TARPORLEY & DISTRICT U3A ISOLATION SPECIAL NEWSLETTER …

TARPORLEY & DISTRICT U3A “ISOLATION SPECIAL” NEWSLETTER No. 4

Tarporley & District U3A is a Registered Charity – No 1171370

If you want to respond, or contact any committee member, please phone the Secretary, Ken

Wood, on 01829 733561 or email [email protected]

CONTENTS:

V.E. Day Project Page 1

U3A Diary Project Page 1

Our Blog Page 2

Covid 19 research project Page 2

Easy postage Page 2

Good news for gardeners Page 3

Interest Groups Page 3

Members Pages 4 - 7

3 EXCITING NEW U3A DEVELOPMENTS BOTH LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY

V.E.DAY

As we all know, the celebrations planned to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of VE Day

have had to be cancelled. To mark the occasion ourselves, we would like to collect together

members’ stories of the occasion. Some of our older members will remember themselves –

others will have stories told by parents and other relatives. You may have photographs of

celebrations at the time, war-time records or pictures of family members in uniform, which

you would be willing to share.

Please contact us [email protected] or telephone our secretary,

Ken (aka Sgt Major Wood) on 01829 733561 if you would like to join in

U3A DIARY PROJECT

Something that may interest you while we time on our hands and if you haven’t already heard about

it is the U3A Diary Project (see the national website https://www.u3a.org.uk/ under “Learning”). I quote their information below:

“Members are being asked to help craft a shared learning project where they create living history of this extraordinary time.

We are currently living through an unprecedented period due to the coronavirus and everyone’s daily life is affected. The situation is impacting on people in lots of different ways and you will all have your own experiences, thoughts and reflections on how it is affecting you, both on a practical and on a psychological level. We would really like to capture all of this as part of a UK wide Diary Project.

U3A is proud to be partnering with the Mass Observations Archive (MOA) to ensure we are making

the most of each valuable contribution. The MOA will store each diary entry and make it available

publicly for researchers and future historians looking to learn and write about these times using real

life accounts. You may be aware of the MOA from the social research they conducted from 1937 –

1950, capturing the thoughts and opinions of those who lived during WW2, so it is very special that

U3A members will get to add their words to such an important database.

As well, we will also be sharing some extracts online and across our social media platforms.”

BLOG

After trying some ideas out, we have now relaunched and publicised this weblog. As we have always

said, this an opportunity for members to tell us how we might best run your U3A during this difficult

time. We want to support existing interest groups and we are trying to set up new virtual groups,

such as Nature, and Creative Writing. Please explore the site but remember this is a new venture

and we are definitely still learning. But most of all, please comment and send us your thoughts. Help

us help you.

INFORMATION

King’s College London and Guys and St Thomas’s hospital are doing research into the symptoms

and spread of the virus and are looking for older people who would be willing to download an

App and take one minute daily to report their

health, whether they are well or not. They need

some information about age, medications taken

etc, but this can be done anonymously. If you

are keen to assist research you might like to

consider signing up. Here is a link to the website

which explains

further: https://covid.joinzoe.com/

• Did you know that you can buy online

postage for letters and parcels from the Royal

Mail website? The service is called Click and

Drop and involves printing a pre-paid stamp

or label which enables you to simply post the

item or deliver it to the Post Office counter

without having to make a transaction. The link

to Royal Mail is: https://www.royalmail.com/

Scroll down, select Click and Drop and follow

the instructions from there. U3A Diary Project

GOOD NEWS FOR GARDENERS

OKELLS have started up a new order and collect

service. For details see their website on

www.okellsgardencentre.co.uk or telephone

01829 741512

MIKE DODD, who usually runs the plant stall at

Nantwich market is doing free local deliveries of

plants grown at his local nursery, a family

business. Anyone wishing to order vegetable

plants, annuals, perennials etc should contact

Mike. His is a family business; all plants are grown at their local nursery. Please email him on

[email protected] to enquire what he has available each week.

Thanks to Kathryn Dahill for these photos

The Covid 19 situation has been especially

stressful for the Flat Earth Society. They fear

that social distancing measures could push

people over the edge!

WHAT HAVE OUR INTEREST GROUPS BEEN UP TO?

In a word – ZOOM! Had any of us even heard of ZOOM a few short weeks ago? Now we rely on it to

keep us in touch with the world - with friends, family, interest groups. Just how many groups are

meeting this way? Your U3A committee are doing so regularly and we would really like to hear what

you are doing. We understand that Science group, computer group and photography are doing so.

The language groups probably are, and Theatre Studies are watching plenty of plays, especially from

National Theatre at Home and then discussing them on Zoom. Both Play Reading and Art

Appreciation plan to start zooming next week. We seem to be busier than ever!

WHAT HAVE MEMBERS BEEN DOING?

We‘ve been spending far too long watching the birds

in our camera nest box. They hatched on 1st May –

what a lovely day for that to happen! They doubled

in size in 3 days and now, at 6 days they are growing

feathers and trying to scramble out of the nest –

much too soon, of course, so they won’t manage it.

Both parents are flat out trying to keep up with their

appetites.

David and Rosemary Archer

Keith Barker has been writing poetry which he is kindly allowing us to publish here, while Christine

Brown has been taking some beautiful spring photos.

THOUGHTS ON A VIRUS

This virus has got us, takes us for a mug,

And forced isolation is really a bug.

The doctors and nurses are doing their best,

The drivers, the binmen, the posties, the rest -

Yes, all in the shops who supply us with food,

The comics on TV who lighten the mood.

The carers, good neighbours, old soldiers and more

And all who inspire with good deeds galore;

So much in donations in such a short while

Can only bring hope and a comforting smile.

If you can get out you can go for a walk

But just keep your distance and don’t stop to talk;

A cheery brief greeting no doubt that will please

But don’t even think about giving a sneeze.

For some on the front line who came to these shores

From far away countries, just now give a pause,

They came to give service in our NHS

But some have found heartbreak amid success.

For all who’ve lost family, a loved one, a friend,

The tragedies, the mourning, when will it all end?

Those who’ve been laid off, no income for now

With bills to pay weekly and food to buy – how?

And those in the care homes, they’ve had it so tough,

Of masks and of gowns there’s just not enough.

For schoolkids at home it’s just like a dream,

They can stare all day long at their favourite screen –

As long as they manage their homework and all,

And don’t drive their parents too far up the wall.

Some strive to keep going, working from home,

The lonely ones, housebound, just wait by the phone;

The entrepreneurs, for this country a must,

Weep tears as their empires just crumble to dust.

For some there are weddings and parties they’ve

missed,

For others, no hugging, no funeral, our masters insist.

Holidays cancelled – my money back please –

But hey, bulldog spirit, just get off your knees.

Look forward to visits to the pub or the caff,

When we can swap stories and have a good laugh;

Yes, we’ll meet again, we definitely must

And from our memories we’ll chip off some rust,

Recall all the good things we had in the past,

Make sure all the bad things just never will last

So trust in our leaders’ decisions we must

To lead us to glorious victory – or bust!

KEB 2020

Bill Harrison has also burst into verse, inspired – like Keith – by our current situation:

Wot I cud hav dun

I could have writ a mighty tome

Or learned to play the saxophone

When Boris told us all to stay at home

I haven’t done any of them

I could have decorated a room

Or sewed a quilt on home-made loom

The drive could be cleaned with a broom

I haven’t done any of them

I could have baked a lovely bun

But flour to buy there was none

A poem written that was fun

I haven’t done any of them.

W H 2020

We will all presume that Lin, at least, is learning the saxophone!

Many of us have more time to read now and several members have shared favourite

poems

THE TREES Philip Larkin The trees are coming into leaf Like something almost being said; The recent buds relax and spread, Their greenness is a kind of grief. Is it that they are born again And we grow old? No, they die too, Their yearly trick of looking new Is written down in rings of grain. Yet still the unresting castles thresh In fullgrown thickness every May. Last year is dead, they seem to say, Begin afresh, afresh, afresh. Shared by Carol Gardner

HOME THOUGHTS, FROM ABROAD (Extract – for May) Robert Browning

And after April, when May follows, And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows! Hark, where my blossom'd pear-tree in the hedge Leans to the field and scatters on the clover Blossoms and dewdrops—at the bent spray's edge— That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, Lest you should think he never could recapture The first fine careless rapture! And though the fields look rough with hoary dew, All will be gay when noontide wakes anew The buttercups, the little children's dower

—Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower

MEG MERRILIES John Keats

Old Meg she was a gipsy; And liv'd upon the moors: Her bed it was the brown heath turf, And her house was out of doors. Her apples were swart blackberries, Her currants, pods o' broom; Her wine was dew of the wild white rose, Her book a church-yard tomb. Her brothers were the craggy hills, Her sisters larchen trees; Alone with her great family She liv'd as she did please. No breakfast had she many a morn, No dinner many a noon, And 'stead of supper she would stare Full hard against the moon. But every morn, of woodbine fresh She made her garlanding, And every night the dark glen yew She wove, and she would sing. And with her fingers old and brown She plaited mats o' rushes, And gave them to the cottagers She met among the bushes. Old Meg was brave as Margaret Queen, And tall as Amazon: An old red blanket cloak she wore, A chip hat had she on. God rest her aged bones somewhere-- She died full long agone! Shared by Kathryn Dahill

Several members will have even had the time to read the year’s major publishing event,

Hilary Mantel’s the Mirror and the Light

Have you read it yet? Perhaps YOU would like to share your

response to the book with your fellow members. Send your

review to Rosemary on [email protected]

Clever, isn’t it?