Here are the photos of the month chosen from our June themes of ‘Words & Text’ and ‘Rule of Thirds’ plus a monthly favourite as voted on by the group. Each month we choose a challenging theme to go out and take photos to suit.

If you are interested in Photography, why not join us at the New Life Church on the first Monday of the month.

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

Examples of what we are looking for can be found by clicking here or here…

Don’t be shy, look for the lost super model in you, have some fun and volunteer.

The session will take place on Monday 17th July @ 2pm in the New Life Church, Serpentine Street.

For more information contact: Terry Francis terryfrancis22@gmail.com or Suzanne Barker brambling85@gmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you dressed to kill.

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 7th July 2023

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 28th July 2023.

We would really like to hear from you about any events your groups are involved in. The Newsletter is only as good as the articles submitted by members. We relish any feedback.

Amick Productions is the production company that is currently in charge of organising G4 and their 2023 Christmas tour. G4 is a classical/cross-over harmony quartet group that rose to fame after winning the first X-factor.

As they have had a lot of bookings from U3A members in the past, they would like to offer any West Wolds U3A members a 10% discount using code U3A2023 should you wish to come to one of their shows.

They will be coming to Grimsby Central Hall on the 29th of December as part of the aforementioned tour, so if any West Wolds members are interested in the offer or would simply like to have some more information please get in contact with them at 

Production@amickproductions.co.uk

Come and enjoy a summer stroll, scenic picnic and musical serenade to Soothe the Soul with International Singer Georgie G. Deyn in Walesby, for more information click here . Guided walk 5pm (optional) from Walesby Village Hall, finish at 6:30pm for a picnic and music from 7pm at The Ramblers (please bring your own picnic).

The meeting will welcome and inform all our joining members of who we are and what we do, but more importantly to receive feedback about how the u3a is run and get any suggestions.

Even if you do not feel like a new member any longer we would still like to meet you and get some feedback.

In order to make sure we have enough cake, please would you RSVP by 21st June or as soon as possible.

Sharon, Secretary.

secretary@westwoldsu3a.org

The Rasen Area Memory cafe meets on the first Friday of every month from 10:00-12:00. They meet at the Festival Hall, Market Rasen, LN8 3HT. Free parking is available for 2 hours and the cost to attend is £1:00

We offer friendship, support, and activities for people living with dementia, their carers and friends. 

If you require any further information please contact Jennie Goacher at jennie.goacher@nhs.net

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 7th June 2023

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 30th June 2023.

We would really like to hear from you about any events your groups are involved in. The Newsletter is only as good as the articles submitted by members. We relish any feedback.

One of our members, Mary Barr, is opening her garden in aid of Air Ambulance on Saturday June 10, 10.30am start. There will be tea, coffee and cake and also cottage garden plants for sale.

Mary Barr’s address is Evergreen, Walesby Road, Market Rasen, LN8 3EY

Speaker Review by Jan Reade

This month’s speaker for u3a was Jennifer Ichikawa. Jennifer is now living in Cleethorpes, after  a very interesting life that included emigrating to New Zealand as a “£25 pom”. New Zealand is where she met her Japanese husband. Jennifer explained that her husband’s career took them to many places around the world, including Washington, USA, and of course his homeland – Japan. 

The talk Jennifer gave, was all about the Kimono, the traditional Japanese garment and national dress of Japan.  Kimono is worn by both men and women, but the talk concentrated on those worn by women.

 We heard about the symbolism of the patterned fabrics, patterns which are seasonal, usually four are needed although careful choice of the fabric pattern can reduce this, which is just as well as these traditional garments can cost thousands of pounds.

We heard about the feudal roots of the kimono and the repression it brought to women, Jennifer told us – that many Japanese women hate it. The reasons for this became apparent when Jennifer demonstrated the many layers and complex construction of the garment necessary to wearing it. Wearing a kimono considerably restricts movement, which means when wearing one, for example, driving is impossible. 

The whole ensemble has 3 layers the first two being plain white ‘body linens’ each having a top and skirt, that is meant to flatten the body shape, the second layer being of finer, better-quality fabric. The visible patterned outer layer is then added – all layers are folded left over right, very important! And all the layers are constructed from simple rectangles of fabric. The fold at the back of the neck is extremely significant – it must reveal the nape and back of the neck,  and the hair must be pinned up to allow this.

 The last layer is the Obi – a wide sash around the middle – this is 4 ½ metres long!  At weddings the Obi is bought by the groom. There is a belt that ties on a small bustle at the back to support the Obi.

The final ensemble is full of symbolism, for example, a single lady, will have long sleeves on her kimono, once she is married they are cut short. There are many other features that have significance, such as “dot”  details that denote family and status, and  as the movement of the wearer also acquires ceremonial nuances, Jennifer told us that it would be very easy for her to make a faux pas when wearing a formal kimono, so to avoid this, she prefers to wear a simpler, traditional garment, the Yukata, a more casual or informal version of the kimono.

We were shown the footwear, designed to make feet appear small, the specially shaped divided toe socks – Tabi – which are usually white. Zori are the sandals are worn with a kimono for formal occasions.  Ingeniously the zori sandal has a hidden “trapdoor” compartment beneath allowing access to replace the toe thong.  Geta are raised wooden clogs that are worn with the informal yukata. 

Jennifer told us, if you wear Kimono, probably you need a bag. There are rules for bags for formal occasions but you can choose freely for casual scenes, traditional bags are drawstring, a  Kinchaku – is a traditional Japanese handbag.

What a wonderful insight into Japanese tradition and culture, very interesting  and factual interspersed with personal experiences, Jennifer was thoroughly entertaining, whilst imparting her unique view of modern Japan. Thank you Jennifer!

Because of the Coronation and bank holidays we were only able to have one Digital Photography Meeting this month on the 15th May, so here are the photos of the month chosen from our April themes of ‘Circles’ and ‘Minimalism/Negative Space’ plus a monthly favourite as voted on by the group.

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

As part of the Lincolnshire Wolds Outdoor Festival, some of our groups will be showcasing and performing at the South Ormsby Estate this Saturday 20th May as shown below, see their website here.

WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WOLDS –

Meteorological summer will soon be with us and we’re busier than ever in the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds. We’ve been working hard on all sorts of good stuff, from planting 12,600 grape vines to installing 516 solar panels, laying hundreds more metres of hedgerow and drilling home-grown oat and pea feed for our turkeys and chickens. Time has whizzed by and we’re just one week away from the Estate Open Weekend (20th & 21st May). The Lincolnshire Wolds AONB has just marked its 50th anniversary and it’s well worth celebrating. We’ve been bowled over by the number of knowledgeable, skilled and passionate Wolds people keen to share their talents with our lovely visitors. The Estate Open Weekend will feature laser-clay shooting, art lessons, stream-dipping, fly-casting, bike-riding, bird rambles, butterfly safaris, photography, storytelling, tall-tree tales, Turkish dancing, history talks and more. Don’t shilly-shally – peruse our programme HERE, get your entry ticket HERE, book your lunch HERE and jump in! Don’t forget, as a Friend of South Ormsby Estate you can attend all our events FREE OF CHARGE using code Friends5. We’ll see you out there.   YOU MAY HAVE MISSED – 11th April 2023 50 Years of the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB READ MORE   21st April 2023 Buffs Foraging & Busman’s Holiday READ MORE   28th April 2023 Tall-Tree Tales & Team Gardening READ MORE   4th May 2023 12,000 Vines & 220 Kilowatts READ MORE   TOUR NEWS –Throughout the Estate Open Weekend, there’ll be entertainment, food & drink and loads of activities. Here are just a few of the latest additions to the programme:- Discover fly-tying with the Lincoln Featherbenders & Fly-fishers – Take a short bike ride with Low Carbon Louth – Bring your wellies for stream-dipping with Ruth – Learn how to find and name butterflies with experts – Enjoy history talks with Jean – Explore a world of learning with the West Wolds 3A – Walk and listen with the Lincolnshire Bird Club – Try Turkish dancing with the West Wolds U3A – Keep Fit Demonstration with the West Wolds u3a Head to our tours page post-haste, secure your Estate Open Weekend entry ticket then start planning and booking your activities. New activities are being added as we write so keep an eye on our social media for updates. As if that weren’t enough, we’ll be running THREE NEW ESTATE TOURS between 20th May and 11th June: – The Three-Mile Walk. – Rare Breeds Walk. – The ‘Trying Times for Sebastian Scattergood’ Literary Walk.