- Queen's Jubilee
- The Coordinators discussed, at their recent meeting, whether we should be taking some action to celebrate the forthcoming Jubilee and the overwhelming opinion was that we should.
We are therefore planning to hold a Jacob's Join garden party on Monday 4th June in Windermere.
If you would like to attend, or require more details please 'phone or e-mail the Chairman, Alan Hands.
- The Low Wood Cannon
- When passing the Low Wood Hotel, have you ever noticed a small cannon situated on the end of the pier? It is a replica of one that was used in the 19th century for the benefit of tourists (not to shoot them we hasten to add).
Pat Campbell and Dorothy Wearden have offered this extract about the cannon from Thomas West’s A Guide to the Lake District, published in 1778.
“The Low Wood Inn, about two miles short of Ambleside, will attract the tourist’s notice. No other inn in his route has so fine a view of the lake, and the natural beauties of which he is in quest. A small cannon is kept here to gratify the curious with those remarkable reverberations of sound, which follow the report of a gun, &c., in these singular vales, and of which a general description is given in the subsequent lines.”
“——————————— The cannon’s roar
Bursts from the bosom of the hollow-shore,
The dire explosion the whole concave fills,
And shakes the firm foundation of the hills,
Now pausing deep, now bellowing from a-far,
Now rages near the elemental war:
Affrighted Echo opens all her cells,
With gathered strength, the posting clamour swells,
Check’d or impel’d and varying in its course,
It slumbers, now awakes with double force,
Searching the strait, and crooked hill and dale,
Sinks in the breeze, or rises in the gale:
Chorus of earth and sky! The mountains sing,
And Heaven’s own thunders thro’ the valleys ring.
Killarney. X.”
- Winter Bird Spectacular at Caerlaverock
- Anyone who saw the recent TV series, Flight, will know what a beautiful bird the barnacle goose is. Every winter thousands of these geese fly in from Norway to overwinter in Scotland so that is where the Natural History Group went in March to see the spectacle of these birds flying.
You hear them before you see them and then hundreds fill the sky in their typical V formations before grouping round and landing in the fields.
It is not just barnacles, of course. - Caerlaverock, where we met up and spent the first day, is also noted for its whooper swans (pictured), who also prefer the Scottish winters and who come in regularly to be fed and monitored.
We met at 10.30 in time for coffee in the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre before going to a hide for the 11am feeding. The noise was deafening as more and more birds flew in: whooper and mute swans, various ducks and a few pigeons hoping for some leftovers. Rather like the pub lunch group, when the food arrived all went quiet and we were able to enjoy the sight of so many of these birds at really close quarters.
- At the centre for a 1pm lunch we had a large table in the exhibition room to ourselves (perhaps they had heard how noisy WE can be). After lunch, in bright sunny weather, we explored the rest of the site calling at the various hides. A particular feature, which many of us enjoyed, were the yellowhammers that landed on the bushes making it look as if the otherwise lifeless branches had suddenly sprung blossom.
- We overnighted in our various B&Bs but got together in the evening for a very good meal at a restaurant in Dumfries.
- Wednesday was much colder with occasional showers but we went to the RSPB reserve at Mersehead, where I was delighted to see a grazing flock of 200 or more pink footed geese in a field.
Altogether we spotted 44 different species in our extremely successful trip. Do come with us if we do this again.
Jacky Truelove
- News from the Groups
Herewith recent news from some of the groups.
The groups' pages contain the meeting details along with some 'older' news to keep this Home page topical and manageable!
The Diary pages contain more details of all the meetings.
- Gardens
- Holker Hall
- On 23rd April the U3A Garden Group visited Holker Hall.
As usual it was very impressive. The colour schemes for the tulips were fantastic yellows, cream, purple, pink, white, red - you name it it was there. And so many - hundreds and hundreds - how they plant them all is quite amazing.
Fantastic tea room too with very large cake portions! A good time had by all.
- Calgarth Park
- Please note that, on 25th June, our visit is to Calgarth Park and not Calgarth Hall as stated in the Newsletter.
- Southport Flower Show
- The August Garden Trip is planned to visit Southport Flower Show.
Bibby's of Ingleton are running a day trip on Friday 17th August @ £12.50 per person- admission not included.
Pick up point is Kirkby Lonsdale Square at 7.45 am.
If you are interested please contact Bibby's themselves.
- Garden Group visit to Mungrisdale
- The Garden Group visited Chapelside in Mungrisdale for the August 2011 meeting. The setting for the garden in this remote valley is delightful. Read the full report under the 'Gardens' banner:
- Genealogy
- This newly formed group’s initial aim is to share knowledge and experiences of exploring family history, including topics such as ways of recording your family tree, public records and web-accessible databases.
Whether you are an experienced genealogist or a complete newcomer who would like to delve into your family history, if you would like to join us drop in on a first Monday of the month.
- Photography
- Competition: In February, as a pre-run, we had a very constructive 'photo-critique' of pictures we had taken in preparation for entry in the National U3A competition. One of Barbara C's images - 'Mist in the Langdales' - stood out , but more for a panorama-type picture rather than a 7"x5" as in the rules. So as not to lose this picture we have added it to the Members Gallery. Any more for the Gallery?
- To attract new members and refresh existing members the Group has devoted meetings from November 2011 to a “structured” Photography Course aimed at beginners and those wishing to improve.
- The evenings include both theoretical and practical sessions.
Time will be devoted at each meeting to a “photo clinic” when members will be encouraged to bring along and to talk about their own photographs and to raise any problems they have encountered.
Tips will be given on how to improve your photos and to solve problems.
There will also be guidance on the order in which photographs can be improved with image-editing software.
- Ospreys
The Science group hosted a talk on The Bassenthwaite Ospreys
in March.
The speaker was Phil Cheesley who is associated with the Whinlatter Osprey work.
There was a bumper turn-out from many groups in our U3A.
- Theatre / Entertainment Travel Network
- Gwyn Jones is proposing a scheme for members to help each other with transport to local entertainment.
You will find this scheme under the 'Theatre & Concert Group' banner:
- Living History
- A Visit to Ladywood, Grasmere
- On 15 November the Living History Group spent an absorbing afternoon at the home of the Hon. Christopher Morris, founder and Life Member of Ambleside and District U3A.
Read a full account under the 'Living History' banner:
- Romans by the River
- There are three articles on the Local History page []written by members of the Local History Group who helped at the excavations at the Galava Fort at Waterhead this summer.
- High Fells on the Map
- Three of our intrepid High Fells Walkers recently found that they each had just one Wainwright to 'bag'.
By careful forward planning over many years before they knew each other, they found that they all had the same last one to climb.
So, what better than to plan the expedition together and to celebrate afterwards in a manner the High Fellsers know best.
- Well done, David, Dudley and Stewart!
The event is recorded in the Picture Gallery, along with a photo of the essential ground support crew (H&S!).
- Stewart's report is to be found under the 'High Fells' banner:
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- Numbers!
- The Coordinators wish to remind you that as members of A&D U3A you can join as many of the groups as you wish and do not have to limit yourself to only one or two – so get out there and try something different!
Also, you do not have to "join" groups, although it is wise to check with the coordinator before going along to a meeting in case arrangements have changed.
- Advance Notice
- A date for your diaries: we are holding an open day on 13th October at the Marchesi Centre; more details in the next newsletter.
- Another date for your diaries: there will be a quiz evening at the Marchesi Centre on Saturday 10th November, 6.30 to 11pm.
More details and a registration form will be in the autumn Newsletter.
- The Memorial on the Hoad
- Many of our members will probably have noticed the ‘lighthouse’ overlooking Ulverston as they have driven along the main road to Barrow, and maybe they know that it is a memorial to a man called Sir John Barrow who was born in Ulverston in the late 1700s. But perhaps not many members know what he did to make him merit such an outstanding tribute from his fellow citizens.
- At a recent meeting of our Local History Group, member Don Elliott told the story of Sir John, who was born in 1764 to a poor farmer on the outskirts of Ulverston. He attended the local grammar school until he was 14, when he left to seek his fortune elsewhere. He became the private tutor to the son of an aristocrat in Greenwich, which led to him being included in a two-year diplomatic mission to China and then going in 1795 as the personal secretary to the first Governor-General to the new British Cape Colony in South Africa. There he surveyed the country to produce its first definitive map and organised the first census of the whole population, and was so highly thought of that on his return to London in 1803 he was appointed as Second Secretary to the Board of the Admiralty, a post he held for the next forty years.
By 1815 the end of the wars with France meant that much of the British Navy was facing redundancy but John Barrow used his position to persuade the Admiralty to organise and finance British expeditions to unexplored areas of the world, particularly to try to open up the ‘North West Passage’ as a short sea trade route to China and India. As a result, by the time Barrow retired in 1845, twelve separate expeditions had been sent out under such famous names as Ross, Parry and Franklin, and although the passage was never found by them, Britain’s role as the leader in international exploration was firmly established.
John Barrow was elected to the Royal Society in 1806, was a founder member of the Royal Geographic Society in 1830, and was created a baronet, Sir John Barrow, in 1835. He died in London in 1848 and left monies in his Will to endow Ulverston Grammar School. The grateful citizens responded by raising £1,250 to erect the tower on Hoad Hill, which you can still see and visit when it is open, usually from Easter to late October on Sunday afternoons. It is well looked after by the Friends of Sir John Barrow Memorial who have an excellent website, www.sirjohnbarrowmonument.co.uk, and Don encouraged all U3A members to climb the hill and enjoy the monument and the view.
- Olympic Torch
- Prof John Merritt, one of our stalwart High Fells walkers, has been chosen to carry the Olympic Torch through part of Cumbria.
His stint will be up on the West coast. Congratulations John!
- Slavers and Traders Study Day
- Saturday 22nd. October saw our first try at running a study day with a series of talks based on a local theme.
It proved very successful and a full report is on the Local History page:
- Crosswords - A First!
- Congratulations to the Crossword Group for having one of their gems published in the Autumn 2011 issue of 'U3A News' (page 7).
To show how versatile they are, another crossword appeared in our own Newsletter in October 2011. This is reproduced here, on the Crossword Page.
ANSWERS. The answers to this are, as promised, here at the click of a button:
- Reading Group
- The programme to July 2012 is listed in the Diary Pages. The books for later months are as follows:
- August - No Meeting
- September 5th - The Childrens Book by A.S. Byatt
- October 3rd - The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
- Walking Groups
- 2012 Autumn Walking Break
- This is being arranged for Monday September 17th to Friday September 21st 2012 at Halsway Manor, Crowcombe, Taunton.
- Halsway Manor is the National Residential Centre for Folk Music, Dance and Song and is recommended to us by our members, Joan and Reg Curphey. The Tudor manor house nestles in the western folds of the Quantock Hills and has magnificent views across Exmoor. For further information visit their website (www.halswaymanor.org.uk). Also the coordinators have some leaflets on Halsway Manor which they will try to distribute.
Please book early to avoid disappointment.
- U3A Science & Technology Network
- There is now a website set up (See link below) for the U3A Science & Technology Network at the request of U3A science coordinators.
- The idea is to provide a nationwide hub for U3A science groups and the National Coordinator would welcome suggestions for improvement: ie.what use would such a web site be to our group?
- There are also plans for a science newsletter and for a list of U3A speakers willing to talk to neighbouring groups, further details about which are to be found on the 'About' page of the web site.
- ARMITT MUSEUM & LIBRARY
- CENTENARY 2012
- The Armitt's centenary year of 2012 has come and the Museum is planning a spectacular series of events which they hope local residents, organisations and businesses will be proud of. They would like to involve as many people as possible and would welcome ideas and contributions. To be involved or just to be kept up to date with progress, e-mail the Armitt - the link is at the bottom of this page.
There is a photographic competition for scenes around Ambleside.
- From U3A Signposts:
Free Basic Computer and IT Skills Training at http://alison.com
ALISON ABC IT is a free, online, self-certifiable course which comprehensively introduces the beginner and near beginner to IT literacy.
ABC IT introduces the learner to the very basic concepts of computing and teaches how computing can be an everyday feature of life and work.
This free online training course provides learners with the IT skills so necessary in today's workplace. It covers basic Microsoft Office computer applications and touch typing training.
- On-Line Learning
- As many of you will know, in addition to the above, there is available through the central U3A website (link below) a wide range of on-line courses.
Some of these can simply be started and completed as and when you wish, whilst others allow you work as a small real life group, or entail learning alongside other on-line students, from the UK and further afield, under the eye of an on-line tutor. - A small, one-off registration fee gives you access to a huge selection of learning topics so, if you want something to help you while away these long winter nights, why not give it a try.
- Local Learning
- Whilst we have your attention, there is a wide range of very good courses at the local libraries.
The range includes IT skills (from 'getting started' to 'improving'), further Digital Photography, Introduction to the Internet, Geology for Hillwalkers, Exploring the History of your House, etc.
'Phone 32507 (Ambleside) and/or 62400 (Windermere) for further details.
- NW Region U3A News
- The latest Regional News is available on the NWU3A website, below.
- Somewhat Older News
- To keep this page short and up-to-date some of the 'older' news has found
its way to the relevant Group Pages.
- Additionally, reports on one-off events, short courses and visits or day trips appear elsewhere, along with the reports from our Fly[ing] Correspondent up to 2007 Click here-
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