West Wolds U3A

The August newsletter is here...

You can access the newsletter from this post or from the email the majority of our members will receive by the 15th August 2022

If you haven’t told us your email address or if it has changed… to avoid missing out send your updated email details to membership@westwoldsu3a.org.

If you would like to make comment on this newsletter or submit an article for the next issue then please send details to newsletter@westwoldsu3a.org by Friday 2nd September 2022.

We would really like to hear from you now that u3a events are beginning to take off again

Trevor is a fruit growing consultant, a horticultural speaker, and a volunteer gardener at Gunby Hall so, his presentation was based on the knowledge he has gleaned over the years whilst living in Swaledale in North Yorkshire and now on the Gunby Hall estate.

It was whilst he was living in Swaledale that Trevor learned to fully appreciate the need to adapt his gardening methods to the northern climate. Although we would not normally refer to Market Rasen as being ‘in the North’, according to Trevor, our weather pattern is very similar to that which is traditionally known as ‘the North’. He then proceeded to inform us of the need to be more aware of a variety of conditions including temperature, hours of sunshine, rainfall and wind speed, all of which can severely affect how well our garden plants grow.

So, in order to be successful at growing plants in our area, we must be very mindful of our less than perfect climate and therefore make key adaptations. Trevor then proceeded to remind us of the minimum temperature plants require in order to successfully synthesise and why. As our ‘northern’ climate has less hours of sunshine than ‘the South’ so we have a shorter growing season. Apparently, it is accepted that Spring in ‘the South’ officially begins on March 1st whereas in ‘the North’, this is delayed until March 21st. This longer growing season enables the southern counties to have a 20% premium on growing period conditions compared to ours and, they also have less recorded wind and rainfall.

The effect that wind can have on our plants is greatly underestimated by most people as it can cause major dehydration; this is particularly applicable to fruit trees and bushes. When this is linked to the likelihood of there being stronger winds in ‘the North’, it is easy to understand how detrimental this weather condition can be on the growth of our plants in our particular area. As a consequence of this, Trevor suggested we make minor adaptations such as covering plants or placing them in a greenhouse (especially relevant for perennials) for additional protection from the elements.

In addition to these hints on how to improve our growing conditions, Trevor was keen to emphasise that we should not pick a plant ‘ just because we like it’ but seriously consider the plant’s suitability for our garden. The position of a plant in the garden should be a big consideration as should the need to water and feed it. He was keen to emphasise the fact that different plants require different nutrients so an ‘all purpose’ feed is not necessarily best for every plant. He used the example of gooseberries requiring potash and recommended that we do some research on which plants are more suited to our area before making a purchase. Trevor also suggested that we choose varieties not just because we recognise their name, and gave the example ofCox’s Orange Pippin as a fruit tree everyone has heard of yet, it will really only flourish successfully in the southern counties. He also said not to dismiss the lesser known and more modern varieties as these have been purposely bred to be more resistant to certain pests for example.

All in all, Trevor’s advice was logical yet thought provoking and certainly made me want to endeavour to develop smarter solutions and adaptations in my garden.

Know of a local event you would like us to advertise?

Let us know and we will add it to our dedicated area on the Website.

Here are the photos of the month for our July themes of ‘Reflections’ and ‘White on White’ plus the monthly favourite.

For further photos taken by our group through the months go to our challenge page https://westwoldsu3a.org/?page_id=8458

July

Would you like to learn a new language? Have you recently started Spanish, or are you looking for a refresher of the basics? If so, we’ve got an upcoming Start Spanish Group which could be for you. It’s 7 weeks long, and you’ll get a refresher of the basics in a comfortable, supportive atmosphere.

You’ll cover essential grammar, vocabulary, and phrases, with a focus on conversation and building your confidence in everyday situations.

There are 6 places available, and it kicks off on Friday October 14th and will run until the end of November. Weekly sessions will take place in Faldingworth allowing for a comfortable learning environment and adequate free parking. Each session will last for an hour from 2pm.

Just imagine, you could learn enough to make travel to a Spanish speaking country that little bit more fun.

You’ll need a copy of BBC Talk Spanish 1 which we’ll use as an introductory reader/course text. I can give you more details of suppliers when you join.

For more information contact Sandra Dean
Tel:- 07734456213
Smobrien1@gmail.com

The July newsletter is here...

You can access the newsletter from this post or from the email the majority of our members will receive by the 15th July 2022

If you haven’t told us your email address or if it has changed… to avoid missing out send your updated email details to membership@westwoldsu3a.org.

If you would like to make comment on this newsletter or submit an article for the next issue then please send details to newsletter@westwoldsu3a.org by Friday 5th August 2022.

We would really like to hear from you now that u3a events are beginning to take off again

A review by Nadia Dawson

Eric Jackson began his presentation by reminding us of how the discovery of this tomb was made by Howard Carter back in 1922. He gave a brief history of Carter’s career and of his connection with Lord Carnarvon who, like Carter was also fascinated by Egyptology so hired Carter and funded the costs of the excavation.

World War 1 interrupted the excavations however, in November 1922, on resuming his excavations, Carter found the first sign of what eventually proved to be Tut-Ankh-Amun’s tomb. The shifting desert ‘sands’ had hidden the tomb for more than 3,000 years but on November 4^th, Carter’s team discovered the first step of a staircase. The following day, the whole staircase had been exposed and on November 26^th 1922, a second sealed doorway was discovered. As Carter made a tiny breach in the door with his chisel, his breath was taken away when he saw a room filled with a ‘jumble’ of gold treasures. In here the tomb was showing evidence of having been entered and casually plundered but, because of its apparent close proximity to the nearby tomb of Ramses VI, its location had been preserved and thankfully clearly forgotten.

It wasn’t until February 16th 1923 that Carter and Carnarvon opened the innermost chamber of the tomb and found the sarcophagus of King Tut-Ankh-Amun. The king had been mummified according to Egyptian religious tradition, his organs removed and he had been laid within a nest of containers which comprised of three golden coffins, a granite sarcophagus and four gilded wooden shrines. Encasing his head was a magnificent golden mask (more like a helmet) and, when this was removed, he was found to be wearing a beautiful gold diadem and his body was covered in precious items including earrings, brooches, amulets and other valuable ornaments including a gold dagger.

Because of the tomb’s small size, it was suggested that the king’s death at 19 must have been unexpected because when the treasury room was opened up, not only did it contain some of the king’s most valuable treasures but also his organs in canopic casks and, two sealed miniature coffins of his mummified children. The room was guarded by a life-sized shrine of the jackal-headed god Anubis and also contained some essential tools and several boats to carry him into the afterlife.

Carter spent nearly ten years supervising the removal of the tomb’s vast hoard of nearly 5,000 artefacts and treasure contents which included furniture, clothes, chariots and weapons. Although the contents of his tomb had fared well, sadly for Tut-Ankh-Amun, the fact that his body had remained in his tomb undisturbed for over 3,000 years meant that it had suffered from damp and mould which had caused some degradation. As a consequence, his mummy is now on display within the tomb in the Valley of the Kings but his layered coffins have been replaced by a climate-controlled glass box. The contents of his tomb and his glorious golden mask which were housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo for all those years has now been moved to the purpose built Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza which is expected to open in 2022.

Although he was a pharaoh for ten years, Tut-Ankh-Amun was barely acknowledged by his successors and not even known to the modern world until 1922 however, once the excavations of his tomb had been completed in 1932, and its contents made public, an interest in ancient Egypt and Egyptology was sparked around the world and he has since become the world’s most famous pharaoh. Sadly, Lord Carnarvon died just four months after entering the tomb which led to the popularisation of the ‘curse of the Pharaohs’ theory however, Carter returned to London in 1932 where he gave lectures in Europe, the United States and elsewhere for many years. Very surprisingly, he was never ‘honoured’ for his discovery and all his work cataloguing the contents but, neither was he affected by the ’curse of the Pharaohs’ as he lived until he was 65.

Eric is obviously passionate and extremely knowledgeable about ancient Egypt and the intriguing boy-king Tut-Ankh-Amun, his tomb and treasures so, his illustrated powerpoint presentation provided us with a wealth of very interesting ‘insider’ information.

Here are the photos of the month for our May and June themes. May’s themes were ‘My Favourite Place’ and ‘Frame within a Frame’, and June’s themes were ‘Black & White’ and ‘Passengers’

For further photos taken by our group go to our challenge page https://westwoldsu3a.org/?page_id=8458

June

May 2022

Click here to see the latest Newsletter from the Spanish Group Convenor, now that the Spanish Holiday market has reopened, why not come along and join them at their next meeting to get ready for your next break.

A presentation on Age UK Lindsey by Liz Brooks(Project Manager) and Lin Wood(Volunteer Coordinator) was reviewed by Nadia Dawson

Liz started her presentation by giving us some background information on the charity which is independent but a brand partner of the national Age UK charity. Age UK Lindsey shares the Age UK aim which is to promote and improve the well-being of older people but, what sets them apart is that all the money raised in the Lindsey area ( which is twice the size of Greater London and includes East Lindsey, West Lindsey and North Lincolnshire) is spent locally.

Age UK Lindsey has been supporting local older people by delivering a wide range of services both in people’s homes and in the community for thirty years. Its HQ (and shop) is in Horncastle however, there are 8 other shops situated within its area which, in addition to selling a huge variety of goods are also access points as the staff have the knowledge to be able to signpost people requiring additional help, guidance and information.

The need to offer a variety of services for older people and their carers was nationally recognised by Age UK so it has established a number of strings to its bow which include offering information and advice, befriending, keeping people connected, working in partnership with other organisations, developing seasonal projects, running their charity shops and establishing opportunities for volunteers; these people are the beating heart of the charity as they support and deliver its services, man its shops and undertake its projects.

Because of its size and changing demographic, the Age UK Lindsey area comes with numerous challenges; the biggest one being that currently, 28% of the ‘local’ population is over 65 and this is expected to rise significantly by 2028 so, with the added burden of financial constraints, government policies and changes in health and social care, there is an even greater need for the older population to have their well-being supported to ensure they can continue to be independent and have a voice in their own community.

Age UK Lindsey are financially supported by donations from the public, income from charity shops, legacies and charitable grants as well as fundraising events throughout the year and, they use this money to provide free, independent, consistent, relevant and effective advice to the older people in East Lindsey, West Lindsey and North Lincolnshire.

The June newsletter is here...

You can access the newsletter from this post or from the email the majority of our members will receive by the 10th June 2022

If you haven’t told us your email address or if it has changed… to avoid missing out send your updated email details to membership@westwoldsu3a.org.

If you would like to make comment on this newsletter or submit an article for the next issue then please send details to newsletter@westwoldsu3a.org by Friday 1st July 2022.

We would really like to hear from you now that u3a events are beginning to take off again

The online July meeting on 26 July has been designated as the Anniversary meeting and is now available for booking on the national website.

This is a science-based learning event with 3 presentations of 45 minutes followed by questions after each, with a break for refreshments and for lunch. The meeting will start at 10:30 (doors open at 10:15) and will end with a short Summary and Thanks session at 3 o’clock.

Booking

To book a place on this Free event, please go to Events on the u3a national website and click the registration option for the u3a Science Network anniversary meeting on 26 July or directly here: Eventbrite

Programme

The meeting will conclude with a Plenary session, addressing general questions posted in the Chat and announcing details of the October meeting.

Click here to see the latest Newsletter from the Spanish Group Convenor, now that the Spanish Holiday market has reopened, why not come along and join them at their next meeting to get ready for your next break.

Martyn Fuller from Veolia who spoke to us at the last meeting has commented that to clear up any confusion, their company is not responsible for bin collection in West Lindsey.