FRONT PAGE NEWS
This Month
“The Lord
of Misrule”
6 January
Twelfth Night.
The day of the Lord of Misrule. Some of our members help us
to recall this medieval celebration, with a taste of
traditional fare
Forthcoming
meetings (2.30pm Palmer Hall)
3
February
David Howe 's
talk is entitled 'Remembering Not to Forget'.
3 March
A talk by Dr Stewart Benzie, recently retired from the
Fairford Surgery.
7 April
An illustrated talk on stained glass in the Medieval Church
by Avis Lloyd, an expert in medieval art, architecture and
archaeology
5 May
Our Annual General Meeting.
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Twelth Night - 6
January
Twelve days after Christmas sees the end of the Christmas
season. What is the significance of Twelfth Night, and why
is it celebrated? Or perhaps more accurately, why
was
it celebrated?
Long before the birth of Christ, people realised,
particularly in the more northerly latitudes, that the
shortest day (the winter solstice) was followed by a
lengthening of the days and a strengthening of the sun.
This was cause for a celebration. In many places, outside
work was not possible and the celebration brightened up the
cheerless winter days.
The early Christian church adapted this celebration to mark
the Advent period starting with the birth of Christ and
ending with the Feast of the Epiphany, the visit of the Magi
bringing presents for the Christ child.
However, Twelfth Night became wild and drunken. It
became the day of the Lord of Misrule. The nobility
and gentry provided the food and drink for their employees
and then got out of the way! The ordinary people took
over. A Twelfth Cake, a possible
forerunner of the Christmas cake, was baked which contained
a dried bean and a dried pea. Men were given a slice from
the part containing the bean and the women a slice from the
part with the pea. Whoever found these in their piece
of cake became the Lord of the Bean and the Lady of the Pea
to preside over the feast
Morris
Dancers and Mummers performed on this day and Wassailing
occurred. All involved singing and dancing or parading.
Wassailing was a ceremony, predating Christianity, in which
cider apple orchards were ‘blessed’; a libation of cider was
poured around an apple tree and guns were fired into the
bare branches to ward off evil spirits to ensure a good
harvest in the coming year.
In the
past, the festival has come under attack. Firstly, during
the Commonwealth period, Christmas feasts were banned
because ribald revelry was deemed inappropriate for a sacred
feast. Secondly, during the Victorian era, with the coming
of industrialisation and urbanisation, the length of the
celebration was shortened. (Bob Cratchit, in ‘A Christmas
Carol’, was only grudgingly given
one day off.)
Our
January meeting this year falls on Twelfth Night and in a
very brief way some of the activities associated with that
day will be recalled. We will have a Lord of the Bean and a
Lady of the Marrowfat. There will be actors and there will
be wassailing. And finally we shall have a taste of Twelfth
Cake, a drop of cider, and maybe a sample of Lamb’s Wool.
Hurrah
for the Lord of Misrule!
Don Cobbett
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-o0O0o-
George Webster
George Webster passed away on the 30th November after a
long illness.
Our condolences to his wife, Gwen.
Dirck Stickle
Our thoughts and condolences are with Margaret following
the sudden loss of her husband, Dirck,
after an extremely short illness.
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-o0O0o-
Silent Majority
With over
300 members now, there are many opportunities to get
involved. Probably around 50+ people are actively
involved in running activities, and perhaps another 100 for
very good reasons cannot assist. That leaves around 150 who
are “just dying” to get involved! If you are one of those,
there are two opportunities advertised in this newsletter,
and if these don’t excite you then do please have a word
with me to let me know what you would like to do, and I’ll
do my best to help you.
Kevin
Hannigan (Chairman) 01367 250 246 or
hannigan100@hotmail.com
Newsletter Editor
Elizabeth
Berry is “retiring” in May 2009 after what will have been
three years of excellent service! Many thanks, Elizabeth!
I am sure
you will agree that the Newsletter has become an essential
part of this U3A and must be continued. If you might be
interested in taking on this critical role, do please have a
word with Elizabeth or me to find out more. Don’t be shy!
Kevin
Hannigan (see previous item)
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Hall Manager
Nick
Humphris has kindly agreed to take on this role but would
really like up to three others to share the job on a rota
basis, to be mutually greed.
Our monthly meetings would not function without the chairs
being put out and restacked at the end. Please have a word
with Nick or me if you
could
help.
Kevin
Hannigan (Chairman) 01367 250 246 or
hannigan100@hotmail.com
Cost Contributions
As you
know, we operate on a minimum cost basis – sharing wherever
possible. In view of the recent reduction in the price of
petrol, the committee has decided that the suggested
contribution to the driver by passengers should now be
reduced to £1 per 10 miles of the outward journey. This will
be reviewed on 30 June 2009 and a new suggestion then made
for the next six months.
It is
worth reminding you that the suggested contribution to
walks’ leaders is still 50p. Also, several groups who meet
in members’ houses offer 10p for a drink and 20p if biscuits
are also provided! (Rummikub members will know of the
legendary biscuits offered by Mary!)
Kevin
Hannigan (Chairman) 01367 250 246 or
hannigan100@hotmail.com
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Members Only!
Group
Leaders are reminded that only members may attend our
activities. A single attendance by a non-member as a taster
is acceptable.
The
reason for this is two-fold. Firstly, the subscription is
paid to provide a range of services to all, even if some
make more use of these services than others. The second
reason is that the public liability insurance policy
covering all U3A’s in the country is quite specific in that
only members may attend activities, except on a one-off
taster basis. Failure to adhere to this national
requirement might risk invalidating the insurance cover for
all of us.
If you have any queries on this, please have a word with me.
Kevin
Hannigan (Chairman) 01367 250 246 or
hannigan100@hotmail.com
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"(photography - a means by which we)...learn to see the
ordinary"
David Bailey
Needing Help?
If you
are involved in activities for retired people, you may like
to know about the Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC).
It can help in a wide variety of ways, including funding.
It has
set up a Bereavement Support Group, which is very informal
and runs over six weeks. These sessions are free and
refreshments are provided. Groups are limited to 10-12 in
size.
If you
would like more information, please have a word with
Kevin Hannigan 01367 250 246.
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A New Year's Resolution
2009 starts with a
new U3A photo album. My aim is to get a photo from every
U3A group activity from Art to Yoga, but please don’t make
it hard work for me. Can I ask all Group leaders to help
with this, by taking photos or delegating the task:- hard
copy, disc or email, all will be acceptable.
Thank you to the
few people who have given me photos, and especially Ivor
Price for the Xmas meal, and Mike Johnson for the Dovedale
holiday.
Please help me to
make this the first resolution I have ever kept!
Alison Hobson (01286 711768) or amh@cotswoldwireless.co.uk
Membership Renewal
Attached
to your newsletter you will find an envelope containing a
renewal form and a Gift Aid envelope. Please deal with
these as soon as possible and return the addressed envelope
to me.
If you
are not renewing,
please contact me or put your name/names on the form and
send the addressed envelope back to me, so that I can remove
you from the membership list. I will then be sure of your
intentions.
Ivor Price (Membership Secretary) 01285 712 417 ivorprice@tiscali.co.uk
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Committee Details
|
Position |
Name |
Tel. No. |
|
Chairman |
Kevin Hannigan |
01367 250246 |
|
Vice Chairman |
John Burrows |
01367
253056 |
|
Secretary |
Peter Evans |
01285 731069 |
|
Treasurer |
Paul O'Shaughnessy |
01367
850262 |
|
Editor |
Elizabeth Berry |
01285 711611 |
|
Group Coordinator |
Denis Brophy |
01367 252118 |
|
Membership Secretary |
Ivor Price |
01285
712417 |
|
Programme Secretaries |
Don and Barbara Cobbett |
01285
712692 |
|
Social Secretary |
Ian Westlake |
01285 712329 |
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Shakespeare's
play Twelfth
Night, or What You Will
was written to be performed as a Twelfth Night
entertainment and first performed at
Middle Temple Hall,
London
during the Twelfth Night celebrations of
1602
at the culmination of the celebrations, which was then at
Candlemas,
February 2.
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of Page |
Bird Watching
Our first visit
this year will be to Slimbridge to see the wintering geese and swans
and, hopefully, the bittern if it is still around and decides to show
itself.
Meet at Fairford
car park at 9am on 20 January. As usual, we will have lunch at their
excellent restaurant.
There are
always lots of wild birds to be seen and the WWT have a large captive
breeding population of ducks and geese from all around the world. If
you enjoy looking at birds this would be a good day for you to come
and join us. There is an entrance fee for non WWT members. Richard Morgan (01285 712 085)
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We had an
enthusiastic afternoon in December making our selection of books for
2009. We quickly filled our list, which promises to be stimulating and
enjoyable.
Our first book is
Jane Austen - A Life by Claire
Tomalin, which will be discussed at Sheila Morgan’s home in Kempsford on
13 January. Please let Sheila know if you are unable to come (01285 810
471).
A healthy
and peaceful New Year to you all, and good reading.
Denny Rawlinson (01285 711 009)
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Our
choice for December was Fire in the
Blood by Irène Némirovsky,
written in 1941 but
first published, in France, in 2007. The author had come to France as a
refugee from the Russian Revolution, and became a best selling
novelist. In the late 1930s, however, as a Jew, she had increasing
difficulty in getting her work published, but continued to write until
the time she was interned and then deported to Auschwitz, where she died
in August 1942 aged only 38. This novel remained undiscovered until
comparatively recently.
It has been
described as ‘a morality tale with doubtful morals, a story of murder,
love and the inheritance of harmful secrets’. It is set in the Burgundy
village of Issy-l’Evêque where Némirovsky spent her last years. She drew
on her experience of life in this remote rural area, to present her
readers with a vivid picture of the landscape and of a community where
people were anxious to keep themselves, and their secrets, to
themselves.
This is a
short book, narrated by Silvio, who looks back from old age on a
chequered life, hinting at secrets that are revealed later. The
story starts slowly
and lyrically, but soon the pace quickens, the plot twists and turns.
Némirovsky describes her characters, young and old, with impressive
maturity of style, and draws her reader into their world. For some of
our group, there was not enough of the ‘fire’ of the title, but others
rated this as one of our best reads of the year.
Certainly it is
beautifully written and the author has been well served by her
translator.
Rosemary
Westlake
We shall
meet at 2.30pm on 13 January at Milton Lodge to plan our reading
programme for 2009. Please bring along your suggestions.
Alison Hobson has
agreed to host the meeting at 2.30pm on 10 February at 5 Faulkners
Close, Fairford.
To ease the
pressure after the January meeting, when we decide books and venues etc,
I thought it a good idea if the February one was decided now. The
book I mentioned at Elizabeth's was 'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day'.
Neil will have copies in. Alison is willing to lead the discussion. I
think you will find it an easy, amusing after Christmas read.
Should you
be interested in joining this group, please contact:
Ian
Westlake (01285 712 329)
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Bridge
The Bridge
group will meet every Monday afternoon from 2pm to 4pm. in the Mico
Room, Fairford Community Centre.
For further information,
contact: Margaret Bishop (01285 713 747) mbishop@talktalk.net
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of Page |
Chess
Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 21 January at 3.30, at 40
Kingsmead, Lechlade.
For
further information, contact: Mike Bennett
(01367 252 379)
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Circuit Training
We are
changing the name of our Tuesday group from Circuit Training to Keep
Fit.
We have a
new instructor, Steve, who has a completely different programme, one
which does not involve the use of weights etc.
I feel that the change of name is a more accurate description of our
change of activity.
If you
would like to try our group, join us at the Fairford Sports Centre on
a Tuesday morning at 9am for an hour.
For further information, contact:
Eddie Rosser
(01367 2520 504)Top of Page |
Here we come a-wassailing Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a-wassailing So fair as to be seen.
Love and joy come to you And to you your wassail too,
And God bless you and send you
A Happy New Year,
And God send you A happy new year.
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If music be the
food of love, play on;
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
That strain again! it had a dying fall:
O, it came o’er my ear like the sweet sound
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing and giving odour!
Shakespeare Twelfth Night (Act I,
Scene I)
“Is it a world to
hide virtues in?”
Shakespeare Twelfth Night (Act I, Scene III)
Love sought is
good, but giv'n unsought is better"
Shakespeare Twelfth Night (Act III,
Scene I)
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For further details, please contact
Francis
Anyamene (01285 711274)
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Family History
1
The
next meeting will be on 21 January at 21, The Orchard, Fairford. I
have ordered a DVD produced by the Society of Genealogists.
Miriam Scott (01285 713 441)
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Family History 2
Our next
meeting will be at 2.30pm on Wednesday 21 January at 19 Homeground
Lane. We will continue to discuss the collection of information
from the internet.
Michael
Johnson (01285 712 637)
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Five Rythms Dance
Dancing is for Everyone The Five Rhythms way
The 5 Rhythms are a
simple movement practice designed to release the dancer inside you, no
matter what your shape, size, age or experience. The rhythms are
flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness. Together they form the
Wave, a movement meditation practice. Rather than having steps to
follow, each rhythm has a different energy field in which to find your
own expression. To find your dance is to find yourself at your most
fluid and creative level.
We dance
next at the Palmer Hall on Wednesday 21 January at 10am. New dancers
welcome.
For further information contact:
Gillian Bilbrough (01285 712 579) or Joyce
Deane (01285 851 408)
French Conversation
Bonne Année à tous!
Our two groups meet
on Mondays at 11am, the Advanced group at the home of Jeanne Watkins,
the Intermediates at various venues. Both are happy to welcome new
members.
We have made a New
Year change! Kevin Hannigan (01367-250246) will take over as Advanced
Group leader and so be the contact for anyone interested in joining
that. I will continue to lead the Intermediate group.
Intermediates’ first meeting at Milton Lodge - 19 January.
Rosemary Westlake (01285 712 329)
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Garden
We met in the Chapel
in December, to plan each month's activity for 2009, and also to
socialise over tea and seasonal tea-time goodies. We also enjoyed the
Chapel Christmas decorations, especially the trees - each appropriately
decorated by one of the various groups that meet there during the year.
The visits suggested
for some months need further research regarding garden opening days and
times, but please note that the new (well, as often as is consistent
with opening days) meeting day is the third Thursday of each month, so
that we do not clash with Rummikub.
Margaret Toms
-o0O0o-
Our next meeting will be on Friday 9 January. This
is not our usual date but is in response to a very kind invitation from
Eric Roberts. Some years back, he asked us to go and make
suggestions about the design of his front garden, which we did.
Now that he has completed working on it, he has invited all current
members to go to see the result and also have tea with him and his wife.
Venue: 5 Victoria Road,
Cirencester, 01285 657231.
Meet in Fairford car park at 2.10, ready to set off
at 2.15. We will go in procession, as he needs to use a card to admit
us to his parking area.
Please would all those hoping to visit Eric Roberts
let me know by the evening of Tuesday 6 January, so that I can give him
and his wife some idea of the number to expect.
Margaret Toms (01285 712 924).
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Our final meeting of
2008 was a well attended and superbly illustrated talk by Mike Purton of
Nailsworth on ‘The changing landscapes of the lower Thames basin
throughout successive ice ages to the present day’.
Our next meeting, on
Wednesday 14 January, involves a visit to the Natural History section of
the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. We meet at 9.30am in Fairford car
park and proceed to the Seacourt Park and Ride on the Botley Road and
from there take the bus into the town.
For our
March meeting, we hope to make a visit to the Natural
History/Science/Geology museums in South Kensington. Non-Geology U3A
members are most welcome to join us if they wish to make the trip.
Details of transport will be in the February newsletter.Clive Watson (01285 713003) Top of Page
|
The next meeting
will be on Thursday 15 January about Shock of the New, part 2 and
Picasso, part 1.
Please come
early as we need to start work(!) at 10.30 sharp. Denys Hodson (01285 712 462)
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Model Group
The Model
group meets each Thursday morning. For further details contact:
Jim Sullivan
(01367 252 539)
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Our next meeting
will be at 2.30pm on 16 January at 62 Aldsworth Close. The theme will be
‘Something New’.
For further
information, contact:
Mary Chick (01285 712 126)
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"Be
not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve
greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them".
Shakespeare Twelfth Night (Act II,
Scene V).
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Needlework
The Needlework
group have been involved with a couple of projects recently.
In September, we
held a successful workshop learning how to make a canvas wall-hanging
Christmas decoration. It was very interesting to see how each member
created their own pattern and style, giving an individual slant to the
impressive finished products .
In December, we
were invited to decorate a Christmas tree at the hapel, and happily
undertook the task of adding to the other eight decorated trees by
Chapel group users. Each member of the Needlework group contributed
at least one hand-made tree decoration in their chosen style.
Techniques used included lace, crochet, surface embroidery,
needlepoint, counted thread embroidery, beadwork, metal thread
embroidery, ribbon work and toy making. The finished trees displayed
in the Chapel looked lovely.
Thelma
Hardie
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The
Needlework group will meet at the Chapel on Wednesday 7 and 21
January.
For
further information, contact:
Thelma Hardie (01285 713971)
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Philosophy
We shall meet again on Wednesday 21 January at The Old Forge
House, Marston Meysey at 2.30pm. Susan Greig will lead on the
subject of "Socrates and the Unexamined Life".
Donald Scott
(01285 713441)
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Poetry Circle 1
We met at
June’s, so it must be December!
Our subject was
‘Old Age’, but we were not confined to the human condition and some of
us chose a wider canvas with poems about
animals and relics from antiquity.
New to us,
discovered by Ken, was the poet C S Calverley writing in the
mid-nineteenth century but whose wit and charm amused us all.
Ian read us the
third poem of his quartet about growing old, reflecting the inevitable
deterioration in physical prowess, which afflicts us all. This may
sound somewhat dismal but in fact, with a certain breath of Christmas
spirit evident, we enjoyed a very happy and seasonal meeting.
Keith
Cottam -o0O0o-
The Poetry
Circle meets on the first Friday of the month.
For further
information, contact:
Keith Cottam
(01285 711054)
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Poetry Circle
2
We will meet at
Julie’s home on 9 January at 2.30pm. The theme will be ‘Water’.
Enquiries
welcome:
Mary
Chick (01285 712 126)
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The group meets
on the second Thursday of each month at 51 Lodersfield, Lechlade
from 2pm to 4.30pm. The next meeting will be on Thursday 8
January.
We are a
friendly and informal group and new members are welcome.Mary Bennett (01367 253287)
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Short
Tennis takes place in the Palmer Hall on Mondays from 4pm - 5.30pm.
Further enquiries to:
Phil Trickett (01285 712 421)
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|
Spanish
Beginners'
Spanish will start on Tuesday 20 January at 10.30am, at my home, 23
Lakeside. We will probably continue on Tuesday mornings, subject
to members’ preferences.
Frank
Hall (01285 712 583) or hall@talktalk.net
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Thursday 22 January
This will be a
figure-of-eight walk, beginning and ending at the church at Wyck
Rissington (OS 163, GR 192215) and following parts of the Oxfordshire
and Diamond Ways. The eight mile route links the small villages of
Icomb and Church Westcote.
The walk is fairly
hilly but does finish downhill from Wyck Beacon to the village of Wyck
Rissington.
Meet at Fairford
car park at 9.30am. Travel contribution £2.
Clive
Watson
(01285 713 003)Top
of Page
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Tuesday 27 January
The walk
will begin and end at The Calley Arms, Hodson (near Chiseldon).
Crossing
the M4, our route will take us into Coate Water Country Park with its
lake and tree collection. The return route takes in part of the
Wiltshire Cycleway, including a section on the former Swindon to
Marlborough railway line.
Leave
Fairford car park at 9.21am, or meet at the pub at 10am to pre-order
lunch. Car fee £2
Phil
Trickett
(01285 712
421)
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Friday 23 January
I hope that we
shall be able to do a walk in the water park around South Cerney.
It all depends on the state of the terrain at the time.
Please
contact me for details a day or two beforehand, or meet at 9.30am in
the Fairford car park on 23 January.Enquiries to:
Don Cobbett (01285
712 692)
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The group usually
meets at 51 Lodersfield, Lechlade from 2pm to 4.30pm on the first
Thursday in the month. However, the next meeting will be on 8 January,
rather than New Year’s day.
New members
and U3A visitors are always welcome.
For further information contact:
Ian Bennett (01367 253287)
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Radcot.
Meet in the
Fairford car park at 9.15am, or at The Swan in Radcot for 10am for a
walk along the Thames Path. Radcot is on the Faringdon to Clanfield
road where it crosses the Thames.Geoff Bishop (01285 713 747)
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New Members
We are delighted to welcome 5 new members this month:
Valerie Bevington-Wood
Virginia Bond
Mike & Sandy Gray
Bill Knight
o0O0o-
The Royal Institution
The talks
are as follows:
· Volcanic
hotspots and their
environmental impact
· Translating
stem cell science into clinical practice
· Research
into laser physics and quantum optics.
To be held
at The Royal Institute, 21 Albermarle Street, London, W1S 4BS (near
Admiralty Arch)
31 March
2009 : Tickets cost £15.
For more
information contact: Peter Evans (Secretary - 01285 731 069)
-o0O0o-
In 2009, courses are
being held in Telford from 20 to 23 July, and RAC Cirencester from 24
to 27 August. Telford residential cost is £299, Cirencester £114
non-residential. Subjects covered are:
Telford:-
Architecture, Art History, Crime & Punishment, Digital Image Editing, La
Belle France, Garden History, Geology, Industrial Heritage, Ways of
telling a story, Philosophy, Play Writing.
Cirencester:-
Architecture and Topography, Art History, Christianity in England,
Cinema History, History of Jesus, Poets with many voices, Music of Bela
Bartok, Painting and Drawing, Shakespeare, Spanish short stories.
More information on these courses, plus the booking forms, will be
available at the January monthly meeting, or from Kevin Hannigan:
01367 250 246.
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-o0O0o-
|
|
Weekday
| First Week
| Second Week
| Third Week
| Fourth Week
|
| Monday am
| French 1 & 2
Yoga
| French 1 & 2
Yoga
| French 1 & 2
Yoga
| French 1 & 2
Yoga
|
| Monday pm
| Short Tennis
| Bridge
Short Tennis
| Short Tennis
| Bridge
Short Tennis
|
| Tuesday am
| Circuit Training | Circuit Training
| Circuit Training | Circuit Training
Striders
|
| Tuesday pm
| Main Meeting
| Book Circles 1 & 2
| Bird Watching |
|
| Wednesday am
|
| Walking + Pub Lunch
|
Five Rhythms Dance | Cycling + Pub Lunch
|
| Wednesday pm
| Digital Photography |
Geology
| Family History 1 & 2
Philosophy
|
|
| Thursday am
| Model Boats
| Model Making
| Model Boats
Straddlers
| Model Boats
|
| Thursday pm
| Jazz
| Garden
Rummikub
|
|
|
| Friday am
|
|
|
|
Strollers |
| Friday pm
| Poetry 1 & 2
| | Music
| |
The Needlework Group meets on alternate Wednesday afternoons
The History of European Art Group meets on a Thursday
each month
The Chess Group has yet to decide on a
fixed time slot
|
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| |
Tea Rota
3 February: Five Rhythms
3 March: French
-o0O0o-
Copy Date
Please send items for the February issue to Elizabeth Berry by 23
January
to elizabeth.berry@theyear.plus.comTop of Page
| |
|
News
Letter Editor -
Elizabeth Berry (01285 711611)
Chairman -
Kevin Hannigan (01367 250246)
On-line Newsletter created by Denis Brophy
Last updated: 4 January 2009
Webmaster: Denis Brophy -Tel 01367 252118
Fairford and District U3A Registered Charity No. 1072658.
www.fairfordu3a.org.uk
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| |
