NEWSLETTER
Autumn/Winter 2008
LOCAL ORGANISERS
Mags & Stella
TREASURER
Jean
NEW MEMBERS
Dee
PUBLICITY Annelene & Sheila
NEWSLETTER
Carole
BOOK
GROUP
Carole
LUNCH CLUB
Joan S
WALKING CLUB
Maggie & Georgie
A few words from our
retiring LO’s
I can’t believe that this year has gone so
quickly. I seem to have been so busy with
things, other than NWR , that I wish to say a big thank you to
Linda my partner. She has done a remarkable job of being LO and will be
an inspiration to many of us.
Thanks also to Jean for choosing the delightful
present,( a lovely fine bone china mug with infuser and lid) in case
anyone didn’t see it.
It only remains for me to welcome Stella &
Margaret to the post of LO’s and wish them all the very best for next
year.
Regina
I have thoroughly enjoyed my year as LO but being a
new member, I have relied heavily on the unstinting support, advice and
help from the ‘old hands’ and it is thanks to them if the year has
been successful. From the
very first meeting I attended, I began to appreciate the immense value
of the group and feel greatly privileged to have been able to play a
part.
I echo Regina’s thanks for the lovely gift of an
infuser mug– I shall treasure it.
From the discussions we have already had, I know
that Stella and Mags will be a great team of LOs and wish them as much
pleasure as I have had.
Linda
Mon 3 March
08 – Poetry Evening with a Spring Theme
I must start with an apology. I mislaid the notes I took to write up this evening and have
had to do it from memory. As
I recall it was a far from Spring-like evening and not many members
turned out but those who did brought some very interesting reading.
However to begin, it happened to be the evening when Sheffield
University were in the final of University Challenge so very naughtily
we elected to watch this before starting the meeting.
Unfortunately our support was all in vain and they were only the
runners-up.
The first contribution to come to mind was a
beautiful journal about the changing year in the Lost Gardens of Heligan
that Pam brought. It was
wonderful not only for the readings, but the incredibly lovely
hand-drawn illustrations. The
poem Daffodils was Dee’s favourite for Spring
although not everyone’s. As Dee says herself, it sometimes evokes primary school
lessons and memorising long tracts.
Nevertheless we agreed that we all enjoy the flowers, which seem
to appear earlier every year. Several
people chose a poem by Thomas Nash - Summer's Last Will and
Testament which again did not meet with approval by everyone – it was thought it
had not really stood the test of time.
There were other contributions, which I know we enjoyed and
discussed at the time but which I have forgotten – apologies once
again. I honestly cannot even remember which poem I chose but I know I
had a reading about the woods in Spring from Lady
Chatterley’s Lover.
Many thanks
to all for the contributions and especially
to Annelene for keeping us in order and to Norma for looking
after us so well.
Linda
Tues 18 March
– Hatch Match and Despatch
Sheila
chaired this meeting at Pat’s house.
Sheila had done a great amount of research for this
evening and began by telling us that women only began giving birth lying
down during the reign of Louise XIV.
This apparently was so that the courtiers could see what was
happening! Squatting and
water births are very popular now.
In the 60’s fathers were not present at the birth of their
offspring. Fewer babies are
being christened today. Blessings or just a celebratory party are popular.
We then went on to marriage. A wedding can cost anything between £12,000 to £28,000 with
the brides dress coming in at £900+.
Queen Victoria started the rage for getting married in white.
Apparently green is not a good colour to be wed in as this
indicates promiscuity, the green indicating the bride has been rolling
in the grass. The wedding
ring is traditionally worn on the third finger of the left hand because
it was believed a vein ran from that finger directly to the heart.
On to death. Sheila
told us that woodland burials are becoming very popular, with a tree
being planted rather than a headstone being placed at the site.
There is a 72% cremation rate with 60% of those ashes being taken
away by families to be scattered where they think appropriate.
The French put a photograph of the deceased on the headstone and
in Italy the deceased remains are placed in drawers in the cemetery.
I think we all learned a great deal this evening.
Thanks to Sheila for all her hard work.
Pam
Mon 28 Apr 08
- The Cup that Cheers – A History of Tea
Tea, the cup that cheers, and it certainly did.
Pam’s enthusiasm for tea was infectious and Maggie’s
hospitality gave us the perfect elegant setting for the tea tasting
ahead.
Where did it all begin?
Perhaps, according to legend, we owe our tea drinking tradition
to Emperor Shen Nung who in 2737 BC, was sitting beneath a Camellia
Sinensis tree whilst his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves
from the tree blew into the water.
Shen Nung a renowned herbalist decided to drink the infusion and
the rest they say is history.
Steeped in the Japanese tradition is the tea
ceremony where tea is served in a very particular way.
Essentially we should be calm when we are welcomed by the tea
master to his bamboo tea house or Chashitsu situated in a rock garden
with a stream, be mindful of the correct way to hold the bowl of green
tea, taken with a sweet cake to counter the bitterness of the tea and
show respect to the tea master, by drinking all of the tea served, and
in the way we hold our bowl.
Tea picking was almost a ritual in itself, pickers
wearing fingerless gloves would nip out the tip and two leaves with
their finger nails. Picking
time varies according to season and climate.
Tea for the Imperial Palace would be picked from a higher
altitude by virgins, clean and pure, wearing silk gloves, snipping just
one bud with a pair of gold scissors, as the early morning mists were
lifting.
Over time the impact of tea being sold on our
shores has been vast, beginning with regular shipments of tea to Europe
in the 1600s, its popularity grew in Britain.
As sales increased tea taxes were introduced in 1676 to counter
loss of revenue from decreasing liquor sales.
Tea tax rose steeply to 119%, leading to tea smuggling and free
trading along Britain’s coast, until the tax was drastically reduced.
Smuggling led to some very interesting cups of tea.
Thankfully sheep’s dung is no longer added to improve the
aesthetics of tea. The 21st
century habit of reusing teabags is apparently not new, since in the
past used tea leaves were re-dried and added to fresh leaves.
Smuggled tea, still costly, would often have added ingredients,
willow, liquorice or even sloe leaves.
The often year long ‘delivery times’ from the
far east were cut in 1832 when the East India Company introduced much
faster ‘clippers’, the most famous, the Cutty Sark, making 8 trips
from the Canton River to the London Docks, even competing in an annual
race. Tea shipment times
improved greatly when the Suez Canal opened around 1869.
Afternoon tea became fashionable and with the
advent of the tea gardens came the tea shop and women’s ‘freedom’
when un-chaperoned women were able to socialise with their friends
without damage to their reputations.
Now it was time to explore the varieties of dried
tea leaves and rose petals Pam had brought along for us to enjoy.
We watched how the leaves unfurled and their aroma developed as
warm water was added. Teapots
were primed, china cups were filled, tasting ensued and we compared each
delicate flavour.
If we preferred a small quantity of tea, then Mavis
could oblige with her china half cup.
Liz brought along her Jenny Jones tea caddy spoon which is in
daily use at home, reminding me of my mother’s spoon, where is it now? Janet shared the history of Auntie Lily’s lockable mahogany
tea caddy, a treasured family heirloom.
The sarcophagus shaped caddy kept expensive early 19th
century tea safe, though the lead-lined tea boxes might be a concern for
us today. The word caddy
derived from the Malay kati which is a unit of weight, 1.3 lbs.
The evening brought back memories of a relaxing
time for Dee spent at the Red Blossom Tea Company in San Francisco where
she bought her white infuser cup embossed with Chang Cheng, the Great
Wall of China. Jean showed
us her turquoise tennis cup and plate set, a gift from her earlier
residential training days in 1976.
There were pretty containers, one a silver coloured caddy
decorated with pink flowers and foliage, filled with green tea,
Christine’s souvenir from Tokyo, and others Pam’s daughter had
brought back from Japan too. There
were china tea bowls and sugar cubes iced with flowers.
Today, a cup of tea taken with milk, is just what
the doctor ordered, if an apple a day keeps the doctor away, then
science tells us four cups of tea a day contain 8 times the antioxidant
power of one apple as well as calcium, zinc, Vitamin B2, B1 and B6,
manganese and potassium, and flavonoids.
A very special brew indeed, even beneficial for the health of our
teeth as it contains fluoride, and it has less caffeine than coffee.
Thanks to Pam for sharing her knowledge and love of
tea and to Maggie for her hospitality and water boiling skills.
Time, I think, for a nice cup of tea, of course
remembering to use the freshest of water, boiled only once, to retain
the highest levels of oxygen.
Mags
Tues 13 May 08 -
Is there anybody there – celebrating all forms of
communications
Well there were plenty of us there at
Sheila’s to celebrate many though certainly not all forms of
communication on Tuesday evening. It was a very good turn out and
everyone had well researched contributions to make so I can’t hope to
do justice to them all.
Mags introduced the topic with a resume of how the
human’s ability to communicate moved from using the simple means of
word of mouth through cave paintings to newspapers. Jean continued with
a discussion on the development and importance of newspapers. Joan C
showed how bells have been used for communication in various ways
through the ages and demonstrated with her own bell! Joan S and Janet
gave us fascinating insights into how the Navy and the Romans
respectively developed effective signalling techniques – Janet even
signalled a message for us to decipher. Pam explained the various ways
animals communicate, Dee was interested in why some people want to
communicate with the spiritual world and why others find the idea
threatening, Jane gave us some very interesting facts about sending
messages in bottles and a potted history of the Post Office, while Linda
tested our knowledge of gestures – rude or otherwise.
I think for me the highlights of the evening were
the letters Stella and Sheila showed us that were written by their
respective fathers to their loved ones during the war. The personal
details were both fascinating and moving while the evidence of
censorship and reporting of happenings at the time made them priceless
historical documents that will continue to communicate to future
generations.
Thanks to Mags for a super evening and to Sheila
for her hospitality.
Maggie
Wed 28 May
08 – Joint Meeting with the Chatsworth Group
About 7 or 8 members from each Group had a most
enjoyable evening at Linda’s house.
Linda had provided lots of delicious snacks and nibbles to keep
us going, as well as soft drinks and wine.
She had gamely (pardon the pun) stepped in to host as well as
Chair the meeting at the last minute, as Regina was unable to do so.
However, we did play the board game “Articulate” which Regina
provided.
We have had joint meetings with this Group in
previous years, both in Dronfield and Chesterfield.
There was originally one Chesterfield group, but it was decided
to split into two a long time ago as the number was getting too large.
Both groups are still in existence and do have some joint
activities. The Chatsworth
Group meet fortnightly on a Wednesday which seems to suit their current
members, but could prevent other people joining who have a regular
commitment on that night. They
have quite a few very social evenings with food and alcohol, some
speakers, and were quite envious of our Group’s programme, newsletter
and offshoot groups. It is
always interesting to hear how other NWR groups organise themselves.
Not to sound too smug, we always seem to do better!!
Linda split us into two groups, one to play
“Articulate” while the other group snacked and chatted.
This worked very well indeed.
The game itself was ideal for NWR gals, as we had to spin a
pointer which pointed to a category and then took it in turns to
describe the word on a corresponding card without saying the actual word
which our team mates had to guess.
There were other rules which I have forgotten now, probably due
to the wine consumed.
Thanks again, Linda, for a wonderful evening.
The Chesterfield Group must have enjoyed it as they have invited
us to join one of their meetings.
Jean
Thurs 12 June – Life
of Tom
What an interesting evening. At short notice, Mags had agreed to host the
meeting as Joan (S) was indisposed after a back operation. Annelene
reported that all had gone well with the surgery and Joan was in good
spirits, if a little sore. It was agreed that she would take flowers and
a card to Joan with our good wishes.
After the business meeting, the evening began with Regina’s research of
the phrases “Tom Cobley and all” and “Tom, Dick and Harry”.
Tom’s links to Widdecombe Fair are well known but did he exist? There
are many links to the village but only the grave of a nephew exists. And
did you know, Tom was the name of one of the tortoises brought back by
Charles Darwin after his travels?
I expected Linda to introduce us to TOM TOM her favourite gadget but instead
she chose Tommy Cooper. Surprisingly, he was a premature baby, not
expected to survive infancy, who grew to be 6’ 4”. His first
performance as a magician was a complete disaster but it made people
laugh. A short lap-top video presentation reminded us all of his unique
brand of humour.
Jean chose Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the USA, a man of
enlightenment and many skills. He was probably the author of the
Declaration of Independence and knew many intellectual leaders in
Britain and France. He was the founder of the University of Virginia,
designing the buildings as well as the curriculum. He had started to
build his own house, Montecello, in Virginia at the age of 24 and at one
time had as many as 200 slaves. He died on the 50th anniversary of the
signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Stella chose a remarkable young man who is known to her. Since the age of
11, Tom has been involved in youth exchanges throughout the world. He
has experienced real hardships in places as diverse as the Himalayas,
where he saw real poverty and in the Antartic where his tent blew away
away whilst he was working for the British Antarctic Survey. He has been
an inspiration to young people and now works at the Northern College
setting up courses.
Joan (C) also chose an “unsung hero”. Her brother-in-law, Tom,
experienced the horrors of war as a soldier in Normandy. He married in
1946 and had a son born with cerebral palsey for whom he and his wife
cared for many years integrating him totally into the family life and
all their social events. He held down a job, enjoyed gardening and
fishing. When his son was 48 he went into residential care as did his
wife when she became too ill with Parkinson’s disease and Dementia.
Tom has been tireless in his care for his family.
Annelene chose Thomas Aquinas because of her fascination with
“controversial deep thinkers”. He was born into an aristocratic
family, living near Rome, in 1225. At the age of 5 he was sent to the
monastery at Monte Casino and decided to enter the Dominican order. He
became a prolific author, an analytical scholar and thinker despite his
families protestations. His philosophico-theological system called
Thomism is still accepted by catholic
ecclesiastics.
By way of contrast, to say the least, Dee chose Tom Thumb. She believed him
to be a fictional character but no, he was a real person. Born in 1838,
Charles Sherwood Stratton was a “little person”* who achieved great
fame under circus pioneer P.T. Barnum. He never grew taller that
3’4”. He travelled widely, performed for Queen Victoria and became
extemely rich. He married Lavinia Warren, another “little person”*
in 1863. He died age 45 in 1883, no-one knowing the reason for
his small stature as it was not until 1915 that it was determined that
the pituitary gland is responsible for human growth.
*my quotes, Wikipedia’s words.
Mags chose Tom Stoppard, the playwright, who was born in Czecheslovakia
where his father, a doctor, worked for the Bata shoe company. The family
travelled extensively to the far East and then to India where Tom had an
English education. His mother married a Major in the British army and
did not disclose their Jewish family history. When they came to England,
Tom was sent to school in Nottinghamshire. Major Stoppard loathed
artiness and at the age of 17, Tom became a journalist. He was not much
use as a reporter and eventually became a feature writer and drama
critic. He became interested in political issues and in his writing he
would attack harsh regimes, making serious points through humour. He was
knighted in 1997.
Thomas Stamford Raffles was Jane’s choice. His father was a Captain in the
slave trade. He was a British Administrator who entered the East India
Company’s service in early life. Whilst working in Java, he recognised
the value of a small island in the region. In 1819, he became resposible
for the acquisition and Foundation of Singapore. He promoted freedom of
religion, collected many botanical specimens - many plants and animals
are named after him. He died in 1826, aged 44 and is buried in Henden.
Finally, Stella read the poem by Rudyard Kipling associated with Tommy
Atkins, the popular British Soldier.
In closing the evening, Jane highlighted the links between all the Toms,
skills, stamina and guts. It was agreed that the issues arising out of
the evening would give food for thought in future programmes.
Thanks
were extended to Jane for chairing the evening and Mags for her
hospitality.
Linda
Tues 8 July – I would like to meet/have met
This was a small but
select meeting …. With some surprising choices.
Cup & Ring (hope
that is correct) Stones – which
are probably unfamiliar objects to most of us.
One of our members has seen examples of these stones in a local
wood. She would like to
have met the ancient people who created and carved the stones to find
out what they were used for. The
stones are believed to be
over 5,000 yrs old and are located in Northern England and Scotland.
Edmund Burke
– born in Dublin in 1729 to an Anglican father and a Catholic mother.
He was educated at a Catholic school and then studied Law at
Trinity College. He became
an MP for Wendover and
established the Civil List. Other
achievements included creating an Independent Commission in India to try
to stop corruption by the East India Company.
He supported Irish Independence but not the French Revolution
thinking it encouraged mob rule.
One of his most famous
and telling quotes is “for evil to triumph it is necessary only for
good men to do nothing”. He
died in 1797.
John Andrews – (a
personal story – a brief intro to a great-great-great grandfather).
“Operating” from Saltburn, on the NE Yorks coast around 1757,
he was many things to many people – he was the 1st Master
of the Cleveland Hunt and also a mason.
He owned 2 pubs in Whitby and was a clever and cunning smuggler,
managing to run with the fox and hunt with the hounds.
On the wrong side of the
law – maybe! But I rather
fancy him in my family tree.
Arthur Ransome
- Born in Leeds 18 Jan
1884, best known for his children’s book series “Swallows &
Amazons”, he also wrote about the literary life of London and the
Russian Revolution. He
married in 1909 and had a daughter. However, in 1913 he went to Russia
to study folklore and in 1916 published “Old Peter’s Russian
Tales”. He was
sympathetic to the Bolshevik cause and became close to Lenin and Trotsky
– he bigamously married Trotsky’s secretary. In later years he was under suspicion by M15 but by
1937 the British Secret Intelligence Service appeared satisfied by his
loyalty to Britain. Evidence
uncovered by the KGB indicates that Eugenia Ransome was involved in
smuggling diamonds from the Soviet Union to Paris to help fund the
Comintern. At the very least, a devious pair.
Leonardo de Vinci
– the ultimate “Rennaisance Man”.
A gifted artist and also a talented musician, a craftsman and a
designer who was years ahead of his time.
He was an engineer of incredible ability and imagination; his
visions of helicopters and submarines in the middle-ages would have
placed him apart from other men. He
also studied optics and mirror-writing and is possibly one of the most
brilliant men of all time.
Mary Seacole
- Born in 1805. She
was the daughter of a free black Jamaican mother and a Scottish Army
Officer. Mary acquired her nursing skills from her
mother who kept a nursing home for injured soldiers.
She married Edwin Seacole, a godson of Lord Nelson,
but was widowed after only 8 yrs of marriage.
Mary travelled extensively and determined to use her medical
skills, volunteered to serve in the Crimea.
She was rejected because of her ethnicity
but financed her own passage to the Crimea where she nursed the
soldiers both on and off the battlefields.
She was awarded several medals including The Crimean Medal and
later became an icon for the Nursing Profession, persevering against
racial intolerance. She
died on 14 May 1881.
Many thanks to Mags for
hosting the meeting.
Joan
Wed 23 July 08 – AGM
At a packed meeting which was held on a lovely warm
evening at Linda’s house we elected our new committee.
Most people were willing and able to continue for
another year in their posts – amongst the
changes are the LO’s who
are now Stella and Margaret, we wish them all the very best for next
year. Carol has taken on the job of the newsletter from Pat who has done
it excellently for a number of years now, thanks Pat.
Joan S has taken on the lunch club from Beverly,
who found some very good locations last year for our lunches and I am
sure that Joan will do the same.
The full list of the new Committee is shown on the
front page of this newsletter.
Thanks go to Linda for her hospitality and the
lovely convivial atmosphere - we all enjoyed the chance for a natter at
the end.
Regina
