THE COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN Vacant Sturminster Newton Newsletter VICE CHAIRMAN Bridget Pyle
TREASURER Daphne Dee
SECRETARY Angela Wallington
An international movement that encourages retired / semi-retired MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Hazel Belben people to take part in lifelong learning activities for pleasure. There are no prior qualifications, no exams and no degrees awarded. GROUP COORDINATOR Andrew Rowden
SPEAKERS’ SECRETARY David Wingate
NEWSLETTER EDITOR Joy Boot & WEBSITE
COMMITTEE MEMBER Judy White
COMMITTEE MEMBER Carey Pearce
COMMITTEE MEMBER Vanessa Davidson
https://u3asites.org.uk/sturminster-newton
The Keep Fit Class https://www.facebook.com/groups/sturminsternewtonU3A/
Third Age Trust: www.u3a.org.uk Registered Charity No: 288007 Sturminster Newton U3A Registration No: 771/750/0922
February / March 2018 ISSUE 50 2 Vice Chairman’s Report DATE OF NEXT BI-MONTHLY MEETING
It is nearly the end of Our U3A year and it has been a good year. Our membership has risen during the year from 171 to 197 and there are now at least four new groups; we certainly are thriving.
Enclosed with this newsletter are all the details of our Annual General Meeting, held before the speaker at the next bi- monthly meeting on Thursday 19th April, together with the Minutes of the previous AGM and a nomination form. Two of the committee members are happy to take on the roles of 19th April David Boag Chairman and Vice Chairman and someone has come forward 'DAVID HAS THE REPUTATION OF BEING A LIVELY AND to take over as Treasurer from Daphne. If, however, you would ENTERTAINING SPEAKER' like to become a committee member, please fill in the nomination form and return it to Angela. I think we should give Daphne Dee a big thank you for doing such an excellent OUR GREAT BRITISH MAMMALS job as Treasurer for the last four years. ‘We may not have dramatic lions or elephants but we still have Can I remind you of our annual Open Morning on Monday 19th a variety of fantastic British Mammals. Our Serengeti dramas March. It is a good opportunity to meet all the Group Leaders are played out on a smaller stage where predators and prey and see just what you could join. Why not bring along a friend, sneak through the grass undercover of darkness. I have not so that can see what the U3A has to offer. It is also a good photographed every British mammal but most of them are opportunity to pay your subscription for the coming year. A represented in this talk. Of course many are small, secretive renewal form is enclosed with this newsletter, so please fill it and nocturnal - features that make them fascinating and add in and bring it along with the money to Hazel who will be in to their mystery. Their illusiveness makes photography a attendance all morning from 9.30 til 12. See you then. challenge but my images will enable you to get close views to enjoy their secret lives and discover many fascinating facts.’ Bridget Pyle
3 4 STURMINSTER NEWTON U3A MEETINGS GROUP COORDINATOR’S REPORT OPEN TO ALL 01258 820840 All meetings start at 3.15pm and are in the Bow Room of The Exchange. email: [email protected]
The entry fee is £1 for members and £2 for guests, which includes tea/coffee and
biscuits. I trust that those of you who belong to a group (or groups!) You don’t have to be a member of the U3A to attend. Everyone is welcome. are really enjoying your regular meetings - I know I am! It is good to meet up, share skills and knowledge and enjoy
DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS fellowship over a cup of tea or coffee. I am happy to report that we have at least two new groups starting - Playford 19th April David Boag Dancing and Pilates. There has been an excellent response Wildlife Photographer to these when they were first announced by email, so much 21st June Francis Burroughes so that there are now two groups meeting for each one! Glass There is also a possibility that a quilting group may start up in the near future - watch this space. 23rd August Suzanne Kempe New Forest Ponies If any of you have got skills or talents that you are hiding 18th October Charles Minoprio away, why not share them with other members by starting a Master of Wine new group yourself? See me in the first instance if you are A big thank you to Angela for organising the fund raising coffee morning - see interested. page 9.
Finally, as ever, on behalf of all group members may I take this opportunity to thank each group leader for their sterling work in organising and running their group - we really do appreciate the time and effort you put in.
Andrew Rowden
5 6 Astronomy John Savage 01258 473838 Book Club (2) cont. The weather has been almost continuously unfavourable for observing, but we It is Werner’s talents for radio and Marie-Laure’s father’s love of broadcasting have had regular scheduled meetings. On December 4th we noted that the group which draws them together in a doomed meeting. We found the novel rather was a little more than a year old. I talked about “How to Enjoy Astronomy” a over-populated and over-explained, possibly more of a Young Adult genre than kind of “hints and tips” journey and pointing out that there is plenty to see when literary fiction. the weather does cooperate. But expectations have to match the reality that we are looking at dim, very distant objects and that UK weather is uncooperative! Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things’ saw us well over Christmas and On January 8th other members gave talks on the scale of the solar system and the new year; a huge book which rather defied categorising. With elements of universe, the New Horizons Mission featuring particularly Pluto’s moons. There biography, scientific textbook, travelogue and Mills and Boon, its 580 pages took was a talk on William and Caroline Herschel and the museum at their Bath home. us from Richmond on Thames to Peru to Holland to Philadelphia to Tahiti, back to We also had an update on the fly-by we recently had from the only extra-Solar Holland and ending up in America; not without merit, this is a doorstopper of a System object to visit us that we have yet detected. On February 5th, I reprised book which would have benefited from a less breathless author, and a more part 1 of “Celestial Mechanics” which described how we record where objects in aware editor. We all wanted Alma’s story to be highlighted, rather than the sky and how the Solar System works. subsumed in extraneous and unlikely sub-stories. The next meeting, on March 5th, will conclude the Celestial Mechanics presentations with more detail on how our Solar System and views of the skies As an antidote, a draught of clear fresh water after so much fizzy pop, we are evolve in the longer term and addressing the motion and apparent motion of reading Kazuo Ishiguro’s ‘Nocturnes’, his short story cycle of music, nightfall, stars. regret and unfulfilled promise. The Nobel Prize for Literature author is at his wry, unadorned best when looking at the struggle to maintain and build Plans are afoot to visit the Herschel Museum of Astronomy in Bath, probably on relationships, and this story cycle stays in the reader’s mind long after finishing April 28th. it.
If you would like to join, or just get some information, contact me; We would always welcome another reader to our group, so please get in touch if (01258 473 838) or [email protected]). interested.
Book Club (1) Brenda Stables 01258 471487 Canasta Audrey Groves 01258 471242 Members of our book group suggest titles they might like to read taken from a Ten of us met on the 23rd February at my house. We had a table of four and a long list provided by our Dorset library service. The list covers all genres table of six, and of course the usual tea and cake! including biographies, classics, prize winning novels and best-sellers. We therefore have a variety of reading matter, ending last year with a crime novel Coffee and Conversation Renee Hyland 01258 471242 set in Dorset - A Private Patient by P.D. James and starting 2018 with a History of We are full at present. Love by Nicole Krauss - a story of love and loss. Cribbage Hazel Belben 01258 473934 Book Club (2) Ines Somerville 01258 471788 Join us for a really friendly game of cribbage, nothing too serious. Meetings are Our reading over these cold dark months has taken us far and wide. Anthony every fourth Monday. Doerr’s ‘All the Light we Cannot See’ is a hefty novel, set in a war torn Europe, where the blind, French Marie-Laure and the young German, Werner, are destined to meet. cont.
7 8 Digital Photography Angela Wallington 01258 475255 History Jill Curtis 01258 475427 The digital photography group continues to beaver away raising funds for our The History Group has temporarily abandoned the British Monarchy and the charity Brain Tumour Research and things are going very well for such a small members are now taking it in turn to research and present a topic of their own group, watch this space for a final figure in the next newsletter. We are holding choice so we are getting lots of variety. We have covered so far: Composers of an exhibition of our photographs in the Exchange during March so I do hope that the Georgian period; The History of the Tower of London; The Rowntree you will find the time to pop in and have a peep at them. One thing that has Foundation and Social Reform in Benjamin Rowntree’s time and The Crimean War arisen as a result of this frenetic period of photograph taking is the fact that one and the History of the Victoria Cross. Topics in the pipeline are The History of or two of us would benefit from a master class in ensuring that your work is not Clothing, the Suffragette Movements and the Bayeux Tapestry and many, many out of focus (we never said we were ‘professionals’!) We are hopeful that our more! ‘Oracle’ Mr Tony Boot might set us on the right road at some point during 2018 – I’m a great believer in the saying that ‘every day is a school day’ – it certainly is If our new format appeals to you new members are always welcome. where photography is concerned. So as we welcome springtime I see a few field trips lined up where we can put into practice/hone our existing skills and just Keep fit Audrey Groves 01258 471242 have some fun – it’s what we do best. We have welcomed a new member to our Attendance is good at the moment because we are all trying to work off our fold this month and, as ever, all new members are warmly welcomed. As with all Christmas excesses! U3A groups you can of course try us out first to see what you think. If you would like to join us I have a couple of spaces. Every Thursday 10am - 11am in the Stour Hall of The Exchange. STOP PRESS! On the 22nd February, we held a fundraising coffee morning to add to our tally Knit & Craft Hazel Belben 01258 473934 raised so far for Brain Tumour Research. I just want to say a huge thank you to Come along for an afternoon of crafting of your own choice: knitting; embroidery; everyone who contributed to this event. We raised a marvelous total of £465 in parching and even colouring, which is nice and relaxing. It’s a very friendly the space of only two hours which is just wonderful. None of this would have afternoon with lots of chat, tea and cakes. been possible if Hazel Belben had not opened up her home for us to hold this event so a huge thank you to you Hazel; nor indeed would it have been such a Line Dancing Wendy Gredley 01258 446436 success without the generous donations of cakes, cookies, raffle and tombola Our Line Dancing group is doing well under the new leadership of Wendy Gredley, prizes and of course all of you who attended and spent so generously. very much helped by members of the group who know the dances better than she does! We all have a good time and enjoy ourselves, and as we are being By the end of March we will be able to add this total to the proceeds from our constantly encouraged to live healthier lives through exercise, this is an excellent cards (just a small handful remaining if anyone is interested), the sale of your way of improving our fitness and having fun at the same time! Line Dancing is generously donated books, DVDs and CDs and the counting up of the small coins not difficult, although it does take practice to memorise the steps, usually at that some of you have been kind enough to donate. least six sessions before it all begins to fall into place. The cost is just £2 a Finally we will be proudly exhibiting our favourite photographs in the cafe at The session, you can come and go as you please and we are always pleased to see new Exchange during the month of March and, should any of these take your fancy, members. prints (framed or otherwise) will also be sold at affordable prices - all profits from Luncheon Club (Tuesday) Anne Harding 01258 473649 this venture will also go to the charity. We went to the Coppleridge in Motcombe for our Christmas lunch which was very good. The January lunch was at one of the best at The Kings Arms at East Stour Thank you again to all of you who helped to make this such a success. Angela Common. February we went to another favourite, The White Horse at Stourpaine and the March lunch will be at a new venue at The Anvil at Pimperne near Blandford.
9 10 Luncheon Club (Thursday) Sheila Jarman 01258 471435 Playford Dancing Jill Danning 01258 475557 There was no group luncheon in January, being so close to the Christmas and the The dancing is commonly referred to as “Playford” dancing as a result of the first New Year festivities. After discussions, the February luncheon was held at The collection of dance moves and tunes to be published by John Playford in 1651. It Pen Mill Hotel. It was well attended and most of the attendees agreed that it now refers more to the style of dancing that has been continued over the was a success. It was also agreed that the same organisational system would centuries. continue throughout 2018 as it seemed to work well. Members have already offered to arrange most of the luncheons for the coming year. The membership There is room for a few more at the Friday morning session but more people continues to be strong, 29 in total. would be helpful at the Tuesday evening one. Men would be very welcome too, there’s nothing to fear! Mahjong Hazel Belben 01258 473934 This is an interesting Chinese game played with tiles. Why not give it a try, there Session details: is plenty of help if you haven’t played before. The third Tuesday in the month 7.30pm to 9.30 pm started 20th Feb (except April which will be on 2nd Tuesday) nd Opera Appreciation Muriel Moss 01258 473852 The first Friday in the month 10.30 am to 12.30 pm starting 2 March The Opera group has welcomed new members this year. We continued with our Dancing and music are known to be very beneficial to wellbeing and the ageing more in depth study of Puccini's works with a talk in January by Gerald Zwirn in brain! So if anyone new would like to join they can contact me via email address which he highlighted some arias from Puccini's major works. We will continue or by phone - 01258 475557 [email protected] with Madame Butterfly at our monthly meetings. Some of the members went to Cineworld for the live performance of Tosca [ROH]. A very long deviation due to overnight roadworks, made it a long night out and was stressful for our driver. Both sessions are held at the Sturminster Newton Methodist Hall and the cost is However, we are not deterred from future visits but will take a SATNAV next £2. time! Play Reading & Drama Bridget Pyle 01258 475378 Our World (Natural History) Mary Spurr 01258 471888 Group 1: We started our group in February with a different approach on the forming Our We are still having very enjoyable play readings twice a month. Recently we World, we are reading 'Life on Earth ' by David Attenborough, he looks at the have read an adaptation of ‘Tess of the Durbyvilles’, rather interestingly done development of plants and animals instead of the geological aspect that we but, of course, rather sad. We have also tried to read Chekhov ‘Three Sisters’, considered before. surprisingly dull and long winded, but an education! We are now reading a very lighthearted Noel Coward comedy, ‘Relative Values’. He explains everything in an easy and understandable way and we are looking forward to exploring his version of how our planet evolved. Of course the Play Reading & Drama Hazel Belben 01258 473934 bottom line is that everything came into being from bacteria in a primeval Group 2: puddle of slimy grunge! As usual we have had a very mixed selection of plays which makes it more interesting for us as we don’t know what they will be like until we read them. Pilates Sarah Wallington [email protected] Our last two were Amy’s View by David Hare and The Potting Shed by Grahame There has been a huge take up for this exciting new group. Details of dates and Greene, both very unusual! times on the current groups page 11. Please contact Sarah to check availability if you are interested.
11 12 Quilting Liz Wray 01258 473890 Theatre Visits Ines Somerville 01258 471788 The first session of this new group will be held at Newstone House, Stourcastle, Our 2018 season is planned, and we have already enjoyed our first visits to Sturminster Newton, DT10 1FF, in their cinema room on the ground floor, from Salisbury Playhouse. ‘A Passage to India ‘ was generally well received, and the 10.00am to 12.00 noon on Wednesday 7th March 2018, and fortnightly thereafter. group appreciated the minimalist setting and staging. I was delighted to have sixteen members at the Monday post production discussion, where so many ideas If you would like to join or have any queries or questions, please contact Liz Wray and impressions were shared. This is such a valuable addition to our outings, and on 01258 473890, for me, invaluable feedback, which I can share with Salisbury Playhouse. or email [email protected] Although all tickets are sold for the March, April, and May productions, I really appreciate having a stand-by list for returns, and am happy to hear from anyone who would like to join us; just contact me, preferably by email. Skittles David Wingate 01258 471903 I do have five places left for our trip on Saturday, 30th June, for the production League commitments at The Old Ox Inn have meant that our meetings have been of ‘Whisky Galore’, a grand, rollicking tale which should be an hilarious finale to somewhat sporadic, but we have enjoyed our sessions, displaying varying degrees our summer season. of expertise or incompetence. We have four more sessions booked before the end of March when we break for the Spring/ Summer, resuming in the Autumn. Ukulele Andrew Rowden 01258 820840 Please let me know if you are interested in joining in and I will be sure to advise Numbers in the group remain steady, although we are never closed; so if you you of future arrangements. would like to learn the ukulele then please do contact me. We had our first STOP PRESS! performance at the December bi-monthly meeting during mince pies and wine. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and we hope we brought a little bit of Annual Skittles Match Christmas cheer to those present. This year we are enlarging our repertoire with Sadly, after a sleepless night spent going over tactics and reviewing missed songs like Folsom Prison Blues and Wild Rover. We are also learning new opportunities, I have to report that we only managed a podium finish. The team strumming rhythms - this is a little tricky but we are gradually getting the hang from little Sturminster Newton was narrowly beaten by the metropolis that is of it. We hope to have another gig in the Spring! Blandford.
Social Bridge Maggie Peers 01258 472253 The Bridge group is very sorry to announce that one of its members, Val Leigh, sadly passed away a fortnight ago. Our condolences go to her family, and she will be much missed.
The group still has 8 members though, and we are hoping for some new recruits, to allow for absences. We aim to meet on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month, at 10.00 a.m. at members’ houses.
The next few meetings are scheduled as follows: 23 February; 09 March; 23 March; 13 April
We are a friendly and informal group, so if you are interested in coming to try us out, please contact me, details on the current groups page 12.
13 14 Walking Karine Litton 01258 471968 Wine Appreciation cont. The start of this year has been a challenge with the weather, to find routes that The tasting showed that it is an area worth getting to know, particularly the dry are walkable without to much mud and water. The first walk was a lovely one Rieslings and spicey Gewurztraminers, but Alsace is not cheap and we decided to along the Trailway from Shillingstone to Durweston and back with its views of the defer tasting the Pinot Gris vendange tardive 2008 from Hugel until later when it hills and was almost a rain free morning. Next came a walk high above the river can be compared to other fine sweet wines. to Hinton St Mary, around the village and back through the stunning Avenue of Beech trees to return to base, very muddy in places but good. Last Tuesday the Yoga Ines Somerville 01258 471788 rain was relentless and very cold but three of us walked part of the Durweston As I write, the weather remains stubbornly cold, grey, wet and windy; we did Jubilee Way and for one and a half hours we slip slided our way across the hills Salute the Sun this morning, so we do try to send our energy, love and and back to the car but we enjoyed it. Bring on the Spring! compassion out to the universe. A lovely group, which remains full.
Wine Appreciation Charles Minoprio 01258 471538 We met on the 15th November 2017 to taste 5 wines from Argentina - the I am the business owner of a new tea room in Stourpaine, North Dorset. Mendoza region - a viognier; 2 chardonnay’s at different price points; a malbec We are situated just off of the North Dorset Trailway in Stourpaine. and a cabernet sauvignon, the vines all growing at between 3000 and 5000 ft. above sea level and relying almost entirely on irrigation from the snows of the We happily cater for walking groups and refreshments can be pre - Andes. The wines all came from Majestic and we thought they showed very well ordered for your arrival. - at least I did! Serious quality wine production is a fairly recent event in Argentina, driven by the need to export and encouragement and advice from the MW Institute. They deserve a pat on the back. Our Facebook page is https://facebook.com/EdieMaes
At our get together on the 20th December 2017 we tasted 5 wines from Italy, the I would like to extend an invite to your members of the U3A and offer largest wine producer in the world and one of the oldest. The wines from the them a 10% discount in our Tea Room. Veneto, Piemonte and Tuscany all showed well and were an indication that quality generally in Italy is improving in spite of the some what eccentric system We serve breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and lots of cake. Gluten free of DOC and with much prodding from us about leaving wines in wood too long. It and dairy free diets catered for. is a curious fact that the finest wines in Italy are not allowed DOC status! We also have an Art Gallery and feature over 30 Artists Designers and Organising the wines for our meeting in the new year proved quite difficult, as Makers all under one roof. We offer creative workshops too! there are few stockists of ‘serious’ Alsace wine, but Majestic and the Wine Society came up with the goods and the standard was high. Unlike other French AC districts, Alsace wines are named after their grapes, as they are in most wine We open 8 - 4.30pm Tuesday-Friday producing regions of the world. The marketing problem in the UK is that we 10 - 4 Saturday and Sunday confuse the dry Alsace with sweeter Rhine and Moselle, as they both come in the Closed Monday except bank holidays then 10-4 same flute shaped bottles. Thank you Claire
15 16 And Finally…….! Please go to our website where you will be able to contact any of our committee or group leaders. Do let us know if you have any suggestions for new groups; ideas that To be sung to the tune of “My Favourite Things’ from the Sound of Music! you would like to share or if you would like to run a group. https://u3asites.org.uk/sturminster-newton Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting, Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings, Monday Weekly 1st Monday 2nd Monday 3rd Monday 4th Monday Bundles of magazines tied up in string, These are a few of my favourite things. 6pm Pilates 2pm Mahjong 2pm Mahjong 2pm Cribbage
Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses, 2.15pm Play 2.15pm Play Reading Group 1 Reading Group 1 Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses, Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings, 7pm Astronomy These are a few of my favourite things. Tuesday Weekly 1st Tuesday 2nd Tuesday 3rd Tuesday 4th Tuesday When the pipes leak, When the bones creak, 3pm Line 2pm Play 2pm Play When the knees go bad, Lunch Club Dancing Reading Group 2 Reading Group 2 I simply remember my favourite things, And then I don't feel so bad. Garden Croquet 2.30pm Book 2.30pm Our Summer Only Club 1 World Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions, 7.30pm Playford No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions, Dancing Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring, These are a few of my favourite things. Wednesday 1st Wednesday 2nd Wednesday 3rd Wednesday 4th Wednesday Weekly
Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinin', 10am Yoga 10.30am French 10am Ukulele 10am Ukulele Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinin', 3.15pm Opera And we won't mention our short shrunken frames, 10am Quilting 2pm Scrabble 2pm Scrabble When we remember our favourite things. Appreciation 4pm Wine 2.30pm Book 5.30pm Pilates When the joints ache, When the hips break, Appreciation Club 2 When the eyes grow dim, Then I remember the great life I've had, Thursday 1st Thursday 2nd Thursday 3rd Thursday 4th Thursday Weekly And then I don't feel so bad. 10am Keep Fit Lunch Club 10.30am History 10.30am History
6pm Boules Please do contact me if you have any ideas, suggestions or comments Summer Only you'd like to share in future editions of our newsletter. Friday Weekly 1st Friday 2nd Friday 3rd Friday 4th Friday The newsletter is published quarterly in February, May, August and November each year, so if you have an article for publication in the 10.30am 10am Social 10am Digital 10am Social 10am Spanish May edition, please submit it to me by email at Playford Dancing Bridge Photography Bridge [email protected] or phone: 01963 250507 2pm Knit & Craft 2pm Knit & Craft by the 20th May 2018 Thank you! Joy Additional Groups that do not meet on set days or times:
17 Bridge / Canasta / Coffee & Conversation18 / Outings / Skittles / Theatre Visits Walking