2015 diaries; I will have this information by the June meeting. I will correlate orders, so please contact me directly. Covers this
year will be Dark Green. Michael Yorke
01367 253286 [email protected]
4
20th Anniversary Our next event is our 20th Anniversary celebration on 2nd July.
This is being held at the Bowmoor sailing club between Fairford and Lechlade, a lovely venue on the lake where we can enjoy a BBQ, Ukulele band and model boats as well as availing ourselves
of their indoor facilities including the club house if the weather is inclement. Please bring your own meat to BBQ, we have a willing team to do this for you, and any accompaniments you wish. You
will also need to bring plates cutlery, chairs etc. but we will provide glasses as well as wine, orange juice, lemonade and cake!
Do please come and join us on that day. This will be a lunchtime BBQ from midday until 4pm. Full details of how to get there can be found on page 6. Oxford trip Marilyn is organising our next trip to Oxford on August 4th. Please
refer to the insert for more information and how to book your place. Website updates Could all group leaders make a note to check their website entries and make sure they are up to date. Any alterations can be sent to
Nick Humphris so he can amend the entries and keep the information accurate for us all. Thanks. Committee invites In order to allow more members to experience the workings of the committee, we have this month invited 4 members to join us. This
was done at random and excluded members who have previous experience of the U3A committee. You will receive a letter requiring an RSVP so we know whether to expect you or not. We
hope you will take up the invitation if one drops through your letter box and come and see what we do! Best wishes to you all - Jan Mills
Chairman’s Report:
Bearskins and Blighty
At 7.30 on the morning of Tuesday 21 April, forty-seven of us boarded our coach for London. We were
introduced to Martin, our driver for the day, and set off. Traffic in London
was slow and we were late meeting our guide for our tour, another Martin, a former Scots Guards bandsman. He
took us first to the Guards Barracks and into the Guards Chapel. In the late Victorian era this had been rebuilt in ornate Gothic style; but, on Sunday 18 June 1944, it was
hit by a V1 (‘Doodlebug’), causing the roof to fall in, killing 121 people inside at morning service. However, the ornate Victorian apse remained and the altar candles were still burning. The apse
was kept and in the 1960s the rest of the chapel was re-built in a more modern style with side chapels, one for each regiment of guards. From here we visited the Guards Museum and emerged to
see the old guard, just changed at Buckingham Palace, being stood down for some well-earned rest. For our lunch we were taken to The Mad Hatter, a Fullers pub in
a converted former hat factory. The madness of hatters came from using mercury nitrate in the processing of the felt for top hats. It was a cumulative poison building up over the years and
leading to various ‘mad’ symptoms and early death. Refreshed, we were taken to the Imperial War Museum housed in
the former Bethlehem Hospital – Bedlam (a tie-up with mad hatters). On entering the main hall there was a V1 suspended from the ceiling – linking us back to the Guards Chapel. Most of us
went into the newly opened First World War galleries. The main emphasis of these galleries was not the ‘great’ battles, but the lives and suffering of the soldiers on both sides in that War.
Altogether, an interesting day. Thanks to Reg for organising it and to the two Martins for their efforts.
Don Cobbett
5
20th Anniversary BBQ
Thursday 2 July
12 noon to 4pm
Getting to Bowmoor Sailing Club (see page 4)
Bowmoor (GL7 3DT) lies just off the A417 Lechlade-Fairford road, about 1.8 miles west of Lechlade traffic lights and about 2.4 miles
east of Fairford Market Place. From Lechlade, look out, on the left-hand side, for two signs side by side for: HANSON Lechlade (Coln) and BOWMOOR SAILING
CLUB. From Fairford, look out, on the right-hand side, for the same two
signs, plus a larger sign for COLN PARK LLP. You take the turning and see a wall ahead of you. Turn right before the wall and immediately right again (sign-posted
BOWMOOR SAILING CLUB). Ignore the small car park on the right and drive ahead for a (bumpy) quarter of a mile to where the road turns left into the Sailing Club where we are meeting; there is
plenty of parking. Don Cobbett
20th Anniversary for the Bridge Club!
The Bridge Club has just passed its 20th Anniversary - the first group activity to be offered when our U3A started in 1995(along with Walking with a Pub Lunch) and I think the only group still go-
ing with the same group leader. Bridge never goes out of date! Margaret Bishop
6
GROUP MEETINGS Please contact the group leaders if you are interested in joining any of the groups or visit www.fairfordu3a.org.uk for further
information.
Birdwatching Tuesday 16 June This month we plan to visit Greenham Common near Newbury or the Forest of Dean to look for nightjars and woodcocks. This will
be an evening visit and I will let group members know the details nearer the time.
Richard Morgan 01285 712085
7
Ballroom Dancing
Friday 12 June
We meet fortnightly (as hall is available) in the Palmer Hall,
Fairford on Friday from 7.00pm to 8.00pm New members are very welcome.
Future dates : Fridays 10 and 24 July Lilian Pooley
(Group Co-ordinator) 01367 250346 [email protected]
Bridge Improvers
Do you play bridge?
If you play bridge and would like to
improve come and join us; we are a friendly and informal group, meeting every Monday afternoon (except Bank
Holidays) from 2 to 4 pm in the Heritage room, Fairford Community Centre, for a lesson and friendly practice play.
At present we are working on defence Partners and refreshments provided.
Enquiries – Margaret Bishop 01285 713747 [email protected]
Book Circle 1
Tuesday 9 June We meet at Pauline’s to discuss The Blue
Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald. Please let us know if you are unable to come.
Sheila Morgan
01285 810471 Barbara Cobbett 01285 712692
8
Computer Group Tuesdays
We meet every week on Tuesday mornings at my home where I aim to help members in the use of computers, the internet and
more. If you are interested in joining, please contact me and you will be welcome.
Mac Book Pro: one of these easy-to-use laptop computers has been donated to the computer group. It is available for members to use so if you are
interested please make contact. Nick Humphris
01285 711740
Book Circle 2 - Notice 9 June: The Return of the Native—Thomas Hardy: at Rosemary's
21 July: Please note the change of date
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves—KJ Fowler: at Barbara's
11 August: H is for Hawk—H MacDonald: at Anthea's
Ian and Rosemary Westlake: 01285 712329
9
Chess
Do you know how to play chess? If not, have you ever thought about learning? Why not join us and give it a try? We play for fun and don’t take it too seriously whether we win or lose, and it is a
good way to keep the grey matter ticking over. We meet once a month, usually on a Wednesday afternoon, start
with a chat over tea and biscuits, and play for a maximum of about an hour-and-a-half.
Please contact me if you are interested or would like more information
Mike Bennett 01367 252379 [email protected]
10
Cycling with a Pub Lunch
Thursday 25 June There is lovely free wheel glide past Lodge Park after crossing the
A40. It is about two miles long and dead straight. It is partially offset by the gentle climb up from Sherborne village, (I tell fibs as well!), that in part is also matched by the hold your nerve ride
down into Great Barrington. To get there we go via Coln St Aldwyns and Eastleach. Lunch, which is usually good will be taken
at The Sherborne Arms. Then it is right and left, a little up and down and we will return via Coln and Quenington. Meet at Fairford at 10.30am, or at Coln Post Office at 10.50am
complete with sun tan cream as it will be warm and sunny. Paul O'Shaughnessy 01367 850262
Dance to Five Rhythms
Wednesday 17 June
We dance regularly at the Palmer Hall on the third Wednesday of
the month, at 10.00am.
New members welcome. Come and move to the music
Gillian Bilbrough
01285 712579 Joyce Deane 01285 851408
Family History 1 and 2
Wednesday 17 June
We shall continue with our project of recording the monumental
inscriptions in the New Burial Ground for the Gloucestershire Family History Society. Please bring one or two writing implements and a camera if you would like to take photos.
Sometimes photos can be enlarged to make reading the inscriptions easier. Paper and clipboards will be provided. Please meet at St Mary's Church Porch at 2.30pm. If the weather is
inclement we shall go to the FHS Archive Room where Alison will show you some of the latest acquisitions. Please let Miriam know if you are unable to attend.
Miriam Scott: 01285 713441
11
French Conversation
Intermediate
We meet on Mondays at 11.00am at my home; deciding dates
from meeting to meeting.
Our sessions are great fun and new members are very welcome.
Please call me for more information
Rosemary Westlake
01285 712329
Advanced
Every Monday We start by reading a couple of pages from a magazine published for groups like ours, and then discuss matters
arising from that, and anything else that takes our fancy! This is done in two small groups of generally not more than six people. New members are always welcome!
Barbara Cartwright 07989 353726
Garden Group
Thursday 25 June June's visit will be to Barnsley House Gardens
For further information contact: Beth and Geoff Dennis
01285 712195
12
Geology
Wednesday 10 June We shall be continuing our study of rocks, concluding our work on
Igneous and moving on to a study of Metamorphic rocks. We shall also try to fix a date for a visit to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford sometime in the Autumn.
Clive Watson
01285 713003
Italian for Beginners Mondays Are you planning an Italian holiday?
Beginners' class in Italian .... we meet on Monday afternoons at
my house, deciding dates from meeting to
meeting. Much of our chat focuses on food
and drink!
For more details please contact:
Bea Bostock 01285 750456
13
The next issue is for July AND August
combined, please send copy for both
months by June 17.
Model Group
The Model Group meets each week on Thursday mornings. Please contact:
Jim Sullivan 01367 252539
Latin Thursday 4 June, 2 July
The group meets on the first Thursday of the month at 2.30pm at my house. Please contact me if you are unable to come.
Susan Greig 01285 810274
Keep Fit
We meet in the Palmer Hall on Tuesday each week at 9.15am. New members are welcome.
Chris Pooley 01367 250346
14
Music Listening Friday 19 June We meet at Rosemary and Ian Westlake’s home at 2.30pm for a ‘Summer Cruise in Music’
There will be no meetings in July and August. The next meeting will be on Friday 18 September; programme to be announced.
Joyce and John Dear
01285 238537
Needlework Wednesdays 3, 17 June, 1 July
We meet at the Fairford Community Centre. This group brings together many different skills under the heading of ‘Needlework’;
we are a friendly group and enjoy our sessions. If you would like to know more, please
contact
Pauline Jones
01285 851212
15
Quilting Wednesdays 3 June, 1 July This group meets on the first Wednesday of the month from 12.30pm to 2.00pm in the Barker Room of the Community Centre.
New members welcome. Please phone me for more information Jan Mills
01285 850384
Photography
Thursday 25 June
We shall meet at 2.00pm in the Community Centre. Anyone interested in joining please contact:
Gordon Hart 01285 238641
Pétanque Wednesdays We meet every Wednesday until the Autumn. We meet at 9.45am
for a 10.00am start at our piste at Farmor’s School, Leafield Road
entrance.
Dave and Heather Baber 01285 711343
Philosophy
Please ring Dan for details of this month’s meeting Dan Deane
01285 851408
16
Poetry Circle 2 Fridays 5 June, 3 July
In June we meet at my house to read poetry connected with the
environment. Then in July we shall be at Jen’s (01285 712397) to read some humorous poems. Please let us know if you are unable to come.
Barbara Cobbett
01285 712692
Poetry Circle 1 Fridays 5 June, 3 July
The group usually meets on the first Friday of the month at 3.00pm when we read and enjoy poetry and verse of all kinds. Anyone interested in joining us would be most welcome.
Barbara Cottam 01285 711054
Tuesday 16 June
Please contact John for details of this month’s meeting: John Higgs
01285 712488
17
Recorders Fridays 5 and 19 June, 3 July
We start with anyone who would like to play the treble
(from 2.00 to 2.30pm) followed by the main group at 2.30pm to finish at 4.30pm, with a break for tea.
We will be in the Heritage Room on the ground floor of the
Fairford Community Centre and will let you know if we have to use another room. As usual, we will be playing a varied selection of
music arranged for Descant, Treble, Tenor and Bass with the addition of Great and Contra basses in the occasional piece.
If there are any more recorder players (no matter how rusty) who would like to join a friendly, non-judgemental group you would be very welcome - please contact:
Hilary Bradshaw 01367 860030:
[email protected] Jay Mathews 01367 860869:
We have some spare instruments and stands; please ask if you would like to borrow one.
18
Rummikub Thursday 11 June
We meet on the second Thursday in the month at my home. For
further information or explanation, please refer to the Fairford
website or telephone me.
Mary Bennett 01367 253287
Scottish Reels
We have finished meeting for the summer and will resume in the autumn. More information later in the year. Richard and Carol Thompson
01285 712123 [email protected]
19
The next issue is for July AND August
combined, please send copy for both
months by June 17.
Short Tennis Mondays
We meet in the Palmer Hall every Monday from 3.00pm until 5.00pm. As we only have one court we often cannot accommodate
any more players, so if interested please speak to me first.
Margaret Trickett 01285 712421
Spanish Tuesdays 2 and 16 June
We are a continuation group now, reading selected articles and commenting on what we have read.
Meetings are at my home from 11.00am to 12 noon.
Frank Hall
01285 712583 [email protected]
20
Please note that there will be no further Scrabble meetings until October.
Kathleen Price 01285 712417
Straddlers
There is no Straddlers Walk in June
Solos Mondays 1 June, 6 July
We meet on the first Monday of the month, apart from Bank Holidays, at Val’s House.
We will be visiting The Cotswold Farm Park on Friday 19 June. Valerie Wood
01285 711888
Table Tennis Wednesdays
The Group meets every Wednesday afternoon at 2.30pm in the Keble Room,
first floor of Fairford Community Centre. New members of any ability always welcome – just come along.
Nick Stroude 01608 238715
21
22
Striders Tuesday 23 June Please contact Geoff and Beth for details of the Striders walk this
month:
Beth and Geoff Dennis
01285 712195
Strollers
Friday 26 June The Slad Valley & Laurie Lee walk is approximately 3.5 miles. Not
a walk for the less agile amongst us. We start at Laurie Lee’s favourite pub, The Woolpack, Slad; look for his grave in the church opposite, then a slow descent over stiles, and through gates, past
The Vetch Cottage and Nature Reserve. Past Steanbridge Mill, then a gradual upward climb to Bulls Cross, making our way through
Frith Wood to the pub in time for lunch at 12.45pm. Meet at Fairford Car Park in time to leave at 9.30am or meet at the pub at 10.10 am. Pub doesn’t open until 12 but does have
outside loos. No need to order food. Suggested travel cost £2.50. Post Code for pub is GL6 7QA. Parking is limited on road outside pub.
Ann Wightman 01285 712723 Jackie Ephgrave 01285 712042
Yoga Mondays
The Yoga Group meets weekly on Mondays at the Community Centre at 10.00am. I am sorry there still is a waiting list.
Sylvia Jones 01285 712657
Walking with a Pub Lunch
Please contact Bert for details of the Walking with
a Pub Lunch this month
Bert Sampson:01285 712789
23
Traditional Jazz Thursdays 4 June, 2 July Please contact Ian for details of this month’s meeting:
Ian Bennett O1367 253287
24
Book Circle 1
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline This bestselling novel by American Christine Baker Kline proved to
be a very popular and compulsive read. The author has done her research very well and bases her book on a little known historically significant moment in America’s past. Between 1854 and 1929 so-
called orphan trains transported more than two hundred thousand orphaned, abandoned and homeless children, many of whom were
first generation Irish Catholic immigrants from the coastal cities of the eastern United State to the Midwest for “adoption”. Kline imagines the journey of one child, an immigrant from Galway,
whose fate is determined by luck and chance and we follow her mostly sad and harrowing story. She lives with various families, who were mostly very poor, harsh and uncaring. She eventually
finds a loving couple who give her a good home and we follow her life through her first marriage, motherhood and then loss of her child through adoption. This is a story of a woman who lived
through loneliness and oppression with much courage and bravery.
Sheila Morgan
GROUP REVIEWS
The next issue is for July AND August
combined, please send copy for both
months by June 17.
25
Book Circle 2
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell ‘Sixty one years, five months, four days’. The Edinburgh asylum is
closing; Esme must leave. Esme had counted every day since at the age of 16 she was ‘put
away’ by her family because, although very innocent, she had never been able to conform and continually disrupted their tightly
respectable lives. Once it was discovered that she was pregnant, she never went home again. Her baby was taken away at birth. In 1990 the Care in the Community Act saw closure of the big old
asylums, the inhabitants emerged and their histories became publicly known. Maggie O’Farrell had been appalled by some of the injustices that were revealed but it was not till her fourth novel
that she took up the subject and wrote about Esme Lennox. The character is taken through from traumatic childhood in India to the old lady in Edinburgh, a survivor. Gradually we realise what
happened to her baby. Maggie O’Farrell deals with subtleties of relationship within families, love, betrayal, misunderstanding, especially between
siblings – and here there are two sets of siblings, living in two remarkably different cultures. Esme and Iris have the same personality, but their lives, separated by two generations, contrast
dramatically. It is a well observed, sensitive account which runs without chapters, as different thoughts and times merge and weave together…so that the reader wonders – as do the
characters themselves - where are we? The novel ends so abruptly that most of us wanted more……. is
that the sign of a good story? So we finished our meeting by discussing at length the issues raised, which are within living memory and for some of us, within
personal experience. Jane Pugh
Cycling with a Pub Lunch
Thursday 30 April The landlady at The Swan at Radcot was delighted to see us. We were the first customers of the day, arriving at 12.15pm. I
commented that nine thirsty and hungry cyclists was a good way for her to start the day. She agreed. We had cycled from Fairford through Southrop, Westwell and Holwell. At Kencot there is a
gated, traffic free road for about two miles, an absolute delight, in lovely weather.
One of the peloton commented that the ride was "a bit of a stretch". He was right. By the time I got home I had covered thirty two miles. I guess we had all done roughly the same
distance despite starting from different places. It was still a very enjoyable ride, with a nice lunch and excellent company, and it was all downhill!!. So thank you once again lady and gents for a
very good day out.
Paul O'Shaughnessy
Family History 1 and 2
In April we met at Mike's house and he showed us a DVD he had
made about his father's life. It is well known that interest in family history tends not to appear until later on in life and we all have questions we wish we had asked our parents. Mike's hopes that
his DVD will be more accessible and appealing to his family's younger generation and they will have a permanent record for the
future. Mike used family records, documents and photographs with captions of people, former homes and holidays, all set to suitable
music. His father served in the WW2 and his will was kept in his pay book; this will was the one used when he died in 1976. He also showed us some of the original documents and his father's
WW2 great coat; it was really heavy and we dreaded to think what happened when it got wet. Continued on Page 27
26
Garden Group
The April meeting was a visit to Bampton Garden Plants where a guided tour was given by a member of staff, followed by tea, etc. This was attended by 17 members, our largest turnout for some
time. Our visit in May was to Rodmarton House and Garden between Cirencester and Tetbury.
Beth and Geoff Dennis
Pétanque
On Saturday, 25th April, a few of the Petanque members made a visit to the Upper Thames Petanque group at their piste in Leigh. Sally and Malcolm White had invited us to take part in a melee
which they were running. It was a good morning and both Val and Heather were awarded prizes for their individual scores. Thank you Sally and Malcolm for the invite.
On Wednesday, 13th May, the new gazebo was displayed for
members to view, but not erected. Hopefully, the summer sun (without the wind) will be with us soon so its benefit will be really appreciated. Everyone agrees that it is a worthwhile acquisition.
Dave and Heather Baber
27
He then showed us the Windows Movie Maker software he had used and the basics for using it and we all went home inspired.
Thanks, Mike. Alison Hobson
28
Poetry Circle 1
The subject of our Mayday meeting was 'The Sea, and all its aspects' excluding all the wonderful poetry by authors that we all know and love,
but preferably about some lesser known poets. This proved more difficult than it seemed, but the end result was pleasurable and refreshing. We read poems about shells, mariners, the shipping forecast, some bringing
back memories of childhood holidays and parts of the coastline much loved. The last poem of Ian's was 'Family Caught in a Storm' and by the very nature of its 'double-entendre' left us all in deep thought. A good
afternoon.
Barbara Cottam
Poetry Circle 1 (March) The Countryside was the theme chosen by John for March,
emphasising that it must be the ENGLISH countryside; he narrowed this down still further with his opening poem 'A Song of Gloucestershire' by F.W.Harvey.
We toured the rest of the country with 'The Forsaken Garden' by Swinburne, 'Old Newlands' by Leonard Witney and 'Linden Lea' by William Barnes; returning home with 'Adlestrop' by Edward
Thomas and 'Adlestrop Revisited' by Edward Garfitt.'The Invaders' by A.A.Milne, 'Baron in the Beans' by Joanne Limberg and 'The Fire
rekindled' by Ivor Gurney added to our wanderings. 'In Praise of Limestone' by Auden initiated some discussion and an agreement that although we often found him difficult he could still stun us
with his brilliance. Christopher Marlowe's 'A Passionate Shepherd to his Love' and Sir Walter Raleigh's reply reminded us that cynicism, far from being a
modern phenomenon was alive and well four hundred years ago. What no Wordsworth?
Barbara Cottam
Joe was a young soldier who fought for his country on the Belgian front in the First World War. He sent postcards back home to a
girl friend called Marjorie. Not so long ago, Liz Hope had the opportunity to go through her late mother’s effects which were stored in a barn. She came
across these postcards, a set of ten sent to her by Joe from Belgium in 1918. Nothing more is known about Joe; he was just someone from her mother’s past when she was sixteen years old.
Each message covers two cards. Presumably the cards were sent in envelopes, two at a time, as there are no stamps or postmarks on the cards. All the cards depict a pretty young lady in peasant
dress comporting herself in various stances. As Val presented the cards to us we gained an insight into a
homesick soldier’s life as he looked forward to receiving replies to his cards, hoping the last battle would come soon. At the end of the presentation Val revealed a secret which she and John had
unravelled as they studied the cards, a secret unknown even to Liz. They found that the cards join together to make one large picture of the young lady in question, with the caption ‘MIGNON’.
Val discovered that Mignon is the title of an ‘opéra comique’ by Ambrose Thomas, first performed in 1866. Liz subsequently found Joe! At least a photograph of him which
we shall be able to see next time we meet. Our anagram challenge this time relates to famous people: G O H I N S H G J O S N S R I I M S M I H T A A D E O L R R D A V N A V R E N L Y P E E R N O V A R E S L H E C H M S Y P E R A A A I D G H N I G O R E V E G
Answers on page 30
Barbara Cobbett
29
30
Solos
When I first joined Solos I didn’t know what to expect – little old ladies sitting round wrapped in shawls or old boys in carpet slippers. But I was so wrong. They are a fun loving group of
‘youngsters’ who enjoy their food and like going out. Our latest venture was to Batsford Arboretum, the first stop obviously being for coffee and buns. We all passed our pathfinder course by
trekking up and down little paths winding through lovely spring growth before meeting for lunch, after which it was time for a little
retail therapy, whether it be in the garden centre (lovely plants for sale) or the gift shop. Some of us then watched a superb flying display by a snowy owl, kites (the birds), eagles and even vultures.
Yes, even vultures. All in all a lovely day out, and the sun shone all day. Roll on the next outing! MHL
Wednesday 6 May : Pizza and Pasta Once again the Solos got back to their favourite pastime of eating
as 12 of us sat down to Pasta and Pizza lunch at Val’s. We also welcomed a new member, another Val With pizza and pasta supplied by Colosseo, and salads and puds
provided by members every one enjoyed a very pleasant meal and more importantly getting out of the house and meeting up with friends
Thanks everyone for your support Michael Johnson
John Higgs Rossini Adam Smith Rod Laver Vera Lynn Eva Peron Herschel Pam Ayres Gandhi George VI
Answers to ‘famous people’ anagrams on page 29
Walking with a pub lunch
Wednesday 13 May It must be one of the first walks where all our members have ended up in prison! I must hasten to add
that it was not as a result of any wrongdoing but a pleasurable venue for our lunch at The Old Prison and agricultural museum at Northleach. The eleven of us could not have picked a better day
for our walk for the weather was perfect and the countryside was magnificent following the emergence of Spring. Visiting the little
church in Hampnet it was surprising to see such unusual decor in colour on the arches of the structure which may have originated in the 12th century. The last part of our walk was a very relaxing
downward drift through the sheep fields into the heart of Northleach Town Square. I am sure we all had a most enjoyable day.
Bert Sampson
31
Strollers Friday 24 April
Strollers Walk A sunny, spring morning, a quintessential English
village, a Gastro pub and 20 Strollers......what better recipe for an
enjoyable outing for the Group. The 3.5 mile walk contained a
very good mix, the pretty cottages in the main street of Minster
Lovell, open fields, the pretty village of Crawley with splendid
views, the River Windrush, the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall and a
pretty village Church...visited by some of the party. A very
pleasant lunch in a private room off the main dining area and
home in the sunshine. I very much enjoyed your company and we
will look forward to walking with Judy and Jenny next month.
Michael Yorke