January 2021 [email protected]
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RAYLEIGH GRANGE U3A Newsletter - Edition No. 124 2021 Welcome to the January Newsletter MONTHLY MEETING AND ALL GROUPS CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE FROM THE CHAIRMAN I must start by addressing my somewhat over-optimistic comments in the last newsletter. Having moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3 in the run up to Christmas we were again restricted in our daily lives. I sincerely hope that you were able to see your families on Christmas Day, perhaps by Zoom this year, given the further move to the new tougher Tier 4 restrictions. I know this was a difficult juggling act for some of us and everyone had to do what was right for you. I also hoped that we might have been able to resume our monthly meetings March/April, but even with the vaccine being rolled out it will probably not now be possible until May/June at the very earliest. We will obviously keep you updated via the Newsletter and website. On the subject of the vaccine, please be sure to read the latest scam warning received from the Association of Essex U3A’s. Let’s hope that 2021 will be the start of us resuming our normal lives. Bob Farrow CYRIL’S GARDENING NOTES It has been a funny year for plants. I have so much still blooming that should have finished by now and some plants that should not be in bloom until January and February. Hopefully the end of Covid- 19 is in sight. Wishing you all a Happy New Year QUIZ – General Knowledge 1 1. Which sea food is named from Italian 2. In which county is Wookey Hole? for shrimps? 3. Which country was divided by the 38th 4. What sport is associated with Bisley? parallel in 1945? 5. What type of plant is Traveller’s Joy? 6. Which museum is now on the site of Bedlam Hospital? 7. Which flower is named after the 8. Which film comic was born William French for Lion’s tooth? Claude Duckenfield? 9. What is a Serval? 10. Which substance takes its name from baked earth? Answers on page 13 2 HYDE HALL GLOW All “Glow” photographs by Ann C-O We ventured out in the early evening in mid November, both of us trying hard to remember the last time we had been out at night!! We arrived at Hyde Hall for a walk through the gardens at their Glow event, not quite sure what to expect. There were quite a lot of people there, all well wrapped up and all socially distancing. After entering we were told about the lighting, which was carefully measured to make you aware of 2 metre spaces and so we set off, firstly through the Cottage garden area. The lights were so colourful, shining up into the shrubs and trees, giving a completely different feel to the garden. The architecture of the plants was really apparent and the darkness and light was stunning. We followed the twinkly light path along the lower newly laid bark pathway, looking up the hillside to the upper beds. There again, the colourful lights illustrating the borders was spectacular. The photographs don’t really do it all justice. The pathway meandered along the lower level of the garden back towards the lake, where a couple of wooden cabins had been built. There we bought doughnuts and hot chocolate before walking through the Winter garden and so back towards the shop and exit. We kept looking back towards the hillside to get a last glimpse of the beautiful lights. This is the first time that RHS Hyde Hall has held this event and I think they are surprised that 17,000 tickets sold out in a very few days. We just hope that the event becomes a regular feature at this garden, which we have visited many times, but in daylight, over the last few months. Ann C-O 3 JOBS FOR JANUARY IN THE GARDEN 1. It’s time to prepare for growing in the year ahead: dust and scrub your pots, trays and labels. 2. Clean and sharpen your tools and, if necessary, replace tools. 3. If you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to eat more healthily, try simple sprouting seeds: quick, easy and delicious in salad. 4. Check that the seeds you intend to sow are in date and stored in a cool, dry, mouse-free container. 5. Keep on clearing winter debris from your beds and mulch them with leaf mould, bark or compost: watch out for emerging bulbs! 6. If you have a patch of perennial weeds, now is a good time to tackle it before the weeds begin to grow again. 7. Continue harvesting leeks, kale and parsnips. 8. Prune autumn-fruiting raspberries to soil level. 9. Provide food for the birds in your garden. 10. Place a seed order, as it will soon be time to start sowing onions, cabbages, parsnips, leeks, sweet peas and calendula. HYDE HALL - GLOW 4 Here's how to make your own bird cake to hang up What you need (makes several): 1 cup of bird seeds Half a pack of lard or suet Pine cones (optional) String (optional) How to make the bird cakes: There are two options for these hanging feeders: either they are formed around knots on a piece of string, or around pine cones. If you are making hanging bird cakes using pine cones, first make sure that their scales have opened out, because the mix needs space to stick. You can open them out by placing them in a sunny spot or somewhere warm like in an airing cupboard or on a radiator – for a good few days. Let the lard or suet get to room temperature and cut it into small pieces. Mix the lard or suet, seeds or peanuts together in the bowl. The RSPB recommends using mixtures that include flaked maize, sunflower seeds and peanut granules. Take a handful of the mixture and press it into the spaces between the scales. Then tie some string tightly around the pine cone and hang it from a tree. If you don’t have any pine cones, simply tie some big knots all along the length of a piece of string and squeeze the bird mix over these, then hang the string from a branch. If the mixture is too runny you may need to wrap it in some grease-proof paper and refrigerate. Hang up your bird cakes! As far as possible, try to hang the feeders out of reach of cats. A good tip is that a thin branch will bear the weight of feeder and small bird, but not the weight of a cat. 5 QUIZ – General Knowledge 2 1. In which country was the first 2. What were the first names of the Women’s Institute group founded in Wright brothers who flew the first 1897? aeroplanes? 3. In which city is Princes Street the main 4. How many sides has a 20p piece? shopping centre? 5. How many metres in a mile? 6. Which camel has two humps? 7. How many kings called James has 8. Of what is pinchbeck an imitation? Scotland had? 9. Who composed our national anthem? 10. In which county is Scafell Pike? Answers on page 13 6 FURRY, FEATHERED AND FUNNY FRIENDS! During this year we’ve been giving more time to encouraging animals to visit our garden. Here are a few funny stories and photos that have resulted from this: We installed 2 stone bird baths – would the birds bathe in it? NO! But next door’s cat enjoyed drinking from it and large numbers of bees also liked to paddle and drink!!! We constructed a bird table, halfway up a fence – supposedly out of cat reach. Lots of birds visited, including ‘Bertha’ an extremely overweight pigeon who waddled around and almost overbalanced on take off! The stale remains of a gorgeous Dundee cake found its way to the bird table, where it was eagerly consumed – by another cat! After seeing a visiting squirrel we attached a small container to the fence to hold nuts. A handful of ‘monkey nuts’ went out each day and mysteriously disappeared the minute we turned our backs. Eventually we did see Sammy the squirrel helping himself. We also saw a blue-tit land on the edge, grab a large monkey nut (almost as big as he was) and just about manage to take off again, while carrying it. And a magpie apparently swallowed a monkey nut whole! Here’s one of our visiting cats – looking distinctly unimpressed with lockdown! We have just been given a top of the range 'hedgehog home' and are eagerly awaiting, with some trepidation, to see what creature decides to inhabit it !!! While we are on the subject of funny animal stories – how about this photo taken in the New Forest in September, which we have entitled ‘What time is the next bus to Lymington?’. The pony stood there for well over 15 minutes! Do you have any funny animal stories to share? Keith and Alison Rutledge 7 A WARNING FROM ESSEX POLICE BEWARE OF VACCINATION SCAMS With the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine beginning, residents are warned of criminals seeking to exploit the pandemic further. Fake Text Messages & Calls Basildon has been one of the worst affected areas in Essex for Coronavirus and as a result, scammers have been targeting residents with fake text messages. Essex Trading Standards have warned that the messages ask residents to click a link in order to book their vaccination, before proceeding to take personal details and payment requests.