ISOLATION NEWSLETTER Num 10
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ISOLATION NUMBER 10 A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE. And let’s hope that we all get to see each other sometime this year. Hopefully all of us have had our first jabs by now, apologies to those who haven’t, and many will know when their second jab is due. At least Spring is on its way and the nights are getting lighter. My garden is beginning to show signs of life with snowdrops and crocus flowering and other bulbs beginning to come up through the ground. From my kitchen window I can see catkins on the railway embankment. The latest news from the Government with the plan to gradually open up the country makes it important to keep checking the website because this will tell you when we are able to meet again and the plans for the groups later on in the year. www.u3asites.org.uk/stockport Also, I am quite happy to keep producing these newsletters until we are able to meet again, so please keep your contributions coming. Ruth Faulkner, 14 Silverdale Road, Stockport, SK4 2RN [email protected] 0161-442-4370 Finally, EVERYBODY TAKE CARE AND STAY SAFE Stockport u3a Calendar In 2005 Beryl and I had a holiday in America visiting our son. The oldest of his daughters had just started primary school and each day we took her and collected her. Each year the pupils were asked to make drawings of their friends, teachers, Mum and Dad etc. The best of these were copied then sent to a firm which made up calendars from these pictures. I thought that this was a super idea, and I could use it. My son pointed out that it was easy enough to do the whole job yourself rather than pay someone else. At this time, I was helping Brian Jones with the computer group and we thought it would be a good subject for the class, so we taught how to adjust photos and make a grid which is how a calendar is made up. From this starting point I made the first calendar for sale and then for use in 2006. There were just over 200 members in the u3a at that time so, being optimistic, I made 100 selling at £3.50. Only 58 were sold so there was a lot of wastage. Geoff Goodwin made up the grid, as he has every year since, and I did the rest. This first effort took me a month to print and assemble and I was beginning to wonder whether such effort was worthwhile. I persevered for the next few years before finding a printer who would print the pages, but I had to use a combing machine to insert a plastic comb as a backing and I also had to make the hole for hanging the calendars up. Neither of these exercises were difficult but time consuming. I then found Prontoprint who would do the whole job for the same price as it was costing me to do myself, so the price stayed at £3.50 and the slight profit that was made was passed on to the treasurer, Cecil Brooks, who ran a separate fund for purchasing items that needed replacing from time to time such as lamps and batteries. Prontoprint prefer to use a wire spring for holding the calendar together instead of a plastic comb so those of you who have kept the calendars through the years can tell when the change was made. Instead of being a one-man-band we now have a calendar group. Vivian Bath – sorts photos and passes them to me to be made into pages. Those who buy the calendar will appreciate her skill and the way montages are made up to convey the intended message. Geoff Goodwin – who makes up the grids and passes them to me as pages. Beryl – who has taken on the job of marketing since giving up the foodies. I assemble the calendar and make up a prototype to pass to Prontoprint. Once the calendars are printed, I pay the bill, put the calendars in envelopes and then help with distribution. Traditionally the photos are of our groups and the more members we can include the better. I was once told ‘people are vain, if they know they feature in the calendar they will buy one’. I am not sure that is totally true! The current calendar is rather different because of the circumstances we find ourselves in. All the comments I have received have been positive but where do we go next year? Ideas by email or telephone please. The cost of printing has increased so I need to charge £4.00 to break even. This year £5.00 was charged to cover postage to people who were difficult to get to. The cost to post was £1.83 second class. With the aid of volunteers, the majority were delivered by hand. I have mentioned that I sold 58 in 2005 and only 60 in 2020. The membership has increased considerably in that time; is a calendar still wanted or needed? Beryl had to make 32 telephone calls to determine if a calendar was being ordered, this should not be necessary if the interest is there. Ron Emerson [email protected] 0161 449 9259 A BALLAD OF THE BATH Blistering Shingles is an itchy thing – You lose a lot of sleep – The fifth night in I ran a bath Of water, warm and deep. The luxury of lying there, Sheer bliss without a doubt, I soaked and soaked; then, mortified, Found I could not get out! Impossible for David too But he knew who to ‘phone. “Help is on the way”, he said ….. (Had I time to cover bone?) In gold pyjamas, bath now dry, I greeted them (no longer bare), The men in green with gloves of blue When they bounded up the stair. Youngsters too they seemed to me But sturdy both and strong. “Can I get into the bath with you?” Said one, “It won’t take long.” “Feel free”, said I (for ne’er before Had I a chance like this), Chucked something in behind me, He climbed in – nought amiss. He lifted, passed me to his mate Who sat me on the toilet lid To take blood pressure and more Which very soon he did. So, all was well and off they went Much too polite for snickers. I grabbed the black thing from the bath – He’d been standing on my knickers! I’m aching from the struggle, Like having lost a fight. I’ll fix a grab rail on the wall. Next time I’ll be all right. Author unknown Poem sent in by Judith Sumner. She said in her e-mail “I don’t know if you’ll find a suitable Google photograph, though!” Its amazing what you can find when you look, although the ambulance man has no blue gloves. STOCKPORT MARKET Andy Dugdale sent me these photographs of Stockprt Market. Do you recognise any body? See how the views have changed. Look at the prices. Have you any memories of Stockport market you would like to share in a later edition, I’ve other pictures to use? Check out the trousers on the gentleman on the left. STOCKPORT WITHOUT ABUSE Barbara Marriott contacted me with this letter which she thought could go in the newsletter. Kathleen Thompson and her daughter had very kindly made the most beautiful, knitted baby clothes and blankets. They also collected a lot of toiletries for the Mums. Barbara took them to Stockport Without Abuse at Christmastime and Rachel and her team were thrilled. Barbara is going to give the letter to Kathleen. Congratulations to Kathleen and her daughter. (I’ve re- written the letter so that you can all read it.) Dear Barbara, I am writing on behalf of all the staff, trustees, service users and children at Stockport Without Abuse to thank you for your extremely generous donation of hand knitted baby jumpers, toiletries and blankets for the children and women we support. As a local Charity we are incredibly grateful for your ongoing support. We’ve faced unprecedented challenges and demands for our services in the past year but have received astonishing support from our community every step of the way. I hope you have a safe and peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year. Thank you again for your support. Yours sincerely, Steph Mallas CEO Stockport Without Abuse. TALES FROM CHESTER ZOO Charlton and Pansy could be seen at the top of their tree, The best place for two smart chimpanzees to be. Charlton was an actor and Pansy was a potter, They read the Jungle Telegraph and drank designer water. They spent their summers in Waikiki And winter you’ll find them après ski. They mix with the stars of stage and screen In fact they are definitely on the scene. On Sunday morning they were having brunch That’s posh for breakfast when its nearly lunch. Pansy reads the glossy mags like Jungle Life and Queen That’s when she startles Charlton with a scream. She’d seen an ad, entitled “Lose your blues, Choose the zoos.” Have a look at this Charlie, Chester Zoo does class dos. For weddings and such like They even have a human trained to wait on table on a bike. We could have a Palm Court Orchestra And a tent out on the grass With humans in the background Now that’s what I call class. Cancel Crakow, Cork and Crewe Let’s have a do Charlie Send a chimpanzee mail to the zoo.