November 2011
Our treasurer, Bob Howes, receives a cheque from the Lutterworth Waitrose branch from their ‘Community Matters’ grants. All Waitrose shoppers can select their choice of local organisation and, in August, many selected the Wycliffe Lutterworth U3A. On receiving the cheque, Bob said ‘We are very grateful to Waitrose and their shoppers who supported us. This donation will go towards our room hire costs at the local Methodist Church. In past years, we have been fortunate to receive grants from Leicestershire County Council but, with the budget cuts, it has not been granted this year.’
Report on the October Monthly Meeting
We were enchanted by the recollections of Heather Slater and her time as a nanny to one of the princes in the Saudi royal family. After being a telephonist in Burnley, she saw an advertisement for a nanny for the Saudi royal family in Riyadh. As a result of interviews at the Dorchester Hotel in London and the Georges Cinq hotel in Paris, she got the job and later flew to the palace in Riyadh. She was the nanny to Haled, the son of Prince Al-Walid bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, commonly known as Prince Al-Walid.
Her recollections and stories included shopping in Saudi, visiting the royal kitchen only twice in over 7 years and dealing with the feared ‘religious police’. When Riyadh was too hot, from June to September, holidays were taken around the world in places like Cyprus, Orlando, the Grand Canyon, shopping in Paris and often on yachts in and around Cannes. One of these was previously owned by a major arms dealer. In fact, one morning, they woke up next to an even bigger yacht. When Heather said the Prince would not be impressed by being next to one larger than the one they were on, she was told that in fact the Prince had just bought if from Donald Trump. She did get her own holidays back to the UK and also became friendly with others from the British embassy and British Aerospace.
After one trip into the desert, in the Prince’s private Boeing 747, she went out to meet the Bedouins. They gave her some exquisite silver jewellery that Heather passed round for all to see, along with some of the traditional clothes worn in Saudi.
A most fascinating brief insight into how the Saudi royal family that was enjoyed by us all.
BIRD WATCHING
This month's birdwatching trip was to the ever popular reserve - Brandon Marsh. It was a lovely sunny day, enhancing the tints of autumn in the woods and reflections in the pools. We observed a large number of lapwings, quite a few ducks. seabirds and cormorants, but the highlight of the day was a lone Whooper swan which had flown all the way from the icy north! A small group of members will be spending two days on the North Norfolk coast in November where we hope to see flocks of geese and other water birds at Snettisham and Titchwell. New members always welcome.
LIVELY DISCUSSION
December Meeting : Christmas topics and refreshments
October Meeting:
The growth of the multi-cultural society in Leicester – has it been a benefit to our city and county? What changes has it brought?
Over the past 60 or so years the nature of Leicester and Leicestershire has changed. West Indians arrived in the early 1950s because the government advertised for transport and health workers after World War 2. The biggest influx of Asians arrived as a result of Idi Amin’s policies in Uganda, and so we have Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Jains. In the early 1990s Leicester welcomed 15,000 Somalis who live mainly in the St Matthews area of the city. Eastern Europeans, particularly Polish people have been here for about a decade. Leicester alongside Nottingham has a growing number of Chinese too, and there was a thriving Jewish population at one time, although this has reduced to about 100 families now. The student population in the county is about 55,000 - 30,000 of whom are studying at Leicester’s two universities.
The group felt that there are undoubted benefits of this varied society. These include the lack of ghettos compared with some towns and cities in the north, an opportunity to take part in or see cultural festivals such as Diwali, Ede or the second largest Caribbean carnival in the country. The variety of restaurants was also much appreciated. Even when the riots were very serious elsewhere, there was just some sporadic looting in Leicester which appeared to be copycat and greedy rather than racially motivated. The Highfields area of Leicester is now a much safer place to walk around, whereas in the 80s and 90s it was noted as unsafe because of the level of crime.
School children have friends from many backgrounds and the example was given of a group of 6th formers organising a school project where one pupil had to drop out because her parents objected to her working so closely with a person of a lower caste. The girls themselves did not see a problem but the pupil in question obeyed her parents and left the project. Teaching science to highly religious groups can be a challenge where there is a conflict between beliefs and scientific facts. However, this can be overcome by sensitive teaching methods.
Speaking English is regarded as vital and the younger generation are aiding integration because of their ability to do so. Leicester was felt to be as vibrant as London and certainly much safer than Belfast where unfortunately violence has broken out again along religious divides.
POETRY
October Subject: Celebrations
Celebrations covered not only the expected Christmas, New Year, Easter, Weddings, Anniversaries and Birthdays, but also celebrating famous people such as Drake and the defeat of Guy Fawkes, the beginning of spring, birth and our nation. Poets featured were Robert Bridges, Christina Rosetti, R. S. Thomas, Henry Newbold, Gillian Clarke, Robert Louis Stevenson, Pam Ayres, John Betjeman and Peggy C. Bohanon. The source for ‘Remember Remember the 5th of November’ was an English folk verse of 1870, and the last unfamiliar lines seemed to indicate that it had been a playground game. Rule Britannia by J. Thompson was read in full – not sung! Humorous verse contrasted well with the more classical. Matrimony by John Williams, rather than the wedding, was celebrated as a leap into the dark. Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s two poems called New Year generated discussion as to why they were both in the same volume on following pages when the first looked forward to the new and positive, and the second dealt with putting aside old problems and embracing the new.
CANASTA 3
The players coped well with a challenging type of Canasta and the different ways of play. Lots to think about but a very interesting morning
SCRABBLE
A busy morning – One player who claims she “never wins” won both sessions. Plenty of friendly banter and lots of new words.
QUIZ GROUP
This month the question setters were Sylvie and Jackie. Sylvie's questions were on a variety of subjects, during which Bob proved surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject of Barbie! Jackie's questions were really brain stretching which we hope did not put off the new member we were pleased to welcome this month.
THEATRE AND TRIPS
42nd Street
at Curve, Leicester at 7 .00 pm on Tuesday 10th January 2012. Eddie has booked a coach, so please let him know if you want to go on it , if you haven’t already done so. He will ask for
payment for the coach nearer the time.
PHOTOGRAPHY
We welcomed a new member to our group and we enjoyed presenting people's response to our theme of "Places of Worship / Churches" . I must confess though as host I did not make any contribution to the images displayed, l thought manipulating the technology was a contribution of sorts. As a group we are contemplating putting together a presentation to display our efforts to the wider body of the membership, watch this space.
Our next topic will be FOOD and we hope this will generate some imaginative responses.
1st WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP October Walk
A total of 20 walkers (plus a dog) set out from ‘The Shires’ in
Peatling Parva on a bright but breezy autumn morning. The walk, of just under 6 miles, took us initially across fields and through woods to Bruntingthorpe. From there we headed in the general direction of Arnesby eventually turning towards Peatling Magna where we had a coffee stop (complete with an aerobatics display) in the churchyard. From Peatling Magna the route became somewhat easier (no more ploughed fields which had appeared since the
original survey) picking up part of the Leicestershire Round and along Mere Lane and then a track back to the Ashby Road, a couple more fields and back into Peatling Parva. The majority of the group then had an excellent lunch at the ‘The Shires’. This was a nice easy walk (apart from the two ploughed fields which were fortunately quite dry) with some good views across the surrounding countryside.
4th WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP October Walk
On a very pleasant autumn walking day, 25 walkers and 1 dog set off towards Croft via field paths and farm tracks. We took in the outskirts of Broughton Astley and Sutton Elms on route. On our return to Cosby, 20 people enjoyed each others company and a good lunch. All the new faces were most welcome and once again thank you all for your support.
FRENCH CONVERSATION
There was a good turnout of 15 people. We started with a crossword puzzle, followed by conversation in small groups on the topic of Reading. Finally we read and translated some articles on recent French news items.
The next meeting is on 24 November when we plan to watch the sequel to ”Jean de Florette” at Pearl and Tony’s house, “Manon des Sources.” There will be no meeting in December.
GERMAN CONVERSATION
Six people met for the first session. We tried to see how much German we could all remember, and encouraged the less confident members to persevere, at least until the end of the year. I am sure it will get easier! We talked about some wonderful holidays. Next month we plan to talk about some of the jobs we have done, or are doing. We shall meet on the third Tuesday in the month from 2-4pm. Initially we plan to meet in Lutterworth, with Broughton Astley Library as a backup venue. The venue for the meeting on 15 November will be confirmed by email nearer the time
FAMILY HISTORY
The group met on Tuesday 25th. October, and welcomed three new members. After some discussion on where the new members had got to in their research, and hopefully coming up with some useful suggestions, the group continued with their journey through their ancestors. This week we finished off the Great x 2 Grandparents, and Angela commenced the next generation ie. Greats x 3. As this means 32 ancestors each, many of whom are before Civil Registration began in 1837, it is becoming more of a challenge to find information.
Thank goodness for my Scottish Ancestors!!! "
BOOK CHAT
Once again our reading choice challenged our readers and generated opinions within our group that were poles apart. " A Sea of Poppies" by Amrit Ghosh is the first novel in a trilogy. It is set in the run up to the opium wars and is described by one reviewer to be a parable for British colonialism. Dealing with how the East India Company were involved in the cultivation and trading in opium. The characters were well drawn but the language and vocabulary attributed to them proved to be extremely difficult to follow. An interesting read although not to every bodies taste.
Report on the October Monthly Meeting
We were enchanted by the recollections of Heather Slater and her time as a nanny to one of the princes in the Saudi royal family. After being a telephonist in Burnley, she saw an advertisement for a nanny for the Saudi royal family in Riyadh. As a result of interviews at the Dorchester Hotel in London and the Georges Cinq hotel in Paris, she got the job and later flew to the palace in Riyadh. She was the nanny to Haled, the son of Prince Al-Walid bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, commonly known as Prince Al-Walid.
Her recollections and stories included shopping in Saudi, visiting the royal kitchen only twice in over 7 years and dealing with the feared ‘religious police’. When Riyadh was too hot, from June to September, holidays were taken around the world in places like Cyprus, Orlando, the Grand Canyon, shopping in Paris and often on yachts in and around Cannes. One of these was previously owned by a major arms dealer. In fact, one morning, they woke up next to an even bigger yacht. When Heather said the Prince would not be impressed by being next to one larger than the one they were on, she was told that in fact the Prince had just bought if from Donald Trump. She did get her own holidays back to the UK and also became friendly with others from the British embassy and British Aerospace.
After one trip into the desert, in the Prince’s private Boeing 747, she went out to meet the Bedouins. They gave her some exquisite silver jewellery that Heather passed round for all to see, along with some of the traditional clothes worn in Saudi.
A most fascinating brief insight into how the Saudi royal family that was enjoyed by us all.
BIRD WATCHING
This month's birdwatching trip was to the ever popular reserve - Brandon Marsh. It was a lovely sunny day, enhancing the tints of autumn in the woods and reflections in the pools. We observed a large number of lapwings, quite a few ducks. seabirds and cormorants, but the highlight of the day was a lone Whooper swan which had flown all the way from the icy north! A small group of members will be spending two days on the North Norfolk coast in November where we hope to see flocks of geese and other water birds at Snettisham and Titchwell. New members always welcome.
LIVELY DISCUSSION
December Meeting : Christmas topics and refreshments
October Meeting:
The growth of the multi-cultural society in Leicester – has it been a benefit to our city and county? What changes has it brought?
Over the past 60 or so years the nature of Leicester and Leicestershire has changed. West Indians arrived in the early 1950s because the government advertised for transport and health workers after World War 2. The biggest influx of Asians arrived as a result of Idi Amin’s policies in Uganda, and so we have Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Jains. In the early 1990s Leicester welcomed 15,000 Somalis who live mainly in the St Matthews area of the city. Eastern Europeans, particularly Polish people have been here for about a decade. Leicester alongside Nottingham has a growing number of Chinese too, and there was a thriving Jewish population at one time, although this has reduced to about 100 families now. The student population in the county is about 55,000 - 30,000 of whom are studying at Leicester’s two universities.
The group felt that there are undoubted benefits of this varied society. These include the lack of ghettos compared with some towns and cities in the north, an opportunity to take part in or see cultural festivals such as Diwali, Ede or the second largest Caribbean carnival in the country. The variety of restaurants was also much appreciated. Even when the riots were very serious elsewhere, there was just some sporadic looting in Leicester which appeared to be copycat and greedy rather than racially motivated. The Highfields area of Leicester is now a much safer place to walk around, whereas in the 80s and 90s it was noted as unsafe because of the level of crime.
School children have friends from many backgrounds and the example was given of a group of 6th formers organising a school project where one pupil had to drop out because her parents objected to her working so closely with a person of a lower caste. The girls themselves did not see a problem but the pupil in question obeyed her parents and left the project. Teaching science to highly religious groups can be a challenge where there is a conflict between beliefs and scientific facts. However, this can be overcome by sensitive teaching methods.
Speaking English is regarded as vital and the younger generation are aiding integration because of their ability to do so. Leicester was felt to be as vibrant as London and certainly much safer than Belfast where unfortunately violence has broken out again along religious divides.
POETRY
October Subject: Celebrations
Celebrations covered not only the expected Christmas, New Year, Easter, Weddings, Anniversaries and Birthdays, but also celebrating famous people such as Drake and the defeat of Guy Fawkes, the beginning of spring, birth and our nation. Poets featured were Robert Bridges, Christina Rosetti, R. S. Thomas, Henry Newbold, Gillian Clarke, Robert Louis Stevenson, Pam Ayres, John Betjeman and Peggy C. Bohanon. The source for ‘Remember Remember the 5th of November’ was an English folk verse of 1870, and the last unfamiliar lines seemed to indicate that it had been a playground game. Rule Britannia by J. Thompson was read in full – not sung! Humorous verse contrasted well with the more classical. Matrimony by John Williams, rather than the wedding, was celebrated as a leap into the dark. Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s two poems called New Year generated discussion as to why they were both in the same volume on following pages when the first looked forward to the new and positive, and the second dealt with putting aside old problems and embracing the new.
CANASTA 3
The players coped well with a challenging type of Canasta and the different ways of play. Lots to think about but a very interesting morning
SCRABBLE
A busy morning – One player who claims she “never wins” won both sessions. Plenty of friendly banter and lots of new words.
QUIZ GROUP
This month the question setters were Sylvie and Jackie. Sylvie's questions were on a variety of subjects, during which Bob proved surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject of Barbie! Jackie's questions were really brain stretching which we hope did not put off the new member we were pleased to welcome this month.
THEATRE AND TRIPS
42nd Street
at Curve, Leicester at 7 .00 pm on Tuesday 10th January 2012. Eddie has booked a coach, so please let him know if you want to go on it , if you haven’t already done so. He will ask for
payment for the coach nearer the time.
PHOTOGRAPHY
We welcomed a new member to our group and we enjoyed presenting people's response to our theme of "Places of Worship / Churches" . I must confess though as host I did not make any contribution to the images displayed, l thought manipulating the technology was a contribution of sorts. As a group we are contemplating putting together a presentation to display our efforts to the wider body of the membership, watch this space.
Our next topic will be FOOD and we hope this will generate some imaginative responses.
1st WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP October Walk
A total of 20 walkers (plus a dog) set out from ‘The Shires’ in
Peatling Parva on a bright but breezy autumn morning. The walk, of just under 6 miles, took us initially across fields and through woods to Bruntingthorpe. From there we headed in the general direction of Arnesby eventually turning towards Peatling Magna where we had a coffee stop (complete with an aerobatics display) in the churchyard. From Peatling Magna the route became somewhat easier (no more ploughed fields which had appeared since the
original survey) picking up part of the Leicestershire Round and along Mere Lane and then a track back to the Ashby Road, a couple more fields and back into Peatling Parva. The majority of the group then had an excellent lunch at the ‘The Shires’. This was a nice easy walk (apart from the two ploughed fields which were fortunately quite dry) with some good views across the surrounding countryside.
4th WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP October Walk
On a very pleasant autumn walking day, 25 walkers and 1 dog set off towards Croft via field paths and farm tracks. We took in the outskirts of Broughton Astley and Sutton Elms on route. On our return to Cosby, 20 people enjoyed each others company and a good lunch. All the new faces were most welcome and once again thank you all for your support.
FRENCH CONVERSATION
There was a good turnout of 15 people. We started with a crossword puzzle, followed by conversation in small groups on the topic of Reading. Finally we read and translated some articles on recent French news items.
The next meeting is on 24 November when we plan to watch the sequel to ”Jean de Florette” at Pearl and Tony’s house, “Manon des Sources.” There will be no meeting in December.
GERMAN CONVERSATION
Six people met for the first session. We tried to see how much German we could all remember, and encouraged the less confident members to persevere, at least until the end of the year. I am sure it will get easier! We talked about some wonderful holidays. Next month we plan to talk about some of the jobs we have done, or are doing. We shall meet on the third Tuesday in the month from 2-4pm. Initially we plan to meet in Lutterworth, with Broughton Astley Library as a backup venue. The venue for the meeting on 15 November will be confirmed by email nearer the time
FAMILY HISTORY
The group met on Tuesday 25th. October, and welcomed three new members. After some discussion on where the new members had got to in their research, and hopefully coming up with some useful suggestions, the group continued with their journey through their ancestors. This week we finished off the Great x 2 Grandparents, and Angela commenced the next generation ie. Greats x 3. As this means 32 ancestors each, many of whom are before Civil Registration began in 1837, it is becoming more of a challenge to find information.
Thank goodness for my Scottish Ancestors!!! "
BOOK CHAT
Once again our reading choice challenged our readers and generated opinions within our group that were poles apart. " A Sea of Poppies" by Amrit Ghosh is the first novel in a trilogy. It is set in the run up to the opium wars and is described by one reviewer to be a parable for British colonialism. Dealing with how the East India Company were involved in the cultivation and trading in opium. The characters were well drawn but the language and vocabulary attributed to them proved to be extremely difficult to follow. An interesting read although not to every bodies taste.
