APRIL 2013 ISSUE Number 117

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CHAIRMAN’S REFLECTIIONS

Another quiet month and yet another cold

one too that did not endear us to tackle the

gardens or even DIY bits traditionally

addressed over the Easter period. The

poor farmers and gardeners are really

struggling, resulting in, of course, higher

food prices for us all in future.

We are considering a surplus fruit/vegetable stall at our

August meeting, so perhaps now is the time to consider

what would be suitable from your gardens. We are still

discussing the format but the one we did three years ago at

the summer meeting in the school hall proved very

popular. So we hope to repeat it.

We are still putting together plans for the celebrations and

Olwen has also asked all group leaders for their support

and ideas .....however ideas from any member would be

most welcome so please do contact me or any member of

the committee.

This month we look forward to hearing about life on a

narrow boat and hopefully this summer will allow many

owners to travel a little further afield along the Inland

Waterways.....last year’s floods prevented many even

getting out of their moorings for weeks on end.

Thank you for your co-operation over parking last month,

it was definitely clearer on Church Street....please keep it

up.

Best wishes,

Liz

Chairman

COACH TRIP TO LAVENDER FARM, HEACHAM AND

SANDRINGHAM

There are just a few places left on the

coach for this day trip. The cost is only £18 for a fully inclusive visit to

Sandringham together with a coffee and

shopping stop over at the Norfolk

Lavender Farm at Heacham. Please see John Marsh at the next main meeting

(15th April) for more information or

telephone Eddie Adams, or John Marsh.

GROUPS WHO WOULD WELCOME A FEW NEW

MEMBERS

Guitar for pleasure, Reading 1, Mah Jong,

Cycling, Singing Group and the Foodies

Group – please contact group leaders if you are

interested and perhaps arrange a taster visit.

The Deepings Third Age Group

NEWSLETTER

(Visit our Web site)

http://u3asitec.org.uk/live/code/u3asite.php?site=282

ALL ABOARD FOR “FLIGHT” OVER THE THAMES!

Five of the members who went on a coach trip to London last

month. Thank you to John Bloomfield for arranging it. We all

had an enjoyable and informative day taking in some sights we

knew and others we didn’t.

Committee Members 2011/2012

Liz Noble Chairman

Jennie Sharman Secretary

Garth Perry Treasurer

Olwen Cole

Group Coordinator

Janice Cosham

Membership Secretary

John Bloomfield

Speaker Finder

Kath Allen

Jim Pringle

Lyall Seale Publicity

Ann Holmes Newsletter Editor

David Scott Contact through website Webmaster

Programme of Speakers

15 April LIFE ON A NARROW BOAT by Maria

Fryer (at METHODIST CHURCH)

20 May THE BOY BISHOPS - The happenings when

choristers become Bishops for one day, by Neil

MacKenzie (at METHODIST CHURCH).

17 June RAFBBF (The story behind the aircraft of the Battle

of Britain Flight) by Stuart Reid BSc, MCGI,

Squadron Leader RAF (retired). (at METHODIST

CHURCH).

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS

Yvonne Howlett, Deeping St James, Irene Hall,

Market Deeping and Ann and Cledwyn Bennett from Northborough.

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GROUP NEWS

At last the sun is shining and the spring

flowers are brightening up the gardens. Is it

time to think of more outdoor activities?

Langtoft Bowls Club has extended a welcome to our Bowls Group to

go along on Wednesday mornings 10 – 12, for a coffee and a friendly

game of bowls, for more information see the notice board or contact

the group leader or me.

We have some interest in a Quiz Group and four members interested

in Nordic Walking; if you would like to join them please put your

name on the list at the monthly meeting or contact me.

Please take time to look at Deepings U3A website, if there are any suggestions to update the groups please let me know. Any comments

or information about groups please contact me.

OLWEN COLE

Group Coordinator

U3A “CHURCH MICE” GROUP

On 12th March we visited All Saints, Stamford and were given an excellent

and informative talk by Kate Riley,

who seemed to be one of those people

who are involved in everything.

We learnt that All Saints, recorded in

the Domesday Book of 1086, is one of

Stamford's oldest churches. The

existing one is the third on a location which dominates the market area

between the Danish borough and the

Castle. Some 12th C masonry remains in the north east corner of the

nave, but the fine blind arcading on the south and east sides, and the internal arcades are all 13th C Early English work, and this forms the

core of the church.

The rest of the church, including the tower, spire and windows, are all

in the 15th C Perpendicular style. They are the result of major

rebuilding following the sacking of Stamford during the Wars of the

Roses. The work was largely funded by William and John Browne, wealthy Stamford wool merchants whose merchants' mark can be

seen above the chancel arch, with brasses of the Browne family on

the wall nearby.

All the stained glass is Victorian, the great west window being donated by American descendants of the Browne family. Also of

interest are the gilded angels and bosses in the chancel roof, the early

decorated columns of the south aisle, the 15th C font of Purbeck

marble and the 19th C carved altar reredos of the last supper. Looking progressively upwards from this we see in the stained glass the

crucifixion and ascension.

A superb tea rounded off an excellent visit. Our next visits are 9th

April to All Saints Tinwell and 14th May to St Wulfram’s Grantham.

Report and photo: LYALL SEALE

Group Leaders: LYALL SEALE / FRANK MILLS

U3A SUNDAY LUNCH GROUP

The next Sunday Lunch Group will be on

Sunday, 28th April at “The Wishing Well”,

Dyke. If you wish to join this event please

contact Tony Semple or Michael Griffith or add

your name to the list at the meeting on 15th

April. Tony or Michael are usually at a table at the back of the

meeting room in the vicinity of the coffee point.

U3A HISTORY GROUP

The speaker on this occasion was

Terry McCarthy from Peterborough. Terry had been a geography teacher

and a Headmaster in South Wales.

The talk was entitled The Incas, The

capable way or The Incapable Way? This referred to the construction of their walls. The Incas walls

sloped for strength against earthquakes whilst The Conquistadores

replaced the originals with vertical ones. In an earthquake, the

vertical walls collapsed whilst the sloping ones remained in tact,

and can be seen today

The Incas had no written language, no knowledge of the wheel and

no use of heavy metal. They did have gold and silver. They were a

relatively short lived nation and eventually succumbed to diseases

such as small pox which were brought it by the invaders.

The presentation was a mixture of facts, dates and slides of Peru,

taken by Terry whilst on holiday. It was very entertaining and we

look forward to hearing Terry again in 2014.

Thank you John for an excellent trip to London. The ride on the

cable car was a great experience. Canary Wharf at night was quite

magical.

Next month, the talk is entitled, ‘Before Queensgate’ and the speaker is Steve Perry. Reminders: Deposit for the visit to London

in August. Return of any outstanding Memory Questionnaires.

Report by: SANDRA JONES

Group Leaders: ELIZABETH PARKINSON / SANDRA JONES

U3A “BOOK WEEVILS” READING GROUP

‘The Secret Life of Bletchley Park’ by Sinclair

McKay was the book we read this month. Some of

our members finished the book and enjoyed it, others did not finish it.

Each chapter covered a different aspect of life at

Bletchley Park and this made continuity difficult. There were details of how the codes were broken and the machines

invented for this work, as well as the social life of the Park. We

thought that the lives of the people mentioned were not followed

through satisfactorily – we wanted to know more. It was incredible how all this was kept secret during The War as well as years

afterwards. We were also amazed at the ingenuity and sheer

intelligence of those chosen to work there. For anyone wanting to

visit Bletchley Park this is a recommended read.

The next meeting of Book Weevils is on Tuesday 16th April at 2.30.

CATHRYN SEALE Group Leader

U3A CYCLING GROUP

The March ride was scheduled to be one where

we headed east out on the Fens; however once

we lost the shelter of buildings and trees, we

discovered that the cold south-easterly wind was an absolute killer. Consequently, we took

an executive decision to return to the relative calm of The Bull in

Market Place! We did cover just over nine miles nevertheless.

Our next ride is on 19th April, meeting on the bridge at Market Deeping at 11.00 am. We take a very relaxed approach to our rides,

generally never more than 15 miles in length and at a very leisurely

pace. We welcome anyone who has a bike.

Report by EDDIE ADAMS Group Leader: IAN TANNER

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U3A LEARN PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP

The next photography group meeting will be on

Wednesday 24th April at 2.00 pm at the normal venue. Members are asked to bring in their

handouts on guidelines for taking photographs,

given out at the last meeting in March. I would

like to see members’ work on composition using the guidelines I talked about at the March meeting. This could be introducing certain

elements into your photos, for instance horizontal, vertical and

diagonal and curved lines; the use of the Thirds Grid; selecting focal

points on your cameras, and the right metering for the photograph that you are going to take and to include depth of field on Natural History,

and landscapes and portraits.

If any members of the U3A are ex RAF and they are interested in

taking photographs at Air Shows, or just want to watch, would they

be interested in car sharing to see these events?

DAVE PENDRY

Group Leader

U3A JAZZ, SWING AND BIG BAND GROUP

Our meeting on Wednesday 27th March was held at

the home of Anne Jones where we were entertained

to “A Mixed Bag” of Jazz and Big Band music.

Anne started the morning off with ‘It don’t mean a

Thing’ by Martin Allsop, followed by Art Blakey’s ‘Moanin’. We

also heard Lionel Hampton, June Christy and then Charlie Parker’s

‘Scrapple from the Apple’. Always a favourite is Manhattan Transfer with ‘Tuxedo Junction’ then a lovely rendition of ‘Day in,

Day out’ by Billie Holiday. Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis gave a frenetic

version of ‘Lester Leaps In’ – perhaps helps explain the ‘Lockjaw’!!!

We heard Stefan Grapeli, Mel Torme, The Northern Dance Orchestra, followed by Jai and Kai Trombone Octet ‘Night In Tunisia’. A

lovely foot-tapping version of ‘Rum and Coca Cola’ by the Andrews

Sisters was much enjoyed. So too Duke Ellington’s ‘Satin Doll’, with George Shearing’s ‘I’ll Remember April’ bringing the morning to a

close. We all agreed, though, that we shall long remember March

2013 for the very cold weather. Many thanks Anne for a very

enjoyable morning.

Our next meeting is Wednesday 24th April at the home of Maurice

Annison, 10 Hyde Gardens, Langtoft, 01778 218738. Please

telephone either Maurice or Jennie Sharman if you are unable to

attend. Report: JENNIE SHARMAN

Group Leaders:

JENNIE SHARMAN

ANNE JONES

U3A NATURAL HISTORY GROUP

Six of our intrepid members turned

out for a bracing morning in Bourne Woods. Hopeful that the paths

would be reasonable, too late, we

realised that there was no escape

from the mud ! After an hour of very energetic scrambling through

the undergrowth we repaired to the

Waterside cafe for a welcome

coffee. All was not lost as we did see a Goldcrest and a pair of Jays,

also primroses were showing here and there.

Next month, April 25th, we visit Tortoiseshell Wood, West of Castle

Bytham. Full details and directions at the next main U3A meeting.

Picture is a taste of spring to come - ha ha !!

ALISTAIR SMITH

Group Leader

Obviously one you took much earlier Alistair! I know its wrong bird but reminds me of a certain Scotch—perhaps you should have tasted

that instead! Ann

U3A “STROLLER’S” WALKING GROUp

Pics: Bob Deller and

John Marsh

It was a raw uninviting morning when 11 members of the group met

at Burghley Park on 25 March for a short walk around the park.

Although there was an icy blast, arguably the coldest conditions in which the group has undertaken a stroll, at least it stayed dry and

the fresh air should have done us no harm.

The Elizabethan splendour of Cecil’s country pile was enhanced by

the arctic conditions and some of the Strollers took advantage to digitally capture the house and park. We then took the opportunity

to visit the gardens, where the spring bulbs were struggling to rear

their heads and put on a show. Afterwards some members visited

the Orangery for refreshments.

Being a ‘roar’ morning, it seemed appropriate that we should visit

Lion Bridge, where we stopped for a group photograph, with

Burghley House as a backdrop.

The next walk is on Monday 22 April, where we will start at Greatford and walk across the fields to Braceborough, meeting at

the Hare and Hounds at 10:15. This walk was originally

programmed for last September, but cancelled because of heavy

rain. Walk leader is myself and if you wish to take part, please

telephone or e-mail me a few day beforehand.

BOB DELLER

Group Leader

U3A GARDENING 4 PETALS & PRODUCE

Our April meeting took

us to Dobbies garden centre at Hampton,

Peterborough. Here we

were met by Richard

the nursery manager and he gave us a very

enlightening talk on

‘planting for spring’.

Although owned by Tesco, Dobbies is run

as an independent

company. Unusual plants is not their forte, but the more common

shrubs and plants is. We were shown some very interesting specimens that would show colour as well as structure in the spring

garden.

Our next meeting is on Tuesday, 16th April at Railworld in

Peterborough. Not a well known gardening destination, but there are a lot of open areas and we are promised a magnificent spring

floral display. Of particular interest will be the Wildlife Project,

where the environment is king! In addition, we will be able to

browse through all the exhibition areas and be provided with light refreshments. There is no charge for this visit, but a small donation

will be gratefully received. All members of U3A are invited to join

us for what promises to be not only a gardening experience, but also

an insight into the Railworld museum. This promises to be a very different meeting for us and definitely something for everyone. We

meet there at 10.00 am and there is a large car park adjacent to the

museum.

EDDIE ADAMS Group Leader

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U3A ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES GROUP

The speaker for our March meeting was

Mr. B Sandles, paying a return visit to show us pictures and talk about 'Feminism

and Art History'. He explained that in the

1800s women were not treated as equals,

had no rights and were mainly classed as chattels by their husbands. Any worldly

goods they had, including money, land, or any inheritance

immediately became the property of their husband when they

married. It was therefore impossible for women to be accepted as artists, even though they were very talented; they were called

'Paintresses' and they were not allowed to exhibit their work. They

were never given the same prominence as men,

In 1816 women by law were not allowed to paint and exhibit but one named Laura A Hereford had her work accepted by The Royal

Academy by mistake, simply because she had signed her painting

with just her initials and was thought to be a man. When women were

allowed to paint, their subjects had to be animals or children. We saw pictures of about twelve to fourteen women artists of that time and

they were much appreciated by us. The Church was the main sponsor

for works of Art in the 17th-18th Centuries, and these were mainly

Frescos painted on plaster, so of course the work was given to male

artists.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh 1868-1928 was Scotland’s most famous

Architect and was part of a movement called 'The Glasgow School',

his wife Margaret Macdonald was an artist and he said "I had talent, she had genius". We could have listened to Bill for a long time, it was

a very interesting afternoon and we learned a lot.

Our April meeting is a visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum on

April 22nd. Report by IRENE BEEKEN

Group Leaders: IRENE BEEKEN / PAM PENDRY

U3A “BOOKWORM” READING GROUP

“The Tenderness of Wolves” by Steff Penny

A gripping tale of life in 1867 Canada. The Europeans

in the New World were struggling to settle a

community, battling against the inhospitable climate

and the surrounding forest where wilds animals roamed and native Indians hunted. Their lives were

further disrupted when one of their neighbours, a French trapper was

murdered. This dreadful occurrence brought an influx of strangers to

the village. The investigation caused suspicion between friends, a long cold journey and complicated relationships before the crime was

resolved.

A good read, thoroughly recommended. Next meeting, 22nd.April at Hazel’s, 2 Deene Close

Report by JESSIE TURNER

Group Leader: ANN THORNTHWAITE

U3A DISCUSSION GROUP

Our next two meetings are as follows:-

22nd April --- Press Cuttings -- All to bring at least a

couple of items.

13th May ---- Recycling, a good thing? - Leader

Kathleen, but please prepare some

thoughts of your own!

Typical attendance is now 8 - 10 and we meet in each others homes.

However we could probably squeeze another in if you're interested.

IAN TANNER Temporary Group Contact

U3A ART APPRECIATION GROUP

The second meeting of the group was held at the

Institute at which the group enjoyed seeing a DVD

on “Leonardo da Vinci – Genius”.

Leonardo was very much ahead of his time. His

inventive mind exploring the possibility of manned flight, and

foreseeing the need for a parachute! He quickly came to the conclusion that the power that man could provide was insufficient.

Although he had lack of success in a few of his inventions he did

produce advanced mechanical artifacts. Many of his inventions, at

the behest of his patron were often to do with weapons of war or defence, although his main interest was in devising means to

improve efficiency; such as developing gearing systems, and

harnessing hydraulic power. The hit-and-miss in his inventions was

paralleled by unfinished artistic commissions (he would get side-tracked by interesting topics to research) however he did produce

highly regarded original works of art such as the altar piece “The

Last Supper” and “The Mona Lisa” a.k.a. “The Giaconda”. He was

a master of observation into plants, animals and man. His drawings of the human body, made at a time when forensic examination of

the body was taboo, showed remarkable accuracy of skeleton,

muscle and organ structure from pure observation. The same

comment applies to his drawings of animals and plants.

The DVD featured a non-speaking actor, dressed in the style of

Leonardo’s time. This was a distraction. Leonardo was known to

be left-handed – he employed mirror writing – but the actor showed

he was right handed on at least two occasions, which caused some

amusement.

The next meeting will be held at 10am on Tuesday 16th April in the

meeting room of the Catholic Church, Hereward Way, Deeping St.

James. The topic will be ITALIAN RENAISSANCE PAINTING

1450-1530. PLEASE NOTE THE NEW VENUE. All Welcome.

PETER WITHERINGTON

Group Leader

U3A GARDENING GROUP

Our March meeting was a visit to Burghley House Private garden to see the daffodils. Unfortunately nature had her way and there was

little to see of the daffodils that are usually abundant at this time of

year. Despite this we enjoyed a walk seeing Mistletoe in abundance

in the skeleton of the trees across the park, and the Dog Wood (Cornus 'sibirical') which was at its best. So all was not lost. We

were suitably refreshed in the Orangery allowing us to get warm,

and it gave us the opportunity to confirm venues and discuss

changes to our programme. Our thanks go to Josie and Lynn who

arranged this meeting for us.

Our next meeting is a change to the programme date. We will be

joining the Gardening 4 Petals and Produce Group on a visit to the

gardens at Railworld in Peterborough. This visit will include a talk about the gardens. It will take place on the 16th April at 10 am.

Please contact Janice if you have any queries.

Report MARGARET GRIFFITHS Group Leader: JANICE WILSON

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U3A CRAFT GROUP 2

We tried some small bead jewellery this month resulting in some attractive flowers suitable for

card-making or brooches. Thank you to

Angela Fisher for her help with these.

Barbara Baylis will be helping us tackle some interesting shape cards

next month - Monday 15 April 2pm, usual place 102 Church Street,

Deeping St James.

LIZ NOBLE

Group Leader

U3A MONDAY WALKING GROUP

On the 8th April the group enjoyed a six mile walk around the village

of Apethorpe. Fortunately the day was bright and sunny and the cold

wind that had been anticipated did not materialise. The walk, which

on this occasion was led by me, set out across open fields before crossing a disused railway line, a victim of Dr. Beeching and his

“axe”. We then skirted the south side of the site of the former RAF

Kingscliffe which was home to USAAF fighter squadrons during WWII. It was here that we visited the Glenn Miller Memorial

(pictured above) which is located on the base of one of the old

hangars, to mark the occasion that it was here on 3rd October 1944

that he gave his final airfield concert before he flew off to who knows

where?

We then crossed an area of open heathland which is home to some

large herds of deer before returning to the village. We completed the

walk with a visit, by kind permission of Lady Brassey, to the garden of Apethorpe Manor. This is a delightful spot with its lake and

intimate woodlands which in any year of normal weather would be a

mass of daffodils; however this year they have yet to appear!

We finished the morning with an excellent lunch at the Kings Head in Apethorpe. Next month’s walk will be on May 13th, delayed again

for a bank holiday, and will be led by Bruce Zenthon. It also features

a change from our advertised programme due to circumstances

beyond the control of the average walker for which we apologise. In line with the current policy of always having lunch at pubs called

“The Kings Head” we will meet at the hostelry of that name, this time

in the village of Wadenhoe! I will circulate further details to the

group in due course.

CHAS FERGUSON (who also supplied the photograph)

Group Leader

U3A SCIENCE GROUP

The group met on 19th March, for a very interesting talk on “The Last of the

Wooden Minesweepers”

Our next meeting, on 16th April, will

take place in St. Guthlac’s Church at 1.45pm for a 2pm start, when Chris Jones, of Bourne U3A, will talk on “The Mechanics of Building

Medieval Churches and Cathedrals”. All are welcome – refreshments

will be available at the start.

DAVID SCOTT / GARTH PERRY Group Leaders

U3A THURSDAY GARDENING GROUP

We were so overwhelmed by Christmas gatherings in December

and even January that we opted to delay our Christmas celebrations until the Spring, Thursday 4th April, to be precise and lo and

behold! the weather decided to give us a very seasonal greeting

when we met for a guided tour of Springfield gardens in

Spalding. An icy wind blew, snow flakes twirled above our heads and even wrapped up in our warmest coats, scarves, woolly hats and

gloves not to mention the fur lined boots, we shivered!!

Andy Boyden, in charge of the gardens, shivered too but, to his

enormous credit, held our attention as he explained why the gardens were set up, the basis on which they are now run and his vision for

their future, which includes holding the National Collection for

daffodils and the setting up of a passenger-carrying miniature

railway to travel through the woodland area and on to the shopping precinct. We also visited each of the gardens established within

Springfields and Andy explained how each of the well-known

gardeners, including Kim Wilde and Chris Beardshaw, had fulfilled

their brief. Andy shared his wide knowledge of plants and gave us many tips for our own gardens as we moved on Springfields. By

the time we adjourned to "The Kitchen" for a warming coffee and

excellent lunch we had a much clearer understanding of a local

attraction we had visited often but perhaps failed to fully appreciate. We are grateful to Andy Boyden for taking the

time to share his knowledge and enthusiasm with us and to

Margaret Scott for arranging the convivial gathering which

followed our tour. And on the following day the sun shone......!

Our next meeting will be held on Thursday 2nd May at Liz Noble's

house when, because of holidays, a small but select gathering will

learn how Liz succeeded in letting more light into her garden and hear of the changes she can now make. It is an inspiring story! We

will also share our ideas for the planting of summer bulbs. Can we

emulate the Springfields Summer display promised by Andy

Boyden?! Please ring me on the number below if you are unable to

attend this meeting.

CHRIS FERGUSON Photo: DAVID SCOTT\

Group Leader

U3A FAMILY HISTORY GROUP

Fifteen members met today and we had small

group discussions about what the group want from the meetings and how they want the

group to be run. Following on from this and

after further consultation with the members

some changes will be made to our monthly meetings.

Our next meeting will be on 13th May, 2pm, same place. We would

be more than pleased to welcome any new members who would like

to either start or enhance their family history. Anyone interested in joining our group, needing help or just having a chat about what we

do, please give me a call or e-mail me. I may not have the answer

but I will probably be able to point to the person who does.

PEG TORRANCE

Group Leader

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U3A READING GROUP (1)

Our April book was 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta

Lacks' by Rachel Sklott. A book that created a good deal of discourse among the group. It tells the true

story of Henrietta Lacks, a coloured American who

suffered from terminal cancer and how the cancerous

cells she produced were taken from her and kept by the medical authorities for use in furthering their

knowledge on the treatment of the disease, and are still doing so

today, hence the 'Immortal' in the title of the book.

Given the time and circumstances, (she died in 1951) in which she lived, Henrietta was not told of this at the time and her family only

discovered these facts years later. It was not an easy book to read but

most members thought it an interesting and informative story.

The book for May is 'Remarkable Creatures' by Tracy Chevalier and

the meeting will be on May 13th.

Report by ANNE JONES

Group Leader: LIZ WATERLAND

U3A GOOD FOOD GROUP

This month eight Foodies met at June's

house for a fascinating feast of Fish. We started with a Norwegian Fish Soup and

moved on through Home Smoked Mackerel,

Salmon and Trout, and a Scandinavian

Herring Salad.

Then followed taster portions of a Crab and Cheese Tart, Tuna Puff

Pastry Slice, Salmon with a Parmesan Topping, Curried Fish Balls

and a Smoked Mackerel and Courgette bake. All interesting and different but not difficult to cook. Then we had to go home to lie

down and recover.

Next meeting Monday 13th May (again a week later than usual because of Bank Holiday Monday). Theme is 'Two Legs Good' i.e.

Dishes from Poultry or game birds. Enquirers and Visitors welcome.

KATHLENE TANNER

Group Leader

U3A “PACERS” WALKING GROUP

Because of excessive amounts of mud and water, our proposed walk

to Nassington and Yarwell Mill was postponed umtil the weather improves. However, in early April, 13 of us braved the cold east

wind for a bracing walk along the river bank from Casey’s Corner to

Deeping Lakes and back. The sun was doing its best to shine and it

was pleasant walking in the shelter of the trees. We walked through the nature reserve and stopped to look across the lakes to the osprey

nesting site and to watch some of the geese.

The morning was finished off by a very convivial lunch at The Goat, Frognall.

Report by JO ASTLE Picture: MAGGIE GRIFFITHS

Group Leader: LIZ WATERLAND

U3A WRITING FOR PLEASURE GROUP

At the April meeting of the Writing group we

had some fun listening to each others’ efforts with this month’s challenge. We had to

introduce five characters into the beginning of a story. In several

cases the characters were just about to start some action, when the

story suddenly stopped! Hopefully, some of the adventures will

continue next month, so we will hear what happened next.

For next month, some of us will continue with the same piece,

while others will move on to the next challenge, which is to write

an ending to a story. The two tasks could always be combined into

one, as they fit so neatly together.

JUDY ROBINSON

Group Leader

U3A “CHURCH MICE” GROUP

Twenty four members of the group assembled in the car park by the

church on a sunny afternoon appropriate to a church visit in April and a contrast to some cold experiences of late. We were welcomed

by Brian Gooch one of the church wardens.

The church is located in the centre of the village whose name is

believed to mean “ the village of ten wells.” It has a rare ‘saddleback’ roof to the tower unusual for this area, such towers

being more common in the Cotswolds. The tower is the oldest part

of the church and dates from c.1350. The building is well proportioned and the chancel arch is Early English with some

pleasing carving on the capitals. The south aisle has an interesting

triple lancet window with toothed carving from the Early English

period. The Royal Arms of George 1 is displayed above the chancel arch and in the south side of the chancel there is a memorial to

Elizabeth, sister to William, the first Lord Burghley and Lord High

Treasurer to Elizabeth 1.

Amongst the fittings is a brass chandelier c.1730 given by a parishioner in 1937 which is reputed to have come from Lichfield

cathedral. There are four stained glass windows, the most

interesting being a ‘modern’ interpretation of a tree of Jesse design

by A. K. Nicholson c. 1920 in the west end of the former north aisle. Perhaps the church’s strongest feature is its setting within the

village of limestone cottages. Tea in the village hall made a fitting

conclusion to a pleasant afternoon.

Report DAVID WRIGHT Picture: LYALL SEALE Group Leaders: LYALL SEALE / FRANK MILLS

NOTE: Other photographs of this Church can, as always, be found

on the “Church Mice” page of our Web Site. To log on to our site just hold the Ctrl button down and click on the address given in blue

on the mast head on page 1 of this Newsletter.

Our Webmaster, David Scott, would be interested to have any

comments you have about the site. ANN

7

U3A LISTENING TO M,USIC GROUP

Our May meeting was held at the Home of

Anne Jones and the programme was inspired by the BBC programme 'Desert Island Discs.'

Seven members chose music that they would

take with them should they ever be marooned

on a Desert Island!

As one would expect, the choice was varied and occasionally -

surprising. We began with two wonderful pieces chosen by John.

'The Pines of the Apian Way', by Respighi, a great beginning,

followed by Adiemus's 'Cantus Inaequalis' . Ann's choice was a trip down memory lane for her, 'Symphony No.6, 1st movement' by

Tchaikovsky. Host: Anne chose Ralph Vaughn Williams 'Overture

to The Wasps' a real favourite to take anywhere. 'Clarinet

Concerto No. 1 (2nd.movt.) and then Clarinet Concerto No.1,(3rd.movt.) by Crusell was Frank's choice and introduced us to a

Finnish composer, unfamiliar to some.

Terry chose three pieces - Concerto for two violins, 1st.Movt.

(extract), Concerto for two violins, 1st.movt. both by J.S. Bach, and bringing back memories of duetting with his daughter. The

second was a surprise, being played by Stefan Grappelli, but none

the less enjoyable, and his third, choice, another surprise and great

fun - McMozart and 'Eine Kleine Bricht Moonlicht Nicht Musik'

which had a slightly Scottish flavour...

Jim's choice, no surprises here, as he is in the process of moving

house, was Overture - 'The Consecration of this House,' by

Beethoven and finally Jessie chose two pieces by Chopin. 'Piano Sonata No.1,' 1st. movt. and then 'Piano Sonata No.1, 2nd movt.

which she enjoys best when on her own as she probably will be on

this island, although we thought it not a bad place to be, given our

present temperatures. The next meeting on May 8th will be at Ann

Holmes house. Report by ANNE JONES

Group Leaders: TERRY NOBLE / JIM PRINGLE

U3A WEDNESDAY GARDENING GROUP

The Wednesday gardening group met this morning (10th April) at the Springfield

Garden Centre for a tour of the gardens by

Andy Boyden. The gardens unfortunately

were not at their best as the weather, as we know, has been so cold and they have

not been able to do all the things they should have been able to

do. Also the flowers were still very much in bud or only just

coming through, although some daffodils and hyacinths were there

to greet us.

Andy gave us a very interesting tour and talk about the gardens and

their future plans and also the work in progress at the moment.

Perhaps spring is on its way as the sun did come out during the morning and the birds could be heard singing and it felt very

pleasant. Certainly worth going back in two to three weeks to see

the spring flowers if the weather gets warmer and we have a little

rain.

Our next meeting is a trip to Castor Hanglands, so meet at Rainbow

car park at 10 o'clock for car sharing or if you wish to go straight

there, we meet at 10.30 for the tour with Mr Gardener.

Report: AVRIL WILLIS Group Leaders: JEAN FOSTER / ANGELA DORWARD

U3A THURSDAY WALKING GROUP

Twenty seven members undertook a pleasant walk this month led

by myself commencing from the Mermaid Inn at Surfleet and progressing through Surfleet Village to Surfleet Seas End,

Surfleet Reservoir and the confluence of the River Welland,

River Glen and Vernatts Drain. From here we retraced our steps a

little before passing over the Blue Gowt Drain and heading down the side of the Spalding Golf Course and the River Glen before

arriving back at the Mermaid Inn for lunch.

The next walk on 9 May will be led by Eddie and Chris Adams

and will be around Southey Woods and Langley Bush. Please meet at the Southey Woods Car Park from 9.30am for a 10am

start. From here your lunch order will be taken and phoned

through to the Millstone Inn at Barnack to where we will proceed

after our walk. If you wish to attend this walk, could you please phone or e-mail Eddie and Chris by the Tuesday preceding the

walk, if possible,

GODFREY PARKES

Group Leader Photo: EDDIE ADAMS

The following was sent to the Daily Mail Letters Page and

was spotted by one of our members who thought it would

interest us:

UNLIKE Sally Dolce who, at 50 is reliving ‘the fun she enjoyed at 21’ I’m trying to enjoy the fun I never had at 21.

You see, it was 1942 and I was chained to a gunsite in a field

near Liverpool, guarding the docks from enemy bombers. I also lost my mother and grandmother that year.

Now I’m free to enjoy the years I have left, with a glass of wine

when I fancy one, dining out, trips to the theatre, weekends away and singing with a wonderful choir (not with the angels yet). But

best of all, I have been able to go to university, something out of

the question in the Thirties because my parents were not well off.

It is the University of the Third Age, a brilliant organisation for

older people that has been in Britain for 30 years, but it was only

three years ago that a branch was set up where I live. We have

nearly 300 members, with a long waiting list, and it offers a great opportunity to join groups of likeminded people to study or enjoy

almost any subject. There are 40 such groups, with others being

formed. I can thoroughly recommend it— and there are no

exams to spoil the fun.

So, cheers to the U3A, it’s given me a new lease of life.

MRS EILEEN HUGHES, Hadleigh, Essex.

Does it ring any bells for anyone?