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September 2013 Month bulletin

Report on the August Meeting

 

A Piano with Braces  

Our guest speaker, Cardiff born David Price, having been adopted by musically talented parents, enjoyed learning to play the piano from an early age. At twelve years of age he moved to Uxbridge, where he met his first girlfriend, who was also a pianist. Inspired by a street busker to further his studies, he joined a local variety group at the tender age of fifteen.

He enjoyed performing and entered talent competitions at holiday camps, where he won, not the competition, but a wife! Having lived for some time at Church Langton and Market Harborough, he now performs locally and was especially entertaining at the recent picnic at Misterton.

He is the passionate owner of five different accordions. His technical descriptions of the inner workings of the various types of accordion would have been more clearly understood had he used visual aids in the form of diagrams. His brief history of the development of the accordion from its inception, 2000 years ago in China to the modern day Italian Excelsior, was fascinating. There are many types of accordion, for example, the” Musette” which has a piercing, carrying sound in contrast to the softer tones of the accordion, which he played at the meeting. We enjoyed his virtuoso renditions of familiar tunes, which were at times hard to name, in the final quiz and marvelled at his magical, flexible fingers.

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE FROM EDITOR

 

I have simplified the way I compile the Bulletin, which has resulted in slight differences to its appearance. I have also changed to white paper for the inside pages, so that photographs are clearer, (see pages 8 & 12).

FRENCH CONVERSATION

Co-ordinator

Sue Hicks

01858 880273

22 August 2013 

We had a general conversation about work, in small groups.  After the break some continued, some played Scrabble in French, some did puzzles.

The next meeting will show another Daniel Auteuil film, about friendship, on Thursday, 26 September, at Pearl and Tony’s house.  Please contact Sue if you are not sure where that is. 

 

QUIZ GROUP

Co-ordinator

Sylvie Curtis

01455 554504


We had a good meeting in August answering questions set by Dot. Her questions covered local knowledge as well as more general subjects. A very enjoyable morning.

 

BOOK CHAT

Co-ordinator

Mick Curtis

01455 554504

This month we all read a different book with the purpose of recommending our choices to the group. The subjects chosen were many and various and we learnt of some interesting books which may well feature on our reading list for 2014.

 


 

TRIPS

Co-ordinator

George Robertson

01455 559725 email:george9high@hotmail.com

 

2014 SPRING BREAK TO YORK.

Fancy a 3 day break to York which includes a trip to Castle Howard (Brideshead Revisited) and a York City river cruise? The price will include 2 nights dinner bed and breakfast.   Approx cost £175  The 5 single rooms have been reserved already, you can still have a room to yourself for a £24.00 supplement. Most likely timing at this stage would be mid April. 

BIRMINGHAM CHRISTMAS MARKET Thurs 5th Dec.

Cost £7.00

Coach trip to Birmingham Christmas Market leaving Lutterworth at 4pm and joining the coach for the return journey at 8pm.  The timing allows us to enjoy the magic of the market after dark.

 

GERMAN CONVERSATION

Co-ordinator

Sue Hicks

01858 880273



20 August 2013

We met at George’s house, and continued with the CD course.  He then kindly showed us some footage of a film he made in the Moselle region, which was very picturesque.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 17 September,  venue to be announced.

 


 

GARDEN LUNCHES

Co-ordinator

Jill Graham

01455 557117

email grahjill@hotmail.com

Tuesday 20 August 2013 – Palmers at Ullesthorpe - I rang Palmers beforehand and they happily laid a  table  for 9.  Their Special Offer was “Two Quiche Salads for the Price of One” with a Palmers’ Card and  a special voucher printed off the Internet*.  This resulted in a long queue to book and pay for the meals and I, unfortunately, made the queue longer by temporarily forgetting my Credit Card Number!  I used my Debit Card instead and immediately remembered the correct number!

*   Log on to Palmers’ Website and sign up for their on-line Newsletter  to receive these Offers.

 

Tuesday 10 September 2013 – The Malt Kiln Farm Shop, Stretton-under-Fosse.   There is a large Farm Shop with a fresh Butchery Department and well-filled freezers.  They are a PYO site and when the soft fruit finishes, there are still vegetables (sweet corn, beans etc) available as well as Sunflowers!  Plants and tubs and other things are also on sale.  The Café - Mains £7.50, Specials £7 plus a wide range of Baguettes, Baked Potatoes etc.  They say that their ingredients are sourced from the Farm Shop and – of course – they do a range of Cakes and Desserts!

 

Tuesday 15 October 2013  - Wistow Rural Centre Café/Bistro  - Home-made snacks and meals.  Ten other shopping “outlets” on this site – (www.wistow.com).  Sign up today

 


 

PHOTOGRAPHY

Co-ordinator

Mick Curtis

01455 554504

 

A smaller than usual gathering this time but we managed to display and discuss images that were humorous. Nothing that was laugh out loud but we enjoyed examples of antipodean bluntness and family fun. Our next subject is more of a challenge . Wheels how we approach this is open to conjecture but it may prove more humorous than our last meeting . We are scheduled to meet on Thursday October the 24 th.

 

PUB LUNCH

Co-ordinator

Jill Graham

01455 557117

email grahjill@hotmail.com

Wednesday 7 August 2013 – The Pig in Muck, Claybrooke Magna  - in spite of the confusion over the number of people going and which lunches they had ordered, this went off smoothly and enjoyably after we had sorted out what had happened to a missing member.

Wednesday 4 September 2013 – The Elms, Lutterworth.  Report next month

Wednesday 2 October 2013 – The Shires, Peatling Parva – they always have a lengthy “Specials” Board and The Shires is one of our of our most popular venues.   Sign up today!

Wednesday 21 August 2013 – “The White Horse”, Leire.  WHOOPS!!  It was the Landlord who was Portuguese!   However there are always some dishes that are Portuguese on the Specials Menu and those members who had the Madeira Chicken and the Portuguese Fish Dish thoroughly enjoyed them.  Indeed everybody was most enthusiastic about The White Horse and the food they were served and took pains to tell me so afterwards.  The staff did exceptionally well as, while I had booked originally for 10‑12 people, I had to ring to say that we had 17 coming.   Definitely a place the group wants to return to.

 

ETHNIC EATING

Co-ordinator

Jill Graham

01455 557117

 

September 18 September 2013 – “The Bell Inn” – Monks Kirby.  Spanish Cuisine – very good on fish and shellfish as well as typically Spanish Dishes such as Paella – which comes to the table bubbling away in black cast-iron dishes – some Paella “variations” come to the table garnished with what looks to me like Prawns on Steroids!   They do a varied traditional menu as well and will also, on request, do something not on the Menu like a Smoked Salmon Salad, if they have the Smoked Salmon in the kitchen.  Sign up today.

 

SNAIL’S PACE WALKING GROUP

Co-ordinator

Sheila Eggleton

01455 554387

sheilaeggleton@yahoo.co.uk

September Walk

 

On Friday 20th September we will set off from the Golden Lion at Easenhall at 11.30a.m.for our walk, which is across fields and along pathways.  It is a relatively easy walk which should be accomplished in approx one and a half hours.  Easenhall is off the B4112 Pailton Road, four miles North of Rugby. The easiest way to reach it from Lutterworth is to head for Magna Park.  At the A5 island take the 2nd exit (towards Pailton, Brinklow) then take the first left, off this road (Montilo Lane).  At the end of the lane turn left.  Go through the village of Harborough Magna, staying on the main road.  You will see a sign for the Golden Lion, indicating you need to take a right hand turn off this road.  Follow the lane into the village where you will find the pub.  I can vouch for the lovely food they serve, you may be able to pre-order if you get there early.  Thanks to Anne and Celia for organising this walk.

August Walk

 



We had a lovely walk around Ullesthorpe and Claybrooke, taking in some beautiful scenery.  As always luck was with us when we were invited into the grounds of the old mill at Ullesthorpe, to have a closer look at this and the other outbuildings.  Pat had done a sterling job researching some of the local history, including the building of the railway.  Despite getting very muddy going across the fields and some interesting gymnastics, as we attempted the stiles, and a new addition to our group (see photograph) it was agreed by all that this was one of the most enjoyable walks we have had.  Our sincere thanks go to Pat and Dave (Hunter) for organising it and for the photographs.

LIVELY DISCUSSION

Co-ordinator

Dot Barnard

01455 208190

 

Lively Discussion 12th August 2013

Are we obsessed with holidays?

 

Most of the group felt that young people are obsessed with holidays, which was attributed to gap year travelling and the opportunity to go to Europe with parents when they were children. Indeed one member had been appreciative of the cheap packages in the 80s which enabled her to give experiences to her children. Some young people acted as though having a holiday was a human right! This engendered a discussion about the lack of holidays after the war, restrictions mainly attributed to cost.

Asking about holidays seems to be stock-in-trade for hair dressers because it is a safe topic. However some felt they would like to discuss other things as customers are often competitive about their destinations. At least one person’s friend is known to keep a checklist of countries and seems more interested in bragging rights about where she has been than in the travel experience itself. We felt that trying the food and having local experiences is not to be missed, and cheap places which replicate British pubs and bars should be avoided at all costs. Most newspapers have large travel sections, although this may represent the desire to sell rather than meet a need.

Those who had been teachers, or parents with more than 2 children, thought they had been obsessed with holidays as they were essential for R and R, rather than where they actually went. Destinations were often restricted by affordability. However, skiing and walking featured strongly and skiing cannot be done in England. One member goes to Cornwall every year and occasionally overseas. This led to a discussion about the beauty of the UK and how latterly, those who have not done so before are exploring their native land. A member who travelled thousands of miles for work every year at home and abroad, loved to stay here - often at home for holidays.

Some still had intentions to travel far afield since in retirement life could be considered as one long holiday, and if one is fit enough it’s lovely to have the freedom. Those on their own had very strong feelings about single supplements. But perhaps that’s a discussion for another time?

Future Topics -   September: Learning by rote – does it work?

October: Are we human beings or human doings?

1st WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP       

WYCLIFFE U3A Joint Co-ordinators:

Roger Watmore 01455 552431 and

Julian Hargreaves 01455b 557704

Date of walk: Wednesday, 2nd October 2013

Walk Organisers:  Jean & Peter Williamson 01455 209882

Meeting Point and Time - Lutterworth Recreation Ground car park at 9.15 am to leave at 9.20 am.
 - Starting at the Bell Inn, Main Street, Gumley (LE16 7RU), at 10.00am.

Directions to the Start: - Take the A4304 to Market Harborough. At Lubenham, turn left to Foxton and after 1½ miles turn left at a “T” junction towards Foxton. After 300 yards, just before entering Foxton turn left at a right hand bend and follow the signs to Gumley for 1½ miles. The Bell Inn is at the bottom of Gumley on entering Main Street. Park in Main Street near to the Bell Inn (the Bell Inn has no car park apart from a few spaces on the forecourt)  

Route and Distance: - This is a walk of just over 6 miles along quiet country lanes and the Grand Union Canal with no stiles.  The route on leaving Gumley is along the road to Laughton, over Laughton Hills and down to the Grand Union Canal following the tow path for approx. 2 miles before going down Foxton Locks and returning to Gumley.


 

August Walk.

26 of us set off from East Carlton Country Park passing the church and turning down a lane that opened out to reveal the wonderful views across the Welland valley. We continued in warm sunshine through village streets and across crop fields to complete the first leg back at the park. Most of us had a picnic lunch and some chose from the café menu. After lunch 15 of us continued on the second part of the walk through the villages of Middleton and Cottingham, returning to the park across meadows and along  field paths that again offered extensive views. Ice creams were the order of the day as we arrived back at the café in the park.

I think our ‘Something  Different!’ walk was regarded as a successful venture.

                                                                                                      George Robertson

  4th  WEDNESDAY WALKING GROUP Co-ordinators:        

Sue & Peter Creeden

01455 557888

         

Wednesday 25th September 2013



Walk Organisers:- Gordon Jones. Tel. 01455 556192



Meeting Point and Time:-
Lutterworth Recreation Ground car park at 9.20am to leave at 9.30am.

Start Point: Shilton Arms, Shilton, Coventry. 

Directions to the Start:-. From Lutterworth take the A4303 to the A5 roundabout. Take the third exit onto Coal Pit Lane.  Follow directions for Wolvey then on to Shilton. The Shilton Arms is on the left just past the traffic lights. Park at the far end of the car park. Take care when leaving, not a good view of the road.



Route and Distance:-  The circular walk is 6 miles and uses field paths and tracks plus a bit of village road.

 

Lunch arrangements:- At the Shilton Arms, choose on return, cost £5 – £6.

 

Round Trip Mileage:- 22miles



August 2013 Walk

 

On a humid day 23 walkers and 1 dog met at the Red Lion at Crick and set off past a most interesting Parish Church with many different types of stone as extra parts were added.

We then crossed the bypass and encountered lots of inquisitive cattle on our journey (kept in order by specially trained U3A cattle controllers). We then passed closely to the Wind Turbines on our route to Yelvertoft. We returned to Crick via the canal towpath and 15 enjoyed a superb lunch at the Red Lion. 6.5 miles total                                                                    Peter and Irene Moore

GARDEN GROUP

Co-ordinator

Sue Creeden

01455 557888

The discussion at our August meeting was based how to overcome various problems with all types of bulbs and several members recommended catalogues from which they had had successful purchases.  The conversation then evolved into other plants, their varieties and problems and we were lucky to find a real expert in our midst. 

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 24th September when we shall be visiting Ryton Organic Gardens.  For times and arrangements, please contact Sue.

BIRD WATCHING

Co-ordinators

Mary & Peter Rolleston

01455 209156

 

This month a small group of members visited Cossington Meadows nature reserve near Rothley.  We had a pleasant walk of approximately 3 miles through woodland and meadows where we encountered a flock of long-tailed tits, great tit and willow warbler.  On the lakes there were a large number of lapwings, Canada geese and several mute swans with their cygnets.  We saw lots of butterflies including a comma, speckled wood and tortoiseshell.  There were also many colourful dragonflies and damsel flies on the edge of the lake.  We also came across a field with several Exmoor ponies which have recently been introduced to the reserve - they seemed quite at home! Of the many wildflowers in the area we identified hemlock, angelica, mugwort and water plantain, and several others.  Our next trip, on Friday, 27th September, will be to Middleton Lakes RSPB reserve near Tamworth, Staffordshire.  New members welcome

   

Joint Wycliffe Lutterworth

and Lutterworth U3A Groups

And LU3A Groups open to WLU3A members

 

            TUESDAY  WALKING GROUP Co-ordinator:          

Gordon Jones (Lutterworth U3A)

01455 556192

Any queries please contact the Organizers.
Date of Walk: Tuesday 17th September
Co-ordinator: Gordon Jones. Tel. 01455 556192
Walk Organizers: Peter and Irene Moore. Tel: 01455 552594. email: peter79moore@gmail.com
Meeting Point: Meet at the car park by the Leisure Centre.
Meeting Time: 09.20 to leave at 09.30.

Start Point: Kaffir Inn, Cambridge Road, Whetstone at 10.00.  Toilets available.

Directions: A426 towards Blaby, turn left at 2nd island into Whetstone. Kaffir Inn is on Cosby Road.

Lunch: At Kaffir Inn, three meat choice carvery - £4.95, dessert of the day - £1.50.  Excellent quality and value.
Route and distance: 6 miles through Whetstone skirting Countesthorpe and Blaby and returning via Glen Parva and the Enderby end of Whetstone via canal tow path etc. visiting Rugby ground, Golf course and river Sence valley.
Return Mileage from Lutterworth: 15 miles.

 

JOINT GOLF GROUP (with Lutterworth U3A)

Co-ordinator (Lutterworth U3A)

Peter Moore

01455 552594

 e-mail: peter79moore@gmail.com

Result of latest Joint Golf Day at Ullesthorpe Golf Club on Thursday 15th August

Winner:- Chris Dodd  (38 Points) Wycliffe u3a ,who wins the Hartopp Trophy

2nd  Peter Reeves (37 Points) Lutterworth u3a  3rd Robert Chick (36 Points) Lutterworth u3a

Next Joint Golf Day Lutterworth and Wycliffe u3a Organiser :- Alan Kemp  Tel:-  01455 203009  email:- evelynkemp@fsmail.net  Whetstone Golf Club on Thursday 3rd October 2013 competing for the Hartopp Trophy and Prizes. Meet at 12.00 Hrs in the Golf Club Bar for 1.00 pm Tee Time.Coffee and Bacon Sandwich  included on arrival.To confirm your attendance or for full itinerary, please contact Alan Kemp by Email or Telephone to include your Meal choices.Coffee included.Cost approx. £28.00 To include Coffee and Bacon Sandwich , Green Fee, Prizes and Dinner. (Dependent upon numbers)Don't forget to invite your Spouse / Partner for 3 course Dinner at 6.30pm in the Golf  Clubhouse Restaurant - Cost £13.00.per person. Jackets and Ties *not required*

Forthcoming Golf Days

AWAY DAY -  SEASONS FINALE COMPETITION.

Please  invite Guests along (Separate Pairs competition – Request an entry form) to enjoy this Superb Day Out.  Let’s hope for continued SUNNY WEATHER.!!

DATE:- Friday 25th October 2013

VENUE:- Wollaton Park Golf Club, Lime Tree Ave, Wollaton Park, Nottingham. NG8 1BT DIRECTIONS :-  M1 North, exit at junction 25, A52 Nottingham, turn left at A6514 Inner Ring Road  (with Queen Medical Centre opposite) turn left on  slip road into  Lime Tree Avenue. Golf Club at end of Drive

COMPETITION -Individual  Stableford , Full Handicap Allowance. TEE TIMES:- From 09.30 am.  1st and 10th Tee’s.ITINERARY:- From 8.30 am.  Coffee / Tea & Bacon Roll upon Arrival. From 9.30 a.m ,18  holes. 2 Tee start.3.00 p.m Hot Lunch – Steak Pie with Vegetables etc or Vegetarian.  Puddings and Coffee  available at extra cost.  Jackets & Ties NOT required.Approx. 4.00 p.m.  Presentation of  Seasons  Finale Trophy and other  prizes to 5th Place. Nearest the Pin: 2nd  Hole.

Total cost  is £34.00p per player (includes Coffee /Tea & Bacon Roll, Green Fee, Prize Fund, & Hot Lunch)

To Reserve your place, send your confirmation   with a payment of  £34.00p per player to Peter Moore.

(Cheques made payable to :-  P. Moore, 79, Orchard Road, Lutterworth, Leicestershire. LE17 4DA.

Top Class Course and facilities. NOT TO BE MISSED, Don’t miss this TREAT. Look out for the Deer Herd.

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