Salisbury
and District U3A 
Salisbury
and District U3A
NEWSLETTER
Number 64 April 2009
At the A.G.M in March, the committee was re-elected apart from Anne-Marie Seacroft, who wished to retire. In her place Catherine Dyer was elected. We thank Anne-Marie for all her good work, and welcome Catherine. The whole committee deserves your gratitude, as they do such a lot for us all.
We also thank Bob Pearce, Elisabeth Richmond, Jean Seabrook, Barbara Coulson, Pam Rea, Patricia Scholz, and all who make coffee for us every month. Without these willing volunteers, we would have no U3A. Do join a group, go on an outing, and enjoy the fellowship that comes with being a member of the U3A.
Moira Dickson
I have details relating to the U3A Summer Schools to be held at Harper Adams University, Newport, from Monday 20 July to Thursday 23 July and The Royal Agricultural College Cirencester from Monday 24 August to Thursday 27 August.
As usual there is a wide selection of interesting items. At the time of writing (late February) there are still places available.
Central Office and the website will also have information. Please consider the use of e-mail for our internal communications, for the Newsletter and for when we may need to contact you. We know many other U3A Groups use this successfully.
Please send your full name, membership no. and e-mail address to: u3a_salisbury@live.co.uk
Mike Limbrick
We are sorry to record the death of James Bryan who used to tutor a group in the making and playing of Northumbrian pipes.
Welcome to new members: Melene Brown, Marian Carter, Peter Charters, John Cole, Ian and Margie Colvin, Dennis Dimmer, Michael Draper, Michael and Eileen Farebrother, John and Sue Foskett, Donald Foster, Derek Hammonds, Ruth Healy, Patricia Hendy, Freddie Hicks, Audrey and Malcolm McBain, Kate Phipps, Christine Rhodes, Paula Roberts-Spears, Maureen
Smallcalder, Roger Stevens, Celia Stone, Jennifer Stone, Ros Taylor and Janet Watford.
Jack Osbourne, one of our members, will speak at the May meeting about his memories of Burma. Jack served in Burma as a Chindit during the 2nd World War and visited the country again last year with the Royal British Legion. We congratulate Jack on his approaching 100th birthday in July and wish him a happy and fulfilling year ahead.
If you would like to run a course in 2009-2010 please contact Chris Dickson. Funds are available for the hire of halls or rooms if necessary.
For information on forthcoming outings, click HERE.
Visit our Website for photos of last November’s Anniversary Lunch. Go to Pictures. Our input into the Website (a joint one for all the Salisbury U3As) is submitted by Marian Sewell.
The Playhouse Discussion Group
On 6 March our Playhouse Discussion group had the pleasure of a visit from Philip Wilson, Artistic Director of the Playhouse. And it was a pleasure. For an hour and a half he informed and entertained us with the account of his journey from reading History at Oxford to Salisbury Playhouse via international experience as stage designer and director. His passion for the theatre began when he was only four, writing and staging plays, with a limited cast, for the family.
He spoke of the financial problems facing the theatre in need of maintenance – for example the renewal of seats this year and last year’s essential rewiring – and the cultural problems of satisfying a multifarious audience.
There’s a need for the new and different if we are to draw in younger people who will be the audience of the future. We like to have plays we are comfortable with but the occasional shock to our comfort zone is beneficial, provoking questions and discussion. However, he promises us Arsenic and Old Lace is on his wanted list! The work of the Playhouse deserves and needs our support. Philip Wilson appreciates the enthusiastic, but never uncritical, backing of our U3A group. Anne-Marie and I will be leading it again next year and he has already offered to come again.
Olga Illston
Wilf Simcox of Sparsholt College told us how to propagate: lily plants can be grown from the leaves of the cut flowers we are throwing out and you can grow your own shrubs from cuttings. He brought cuttings with him for our use. All this can be done with a minimum of fuss and expenditure. Have you thought of using supermarket meat trays and a plastic bag instead of buying a propagating unit?
‘Treat ‘em rough’ could sum up the advice of Mike Smith on the care of houseplants. Do not feed them until they are showing signs of coming into flower, water minimally, and do not repot until after flowering. He told us how Dutch growers dig up the houseplants, leave them lying out to get cold and then, when they pot them up to send them to England, they are ready to come into flower to perpetuate their species, just having escaped near death.
To keep your greenhouse aired: fill 6-pint milk bottles with water – these will give off moisture during the day and store heat for the greenhouse at night.
1 SCI/TECH:NASA is well known, but equally, if not more important, is its sister organisation NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration). Their website at http://www.education.noaa.gov/ has some excellent education resources entirely free of charge.
2 http://howstuffworks.com/ is a compendium of articles about How Stuff Works. Supported by advertising, it is written in a popular ‘gee whiz’ style, but has plenty of well-written articles on a wide range of subjects.
3 If you are seriously thinking of trying LINUX then the UBUNTU version is easy to get and install in parallel to windows. See http://tinyurl.com/bj9z29 - which is an online screencast about the dual-boot version just 13 minutes long I am told !!
4 ALL SUBJECTS: Laptop-PLUS-projector-PLUS-http://academicearth.org/ gives any serious subject group an incredibly rich resource, namely 'Thousands of video lectures from the world's top scholars' entirely free of charge.
5 Openstreet map is a free map of the whole world. Like a 'wiki' it allows users to view and to edit geographical data in a collaborative way from anywhere on Earth. Click on or go to http://openstreetmap.org/
With thanks to Tom Holloway who provides this information through the Third Age Trust.
Neville Jennings
Fortnightly Thursdays
30 April – Map Expl. 118 GR 042 254. Broadchalke going north . 5¾ miles. Park at church. NB 10.15 start. Geoff
14 May – Map Landranger 195, GR281 108. New Forest 5 miles. Start 10am Minstead Church. Joe
28 May – Map Expl. 143, GR 828 423. Nockett Coppice, Horningsham, Shearwater. 7 miles, picnic en route. NB Start 9.30am Nockett Coppice. Kay
11 June – Map Expl. 185, GR 345 303. Horsebridge, Park Nat. Trust Way CP opposite John o’Gaunt pub. NB start 10.15 am. 7 miles, picnic en route. Alan
25 June – Map Expl. 131 GR 224 293. Farley, Pitton, Winterslow. 5½ miles. Start 10am. If lunching park at Hook and Glove, Farley – otherwise by church. Tom and Judy
9 July – Summer lunch party by courtesy of Liz at Hanging Langford, details to be announced. Possible short walk beforehand at Lakes. Liz.
23 July – Map Expl. 143, GR 859371. Pertwood Downs. NB Start 10.15 am at lay-by on Hindon Road at Monkton Deverill (2 miles off A350). 6 miles. Maggie
Please let the leader or Maggie know if you are NOT coming. Meet to share cars with each other at 13 Dorset Road.
Mini Walks – 3rd Thursday of each month – Walks start at 10am
16 April – GR 937 329 – Fonthill Bishop. Park at the Beckford Arms.
21 May – GR 033 178 – Pentridge. Park on the green opposite the church.
18 June – GR 176 161 – New Forest. Park at the Godshill Wood Car Park.
16 July - GR 041 373 – Steeple Langford. Park at the Rainbow Inn.
Please wear stout shoes or boots and bring a drink and a waterproof.
Sheila and Peter Brown
Second Wednesday of the Month
8 April – Expl. 143 GR ST 933 316 Fonthill Park in lay-by close to Southern End of Lake. 4½ – 5 miles
13 May – Expl. 130 GR SU 080 353 Groveley Wood from Wishford. Roadside parking in South Street.
10 June – Expl. 130 GR SU 180 214 Avon Valley from Downton. Park Moot Lane
8 July – Britford via Harnham Hill. Meet at Cathedral main entrance.
Walking starts at 10am. Please come suitably clad and bring any drink/snack you require.
Helga Burtt
Material for the August edition should reach me by the monthly meeting Wednesday 1 July. If possible please send as an attachment on an e-mail to
. Photographs are appreciated, space permitting.
Margery Leeming
