Newsletter - Summer 2006

Summer 2006 Newsletter                                        Editors: Janet Brown & Martin Shirley

CHAIRMAN’S CONTEMPLATIONS

My first Chairman’s contemplations, a task I was not expecting to fulfil, but the unexpected can sometimes be more pleasurable than the expected, although if I am honest I do prefer names and numbers and at present I still have those too. 

Following in Brian’s footsteps is not an easy task as I am sure you all appreciate, he was a very special chairman, and so as you see I am not chuntering but contemplating.

The new year is already heralding change with the start of at least one new group and even more exciting, the launch of our website, for which our thanks must go to Alan Bamber for all his hard work in setting it up.  Those of you without a p.c. at home will no doubt access the site at the libraries where we have recently had displays to increase awareness of our multifaceted organisation.  I find it amazing just how many people have no insight into U3As; perhaps we should all be more like the recent weather and rain information onto our friends and acquaintances.  As someone I once studied said, “Whoever wants to know a thing has no way of doing so except by coming into contact with it. All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience.”

                                                                                                                                    Sue Smith

YOUR COMMITTEE FOR 2006-2007 

SUPERMAN ON BIKE 

Mike Farthing will be cycling from Berlin to Warsaw in September, to raise funds for the Marie Curie Cancer Foundation; please consider contributing to his fund-raising and contact him on 01460 64586.
 

TRAVELS ON THE SILK ROAD

For a long time I had hankered to see the Blue Mosques of Samarkand and Bokhara, and so was delighted to book on U3A Travel's 10-day escorted trip to Uzbekistan, to visit the fabled land of Genghis Khan, Tamburlaine and Babur (the founder of the Moghul dynasty), while thinking to offset the carbon cost of our flights and my concerns about the country's human rights record.

A party of 14, including our tour leader, duly gathered at Birmingham airport for the direct flight to Tashkent, north of Afghanistan and only about 600km from the border with China. We were met at midnight by our knowledgeable and capable local guide and the driver of our air-conditioned coach, whose road skills gave us comfortable journeys across the plains and the desert.

The mosques and the mausoleums, with their magnificent deep blue tiled decoration, lived well up to expectations; in terms of visual majesty, I would put the Gur-Emir at Samarkand (containing Tamburlaine's tomb) after the Taj Mahal but before the Alhambra. But the unexpected delight was the sheer grace and good nature of the people, 88% of whom are Sunni Muslim, but consciously non-fundamentalist, and very amiably disposed towards visiting Westerners, to judge from our short time among them. (On our last morning, while we were travelling on the Underground in Tashkent, a policeman gave up his seat to one of our party, and a man of my age insisted on my sitting in his place, saying to our guide, "please tell these people that they are our guests").

We stayed in comfortable to luxurious hotels, and ate well more often than not in local restaurants, where each lunchtime and evening we could chose between local wine and local beer, both perfectly palatable. Other highlights included :

- 3 little girls chattering on their way to school, in appearance one Russian, one South Asian and one Chinese respectively, a lesson in friendship

- talking with an Imam about the importance of seeking peace between the Western and Muslim worlds

- the numbers of family groups who asked to have their photographs taken with us

- going to a former Russian Orthodox church in Samarkand, now protected by the state, to hear a cellist, a pianist, a flautist and a vocalist perform works by Glinka, Brahms, Chopin and others

- a 2-hour steam and massage session in the Turkish baths at Bokhara

- meeting one of the 1 million Uzbeks who fought with the Russian Army against Germany in WW2 (only half of them survived)

- the colourful and aromatic displays of spices, nuts, fruit and vegetables in the bazaars

- stopping at a desert tea-house for lunch and getting into an impromptu international dance session with the staff and the other diners.

We brought back many pleasing memories and handicrafts. We learnt that the 3 things the Uzbeks value most are peace, bread and water. One of our group summed up the country as "fascinating, friendly and full of potential".

My conclusion is that, if you are looking for a well-priced and well-organised tour in congenial company, you should certainly consider U3A National Travel at http://db.u3a.org.uk/travel or by SAE to Margaret Ward, 33 Masons Ryde, Pershore WR10 1JG

Martin Shirley 
 

MUSIC APPRECIATION

The Music Appreciation Group enjoy stimulating and enjoyable meetings on the second Wednesday in the month from 10-12noon. The fun of it is we are never quite sure what we are going to listen to, as the host/hostess plays CD’s/tapes of his/her choice. It could be anything from ballet music to jazz, operatic or traditional classical, and always stimulates discussion and interest.

Anyone interested, give us a try. Contact Ann Hipwood on 01460 62047.

EGYPTIAN ECLIPSE 

On March 29^th 2006 there was to be a total solar eclipse in the north-western corner of Egypt. To see it meant a flight to Cairo and a long coach journey over the desert to Mersa Matruh, followed by an early night and an even earlier start at 3.30 am the following day. We had to pass a security checkpoint before 6.30 am to access our viewpoint on the rocky hills above Salum which were wreathed in the morning mist. The large site was filled with tents of all sizes and approximately 20,000 people. Surprisingly there were no stalls selling tourist rubbish and no music to spoil the atmosphere, just a few food stalls to compliment the tented eating marquees, which filled the air with wonderful aromas. 

We waited while the mist cleared and the sun warmed us, admiring the different birds and the flowers on what was an arid land. Then about midday the eclipse started as we looked through our safety glasses. The light gradually lessened and became eerily lifeless, quietening us, until the total eclipse when we all “oohed”. The horizon all around looked like a sunset. Then suddenly the sun appeared as a point of light that lit the whole sky and another ooh. Why did it take so long to become dark, but, then there was instant light? Among the crowd were President Mubarak and his entourage, who had travelled by helicopter. The many vehicles that took them across the site had a train to themselves for their journey across northern Egypt. Needless to say we didn’t see him.

Our return to Cairo was via El Alamein where we saw the Commonwealth War Museum and the Cemetery, which was poignant. Visits to the pyramids, the Sphinx, museums and the souks were made in and around Cairo before our return. The holiday was arranged by Gina Pointing of Poole U3A and as before was most enjoyable.

                                                                                                                        Janet Brown
 

BIRDWATCHING GROUP

We enjoyed a trip to the RSPB Reserve at West Sedgemoor back in January. Terry had arranged that we paid an agreed fee of  £15 plus a £2 fee from each of us. In return we had two wardens all to ourselves who took us on an interesting walk to their barn, which overlooks this vast reserve. They were on hand to give us information about the flocks of waders and wetland birds, which had gathered there.

We were able to use the telescopes and reference books provided, and were given some much-needed refreshments. It was very cold but the sun was shining and we were rewarded with beautiful panoramic views, the most awesome of all being the amazing spectacle of thousands of lapwings suddenly taking to the sky, their black and white plumage glinting in the sunshine as they changed direction.

The RSPB is dedicated to the preservation of not only birds, but plants and wildlife, and as a Group we have visited many of their sites. It’s good to know that we have been able to help this worthy cause and also to increase our knowledge of birds and their habitat. We should like to thank Chard, Ilminster & District U3A for our annual grant.

Pauline Weston
 

NEW GROUP - SPANISH 

Several members have expressed an interest in starting a group on Spanish. The proposed group would be aimed at beginners - for example, those interested in gaining a basic understanding of the language before going on holiday or as a matter of general interest. Rather than following a specific course, the programme would be based on the interests of the group as a whole. It is intended to hold regular meetings from June onwards.

For details contact Don Macdonald on 01460 64687 - por favor.
 

OUR OWN WEBSITE 

As some readers will know, we have been developing our own website for the past few months. It is now up and running on the internet and can be found at www.chardilminsteru3a.org.uk. Please note that the name is typed as a continuous string of characters with no spaces, hyphens, etc.

At the time of writing there are still some teething problems with it, a major one being that some users may find they can’t get beyond the front page! For this reason we are keeping the details “in the family” for the time being and are not making the website widely known on the internet or to other organisations. 

However, we are happy for our own members to try it out as a test version and to let us know of any problems. You will find that there are several pages of information. The ‘Home Page’ gives a general introduction to our U3A. The ‘Groups Page’ lists all the groups with times, contact details, etc. Then there’s a ‘News and Events’ page which highlights recent and future events, a ‘Joining & Contacts’ page which lists committee members etc., a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page, and a page called ‘Our Story’ which tells you how it all began. Finally, there are several ‘Archives’ pages where you can find such things as past newsletters printed in full, press cuttings, previous years’ programmes, and so on. 

Please let Alan Bamber (01460-234041) know how you get on and whether there are any improvements that you’d like to see. He will be happy to help you out if you are fairly new to the internet. It is important that we try to keep the website up to date, so group leaders are asked to let Maggie Darby (01460-63428) know immediately of any changes so that she can update her group information and also keep the website in step with these changes. Good luck!
 

THE COMMUNITY HANDYMAN SERVICE 

At our February Meeting we were given a most informative talk by Natalie House on an affordable home repair and safety service which has recently been extended into our District Council area. For a minimum charge of £5 per hour or a maximum of £10 per hour depending on financial circumstances, plus materials supplied at cost price, the Handyman is able to do a wide variety of jobs in the house which many of us find difficult. These jobs could be changing light bulbs, fitting door bells, putting up shelves and pictures, repairing small areas of fencing and gates and simple plumbing problems etc.

If you have a problem of this kind you can ring 01935 462462 and ask for the ”Handyman Service” to determine your eligibility for this service.

                                                                                                                        Gill Tayler

DATES FOR MONTHLY MEETINGS, 2006 (at 2pm, Guildhall, Chard)

The next newsletter will be due in October, so may we ask for any contributions (interesting and/or entertaining) to reach either of the Editors by mid-September ; please contact Martin on 01460 62608 or Janet on 01460 66462.

Comments and suggestions for improving the newsletter will be welcome at any time

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