Unfortunately, this September, our two popular Garden-related groups have been discontinued. See the Featured Groups in the sidebar of the Groups List page.
Hopefully, sometime in the future, a group may be resurrected covering garden matters if volunteers come forward to run it.
It was the bird watching group’s first visit to Yarrow Valley and everyone who came was impressed with the interest and variety of landscape found there. From the Visitor Centre we walked up above the valley floor to Burgh Meadows where the grass reached well over six feet tall. We struggled to identify birdsong, but were surrounded by a carpet of wild flowers; thank you Brian for carefully identifying them all (see separate log at the end of this report).
The dull cloudy weather also made bird recognition difficult but we saw meadow pipits, magpies and swifts, and heard linnets in the bushy trees. When we dropped down through woodland to the large reservoir, great crested grebe, black headed gulls, common tern, house martins, and Canada geese were present. The walk along the River Yarrow to the weir had the promise of kingfishers and dippers, (a promise not kept), but high in the trees we saw Jays and in the dappled river margins grey wagtails foraged.
Definitely worth another visit!
Don’t throw out your local freebie, the Ormskirk Champion dated 17 August 2016 until you read the front page article. It features our very own Graham Sumner and his cliff fall and the unexpected aftermath. His amazing story has also attracted the attention of other media such the Cheshire Chronicle, the Southport Visitor and Radio Merseyside. Or you may be able to hear the tale direct from Graham who regularly attends Horizons and a number of groups.
Graham very generously gives some of his “third chance” time helping U3A by doing Web Authoring for the Ten-pin Bowling and Mah Jong groups and the Welcome Team. And in September he is planning to do a charity walk in aid of North West Air Ambulance who transported him to hospital after his fall.
Attention!! The SUNDAY SOCIAL group has now restarted!!
If you missed the July one, there is another in August.
Do join us for some chat, a cuppa (& biscuits) plus a bit of light entertainment.
Our programme, for the July & August meetings, is:
Click or tap to see the full-size poster
Sunday 24 July
Bill Evans (quiz & music)
Denise Latham (Flowers are Fun)
Sunday 28 Aug
Pearl Webster (recital)
Val Bullen (Guitar Sing-a-long)
We look forward to seeing you there,
Alayne, Denise and Val
If you like gardening, please read this plea from the Gardening Group.
This Group has provided us with enjoyable and informative meetings this Spring and Summer, but it now needs volunteers to help it continue into the Autumn and Winter.
Don’t miss an August Sunday treat! And if you missed it, there is another in September.
For details see the Sunday Social web page.
The session covered:
Four Main Egyptian Creation Myths – There are four main traditions for the creation for which records have survived, based in cultural centres along the Nile. These were Heliopolis, Memphis, Hermopolis and Thebes. These have similar themes of a primeval ocean to the ones in Suma etc. covered in the previous session
Khum – In addition there is Khnum a creator god who was known all over Eygpt.
Common Themes – There are similarities in these beliefs and stories in the Hebrew tradition as recorded in the Old Testament Book of Genesis which has at least 2 accounts of creation, Jewish folklore with Adam and Eve and a tradition that survives in the Koran where Satan takes the form of a serpent to tempt Eve.
Cost is an amazing £458.00 with accommodation at the Park Hotel on a half board basis. Single supplement is £76.00.
For more detailed information:
The July 2016 visit coincided with Vasily Petrenko’s 40th birthday, his 10th Anniversary with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the 10th visit of the Philharmonic Concerts group to the Summer Nights’ concert. Group Leader, Ann Robinson, assembled her members for this photograph before the coach left for Liverpool.
Click or tap to view full-size photo.
Please note – Tuesday Computer Advice is taking a wee break until September. Monday Computer Advice carrying on as usual.
Steve Halliwell using his excellent photographic skills took us on a journey exploring the threatened Machair habitat in Hebridean Islands and the flora of the area.
The Gaelic word ‘machair’ means an extensive, low-lying fertile plain. Machair is a type of grassland associated with calcareous sand (mainly made of shell) which has been blown inland from beaches and mobile dunes. Strictly speaking, ‘machair’ refers to a flat sandy plain with dry and wet short-turf grasslands above impermeable rock. However, this term can also cover the beach, foredunes, dune slacks, fens, swamps, lochs and saltmarshes which together form a ‘machair system’.
Machair is one of the rarest habitats in Europe, found only in the north and west of Scotland and Ireland. It is estimated that there are 25,000 hectares of machair worldwide, with 17,500 hectares in Scotland and the remainder in western Ireland. Almost half of the Scottish machair occurs in the Outer Hebrides, with the best and most extensive areas in the Uists, Barra and Tiree.
Eddie Soens Memorial Road Race, 12th March 2016
Bill really does know a lot about how bikes have changed over the years, being not only a keen rider but having run his own bike shop called Eddie Soens, of Boaler St, Liverpool, where he hand built over 800 bikes over many years.
Bill gave us all a brilliant talk with lots of anecdotes and personal touches that brought to life a subject that could so easily have been rather dry.
He brought along a modern racing bike, some old racing shoes and an ancient rubberised fabric tyre to demonstrate the technical advances in racing bikes and equipment since 1945.
A coach-load of U3A members chilled out this summer at this cool show, organised by Cathleen Barnes – the Leader of Occasional Tours.
Click or tap for Details
More information of future tours at the Occasional Tours Desk at Horizons.
We’ve been treated to an excellent Summer Social this year, thanks to the sterling efforts of Val Bullen and her Social Sub-committee and helpers. We were served a delicious and copious afternoon tea topped up by one of Pearl’s famous cakes. The entertainment, hosted by John Tomlinson, included Performances from the Drama and the Recorder Playing Groups, Monologues from the inimitable Pearl Webster and a Sing-along led by a guitar-playing band made up of U3A members. What a display of talents!
Skylark at Marshside
Following the last minute change of venue due to the inclement weather, eight members of the group attended this visit to Marshside and enjoyed a good morning’s bird watching before the rain arrived in the afternoon.
We were also joined on this visit by two guests, Peter and Mike Twist, and benefited greatly from their extensive knowledge and experience.
A total of 50 bird species were observed, the most the group has recorded in a single visit to Marshside.
Other highlights included:
A Mediterranean Gull amongst the Black-Headed ones
Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen:
Click (or tap) on the Poster to see the event details.
June is here and you can now book your tickets for our excellent Summer Social!
They are available from Val and Elva at the Social Desk at Horizons.
Or you can also ring up until noon Thursday, June 30th, on 01695-572794. (After that the food will be purchased.)
This is a repeat of the very successful course run in autumn 2012.
Chemistry is Magic is from 09:45 to 11:45am at the Scout & Guide HQ on Wednesdays as follows: April 13th/20th/ 27th / May 4th/ 11th/18th 2016.
If you missed out on Chemistry at school, but would like to know more, this course is for you. The course is designed for those with no, or very limited, knowledge of chemistry perhaps from school days and those for whom Chemistry is ‘rusty’ and would like to update. Continue reading
The U3A’s Cricket XI had a return fixture against the Ormskirk Occasionals on a (mostly) sunny Bank Holiday Monday, 30th May on the pleasant pitch at the rear of Ormskirk Cricket Club.
Topics Covered :
Why Creation Myths Came about – a discussion around the topic.
Location – Near East/Middle East Maps giving an indication for Sumer and Babylonia’s location, roughly where Syria and Iraq are now.
Time Line – Approximate dates to give time context.
Sumerian and Babylonian Creation Mythology – these are the earliest with surviving physical records. The information based on clay tablets discovered in archeological excavations of temple and palace ruins. These had multiple gods.
Wednesday, 1st June 2016 – Defying Dementia: from Compound to Clinic – Dr Penny Foulds
Dr Foulds, an Honorary Researcher at Lancaster University, gave a most interesting and useful talk about their efforts to develop a new treatment for dementia. Continue reading
The gardens were specially opened for U3A members, sadly the weather was not kind for the visit but those who attended thought the gardens were excellent. The visit lasted over two hours with our host Peter Curl taking time to explain various aspects of the garden to individual U3A members.
The gardens at 79 Crabtree Lane are part of the National Gardens Scheme which was founded in 1927 to raise money for charities. The garden at Crabtree Lane is ¾ acre in size and over recent years has been changed and replanted but still has many established and contrasting hidden areas. Patio surrounded by shrubs and alpine bed. Colour themed herbaceous and island beds with shrubs. Rose garden, fish pond surrounded by a large rockery and a Koi pond with waterfall, recently rebuilt and shallow area for wildlife. Spring and woodland garden, gravel garden with tender Mediterranean planting and late summer hot bed. Hosta and fern walk. A derelict, dry stone bothy and stone potting shed.
A garden visit that was enjoyed by all and one I feel sure many U3A members would wish to visit again.
January 2015 Tour to London:
 The Art Appreciation tour to London, January 2015 |
 The Art Appreciation tour to London, January 2015 |
January 2014 Tour to Edinburgh:
The tour based in Edinburgh, stayed at the Hilton Grosvenor on a half board basis. The programme included a special access visit to Sir Walter Scott’s Gothic fantasy country home Abbotsford, the January exhibition of Turner watercolours at the National Gallery, Holyrood Palace, the Queen’s Gallery, the newly refurbished National Portrait Gallery, a walking tour of Edinburgh seen through Ruskin’s eyes, Rosslyn Chapel and Dryburgh Abbey. Also a lively public performance by our guide, Paul O’Keeffe, in the role of Ruskin lecturing on the life, work and death of JMW Turner. Julie Lawson, curator of the Portrait Gallery, gave additional input on two days.
Some of the group with their guide Paul O’Keeffe by Raeburn’s portrait of Sir Walter Scott at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
July 2013 Trip to Brantwood:
The Art appreciation Group visited Ruskin’s House at Brantwood via the Steam Yacht Gondola on 17 July. Pictures show Mary Glennon taking it easy, Dermot Glennon and Owen Connolly enjoying the lake tour, Stephen Turner and tour guide, Paul O’Keeffe Brian and Lorna King enjoying the shade the lake from the gardens a group with the head gardener.
May 2013 Tour to Madrid:
A trip to Madrid, Toledo and El Escorial with local guides in May 2013. This included visits to the Prado, Santa Maria della Florida, the Thyssen Bornemisza Collection in the Palacio de Villahermosa and the Centro National de Arte Reina Sofia with Picasso’s ‘Guernica’.
January 2013 Tour to London:
At the end of January, 45 of our members experienced a hugely enjoyable tour of London and the Thames with the the Art Appreciation group. On the way to their Hilton Dockside Hotel, with its fine views of the river, they were given a fascinating guided tour of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Their informative visits to Hampton Court, Greenwich, the Museum of London, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament were all led by expert and enthusiastic guides. Towards the end of the tour they enjoyed a late afternoon sail on the Thames Clipper, passing many of the fine buildings they had visited, now dramatically illuminated in the fading light. All agreed that both the learning and the friendship had been fun.
2012 day trip to the Sculpture Park:
Art Appreciation day trip to the Sculpture Park, June 2012
2012 Tour to Verona:
Art Appreciation trip to Verona, 2012
May 2011 Tour to Sorrento:
The Art Appreciation Group at Paestum with their guide, Frank Milner,
on the art tour in May 2011 based in Sorrento
January 2011 tour to London, Oxford and Cambridge:
The Art Appreciation Group at Kenwood House with their guide, Frank Milner, on the 2011 art tour, ‘Adventurous Collectors and their Collections’
2007-2010 Tours to Italy:
Topics covered:
May Eve – Before 1752, when the Julian Calendar was in place, May Day was later in the year and May blossom was flowering on the day. Hawthorn was special, representative of the earth mother, fertility and goddess and used symbolically at May Eve.
May Poles – were saplings, often birch, where most branches were taken off and decorated. These would be set up on the village green and danced around all year. These were very different from the white Victorian ones we have today.
The May Queen – Originally had a King. The procession provided a service to bring good luck in return for donations.
May Hobby Horses – In Padstow the Obby Oss is one of the last hobby horses, it comprises of a wooden frame resting on the rider’s shoulders, with a fashioned horse’s head. With attendants the Hobby Horse would parade around the town.
May Dew – had special curative properties curing consumption and poor sight amongst other, and brought good luck for the year ahead.
Midsummer -rituals involved bonfires, these happened all over Europe with torchlight processions.
August – the first loaves were baked from the new wheat.
Harvest – rituals were pagan, rowdy and unbridled. The church tamed it down and civilised it. The Kern Baby or Corn Dolly preserved spirit of the Goddess of the Corn through the winter.
There was a short discussion on Mythology and how it is distinct from Folklore. Mythology is large scale covering fundamentals such as where the universe comes from. Folklore is more domestic.
Click on the Poster for Details. 
Call in at Horizons to book on the Tour.
Or see the website for more about Occasional Tours, including contact information.
The repeat of the successful “Chemistry is Magic” course began with ten enthusiastic “later life learners” finding out about the wonderful world of chemistry. From the creation of the elements when stars explode to the make-up of every day materials, this course introduced complete beginners to the fundamentals of chemistry.
If you missed Willem’s Computer Tutorials in the past about Windows 10 and are concerned about the end of the free updates to it; or you are experiencing problems having attempted Windows updates, then not to worry. Call in at a Computer Advice session on a Monday or Tuesday morning (Mondays only during the school holidays).
If those days are not suitable, call in at Horizons on a Thursday morning. There is often a veteran Computer Geek or two lurking in the Computer Room or around the Digital Photography / Computer Desk in the far corner of the Aughton Room. Ask the Welcome Desk to point one out.
Our Speaker Secretary is retiring and we desperately need someone to take over the role. If you are interested, please have a word with the retiring Speaker Secretary, Mia Faza who will advise you regarding what’s involved.
There is a possibility that a Speaker Team may be formed in order to spread the workload.
Information about this year’s AGM is now available.
The May ride took us from the Scout hut in Aughton out to the Pinewoods at Freshfield.
The ride was planned and led by Ian Thomas and covered a distance of 25 miles.
There was yet again another good turn out and the weather stayed fine.
The June ride will take place on Friday 24th June and will be led by Peter Lloyd .
Listed below are upcoming events being held in the North West, and further afield, you may be interested in attending.
22nd – 23rd July 2016 Patchwork Exhibition. All Hallows Church, Allerton, Liverpool L18 6JJ 10am-4pm
11th – 14th Aug 2016 Festival of Quilts, NEC Birmingham
2nd – 4th Sept 2016 Great Northern Quilt Show, Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate
8th – 10th Sept 2016 The Stitching, Sewing and Hobbycrafts Show, Event City, Manchester
This visit is for anyone interested in horses whether you ride or not.
Following on from our enjoyable visit to the Merseyside Mounted Police there is now a visit to Lancashire Mounted Police on Tuesday 7th June 2016 , Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 2SA
We meet outside the stables at 10.45a.m
Please contact Margaret to reserve a place Tel: 0151 526 0405
We could go for lunch or a cup of tea/cake near to the stables after our visit.
Report by Peter Hatfield, photos by Graham Cawdell.
The surprise visitor was a solitary Turnstone (my first) it resembles a ringed plover with chestnut feathers to back and wings, and was seen very close to the hide.
The rare Black Necked Grebe was the main attraction, we saw 7 or 8 including one on a nest. Woolston Eyes has 25% of the UK breeding population. They return to northern Russia after breeding.Wednesday, 4th May 2016 – Lunacy about the Moon – Edmund Moynihan
“Ex Luna Scientia” (“Knowledge from the Moon”): this motto from Apollo 13 summarises Edmund’s presentation, in which he examined what we know scientifically about the Moon, and some of the crazy ideas about our only natural satellite.
Besides the basic science of the Moon, Edmund talked about
With his usual aplomb and wide-ranging knowledge of his subject matter, Edmund once again captivated the audience.
We had a wonderful visit and were very grateful to our guide, Kate (head groom), who is an expert in her field. Kate has been with the force for twelve years and the horses have become her “family”. One can tell at a glance that the horses love Kate as much as she loves them.
Everyone is welcome to attend Jazz Appreciation – just come along.
Next Meeting is on Friday May 20th.
During the year we hold workshops, enjoy days out and hold show and tell events. The list below has details of these activities, don’t miss out, add them to your diary today.
2016
29th June 10am – 4pm Linus Day UNFORTUNATELY THIS EVENT HAS HAD TO BE CANCELLED
Lesley from the Linus group will be joining us and she will bring kits to make up into small quilts. Completed quilts are given to sick children in hospitals and hospices.
Come along and sew for this good cause. Bring your sewing machine and threads, all of the fabric will be provided to you, and don’t forget your packed lunch. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided.
6th & 13th July 10am – 12pm Bag Making
Over two consecutive weeks we are running a workshop to make this pretty gathered bag with exterior pockets. Details of what you need to complete this activity will be added shortly.
20th July 10am – 12pm Last meeting before the summer break.
We will all enjoy lunch together before we head off on our summer adventures.
7th September 10am – 12pm We return for our first meeting following our summer break.
Hopefully you will all be rested and have seen some sun; we look forward to hearing about what you have done/made over the summer.
A cold but clear morning with many trees not yet in leaf made for good conditions for spotting woodland birds.
We had planned to also look out over the estuary but with restricted time available decided to stay in the gardens and woodlands around the hall. Five group members attended on this occasion.
Song Thrush at Speke Hall
The speaker Peter Cordall took us on a botanical journey across Tibet to Lhasa in which we explored the culture and also the alpine plants of the region. The Tibet Plateau being home to the world’s largest distribution of Alpine plants.
Peter’s talk was a rare glimpse of the flowers of Tibet and will provided us with a view of a beautiful country which sadly most of us will never visit. We saw the culture of the area and visit the beautiful city of Lhasa which is rightly one of the most featured and dreamed about cities in the world. This is not only because of its high altitude at 11,975 feet which means remoteness and limited accessibility, but also because of its over 1,000 years’ cultural and spiritual history which leaves an impressive heritage that has helped to create the romantic and mysterious image of Tibet.
Peter is a former science teacher and currently Chairman of the Southport Alpine Garden Society Group. His interests in photography and the sciences has lead to his passion in flower and plant photography and he treated those attending to an enjoyable afternoon.
Try to set aside the morning of 5th May to attend a Speaker Meeting on this really important topic. NB Change of venue to Christ Church due to Ministry Centre being a Polling Station on this date.
Please click on this Poster for details
Want to learn about some “Fascinating Things To Do with a Raspberry Pi”? If so, join us for the May Computer Tutorial led by Phil Davidson? It will be held in the Scout & Guide HQ this Tuesday May 3rd starting at 2pm.
If you already have access to a Raspberry Pi, bring it along.
What is a Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card-sized single-board computer developed in the UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation with the intention of promoting the teaching of basic computer science in schools.
Our first ride this season took place on Friday 22nd April. It was planned and led by Dag Griffiths and took us from Aughton through Lydiate, Litherland, Crosby then on to Formby where we took a lunch break for about an hour before returning back to Aughton. The weather was fine and sunny which may have contributed to sixteen members taking part, including two guest members from Maghull U3A, with everybody enjoying the day. As far as I’m aware this was the most we`ve ever had on any of our rides to date.
The weather was cloudy but mostly dry for this visit to Pennington Flash which was attended by nine members of the group. The light winds made conditions much more favourable for spotting smaller birds than on our previous outings in 2016.
Highlights included:
Unfortunately June could not attend the session so the topic was carried forward to May.
Topic 1 – Quintessentially English – Click an image for slideshow
The Sunday Social started again on 22nd May in a relaxed format where you can find good company, a bit of fun and a little light music. Please join us at 2.15 pm in the Scout & Guide HQ on the 4th Sunday of the month. Check the Sunday Social Group Page for details.
Tea and biscuits for all.
Wednesday, 6th April 2016 – the Internet of Things (IoT) – by Alan Nolan
We had hoped to have a speaker from another local U3A to talk about the “Internet of Things” but he had to withdraw. We then hoped to have someone involved in the burgeoning IoT movement in Liverpool to come and speak but didn’t manage to get him either. In the end, Alan gave a presentation, outlining what this new-fangled thing is all about.
In fact, the notion of the Internet of Things is about how everyday objects can communicate with one another (and with us) via the internet to enhance their usefulness. Alan explained this with a range of examples showing the current and potential scope of the IoT, and touched on some of the underlying technology.
Finally, Alan drew attention to some of the major challenges, including privacy concerns, security weaknesses, technology limitations and environmental worries that still need to be addressed.
The speaker Steve Halliwell provided a packed meeting with an exciting and informative journey month by month around Gresgarth Hall Gardens. Using hundreds of excellent quality photographs he gave a comprehensive explanation of the changing colours, shapes and textures of the gardens. Steve held his audience enthralled by the shear beauty of the gardens so ably captured by his photography. It was clear that Steve was an expert in his subject and he held his audience spellbound. Steve is has a keen interest in natural history and bird watching and is a respected author on natural history topics.
The members of the ballroom dancing group enjoyed an evenings dancing when in April they visited the new venue of Rainford Village Hall. The music was provided by Kevin Breen and as normal he managed to ensure that everyone had a most enjoyable evening.
The use of Rainford Village Hall was a new venue for the group due to the unavailability of Ormskirk Civic Hall.
There will be no Computer Advice on the Late May Bank Holiday – Monday 30th. The Tuesday Advice session will run as usual on 31st.
The Chemistry is Magic course starts on Wednesday 13th April, and runs for 6 consecutive Wednesday mornings, from 09:45 to 11:45.
There are still a few places left, Continue reading
If you want to find out more about traditions relating to Springtime, check out this timely post from our Folklore and Mythology Group.
For an example of what we get up to in Aughton and Ormskirk U3A, please see Post-of-the-Month for March
…….. reported by Tim Izzett. Tim is the new Leader of the Five-a-side Football Group.
Topics covered:
Eggs. Associated with Spring and new life by many cultures with painted and coloured eggs being given as gifts by the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Persians and Chinese in pagan festivals celebrating the return of Spring. Eggs were symbols of Christ’s resurrection for early Christians.
Colouring eggs. Colouring eggs is ancient and widespread, with mysterious reasons to decorate eggs with special origins stated. Red being a symbol of life, good luck and fortune.
Chinese Red Eggs
© Alpha (https://flic.kr/p/a79mA6)
Tsoureki, traditional Greek Easter Bread
© David Joyce (https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobba_dwj/17146723452)
Easter Games. There were lots of games focussed around the Easter period, often involving young men showing off their strength. Easter Eggs were used in games such as egg tossing, egg-shackling, egg rolling.
Bonfires. May Day marked the beginning of Summer. There were many ritual bonfires, seen as good luck, symbols of renewal and purifying. All domestic fires would be put out and a bonfire lit by a sacred fire kindled in a special way and then domestic fires would be relit from torches from the bonfire. Fires were lit at other times of the year. A strict process had to be followed, with lots of conditions. Need Fires were lit at times of crisis such as Foot and Mouth.
Wednesday, 2 March 2016 – Radioactivity (or how to love the atom) – by Jack Brettle
Jack gave a highly informative and entertaining talk about Radioactivity. He explained just what radiation is, the different types of radiation, and where it comes from. We encounter it in many forms not only in reactors and bombs, but also in medical instruments such as x-ray machines and MRI and PET scanners. We are constantly bombarded with radiation from the sun and outer space, and from radioactive radon gas released by uranium-bearing rocks and soil as the uranium undergoes natural radioactive decay.
Addressing such questions as How dangerous is it? Can you avoid it? and Should I worry about it? Jack put the relative risks associated with different types and sources of radiation into perspective, finally dispelling the myth that eating too many bananas is a radiation health hazard.
If you missed the Opera Appreciation Meeting this Spring, never fear, there is another opportunity in June – see Poster. And even more over the summer. See the Opera Appreciation Group Page.
Ballroom Dancing Group Christmas Party 2015
The Ballroom Dancing group once again enjoyed its annual Christmas Dance party which was held at the Ministry Centre.
The Ballroom Dancing Group made its annual spring visit on Tuesday 15 March to Blackpool Tower Ballroom and enjoyed an afternoon of dancing. In the evening the group members had an excellent five course meal at the Hilton Hotel in Blackpool. At a total cost of £32 for the coach, ballroom entrance and meal this was excellent value for money.
The members of the Ballroom Dancing Group who number in excess of 100 certainly enjoy the group’s activities and are looking forward to future visits to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom.
The speaker on Monday 14th March on the topic of “All you need to know about Fuchsias” was Brian Houghton who has over 30 years experience of growing fuchsias. He is President and Secretary to the Merseyside Fuchsia Group also Chairman of the Wigan Fuchsia Society. He is a committee member of the British Fuchsia Society. Brian has a lifetimes interest in the cultivation and propagation of Fuchsias.
Just three members of the group braved the cold drizzly weather for this visit. Conditions were far from ideal, but nevertheless we managed to record a total of 29 species.
Highlights included:
Click on the Poster to find out more about this invitation from the Jazz Appreciation Group!
Please check out the details for this year’s AGM.
Peter Gateley speaking at the newly re-formed Gardening Group
The meeting held on 8th February was an outstanding success with a record attendance of 120 people to hear Peter Gateley speak on the topic “A flower for every day”.
Occasional Tours are back!
Click on the poster for details
One Saturday morning in March, Megan Tomlinson ran an excellent Taster Session in making Jewellery from wire and beads and a whole range of other colourful craft materials. A variety of attractive and useful items were produced by the attendees who were also having a great time making them under Megan’s expert tuition.
Click on any pic above to run a slide show of full size photos.
And here are some of the beautiful finished articles:
Results of the Jewellery Making workshop
A Special Lecture: Robots and Artificial Intelligence.
Click on the Poster to view the details.
In March, we were very fortunate to have a talk on Robots and Artificial Intelligence given by Professor Samia Nefti-Meziani, Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, School of Computing, Science & Engineering, University of Salford. Professor Nefti-Meziani is an internationally recognised expert in robotics as well as being an engaging and enthusiastic speaker. She was accompanied by some of her research staff who demonstrated robotic systems in the Ministry Centre after the talk. This was an excellent opportunity to learn more about robots, get close to some robots and even be led in singing by one of them!
Tai Chi Robot
Many thanks are due to member Dennis Walton for his excellent photograph called “Early Morning Sunshine” taken in late February this year in the local countryside reminding us that Spring is just round the corner.
“Early Morning Sunshine” by Dennis Walton. Photo taken looking towards the top of Holborn Hill from Ormskirk
Seen (through heavy rain) at Martin Mere on February 9th 2016 in mid afternoon from Kingfisher Hide, immediately below the hide in a shallow pool amidst reedbeds 10 metres away.
Status: Resident breeder and migrant winter (October – March) visitor.
Recognition: Lead grey face and breast, chestnut upper including cap with black streaks, long down curved dull red bill, black and white striped belly, short upright tail with white/cream underside, 23-26cm long including bill. Smaller than a moorhen. It has a repertoire of calls including grunts, groans, whistles, squeaks and squeals, often silent during daylight hours in winter, but calls audible after dark.
Habitat: All types of standing water including small ponds, large meres, wetlands, marshes,especially favouring rushes, sedges and phragmites reeds. They feed on aquatic invertebrates, small fish, amphibians (frogs), insects, and vegetable matter including rhizomes.
Abundance: The UK population is thought to be in excess of 1000 breeding pairs (Brown and Grice 2005) but this number is swollen from September to spring as migrants arrive from northern Europe and Iceland. Because of the birds elusive habit it is impossible to be sure of population numbers and some experts think the quoted numbers underestimate the actual resident population. Water Rails are on the Amber List of rare birds following the significant decline in numbers between 1970 and 1990. Birds are mostly seen in single numbers, but in favoured breeding grounds (Dee Estuary) flocks of 20-30 are occasionally recorded. Have been sighted at most of the wetland reserves in the NW of England. Resident breeding bird present in the UK all year.
Acknowledgements: Collins Bird Guide UK and Europe; Collins BTO Guide to British Birds; Bird Atlas of Cheshire (CAWOS); British Birds (AA)
We examined various examples of review writing, from a single paragraph to 4,000 words,covering films and novels, all using a standard structure of overview – summary – judgement. (An example, from me again – I promise to give up the habit – below.) The challenge for the next session is to write a review in about 500 words (which members of a book, film or opera group etc. might submit for posting,) or, as usual, anything you want to write!
I appealed for a co-ordinator or perhaps a rota of volunteers to do what co-ordinators do (handle money, refreshments, set up the room etc.)
Members were invited to contibute an article of about 100 words for the U3A magazine on the early days of the Writing for Pleasure group.
3 top tips synthesised from four hours of discussion:
– make your ending echo your opening
– you are in control of sentences – control the length for effect
– always use the smallest word that will do the job
Sarah Winman – When God Was A Rabbit
It’s not surprising to learn that Sarah Winman had a solid career as an actress in the likes of Holby City and The Bll before diversifying into writing with this, her first novel. One of the huge cast of eccentric characters is an actress, another is a Shirley Bassey impersonator and all are the sort of larger-than-life but thinly-drawn types that populate early-evening TV drama, with perhaps an added twist of eccentricity.
It’s difficult to say much about the story without spoilers. Continue reading
Topics covered:
Dressing as animals. Frowned on by the church but ignored by the people.
Mummer’s plays. Plays of the people. Based on pagan traditions. Players always dressed in disguise as a form of protection.
Yule candle, yule log. To ensure good luck in new year both candle and log must remain lit.
New Year First footing and wassailing. First footing ensures good fortune for coming year. Wassailing 12th day farmers toast crop then return to farmhouse for feasting.
A cold and blustery February day with heavy showers but also sunny intervals. Despite the weather twelve members of the group attended the morning session for our first outing of 2016.
Highlights of the morning included:
Only two members were able to stay on after lunch, but were treated to good views of the Barn Owl hunting (which one or two of the group had seen in the distance in the morning).
Other highlights of the afternoon were 3 Snipe and a Water Rail, both seen through pouring rain from the shelter of ‘Kingfisher Hide’
Click on individual photos to enlarge
Wednesday, 3 February 2016 – The Development of the Mersey Chemical Industry – Paul Davies
One of our own members, Paul was a senior manager in the Health and Safety Executive. Since retiring he has taken a great interest in the Chemical Industry on Merseyside. He illustrated his talk with nuggets of information that only a keen researcher would have known. Superb!
Paul has a ‘soft-spot’ for the Merseyside Chemical Industry.
It was where he got his first proper job and where he met his wife, Sheila, when they both worked for Unilever at Port Sunlight. In the 1980s whilst working for the HSE, he visited some of the largest chemical works on Merseyside as part of his work to model the effects on the public of large accidental releases of toxic gases like Chlorine. It was then he realised how little he knew of why and how such a large industry came to be on Merseyside.
Notice for Group Leaders: We have been approached by the Athenaeum which is Liverpool’s oldest gentlemen’s club founded in 1797. They have received a National Lottery Grant and they are working to promote its archives and facilities to organisations like ourselves. Their library is considered to be one of the best that there is, containing over 60,000 books including a collection of rare books and rare maps.
If any Group Leaders are interested in arranging a visit please contact our Secretary Pauline Jones on 01695 572350 for further details.
This is an opportunity not to be missed!
Iain Smart
(Learning and Group Support Chairperson)
Group Members’ recent paintings. Click (or tap) on any picture to start a slideshow of (larger scale) images.
