Thanks to Margaret Hilton for this photo
The Summer Programme has ended
A very warm thank you from all of us to Sue Kwok for enabling us to be kept informed and entertained during all these weeks. Sue manages to produce an amazing array of speakers whenever we need to fill a break in our regular programme. She, like many other members of our committee, works hard behind the scenes to keep the show on the road.
This is also the last week of the ongoing timetable which is unchanged.
Important! We start our new programme back in the Old Town Hall on 20 September. There have been some last-minute changes to the Handbook and a few errors in the timetable and so we have attached new, up to date versions which we hope are error-free.
If you pick up a printed version in the Office it is not entirely error-free, so please make your own alterations (see below) and be prepared for new changes. They always happen and we will keep you informed.
Links to the Zoom Classes
The links and/or the email addresses of Zoom coordinators, will be sent out to you during the coming week.
Monday Morning Talks
As we no longer have the use of the Peter Samuel Hall in the Royal Free Hospital, we have set up our three largest rooms (2.21, 1.29 and 1.22) with Video Conferencing facilities so that you may be present at the talk from any of them. The rooms are all Zoom – enabled so that you could even “attend” the talk from your own home. As you may guess, it will take time for us all to get used to the new system, but we have tested it and when things have settled down, it should work well. Please allow plenty of time on the first day of term and be prepared and tolerant of a certain degree of chaos!
The first talk will be “Streets of Inspiration – Charles Dickens and Holborn, Hampstead and St Pancras” with Tudor Allen who is the Senior archivist of Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre.
He will be in Room 2.21. When the room is full, the talk will be available in Room 1.29 and Room 1.22.
You will be told in advance which talks are “live” i.e. if there is a speaker actually present in Room 2.21, or if the talk is entirely on Zoom.
From Naomi
Only 7 more days to ‘Coming Home Day’. For me the excitement is mounting, and I don’t want anything to spoil the day. However, being realistic, snags do happen, so please everyone, try to make our return as smooth as possible.
If you can come in on any day this week, this will help greatly. You need to bring proof of double vaccination, your present access card and wear a face mask. Without vaccination proof or your access card, you will not be allowed in. If you’ve lost your access card, remember to bring £5 to purchase a replacement. We will be in reception between 10.00 and 3.30 (only till 12.30 on Friday) to check your proof of double vaccination. You will then be able to have your access card upgraded, photo fixed to it, and get your lanyard which you will need to wear, at all times, within the building.
If you prefer to wait until the first week of term, please allow time for this procedure, to avoid possibly missing your first class.
Windows in our rooms should open and close easily, but because of the need to reduce risk of Covid, the windows will be kept open. Please remember to dress appropriately in case it is cold or there is a draught.
“First come, first served” remains the basic principle for registering for most classes. It is always up to the coordinator to decide how many members the class can hold. Please write your name clearly on the register when the co-ordinator passes it around, and you should be a member of that class.
Joanna and her staff will be waiting to welcome you back to the café on Monday 20 September.
Looking forward to meeting many of you very soon.
Naomi
From Amalia
Oops! If you were puzzled by the dates I gave last week about the late start of the Hebrew classes, I’m not surprised. The correct dates are that the Tuesday lessons will begin on Tuesday 26th October and the Wednesday lessons will start on Wednesday the 27th, and not the other way round.
There is an extra French Zoom class in the new version of the Handbook. Pauline Malpas and Liz Goodfellow are offering Intermediate French at 12.50 on Mondays.
And please note another change: Write your Memoirs on Fridays is starting a week late, on 1 October.
Beginners’ Latin
Peter Hayden’s Beginners’ Latin Zoom class starts on Monday 20 September at 14.00. Please contact Peter if you are interested in joining this class and he can provide further details. Peter says, “Total beginners are welcome as well as those who may have tried Latin before. I suggest we use “Familia Romana” the first part of Hans Ørberg’s Lingua Latina per se illustrata series. The idea is to learn Latin without translating by simply reading Latin as Latin. At first I can provide course materials while you decide whether this is the right approach for you, before you get the textbook.
Bridge Players
If anyone is interested in playing a friendly, unsupervised game of Bridge, please let Eric Mentzer know. The group will meet on Fridays at 13.00 in Room 1.24 and the first meeting is planned for Friday 1 October, the second week of term. As Eric cannot be present every week, please also let him know if you would be willing to assist him in running the group.
From Shirley Lake
Could you please remind members to bring any postage stamps to U3A and leave them in the office for me to collect on behalf of the Little Voice orphanage in Addis Ababa. I shall be there on Monday Afternoon – 20th September- and intend to relieve you of any that arrive.
Regards.
Shirley
Paintings
Paintings from our talented members of the Thursday Art Class and drawings from the equally talented Wednesday Art Class.
From Shirley, Avril and Tina, Jelena and Polly
From the Friends of Belsize Community Library
There will be a talk with the BBC’s Jon Sopel on Thursday, September 16th. He joins the Friends of Belsize to talk about his experiences via Zoom.
The news cycle of American politics has been nothing shy of manic over the last handful of years. BBC’s North American Editor Jon Sopel has been right in the thick of it. It’s a role that has inspired three books and, we’re sure, countless stories from his time covering Donald Trump’s previous and Joe Biden’s current presidential administration.
The Details: “Reporting America: From Trump to Biden” with Jon Sopel
Date: 16th September, 2021; Time: 7:30pm (GMT); (Meeting ID: 889 6466 1765)
To make you smile
Best Wishes from the Team
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Naomi
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Gilli
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Herbie
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Amalia
