Our group has been very busy this autumn, helping to take everyone’s minds off the nights drawing in and the weather turning colder.
Our new LOs Chris and Karen have put together a very thought provoking and stimulating autumn/winter programme. We have been offering both afternoon and evening meetings and attendance has been high all round which has made for some very interesting discussions.
We had an eclectic list of topics chosen for the Annual Themed Country (USA) meeting with research ranging from early explorers, Native Americans, Festivals and poetry to the flag, Wall Street, American hazards and the Mowtown music scene.
This was followed by a meeting discussing “Our Evolving Relationship with Food” which did indeed give us all food for thought! From the work of the scientist Tim Spector, food ethics and how Covid affected our diets through to regenerative farming and rationing in World War 2 which one member had lived through, our group researched and discussed it and who knew the topic of bread could be so interesting!
We then took part in the National Telephone Trail and achieved a groundbreaking first for us – we managed to answer all our questions!
As well as our scheduled meetings we have managed to squeeze in a fascinating evening with a guest speaker, Dr Martin Crick (a friend of one of our LOs, he is currently visiting the UK from New Zealand). An expert on William Morris, his talk gave a revealing insight into his work as an artist, writer and socialist, enlightening us all on what a true polymath he was.
Aside from our fortnightly meetings a number of us took part in the NWR Walking Week Challenge, luckily on a bright clear Sunday afternoon and one of our members hosted a delightful contribution lunch at her house, the first time we have held one since before the pandemic. A delicious range of food was brought along, proving that you can have fun in good company without spending a fortune. Several of us enjoyed a pre-Christmas meal at a local restaurant as well last week.
We are all looking forward to the rest of our autumn/winter programme to provide more conversation, fun and friendship (and food!) for our lively minded group which has recently acquired two new members.
It is good to feel we are thriving not just surviving and are able to have meetings in members’ homes and the chance to socialise together once more. Here’s to our Christmas meeting and the challenge of the 50p Secret Santa present (no allowance for inflation here – yet!).
Many thanks to our member Sue for putting this update together!