November 2013

Thatcham Newsletter Reg. Charity No. 1112006

www.u3asites.org.uk/thatcham Newsletter sponsored by

Greenham Common Trust

It was dark and the streets quiet, the sky clear and starry, as our Barnes coach drove out of Thatcham

just after 6 a.m. on the Sunday, heading for Scotland. Our driver was the ever-capable and popular

Sheralyn. A little after 1 o’clock we crossed the border, entering a very hilly, undulating area. Shortly

after we passed Bannockburn and then Stirling Castle on our right, sitting atop its rocky platform; the

Wallace memorial stood stark against the sky a short distance away. Brushing the outskirts of Perth we

were driven along a road of gentle curves, some tight bends, dips and rises and a landscape that would

become familiar over the coming days. A landscape of fields, hardly any flat, some bristly with stalks

having been harvested, some already ploughed, the soil rich and brown, and some with crops growing.

In the distance loomed the mountains with a delicate covering of mist. There was a stop at a stone bridge

across the River Islay; a halt to be repeated on other days for a tractor pulling a trailer laden with

potatoes. Exactly at 5 o’clock the coach stopped outside the Angus Hotel, Blairgowrie. This small,

white-faced hotel was situated in the town square opposite a small, well-kept park with a war memorial

at its centre and near the River Ericht. On arrival, rooms were allocated and we were able to relax before

our evening meal at 7.00. These meals were jolly affairs with plenty of lively conversation and laughs.

For each course we had 4 choices and the service was friendly and efficient. On Monday, after breakfast,

we set off for Edradour, Scotland’s Smallest Distillery. We passed rolling fields, some dotted with

drums of harvested hay; wood-fringed lakes and dark groups of towering, tapering pines; light and airy

stands of deciduous trees; Highland cattle in their shaggy ginger, brown coats grazing. Low wooded

mountains came into view, far on our left, their slopes running towards us, covered with a mixture of

moor, forest and fields and ending in a lake. We climbed for a while and eventually drove through the

town of Pitlochry, to climb once more into the hills so that we had an outstanding view of the town

down in the valley skirted by woods. A lane and a slight drop brought us into a picturesque setting with

a stream bubbling over a rocky bed surrounded by a group of whitewashed buildings with bright red

doors and grey slate roofs. The party was taken to see a DVD of the

operation and to sample the whisky and the cream version (very tasty).

In two groups, with kilted guides, we were taken round the small

operation which makes whisky in the traditional way. One batch a day

is made during a six-day working week. The place where the barrels

were stored was viewed; the air was permeated with the soft aroma of

whisky, the ‘Angel’s Share’. One barrel there contained whisky 40

years old and was worth £40m! A bottle in the shop was selling for

£6,000! From the distillery we were taken back to Pitlochry to have

lunch and explore. The town had a strong Victorian atmosphere and became popular after a visit by

Queen Victoria and later when the railway station was built there. Several of the shops were fronted by

typical Victorian cast iron and glass canopies. Onwards to our next stop which was Queen’s View with

its spectacular view of the River Tummel below and the mountains beyond. It was a spot favoured by

Queen Isabella, the wife of Robert the Bruce. Our final stop was Aberfeldy. Here you could see a fine

memorial to the famous Black Watch, beside the River Tay. The

following day was taken up by a trip to Glamis Castle which was the

childhood home of the late Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes- Lyon.

Motoring slowly up the drive between an avenue of trees, we were

faced with an imposing, stately castle reminiscent of a French chateau

with its towers topped by conical spires. Our group was split into two

and ours had an American lady called Pauline whose enthusiasm and

energy produced a dramatic and entertaining guide of the castle. The

stories of two hauntings were recounted vividly. There was the legend

of Earl Beardie whose addiction to gambling and refusal to stop playing cards on the Sabbath, resulted

in a fatal encounter with the Devil! In the Chapel we heard about poor Lady Janet Douglas who was

charged with poisoning her husband and was eventually burned at the stake in 1537. Peter bravely sat in

the chair at the back, in which her ghost is supposed to sit. Quite eye-catching was the portrait of the 8th

Earl (who extended the old castle) in his risqué, figure-hugging, flesh-coloured leather suit!

Much of interest was seen on the tour, including the Queen Mother’s sitting room which had a cosy,

lived-in look. The tour ended in the room, in the old part of the castle, where Shakespeare set the murder

of King Duncan by Macbeth. After a good lunch there was time to wander round the Italian Garden and

the Walled Garden and to admire the herd of Highland Cattle, learning that a female’s horns pointed

upwards. Later, after the evening meal, we were

treated to a singer who encouraged U3A members

to get up and dance. One member overdid it!

Wednesday saw us touring the Grampian

Mountains on a day when the mild weather had

been replaced with colder temperatures. The

landscape changed from neat fields into scrubby

grass and heather as we entered the mountains with their patchwork of brown

heather, yellow bracken and rocks scattered about. Passing the Spittal of

Glenshee the road stretched like a ribbon through the massy peaks.

Eventually we paused for a photo opportunity at the Glenshee Ski Centre

where we were greeted with fine views. The wind was bitter outside! As we drove along the sun brought

out the rich colours of the mountains and valleys. Braemar was our next stop where some of us had

coffee in the Fife Arms, a large Victorian hotel. From there the coach followed the River Dee through a

thickly wooded area to park close to Crathie Kirk near Balmoral, the church frequented by the Royal

family. There was an opportunity to look round the church in its setting of majestic pine trees. Our final

stop of the day was at Ballater where the rain set in. Some of

the party went for refreshment while others had a look round

the Old Royal Station, a white wooden building edged in red.

Inside you could visit the Royal Railway Carriage used by

Queen Victoria. Shops, like the bakers, proudly displayed

large, brightly painted Royal Warrants on their fronts. That

evening, after the evening meal, we were treated to a

Scottish entertainment. The accordionist who played for us

had worked with Andy Stewart on the White Heather Club.

He played traditional Scottish music as well as taking us to

the streets of Paris; played a square tango which some of our number danced to and cheered us up with a

song about a massacre! He was joined by five young girls from a local dancing school who entertained

us with various traditional dances, including the Highland Fling and the Sword Dance (with wooden

swords). It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Thursday was our

final day and Sheralyn drove us to the City of Perth on the River Dee.

Several U3A members explored the variety of shops in the

pedestrianised High Street while some of us went into the Museum and

Art Gallery. Here there was a most unusual exhibition in one gallery

about the art of grass weaving showing coats and boots made from

natural vegetation and grasses; looked hard on the hands! Meanwhile,

others decided to explore the Museum of the Black Watch, Scotland’s

elite, three century old military regiment. Tucked away behind the High Street you could find the house

used by Sir Walter Scott in his novel, ‘The Fair Maid of Perth’. There was also a bronze of the Maid

sitting on a bench in the High Street. The highlight for me was lunch in a small

teashop, Small Talk, where the service was friendly, the shepherd’s pie

absolutely delicious and where the tea was served in silver teapots with floral

decorated china cups! A walk along the embankment of the river was very

pleasant with the waters of the Dee on one side and some fine old buildings on

our left. Our final evening meal was another cheerful event with great efforts

being made to finish off a box of After Eight mints - the diabetics amongst us

had to be contented with a sniff! Following breakfast on Friday we departed

Blairgowrie and began our long journey southwards, all fully satisfied with our

stay in Scotland. (See website for more pictures)

Dear Members,

One of the main events since the last newsletter was our very

successful Festival open meeting. We had lots of good

feedback from our visitors, and Ann-marie signed up several

new members. The Mayor and Mayoress were favourably

impressed, and are both now looking forward to qualifying for

membership!

Thank you to all the conveners who put a lot of work in

preparing their displays, were very patient and helpful during

the setting up of the hall, and doubtless got sore throats

speaking to all the visitors! There was a really good buzz in

the hall during the afternoon, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Special thanks also to

Ernie and his team for providing endless cups of tea and coffee throughout the afternoon. I couldn’t

have survived without the 4 cups I drank!

Our new committee has settled down well, and we are

working on organising more study days. The first singing

workshop was on 5th

November at the Old Bluecoats School,

whose acoustics are very nearly as good as singing in the

shower! Plans are in hand for a photography day, and a day

in March on some aspects of History of Art. Unfortunately

the tutor for the planned Archaeology day on Rome had to

withdraw for personal reasons, but we are hoping to organise

one with perhaps more local interest based on the excavations

and discoveries at Silchester for early summer next year –

watch this space. Thanks to Peter Lavarack for the

suggestion.

Our groups continue to thrive, and the craft group, one of the

original ones from the founding of our U3A has just changed

conveners. Julie Bowles has ably led the group since its

inception 8 years ago, and we thank her for the wonderful

work she has done in

that time. It has been

taken over by Jen

Fielding and Anne

Hazelby, thanks to them

for ‘volunteering’. Anne has also taken over the running of the

knitting and cross stitch group, so we are keeping her very busy!

The discussion group has proved very popular, so the original

members have facilitated the founding of a second group – many

thanks to Joan Prince for taking up convening duties.

So the next big event in our calendar is the Christmas meeting. We are trying a different format this

year, as it felt a little crowded with all the tables out for the quiz last year. We will be seated ‘theatre

style’ as for our normal meetings. There will be a slide show running of some of the notable events

which have taken place recently; also the play reading and singing groups have kindly agreed to prepare

some entertainments and community singing for our enjoyment. If anyone has a ‘party piece’ they

would like to perform, please let me know, I’m sure we can fit you in!

May I be among the first to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

(More photos from the Open Afternoon on the website) Julie Wall

Patricia Purcell joined Sadler's Wells in 1961,

and appeared in a number of productions

including The Love for Three Oranges, The

Gypsy Baron, Our Man in Havana (Malcolm

Williamson) and Monteverdi's Orfeo. After a

period of study at the London Opera Centre, she

joined Covent Garden, working in the chorus,

singing small roles and covering larger ones.

She returned to sing several of those roles in

Scotland. In July she gave us a very exuberant

presentation which everyone enjoyed.

Tony Strafford returned in September by

popular demand and entertained us with stories

about ‘Ladies of the Tower’.

For the first time, the Summer Luncheon was a

sell out! The hall was buzzing with laughter

and conversation as members enjoyed a tasty

meal in excellent company. Mrs Angell can be

relied upon to serve a fresh, wholesome spread

for us all to share.

As usual, I wish to thank my expert band of

helpers who come early to set the room out so

that it is welcoming for everyone and the superb

Tea Team of Ernie and his girls. Once again,

Heidi wove her magic and turned pot plants into

pretty table decorations - thank you Heidi.

Also, thanks to Dennis and Pauline who raffled

these and raised £84 and a Euro! This money

will be used to pay for the hall fees for our next

social meal in February/ March 2014.

Without this generous effort, this occasion

would not happen. Thank you for supporting

this event and I do hope that all our new

members felt welcomed and had a good time.

Jane

Art Group 1

We enjoyed a successful Arts Festival, with two

of the group selling pictures at the Bluecoats

Exhibition!

During October we experimented with autumn

colours and in November we are going to try our

hand at winter with mist and snow.

We meet on alternate Tuesdays at the Baptist

Church and very much enjoy our two hours.

Contact: Pat Howard

Art Group 2

The open day resulted in several potential new

members and we await the next Thursday

session to see how many will come along.

Meanwhile we continue with drawing,

watercolours and acrylics. The group is

extremely friendly and some of the work is

outstanding. One member offered two paintings

for sale in the Thatcham Arts Festival.

We continue to meet at the Baptist Hall on

alternate Thursdays from 2pm to 4pm.

Contact: David Nicholls

Computing Skills Group

Computing Skills Group continues to meet at

Kennet School where we have use of one of

their computer suites for an hour on a Friday

afternoon. The group has good numbers but we

would like to have another 'helper' with patience

and knowledge to help others when they get

stuck. You don't have to be an expert to help

and beginners particularly appreciate one-to one

help. We have spent several sessions this term

finding out how to construct fancy tables in

Word. A member of Ravenhead U3A has

written a series of instruction documents and we

were following one of them for this topic.

Our website www.u3asites.org.uk/thatcham

has a link on the Computing Skills Group page

to the Ravenhead U3A page.

Please let me know if you use any of these

documents - the author is keen to get feedback.

The sessions for the rest of this term are:

Friday November 15th

Friday November 22nd

(not the usual Friday)

Friday December 6th

Friday December 20th

Contact: Ann Walter

Craft Group

Great concentration was required for our

September gathering when we were all trying to

make ribbon roses with varying results as usual.

We are all making Christmas boxes next month

with a view to giving them with presents in.

Personally, I think truffles are a good idea – will

have to look out a recipe!

If you would like to join us, we meet at the

Baptist Church on the third Friday of the

month at 2pm.(Report and photo by Ann-marie Riddle)

Contact: Jen Fielding

Quills – Creative Writing

We have moved house since the last time I

wrote, and now meet at my place, still on the

first and third Wednesday of the month at

10.00am. Each week we have had a different

starting point and I think it is fair to say that

we surprise ourselves every time. For the last

two sessions we have been writing short stories,

not yet finished, but watch this space, the pages

are filling up rapidly, and who knows what

weird and wonderful tales are being invented!

Should you be interested in trying your hand at

storytelling, reporting, poetry or any other

genre, do come along and have a go. You will

be sure of a hearty welcome as well as a chat

over a cup of coffee. I can manage tea if you

prefer!

Contact: Catherine Hamblin

Discussion Group 1

Discussion Group 1 continues to meet at

members' homes to share viewpoints on a

variety of subjects. Due to space limitations, the

group has closed its membership list, but a

second discussion group has now been formed.

We meet on the second Monday of the month

in the afternoon.

Contact: Jacquie Manley

Discussion Group 2

We have had two meetings so far and are getting

to know each other. We had three new

members join at the Arts Festival meeting which

brings our numbers up to twelve - we may have

to limit our numbers as we meet in members’

homes but a waiting list will be held, or you

could start your own group.

Contact: Joan Prince

Gardening Group

We have been very active over the summer

months with two visits to gardens included in

the NGS book - 'Inholmes' at Woodland St.

Mary and 'Field Farm' at Sulhampstead, both

very different but interesting. We then had a trip

to the Living Rain Forest, again very interesting,

and finished the summer with tea, cake and

chat in Ann-Marie Riddle's lovely garden. We

started the autumn with a question and answer

session with Rosie Hardy from Hardy's nursery

being our expert. She is very knowledgeable and

gave us a lot of advice. At the end of October

we visited Hilliers arboretum and plant centre in

Romsey and in November we will be having an

afternoon of Christmas Craft. We do not meet

in December.

Our AGM will be held on January 30th, 2014

in the Frank Hutchings Hall when Karen

Eggleton and Denise Symes will hand over to a

new committee and the new programme will be

available. The new committee will be made up

of Valerie Jackson, Mary Parker, Carole Offer

and Celia Roberts. We hope you will give them

your support as you have with Karen and me.

(Report by Denise Symes)

Contacts Numbers: Karen

Denise

Genealogy

The Genealogy Group had a very successful

Open Afternoon with visitors showing a lot of

interest. There is now a waiting list of seven so

if anyone is willing to start a new group please

let me know – I’ll be happy to give any help

needed.

Contact: Isabel Trent

Knitting and Cross-stitch

This group meet every first Tuesday of the

month in a member’s home. We work on our

own projects with much laughter and talk whilst

helping each other if necessary and passing on

tips.

Contact: Ann Hazelby

Latin

The Latin group - a joint venture with Newbury

U3A - is progressing well. We meet on

Thursdays at 2.30pm in Upper Bucklebury.

There was some interest from visitors at the

Open Afternoon so we would welcome new

members.

Contact: Dorothy Goode

Bon Appetit Luncheon Club

Since the last Newsletter we have had some

good meals at some old venues. In July we

went to the Sun-in-the-Wood which is now

under new management, and then in August we

went a bit further afield to The Fox at

Peasemore (which has been taken over by the

previous tenants of the Sun-in-the-Wood!) and

had an excellent meal and good service. We

went back to The Vine at Hannington in

September (again under new management since

we were last there) and in October we returned

to the Four Points at Aldworth where we had

good food and friendly service at very

reasonable cost. At the time of writing, we are

going to The Rowbarge at Woolhampton (a new

venue for us) in November and back to The Star

at Kingsclere for our Christmas meal. This

completes another year of good food and

friendship, so thank you to all the Bon Appetit

members for their unstinting support.

Contact: Elaine Fletcher

Second Helpings Luncheon Club

Second Helpings Lunch Club bids Peter and

Janet a fond farewell and wish them every

happiness in their new home. They will be

joining us for our Christmas meal though.

Nobody would want to miss Linda's excellent

Christmas Lunch at the Crickets! We look

nforward to welcoming our two new members,

who have waited patiently on my list, in the

New Year.

Contact: Jane Head

Third Course Luncheon Club

We continue to enjoy our visits to local eateries

and pubs. Our October visit was to the Sun in

the Wood and November will see us at the under

new management White Horse at Hermitage

where we are getting a good deal on a three

course lunch. Our Xmas lunch this year will be

at the Four Points Inn, Aldworth, and I am sure

they will give us an enjoyable day. We had a

number of enquiries at the open day from

prospective new members, but we are at full

complement. If we get any vacancies I will

inform the waiting list. Please direct any

enquiries to us on the number below.

Contacts: Pauline and Dennis Rowan

The Munchers Luncheon Group

We meet on the fourth Friday of each month

for lunch and have had some enjoyable

gatherings at venues around the Thatcham and

Newbury areas. We usually have a regular turn-

out of a dozen members each month so

everyone is able to chat to each other. There are

a few spaces still so if you would like to join,

please call me.

Contact: Ann Minks

Mah Jong

Again I can report that our membership

continues to grow. It seems MahJong is

becoming popular once again!! Our venue has

now changed to Nevil Court and this is proving

to be a much better room than the Gillooley

Room - much brighter and more comfortable!!

It is also a bigger room, which means we can

"spread out" and accommodating new members

will also be easier. We had a lot of interest

shown at the open meeting and look forward to

welcoming several new members. The group

meet on the first and third Wednesdays of

each month at Nevil Court from 2.15pm to

4.15pm. There is a charge of £1 per meeting

which includes tea and biscuits. If you would

like to know more, please either give me a ring

or come along to one of our meetings.

Contact: Marilyn Downing

Music Appreciation Group

The Music Appreciation Group meets every

month on the third Tuesday. We listen to a

wide range of music and it is always an

enjoyable and relaxing afternoon. Members

enjoy sharing their favourite CDs or vinyl

records, and what better way to spend an

afternoon than listening to beautiful music. The

cup of tea and Hazel’s delicious homemade

cakes are much appreciated too!

.

Contact: Richard Hyland

Snaps Photography Group

This enthusiastic photographic group meets on

the second and fourth Wednesdays of each

month. We continue to put our newly acquired

knowledge into practice both indoors and out,

and members, whether regular or occasional,

will continue to be welcome.

The following meetings will be held in the

Thatcham Town Council Chamber at 10am.

November 13th

: assess Bucklebury photos,

Festival activities and an introduction to taking

portraits.

November 27th

: practical portrait session

December 11th

: bring your photos taken at non

U3A events to be judged by all our members.

January 8th

: manipulating and editing your

photographs

January 22nd

: manipulating & editing your

photographs

If you require more details please telephone one

of the numbers below.

Contacts: Iain Dunn

Tony Collie

Play Reading Group

The group continues to meet on the third

Thursday of the month to enjoy interesting,

humorous and stimulating readings.

We are at capacity at the present time. However,

should there be sufficient interest there is always

the possibility of starting a second group.

Contact: Judy Benwell

Rummikub Group

We meet in the dining room of Nevil Court on

the second Wednesday afternoon of each

month from 2.15pm to 4.15pm. It has been just

over a year now since we started the Rummikub

Group and our numbers have risen from 6 to 18

in that time. We find our new venue very

comfortable and spacious. At the recent

showcase meeting, which was part of the

Thatcham Festival, we enjoyed demonstrating

how the game is played and I think we may

have a few new members to join us (and

Thatcham U3A) as a result! Rummikub is a

game which is similar to Rummy, but is played

with tiles instead of cards. Instead of suites, four

colours are used with numbers 1 to 13.

New members are welcome to join us. We are a

friendly, cheerful group and are happy to

explain the game to new members, if necessary.

Please ring me if you have any queries.

Contact: Wendy Jarvis

Scrabble

The Scrabble Group continues to flourish and as

we are lucky enough to meet in such a large

venue we can always accept new Scrabblers!!

We meet at 2pm on the first Thursday of the

month in the dining room at Nevil Court.

Contact: Angela Robinson

Songsters Singing Group

We meet on the first and third Mondays of the

month at our pianist’s home. We enjoy singing

a variety of songs including folk, light classics,

and community, we also sing rounds and

harmonise. We are restricted by space and are

unable to take any new members at present.

Contact: Rita Bottomley

Adagio Singing Group

We have settled well into our new venue at the

Old Bluecoats School. Currently, we are

rehearsing songs for Christmas and working on

some two- part harmony. Sessions consist of a

physical and vocal warm-up, rounds and some

unison singing, followed by tea and a chat. We

hope to build on our repertoire in the New Year.

We are all looking forward to the Singing

Workshop with Nik and hope this will attract

some new members. New members are always

welcome so why not give it a try? Sessions are

held fortnightly on a Tuesday afternoon.

Contact: Lynette Harper

Snooker - 50 Break

We meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of

each month from 2-4pm at the Crucible

Snooker Club, off Hambridge Road in

Newbury (enter via Race Course Station

approach road). The emphasis is on fun and

social gathering. The order of play and tables in

play is dependent on member numbers on the

day with no sitting out. To add a little spice

there is a monthly ‘highest break’ award, plus an

ongoing ‘singles ladder’- these provide a

competitive challenge for those who want to

participate. Membership of the ‘Snooker Club’

is necessary following the first visit so come

along and give it a go - equipment is available at

the club at no extra charge.

Contact: Roy Lawson

Spanish

We continue to meet in members' houses so we

do not have room for new members at present.

If there are more people wanting to learn

Spanish perhaps we could start a new group!

Contact: Jane Head

Theatre Group

We have just been to Windsor to see Chin-Chin

starring Felicity Kendal and Simon Callow. It

was an interesting play and I think the moral

was “don’t drink too much”. We arrived in

Windsor in time for a look around the shops and

then lunch. Our exit from the theatre was

exciting as another Barnes coach arrived and I

had to stop people getting on the wrong coach!!

However we all made it back to Thatcham by

6pm. Our next outing is to see West Side Story

in Woking in February. Both these trips

were/are fully booked so thank you everyone for

your support. I would also like to welcome the

new members who joined at the recent Open

Day.

Contact: Valerie Jackson

Travel Group

The Travel Group has had a good year with day

trips to Polesden Lacey, Bletchley Park,

Coventry, Tewkesbury and Worcester, and our

most recent trip to Wrest Park.

Also, our adventure to Scotland was a great

success and thanks to Andrew Allport for his

brilliant contribution to this Newsletter. I even

got to play the Queen Mother’s piano at Glamis

Castle!

(Photo by Peter Lavarack)

Contact: Ann Allen

Walkers Group

The U3A Walkers’ Group has had an interesting

year with an average of 16 members each

month. The idea of letting walkers who wish to

lead walks has been successful. At our

September’s walk on Snelsmore Common we

ended with a cream tea when the group planned

the walks and leaders for 2014.

The first walk on 9th

January 2014 will be led

by Ernie Prince and meeting at 2.00pm at North

Head Chievely, Grid ref 4603 7403.

The 2014 Walkers’ calendar will be on the

U3A’s web page in the New Year. If you feel a

3 mile (approx) walk is for you do come along

and join us at the meeting point. We start

walking at 2.00 pm prompt. We are a very

friendly group and you will be made very

welcome.

Contacts:

Joan and Mike Collins

Vintner’s Dozen Wine Appreciation

After a damp spring we have enjoyed a warm

and sunny summer which hopefully will

encourage plenty of grapes on the vine - it

certainly did in my garden!

The Vintners Dozen have enjoyed another

successful session with our hosts offering an

interesting variety of reds and whites from both

sides of the equator. We will continue to meet

on the first Monday afternoon of the month.

Contact: Peter Lavarack

Cheers Wine Appreciation

Cheers Wine Appreciation Group has had some

enjoyable sessions since the last Newsletter. We

meet on the third Tuesday evening of each

month.

Contact: Roy Lawson

Whist

We now meet in the dining room at Nevil

Court, still on the last Wednesday in the month

at 2.15pm for 2 hours.

Anyone is welcome to come along and enjoy a

game of cards and a cup of tea.

Contact: Pat Howard

As I write this we have a membership of 341.

18 of you joined us at the Thatcham Festival this

year. Our power and water have just come back

on at 2.15pm after 8 hours off (due to the storm

on the 28th) so I will be able to send this when I

have finished. Life is so much easier and more

comfortable when you can have a shower,

cuppa, light, etc. I hope you all fared better and

had no storm damage.

Ann-marie

From the Editor Please could I have all contributions for the

next Newsletter by the end of February at the

latest? Thank you.