Dear Friends
As I write this letter I could almost believe spring is here. The sun is streaming in through the window and the birds are making so much noise-it's wonderful to hear them-but I bet by the time you read this we'll be back in the grip of winter again. Never mind, it's a little reminder that spring is on the way. Incidentally, talking of birds reminds me, one or two people have asked about the possibility of a bird-watching group. Do we have a keen bird-watcher among our members who would be willing to form such a group? If you are keen but not sure how to organise it, help is at hand through Central Office and the Bird-Watching Network Co-ordinator. If you are interested in this subject-or indeed any other-please see either Alison Tyas or myself.
This month we are very pleased to welcome the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire
as our guest speaker. Next month Mr David Butterworth of the Yorkshire Dales
National Park will be our speaker. I hope to see you there.
Sincerely Hilary Baker
The Committee has decided that in future, this Newsletter will be concerned only with items relating directly to the Settle District U3A, i.e. not with the many wider issues and activities of interest to the membership more generally.
Notices about these wider concerns, and information we receive about national
activities and activities of neighbouring U3A branches, will be posted as they
arise on the notice boards at our Thursday meetings - and of course national
information can be accessed in the national newsletter which Alison Tyas distributes
on each occasion when she gets the copies from Central Office.
To all groups who use the Victoria Hall
Please make sure you have let me and/or the Hall know every time you change your date or time of meeting.
I give the Victoria Hall the days and dates of our groups more than one month
ahead so that they can work out which rooms to give us. I am often told that
a group didn't turn up or arrived unexpectedly. A phone call or a message through
the letter box of either Quaker Garth or the Victoria Hall saves a lot of frustration.
Alison Tyas
News and Views from the Groups
All group leaders are invited to arrange for reports (with pictures if appropriate) to be sent in.
Background to Travel: The next meeting will be
on Monday 29 March in the Victoria Hall at 2.00pm. Alistair Patten will talk
on South Africa (with slides).
Frank Pedley
Exercise class: This being the season of bad backs, the emphasis this term is on maintenance of this area in particular. Prevention being better than cure, we are working on a series of exercises, starting at the neck and working down designed to strengthen and supple our spines and the associated muscles, plus attention to posture, in order not to look like the two elderly people depicted on the road signs. After a warm-up sequence we gently stretch the neck area, then the shoulders, chest area, and down to the lumbar area, where most of the population seem to have problems, remembering all the time, that SLOW is beautiful. These exercises are performed whilst sitting but equally can be adapted to floor exercises. The Back Care Association sent us leaflets explaining how to reduce the risk of back pain, such as strengthening the back muscles by walking, swimming or cycling and giving us tips on how to lift and how to sit correctly.
In our short discussion periods, we have been discussing domestic problems which make life more difficult for older people, such as small numbers on phones, cordless phones which we carry outside whilst gardening and then when it rings we can't find it. Small print on food packets and tins, which prevent us reading the list of ingredients. Tins which require Samson's strength to get the tops off. All those supplements and leaflets which accompany the Sunday papers, and that annoying background music which accompanies so many programmes these days. We could go on, and on …
We finish off the class with a short period of relaxation, starting with muscular
tension and relaxation, followed by various breathing techniques.
Monica Jenkins and the class
German: We are a small group, enjoying learning
together. Some who started a year ago have left and others have joined. The
meetings don't follow a rigid pattern so it is quite possible to miss one or
two and not feel left behind. Now that my time is more limited, the other members
stay on for the last half-hour after I have gone and use language tapes together
or help each other with general discussion. Alison Tyas
Heraldry: We now hope that the talk by Derrick Walkdon, which had to be postponed on 26 February, will be held on Thursday 25 March. Hilary Baker
Needlework and Natter: I am reluctantly cancelling this group. The dates and times that suit me are nearly always impossible for those who are keen to come and we have not met since October. We hope to start again in September, possibly with someone else organising the group. Alison Tyas
Sunday Lunch: Please note that the lunch on 21 March will be at The Maypole, Long Preston, not at the Falcon Manor as previously arranged (because of Mothering Sunday), at 12.30pm. Hilary Baker
Walking: Next walks are:
March 11-Whernside. Leader M Elliot (822210). Approx 7.5 miles. Meet at Settle car park 9.30am or Ribblehead at 10.00am.
March 16-Otterburn Moor. Leader D Hemsworth (823902). Approx 5.5 miles. Meet at Settle car park at 10.00am.
March 25-Malham to Settle. If interested please contact K Bolger (823525) in good time to arrange cars.
March 30-Circular walk from Draughton. Distance (to be decided on the day) 5 to 7 miles easy. Leader J Stafford (825449). Meet at Settle car park at 10.00am.
Wine Appreciation: 19.02.04 - A super-dry sherry, a white Rioja, a rosé, a red and a Cava made for another interesting and congenial, fully attended gathering of the group. The Spanish theme started with a Manzanilla Sherry-Pasada de Sanlucar (£7.99/half bottle) - pricey - but memorable! The white Rioja was a novel find, (Marques de Cáceres - £4.99), it and the following Capcanes Rosat (£3.99) brought forth thoughts of languid summer afternoons to come - if only! The traditional red, Vina Sardasol (£4.99), a 1999 vintage meeting the Crianza specifications lived up to its provenance and most members estimated the value of the Cava Palau to be higher than its cost, again £4.99. G H Pattison
U3A Summer Schools 2004
School 1: Tuesday 20 to Friday 23 July
School 2: Tuesday 27 to Friday 30 July
at the University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham
Courses on offer range from Architecture to Setting Personal Objectives in Retirement. Bookings are taken on a first-come-first-served basis. Application forms from our Secretary, Roy Anderson.
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This month's recipe Celery, leek and broccoli mini quiches (for 2-4) You will need a 4-compartment Yorkshire pudding tin (alternatively 2-4 small shallow pie dishes), or, for 1 single, larger amount, 1 x 10 cm (8") loose bottomed flan tin. Grease the containers before use Ingredients (42g/l.5 oz), 85g/3 ozs celery sticks and leaves, finely chopped Method Cook the chopped celery, broccoli and leek for 3 mins in the microwave, or steam to half cook. Drain and leave. Fry the onions gently for 2-3 minutes. Roll out the pastry. Use a small plate template or similar, for the 2 or 4 small pastry cases. Line the tins and place a little onion in the bottom of each. Next add the other vegetables, beaten egg, oregano, seasoning and cheese. Cook for 25-30 mins at 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Aga: above middle shelf in the roasting oven; turn after 10 mins. Freeze when cold any portions not required. Eat with salad or with Omani Spicy Rice (recipe next time). (* Other successful cheese mixes, but with stronger flavour-half Cheddar with Ribblesdale Goat's, or Wensleydale Blue) KK |
At the last count we had 149 members in the Settle District U3A.
58 of them (including husbands and wives at the same address) are on the internet.
BOOK EXCHANGE
As announced at the February Thursday meeting, we shall be starting the Settle District U3A book exchange on 4 March. The idea is that you bring any book that you no longer have a use for, and in exchange you can then take a book. from those brought by other members. Please look out books for the next Thursday meeting to make this a success!
Copy date for next issue of Newsletter
All copy for publication in the February issue (there will be
no January issue) should reach the Editor
(Pam Servant, Brayshaw Cottage, 23 Duke Street, Settle) by Monday 22 March.
Settle U3A website
The website address is www.SettleDistrictU3A.org.uk and if you want to post a notice, please contact Frank Woodhams on fwdw@cmp.uea.ac.uk or phone 01729 824458.
Every story has three sides to it-yours, mine, and the facts!
If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip!
