National Womens' Register
Dronfield Group
Newsletter March 2010
L 0's:
Maggie
and Georgie
TREASURERJean
NEW MEMBERS: Dee
PUBLICITY: Annelene
& Sheila
NEWSLETTER: Carole
BOOK GROUP:
Carole
LUNCH CLUB: Pam
WALKING
CLUB:
Maggie
& Georgie
Hello
Everyone,
Firstly
thank you to Mags and Stella for leading us
through another successful year for the Dronfield group and to all the
hosts and chairs for making our meetings possible.
After
our customary summer break, which this year
included a most successful visit to Chatsworth Farm Shop organised by
Stella, we are now into our Autumn Programme, which we hope you’ll find
interesting and stimulating.
During
the year 2010 NWR will be celebrating its
Golden Anniversary so before planning the next programme we need your
ideas on how our group might mark this milestone. In fact you will
notice that this time we have put in a meeting to discuss ideas for
forthcoming programmes and ideas for improving meetings etc.
We
also hope to send brief minutes of the business
part of each meeting to all members via email so that everyone is kept
up with dates etc. Let us know if this is useful please.
Maggie
and Georgie
Date:
5 February 2009
Chair:
Linda
Host: Dee
Themed Evening – Thailand
We arrived at Dee’s to the welcoming aroma of Thai
food. Linda had cooked some truly delicious dishes for us to
savour: red and green Thai curries and noodles with
vegetables and satay sauce. We tasted samples of tempura and
dips from the local Thai restaurant and Dee served ginger tea, all
beautifully presented – were we in for a treat. In
true Thai style Dee prepared us warm napkins to wipe away any traces
before our discussions began.
We looked at all aspects of Thailand touching
briefly on its history, political situation, Beverly explained the
geography of the country and its six regions, we learned about its
cultures and the origins of Thai food and how the Goddess of Food would
become angry if we did not eat every scrap. The northern part
of Thailand specialises in exotic foods such as deep fried insect
larvae. Culinary creativity extends to naming
dishes: one tasty larva translates as ‘freight train’ and the
smallest, hottest chillies are known as ‘mouse dropping chillies’
because of their size. Grateful to Linda for avoiding
these.
Jean touched on language and the sex trade, we
discussed tourism - do we still feel safe holidaying in the country and
should students still spend their gap year in the region? Rachel had
worked in Singapore and had visited Thailand regularly and again as
recently as 2003. She shared her experiences and photographs
of her time in the Golden Triangle, villages on the north-west border
accessible only on foot, Chang Mai and Bangkok and surrounding areas
and further south to Koh Samui. Joan was reminded of her
travels there. Annelene spoke about
Buddhism, Jane told us about Thailand’s indigenous species and
exports. Thank you Dee for hosting such an
enjoyable evening.
Date: 20th
APRIL 2009
Host: MAGGIE
Chair:
Janet
BALLOON DEBATE
Janet introduced the 5 “desperate and disparate
people” who were fighting to stay in the balloon – a Swedish
balloonist, a Nobel prize-winning scientist, a comedian, a war hero,
and the Pope. So not a lot to choose between them!
Stella was Per Lindstrom, the Swedish balloonist
who would be just the kind of chap it would be handy to have aboard,
because at least he would know how to handle the balloon. Joan C was
Marie Curie, famous for her work on radioactivity and winner of 2 Nobel
prizes, whose name lives on through Marie Curie Cancer Care. Mags was Marcus Brigstocke, comedy
writer, satirist and stand-up comedian. Fran was Keith Park, the Battle
of Britain war hero (one of “the few” to whom so much was owed by so
many) and Annelene was Pope Benedict.
It was quite difficult to make judgements of their
relative merit, because 2 of them are obviously very well known, and
the other 3 less so, but it was very interesting to hear about them.
The Pope and the balloonist didn’t survive the first cut, so it was
down to a tussle between the remaining 3. Mags put up a spirited and
entertaining defence for Marcus (I voted for you Mags!) but perhaps not
surprisingly Marie Curie won in the end.
A very good evening. We haven’t had one of these
for a while because it has always been hard to get people to do it, so
many thanks to those who volunteered and put on such a brilliant
performance. We must do it again sometime.
Date: 22nd October 2009
Host: Jean
Chair: Beverly
Subject: the 16th Century
The
world was a very different place from the start to the end of the 16th
Century. Ancient cultures became increasingly colonised, and some
disappeared. Mariners had a thirst to explore & discover new
lands. There was a resurgence of Muslim power (Turkish & the
Ottoman Empire) and a need to defend Christianity in Malta. China was
ruled under the Ming Dynasty and had a population of 130 million. The
balance of power in the Americas was changed by exploration with
diverse civilisations, including the Incas as the most sophisticated,
disappearing & their population decreasing from 30 million to 5
million in 30 years following the invasion of the Spanish. We covered
North America, Turkey, Peru, Russia, Italy, Malta, the Far East and
India. Explorers, conquerors, warriors, wars, fantastic legal systems
created, religious tolerance, greed, incredible art, literature, trade:
spice, cotton, silk. We were all surprised at the changes which
occurred and the stories that we shared.
Regards.
Catherine
Thursday
December 17th 2009
Mini
Sagas
The
Reason
In Bethlehem, God gave to us
The source of Christmas joy;
A star shines on a miracle:
The Virgin Mary's birth of a
boy.
So as we shop and spend and
wrap
And enjoy the Christmas season
Let us keep in mind the
sacred truth:
Jesus
Christ is the reason.
Beverly
Another
Nativity
Two thousand years ago in
Judae a baby was born. The winter's night was
bitter but the baby was
warmly swaddled. His mother held him close to her,
kissed his perfect fingers
and stroked his cheek. One day this adored child
would change the world. And
his name - Judas Iscariot.
Janet
Centuries old log
In
an old olive gove
Sharp knife,cutting,carving
Creating patterns,figures
Into
a containing shape
Now,filled with all
enveloping aroma
Tightly closed and wrapped
In
precious silk
Bumping rolling saddle bag
Star
above,dessert sand below
Quiet peace,laying down on
straw
A baby cries
Jane
Avoiding
a solitary Christmas via The Sunday Times dating column
Christmas dinner partner
wanted by blond romantic with twinkly blue eyes,
although 50 he’s healthy and
nifty, not afraid of intelligent women. WLTM
hungry
lady. London.
Christmas Day meal in
Bloomsbury? Lively-minded lady, who enjoys the arts
and reading, WLTM friend to
go out for Christmas meal. Central London.
-
Sorted.
Maggie.
Donkey's
Diary
This person was heavy,
pregnant he said
Look, town ahead - phew!
Knocking ... no room, again,
but stable? please
- great
Warmth, dry, food
Great ... sleep
Oh dear ... baby?
Look Angels, bright light
Shepherds leave sheep
Kings with camels &
give smells
We depart in a rush,
Where now.
Come
on Sheep.
Catherine
The
Infant Nativity Play
The proud parents watched
expectantly. Mary was led onto the stage by
nervous Joseph who knocked on
the imaginary inn door. The smiling innkeeper
appeared and asked what they
wanted. ‘Is there room for us in your inn’
asked Joseph. ‘Of
course’, replied the innkeeper welcomingly. ‘Come in!’.
Consternation reigned!
Linda
T'WAS
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Joe lay wide awake - worried,
excited in the dark. Would Father Christmas
come without a real fire and
chimney? Suddenly, noises above - then Woosh!!
Creeping downstairs, he spied
a red-cloaked figure - but he was taking
presents from under the
tree. Was it a burglar? Ho-No, credit crunch hits
Lapland!!
Jean
--
Betty alighted Birmingham's
Midland Red bus. Rackhams browsed, black bear
automaton penny fed, toy shop
ahead where elderly gent, beard flowing,
bestowed presents and
promised to visit Granny's house. Kunzles for poached
egg on toast and cream
cake. New Street and a bus ride home sleeping
dreamily
on Mum's lap.'
Mags
Three
Generations of Christmas
Christmas Day MUM steamed the
pud
We sat around a coal fire
Loved ones overseas received
a letter
DAUGHTER pressure cooked the
pud
We sat around gas fires
Overseas loved ones booked a
telephone call
GRANDDAUGHTER microwaves the
pud
Whole house is central heated
We telephone loved ones at
will.
Regina
Pearly white is my world,
muted sounds, turning, waiting.
My world is shrinking.
Tap-----tap------tap.
Out. Brightness, feathery
shadows, big scaly feet,
scratchy straw.
Big boots, growing.
Eat------eat-----eat.
Big boots, no food, gobble,
gobble.
Run, run, run.
Hand on neck, lifting
up....what
No-----no----n............
Stella
The
Christmas Meal
They had been waiting all
year. Their meal would be fantastic: turkey
succulent, gravy flavoursome,
a leg each. Planned with military precision,
no room for error. Family in
the dining room, turkey resting, their chance
had come….
We had a vegetarian Christmas
that year: the cats made sure of that.
Fran
Date:
Tuesday 19th January 2010
Host: Liz
Chair:
Jean
SUBJECT: Barak
Obama one year on – how
is he doing? Did America and the world expect too much or is he living
up to expectations? Small group discussions on various aspects of his
administration.
After an initial introduction
by Jean who gave us some background information on the topic, we were
divided into two groups and each group was given a list with seven
questions as a guide for our discussion.
1 Was
Obama naïve in expecting to achieve the promises made in his key
speeches from the 2008 election campaign (“change we can believe in”)
or was it a calculated manipulation of his potential electorate?
2
How much have Obama’s intentions been restricted by
-His
relationship with Congress, even though it has a democratic majority.
-His
administration’s need for the very same financial institutions he
wishes to limit and penalise, i.e. his announcement about getting back
all the money used to bail out the banking sector.
3 Is
he viewed more favourably outside the USA than he is at home? (E.g.
fury over health care reform, his decision to send more troops to
Afghanistan and have an ongoing presence in Iraq beyond his deadline of
30th June 2009, when there has already been much
loss of American lives,)
4 Will
there be domestic pressure to return to a more isolationist policy
because of the high risks of his profile role on the international
scene and perceived lack of action by other countries on several fronts?
5 Obama
made a public policy announcement on Afghanistan in Dec 2009 proposing
to send in more troops beginning early in 2010, with deadline of
withdrawal and handover to Afghan forces and government by July 2011.
He also stated that the US has no interest in occupying the country or
fighting an endless war. Is this more wishful thinking, which will
bring disenchantment at home, and abroad?
6 Obama
has just been at the forefront of the international response to the
devastation in Haiti, promising a massive and costly US relief and
security initiative. Does such swift and public action demonstrate his
strength or his weakness? (NB consider how much he consulted within the
US political system, and how much he felt forced into continuing in the
“heroic mode” from the election campaign by his own agenda and by
domestic and international expectations?)
7
The
USA/UK “special relationship. `` Has it gone for good or might it
return with a new UK Government and Prime Minister? Should there be one
at all and if so, what are the positive and negative aspects?
As you can imagine all these
questions made for an interesting meeting.
The discussions were lively and well informed and
the time went very quickly.
In the first flush of his
election success Obama has made promises that are proving hard to keep
such as the closing of Guantanamo Bay.
His demand that the Israeli’s stop building their
illegal settlements on the West Bank was peremptorily dismissed. His desire for
welfare reform is seen by the majority of Americans as ‘Big Government’ in a country where the
ideological desire is always for ‘Small Government’ and his prolonged
consideration over the Afghan troops surge has made him appear
indecisive. His
popularity rating is now down to 50% and in the Republican heartlands
he is deeply and dangerously unpopular.
As Obama is discovering ‘campaigning is a darn sight
easier than governing.’
I will not give you our views
but let you have your own thoughts.
Suffice to say that we were
reminded that Obama himself said that he was not born in a
manger.
Thanks go to Jean &
Liz for a very good evening.
Wednesday 3rd
February 2010
Host: Pam
Chair:
Annelene
Abstract Art – how do
we respond to the “blop on the canvas”?
Sadly, due to a heavy
snowfall around about “teatime”, as is often the way, some Dronfield
roads became impassable on the evening of 3rd
Feb. so numbers at this meeting were somewhat depleted. To those so
affected, we missed your contributions to what was a most interesting
evening where discussions continued into “coffee time”.
Using as her main source of
reference The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich, a book she thoroughly
recommends, Annelene gave us a condensed history of Abstract Art. From
the time of the French Revolution, through the era of the
post-impressionists such as Van Gogh, Cezanne and Gauguin in the late 19th
century, the Art Noveau movement and the Bauhaus group, artists had
been experimenting and looking at new ways of using space, shape and
colour and moving away from figurative work. Not just painters but
sculptors, architects and craftspeople were involved in this revolution
in art that began in earnest after the First World War.
Looking at examples of
colourful non-figurative (i.e. abstract) paintings, especially those of
Kandinsky, Mondrian and Miro, Annelene encouraged us to respond to “the
invitations to enter their world of emotion” that they extended to us
through their work.
Through her enthusiasm for
these works I think some of us will look at them with new eyes when
viewing them next but others were not to be convinced.
Pam, also a Miro fan, had
visited the Joan Miro Foundation Building in Barcelona, a gallery Miro
himself had a major part in designing and where much of his work can be
seen. She picked out a huge tapestry designed purposely for the
building and completed in bold, bright colours, which to Pam resembled
a big friendly animal. At the time she viewed it she remembers a school
group enjoying a lesson on the work given by an enthusiastic teacher.
Maggie particularly liked the
bright colours and precise execution of Bridget Riley’s painting
Nataraja, which, named after a Hindu Lord of the Dance, creates a sense
of movement with its vertical bands of colour cut across by diagonals.
Jean contrasted two Picasso
works – Nude Woman in a Red Armchair, which conveyed the artists tender
feelings for the woman with gentle curved lines and The Weeping Woman,
which gives a strong impression of hurt or grief with jagged edges and
hard lines. Jean felt the explanations given in the publication where
the works were reproduced really helped her appreciate them more.
Regina ingeniously painted
some “works” she thought we might like to buy at a couple of million
pounds a time! They were replicas of work by the prolific and highly
successful American artist, Barnett Newman, which Regina felt anybody
could have painted they had so little merit.
Despite her best efforts
Georgie felt unable to respond to the “blops” she had viewed at the
Graves Art Gallery. However a review of a new exhibition opening at
Tate Modern in The Times may have inspired her to take another look.
She thought Theo van Doesburg, who, although a great friend of his, had
quarrelled with Mondrian on the subject of the diagonal, sounded like
he might be rather good fun.
While visiting the Reina
Sofia museum in Madrid, Dee was impressed by the huge work Guernica by
Picasso that he created after being shocked at the near annihilation of
this rural Basque town in 1937. It was produced for the World’s Fair
exhibition, which was to celebrate technology, but this magnificent
work challenges the idea of warfare being heroic and shows it up as
brutal.
Mags, who had to dash off
just as it was her turn, had also researched Bridget Riley but as well
was able to show a piece of her own work created in the computer-art
room at the Millennium Galleries and photographed so she could bring it
with her.
Janet, who had taken a lesson
on Abstract Art from a colleague in preparation for this evening and
brought an enormous book of Ben Nicholson’s work, told us about the
artist’s life and how to identify a truly abstract work. Nicholson was
born into an artistic family, was influenced by Mondrian and Picasso
and formed the St Ives group of artists.
Thank you to Annelene for
inspiring us to appreciate a greater variety of art and to Pam for
providing space for all the wet boots and of course delicious
refreshments.
Maggie
Date: Monday 1st March 2010
Host: Maggie
Chair: Maggie
SEASONAL POETRY EVENING - choose
a poem to share with the group which reflects this time of year.
Maggie introduced the meeting and asked the
individual members of the group what subject each of us had chosen to
talk about. We had a variety of topics: Spring, Winter, Valentine’s
Day, St David’s Day and Mother’s Day.
Annelene began by reading a poem about Winter by an
Irish poet which evoked the darkness and cold of the season.
Margaret read 3 poems about Valentine’s Day, each
concerned with different aspects of love, one of the verses about
‘Middle Aged Love’ which was very humorous!
Jean also chose to recite 2 Valentine’s Day poems,
one of which impressed us all as it was her own composition!
Janet too, read a short Valentine’s anecdote which
questioned whether the loss of the lover was more important at the
corkscrew he’d taken with him…!
Maggie chose to recite two poems by Thomas Hardy,
one entitled “ Before and After Spring” and the other “The Year’s
Awakening” which described the blooming of new plants and wondered ‘how
does Nature know?’.
Mags then read a very moving poem written in the
4th century by an Indian poet which urged everyone to look forward with
hope, especially in the Springtime.
Joan read her favourite poem “The Daffodils” by
William Wordsworth which brings the Springtime to mind for us all.
The daffodil theme was continued by Georgie, who in
view of the date gave us a background on St David, the patron saint of
Wales.
Stella had brought along two pieces of prose
describing Spring meadows (Alison Uttley) and fields of daffodils
(Hannah Mitchell): we all thought these were especially interesting as
both authors were from our part of the world.
Fran had chosen to read a poem by Laurie Lee
entitled “ April Rise” in which he describes Spring as a blessing,
heralding the coming of Summer.
Our new member, Janice read a poem by Maria Lovell
- “ What is Love?”.
Linda decided to bring an element of humour to the
meeting with quotations and anecdotes concerning mothers, for Mother’s
Day.
The evening was brought to a close by Janet and
Georgie singing a Flanders and Swann comic song “All Year Round” (?)
which described the year. (Apologies if I’ve got the title wrong - I
was overcome by the performance….!)
The content of the meeting was, as you can see very
varied, and generally made us all optimistic for brighter, warmer
weather and the cheerfulness of Spring flowers.
Thanks to Maggie for hosting and chairing.
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