Issue 25
Spring 2007
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Group News cont’d
Group resumes on Wednesday 9th May with “The legacy of Impressionism”, Fauvism & Cubism.
Wednesday 23rd May “The legacy of Impressionism”, Expressionism, Dada & Surrealism
Wednesday 6th June “The legacy of Impressionism”, Pop Art
Starting in September 2007 -THE RENAISSANCE
26th September; 10th October; 24th October; 14th November; 28th November; 12th December.
All meetings at the St Robert’s Centre at 2.30 pm
Brian Souter
The summer term of Keep Fit started on Tuesday, April 17th - but we welcome and are happy to assimilate new members at any time during the term. We meet at 2pm each Tuesday afternoon. Please email Val Cooke for more details There is also information on the web page together with the monthly Newsletter from Jane, our instructor.
Val Cooke
The winter programme was completed just before Easter, and seems to have been enjoyed by the large number of people who attended. Patrick Bishop and Michael Crosby set the history of the parish church in its historical context, and showed slides of many covering the whole period from the Anglo-Saxon to the Twentieth Century. In addition a very successful half day trip to the Norman church at Adel and the Puritan Chapel in Bramhope took place in April. There is also a full day trip being organised to Stow-in-Lindsey and Coates-by-Stow (both close to Gainsborough) on Wednesday June 20th. It is open to all members of the U3A (places permitting). If anyone would like to join the party please email Harrogate U3A. The cost, including lunch will be £15.
Michael Crosby
In March twelve members of the group met at Ripley and spent an early spring afternoon enjoying nature and specifically identifying veteran trees in the area.
Before starting, Ian Wallace the Group Leader spent a few minutes explaining that trees over 200 hundred years old may be considered as being veteran. Depending upon the species, such trees could be anywhere between 195 cm. and 475 cm. in girth and that their age could be assessed using their girth. He then showed how trees can be identified, when out of leaf, using two techniques,
1. the general impression, shape and size (GISS)
2. the colour, shape and configuration of the leaf bud.
In support of his explanation Ian used coloured charts to provide examples of tree outlines and leaf buds. Also,
trees around the bus stop were examined and identified using these techniques.
The group then walked through the village and up Holly Bank Lane identifying trees, assessing their condition and possible age.
As anticipated in an ancient area such as Ripley, a wide variety of trees were seen including, Horse Chestnut, Oak, Beech, Lime, Ash, Sycamore, Holly, Alder, Yew, etc.
A number of trees were identified as possibly being veteran, including oak and ash.
Along the lane a line of 150 year old oaks were found, including three which had been recently felled. This allowed the stumps to be examined, measured and the rings counted. Of these, one was 2.7 m in circumference, with 170 growth rings.
Apart from trees, a good variety of birds were seen including various types of Tit, Blackbirds, Chaffinch, Robin, displaying Goldcrests, Red Kites, Greylag Geese. A Tree Creeper conveniently rested at eye level, allowing a very good view of it’s form and plumage. It was a little early in the year for wild flowers, but Celandines were seen in the churchyard.
A most interesting, informative and enjoyable afternoon.
Bob Johnson
We started the New Year by attempting to produce paintings in the Cubist style of Picasso and Braque – harder than it looks – and later Van Gogh was our inspiration. ‘Horses’ proved a novel and challenging subject a little later.
In the middle of January we held our ‘Christmas’ lunch. There is much to be said for delaying this event until restaurants are less fully booked and menus are less predictable and more than 40 of our members enjoyed the occasion.
Apart from our regular sessions of painting and drawing we have visited exhibitions at art galleries in Ripon and York and a visit to the historic city of Lincoln is planned during April.
The group continues to meet weekly on Tuesdays. For more information email: Harrogate U3A
Bill Mallinson
We are currently well into our look at female philosophers and their legacy. So far this has not been easy as there is not much contemporary comment on them and very little of their work published or still available. Never the less Janet and Terrence have managed to find enough, with some contributions from the rest of the group, for us to gain some insight into a few from Hypatia of Ancient Egypt circa 375-415 AD to Mary Wollstonecraft 1759-97, with an ethical discussion on a mainly female subject in between. At the next meeting I shall bring us closer to current times with a session on Ayn Rand 1905-82 and Hannah Arendt 1906-75. Our last meeting of this academic year will be another ethical