ROMSEY and District
Low-down in the Lockdown Bulletin No.9 - 23 September 2020 Will AUTUMN be here by the end of this week? ‘Low-down in the Lockdown’ bulletins are continuing for the time being but it seems as if it will be quite a while before we can meet up again. We need YOUR HELP to keep them going so why not send us a small item to print? Continue to stay Safe, keep Active & keep Well.
TOP TIPS 1. At the end of last week’s monthly meeting Andy Lester, who took us on a photographic tour of Costa Rica, was asked for advice on what each of us could do to help the environment. He gave two clear answers: a) turn part of your garden over to wild flowers; b) buy Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance products where they are available. 2. A member, Alan Edwards, followed up with this helpful email suggestion: “With conservation in mind, are you using Ecosia instead of other search engines? It’s free to use (like Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) but every search contributes to tree planting and it has already funded over 100 million trees. No long term records are kept of your searches, and it does something worthwhile for the environment.”
Monthly Meetings A Reminder that our October & November Zoom speakers are different from the 2020 programme card: 21 October Jennifer Wineberg: Am I John Ruskin’s Great Great Granddaughter? 18 November Ian Keable: The History of Cartoons from William Hogarth to Private Eye. More information in your August Newsletter or on our website. On 16 December, but now on Zoom, Michael Brown will introduce us to the traditions of A Medieval Christmas, playing Christmas music himself, on Medieval instruments.
DIARY DATES
LEARN, LAUGH, LIVE
Please order your 2021, dark blue U3A DIARY now from Janet Moody preferably using this secretary email or calling 01794 517589. The cost is £3. If you can help to deliver other diaries to members near you, please tell Janet.
Have you ever thought you’d like a little something (else) to do? We are looking for members who would like to help run your R&D U3A, in several ways. Could you take notes at committee meetings, 5 or 6 times per year? Would you like to learn how to ‘keep the books’? ASK US HOW YOU CAN HELP!
Garden Visits 1— Hill Top, Upper Swanmore, Friday 4 September 2020 After six long months of going nowhere and seeing no-one, a group of 19 of us ventured out in our individual cars to this wonderful garden, owned by a Hampshire plantsman and his wife: David and Tricia Green. We were treated to a guided tour by David himself, whose enthusiasm and passion for gardening is still evident, even though he now needs help to manage so many beds and borders. The garden is abundant with vibrant flowers with seasonal interest from dahlias, rudbeckias, solidago, asters and sedum. A magnificent view, from high on the downs, looks towards Southampton and we could see as far as the Isle of Wight. David has lived here all his life, from the mid-1930s when his father developed the garden from a parcel of meadowland, coping with chalk flint over clay soil. There is an eclectic array of plants as you wander around these two acres. The conservatory is filled with tropical plants and a heady scent; a jumble of containers by the side of the house is filled with cannas and ginger lilies; a two-headed dragon has been carved from the trunk of a fallen willow; and a well-placed summer-house overlooks the views, and back to the house and borders. Four greenhouses are full of tender fruit and vegetables from around the world: Cape gooseberry, indoor figs, a tomarillo, nectarines and grapes. Much of the produce is grown from seed or propagated on site. The tour of the garden was followed by equally lovely cakes provided by Tricia, together with tea and coffee, and we all sat (socially distanced) enjoying the beautiful surroundings and the opportunity for a good catch up of news and gossip. Margaret Marchbank
Unwanted post? Take a look at this short guide on what to do if you do receive unwanted post through your letterbox. (Which?) Page 1 of 2