APRIL FOOLS

BREAK FOR SUMMER
The study groups demanding regular homework for effective learning will be assessing their viability over Spring/Summer. It is for the members of each group to decide. For my own part I will not continue with either French or Italian (weekly meetings) after April, preferring to devote my time to the outdoors including making the most of a large garden.

Chess Group have already decided to close down after April (Hazel Court 1st and 3rd Mondays of month) until the start of the new U3A year in October.

Book Reading 4 also Hazel Court will not meet in April because the 2nd Monday is Easter Monday. They will however meet in May at least.

Italian Group also Hazel Court weekly on Monday morning will discuss continuation beyond April. They will be unable to share the room cost thereafter as it stands, though a quite separate Painting Group I assume will still share costs for the 4th Monday.

French Group have decided to run weekly until the end of April on Thursdays at 10am in Hazel Court and will review shortly any extension.

Tai Chi Hazel Court every Friday will run on except only for Good Friday.

Wednesday Lectures run weekly from 22 April to the AGM on the 24 June.

Outings are scheduled for 8 July and 30 September

The Established Groups will by now have an accepted time scale

LIFE BEGINS AT 50+ in Leisure Centre
This was judged by those with experience to have been more successful than similar events in alternate venues. Our records show we talked to over 100 people showing an interest, a sizable underestimate as I for one was guilty of not always adding to the count. I did however persuade 31 callers to leave their email addresses and have sent them all the link to the blog and that has triggered several pleasant responses, it will be interesting to observe how many later join.

PROSPECTIVE GROUPS
NEW PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP?
Laurence Hopes and Pat Herbert are trying to form a Photography Group which would meet in the Vivian Hall but go out on Photo-shoot expeditions. This sounds an excellent variation for the summer months, and could well feed into a second Digital Media Group to edit the photographs next year. I personally find the photographic emphasis attractive and the improvement of such records, my background is of course travel photography which decorates our walls with our travel memories, non more poignant than the group of celebrating school leavers near Tapaktuan (West Coast Sumatra) who were almost certainly wiped out by the Tsunami.

Would anyone interested please contact me via this blog or get in direct touch with Laurence Hopes on 362113 or hopes123@tiscali.co.uk

NEW GERMAN GROUP ?
Dorothy Little who already runs Book Group 4 and is a keen contributor to MOTO (Members om their Own) writes to ask if others are interested in forming a German Group. Thoughts to me or direct to Dorothy Little on 511127 or dorothylittle@ntlworld.com The big problem with such groups is finding a tutor, (I must ask if she was a German teacher), and finding a compromise knowledge level. There is lots of experience amongst our membership, though not all are willing to share it even in a self help organisation like this one.

LECTURES for 2009/2010
Barbara Ellis reports that it is more difficult than previously to find speakers from increasingly demanned organisations like museums. She, one of three committee members planning next years lectures (the others are the Searles and Helgi Opik), would be interested in hearing from any member who is willing to offer a lecture.

ARMCHAIR TRAVEL

Joan will give a Power Point Slide show illustrating our month long backpack across GUATEMALA by CHICKEN BUS, 2.30pm Friday 3 April at the Sketty Park Evangelical Church immediately south of Hazel Court on the same road Maes y Gollen.

READING GROUP 2
Barbara Ellis (894030 or wgellis@sky.com ) writes to tell me that this home based group has vacancies for a few more members. They meet in members homes at 10.30am on the 3rd Monday of the month, but willingness to host a meeting is definitely not a requirement for new members, nor for several existing ones. She also tells me they share cars and would be prepared to give lifts to those with transport problems, current members live in Mayals, Gowerton, Sketty and even Burry on Gower.

The book for April is 'The Bend in the River' by V S Naipaul, no meeting in May, then 'When will there be Good News' by Kate Atkinson for June, 'The Reader' by Bernard Schlink for July, and, 'Somewhere Towards the End' by Diana Athill for August. Like Mo Ellard's Book Reading Group 1 they obviously plan the book selection well in advance.

DISCUSSION GROUP
Roly Govier writes to say that next year Rob James will take over as leader of this group. He can be contacted on 822508 (I don't see the need to add the area code to 01792 numbers) or rob3james@btinternet.com

It is very encouraging to see volunteers to take over groups, each will I am sure be able to add something new.

APOLOGIES
Last week's poem came from Don Mason. It was bad enough assigning it to ANON without getting his real name wrong.

One of the worst signs of mental ageing I suffer is the recall of names of people and places. I have developed a particular fault in that I no longer remember Christian Names and Surnames together. Once upon a time if you said Hutton I would automatically think Len; or Compton would link easily with Denis - but a little thought would produce Leslie his brother, a fine Centre Half for Arsenal. But nowadays Brian is difficult to link with Corbett , so I'll sign off this week as Brian Shakespeare - you will understand why when I bore you all in a couple of weeks time.

I must apologise too for MOTO because the party of around eight who went by the Mid Wales Line to Shrewsbury for a couple of nights obviously thought they had travelled by steam train, and developing the theme they phoned to say they were water drinking in Shrewsbury. Perhaps with water from one of those refuelling tower tanks along the line, I muse!!

Third apology for the absence of photographs, I am just too tired to bother! There, I feel quite humble!