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NewsletterThe

Issue No.67 Dec 2017

http://u3asites.org.uk/carlton-gedling/home

Joseph Paxton - The Busiest Man in England

A talk by Danny Wells

This was the fascinating tale of a man of humbleorigins who became a national celebrity in thefields of horticulture, publishing, architecture andpolitics,and was a friend of the great and good ofthe Victorian era. From very humble beginnings,Paxton started work as a gardeners’ boy at 15, atBattlesden Park near Woburn.

After several moves, (and by falsifying hisdate of birth), he was employed as an undergardener at the Horticultural Society’s ChiswickGardens, where he attracted the attention of the6th Duke of Devonshire. Impressed by the youngman’s skill and enthusiasm, he offered him thepost of Head Gardener at his palatial estate ofChatsworth. It gives one a sense of the youngman’s energy and drive when he reports that hetook the coach to Chesterfield, arriving inChesterfield at 4:30 a.m. he walked the 12 milesto Chatsworth, climbed a wall, took a look at the

kitchengarden, andset thegardeningstaff to workat 6:00 a.m.and then metand fell in lovewith Sarah hislife-long wife.All this by9:00 a.m.!

The Dukewas a keencollector of

the novel plants thenbeing discovered andimported from theburgeoning empire,the banana forinstance, and Paxtonwas a successfulcollaborator intending to theseprecious plants anddesigning novel waysto nurture and display them to best advantage. Inclose collaboration with the Duke he alsoundertook redesigns and plantings of the groundsat Chatsworth which form the basis of what wesee today, including the conservatories and waterfeatures. The Duke was keen to improve theaccommodation of the Chatsworth staff, andinvolved Paxton in the design of the picturesquenew village of Ensor. Paxton was also active inpromoting horticulture through the founding andeditorship of several successful magazines andlater entered the newspaper market with a dailynewspaper edited initially by Charles Dickens.The Daily News was still in print at the time of thefirst world war.

As an enthusiastic participant in the railwayboom of the period he was a successful investorand promoter of these schemes and a friend ofBrunel and Stevenson.

Perhaps his greatest claim to fame was hissuccessful design for a site to house the GreatExhibition of 1851. His experience in designingthe “Great Stove” conservatory at Chatsworthenabled him to come up with a scheme that usedprefabricated cast iron supports with ridge andfurrow glazing throughout, and the so called“Crystal Palace”was created in an astonishinglyJoseph Paxton

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If you are a regularattendee to ourmonthly GeneralMeetings, youcouldn’t help buthave seen thefabulous displays bysome of our fantasticinterest groups. It’s agreat tribute to thesegroups that as wellas providing anamazing range ofactivities eachmonth, they still findthe time to put oninteresting displaysto showcase theirgroups.

On behalf of all of us, a really BIG thank youand I’m really looking forward to next year’sdisplays. Members will also be aware of the number offund raising activities we have held, from themonthly raffle to quiz evenings, square dancesand (best of all!) the whisky tasting evening. A

really big THANK YOU for organizing andsupporting these initiatives with gusto and raisingimportant extra revenue to help fund thepurchases of valuable extra equipment such aslaptops, sound systems, etc. – a brilliant result! Your executive committee’s careful andprudent management of your subscription moneyand the ever increasing membership, meant thatat this years AGM we agreed to reduce yoursubscriptions from £20 to £17 from next year –RESULT! Traditionally, at the December Generalmeeting we let our hair down a bit more thanusual as we start the festive season off with abang. This year is no exception, and rememberthe doors open at 9.45am for a prompt 10.00amstart. Following on from their much lovedpantomime, this year the Drama group promise areview that you will never forget! To round of themeeting there will be a chance to rock and roll tothe hottest new boy band in 2017 – the A3U’s –just watch them strut their stuff!!!Happy Christmas everyone,

Tom Grainger

A Word from our chairman

short time. The Exhibitionwas a great success, andPaxton was rewarded with aknighthood for hiscontribution. Designedinitially to be a temporarystructure, there was a publicoutcry over its proposeddemolition at the end of theExhibition. Eventually aproposal was made to modifyand re-erect it in a new publicpark in Sydenham and therethe Crystal Palace stood untilits destruction in the fire of 1936.

Paxton was also involved in designing a French Style chateau for Baron Meyer de Rothschild atMentmore in Buckinghamshire and this led to a commission for Château de Ferrières at Ferrières-en-Brie near Paris, for one of the Baron’s cousins. This Chateau was to be the same as Mentmore, buttwice the size!

Paxton became MP for Coventry in 1850 and remained so until his death in 1865 at Rockhills,Sydenham a home he had built for himself. Sarah never lived there but remained at their home inChatsworth until her death in 1871. The Duke had died in 1858, when Paxton retired as HeadGardener, although he continued working on other projects until his death. He was buried next to theDuke in Ensor churchyard.

A very interesting and well presented talk about a fascinating individual.

For a more full account of this talk please see the webpage.

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Don’t forget -Coffee Mornings

TOP-SPOT on Carlton Road is where we meetat 11 a.m. every 2nd and 4th Thursday

morning. Everyone is welcome at this simplysocial occasion. The coffee is good and a

loyalty card gives a free 10th cup.

So come along to passa winter morning witha warm drink and getto know some U3Amembers who are

definitely not grumpy,well not all of us!

Please note, there will be noNew Members Meeting

during December. The regularmonthly meetings will resume

on

January 25th - 10:45 atThe Willowbrook

NoticesThe Broadway Cinema

is reducing the price of a ticketfor U3A members by 50p , sothat's £4.50 instead of £5 on aThursday for both the Silver

Screen showings at10.30am and 1.30pm.

You will need to show yourmembership card and photo ID.Definitely worth having that bit

of discount if you go to theThursday showings regularly

especially as you also get a freetea/coffee and biscuit!

9:45am Doors open

10:15am The DramaGroup presentsSenior Moments

11:15am Coffee/Tea andmince piesFollowed by our very ownU3A Rock Band

The Newsletter is published by The Carlton, Gedling & District U3A.(Reg. Charity No. 1157211)

Views expressed are not necessarily those of the U3A or Editor

Next IssuePlease submit all material for the

next issueby Sunday 7th January !!!

Next Issue

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Theatre Visits

.Continued next page…

In case you are getting worried, we will have a tableat the back of the room at the December Christmasextravaganza, to enable you to pick up and pay fortickets. It’s just as well as we have FIVE new

productions on offer. Ian Hislop and Nick Newman’s The Wipers Times tells the true andextraordinary story of the satirical newspaper created in the mud and mayhem of the Somme. It iscoming to Nottingham direct from a record breaking West End season. The real life Wipers Times wasa resolutely cheerful, subversive and very funny newspaper designed to lift the spirits of the men onthe front line.

Cilla –The Musical is a spectacular and heart-warming musical adaptation of a criticallyacclaimed hit ITV television series. It tells theextraordinary story of the ordinary girl fromLiverpool whose teenage dreams of stardom leadher to becoming one of Britain’s best-lovedentertainers of all time. Lots of you have signedup, but not paid for tickets for Fiddler on theRoof. Please pay in December.

We also have tickets for three new productions at the Playhouse. Wonderland by Beth Steel has alocal setting. Two 16 year olds wait nervously at the pit head. Guided by a veteran miner, theydescend into the brotherhood banter, searing heat and liquid blue light of Welbeck Colliery.

Wonderland looks at events leading up to andduring the miner's strike. Our Country's Good isboth a comedy and a powerful drama which showsus how we can escape from the chains that bind us.It tells the extraordinary true story of a group ofconvicts and a young officer who rehearse andperform a play. We have get some extra tickets forthese two shows. Holes is set in a sort of prisoncalled Camp Green Lake. This off-beat and quirkyadventure romp is a tale of friendship, family andredemption. Stanley Yelnats has generations of badluck in his family, so it’s no surprise when he findshimself the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

By the by (1), The Playhouse has a new policy on programmes. They are still free, but only oneprogramme per 2 tickets (per 4 tickets for the panto).

By the by (2), occasionally we get a free ticket as part of our group booking. It would be toocomplicated to reduce all tickets by 37p or 62p (or whatever), to reflect this – our brains would melt -so we sell the free ticket at the normal price and donate the surplus to U3A funds. Soooo, as well asyour dancing shoes, bring your diaries and cheque books and buy, buy, buy. Paul Martinez

Tickets for collection: The Haunting (20th January); La Boheme (25th February)

Trips on offer:New Drama Wonderland by Beth Steel Friday 9th February 2018, Nottingham Playhouse, 7.30pm(£7) Organiser Basia Arch Last chance to pay for tickets

Musical Fiddler on the Roof, Friday 23rd February, 7.30pm, The Space, Nottingham Girls HighSchool, (£12.50) Organiser Janet Whitchurch Pay for tickets at December meeting

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Theatre ReviewsThe Cherry OrchardThe play by Anton Chekhov translated by SimonStephens, was performed by the NottinghamPlayhouse Company. Ranevskaya played bySara Stewart of TV Dr Foster Fame, hasreturned to Russia from Paris with her family andfriends. The scene is set within a decayingmansion and beautiful Cherry Orchard which hasbeen the source of the wealth for the family,however, Russia is experiencing great changeand the country is on the brink of revolution. Thestaff have been with the family all their life. Greataffection exists between the different classes. Kenneth Alan Taylor who is well known forhis roles in the Playhouse Pantomime season,played an ancient servant to great effect.Unfortunately the cherry orchard is to be sold topay for the family debts. It is bought by a formerservant who is son of a Serf. The play billed astragic and funny, with a strange mix of modernclothing and Russian traditional costume. Theintrigue, relationships and staging wereconfusing and the overall view of the group wasthat the actors worked hard at their craft, but asShakespeare may have said ' Much ado aboutnothing'. Thank you to the organizer for theopportunity of an evening at the theatre andgiving us all food for thought.

Ein Deutsches RequiemA lucky group of 13 of us went to see theNottingham Harmonic Choir perform Brahms’sEin Deutsches Requiem at the Albert Hall. Themusic was inspiring. Written for his mother andalso for his friend and mentor Schumann, therequiem is notable for its uplifting and eventriumphant music. This could be becauseBrahms was young, in his early 30s, when hewrote it.I had heard the music on CD a couple of timesand it didn’t really do much for me, but live and

with such enthusiastic and accomplishedsinging, it was a revelation.The concert started with Strauss’s Four LastSongs, a perfect counterpart to the Brahms withtheir sense of a life well lived and apreparedness for passing on. These too werewell performed, but a bit muddied by theacoustics of the hall. More trips to concerts,please, and to the Harmonic Choir in particular.

CinderellaWhat better way to enter the Christmas seasonthan a trip to the panto at the Playhouse. Thesafety curtain alone was a glorious start to theshow. Forest animals danced their way acrossthe stage ahead of the appearance of Buttonsfollowed by the very colourful ugly sisters Bellaand Donna on their way home from a shoppingtrip in Victoria Centre. The sisters’ outfits were asoutrageous as you would expect for pantodames.

The audience needed no encouragement toget into full panto mode – boos, cheers and ‘lookbehind you’. Woe betide anyone trying to stealthe apple Buttons was saving for Cinderella.There was a lot of good singing, with versions ofpopular songs.

Bella was excellent and was well supportedby the whole cast. Plenty of laughter at newjokes and at ones we had heard before.Predictable slapstick comedy too, but still veryfunny. As usual, Beeston, Mansfield and Derbywere the target of jokes - to the delight of theaudience.

Prince Charming was definitely charming andwe were all pleased when he found the right girlfor the glass slipper. The singalong with childrenfrom the audience on stage was as you can onlyexpect from working with children. Superproduction, I think the best Playhouse panto inrecent years. Thoroughly recommend that yougo to see it if you can.

New Drama Our Country's Good Monday 12th March, Nottingham Playhouse 7.30pm (£7)Orgniser Basia Arch Very last chance to pay for tickets at January meeting

New Musical Cilla-The Musical, Wednesday 4th April, 2pm, Theatre Royal (£34) Organiser AnnePorter Sign up for tickets

New Drama Holes Wednesday 4th April, 7pm, Nottingham Playhouse (£7), Organiser Basia Arch.Sign up and pay for tickets

New Drama The Wipers Times, Wednesday 29 August, 2.00pm, Theatre Royal, (£27), OrganiserCarolyn Broadhurst Sign up and pay for tickets

Christine Farnsworth

Paul Martinez

Nicola Dandie

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NOT TO BE MISSED!

A VISIT TO WAKEFIELD COAL MININGMUSEUM!

Wednesday20th February 2018.

What to do in the depths of February! We go to acoal mining museum at Wakefield. An ex minerwill give us a tour and for those who wish we will go down the mine. There is plentyto do if you don’t fancy this! Warm clothes are recommended (!) but it should be amost interesting day out and we are not dependant on good weather!

Looking forward to lots of you joining us on this trip! Tickets will be available at theDecember meeting, plus plenty of information regarding facilities and cost (£15.00approximately).

Janet Whitchurch.

Trips and Visits

We arrived at The National Media Museum inBradford just in time for a coffee before the IMAXfilm. We had been told the VIP seats were at theback of the cinema so when the doors openedforty odd pensioners having played musicalchairs on many occasions, easily outran severaldozen school children to the comfy chairs.Narrated by Tom Cruise, the Space Station filmtold the amazing story of the in-orbit assembly ofthe International Space Station. We felt the forceof a rocket launch, looked into the depths ofspace, experienced life in zero gravity and

accompaniedastronauts on aspacewalk.The foyer held theactual spacecraftand parachute thatbrought Tim Peakeback to Earth afterhis mission to theInternational SpaceStation. You couldeven see the burnsin the fabric.The Wonderlab wasgreat fun withthermal imagingcameras showingyour body heat,under floorspeakers where youcould “feel” the beatand of course we had to recreate the HarryWorth's famous shop window routine in the mirrormaze.

Trip to Bradford

Sue Fairweather

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Interest Groups

In Novemberwe had a

visiting Speaker – Chris Carr – who is a historianand guide at Flag Fen Archaeology Project, nearPeterborough. At the same time that the Greeks lived inhouses with plumbing, and the Egyptians werebuilding pyramids, the English were living inthatched round houses – our Bronze Age. Flag Fen, and nearby Must Farm, aresituated where 3 tribes converged in East Anglia– the Iceni, the Trinovantes and the Catuvellauni.There is extensive archaeological evidence toshow that the area was settled but the tribeswere waring groups and Chris brought along areplica bronze sword and arrow heads to provethe point. But she also brought along otherartefacts to illustrate the cooking utensils, withhot stones for boiling water, decoration (bangles,broaches and torcs), and clothes making(shuttles for weaving and drop spindle stones). Inparticular, many items have been found at MustFarm (Britain’s Pompeii) including spools ofthread, which it is thought, when they areunravelled in the laboratory, will show they weredyed. Chris gave us a flavour of Bronze Age life –people surrounded by fens roamed by boar,bears and wolves – eating pork, horse and flatbread made of emmer wheat, duck, eels,sturgeon, the leaves of dandelions, wild mustardand garlic. Salt was obtained by drying bowls of

seawater over the fire. Archaeology in the area has found thewooden remains of a causeway across the fens– probably once a simple walkway through thewatery landscape – but evolving to become abridge with a central island building. No evidenceof habitation has been found so speculation as toits purpose is still rife. However, many “offerings”have been found in the water around it – brokenswords and precious gifts lodged underneathweighted stones - so one possibility is that it wasa place of ritual. Another theory is that thebuilding may have been a place for disputes tobe settled – on neutral ground as it were. Fascinating to hear how the experts aregradually unravelling our ancient history !

History Group

Lynne Jaremczenko

We all gathered at the Gedling Inn for our firstChristmas lunch together. We were missing oneof our regulars, who has decided to sunthemselves “down under” in Australia, in the sunrather than shivering with the rest of us! Otherregulars had prior meals booked on the sameday, so were also unable to join us, and theywere all missed. The Gedling had done us proud and weenjoyed an excellent meal and good service,with staff who dealt with our forgetfulness overwhat we had ordered, with excellent goodhumour. Mind you were a little bemused by theoffer of a Guinness Pie. After a little research itwas then resurrected as the Ordered Goats

Cheese Pie! When the Cheese Board arrived, itwould have fed us all, and the generousrecipient encouraged us to partake, and helpclear it up! We had several conversations all going on atthe same time, so it was difficult for your writer torecord all that was being discussed. However,locally to our area of the table we discussed theneed to have our oral history recorded, before itis too late. We found that a really jolly discussionwas also going ahead with tales of births, anddeaths, occurring at this time of year. Some werequite sad, but alleviated with lighter tales.We have only recorded our favourite 2017novels this time and the full list can be found onour website pages. So, if you wish to know whatthey were, head to our page on the web site.And Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to

Alternative Book Club

The Scribbler

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GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN – THECHANGING FACE OF NOTTINGHAM

A TALK BY BOB MASSEYThere have been settlements in this areasince the Bronze age, but there is noimmediate evidence that would demonstratethis. For example, Front Street in Arnold hasexisted from these times, but where is theevidence in the buildings? In all probabilitythey will have repeatedly built over.

Because of the changes, which havehappened so rapidly, all we have left arephotos, street names and memories.Bombing in WWII also contributed to thedestruction, but the City fathers areresponsible for the most significant losses.Drury Hill for example, Nottingham’s ownmedieval roadway, in some places only 4foot 10 inches wide. Had there been someenlightened foresight, then Nottingham wouldhave had a tourist attraction to rival York’sShambles. What did we end up with? Thestunningly ugly Broadmarsh Centre.

In the 1950’s we had 52 cinemas acrossthe area. The only original one still standingis the Savoy on Derby Road. This is only stillthere because it is privately owned. Havingreached the end of their lives as cinemas,they were converted to Bingo Halls, carpetwarehouses and then car parks.

In 1854 came the Enclosure Acts whichradically changed the face of the City.Arkwright Street/Queens Street was the heartof the Meadows until wholesale demolitionswept it all away.

Broxtowe and Aspley estates, each hadits own Hall. These estates are now, ofcourse, covered by housing developments.There was a 7th Century Barn at Aspley, until1968 when it was demolished.

Public houses continue to disappear at asteady rate. Many were the hearts of theirlocal communities and handy meetingplaces. I wonder how many of us canremember directions being given using publichouse along a given route?

Trent Bridge in its current form was rebuiltto replace the old stone bridge, in 1871.There is still a small remnant in an island inthe middle of the river even now.

Lidos were another feature we no can nolonger enjoy (what? Open air swimming poolsin this climate?)! Carrington, Highfields andthe Ken Martin have all now gone.

Nottingham’s famous architect of notewas Watson Fothergill, 1841 to 1928. Whilstsome of his buildings are still remaining, mosthave been demolished. His own family homeon Mapperley Road was demolished in 1968.He worked extensively on refurbishing themagnificent Black Boy. Demolition in the1960’s saw it replaced by the concretemonstrosity that is Primark. Fothergill’s StNicholas’ Rectory, and other historiclandmarks, were demolished in 1958 to makeway for Maid Marian Way.

Of course, some of the redevelopments,removing historical buildings, took place wellbefore the vandalism of the 1960’s. Theexchange building that had stood since 1724,surviving a fire, when a reward was offered toanyone saving the City’s barrel ofgunpowder, was eventually demolished andreplaced by the Council House.

A very entertaining and evocativepresentation, as we know Bob is well capableof delivering, was enjoyed by 35 members.

Next month we will be having ourChristmas Social at The Willowbrook, 2:00pm on 19 December. We start 2018 with atalk about John and Emma Godfrey of ParkHouse on 16 January 2018, 2:00 at theRichard Herrod Centre..

Local History Group

Drury Hill

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NOVEMBERNot normally a group known for taking oursubjects too seriously, this month, in light of whathas developed at that den of iniquity (sorry, thePalace of Westminster), our discussion wasmuch more serious than usual. Our debate wasvigorous, but never antagonistic, and, hopefullywe all had a chance to express our personalviews. We were at a loss to understand why someof the accusations have been held back for solong and opinions expressed included; is it theclimate that we now have that means people feelfreer to come forward; are they being vindictivefollowing someone’s success; are they justseeking their own fame/notoriety; or perhaps anexaggeration of what actually happened? There is a strong feeling that what we have is

trial by social media, and that perennialinfluence, the media. This means that somepeople are being accused of wrong doing,without being informed what the issue is. Theconsequences of this, particularly for theinnocent, can be catastrophic, and ruin peoples’lives. We used to have a situation in this countrywhere you were innocent until proved guilty, butthat no longer seems to apply and inertia seemsto have allowed this happen. We did conclude and agree that, as in manycontroversial matters, common sense has beenthrown out of the window. There needs to be adegree of stepping back and discussing thesematters in a calm manner without resorting torhetoric and making unsubstantiated claims.Perhaps the influence of Facebook and the like,as well as the media, will never allow this tohappen. Who knows?

Tarra!

Grumpy old men

Easy,affordable and good for you.

This is the message given in the latest U3Amagazine by Table tennis. England. JulieSnowden of table tennis England the sportsnational governing body, says that few sportswork the brain and the body as much as tabletennis, making it a perfect activity for olderpeople. As little as 10 minutes of regular,moderate exercise can bring great physical andmental benefits. You can see the full article onpage 23 of Third Age Matters, the U3Amagazine. Better still why not come and have ago. We go from strength to strength and have recently picked up 2 new members from Park U3A. Noexperience is necessary and skills are picked very quickly .All equipment is provided and our coachHarvey will take you through your paces. Its great fun and laughter is the order of the day. Pleasecome and join us.

Table tennis

Andrea Stockdale

At the November meetingmost of the members madehand sewn Christmasdecorations, whist otherscarried out a few sewingrepairs or continued workingon ongoing patchworkprojects.

Sewing Group

Pam Bartram

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Idle Valley Nature Reserve. Friday November 10th2017.Mild/Cold, Sun/cloud, Wind 1-2 NW)

The Idle Valley N.R. Is a mature creation of Lakes, woodland and other habitats, following gravelexcavations. The impressive Visitor Centre nestles beside Bellmore Lake affording viewing pointsacross the impressive landscape. A reccie earlier in the week confirmed that observations should be focused on Bellmore Lake,particularly on the Gull population. The majority of gulls were mainly Black Headed, however, oneindividual attracted more attention and was photographed for closer observation in identification as apossible Caspian wintering bird on passage, or not to be confused with the Yellow-Legged Gull. On leaving the Centre, and bordering the lake, a good number of Snipe were recorded. The trailto the Idle River, through pleasant woods came up with flocks of Chaffinch and Goldfinch. Headingdownstream, and turning anti clockwise through a thicker wood more tits, Goldfinch and Siskin wereseen along with a single Roe deer which crossed our path. The rest of the trail was enjoyable with the river on one side and the lake on the other and weconcluded our walk at the Visitor Centre with a welcome ‘cuppa’.Grateful thanks again to Geoff our driver, and Rob and Margaret for doing the reccie.

Sightings.Greylag. Canada GooseGadwall. Shoveler. (Es)Wigeon. (Es) Teal. (C)PochardTufted DuckGreat Crested Grebe(Great) CormorantGrey Heron(C) Kestrel(C) SnipeBlack Headed, Common, (E)Herring, Great BlackBacked, Lesser Black-Backed Gull(E) Goldfinch (Es) Siskin (Es) BullfinchRoe Deer

Birdwatching

Joan Miller

In thesummerour

instructor Kathy, was no longer able to keepteaching us, leaving our group in a state of fluxas we searched for another teacher. Kathy wasmoving onto bigger and better things and wewere very happy for her. However, finding a newdance teacher has had its challenges.

In a bid to keep Kathy for a short while longerwe also had to change our timings fromafternoon to morning, which meant several of ourlong standing dancers were unable to attendthese new sessions.

But… every cloud has a silver lining and wehave discovered Stan and Sue, who are superbdancers. They are not trained teachers but as wehave seen, they do have the makings ofexcellent teachers, with their calm and patientmanner.

The dancing continues, much to everyone’sdelight, and even better, as Stan and Sue haveagreed to teach us without payment. We aredelighted.Our first session after the Christmas break willbe on Monday, January 8th 2018. We arereturning to the afternoon timings of 2-4pm.We hope to be able to lower the costs of thesessions, a little, but we still have to pay for thehire of the Richard Herod Centre and the urn.So with renewed vigour, after a short Christmasbreak, we hope to see many of our dancers backon form, on 8th January. New dancers welcome.Please check the website for dates and contactdetails.

Tea dancing

Helen Madden and Neil Kendrick

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John Berry

The topic for this month was ‘Are BudgetAirlines Bad For Us?

The general theme of our discussion was tolook into the benefits and disadvantages ofaeroplane travel including budget airlines. It wasexplained that aeroplane engines work byburning fossil fuel, which produce carbon dioxideand water vapour. Compared to other forms oftransport, aeroplanes are the worst offenders forproducing greenhouse gases per passenger andthat between the years 1992 to 2005, passengerper kilometre increased by 5.2% per year.

Moving on to budget airlines, we delved intowhy airline travel turns out to be cheaper thanother forms of travel. The major factor has to bethat internationally there is no tax on airline fuelas well as aviation emissions. Again giving anupper hand when competing with other forms oftransport.

Air travel back before the 1960s was verymuch the prerogative of the middle to upperclasses, but now with cheaper flights the world

has become accessible to most people. Thenegative side of this can sometimes result inpartying groups indulging in heavy drinking andbad behaviour, giving the Country a bad name.We went on to recognise that some prettycoastlines abroad, have been marred by theover-zealous building of glitzy high rise hotels.However, people with young families can findwarm beaches, pools and entertainmentwelcome after the British inclement weather.Older people tend to look for Hotels catering justfor adults.

At the end of it all, the general opinion was,that in spite of the long-term affect of flightemissions on global warming, at this point intime, there was little hope that changes would bemade for the good of our grandchildren. It wasalso pointed out that statistics for the U.K.showed that the average traveller, presumablyusing budget travel, takes only one short haulevery two years and a long haul every five yearsand that most air flights are taken by the moreaffluent and transporting cargo.

Discussion Group

November 2017: A STORY FROM APICTURE

Our first author chose a pictureof Robin Hood’s statue atNottingham Castle. It was thethoughts of the statue duringthe year – pigeons, tourists,and the weather especially theautumnal feel to the air. The second author showed apicture of a steam engine. Thestory told of a young girl on her firstouting to the coast – also the first time mum anddad had seen the sea. It was a nostalgic look atsandcastles, paddling, fish and chips, cups of teaand a rare visit to a pub. The third author bought a school class photo.

The story was of his first pair of football boots –second hand of course. Grandpa’s skill at

renovating them and theauthor’s pride on playing forthe team. The final author’s picturewas of an old cottage. Hewrote of the local farmers

mistrust of new methods andof the landowner’s penchant of

designing new machines – namelya seed drill and a baby carriage.

There will by no meeting in December– due to holidays and celebrations. InJanuary we will meet the day after the

General Meeting, in the bar of the RichardHerrod Centre at 2pm. The theme for the storieswill be “New Beginnings”.

Creative writing

Lynda Shelton

The November meeting of the group was anindoor session at the Richard Herrod where wehad a selection of films to watch. First a reviewof the standard BR steam locomotive classes withthe opinions of the drivers and firemen who had

to use them, an entertaining film andnot as technical as some feared. Tofollow was some film of freight on

now redundant mineral lines, and Snow, anacademy nominated film showing BR copingwith the winter of 1963. Very seasonal. In thetime remaining we discussed plans for meetingsand excursions next year.

Railway enthusiasts

Nick Clark

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In November the Art Appreciation Group visited theUsher Gallery in Lincoln, where we viewed the workof the artist George Shaw. Shaw had spent sometime as Artist in Residence at the National Gallery,and there he had studied the the landscapepaintings of the 'Masters'.

In his exhibition entitled, My Back to Nature,Shaw shows how he has been influenced by thisclassical tradition, yet has adapted it to his ownvision of nature. In his rural landscape, drawn as it isfrom his experience of growing up on the edge of acity, old papers and discarded bottles now liealongside the fallen leaves. Despite though thissuggestion of rural decay, his paintings still conveyimaginative, intimate forest scenes, enhanced by his use of Humbrol enamel paints, that give a uniquequality to his work.

The show is on at the Usher Gallery until 14th January.

Art Appreciation

Christine Russell

The main business of ourDecember meeting was to set aprogramme for our 2018meetings, and to give membersan opportunity to make theirown suggestions for topics wemight wish to consider. Andrewand Lynne had alreadycirculated some ideas inadvance, and these wereavailable to remind everyone ofthose ideas. We had quite alively meeting and finished withan excellent presentation fromNoel Lake who gave us thestory of Ironbridge. Several members madetheir own suggestions, some of

which were offered overto our sister Local Historygroup, as possible ideas

for them to consider. Thesewere ideas that were specificallyNottingham andNottinghamshire based, so itwas really their area. However, Medieval Times,Roman Road development,Women in History, Cromford,Quakers and AbbeyfieldIndustrial Hamlet have all madethe list for later in the year. The diary from February toJuly 2018 (no January meetingon New Years’ Day), isavailable on the webpages forthe group. Members are invitedto make what contribution theywish, and can just come and

listen if that is what they wish. Noel and Sue had been toIronbridge earlier in the yearand were taken by the offer of afree guided tour, which Noel hasacknowledged, formed the basisof his entertaining presentation.Before the Ice age, the RiverSevern had flowed North intothe River Dee. However, the iceprevented the flow North and soit turned South and carved out asteep gorge at Ironbridge. Weheard how the raw materials forthe development of ironworkings were readily availableand how things developed overtime. Ironbridge hasconnections ranging from Peterthe Great to the Great Exhibitionand Diana, Princess of Wales.

History Group

Sima Qian

On a very wet andcold day seven of us

met up at the Bus Station to take the SherwoodArrow to Rufford Country Park, by which time therain had stopped. We arrived just after 12 noonand made our way to the ruins of this formerCistercian monastery dating back to around 1170,which was incorporated into a mansion at somestage in the 17th Century with 150 acres ofparkland. After taking refreshments (I can

recommend the hot chocolate) we took a leisurelywalk around the lake passing many different birdson the way: blue tits, greenfinches, magpies,robins together with water birds, swans, grebes,mallards, moor hens etc.. At the far end of thelake we all stood, like children, and watched whilstvehicles ploughed through the water, whichcrossed the road, to our "oooos" and "aaaaaahs".On completion of our walk we returned to themain road to catch the bus to Nottingham.

Beverley

Strollers

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For someone who has two leftfeet which become weldedtogether in panic at themention of dance, Rene’spresentation came as awelcome and informativestudy; a veritable Vade Mecumon the subject. As is appropriate westarted with the Baroque, J SBach’s French Suite played bythe American pianist GlenGould.. Still keeping with earlydance music John Dowland’sGigue and Galliarde for theLute introduced music for easylistening although what sort ofdancing took place is left to theimagination. In a totallydifferent vein, Purcel’sincidental music for a play “Theold bachelor” by William

Congreave introduced abaroque orchestra as wouldhave been used in the latterhalf of the 17th century. Moving swiftly on throughMozart and Beethoven we hadballet music for the opera andthe orchestral symphony; thethird movement of Beethoven’spastoral demonstrating how abucolic folk dance with therhythms of an “Oompah bandcan grace the classicalsymphony. The influence of folk musicpermeates so much of theorchestral repertoire. We heardEastern European music inDvoraks’ Slavonic dances,Scandinavian music in Griegs’Norwegian dances and, nearerto home Gustav Holst with a

gentrified morris dance. It would be an injustice tomake no mention of Frederick

Chopin so we then listened totwo Mazurkas played byHorowitz. As Rene pointed out somany would be little swanshave sunk without tracepursuing their dream of being aballet dancer so in theirmemory we had music fromTchaikovsky’s Swan Lake; aRussian dance fromStravinsky’s ballet Petroushkaand a quirky Tango by thesame composer. The wholeshow was rounded off by agrand Viennese waltz byStrauss. Thank you Rene and Kathand Steve our hosts.

Classical Music Appreciation

David Dobbs

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzenitsyn

For some of the group, this was a revisiting of anovel read many years ago. We all agreed,however, that reading the book now, from amature perspective, afforded a better insight intothis classic story of suffering and enduranceunder Stalin’s repressive regime in Russia. Set in a forced labour camp in the depths of aSiberian winter, the novella charts one day ofIvan’s 10 year sentence. Somehow subsisting ona meagre diet of black bread and “mush”, Ivanexplains the brutal reality of the Gulag system,which detained and punished millions ofRussians who were deemed to be threats to theState. The building projects they are assignedare intended to help transform Russia into a moredeveloped, industrialised nation, but the reality isthat the detainees are an unskilled, reluctantworkforce supplied with substandard materials,following chaotic instructions. Their main priorityis survival in an inhumane system. Ivan’s unjust imprisonment mirrors that of theother “zeks”. The camp could be seen as amicrocosm of wider Russian oppression, in whichthe middle classes, landowners, intellectuals,

religious groups,ethnic minoritiesand anyonehavingexperience offoreigners isregarded asdangerous. At first, theprisoners’almost stoicalacceptance oftheir lot appearsstrange, but it isdangerous tocriticise andthey arepowerless tochange anythinganyway We felt thatSoltzenitsynpaid tribute in the story to the endurance of thehuman spirit in the face of “Man’s inhumanity toman”, largely based on his own experience ofsuffering in a forced labour camp.Rather guiltily, after our discussion we had a fewfestive treats and a quiz.

Book Group

Maggie Doherty

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Bonjour.Don`t they know how to enjoythemselves. Just look at these

photos. At the French Conversation Soiree Buffet last month, forty one members and guests attended,to what was a superb evening. We had a glass of fizz to start, served by that long tall streaky winewaiter. Where did they get him from? Then there was a reallysuperb buffet, some good French wine, a tricky little quiz, andjovial conversation at every table.

We must have been having agood time because the stewardasked the last twenty of us to gohome at twelve o`clock. We can`twait for our third one next year.Why don`t you join our group andsee for yourselves.Joyeux Noel et bonne annee.A bientot - Brian Callaghan

French Conversation

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In this meeting the next set of instructions for making socks was coveredby Gill, we now have only the toe section to finish, using Kitchener stitchto graft the remaining stitches together. This will be covered in the nextmeeting on January 5th at the Gedling Road Methodist Church. In theremaining time we had a small Christmas celebration. We hope to seeyou all in the New Year.

Merry Christmas

Gill & Lynne

Textile Crafts

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November 2017: Wysall Walk. 15 of us enjoyeda gentle stroll in the bright autumn sunshine. The

first loop of the walk was a 4.5 mile circuit in the area between Wysall and Willoughby, takingin some of the Midshires Way. Our picnic was enjoyed by the Church in Wysall, where Keithdemonstrated his demolition and dry stone walling skills. Everyone declined the option toreturn to the pub at this point and continued around the second loop which involved a slightlymuddy route to Bunny wood and back. Most of the party enjoyed the hospitality at theexcellent Plough Inn before returning to Gedling. Convenor Brian Shield

December 2017: Kinoulton, Vimy Ridge and Hickling Walk. Don’t worry we are not goingto France. This is a gentle 7 mile walk with just one steady climb. It will provide an opportunityto get over the excesses of Christmas and as always for our Christmas walk, friends andfamily are welcome to join us as visitors. In the unlikely event that we have adverse weatherconditions we will change our route and do a local walk which does not require driving. Meetin the car park on Ranmoor Road at 9.00am on Thursday 28th December and bring a packedlunch. Convenor Brian Shield

Striders walks

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Time Group Meet at Details Contact12 Tue 09:45 Photography Carlton Fire Station Monochrome Photography Mike on 0776 218 289812 Tue Badminton Session cancelled12 Tue 14:00 Canasta The Willowbrook Lynne on 0777 180 195712 Tue 14:30 Poetry Apprec. A member's house Rene on 0115 841 848113 Wed 10:00 Music for Fun Netherfield Baptist Charles on 0115 915 752513 Wed 12:30 Bridge and Whist The Willowbrook Christmas Party Ken on 0115 956 278013 Wed 12:30 Canasta The Willowbrook Christmas Party Lynne on 0777 180 195713 Wed 12:30 Scrabble The Willowbrook Christmas Party Lynne on 0777 180 195714 Thu 09:30 Cycling For Fun Ranmoor Road Gonalston, Epperstone, etc. Tom on 0780 094 939614 Thu 11:00 Coffee Morning Top Spot Club Maggie on 0115 955 928514 Thu 12:00 Ten Pin Bowling MFA Bowl Brenda on 0115 962 575714 Thu 13:00 Luncheon Club Contact Ian for details Ian on 0115 998 880314 Thu 13:30 Art Gedling Road Meth. Christine on 0115 915 752515 Fri 10:00 Science Richard Herrod The Science of Christmas Steve on 0784 111 143515 Fri 16:00 Table Tennis C-le-W Academy Andrea on 0752 709 032415 Fri 17:00 Badminton Carlton Forum L.C. Liz on 0115 960 642816 Sat 09:30 Cycling For Fun Meet at 50 Willow Road, Carlton Tom on 0780 094 939618 Mon 10:00 Sewing Carlton Fire Station Note change of date Pam on 0115 926 002618 Mon 10:30 Family History Richard Herrod Brenda on 0774 201 748218 Mon 14:00 Art Appreciation A member's house Favourite piece of art Christine on 0115 953 672518 Mon 14:00 Drama Richard Herrod Rehearsals Pat on 0791 866 532218 Mon 18:30 Wine Lovers 4 Burton Road C.C. Christmas Social Paul on 0115 955 928519 Tue 09:30 5 Miles + tea Ranmoor Road Walk details TBA Christine on 0115 915 752519 Tue 14:00 Local History The Willowbrook Christmas Social Graham on 0115 956 179119 Tue 15:00 Real Ale Appreciation December Meeting Richard on 0751 421 213420 Wed 10:00 Singing for Pleas. St Georges Centre Note change of venue Allan on 0115 911 304520 Wed 14:00 Bridge and Whist The Willowbrook Ken on 0115 956 278021 Thu 10:15 General Meeting Richard Herrod Note earlier start time Tom on 0780 094 939622 Fri 10:00 Singing for Pleas. Bethesda Ministries Allan on 0115 911 304522 Fri 14:00 Canasta The Willowbrook Andrew on 0115 987 526322 Fri 17:00 Badminton Carlton Forum L.C. Liz on 0115 960 642823 Sat Cycling For Fun No ride this week23 Sat 17:00 Theatre Royal Concert Hall Family Carol Concert Carolyn on 0115 952 420325 Mon Discussion No meeting this month Lynne on 0777 180 195727 Wed 10:00 Music for Fun Netherfield Baptist TBC, check beforehand Charles on 0115 915 752528 Thu 09:00 Striders Walking Ranmoor Road Kinoulton & Hickling Walk Brian on 0115 956 767028 Thu 11:00 Coffee Morning Top Spot Club Maggie on 0115 955 928529 Fri Badminton Session cancelled30 Sat Cycling For Fun No ride this week

Time Group Meet at Details Contact1 Mon History Study No meeting this month2 Tue Railway Enth. No meeting this month3 Wed 10:00 Singing for Pleas. Netherfield Baptist Allan on 0115 911 30453 Wed 14:00 Bridge and Whist The Willowbrook Ken on 0115 956 27803 Wed 14:00 Scrabble The Willowbrook Lynne on 0777 180 19574 Thu 10:15 Tai Chi Richard Herrod Sally on 0778 754 11454 Thu 10:30 Strollers Walking King Street bus stop Southwell (100 bus at 10:40) Beverley on 0797 748 21324 Thu 14:00 Alt. Book Club The Gedling Inn Andrew on 0115 987 52635 Fri 10:15 Textile Crafts Gedling Road Meth. Lynne on 0777 180 19575 Fri 14:00 Canasta The Willowbrook Lynne on 0777 180 19575 Fri 16:00 Table Tennis C-le-W Academy Andrea on 0752 709 03245 Fri 17:00 Badminton Carlton Forum L.C. Liz on 0115 960 6428

Carlton & Gedling U3A Diary of Events: DECEMBER 2017

Date

Carlton & Gedling U3A Diary of Events: JANUARY 2018

Date

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6 Sat 09:30 Cycling For Fun Meet at 50 Willow Road, Carlton Tom on 0780 094 93967 Sun Deadline for Newsletter submissions Nick on 0115 987 25948 Mon 10:00 Classical Music St. A member's house Berlioz Part 2 David on 0115 955 47268 Mon 10:30 Greenfingers Gedling Road Meth. Looking ahead to spring Nicola on 0115 940 15078 Mon 14:00 Richard Herrod Committee Meeting Tom on 0115 955 44718 Mon 14:00 Tea Dancing Richard Herrod Note new start time Helen on 0115 955 47238 Mon 18:30 Wine Lovers 2 Burton Road C.C. Wines from California Paul on 0115 955 92859 Tue 09:45 Photography Carlton Fire Station Pinhole photography Mike on 0776 218 28989 Tue 13:00 Badminton John Carroll L.C. Liz on 0115 960 64289 Tue 14:00 Book Club Carlton Fire Station Poetry Maggie on 0115 952 31859 Tue 14:00 Canasta The Willowbrook Lynne on 0777 180 19579 Tue 14:30 Poetry Apprec. A member's house Theme: New Beginnings Rene on 0115 841 8481

10 Wed 10:00 Music for Fun Netherfield Baptist Charles on 0115 915 752510 Wed 14:00 Bridge and Whist The Willowbrook Ken on 0115 956 278010 Wed 14:00 Scrabble The Willowbrook Lynne on 0777 180 195711 Thu 09:30 Cycling For Fun Meet at 50 Willow Road, Carlton Tom on 0780 094 939611 Thu 11:00 Coffee Morning Top Spot Club Maggie on 0115 955 928511 Thu 12:00 Ten Pin Bowling MFA Bowl Brenda on 0115 962 575711 Thu 13:00 Luncheon Club Contact Ian for details Ian on 0115 998 880312 Fri 09:30 Bird Watching Richard Herrod Bestwood Country Park Joan on 0776 307 165512 Fri 10:00 Singing for Pleas. Bethesda Ministries Allan on 0115 911 304512 Fri 12:00 Grumpy Old Men The Gedling Inn Ian on 0115 911 468112 Fri 13:00 Crafts Friday Carlton Fire Station Needlefelt creatures Rofie on 0115 955 447112 Fri 16:00 Table Tennis C-le-W Academy Andrea on 0752 709 032412 Fri 17:00 Badminton Carlton Forum L.C. Liz on 0115 960 642813 Sat 09:30 Cycling For Fun Meet at 50 Willow Road, Carlton Tom on 0780 094 939615 Mon 14:00 Art Appreciation Gallery visit Christine on 0115 953 672516 Tue 14:00 Local History Richard Herrod The Godfreys of Park House Graham on 0115 956 179117 Wed 10:00 Singing for Pleas. Netherfield Baptist Allan on 0115 911 304517 Wed 14:00 Bridge and Whist The Willowbrook Ken on 0115 956 278017 Wed 14:00 Scrabble The Willowbrook Lynne on 0777 180 195718 Thu 10:30 General Meeting Richard Herrod The Real Glenn Miller Story Tom on 0780 094 939619 Fri 14:00 Creative Writing Richard Herrod New Beginnings Ian on 0115 998 880319 Fri 16:00 Table Tennis C-le-W Academy Andrea on 0752 709 032419 Fri 17:00 Badminton Carlton Forum L.C. Liz on 0115 960 642820 Sat 09:30 Cycling For Fun Meet at 50 Willow Road, Carlton Tom on 0780 094 939620 Sat 14:30 Theatre Lace Market Theatre The Haunting by Hugh Jones and Charles DickensPaul on 0115 840 073322 Mon 10:00 Sewing Carlton Fire Station Richards Suite (large room) Pam on 0115 926 002622 Mon 10:30 Discussion A member's house Migration & Fashion eras Lynne on 0777 180 195722 Mon 14:00 Richard Herrod Committee Meeting Tom on 0115 955 447122 Mon 14:00 Tea Dancing Richard Herrod Note new start time Helen on 0115 955 472322 Mon 18:30 Wine Lovers 4 Burton Road C.C. Wines from California Paul on 0115 955 928523 Tue 13:00 Badminton John Carroll L.C. Liz on 0115 960 642823 Tue 14:00 Music Apprec. Richard Herrod Theme: Islands Eric on 0115 952 375724 Wed 10:00 Music for Fun Netherfield Baptist Charles on 0115 915 752524 Wed 14:00 Bridge and Whist The Willowbrook Ken on 0115 956 278024 Wed 14:00 Scrabble The Willowbrook Lynne on 0777 180 195725 Thu 11:00 Coffee Morning Top Spot Club Maggie on 0115 955 928525 Thu 13:00 Crafts Thursday Carlton Fire Station Needlefelt creatures Rofie on 0115 955 447126 Fri 10:00 Singing for Pleas. Bethesda Ministries Allan on 0115 911 304526 Fri 14:00 Canasta The Willowbrook Lynne on 0777 180 195726 Fri 16:00 Table Tennis C-le-W Academy Andrea on 0752 709 032426 Fri 17:00 Badminton Carlton Forum L.C. Liz on 0115 960 642827 Sat 09:30 Cycling For Fun Meet at 50 Willow Road, Carlton Tom on 0780 094 939630 Tue 14:00 Canasta The Willowbrook Lynne on 0777 180 195731 Wed 14:00 Bridge and Whist The Willowbrook Ken on 0115 956 278031 Wed 14:00 Scrabble The Willowbrook Lynne on 0777 180 1957