Timetable for the week of 11 July
The full timetable, the Town Hall timetable and the zoom classes are on the website.
The Monday Talk this week will feature Maureen Tilford who often appears in our Medicine Today slot. Her talk is called “Spoon Fed.”
From Wally Howard
The films being shown in Room 1.22 during the week starting 11 July are:
Monday 11 July – Everlasting Moments – is a film that reflects the great self-assurance of its director Jan Troell with a story that comes from the heart. Adapted from a novel written by his wife and based on the life of one of her ancestors, it follows Maria, a strong, resilient and complex woman with little education whose life is transformed by the photography which not only feeds her inner creativity but literally feeds her family when her husband goes to fight in the war. In his review Roger Ebert wrote “Rarely is there a film that evokes our sympathy more deeply than Everlasting Moments. It is a great story of love and hope, told tenderly and without any great striving for effect. It involved a woman, her daughter, her husband, a camera and the kindness of a stranger, made by a filmmaker whose care for these characters is instinctive.”
Wednesday 13 July – Frantz – is Francois Ozon’s sumptuous period war drama, with a largely monochrome palette although there are some flashes of his signature colour. Very loosely based on Ernst Lubitsch’s drama Broken Lullaby, the story is mainly told in German rather than the director’s native French. Shifting from his source material, Ozon puts a woman (Anna) at the heart of the story, in a role brought to life by the hugely talented Paula Beer. Nigel Smith, in his Guardian review, gave Frantz a four star rating, describing the film as having “a twisty narrative” with a “final shot that’s too special to spoil”!
Thursday 14 July –The Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared – probably needs no introduction to those who have read Jonas Jonasson’s bestselling novel of the same name but for those who haven’t, it follows the misadventures of an explosives-obsessed centenarian, Allan, who goes on the run from his old people’s home. This is no Scandi-noir though, instead we are given “a picaraesque Swedish revisiting of Forrest Gump” (Mark Kermode).
Renewing your membership for 2022-23
It’s that time of year when we ask you for your subscription for the next academic year, 2022/3. (Next term begins on 19 September).
You may have heard that we have decided to make a gesture to mark our 40-year Anniversary as a founder member of the U3A movement and therefore our standard membership fee for next year will be changed from £75 to £40. For those on a reduced rate the fee will be £5 instead of £15.
To renew your membership, please pay £40 (full membership), £5 (reduced) or £25 (established coordinator), whichever applies to you.
If you would like to add a gift payment to your subscription we would be very grateful.
You can pay:
- In person at The Old Town Hall U3A office, weekdays 10 – 4pm
- Or by post by sending a cheque payable to U3A in London to U3A Office, Old Town Hall, 213 Haverstock Hill, London NW3 4QP. Please print your name and membership number on the back.
- Or by direct payment into our bank account, giving as reference your membership number and name. Bank details are available from the Office
Many thanks,
U3A Office
Summer Programme
So that you won’t experience withdrawal symptoms while we are taking a Summer break, Sue Kwok has prepared a Summer programme.
Sue has prepared an extensive programme for your enjoyment. We suggest that you print it or make notes in your diary of events you would like to attend. We will be sending the details again next week, but after that there will be no further Updates until just before the Autumn term is due to begin.
From Sue Kwok
Please do support the Summer Programme which we hope will both educate and entertain. This year’s programme consists of a mixture of talks at the Town Hall and on Zoom but the vast majority of our speakers preferred to give ‘in-person’ talks at the Town Hall. I am concerned, however, that we may not get very large audiences this year, It is not always appreciated what a huge amount of time and effort our speakers put into preparing their talks and it is only by supporting them that the Summer Programme can continue, so do please come along whenever you can.
This year there will be a half hour break each day for talks at the Town Hall to give people time to go to the Common Room or a local café for refreshments. Room 2.26 will also be available if you prefer to remain on Floor 2.
Sad News
I’m sure most of us have fond memories of Sheila Rockett who, we are told, died at the end of May. She was a coordinator for many years, managing the Singing For Pleasure choir and conducting their Christmas performances. She also ran three Russian language classes, helped with the G&S group, regularly acted in Drama Group performances and was a keen student of classical Latin and Greek. When she became too ill to get to U3A, she moved into a care home near her sister in Ipswich. Gaby Foti stayed in touch with her and was recently told that she had sadly died the age of 90.
From Nigel Hathway
LONDON VISITS . Some of our events are already ‘SOLD OUT’ ! But there is still a small number of vacancies left on the other trips to Heath Robinson Museum, Supreme Court, Bank of England, and London Transport Depot. Due to exceptional demand, we have repeated the visit to Willesden Cemetery, and we have REDUCED the price for the trip to The London School of Mosaic. Details of these trips, organized as part of the Summer Programme, are shown below.
If you are interested in going on any of these trips, please contact Nigel Hathway.
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Mon, 18th July |
Heath Robinson Museum, Pinner |
p.m. |
£ 10 |
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We have the Museum to ourselves. Celebrate the artist’s 150th Birthday with a Curator’s Tour of the Museum and the special exhibition on ‘The Humour of William Heath Robinson’. |
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Thurs, 18th Aug |
Willesden Cemetery, Willesden |
p.m. |
FREE** |
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Guided Tour of the eighth ‘Magnificent Seven’ Cemetery. Resting place of many famous Jews – the Cemetery was designed later than Kensal Green, Highgate etc., but heavily influenced by them. |
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Wed 24th Aug |
Supreme Court, Parliament Square |
p.m. |
£ 8 |
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Mon, 15th Aug |
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Thur, 1st Sept |
Bank of England |
p.m. |
FREE |
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Talk on ‘Bank of England, Past and Present’, followed by a tour of the Museum including, fresh this year, an exhibition on ‘Slavery & the Bank’. |
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Fri, 2nd Sept |
London School of Mosaic, NW3 |
a.m. |
£ 10 |
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Unique opportunity to learn about mosaics and to practise our skills ! The workshop will start with an introductory talk on mosaics – Roman, Byzantine and modern mosaic. We will then be encouraged and supported to make our own Roman pattern mosaic. |
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Tues, 6th Sept |
London Transport Depot, Acton |
p.m. |
£ 10 |
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Learn about the history of London Transport as we take a guided tour round the Depot to see historic vehicles, signs and maps, as well as some unusual and unexpected items. |
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** The visit will be free, but visitors will be expected to make a modest donation to the cemetery (which is a charity ).
From Gilli
Hello everyone,
We held an Executive Committee Meeting on Friday July 1st at which the minutes of the previous meeting were approved. Please contact Hazelanne Lewis our company secretary if you would like to have a copy sent to you.
The next Committee Meeting will be on Friday 7th October and the minutes of the July 1st meeting will be available soon afterwards.
From Valerie Wilson Trower
On 12th July we will be visiting Strawberry Hill house Museum. This will be our last class until September.
From Peter Hayden
I am offering an Ancient Greek course next year and would like to find out what level of support there might be for a beginner’s course or whether people want something more advanced. I am giving early notice so that if people are really beginners they can start to learn the alphabet before next term.
From Elizabeth Fantino
Spanish Conversation: this class started on Friday 17th June. It is weekly at 10.00 on Fridays and the room should be 1.30, not 1.22 as in the timetable. If you are interested, please contact me
Tribute to Barry Rae on Thursday, 21st July at 4 pm
We are very keen to hear from anyone who was ever in Barry’s poetry or drama groups, for contributions to this event. Please contact Sue Kwok.
Our 40th Anniversary
This will take place on Sunday 11th September in the atrium. You can see a poster with more details by downloading the attachment.
We have had a few contributions for our Anniversary booklet. If you have any recollections of how you felt when you first joined us – or any other anecdote, poem or story – LET US KNOW. Come on, you writing group members!
From Shirley Lake
USED POSTAGE STAMPS
A reminder to all members who have collected used or old postage stamps, to deposit them IN THE U3A Office, for Shirley to collect. The stamps can be of any age, denomination or country. All will be welcome. Sale of these stamps goes to help support The Children’s Orphanage in Addis Ababa.
If you have a large quantity, let Shirley know and she can come and collect them. She will spend useful time sorting them over the U3A Summer break.
From Pam Strangman
I am hosting the London Regional U3A Anniversary walk on Wednesday September 14th from Highgate to Stoke Newington 5.6 miles. To mark the U3A Birthday week. We will be joining many other London U3A’s who are doing their various sections all at the same time. Walk 12 starts at the Priory Gardens entrance to Highgate Underground station and follows the Parkland Walk past Crouch End to Finsbury Park. After crossing the park it follows the New River past the Stoke Newington reservoirs. It then crosses Clissold Park and Abney Park Cemetery before reaching Stoke Newington railway station; Stoke Newington is also served
Richard Cohen is guiding us and we will be pointing out places of interest, Richard and I will do a tryout the week before to make sure the route is open and has no hidden dangers for us.
Does anyone have any suggestions, or would like to join us if not for the whole but at least some part of the walk? We could do with a photographer!
From Sarah Harwood
We are currently hosting two Ukrainian refugees. One is a mother in her mid-forties and the other a 17 year old young man. They are both absolutely delightful and have been perfect guests. However we are unable to continue hosting them past the six month cut off in October as we need work done to our house and have visitors from overseas. They are now looking for a new host and I wonder if there is anyone you know who has spare space or has applied to be a host. If so, please do get in touch.
To make you smile
Schoolboy to Teacher: “Sir, can I ever be punished for something I haven’t done?”
“Of course you can’t.”
“Good. Thank you, sir. I haven’t done my homework.”
Getting Older
A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor’s office. “Is it true that the medication you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” the doctor told her.
There was a moment of silence before the senior lady said, “I’m wondering, just how serious my condition is because this prescription is marked ‘NO REFILLS’..”
An old gentleman was on the operating table awaiting surgery and he insisted that his son, a renowned surgeon, perform the operation. As he was about to be aestheticised, he asked to speak to his son.
“Yes, Dad, what is it?”
“Don’t be nervous, son; do your best, and just remember, if it doesn’t go well and if something happens to me, your mother will be coming to live with you and your wife….”
Best Wishes from Gilli and Amalia
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Gilli
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Amalia
