BurnhamU3A Winter 2023/4

BURNHAM U3A

MAGAZINE

Winter 2023/4 www.burnhamu3a.com U3A is the premier movement for informal life-long learning

Disclaimer: The inclusion of advertisements in this Magazine does not imply endorsement by the U3A of the companies placing the advertising.

2

3

-oOo-

4

Burnham-on-Sea U3A (Charity No 1068271) Honorary President Ken Hindle Telephone 787831 or email: president<a>burnhanu3a.com Web-site: www.burnhamu3a.com

Committee Chairman – Gail Norton chairman<a>burnhamu3a.com 328922 Treasurer - Olive Manning treasurer<a>burnhamu3a.

781525 Secretary - Geoff Banham secretary<a>burnhamu3a.com 787003 mob 07766 670737 Website, Magazine Editor - Harriet Browne

795258

editor<a>burnhamu3a.com

Groups Coordinators &V/C Brenda Dibley

782150

groups<a>burnhamu3a.com Membership Sec -Chris Owen membsec<a>burnhamu3a.com 784500

Magazine Distributor & Gift Aid Chris Owen Coffee Morning & Refreshments Brenda Dibley

784500 782150

coffees<a>burnhamu3a.com

Community Centre Rep – Paul Hambleton

788452

Paul<a>burnhamu3a.com Facebook Admin - Gail Norton gail<a>burnhamu3a.com

328922

Other Committee members Judith Betts, Quiz

323916

Member Key Roles Minutes Secretary - none minutes<a>burnhamu3a.com Day Trips Organiser – Gerry Richards/Carole Ransome 783372 Archivist - Veronica Richardson 773705 NSAU3As Representatives Geoff Banham 07766670737 Welcome & New Members Liaison - Rachel Rowse & team 792618 Holidays Organisers - Lynn & Richard Mathews 786012 Equipment Officer - Janet Hill 782337 Speaker Organiser - Gail Norton gail<a>burnhamu3a.com 328922 Committee Member - Allison Glencross 07526 338388.

All email addresses must have <a> replaced with @ to be valid. This is to prevent spamming of these addresses.

5

Coffee Morning Serving Rota

Coffee is served from 9:45 to 11:15 Swaps may be made by mutual agreement between groups but please let Brenda Dibley know on 782150 before the day.

7th December. Yoga 14th December Book club 1 21st December Book club 3 28th December Brushstrokes 4th. January Canasta & Rummikub 11th January. Cine Francois & La Table Francais 18th January Classical Music 26th January Craft 2nd. February Creative Writing 9th February Exercise to Music 16th. February French 2 23 rd. February French 3

The Thursday Quiz is provided thanks to Judith Betts

6

Message from the Editor Here we are with the Winter edition, out before Christmas and the bad weather we all expect before next Spring comes around.

There is a lot of Group News in this magazine, both about new groups and old .

Also about three Day Trips that have occurred recently, with some pictures. More pictures will be on the Gallery on the website, there is only room for a few in the Magazine.

All this has meant we are back to the usual number of pages, though there is only one extra article this time.

The crossword is there as usual of course, I couldn’t leave that out ☺ Wishing you a comfortable Christmas and a happy New Year.

Harriet Browne Editor

7

Chair’s Message Hello everyone, As we move into the month of December I hope this finds you all in good health and looking forward to the u3a Christmas events. I am hoping that we do not have much more rain, as I don’t mind a cold and crisp winter, but dislike rain and wind.

However, we often have sunshine on Christmas Day, which shows up the dust in our cabinets! My solution is to put Christmas decorations everywhere and hope that nobody notices the dust.

We had a very pleasant evening with our Group Leaders in November. Not only is Brenda Dibley a great Group Coordinator, but she is a fantastic caterer as well and provided us with an excellent buffet spread. At the time of writing we are looking forward to our u3a Open Day, when we hope to not only encourage new members to join, but also to inform existing members about the numerous interesting u3a groups that are run in Burnham.

Now heading for December we can look forward to the traditional u3a Christmas Carol Concert at St Andrew’s Church on Wednesday 20th December at 10a.m. Please join us at the service and afterwards in the Community Centre for coffee and mince pies.

Chris Owen is already organizing the New Year lunch at Batch House, so something else to look forward to post Christmas! There are also a number of interesting day trips already planned for 2024, so don’t miss out on those.

Another person who helps many members is Alex Storey, who comes along to the Coffee Mornings on Thursdays to help anyone who needs IT advice. He is always busy in Room 4, helping members with new technology.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Gail Norton 8

Christmas Crossword

Across 1) Constable or Rembrandt 4) Toboggan 8) Disastrous 10 Robs from 11 Number of wise men 12) Aussie animals 14 Yearn for 15) Law Officer 17) Thankfulness 20) Sailors’ cry” ---- There” 21) Cummerbund 22) Xmas song 24) Teeth 25) Books 26) Fame 27) Knitted garment

Down 1) Deer Horn 2) Piece of crockery 3) Trouser & jacket set 5) Overdue 6) Mythical creature 7) Naval flag 9) Festive season 10) Choice, option 13 Say -----, apologise 14) Praises highly 16) Tool 17) Troll, imp 18) Artists’ stands 19) Scottish drink 22) Black bird 23) Ear lobe

Veronica Richardson

answers p 27

9

GROUP NEWS Classical Music Appreciation Group 3 Gilbert & Sullivan and Operetta This new group will focus on G&S and popular operetta eg Strauss, Offenbach, Lehar, Novello, Herbert, Friml, Romberg, Kern, etc.

Group leader – Paul Hambleton Location of meetings – Private Address, Burnham Max No of Attendees – 8 Meeting Frequency – Monthly, third Friday Duration – 2.00pm till close of programme (approx. 2 hrs inc refreshment break).

The first meeting will take place on Friday 19th January 2024. As space is limited, please contact the Group Leader before 12th January 2024 if you are interested in joining the group.

Telephone: 01278 788452, E-mail: paul.g.hambleton@gmail.com

Yoga At the Community Centre on Tuesday morning 10.00-11.30 in room 10 At the moment we have a full class for yoga but we do have a waiting list. Often people can't make the class and the students are very good at letting me know, usually a week beforehand. I can then telephone or email anyone on the waiting list to see if they are available.

If you would like me to add you to the list, you can contact me on: bridgeslaraine3@gamil.com or 01278 641853.

Laraine Bridges

New CRAFT GROUP including Card-Making We meet on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of every month at 2pm and stay till 4 pm.

All crafts are tried and welcome. If you have a skill and would like to share with us, come along. We chat, have a hot drink and biscuits, and even have time to do our crafts as well. Card making, knitting, crochet in fact just about anything Crafty. Come and join us soon.

For more information call Jenny Collins 01278 327100 or 07887486182

10

New German Group I started the Beginners’ German Group in September and am delighted to report that it is going well, with 14 regular attendees. I have been asked why I started this group. An easy answer is ‘Why not?’, but the honest truth is that I love the language. I first started learning German when I was 12 and managed to gain an O level. I loved the way you say what is on the page, which meant it was so much easier to speak than French! A favourite word is ‘Fussballweltmeistershaft’ which means football World Cup. There are rules about the formation of sentences with no exception! It’s also true that there are many ways to say ‘the’ der, die, das, den, dem, des.

Just before my 21st birthday I was able to go to live in Germany. My then husband got a job at a company that made hostess trolleys for aircraft, so we moved to Wiesbaden with our one year old daughter.

We were there for 2 years and enjoyed learning about another country and its people. Everyone was very helpful and showed us around, helping me to improve my schoolgirl German!

Much later I ended up at Weston College studying French and German A levels - I had wanted conversation classes, but there weren’t any.

And then what do you do when you have A levels? I went to the West of England University and got a degree in French, German and European History! I was nearly 40 when I started my degree, I’m not sure I could have coped with university when I was 18. It was a 4 year course, with the third year being spent abroad. I worked at the Norddeutsch Landesbank in Braunschweig, which was certainly a steep learning curve. I worked in the training department and helped students who were from the former East Germany. Another interesting experience.

Once I finished the degree course I worked for the British Council for a year in a French Technical school, which persuaded me to return to Bristol to complete teacher training. After a year I got a temporary job at Nailsea School teaching French and German, which ended up with me staying there for 20 years. I enjoyed teaching both languages but German was perhaps more fun - introducing words such as ‘der Vater’ (the father) always produced a lot of giggles!

Ich wünsche Ihnen frohe Weihnachten und ein gutes neues Jahr,

Gail Norton

11

Latin Group The Latin group has been running for the last two years or so under the leadership of Mary O’Rourke. Unfortunately for our U3A, Mary has moved away from Burnham (to Surrey) and the Latin group (and other groups) will miss her. As something of a farewell and a “thank you” to Mary, part of the Latin group went to some gardens in east Somerset called “The Newt”. The Newt includes the site of an old Roman villa and now includes a remarkable reconstruction of that very Roman villa. It features characters in costume and virtual reality images of the Roman family. Searching out the villa that day were Latin group members Teresa Symons, Kathy Harrison, Geoff Banham and Mary. The photograph features the ladies in front of the villa.

-oOo-

12

Day Trips 2023 1st December 2023 (Friday) Exeter West Point Arena Christmas Fayre (Option to stay all day or go on to Exeter in the afternoon) £20 including entrance fee

2024 Now booking for:24th January Birmingham Bull Ring £23 14th February Salisbury £21 13th March Abergavenny and Monmouth £21 -oOo-

Day Trip to St Fagans National Museum of History.

13th September 2023 Two coaches once again, one destined for the varied shops in Cardiff, and the other to St Fagans. We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day and those of us who went to St Fagans were able to appreciate the beautiful grounds and woods in which the museum is located. There was quite a lot of walking to see the various buildings. The museum stands in the grounds of the magnificent St Fagans Castle and gardens, a late 16th-century manor house donated to the people of Wales by the Earl of Plymouth in 1948.

Over forty original buildings from different historical periods have been re-erected in the 100-acre parkland, among them are houses, a farm, a school, a chapel and a splendid Workmen's Institute.

13

St Fagans

14

Tavistock Goosey Fair

River Tavy

15

Day Trip to Tavistock 11th October 2023 Another Wednesday morning, bright and early and prepared for all weathers, this is autumn after all, we set off with two coaches into the depths of West Devon, famous for its Pannier Market and the annual Goose Fair, though this year sadly there was no livestock fair and hence no geese due to avian flu.

The journey was interesting, with lovely views while travelling over Dartmoor. This is the best part I think due to being able to see over the hedges and letting someone else do the driving.

The parking was difficult and rather a long walk into the town for some of our less able members. I took a leisurely stroll along by the canal and across the River Tavy to the town at the far end. The Pannier Market was fascinating with all sorts of produce and handicrafts for sale, though rather pricy. The little Police museum was open too!

I strolled further into the town and found a nice quiet little cafe, I had toasted teacakes and hot chocolate, it had lovely squashy leather chairs (and a decent loo.)

I made my way back to the coach through the traders stalls all along Drake Road, loads of sights, sounds, smells and ways to unload cash!

I did not venture into the fairground, too much noise and flashing lights, the youngsters can keep those thrills!

All in all another interesting trip planned by our wonderful days-out ladies...well done and thank-you.

Sheila Forrester

-oOoDay Trips Raffle £2600 raised to date for the U3A ( The proceeds go to the U3A and Community Centre each year alternately. )

Many thanks for supporting the Raffle.

Marilyn Nicholls Winners Jan- Margaret Matthews-Morley Feb- Pauline Solomon Mar- Margaret Matthews-Morley Apr- Jean Rogers May- Kim Chatwin

Jun- Brian Smith Jul- Barbara Bing Aug- Chris Murphy Sep- Mo Thompson Oct- Barbara Dear

16

Day Trip to Cheltenham and Gloucester 8/11/23.

We set off amidst heavy rain showers to Cheltenham, mainly motorway, taking just over an hour.

We were dropped off at the Bus Station, so it was easy to find the pickup point for our return.

My friend and I were amazed at the quantity and quality of the shopping experience.

We sheltered in a leather goods outlet shop to begin with, and were trusted to mind the shop while the lady went to the toilet!

The rain stopped and we explored further. We thought perhaps the The Medieval church would serve coffee, as the Taunton one does.

We were met by a delightful lady who apologised for not doing coffee but gave us a paper copy, a super coloured short history, of the church, and left us to wander round. We wandered round, noting that all the windows have stained glass, mainly Victorian. One had the Last Supper depicted. In the 1800s there was a school room in the church, taking 30 pupils, one teacher. We read the reminiscence of one pupil who was still alive in early 1900s. If there was slight naughtiness they were put in the stocks, or chained to a very large chunk of tree trunk impossible to lift. Next, 6 pupils gave the naughty one a lash each, followed by the master giving him 6 lashes. The church had a kitchen fitted in one back corner, a nod to present day regulations of being a public building. A very helpful gentleman guided us to the best way to get to the High Street, and we ended up in a very large M&S clothes store and café, for a light lunch. Then on through an Arcade of shops, and out into the street that has a bridge above, running from one shop to another opposite, which my friend remembered from when her daughter was at college there. Then back to the coach. Some decided to stay there, while the rest of us went to Gloucester Quays, a large shopping area under cover, but opening out by the old docks, with a view of the Cathedral in the old centre of town. (I was born nearby.) There were plenty of eating places and they were putting up covered stalls ready for the Christmas market starting that weekend.

We had flapjack and coffee or chocolate in a barge moored alongside, before realising that we had just 20 minutes to get back to the coach, as the driver wasn’t allowed to park but only pick us up.

Jenny Golding

17

Shorter Walks Recently "Shorter walks " celebrated its 1st Anniversary. Since 1st November 2022 we have walked 35 times - just over 120 miles. All our walks have been in the local area including Winscombe, Bleadon, Cheddar, Uphill, Bridgwater and Avalon marshes. Usually with a coffee break in the middle or at the end. Each walk has been between 3 and 5 miles and remarkably the majority have been dry. The sun shone for us today too. A beautiful morning walk and then we celebrated by having lunch together.

Our aim is to be a sociable activity for fitness and fun. Please contact me if you would be interested in joining us. We are a very friendly bunch.

18

HOLIDAYS GROUP ADVANCE NOTICES We will be sharing more details with you in the near future and really hope you will consider joining us on our happy travels!

The Holiday Team has provisionally booked a hotel at Chichester for our spring holiday break in April 2024. The dates for this trip will be Monday 22nd to Friday 26th April 2024 inclusive. Prices to be announced at a later date.

We are in the process of arranging a varied itinerary which may include visits to Portsmouth, for the famous dockyards and the Spinnaker Tower, a National Trust garden, Winchester, and possibly a ride on the famous Bluebell Steam Railway! (below).

Watch this space for more details!

Owing to extremely high demand, and the necessity to book two years in advance, we have managed to secure a provisional booking for a u3a favourite trip “Holly and Mistletoe“ at the renowned Tynedale Hotel, Llandudno in 2024.

The dates for this superb holiday are 5th - 9th November 2024 inclusive.

We will be sharing more details with you in the near future and really hope you will consider joining us on our happy travels!

Lynn and Richard Mathews The Holidays Group

19

Medieval Christmas Mince Pies You can try this recipe instead of the more conventional sweet mince meat pies, which themselves trace their origin back to the Middle Ages. The combination of fruit and meat in a pie was very popular in medieval times. The filling is derived from a version in The Forme of Cury Shortcrust pastry: 125g/4 oz cold butter diced in small chunks 250g/8oz plain white flour Good pinch of salt 2 tbsp cold water 1 egg, lightly beaten to glaze Filling: 500 g/18oz cooked, finely minced pork 125g/4oz pitted prunes 125g/4oz pitted dates 150g/5oz raisins 75g/2.5oz pine nuts 2 hard-boiled eggs, mashed 1 tsp cardamom seeds, ground ½ tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground mace 2 tsps ground ginger 2 tsps black pepper, ground 1 tbsp sugar salt to taste red wine (optional) beaten egg (optional) Season the cooked meat with salt to taste and roughly chop the fruits and pine nuts and combine with the other ingredients. If the filling seems a bit dry add a few splashes of red wine. Rollout the pastry and cut lids and bottoms to fit your muffin or tart tins – this quantity should make about a dozen. Grease the tins, and line with pastry, adding filling and the lids, pressed firmly down. For a nice finish, brush with beaten egg. Place in an oven heated to 400°C, for about 20 minutes, but keep an eye on them.

You can also make these pies as tarts, without the lids, though you may need to cover the surface towards the end of cooking to prevent the sugary fruits from burning. These are rich, highly spiced little pies; you may want to adjust the seasoning for a more moderate flavour. They can be eaten warm or cold.

20

Menu for New Year Lunch Batch Country House Thursday 25th January 2024 Lunch is served at 1.00 pm Starter Homemade Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup (GF) (DF) (V) Fan of Galia and Cantaloupe Melon with a Blackberry Coulis (GF) (DF) (V ) Smoked Salmon, Prawn and Cream Cheese Roulade with a Mixed Leaf Salad and Vinaigrette Dressing (GF)

**** Main course Succulent Roast Turkey, served with Cranberry Sauce, Chipolata Sausage and Stuffing (GF) (DF) Slow Roasted British Beef with Yorkshire Pudding Fresh Fillet of Salmon with a Lemon & Dill Sauce with New Poatoes (GF) Cranberry and Cashew Nut Roast with Gravy and Roast Potatoes (GF) (DF) ( V)

**** Dessert Traditional Christmas Pudding served with Brandy Sauce Vegan and Gluten Free Christmas Pudding with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (GF) (DF) (V) Trio of Mini Desserts-Chocolate Torte, Mini Raspberry Pavlova & Lemon Posset Cheese and Biscuits with Celery and Grapes Salted Caramel, Rich Chocolate and Vanilla Pod Ice Cream (V) (GF)

**** Tea/Coffee and Chocolate Mints Dietary Information

GF = Gluten Free, DF = Diary Free, V = Vegan

For bookings with payment please see Chris Owen in Room 1 at the Community Centre on Coffee Mornings or email membsec@burnhamu3a.com or telephone 01278 784500 The cost is £31.00 per person (The meal is £28 plus £2 for tip and £1 for raffle)

21

BURNHAM ON SEA U3A – GROUPS DIRECTORY Name

Leader

Contact no.

Book 1

Anne Morris

793355

Book 3

787856

Brush Strokes

Diane Cruickshank Sue Meads

Canasta

Pat Reid

780806

Classical Music 1

Roy West

324020

Classical Music 2 Classical Music 3 - G&S Operetta Craft & Card Making Creative Writing Day Trips

Ken Henton

641278

Paul Hambleton

01278 788452

Jenny Collins

327100

Kim Lewis

787022

Gerry Richards

Exercise to Music French 1

David Napper

01278 783372 792371

Kathy Harrison Jane Osborne

07899 922919 789661

French 2

238583

French 3

Colette Winfield Geoff Banham

French 4

Robert Bridges

641853

La Table Francaise Holiday Group

Robert Bridges

641853

Richard & Lynn Matthews

01278 786012

German for beginners

Gail Norton

07883 005115

792021

07766 670737

22

Meeting details Every 3rd Fri, 2- 4 pm

Venue

Last Thurs of month 2- 4 Fridays10:0 – 12.00 Every Wed 24 2nd & 4th Mon, 2 – 4 pm

CC

1st & 3rd Mon, 2 – 4 pm 3rd Friday

Private address Private Address

1st &3rd Wednesday 1st Friday, 10 12 At Coffee am R4 Every Friday 10 – 11am Weds 2:30 4:00

CC Room 3 CC

Thursday 10 – 11 am Tues 10 - 11 am Fri 10 -11.30

CC

Monday 11 – 12.30 See desk at Coffee am R3 Tues 2-3 pm

Dunstan ’s Hotel

Private address

CC CC Private address

CC CC

CC CC

CC

Lunch’n Club 2

Maria Tucker

07515682079

Needlework

Julie Challacombe

323573

Off-Key Singers

Marilyn Nicholls Jane Lee

780020

Every 2nd Weds 2 - 4

CC

783511

CC

07766520781.

Poetry etc

Julie Challacombe Roger Miller

Philosophy

Roger Miller

784658

Philosophy 2

Margaret Stewart Pat Reid

756376 or 07980001343 780806

Every Wed 10-12 Every Tues 2-4 Every 2nd Thurs 2-4 Alt Thurs 10.30 - 12 Friday

Painting for pleasure Patchwork

Rummikub Scrabble & Mahjong

784658

Mon 2-4 pm

Thurs 24pm

Serendipity Singers

Anne Hall Brian Foakes

789001 07971 164484

Short Walks Spanish

Julie Esnouf Sue Royle

07916517774 07837957588

Supper Club

784500

Table Tennis 1

Christine & Allen Owen J Robinson

Table Tennis 3

Ian Nield

751533

Table Tennis 4

Carol Marriott

795773

Table Tennis Beginners

Peter Manning

07976408843

Ukulele

Terry Smith

01934 615987

Walking

Jean Fincken & Christine Preston Laraine Bridges

Yoga

2nd Monday, 12.30 Friday 2-4

CC

CC Private address Private address Private address CC CC

Every Monday : 2:30-4:30 Monday Tues eve 78pm Last Weds even Every Wed 2 – 4 pm Friday 24pm Every Tue 9.30 – 10.30 1st & 3rd Sat 10.30 – 11.30 Mon 2 - 4

Andrews Ch. Hall

07939 939204 07584016622

Wednesday

See prog’me

641853

Every Tues 10 - 11:30

CC

787200

23

CC various Bay Club

Baptist Ch. Hall As above CC

-oOo-

24

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have been helping the community for over 5 years now

25

26

EVENTS DAY TRIPS Gerry Richards 01278783372

1/12

daytrips<a>burnhamu3a.com

Friday - Exeter West Point Arena Christmas Fayre. £16.00

Departure points Leaving Pepperall Rd. 9.10am. Apex Park 9.15am.

Pier St.9.20.

The Vets (opposite Community Centre) 9.30 am.

Love Lane bus stop (opposite The Rosewood) 9:25 am See above (p13) for next year’s programme SPEAKER EVENTS No dates fixed yet, but do check the website. Details will be put there when known.

CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE, at St Andrew's Church Wednesday 20th December 10am, followed by mince pies, etc at the Community Centre -o0o-

Crossword Answers Across: 1) Artist 4) Sledge, 8) Tragic, 10) Steals, 11) Three, 12) Emus, 14) Long, 15) Policeman, 17) Gratitude, 20) Ahoy, 21) Sash, 22) Carol, 24) Molars, 25) Novels, 26) Renown, 27) Jersey.

Down: 1) Antler, 2) Teacup, 3) Suit, 5) Late, 6) Dragon, 7) Ensign, 9) Christmas, 10) Selection, 13) Sorry, 14) Lauds, 16) Hammer, 17) Goblin, 18) Easels, 19) Whisky, 22) Crow, 23) Lobe.

27

St Fagan’s Church

28