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Art
Discussion
We meet at a private house in Ambleside (see the Newsletter for the location)
on the third Wednesday of each month from 2.15pm until 4.00pm (ish) when a welcome
cup of tea or coffee is served to help even more ideas to flow.
Meetings are always friendly and informal.
Newcomers are always welcome, whether to speak or to listen.
Literature
This new group met a few times in mid-2005.
Their topic was to compare Jonathan Miller’s BBC version of The Winter’s Tale
by William Shakespeare with a live production at the Lowry Theatre in Salford.
If there is more support the Group may well meet again to study another work in depth.
Watch the Newsletter.
Play Reading
Reading
We meet upstairs at the Kelsick Centre, Ambleside at 2.00pm on the first Wednesday of each month.
The Book of the Month is to be found on the Diary Page, with books for future meetings being listed
in the News Section of the Home Page.
All U3A members are welcome to attend.
Pub Lunches
We continue to meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 12 noon, with
an extra meeting when a fifth Wednesday occurs.
These will be further afield than our usual venues so please ring to confirm these visits.
Venues are shown on the Diary Page and in the Newsletter.
Please contact the Coordinator (see Newsletter) on the Monday
before the lunch if you are coming, as the pubs need an indication of numbers attending.
See also "Z" Walks.
Is it true that, by popular request, one of the fifth Wednesday's meetings will be at 'The Dun Bull' at Mardale?
Short Courses, Events, etc.
From time to time we offer short courses on various topics and days out with a particular theme.
Apart from the Travel Trips (See the Travel Page),
successful courses and visits have been on the following topics, in reverse order:
- QUIZ Extra!
- Saltburn and District U3A invited us to a quiz at Rydal Hall on their last evening there (1st November 2007).
Nine of our members enjoyed a lively evening with them and were taught one or two facts about our area.
Our thanks go to Saltburn and we hope they are able to return next year so that we can learn a bit more about the locality in which we live, in return for another short walk, of course!
- Calling All Walkers!
- Not only was there a B+ walk on 30th October 2007, but the Social Walking Group hosted a C to C+ walk on that day for members of the Saltburn and District U3A who were staying at Rydal Hall for a few days.
Seven members from Saltburn joined six of us for a walk over High Rigg (1165 ft.), to the north of Thirlmere. The weather was kind, we did not lose anybody and we had a most refreshing tea stop on the way back along St. John's in the Vale.
- Travel Group
- 28 members explored Chester on September 15th 2007 in glorious
sunshine. (See the Picture Gallery.)
It is a city of contrasts with a long timeline represented in a variety of ways, most of which were sampled on that day.
Despite the thriving modern shops, the street music gave a
medieval feel as did the varied outdoor market. The tranquillity of the Cathedral was a welcome relief from the noise and bustle for some. While the Roman amphitheatre and city walls blended into the whole
environment.
One enterprising member found that she could observe the races from the walls whilst another took a two hour trip along the river.
- A six-day trip to the Isle of Wight has recently been successfully completed. Our thanks are due to Sally for organising these trips.
- Cartmel Steeplechase Day
- 22 of our members had a great fun day out at Cartmel Races on Thursday 19th July 2007.
The weather was fine and the betting flowed.
Pictures have been subjected to the photo-finish and they now appear in the Gallery.
- Croquet Day
- Our thanks are due to Kathleen Johnson and other members of the Crake Valley Croquet Club
for another very successful afternoon of croquet on Friday 29th June 2007.
The beginners were taught the basic game whilst those with much more experience (they came last year!) played a more advanced, tactical game. Both groups knew how to appreciate the tea and cakes afterwards!
- Mini Glyndebourne
- We had had a generous offer to use
some members' gardens for a ‘mini Glyndebourne’ event on 24th June 2007.
It had to be postponed because of appalling weather and in view of further unsettled conditions, it was decided to hold the event indoors at the Ambleside Parish Rooms on Sunday 8th July.
It was a most successful evening with a splendid selection of music, posh frocks, picnic food and plenty of strawberries and cream.
Thanks are due to Judy and John Kempster who first offered this entertainment and to all the rest of the team who worked so hard with them to ensure that the evening was a memorable success.
See the Picture Gallery....
- Geology Day
- Our thanks are due to John and Philippa Tindal who kindly ran another Geology Day for us on Tuesday 19th. June 2007.
After explaining the locations of the limestone seams and mines in the Coniston area, they lead us on a short, relatively flat walk from the Fell Gate at the start of the Walna Scar Road looking at fossils and geological features.
- Classics Club/Latin Learners
- In spite of the weather, the visit on Friday 15th June 2007 to sites at Newcastle (Segedunum) and South Shields (Arbeia) was a great success.
Some 16 people inspected the exhibition, bath house and cafeteria at Segedunum and then went on for an excellent guided tour of the artefacts and reconstructions at Arbeia before nipping back to Windermere via the Alston road with its numerous hairpins.
- Exploits in the Himalayas.
- David & Becky Bradley gave an extremely fascinating talk
with brilliant pictures at an open meeting of the High Fells and Scrambles Group on 24th February 2006.
The talk covered Nepal Trust voluntary work, climbing and travels in the Himalayas.
- Art History Lectures
- We are very fortunate that one of our members, Prudence Bliss, offered to give a further three of her very popular illustrated talks based on lectures originally given at Newcastle University.
This time her subject was ‘Founders of the Florentine Rennaisance’ and she covered Ghiberti, Donatello and Masaccio, all three of whom were influenced by both Leonardo and Michelangelo. They were the friends, and rivals, of Brunelleschi (famous as the architect of the Cathedral Dome).
These lectures were in Spring 2006 and were supported by up to 50 members.
- Extra Special Anniversary General Meeting
- A special general meeting was held on 26th September 2005 at which we were to be addressed by Richard Nankivell of Radio Cumbria. He has the reputation as an excellent and humorous speaker. Unfortunately, we were to be disappointed as he was unable to attend due to serious illness.
- He was replaced by Anne Hopper who is also a presenter on Radio Cumbria, based in Barrow. We were not to be disappointed. She spoke about the role of regional and local radio and the way in which the BBC is changing the programme output and balance of both national and local radio broadcasting.
- Peter Truelove spoke about his experience when sitting in on Richard Nankivell's early morning programme on Radio Cumbria in Carlisle and memories of broom cupboards at Brockhole. This is one of many outposts of Radio Cumbria's empire and it allows them to broadcast news and reports more conveniently for the benefit of listeners.
- Many questions were asked and answered, ranging from the plans for analogue television switch-off through the time taken for a broadcast (more time occupied after than during) to co-presenting with someone never met.
- The meeting was hugely enjoyed and our thanks go to Anne Hopper for entertaining, informing and educating us so well. In the modern parlance of the sporting arena, the substitute came off the bench and scored the winning goal.
Anne was presented with a bottle of whisky which she promised to pass on, with best wishes for a speedy recovery, to Richard Nankivell.
We sent Anne a bouquet as a 'thank you' for attending at short notice and she mentioned this and thanked us all during her afternoon show on Sunday 2nd October.
- Art History Lectures
- In Spring 2005, Prudence Bliss gave a further three talks adapted from lectures originally presented in Newcastle University.
This time she moved back a hundred years earlier to the 15th Century painters of the Venice region,
who inspired the 16th Century Masters whose work was shown last spring.
The main focus was on the Bellini family.
The talks attracted some 35 members each and Pru's professional and witty approach was well worth
the squash in the room above the Ambleside Library.
Our thanks to Prudence Bliss.
- Geology Day Out
- 17 members enjoyed an excellent day out on 18th May 2004 visiting the Threkeld Quarry and Mining Museum.
After a brief introduction, we explored the rock structures and samples in the excellent museum and
on the Quarry site. After lunch, we went over to the Skiddaw area to explore up the valley for a few km.
and to make comparisons between the two sites.
Our thanks to John and Phillipa Tindal for leading us so ably through the day.
Thanks also to Joan Brown for organising the event.
The first pictures to emerge are in the Picture Gallery!
- Art History
- Following the great success of her series of lectures in 2003, Prudence Bliss continued in 2004 with a series
of three lectures under the heading “Masters of Colour : the High Renaissance Painters of Venice”.
The lectures were very well attended and we hope to have news of a further series of talks in due course.
We are very fortunate to have a U3A member with such specialist knowledge of this fascinating subject.
- [Not so] Recent Short Courses
- Michelangelo Course: A three half-day course proved to be fascinating and was enjoyed by some 20 members.
Our thanks to Prudence Bliss.
- The Amateur Radio Licence course:
This resulted in passes for the three members who sat the
exam so we now have three new, fully licensed Radio Amateurs amongst us.
Congratulations to them all.
? MORE:The instructor who kindly gave us his time for this course has offered to do so again
if there is further demand. Please see the Newsletter for contact details if you are interested
in this fascinating hobby.
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