Monday Morning Talk
The Monday morning talks continue at present with the speaker at home on Zoom. Members can tune in from their own home as they have been doing for the last 18 months or come to Room 2.21 to participate in our new video conferencing facilities. When this room is full it will also be possible to use Rooms 1.29 and 1.22. (N.B. A few Zoom classes, where indicated in the timetable, can be accessed by members in the Town Hall in the same way).
A reminder of the details of the talks this term is available on the website or you can pick up a printed version in the Office.
The full timetable of classes in the Town Hall and the Zoom Classes
You can see it if you click, timetable, programme for 2022 -2021. We hope any inaccuracies have been corrected but there are always last-minute changes. If you spot any mistakes, let us know and we will put them right.
From Naomi
Recently, many of you will have received your copy of the Third Age Matters (TAM). We are very happy to continue to pay for copies of this magazine to be sent to members who enjoy reading it. However, we need to save on unnecessary expenditure, so have decided, therefore, to reverse our existing policy of “opting out”. In future, if you wish to continue receiving TAM, you must make the positive effort of “opting in”.
Unless you email me or the office and opt in, no more editions of TAM will be delivered to you. I stress we will continue this service, but only if you actively want it. If no email is received by Friday, 15 October, it will be assumed that you are happy for us to discontinue supplying it to you.
Best wishes
Naomi
From Amalia
Things are beginning to settle down. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding of some errors that have crept in. We are steering a vessel with a valuable cargo and complicated controls!
The newest version of the Handbook incorporates the latest changes. The short summary timetable shows the classes which are taking place in the Town Hall. There is also a checklist of the Zoom classes. You can pick up copies in the Office and they are on the website.
Some of these latest changes are as follows:
- Hypnotherapy with Adeline Kam resumes this week. It has moved to Thursdays at 14.00 in Room 1.33, starting on 7 October.
- Mathematics in Civilisation with Philip Maher returns on Thursdays at 11.40 in Room 1.33, starting on 7 October.
- Sharing Some Stories with Moragh Ghee is fortnightly at 10.30 in Room 1.30; on Thursday Sept 30, Oct 14, 28; Nov 11, 25; Dec 9. Jan 20; Feb 3, 17; Mar 3, 17, 31. May 12, 26; June 9, 23; July 7.
- Music: Historic Singers on Shellac with Paul Lewis is fortnightly at 14.00 in Room 1.33 on Sept 22; Oct 6, 20; Nov 3, 17, Dec 1. Jan 12, 26; Feb 9, 23; Mar 9, 23; April 6; May 4, 18; June 1, 15, 29; July 13.
- Greek: Modern Conversation on Wednesday at 12.50 will be conducted only on Zoom while Rita Wolfisz is away. She returns to Room 1.28 in the Town Hall on 3 November.
- Jews of Spain & Portugal with Tiki Martel is in Room 2.26 on Wednesdays at 15.10.
- Medical Humanities with Michael Baum has been postponed until 19 October in Room 2.21 and will continue on Tuesdays, fortnightly at 12.50.
- Write your memoirs Friday 10.30 Maggie Wain is now on Zoom
- Energy & Climate change Tuesday 11.40 with Alan Morton is now on Zoom.
- Medieval History Thursday at 10.30 with Margaret Jackson Roberts is cancelled.
- Spanish Language and Literature Thursday 10.30 with Guy Meredith is also cancelled
- NEW CLASS Tai Chi with Ian Orkin, starts on14 October at11.40 in Room 2.21
- Esther Shouby’s Hebrew Literature on Wednesdays at 14.00 is cancelled until further notice.
I hope all this is clear and that you will forgive any mistakes that I have made!
From Wally Howard
GREAT NEWS! The problem is practically solved, and films should be back next week with Wally’s new DVD player. The experts we consulted all scratched their heads and didn’t help – then along came our own genius, Herbie Goldberg. He spent an afternoon and the following morning connecting leads and buying switches to make things happen. Wally is coming in this week to meet Herbie and familiarize himself with the new equipment – we are almost sure that a film programme will be in the next Update.
If you can’t wait until next week, Wally’s two folders are still available: the first is to the Miscarriages of Justice talks including “The Triangle Fire” and “The Case of Timothy Evans”. The folder has the talks in order and the second folder contains videos of recommended films and can all be accessed easily.
The Cafeteria
Joanna is back in the cafeteria and her delicious food can be enjoyed by all of us. However, unsurprisingly, the number of customers is much reduced because there are so many Zoom classes – and she is beginning to wonder whether it is worth her while to employ some of her staff. So if you were hesitating about meeting your friends for lunch or coffee – hesitate no longer! There is a real danger that we could lose this wonderful facility altogether.
Wine Tasting
From Martin Raybould. We have organised wine tastings for October 7th, November 11th and December 2nd at 6.30 pm in room 2.21 as previously. There will be NO zooming.
From Shirley Lake
I would like to thank the many members who contributed used stamps of the Little Voice children’s charity in Ethiopia. Please keep them coming.
To make you smile
Thought for the day:
Q: What’s the difference between paraffin and petrol?
A: There are two “ffs” in paraffin but no effin petrol.
The Marine Fighter Pilot
A teacher gave an assignment to her pupils: “Ask your parents to tell you a story with a moral at the end of it.” The next day, the pupils came back and, one by one, began to tell their stories. They were all fairly predictable: spilled milk and pennies saved, etc.
But then the teacher realised that only Janie was left. “Janie,” she asked, “do you have a story to share?”
“Yes. My Daddy told me a story about Mummy. She was once a fighter pilot, her aircraft got hit by enemy fire and she was forced to bail out over enemy territory. All she had with her was a bottle of whisky, a pistol, and a survival knife. She drank the whisky on the way down in case the bottle got broken and landed right in the middle of twenty fighters. She shot fifteen of them with the pistol, until she ran out of bullets, then killed four more with the knife till the blade broke, and then she killed the last fighter with her bare hands.”
”Good Heavens!” said the horrified teacher. ‘What did your Daddy tell you about the moral of this dreadful story?
He told me to stay well away from Mummy when she’s been drinking.
Best Wishes from the Team