Local Organisers: MM&S Margaret Ellis, Mary Graham & Sandra Bagatti Newsletter Editor: Viv: [email protected] Registered Charity No: 295198 www.nwr.org.uk Copydate: 26th August 2020 4th LOCKDOWN Edition Dear All With lockdown easing, we hope you are all keeping safe and well and that at long last where possible you have been able to see some of your families in person. For us at Kenton it is business as usual, keeping up our annual traditions, with a big thanks to Viv for hosting the annual pub crawl including the trip down Memory Lane…..well done Viv for a most enjoyable evening. This month we will be discussing the Big Read books and whilst there are still travel restrictions, a virtual tour of Finland- the Country chosen by HO. The Telephone Trail , another tradition, is still taking place with some creative thinking in terms of logistics - details in a separate round robin. In case you haven’t realised, it is holiday season and schools have broken up for Summer Holidays so there will be more children out and about. If any of you are planning a getaway, enjoy yourselves and be safe. Best wishes MM&S Happy Birthday wishes to Margaret H for 2nd August ZOOM ETIQUETTE We have all been on a steep learning curve mastering Zoom and now at last we have at least grasped the basics. Please remember not everyone is tech savvy; some may be experiencing problems joining the Zoom meeting at the start. Should this occur, we will pause the meeting to allow the late joiner to get themselves ready and if needed give some advice before they mute themselves. We are all here to support each other in these difficult times and need to be sensitive to others’ physical and emotional wellbeing. Our aim with Zoom meetings is that they should be lighthearted and enjoyable for all. ZOOM ETIQUETTE AND PROTOCOLS Please don’t sit there eating your lunch, nobody wants to watch you munch! Sit not too high and not too low. Too much cleavage try not to show. You might think you’re the main attraction but keep still — moving around causes distraction. You can download a backdrop of library books - to show you have brains, not just looks! Hiding your treasures is a good point - someone out there might be casing the joint! At the very start of the meeting, with others you can share a simple greeting. You can see your friends and give them a wave, although in truth it’s their company you crave. After that you must mute and stay shtum or others will hear what is said in your room. Don’t interrupt and take the speaker to task, but raise your hand if you’ve a question to ask. And if for some reason you must leave your seat, use ‘video off’ your picture to delete. Speak on the phone while Zoom is playing, you will loom large and we’ll hear what you’re saying. To taking it easy we’ve all adjusted, but hopefully our brains have not rusted. There’s a whole virtual world outside of your room, once you’ve mastered the basics of Zoom! THURSDAY 6TH AUGUST – THE BIG READ- 8pm Tonight, we will be discussing the books we chose to read as part of the NWR Big Read, after which our comments will be sent to HO. The three books we chose were The Ballad of Peckham Rye, The L Shaped Room and Black Diamond. There are copies of the books in circulation; if you would like to read one of them, please have a word with Sandra. FRIDAY 7TH AUGUST – RUMMIKUB GROUP 2.15pm The organisers are leaving this open to those who play Rummikub to decide what they would like to do via Zoom. TUESDAY 11TH AUGUST – ANOTHER ZOOM PLAYREADING 8pm Like many of us, Glenda is having theatre withdrawal symptoms and has requested we do another Zoom playreading ……………Viv has a set of The Importance of Being Earnest! If you are interested, please let Viv know ASAP so she can organise delivery/postage of scripts. Handbags optional!!! THURSDAY 13TH AUGUST – OUR MONTHLY WALK Following a circular walk of approx 4 miles, we will meet at 11am at the bottom of Ledway Drive (off Toley Avenue/Preston Road) for a walk around Barn Hill and Fryent Country Park. Bring a picnic. MONDAY 17TH AUGUST – FINLAND (HO COUNTRY OF THE YEAR) 8pm Finland is the country HO chose for this year which we originally had scheduled for April. We will have a virtual tour round Finland and other interesting facts about the country. Unfortunately, we will only be able to sample any of the country’s cuisine remotely, although on first looks the choice is quite limited. ST FRIDAY 21 AUGUST – THEATRE CLUB:OPERA HOUSES & CONCERT HALLS 2.15pm As we cannot visit any theatres at the moment, we are going to have a study group on opera houses and concert halls. There are lots to choose from, so please let Lucille know which one you are going to talk about. Thursday 3rd September – Monuments 8pm Wednesday 9th September – Our Monthly Walk Friday 11th September – Book Club : Author: Anne Tyler 2.15pm Monday 14th September – National NWR AGM and Events Details TBA Daytime Tuesday 22nd September – My life in 5 objects 8pm REPORTS OF MEETINGS WEDNESDAY 1ST JULY – VIRTUAL TOUR OF MANCHESTER (in lieu of our planned trip) To visit the City you can get a ticket on the hop-on-hop-off bus for £6 for two days. Good value, so off we went. Adeline started the tour talking about the sculptor Thomas Heatherwick who commissioned the ‘B of the Bang’ to mark the 2002 Commonwealth games and was installed next to the City of Manchester Stadium. It took its name from a Linford Christie quote. He said he started his races at the ‘B of the Bang’ of the starting pistol not the bang. It was a tall leaning structure with metal spikes at the top. It was commissioned in 2003, unveiled in 2005 and dismantled in 2009 because of structural problems. Despite promises of it being reinstated, this has never happened. We then moved to the Manchester Ship Canal which was dug out by hand. Jackie told us that it had five sets of locks which could take ocean going vessels; ships could sail from the ocean straight into the Canal. It is 36 miles to the Irish Sea and took six years to construct. In the 1830s Manchester was the greatest industrial city in the world and cotton was the main commodity. Eve popped into the Trafford Centre to the John Ryland Library in Deansgate. Ryland was the first millionaire in Manchester with 17 mills and 15,000 employees. 40,000 books were purchased from Earl Spencer. The Library which looks like a cathedral, has been extended four times and is open to the public. You can take a pre-booked tour which is free. Sandy took us to the Shambles Square which was a street of butchers. The square housed many inns and the Arndale Centre was built nearby. Sandra then showed us Manchester Cathedral which has lovely wooden carvings inside. It has been damaged a few times. It is a Grade I listed building and you can take a tour between 10am and 4pm Margaret E suggested that we could stop for lunch in one of the many Michelin Restaurants and whetted our appetite with a Pizza from Rudy’s, which is supposed to be the best in the UK ………..and of course a glass of wine. I’m sure everyone had a good tour on the bus and hope those on the top deck did not get too cold. Margaret H THURSDAY 9TH JULY - ART AFTERNOON IN PINNER MEMORIAL PARK This was to replace the Art Afternoon scheduled in Sandy’s garden, which even with easing of lockdown would not have been possible. But although the park had lots of potential for those who wished to bring their sketch books, on this drizzly afternoon our ‘arts were not really in it. So, as Daisy’s was open, the six of us preferred and enjoyed a welcome, long awaited, and socially distanced natter over coffee and cake! We’ll meet again…………. Viv FRIDAY 10TH JULY – ZOOM BOOK CLUB – TRAVEL WRITING As at the time of planning physical access to libraries was not available, we thought we would have a wider topic - something you might find on your bookshelf. So today we discussed books involving travel. Delia had read - Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. Gulliver’s six trips to unlikely destinations showed up the stupidity, selfishness and corrupt nature of humankind and was a very vicious satire on society . Delia found it a bit longwinded but still very relevant. Adeline read - Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. Phileas Fogg is a rich man in 1872, who takes on a £20,000 bet to go round the world in 80 days The book is the story of his adventures and mishaps. Adeline enjoyed it and found it easy to read . Louise read -The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - a mix of science fiction and love story. A man has a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel unpredictably. Not an easy thing to cope with, especially if you are his partner. Louise enjoyed it and said it caught her imagination. Janet read - Mother Tongues by Helena Drysdale. It is about her travels around Europe in a camper van with her children and husband.