New Editor – Maureen Guirdham
Please send all contributions for future Updates to Maureen Guirdham by Tuesday evening if possible. However, it’s difficult to believe that with nearly 1500 members of our U3A that only one person has volunteered so far after Alan Milward suddenly had to resign. The quest is not yet over. If ever Maureen should not be available, we would like someone to be a back-up. If you would still like to help, please do get in touch with Amalia.
The timetables for the week
The full timetable, the Town Hall room timetable and the Zoom timetable are available in the Office and on our website.
Monday Morning Talk
This is one not to miss! Professor Sir Michael Marmot is our Monday speaker next week. He is a renowned expert on Health Inequality and will be speaking on Social Justice and Health Equity. He cites evidence that national policies make a difference and maintains that interventions must not be confined to the healthcare system but must address the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.
From Gail Levy, Our Office Coordinator
As you will all have seen we have put up new notice boards in the Common Room, Soon there will be an extra electrical point so no-one turns off the fridge or leaves the urn on with no water. We love supplying tea, coffee etc. but please would ask you if you could clean and tidy up after yourselves, especially in the fridge and when liquids are spilt on the floor. Unfortunately the office staff do not always have time to do this. Also very good news there is a SAFE DRINKING WATER TAP installed in the sink near the Office.
Sad News
From Magda Reid: Daphne Gotlop, wife of Anthony Gotlop and sister-in-law of Peter Gotlop was an active member in her own right until she moved to Scotland. She was coordinator of Mah Jong and “Write your life story” classes for many years but sadly passed away on 22nd January. She will be greatly missed.
INFORMATION ABOUT CLASSES
Offer of a new class
From Caroline Hough: MAH JONG
Because we can now accommodate more players, I will be starting a new cycle of teaching on Monday 12 February with the four people currently on the waiting list. Please email Caroline on houghcaroline@hotmail.com in advance of the class if you are interested. Drop-ins are not encouraged!
From Judy Dodds
A plea from the games coordinators who are having problems each week getting access to the bridge cupboard! Keys to the cupboard have gone missing. Would whoever has them please return them to the Office so that classes are not delayed or cancelled.
Classes Cancelled
For one week (only) on Tuesday 13th classes cancelled – but back next week!
a. History of Europe at 11.40 in 2.21 Christopher Dean
b. Taiji at 14.00 in 2.21 Lorna Kerr
c. Politics and Current Affairs at 14.00 in 1.22 Mike Newman
d. Voice Matters at 17.00 on Zoom Barbara Alden
OTHER NEWS ON CLASSES
From Wally Howard
Film class onWednesday 14th February 2024 at 2.00pm in Room 1.22 The Hurricane Starring Denzil Washington
This is based on a true story and notorious miscarriage of justice immortalised in a song by Bob Dylan and is a tribute to the director Norman Jewison who died on 20th January 2024. His films included Fiddler on the Roof, Jesus Christ Superstar, Moonstruck and In the Heat of the Night.
From Maureen Tilford: Politics and Current Affairs
Change Of Class Room The group at 11.40am has now outgrown room 1.33 and this week moves to the more luxury accommodation of room 1.22.
From Nigel Hathway: London Visits
We have been successful in acquiring some free/cheap tickets (unguided) from a number of institutions that normally charge a fee. More details will be released in the Spring. If you know anyone who would be prepared to voluntarily lead some U3A members around any of the following institutions (or part of them), Transport Museum at Covent Garden, The Postal Museum, Kew Gardens, please can you get in touch with Nigel Hathway by emailing nigelhathway@gmail.com
From Rachel Tyndall – Walking by Water
Putney, Chiswick, Barnes and back to Putney – for the walk on Wednesday 14th February we meet at 1pm at Putney Bridge Underground Station. This walk is 7 miles along the north bank of the Thames to Barnes and back along the south bank. If 7 miles is too far for you, Barnes is halfway and the railway station a good halting point.
Please let Rachel know (email or text) by the evening of Tuesday 13th February if you intend to join me. Walks will be cancelled if the weather is bad: persistent rain, snow or ice.
From Ken Baldry
European history on Wed Feb 14th 11.40 – 12.40 (Room 2.21). Next week’s is Talk 128:18thC economics & France with John Law. Britain, Prussia, Sweden, Russia & Poland. Back to Britain with 74 slides. The following week is Talk 129. Johann Sebastian Bach 1685 – 1750, perhaps the 2nd greatest composer so far with music & 191 slides. If you liked the Purcell talk, you’ll love this one. The full programme is on http://www.art-science.com/history-talks.html
From Yvonne Dove
Art Appreciation C,Secular and Mytholoical Art on Thursday,15th February at 11.40 in Room 2.26. This week we are examining the life and works of Raphael’s pupil, Guilio Romano. These works include collaborations with Raphael such as Fire in the Borgo, his work in Mantua such as Fall of The Giants and Portrait of Margarita Paleologo.
A note for your diaries
There will be no yoga class on Friday 8th and 15th of March.
From Gillian Kogan
The Nonnie club meets on Zoom every Tuesday at 14.00 and we would love to see you there if you are over, or nearly, 90 years old – and young at heart (we won’t ask for a birth certificate!). We chat light heartedly about this and that – but NEVER about being old!
Correction to last week’s Update
We have learned that the larger reduced price offer to see The Frogs at The Kiln is only available to U3A members in groups. Apologies if you tried to get tickets and were met by a refusal.
From Valerie Wilson Trower
Some of the Critical Studies and the Design History groups relaxing in the cafe at the V&A after a visit to the 20thC. Galleries.
To make you smile
THEY CALL US “THE ELDERLY”
We were born in the 30-40-50-60’s and we grew up in the 40-50-60-70s, some of us during a World War.
We studied in the 50-60-70-80’s and maybe got married in the 50-60’s.
We wore shorts throughout our childhood and then long trousers, suits and blue jeans.
Now we venture into the 2000’s and are going firmly through and beyond 2020.
We’ve lived through nine different decades and two different centuries.
We have gone from telephones with an operator to video calls to anywhere.
We have gone from slides to YouTube, from vinyl records to online music, from handwritten letters to email and Whats App.
From the radio, to black and white TV, colour TV and then to HD TV and now we can watch Netflix.
We met the first computers, floppy disks and now we have gigabytes and megabytes on smartphones.
If we were lucky, we dodged polio, meningitis, tuberculosis, swine flu and now COVID.
We rode on skates, tricycles, bicycles, drove petrol cars and now we can drive hybrids or electric cars.
We have lived through and witnessed tremendous change, so…a round of applause to us all.
Best wishes from
