New Members Coffee Morning

Thank Heaven for New Members
St David's Priory was buzzing on Friday 14 November, well that was my clear impression. Maybe that's my reward for being personally involved this year now world travelling has had to be postponed, but I suspect an independent observer would have had a similar impression. It is heartening to feel the vitality and energy that is flowing out of our age group in the U3A. We are truly part of the Jive Generation, it's rumoured that Gerwyn is swatting up on jitterbug for next year!

Members are showing lots of interest in joining group activities and Hazel Court is well liked by those who have been to classes there. We hope to get sufficient support for Chess to continue on the 1st and 3rd Monday Mornings of a month. The principles of successful competition in a multiple ability group on a handicapping basis were tried today and looked promising. Tuition is available for those wanting to learn, and Maxy played four of us at once to point the way ahead.

Reading Group 4 already looks well supported and therefore safe for the 2nd Monday morning. French Conversation is showing signs of nearing the point where a second group will be needed to complement that on Every Thursday Morning from October to Easter.

Perhaps the most satisfying thing of all was the suggestion of new group topics, first
Italian. Quite by accident I bumped into my old Italian teacher from decades ago at DACE. Carolina Rosati-Jones had not heard of the U3A but is now joining. She has already joined the French course because her son lives in France, and as a successful competition writer wants to join a Creative Writing Group. But from the outset she offered to teach an Italian Group. So for the first time I publicised Italian at the coffee morning and ended up with four signatures - very encouraging. Already enough to pass on to Carolina, but given a few more we could begin to think of a new group at Hazel Court, a venue which would suit her well since she lives nearby.

Then Lawrence Hopes, ( tel 362113 hopes123@tiscali.co.uk )who runs the DVD cinema shows in Ostreme Hall Mumbles, suggested no less than three appealing topics non of which he felt competent to run but offered to assist in each case. Please contact Lawrence to record your potential interest.
1. Cycling needs little explanation but has an obvious attraction similar to walking, but a far more efficient use of energy. Wasn't the wheel one of the great inventions of antiquity! Lawrence foresaw off the road activity, meeting at say Afan Argoed for say an 8-10 mile ride.
2. Playing Guitar (his special interest is in classical guitar, though he also plays electric guitar) He said a simple £25 acoustic guitar is adequate for starters - though he was hoping that we have a more accomplished musician prepared to lead a new group. Keith Roberts plays in the Mumbles Concert Band. There are musicians about perhaps we can find the right mix to form a new group, it doesn't have to be recorders.
3. Photography. Again a widespread interest. I can't help but recall that only last week Mike Wiseman revealed his hand whilst introducing the speaker at the Wednesday lecture. I too must admit to having documented my travels with photographs which now clothe my walls and never fail to bring back wonderful memories, so I confess to an interest in a journalistic style of photography. That's three already and there must be others.


Transport. Keith Roberts (205678 keith.roberts3@sky.com ) spent a lifetime in the electric vehicle industry. He has also rebuilt many vehicles (World War 2 vintage as a hobby. Are there other like minded members out there?

Literature
A very pleasant surprise at last Wednesday's lecture was Equity Card Carrying Lawmary Champion who said she would be delighted to read to the Literature Group. Not as delighted as they will be, at a new injection of life! Why don't the rest of you also help to revitalise what seems to me to be a very worthwhile group? Their new book is 'The Inspector Calls' by J B Priestly. It seems nicely differentiated from the other reading groups. Are George and Judith Davies and Collette Robinson who expressed interest on Open Day going to give it a go?

Finally along comes Lawmary again saying she would like to organise a group playing Cards for Pleasure. She was advocating a game I had never heard of called Hearts Contract, which is a game of skill rather than luck. Quite a small group would be viable if run in the other half of the Craft Room coincident with say Chess. She, like me, hates the thought of serious card games like Bridge. My dislike goes back to 1956 when in order to save £10 on the cost of crossing the Atlantic (which then was usually done by Blue Riband liners). I paid up for a ten day crossing on the Arosa Kulm, a corpse carrier from North Africa in the 39-45 war.(Several years later Joan paid the full £60 and crossed in five days of luxury with Cunard.) I found I was the fourth English speaking graduate on that boat, the other three were bridge fanatics and there was nothing else to do so we played non-stop. I had never played before (nor have I played since!!). So there I was marooned, the indispensable football vital to complete the quartet. My pair always lost and I was always at fault. Psychologically scarred for life I would have liked nothing more than to have to have met them again on the Rugby field and see how they would stand up, tackling was always the bit I liked best. Even now the thought makes me salivate.

DIY Lunch Parties - cook food, bring recipes, and share skills.
Val Lawton suggested that about twenty people could meet in her home. She is stuck between wanting desperately to get started and the knowledge that she will have time out for a hip operation in the early spring. If however there is sufficient interest and if there was someone keen enough to take over whilst she is hors de combat then there could be sense in an imminent start. There would seem to be no start up costs and therefore few obstacles.

Internet Skills
I now have twelve names on my list expressing interest in the Internet. Very early on in trying to popularise my blogging I realised that many people with new computers were having great difficulty in doing the simple tasks associated with productive use of the Internet. Nothing technical is planned, although the history of the Internet might well make an interesting topic for a later session. As with Digital Media for Fun it would be a question of 'tell us what you want to do and we will show you how to we would go about it'. A series of tasks might include email, searching for appropriate web sites via a search engine like Google, the Internet as an encyclopedia, as a newspaper, for shopping, for advice on health matters; to compare suppliers of fuel, savings, mortgages, cars, cameras; to find what have houses sold for in your neighbourhood, to use for Internet banking, share dealing, research into family history. The possibilities are endless, but the Internet skills required are similar hence a few weeks should suffice to get people up and running. Above all it's a case of building up the self confidence to experiment and hence start self learning.

There is already sufficient demand so we shall be looking to start something early in the new year at Hazel Court, where unlike the Vivian Hall in Blackpill we can have Internet access. It will be ideal for those who have recently got home Internet because consolidating lessons by experimentation on your own is the best way to build up your skills. And even better for those who have laptops with wireless Internet because they will be able to bring them to Hazel Court.

WEDNESDAY LECTURES and Interest Lists
I get members to sign lists before leaving the Grove Theatre, and this is where ideas for new groups germinate. If you don't go to the Grove but do receive this blog the you can email me or the preferably to the individuals named in these blogs.

Promotions
In a recent posting I promoted the Jazz Concert by Gwilym Simcock, Stan Sulzman and Jim Hart 7.30 next Sunday 23 November at the Taliesin, but without making it clear that tickets would have to be purchased from the Taliesin Booking Office. Cecily Hughes is promoting good classical music concerts, (the tickets for which also have to be purchased independently) with her Concert Goers group.
Keith Roberts ( tel 204678, keith.roberts3@sky.com ) tells me that the Swansea Concert Band with guests P A Big Band are giving their annual concert at the Taliesin at 7.30 on Friday 12th December, tickets at £5 for OAP's can be purchased through him.

If one of us is enthusiastic about a forthcoming public local event then the probability is that it will appeal to others. So let's share our passions.
I also intend to get details of the Mumbles Movies Film shows from Lawrence Hopes. He is also suggesting that the U3A could consider its own cinema club with costs of around £65/film for a 10 film year, probably mainly winter afternoons. plus hire of a suitable room.