2021-03 Spring

Hastings & Rother Newsletter www.u3asites.org.uk/hastingswww.u3asites.org.uk/hastings----rotherrother

Charity No: 1097214 Spring issue 2021

Message from the Chair Welcome to this first newsletter of 2021. As well as the usual printed copy, those with email access will also receive a pdf version for comparison, as we hope where possible to implement this change later in the year. Hopefully there have been no technical glitches and you have been able to access the pdf as intended. An online version will also be available via our website. It is also intended that the next edition will be similarly distributed and we plan to be able to include a selection of your feedback (see page 3), which we very much hope you will provide. The list of issues included is not exhaustive and feedback on any aspect is welcome. Personally, I hope that the email pdf version will be to your liking and that at the AGM you will support the switch over from printed to online and in due course this becoming the default position. I would add that those members who do not have an email address, or who cannot access the website version, will still receive a printed copy at no additional cost. Having canvassed other u3as around the country it would seem that we are very much out of step in still producing a printed newsletter for all members. For your information I would advise that the current cost of producing four newsletters per member is £6.48 per annum, which will almost certainly increase over time. This method is also resource intensive and not very environmentally friendly in this day and age. Whilst some u3as have effectively moved to a 2-tiered membership by charging extra to receive a printed version (regardless of circumstances) it is not intended that we would follow suit. If we are able to move to an email pdf version as the default position then we would be able to release funds to improve other aspects of u3a membership, including: greater use of paid for venues rather than members’ homes, sponsorship/attendance at local events in order to promote our u3a, and holding larger events for members with some form of subsidy. So, until the next time, stay safe and please provide your feedback in good time for the next edition . George Webster

Future Zoom Speaker Meetings Monday 12 April 2021 – Ian Gunn: HERE COMES THE FAILED BANK MANAGER! NB Time is 2pm for a 2.30pm START The title of Ian’s talk reflects what was shouted at him by a prisoner on the first day of his life as a junior governor! Ian has many stories about prison culture and he will introduce you to some unusual characters he met during his career. Ian is an enrichment speaker for an agency providing speakers to cruise lines. His specialist subjects are crime and prisons and he has a unique perspective on life 'behind bars' because he was a prison governor before retiring five years ago. In his presentation Here Comes the Failed Bank Manager, Ian will take you into the fascinating world of prisons, with stories about his time as a governor . Gail Oswald Times for all following meetings are 10.30am for 11am START Monday 26 April – Melanie Gibson-Barton: BRUGES: MORE THAN JUST CHOCOLATE ! This colourfully illustrated and wide ranging informative fun talk in which Melanie shows there is much more to be seen in this beautiful city. Bruges in Flanders, Belgium, is where she enjoyed her second home for more than 20 years; a city which is best known for its chocolate shops! Melanie will set out to prove that the Gothic city represents more than just this popular delicacy. Many audience members will have visited Bruges and this talk may well bring back memories, and also show that there is much more to see in this city to inspire a return visit to explore it further. Babs Spackman

Wednesday 12 May – Hazel Griffith: GRACE KELLY: PERFECT PRINCESS OR AMAZING ACTOR? Hazel had a career in banking but 20 years ago, she decided to make a lifestyle change and leave that stress behind. She has now discovered a role that combines her love of travel and photography with her skills as a presenter and researcher. She usually spends a lot of her time as a speaker onboard cruise ships. When not sailing, Hazel is in demand for talks to local groups such as u3a, National Trust and PROBUS groups. She enjoys dancing in her leisure time. During the lockdown of 2020 she used the time to develop her portfolio of talks. Hazel is going to speak to us about Grace Kelly, who lived a fairy tale life - or did she? Hazel explores her childhood, the relationship with her father, how she became an actress and then found the role of her life. Gail Oswald

Monday 24 May – Kevin Gordon: VICTORIAN GRAVEYARDS Kevin has spent many hours in old graveyards in and around Sussex photographing dedications, family names, interesting facts from old gravestones. These date back from Roman times and many bear hidden symbolism; others humorous messages and drawings depicting cause of death! One such illustration was of a young girl killed by horse and cart. Gravestones are very useful to us today as they can often be of assistance when researching family trees. Has your family lived in the same parish for many generations? If so, get inspired to visit your local churchyard and discover your ancestors’ secrets! Babs Spackman

2 Future Zoom Speaker Meetings continued Monday 28 June – Bernard Lockett: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SATIRE OF GILBERT AND SULLIVAN This was originally booked for February’s talk in 2020, but Bernard was unable to attend due to problems delaying him at the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival held in Harrogate, of which he is a Trustee. Bernard’s fully illustrated talk will consider the vast amount of social and political satire covering these G&S theatrical works of their era – the historical background and reasons for comment. He will take a wry satirical look at much of what was said, as it is just as relevant today as it was in Victorian days – dull MP's, for example, and a House of Lords that makes one wonder what do they do today – very little? Babs Spackman

Newsletter Proposal ——— Feedback Thoughts We plan where possible to implement a pdf version of the newsletter later in the year for those with email access. We would particularly welcome your feedback on the following issues, or any other aspect: 1. Was the pdf version easy to open and readable? 2. If you were to opt for a pdf version in the future would you print it out as a matter of course? 3. Would you be happy to receive only a pdf version in the future? 4. Would a membership discount of say £3 p.a. make you more likely to support receiving a pdf newsletter rather than a paper version?

Please let us have any thoughts and comments. Send to: [email protected]

Speaker Meetings on Zoom Our additional speaker meetings via Zoom have been well attended and Gail is to be thanked for organising these, in fact she has organised further exciting talks for April & May to complement our regular speaker meetings. For those members who have never attended one of these talks, it is essential that you download the application when prompted to do so when first opening the link. You will not normally need a passcode, once the app.is installed you will automatically join the meeting, you just have to click on ‘join audio’ or ‘join video’ when prompted to do so. For future meetings opening the link will send you direct to the meeting and you just have to accept the ‘join meeting’ prompts. George Webster

Christina Rossetti (1830-(1830 ---1894)1894) Christina had the quintessential Pre-Raphaelite face: spiritual, brooding, inward-looking, beautiful with a halo of dark hair. The artist was Dante Gabriel Rossettti, her brother. They were part of a clever, literary Bloomsbury family where all things Italian were revered. There were four children and their parents were Italian political exiles who believed in the importance of art, poetry and high culture. Unusually for the time, Christina was as highly educated as her brothers and no pressure was put on her to marry. She turned down three proposals, perhaps fearing that her vocation as a poet would be stifled by domesticity and child-bearing. In the Bleak Midwinter , Remember and Goblin Market are among the most popular of English verses. It is a tribute to this most subtle of poets that her work goes fro m the sensual to the sacred, from the seemingly childlike to the profound. She was also revered in her own lifetime. She published four volumes of poetry, two books for children and a collection of short stories. Hastings was popular with the Pre-Raphaelite painters and people recovering from illness. Doctors recommended the sea air, prices were low and the coming of the railway meant that visitors could scurry back to London when they pleased. Christina came to the town in 1864 when she was convalescing and it became a special place to her, as it was to Gabriel. She made a prolonged visit, staying at 81 High Street, and wrote: ‘ Perhaps there is no pleasanter watering place in England… than Hastings and the Sussex Coast.’ In 1873, Christina returned with her mother, to whom she was utterly devoted. According to her brother, William, with whom she frequently stayed, her deep affection for her family rarely wavered. Indeed, profound affection for her parents and siblings and deeply-felt religious faith were the driving forces of her life. Later they visited the grave of her one-time fiancé, Charles Bagot Cayley, a linguist, who finally proposed to her in 1866 after a long courtship. She declined, giving the reason of their religious differences. Despite their broken romance they remained devoted friends. His death traumatised her and her poem One Seaside Grave is believed to record this sad event. Disappointed affection, memory and yearning along with technical virtuosity are features of her poetry. She was a born poet and you can see this in her Juvenilia, which is startling in its maturity. Christina was adamant that her poetry was not personal in the sense of autobiographical, and its wide imaginative range backs up this claim. She was too reticent to write in a confessional way and the voice in the poems is a dramatic and effective one. Christina died of cancer in 1894. Her poetry is far too individual ever to have become fashionable but after initial critical neglect, perhaps because of its spirituality, she is now highly regarded, especially in America. Let us hope that her presence in Hastings Old Town will be acknowledged, along with that of her brother, Dante Gabriel. Maureen Connett

The Man Who ‘‘‘Invented‘Invented’Invented ’ The Dream Receptor!

He knew he was viewed as crazy when he assisted in the research laboratory. But he’d show them who was crazy! Since retiring, he had set up his own workshop, programmed the computer and created his specialised monitoring system. Six cats… all pretty feral once but all settled with him. There was Tabitha, Tallulah, Tristan, Tiger, Tess and Tootsie. They had come to him, because they knew instinctively that one day they could communicate further with him. He was already akin to their senses. He tried to explain his experiment with the other young assistant who showed interest to begin with. But she started to avoid him as soon as he talked about it. Just like the others. The monitor picked up the brainwaves as his cat family slept. His self-made computer program was inspired by the electrocardiogram. He had devised compact connectors, similar to small headphones and, whilst the cats slept, he gently placed them on each head. They never flinched, despite ears which were ever alert to danger even in sleep. The twitch of their mouths, the sudden jerk of a paw or a little grumble-mumble during sleep he recognised was their dream state. Monitor on, he took up his microphone, clicked on the set of images and watched them as they each appeared on the computer screen: tuna, salmon, dry biscuit food, tinned sardines (washed free of any extra salt) and chicken. ‘Which, Tabitha?’ he whispered, bending down to her pointed ear. It quivered in answer. This he repeated with the five remaining cats and then he checked each individual response by the lighting up of each chosen picture. It was tuna and once again all six cats had chosen the same! All six had been dreaming of tuna fish! How wonderful that they were so in tune, even during sleep. He was well pleased and later watched with such pride as the six of them gobbled greedily at their tuna dishes. He had known intuitively that food would be their main concern, their main dream subject. Next he must delve further into their unconscious, into particular parts of the brain that man had yet to realise existed let alone been able to tap into and visualise. What of mice, slippers, birds? What of the mating desire? The future looked full of further discovery… full of possibilities and he, he alone, had created a Dream Receptor! Cats today… monkeys perhaps later… and as for Man…. Where would it all end? He must ensure it was never abused, for surely all dreams should never be controlled. His six, satiated, companions sat back and washed their faces thoroughly and with the same left paw! Was that a smile spreading across each one’s thin, wet lips? The six mewed with pleasure and then they all looked steadily, expectant perhaps, at him... Linda Taylor

My Schoolboy Story

In the year 1939 Chamberlain said on the wireless that we were now at war with Germany. Until now we had been issued with gas masks, made blackout blinds and were thinking about a shelter. All that was happening seemed good fun to me.

Our house, part of the new houses being built at the time in the countryside, was on a hill overlooking Hendon Airfield. My father bought it in 1934 for £750 and had a shelter built underneath. Our road was called Hay Lane and it had elm trees growing on one side. At the bottom was the Edgware Road and down the other side of the hill was a small parade of shops and two thatched cottages. There was a very large outdoors unheated swimming pool where I learnt to swim and a larger grass area with a Scout hut and hall for local events.

I went to Oliver Goldsmith School when I reached five years old in January 1940. The school was built around 1934 in a very modern style with big curved windows and a large play area. I walked to school through alleys and was told that if the sirens went off and I was past a halfway point I was to run to school; if they went off before, I could return home. After my first day I felt I would rather be at home, so I walked very slowly to this point in the hope I could go home. When the sirens did not go I had to run really fast so as not to be late for the school bell.

The older children had shelters in the playground. We drank our milk ration here in glass bottles – they were very cold, which I enjoyed. Our teachers read Charles Dickens stories to us – some of which I still remember – and we also listened to tales on the wireless.

Ray as a Scout WW2 Gas Masks WW2 Wireless made in 1947 for home use £12.5s

I returned to the school 75 years later to find that the air raid shelter was now the cloakroom, used as it had only small windows high up and steel beams. What had seemed very large to me had now grown smaller!

Ray Broomﬁeld

Lasting Power of Attorney ––– a Zoom presentation by Gaye Illsley

Gaye introduced herself by explaining that she had worked in IT for 30 years and been a u3a member for 3 years. She is now semi-retired and providing services to help families care for loved ones.

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

A Lasting Power of Attorney is an important legal document to record your wishes for the future and choose in advance those who can make decisions on your behalf should you not be able to. It’s often likened to an insurance policy – you hope you’ll never need it but your family will be very grateful for your foresight if you do. It’s the only way to have your say about who you trust to manage your affairs and make things as simple as possible for your loved ones.

There are two kinds of LPA: Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare. You can have one or both. They can be created online or with paper copies. Many people mistakenly think that because they have a will in place, or a joint bank account, it’s not necessary and that if needed their next of kin will automatically take over the running of their affairs. However spouses and children have no automatic right to act on your behalf. If there is no LPA they may have to apply to the Court of Protection to be appointed as your deputy – a long, complex, costly, intrusive and stressful process. Banks can and do freeze accounts – even if they are joint – if one account holder loses mental capacity. Besides managing your financial accounts, an attorney can claim and receive monies, deal with your tax affairs, pay your bills and all medical costs, and manage or sell your property. For the Health and Welfare LPA an attorney can decide where you live and with whom, agree your care and medical treatment – including life-sustaining treatment or your wish to refuse it, and arrange your daily routine. You can determine these decisions in advance.

Options and cost to put LPA in place: DIY – Cheaper but RISKY! £82 per document with a long guide and documents, can fail to work when needed Solicitor – expensive, generalist rather than specialist Specialist – fixed price (can be up to 50% less than solicitors’ fees), end to end service.

Some people have already got an Enduring Power of Attorney – but this only deals with financial affairs, is not as flexible as an LPA and consideration should be given to replacing.

Gaye gave some useful examples of case studies to highlight what could happen if no LPAs were in place and if they were. For more information, or to arrange a virtual tea and chat, please contact Gaye on 07469 181181 or [email protected] or contact your local Age UK. Rosemary Bartholomew 7

Crocheting in Lockdown

I have been crocheting teddies during lockdown. Have made 28 so far – is this a record? Here are some of them. Every bear has its own individual character. I always make the head first, then the character appears, and I can name them. Next I decide on their outfit (sometimes with their help!). How many names can you guess? They all begin with B. (Answers on page 15) Ella Hodsdon

An Invitation We will shortly have a need for a new Groups Co-ordinator due to the imminent retirement of Lynda Wood. This is an exciting opportunity for a member to step forward and help shape the future direction of your u3a. Full details of the duties involved can be found on the website, alongside the job descriptions of the other committee members. Your u3a can only function if members put themselves forward to take on the responsibilities of managing the local organisation. Your committee is eager to improve and expand the offerings of H&R u3a, however this can only happen with the active participation of the membership. So if you share our ambitions please put yourself forward and help to make our u3a the best it can possibly be. I look forward to hearing from you. George Webster

A Good Read The book I have chosen this time is one I read last year, couldn’t put down and thought would be a good one to review for members. Most of you will know the name of the author, George Alagiah, who is currently a newsreader on the BBC Six O’Clock News, and has appeared on our TV screens as a newsreader, news reporter and otherwise for many years. My Good Read is entitled A Home from Home, by George Alagiah, subtitled From Immigrant Boy to English Man , and is part memoir, part political treatise. That may sound rather off-putting but this book doesn’t simply rehearse familiar issues. Statistics are laced with interviews, anecdotes and observations in a brave, perceptive and humorous way, without attributing shame or rebuke. George is an immigrant twice over. When he was a child, his family emigrated from Ceylon (as it then was) first to Ghana and subsequently to Britain. His is a unique and deeply personal perspective on the private struggle faced by all immigrants. The Sunday Times’ comment on this book was: ‘His descriptions of learning the language and customs of this barmy little island are ruthlessly honest and often extremely funny” – very apt. There is no doubt George worked to ‘fit in’, and in 2002 he returned on holiday to Sri Lanka, some forty years after he left it. He says in the book, “Even as I set off for Heathrow Airport, I began to realize that this was a journey not just from one part of the world to another, but from one place in my head to another. The flight would be the bridge from the part of me that felt British to the part of me that wondered if there was any of Sri Lanka still left in me..... This is not about citizenship. I am British. This is not about where I call home — it’s London. This is about a feeling . What do you do when you discover a home away from home?” This book succeeds magnificently in enabling the reader “...to walk a mile in someone’s shoes...”; i.e. to understand a person's background or motivations or experiences before criticising him. Alagiah’s story brings the immigrant experience and question of national identity vividly to life. It was first published by Little, Brown in 2006, and in paperback by Abacus in 2007. Having read this book, I decided to read Alagiah’s earlier book, Passage to Africa, a story starting when he was a child in Ghana, and continuing when he worked as a foreign correspondent in other parts of the continent. This book was first published in 2001, revised in 2007. I am enjoying this one too! Anne Pasco

Keeping Up-Up ---ToToToTo----DateDate With the sun shining as I pen this article my thoughts are turning towards summer holidays, so let’s all hope that we can all enjoy a good holiday this year wherever that may be.

Please remember that you can keep up-to-date with what is happening locally via our Hastings & Rother Facebook page and nationally via the u3a Keeping in Touch Facebook page. The national newsletter is also available to you via a link on the welcome page of our website so, if you haven't already done so, join the 30,000+ members who have already signed up; it is highly recommended. George Webster

Scotland’Scotland ’’’ss Most Unusual Poet

What Scottish heart doesn’t swell at the mention and celebration of the life and literary works of Scotland’s greatest writers: Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott and Arthur Conan Doyle? To this list should be added the name of a Scot who came very close to getting the Nobel Prize for Literature (the only one never won by a Scot!) for his life’s work in Esperanto, receiving three nominations! As an Esperanto speaker, I am thoroughly familiar with the many misleading claims against this ‘artificial language’ and one of the most widespread myths is that it certainly can’t be capable of expressing beautiful and noble thoughts at the level of great literature. Such statements are often expressed by people who know nothing about it.. Its most famous 20 th century poet is William Auld, a native born and Gaelic-speaking Scot from Dollar, a town of 2,800 people in Clackmannanshire, 12 miles east of Stirling, the residence of Mary, Queen of Scots. Auld was devoted to Esperanto and didn’t want to be called a ‘Scottish poet’. He is certainly regarded as one today, even if judges of his work had to read his most famous poem, La Infana Raso (The Infant Race) in English translation. This poem explores the role of the human race in time. Auld sees man as still a child, an infant who has yet to attain his full stature. Although he was overwhelmingly appreciative for his renown, he harboured a sadness at not being better acknowledged in his native country. In spite of the recognition he received, people in his home of Dollar were unaware of the literary giant in their midst. In the late 1990s, the local museum decided to hold an exhibition honouring the writers and artists who lived locally and it had to be pointed out to them that they had omitted Bill Auld, an error they quickly corrected with a museum in his name! In 1999 when he was first nominated for the highest literary prize, the goal of every serious writer, he told The Guardian in an interview: ‘ I am a realist. If I was writing in English and I got ignored I would be pretty bloody offended. I am not a popular writer… It is wonderful, a great honour, to be on the shortlist.’ He never failed to promote and defend Esperanto, saying in that same interview: ‘Of course it is artificial; it is derived from art like Beethoven’s ninth symphony is an art. ’ He returned to Glasgow University after the war and in 1947 Auld became an English teacher. In 1952 he published his first book Kavropo (Quartet) along with three other Esperanto poets. These four exerted significant influence on the evolution of Esperanto literature across the world.

Norman Berdichevsky Poet William Auld

Meeting Kirk Douglas, the Hollywood Legend

Watching the film Champion (1949) on Talking Pictures the other day brought back memories of when I met Kirk Douglas, the film’s star. In the movie, Kirk gave an unrelentingly aggressive performance as the ruthless Midge Kelly; this role set a template for him to become a great movie star noted for the intensity of his acting. In 1977, I was in Hollywood to promote a film synopsis for a story entitled Il Penseroso , or The Hanged Man ; the first title of which was an allusion to the melancholic poetry of John Milton, whereas the second title refers to one of the twelve trumps or Major Arcana cards in traditional Tarot decks. Within a few days of my arrival in Los Angeles, I had a pre-arranged appointment to visit the offices of the Bryna Company to discuss the project face-to-face with the head of Kirk’s film production organisation, which was one of his four sons. No, it was NOT the elder son, Michael, who was about to become as big a star as his father, but rather it was Peter, Kirk’s third son, who was then aged just 21! The office was situated in El Camino Drive, which was just behind the wonderful Beverly Wilshire hotel located on Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills. If you have seen the wonderfully- romantic Pretty Woman (1990), you will understand what I mean. Just before 11am, I entered the office of the Bryna Company. Expecting to see only a secretary (possibly?) and my appointee, Peter Douglas himself, to my utter amazement, there was Kirk, the great man himself, standing there; he had obviously made himself available to greet this young (very well-dressed) film executive fresh in from England! Few things even then fazed me in life, but, momentarily, Kirk’s unexpected presence did throw me. I remember somewhat burbling away to him, how delighted I was to actually meet him (which was certainly true), and how much I had enjoyed so many of his film performances, such as The Vikings (1958). After these pleasantries closed, coupled with my rapid recovery to normality, Kirk withdrew to leave me and Peter to discuss The Hanged Man proposal. I had met Peter a few times since, and then, one day, not that long after my first visit, I met Kirk again in the Bryna offices. He had a great poster, framed, hanging on his wall, of his theatrical appearance in 1963 in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest on Broadway. Douglas had retained the rights to make a film version for over a decade before it was finally made some twelve years with Jack Nicholson, in 1975; by then, Kirk was deemed too old for the part of ‘Randal McMurphy’. I shall certainly not forget Kirk Douglas. And what happened to the project to make a film of The Hanged Man ? Well, the answer to that is the subject for another day... John V. Watson

Slippery Customers

I love my allotment. There. I’ve said it. I’m a confessed herbophile and I’ve come out of the shed. I have luscious lettuces, beatific beetroot and titillating tomatoes. However, amongst the innocent Little Gems, Improved Burpless and Yellow Stuffers lurks a nasty piece of work bent on counter-decimation; it destroys nine tenths of my crops. Perhaps we do feel a pang of guilt if we have happily witnessed slugs foaming to a salty demise. I suppose their only use is to be boiled to make glue for cheap envelopes… so they say. But what is the truth about slugs? Most slugs – though not all – have a vestigial shell, and they are hermaphrodite. This is where we see their true nature. They mate through apophallation – this involves penis entanglement, and the dominant one chews off the other’s wotsit so they can separate. Nice. Some slugs are also carnivorous and are so nasty they eat other slugs. Obviously they got the taste somehow. Mostly water, slugs are prone to desiccation and must produce mucus to survive, the snotty lot. Worst of all, slugs eat my vegetables but never touch the bindweed, couch grass, docks or dandelions. There is a vicious side to these viscous marauders, and we must remain phlegmatic in the fight to control their numbers. All I can say is hooray for frogs, toads, snakes and slow-worms, and the birds and beetles which are on our side and consume the slippery scallywags. So, at a time when food standards are under threat, how do we eco-friendly kitchen gardeners cope with these beasties? Snails are easier. Pick ‘em up and lob them onto the road for the cars or the lawn for the birds, or simply crush with a well-weighted welly. Slugs, if you pick them up and squeeze, go blip and shoot across the flower bed to the boundary. It’s just not cricket. Copper rings or crushed eggshells just give them a perverted thrill, and I refuse to waste the last draught of Harvey’s best bitter in a beer trap. It’s too good a death. Napalm is going it a bit, and, though I garden organically otherwise, the one weakness I have had in the past is the dreaded blue pellet. The old metaldehyde or methiocarb types (bad for the earth and other animals apart from the slugs) are finally about to be banned from March 2022 and have been surpassed by ferric phosphate pellets which not only last longer but break down to provide iron in the soil. Doff, Growing Success and Vitax are three manufacturers with pellets widely available. The best control is through nematodes, wee beasties that infect the slugs with fatal disease. The best known and trustworthy brand is Nemaslug. Directions need to be followed carefully.

Steve Hall

A Week in Devon Last December 15 th , when Hastings was in Tier 2, my husband and I went down to Tier 2 Devon to spend a belated wedding anniversary celebration at the Osborne Hotel in Torquay. Our large windows overlooked the sweep of the bay, where several huge cruise ships were lurking, no ports being able to take them. The spectacle of the ships all lit up at night was quite magnificent. We booked visits to two National Trust properties during our stay. At Knights Hayes, the house wasn’t open but the extensive grounds were, and the café had a selection of delicious sandwiches on sale. We had never been to Greenway, Agatha Christie’s country retreat, so we were thrilled to have the chance to see it. The writer made notes for her novels there, later moving to a nearby hotel to write them up. She would make use of the railway station nearby, now closed. The car park for Greenway is quite a way from the entrance, and the walk up to the house allows time to appreciate the luscious landscaping. The gardens hold surprises at every turn, the winding paths culminating in stunning views. Inside, the main room is exactly the kind of setting that would have been familiar to Poirot. Dominating the space is a large portrait of Agatha Christie as a young girl, looking extremely uncomfortable in a concoction of pink ribbons and frills. During our week in Devon, Hastings had been placed in Tier 3 and it was in Tier 4 by the time we finally arrived home. I am so glad we were able to experience something like ‘normality’ again, by taking advantage of that small window of opportunity. Now that the Government’s vaccination programme is in full flow, let’s hope that ‘normality’ for all of us is not too far away . Lin WestcottWestcott

Youth Hostel Memories I was reminiscing about youth hostelling in my schooldays, and it occurred to me that other members may have similar fond memories. I am the convenor of the Walking (Shorter) Group, but have never discussed hostelling with members. In my teens, though, walking and hostelling were synonymous! At school, we obsessively collected the hostel stamps and tried to tick off all the hostels in the handbook. I have been reading The Salt Path by Raynor Winn, about the South West Coast Path. I got out my old youth hostel cards, to remind me where I had stayed around that coast. Then my new 2021 YHA membership card dropped through the door. I started looking at the 2021 hostel map and was shocked that many hostels that I remember are no longer on the list. My first ‘school walking tour’ in 1965 used Exeter, Maypool and Salcombe hostels – all gone. I remember some fantastic buildings, like the water mills at Winchester and Houghton (near Huntingdon). Both are now National Trust properties, but at least St Briavel’s Castle is still YHA. At the other end of the scale were the ‘simple’ grade hostels. The mid-Wales simple hostels including Ystradfellte and Ystumtuen are gone, but Black Sail Hut in the Lake District is still hiding away in the fells. In the 60s, hostels were stricter; wardens were usually both authoritarian and eccentric. One warden used to wake guests with the bagpipes. I doubt we were called ‘guests’ back then! Everyone had to bring or rent a ‘sheet sleeping bag’ to protect the grey woollen blankets on the bunks in the communal dorms. In the morning, the blankets had to be folded in the prescribed manner. Guests were allocated ‘duties’, such as washing-up, or mowing the grass with shears! There was, though, a good social side – there were many local hostelling groups, and some hostels had rallies or events such as the folk dance nights at Ivinghoe in the Chilterns (gone). Beyond schooldays, my hostelling became more intermittent. At Uni I took my future wife, Jackie, hostelling in the Brecon Beacons, and we subsequently (not consequently) honeymooned in a YHA tent carried in YHA rucksacks. As a family, we used hostels for a long walk down through Wales, and also while cycling the Ring of Kerry. At Keld, the halfway point of the Coast-to-Coast walk, I finally decided that the sounds and smells of the men’s dormitory were no longer for me. We last stayed in hostels in 2000, for the Roman Way walk in the Lake District. By then, you could arrive by car; there were family rooms, modern bedding, daytime opening and no chores. Twenty-one years since that stay, I remain a member, just in case! Also, membership does get you a good discount at the outdoor stores. Are any of you still hostelling? And what is it like today ? Steve Gibbs

My Lockdown Fantasies of Kerala, India, in Oil Paints

Like so many other souls belonging to the u3a, my life was massively hijacked by the over- whelming events of the last months, caused by the covid pandemic. One of the hopeful ambitions I shared with my wife was our plan to visit the south-west of India, namely the part called Kerala. This was due to take place in October of last year but, unsurprisingly, had to be cancelled to an unspecified time in the future.

By way of consolation, I locked myself in our summerhouse during the spring and summer months when I took to my painting brushes where I lost myself in making a few small paintings inspired by a travel brochure.

PatrickPatrick Davies

Answers to Ella’Ella ’’’ss Crocheting in Lockdown from page 8 Back row (l to r) : Billy, Babs, Bing, Brenda, Bertie, Bobby, Bella, Bart, Barry. Front row (l to r) : Bruno, Bradley, Buster, Bob, Bernard, Bertha, Basil, Butch, Bridget, Brian, Benji On the arm : Blue, Betty, Bruce (unfortunately cut in half!).

Editorial Spring is here and we trust everyone is feeling better, and looking forward to the year ahead. If all goes according to plan we can look forward to seeing each other soon and experiencing some normality at last!

Many thanks to all who contributed to this issue – it makes a versatile and interesting edition and we hope you will enjoy seeing your work included. This time and next both a printed copy and a pdf will be sent so you can compare them. Hopefully you will also send in your comments as requested, so that a decision can be made and a selection printed in the summer newsletter.

Best wishes to everybody from the Newsletter Team Rosemary, Val, Anne and Chris.

For inclusion in the Summer 2021 issue please send by Monday, 17 May 2021, but please note earlier submissions appreciated.

Email: [email protected] Post : 39 Emmanuel Road, Hastings, TN34 3LB

Contacts Chair George Webster [email protected] Vice-Chair Mike Wilson [email protected] Business Secretary Raquel Berdichevsky [email protected] Treasurer Gail Oswald treasurer.hru3a @gmail.com Assistant Treasurer Josephine Noyce [email protected] Membership Secretary Bruce Henderson [email protected] Minutes Secretary Jenny Meteyard [email protected] Groups Coordinator Lynda Wood [email protected] Venues Coordinator Carol Crossley [email protected] Initial Enquiries Tricia Jobling [email protected] Speaker Secretary Babs Spackman [email protected] SUN Representative Valerie Greenwood [email protected] Beacon Administrator Tricia Jobling [email protected] Website Administrator George Webster [email protected]