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Monthly Speaker Meeting

14:00 / 2pm Wednesday, 9^th November

Gardeners’ Hall, St Leonard’s Road, Windsor, SL4 3DR

The Festive History of Christmas

Andy Thomas

Tea/coffee and biscuits will be available

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Future Speakers

• Wednesday, 14^th December: Christmas Social
• Wednesday, 11^th January: Plants and Their Benefits by Timothy Walker

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Windsor & District u3a Christmas Social

in house entertainment from
UKE3A Singing for Fun
and
Festive Quiz

Wednesday, 14th December
2-15 pm at Gardeners Hall

Mince Pies
Mulled Wine, Soft Drinks, Tea, Coffee
£2 pp on the door

Book your place with Dave Humphries secretary@windsoru3a.org.uk

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Notices

Can you help? Do you know someone who can?

Each year the treasurer of Windsor and District u3a produces a statement of accounts that must be reported to the Charity Commission after the accounts have been independently examined.

To keep costs to a minimum, we are seeking a volunteer from amongst our members to examine the accounts for 2022, in time to report to the AGM in the Spring.

To be able to volunteer, you will need a good understanding of basic record keeping and some knowledge of Excel. An accounting or book-keeping background is not required, but would be helpful.

If you can help, please email David Treder at treasurer@u3awindsor.org.uk
Thank you

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New Members

Logged in members can see a list of the names of new members who joined Windsor u3a in October.

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Outings and Events

Learn to make the most of your Smartphone (Date to be set)

Apologies for the delay in setting venue and dates for this course. Peter Todd will contact you with details if you have already given him your name. It is not too late to register. If you would like to join in and have not yet given your name, please let Peter know. chairman@windsoru3a.org.uk

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Tea and Jazz Concert

• Tuesday, 22^nd November at 2-00pm

Gambit Jazzmen, a professional band, who play great New Orleans style jazz in clubs across the south of England, will play at a Tea and Jazz concert this month. There is no need to book, just turn up at Datchet Village Hall at 2-00pm. All u3a members are welcome. £7.00 pp. There is plenty of free parking available close to the hall, which is only a short walk from Datchet Railway Station.

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Coach tour to Lincoln and its Christmas Markets

• Friday, 2^nd December to Sunday 4^th December 2022

Waiting list places only available.

Contact details visible to logged-in members only.

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Christmas Social at Gardeners’ Hall

• Wednesday, 14^th December 2022 at 2-15 pm

Booking essential: e-mail Dave Humphries secretary@windsoru3a.org.uk

Christmas Party Night at The Christopher Wren

• Wednesday, 14^th December 2022

£49.95 pp.
Contact Chris Dufty for details.

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‘The King and I’ at the Swan Theatre, High Wycombe

• Thursday, 16^th March 2023, Matinee Performance 2-30pm
• £52 per ticket (including coach)

Contact Adele McNally for details.

Contact details are only visible if you log in (details at top of page)

Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever” at the Mill, Sonning

• Saturday, 22^nd April 2023, Matinee Performance including 2-course lunch
• £67.50 per ticket
• TRANSPORT IS NOT INCLUDED. Lifts may be available.

Contact details visible to logged-in members only.

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Interest Group News

COVID-19 is still with us, so please be considerate – stay at home if you are feeling unwell or think you may recently have been in contact with someone with COVID.

New Group: Make Your Own Clothes

This group plans to meet once a month on Fridays from 10-00am to 12-00pm, starting on Friday, 6^th January 2023. The aim of the group is to assist each other with various aspects of dressmaking including: – pattern drafting, fitting advice, sewing tips and tricks, sharing fabric and pattern surplus and ‘show and tell’.

If you are keen to make your own clothes, whether you are new, but enthusiastic, or experienced and willing to offer expert advice or would just like to enhance your skills, you would be most welcome. There is no need to bring sewing machines as this will not be a sewing course as such.

Contact details are visible if you log-in.

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Explore London 2

We had a perfect day to stroll through the grounds of Kenwood House in October and to enjoy lunch in the cafe garden. From the top of the hill, the grounds give amazing views across London where, on such a clear day we could spot not only The Shard, The London Eye and The Post Office tower, but also St Paul’s Cathedral!

In the afternoon we had a fully guided tour of the house, arranged via English Heritage. Our guide was an art historian who was knowledgeable and very enthusiastic about the many wonderful paintings there, including some by Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Turner and various other English and Dutch artists. The history of the house and families who lived there, is also interesting.

Although our route from Windsor to Kenwood included train, tube and bus, our group seemed to relish the opportunity for chatting and enjoying each other’s company during the journey, almost as much as they enjoyed the visit to the house! (They enjoyed dressing up, too!)

Sheila Irish and Maggie Reeve, joint convenors, are planning a trip for the group around the Spitalfields and Whitechapel area of the City in November. Hopefully the weather will again be kind.

There are more pictures in this month’s Newsletter Extra

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Gardening 1

Wow! Our group visited a real gem last month. It was like an Aladdin’s cave, full of wonders and surprises! And so colourful! I wondered how such a small bungalow could have a garden grand enough to open to the public. We were greeted with a blaze of colour from many different flowers and plants, including azaleas, hydrangeas, petunias, clematis. Pat, the owner described these as her ’Welcome!” beds. She explained that the growing medium was 50% woodchip and 50% soil.

The garden in her courtyard was built in tiers around many objects and areas created using recycled wood. It was south facing and so had sun all day. It included an outdoor dining room where there was plenty of room for us all to enjoy our afternoon tea!

What we found in that relatively small garden was amazing – including two vegetable troughs which gave enough produce for Pat’s family to be self sufficient in this respect; a greenhouse; three water butts; ornaments made from bamboo roots; an insect hotel….. Attention to details was amazing!

The next meeting of Gardening Group 1 will be on Thursday, 17^th November at the Walled Garden, Dorney, SL4 6QP for their pre-Christmas get together and cream tea. Cost is £5.60.
Please let Carole know if you intend joining her.

There are more pictures in this month’s Newsletter Extra

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Local History

On 28^th November, Grace Evans, Keeper of Costume at Chertsey Museum, will give another fascinating talk to accompany their new exhibition: Styled Bodies – Fashions of the 1930s.

Jane Standley

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Geocaching 1

Geocaching 1 is our group of advanced geocachers. In this photograph they are taking their ease in the Autumn sun, while logging their finds on their smartphones, after a successful session of searching for clues. Contact Adele McNally for details of future meetings.

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Music Groups hosted by David Oldcorn

In November, the usual three sessions will not take place; instead, on Monday, 14th November, at 2-15pm, David will host a joint session for all three groups, when DVDs of some ballet, some show music, and some classical music will be shown.

Any member is welcome to attend these groups, just contact David.

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Photography

In September, the group visited our local National Trust site at Runnymede to do some ‘landscape photography’. It was good to see several new faces joining the established group.

In October, the group gathered to share their work, pick up tips from each other and plan their programme for the coming year.

More pictures and a fuller report in this month’s Newsletter Extra

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Tea and Jazz

In Datchet Village Hall on Tuesday, 22^nd November at 2-00pm We have booked Gambit Jazzmen to play for us this month. They are a 6-piece professional band. There is a small increase to the usual charge to £7.00, to cover the costs of hiring the hall, providing refreshments and to contribute towards the cost of hiring the band.

There will be no Tea and Jazz in December, but we are already planning to have live music again in January 2023.

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Walking Groups

Shorter Walks

On Wednesday, 23^rd November the Shorter Walks group will be walking from Ham Island Bridge to the Albert Bridge along the tow path and then on to the Royal Farm Shop. They will return along the same route, using the Thames Path. We will meet at Ham Island Bridge at 2.00pm. Parking is available nearby in lay-bys and beside Ham Lane, off Church Road in Old Windsor.

Contact details are visible if you log-in.

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u3a Amblers

In October, this group enjoyed their second walk from Eton Wick, on a circular route along the Thames path and back across the fields to the start, thereafter to refreshments. The group meets on the first Monday of the month, in the morning and walk approximately 2 miles, at a comfortable pace.

Contact details are visible if you log-in.

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Windsor Area Walking Group

On Friday, 25^th November walk will be led by Maureen Russell starting from the car park in Wraysbury. The walk, starting in Datchet, along the Thames Path to the National Trust Café at Runnymede and then return. About 4.5 miles in total.

Contact details, time and exact venue details are visible if you log-in.

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Local Coffee Mornings

Local Coffee Mornings are proving useful for sharing ideas for future outings and events, as well as giving opportunities to get to know new members and some well-established members who for various reasons can take part in u3a activities in only a limited way. In October, a very happy group gathered at the Bells of Ouzeley, in Old Windsor at its inaugural meeting, last. This month we will trial a coffee morning in West Windsor. This will be held in the Running Man Café, approached through the car park of All Saints’ Church, Dedworth. Local Coffee Mornings are for the convenience of members who live in a particular locality, but other members are welcome to attend, too.

All coffee mornings run from 10-30am to 12-00 noon. If you wish to stay longer, please do.

Datchet Local Coffee Morning at The Bridge Café, The Village Green, Datchet, SL3 9JH

These will be held on the 4^th Wednesday of each month. Next on 23^rd November

Old Windsor Local Coffee Morning at The Bells of Ouzeley, Straight Road, Old Windsor, SL4 2SH

The number 8 bus stops right outside.

These will be held on the 1^st Wednesday of each month. Next on 2^nd November

West Windsor Local Coffee Morning at the Running Man Café, All Saints’ Dedworth, SL4 4JW

These will be held on the 3^rd Wednesday of each month. Next on 16^th November

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Trust u3a

www.u3asites.org.uk/trustu3a
Interest Groups Online (IGOs)

Trust u3a has changed its name to Interest Groups Online (IGO for short).
There are many online interest groups. If you have not yet investigated these, please do. They are highly recommended and cover many fields. If you belong to any, please tell us about them.

Three new groups have recently been set up and are seeking members.

1. Finding Joy and Fun in Poetry on the first Wednesday of the month from 9-30am to 10.30am to share light, amusing and uplifting poems, and discover the joy and fun in poetry. In the sessions, the small group will read poems aloud and chat about them informally.
2. Group for Retired Registered Managers (Care Service) Registered Managers hold the most important leadership role for adult care services. How they do that job has a crucial effect on peoples experience of care and support. This group is the idea of a network for those retired managers. We are clear that such a group should take complete control of what they do – so are avoiding setting any fixed plans. It will be for the people who join the group to decide what and how to operate. We do not have any set agenda or closely defined plan for our monthly meeting, other than seeing how our combined experience might be shared and our own learning continued.
3. English; the First 4000 Years: a course that will explore the evolution of the English language over 4,000 years. The course starts at 6-00pm on Monday, October 13th and runs weekly for 33 sessions.

Details of all IGOs can be found on www.u3asites.org.uk/trustu3a The page title is still ‘Trust u3a’ but will be updated soon.

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Learning with Thames Valley Network (TVN) of u3as

Thames Valley Network (TVN) Study Days http://u3atvnetwork.org.uk/

Local History: Local History enthusiasts may be interested in the TVN talk by Zoom on Wednesday 16^th November – The Civil War in Wallingford and the surrounding area.
A talk by Judy Dewey. Starting at 10-30am.
The cost for this event is £2.00 per device, Closing date for applications Monday 14^th November.
To download or view flyer click on the link Civil War in Wallingford

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Learning with Surrey Network of u3as

Surrey u3a Network events https://u3asites.org.uk/surreyu3anetwork/events

History. Friday 18^th November – Industrial Archaeology at Fifty
Presented by Professor David Perrett & Professor Martin Adams
Places are available in the hall or for on-line viewing and booking is open.

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Short Courses arranged by Trust u3a

Full details here: https://www.u3a.org.uk/events/educational-events

• November 2^nd = Cryptic Crosswords for Beginners: 6 Session Course
• November 3^rd = The Geology of Oil and Gas in Britain and around the World
• November 8^th = The British Royal Collection – And Japanese Art
• November 14^th = Exploring World Faiths – All Souls Day – Day of the Dead
• November 15^th = Tipping Points and Climate Change
• November 17^th = Interactive Maths Problem
  Live Cookery Demonstration – Winter Warmers
  Creative Thinking
• November 18^th = Seated Yoga for All
• November 29^th = Third Age Matters Magazine & Journalism

Projects, initiatives and competitions: https://www.u3a.org.uk/learning/national-programmes

Use these ‘How to Guides‘ and ‘Online Tutorials‘ for using Zoom to help you become familiar with this tool and enable you to take part and enjoy online activities.

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Committee Contact Details

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