U3A in London Update – 7 December 2020

This information was published on: December 07, 2020

Weekly Online Timetable

As usual, we have sent you the timetable as a separate document so that you may access it more easily. You may also see it if you click here.

The Monday Talks

This week Bernard Lockett talks about the Heritage of Gilbert and Sullivan. As a life-long enthusiast Bernard has written two books about G&S. He is a Trustee of the annual International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, now in its 27th year.

Next week Stephen Horne, entertainer and humorist offers us a Christmas mystery – ‘Aliens, Options and Christmas! – ‘What is so is so… and what is not is not, that is a puzzlement!’ Those of you who came to his Harrods talk will know that we are in for a delightful hour to round off the year.

From Naomi

We are hoping that if you have been waiting to pay your membership fee on-line, you will finally be able to do so by next week. Confirmation will appear in the next Update. The last trials will take place this week to ensure everything is working smoothly and, assuming there are no further problems, you should receive your membership form, renewal instructions and personalised information with your unique password by email. When you receive your password, please keep it secure. If you have any problems regarding this, please contact the Office.

Many of you have written to us to tell us how much you enjoy our Zoom programme and this is a reminder that the end of the year, the Zoom links will be altered and those who have not paid their subscription will no longer appear on the database. Consequently, they will not receive the weekly Updates with the new links. If you would rather not wait for this to happen, the other way for you to renew your membership is to email the Office and ask for your pre-printed form to be emailed to you. (If you have printer problems, ask for it to be posted to you.)

We are sure you realise that in lockdown U3A has been committed to paying the rent on the Town Hall. In addition we are paying for ‘pro’ Zoom platforms that cost together over £100 each month.

I would like to thank many of you who have already renewed your membership. I have been checking our database and in some cases it is not clear whether your renewal was properly acknowledged. Although everyone who did so should have received a receipt, unfortunately – being human – we must have made some mistakes (you will not be surprised to hear that things have been somewhat chaotic at times!).So, if we missed responding to you, and if you receive a reminder when you know you have already paid, I do apologise. Please bear with us and email me if you are one of those members and I will make sure that your database entry is checked.

In London we are now in Tier 2. This makes very little difference as to how U3A is permitted to operate. The only change is that a small group of members (up to 6) can now meet outside in a public place. For those of you who are brave enough to battle the elements, good luck!

Stay well, Naomi

A reminder about our Digital U3A

Please remember that our digital timetable is for our own members, so please do NOT share it with friends and relations although it may be tempting to do so. Instead, encourage them to become members of our U3A. Our latest new member has joined us from Amsterdam!

Recordings of the Monday Morning Talks are available for a week or two afterwards. If you would like the link to a recording of an outside contributor – please email Gilli. Recordings of other talks may also be available. Please check with the coordinator to request a link.

More Lectures from Ralph Blumenau

On Wednesday 9 December, Ralph moves to the later time of 5.30 – to accommodate those who wish to attend but cannot make the earlier time. This week he talks about ‘The Amazons’ and on December 16 about Rembrandt.

Next term, he will give a nine week course on the subject: “Look Here Upon This Picture And On This” (comparing how the same subject has been treated by different painters – a series he gave about ten years ago).

Wine-Tasting

On Thursday 10 December Martin Raybould is holding a special Zoom wine tasting starting at 6pm.

Winter Programme (21st Dec – 1st Jan)

During the 2-week Christmas break we plan to run a Winter Programme, along similar lines to the Summer Programme with 2 talks each day, some serious and some light-hearted, at 10:30 am and 2 pm.

From Wally Howard

Please find below the links to Wally’s talks for the third and final part of the Trial of John Scopes and Reflections part 18.

The Trial of John Scopes – The Third and Final Part:

Here is Reflections – Part 18:

To the Followers of Michael Baum

Mike has changed his schedule somewhat and has included a surprise! Details next week.

U3A London History Walks

End of Term Report from Richard Cohen

We have put on four virtual walks using Zoom over this last term. They have all been attended by a good number of members with the record reaching 78 for our most recent offering. We have learnt that you can show things to Zoom audiences which they would never be able to see on the ground and you can literally Zoom about escaping from the iron laws of geography and gravity. You can show bird’s eye views of the spectacular buildings and landscapes of our great city and Zoom in on close-ups of architectural or artistic details not visible from street level.

We have toured the pubs and drinking establishments of Fleet Street and heard about the criminal and impoverished story of the Hatton Garden area and its rise to prominence as a world centre of the jewellery trade. We have paid a virtual call on nine places of worship across Greater London established by different religious communities to express their pride in their culture and beliefs. This week for our final event of 2020 we have taken a virtual tour of sombre jailhouses and places of execution and the great courthouses and Inns of Court of legal London.

Best wishes to all for the festive season.
Richard Cohen

From Elaine Allouf

Dear Naomi,
I didn’t realise that we should renew our driving licenses when we reach 70 and I now discover, purely by accident, that the over 70s driving license has to be renewed every 3 years. Perhaps I just hadn’t read the small print. This made me wonder how many of our members aren’t aware of this and I thought it might be an idea to remind them. It is also worth mentioning that, if they do this online, they should take care to use the gov.uk website.

I also would like to say how wonderful the newsletter is, and the programme. I’m in awe of the expertise and hard work that you all do, so thank you very much indeed and please thank the rest of the team for me.

Keep safe and well. Elaine

From Ron Tucker

Having just attended the Monday morning lecture and then a recording of Richard Arhur’s lecture on Japan, I am keen to pass on my congratulations to all those technical people of our U3A who make it possible. Aren’t we fortunate!!
Ron

From Maureen Betts’ Thursday Art Group

To Make you smile

PRESBYTERIAN: When you rearrange the letters: BEST IN PRAYER
ASTRONOMER: When you rearrange the letters: MOON STARER
DESPERATION: When you rearrange the letters: A ROPE ENDS IT
THE EYES: When you rearrange the letters: THEY SEE
GEORGE BUSH: When you rearrange the letters: HE BUGS GORE
THE MORSE CODE: When you rearrange the letters: HERE COME DOTS
DORMITORY: When you rearrange the letters: DIRTY ROOM
SLOT MACHINES: When you rearrange the letters: CASH LOST IN ME
ANIMOSITY: When you rearrange the letters: IS NO AMITY
ELECTION RESULTS: When you rearrange the letters: LIES – LET’S RECOUNT
SNOOZE ALARMS: When you rearrange the letters: ALAS! NO MORE Z ‘S
A DECIMAL POINT: When you rearrange the letters: I’M A DOT IN PLACE
THE EARTHQUAKES: When you rearrange the letters: THAT QUEER SHAKE
ELEVEN PLUS TWO: When you rearrange the letters: TWELVE PLUS ONE

London Region Winter Talks January – March 2021

The London Region online Winter Talks programme will continue from January to March on Monday afternoons from 5pm-6pm (log in from 4.30pm).

Please click on this link to the flyer for descriptions of the exciting range of talks, speaker details, timetable, and registration links.  Unless otherwise stated, each event has a link to its own online registration form, so click on the link specific to the event you wish to attend.  Please don’t leave it to the last minute as you may miss out.  You will automatically receive a confirmation email when you have registered.

The Zoom meeting link for each session will be sent to you on the Saturday before the event.  If you think you haven’t received the meeting link, or the registration confirmation, check your spam/junk folder!

All these events – and more – can also be accessed via the Events page of the London Region website WWW.U3ASITES.ORG.UK/LONDONREGION
If you want to change your booking or have any queries please email me rather than applying again.
Keep well, and best wishes for 2021

Catherine Ware, Talks and Summer School Coordinator

Diary Project

U3A in the Time of Corona -a book created using contributions during Lockdown from U3A members all over the country. It chronicles our reactions to coronavirus and isolation, as well as how to get a supermarket delivery, how to cut your own hair and what to do with all that free time. Some people sent drawings, photographs and poems, which have been included.
The book is A4, 120 pages, colour printed and costs £10 including postage.

Contents
In the Beginning
How it all started, in Wuhan and elsewhere
Don’t Panic! Panic buying, food, loo rolls, home deliveries
Vulnerable? Me? Health of individual and household, physical and mental
Family and Friends Concerns about adult children, elderly parents and friends
Missing Granny Grandchildren, missing them, help with home schooling
Filling Those Empty Hours Occupations– art, cooking, music, exercise, books, gardening etc etc ….
Learn, Laugh, Live U3A – how it was, how we’re keeping it going, technology
In Tune with Nature? Natural world – for mental and physical health, including environmental aspects
Not on the Bright Side Loss of friends and family, knock on effects
Such a Thing as Society? Community support, key workers, Clap for Carers
What the Future Holds . . . ? What is the ‘new normal’ likely to be?