Calendar of Events February

Tues. 5th Wellington at Waterloo. U3A Group. Function Room, 2.00pm Thurs. 7th Communion. Function Room. 11.30am Tues. 19th The Regency and William IV. U3A Group. Function Room, 2.00pm Tues. 12th St Valentine’s Day Preview illuminated with music and song. Jennifer Carr 7.30pm (Soc Comm)

March Thurs. 7th Communion. Function Room, 11.30am Tues 19th Quiz with Nibbles, 7.30pm Tues. 19th The Reform Acts U3A. History Group. Function Room, 2.00pm Thurs, 21st Board Meeting I, 10.30am

Weekly Events Monday evening: Film Night, 7.30pm

Wednesday afternoon: 'Move it or Lose it' exercises, 3.00pm

Online: The current edition, together with earlier editions, is now available on Fullerton Court’s website: www.retirementsecurity.co.uk/fullerton-court/download Thank you for your contributions. Please send your stories, comments, thoughts, ideas, wants, etc. to David, no.26, or email: d.pegler26@btinternet.com Editor: David Pegler; Assistant Editors: John Blackwell and Kathleen Plumtree. Printing and circulation: Lin Sutcliffe

RESIDENTS VOICE FULLERTON COURT

46 FEBRUARY 2019

Fullerton Court representatives assemble at Margaret Court, Stratford-upon-Avon to attend the

AGM of RSL. See page 3

THE CHAIRMAN REPORTS John Blackwell

Court Freehold: Bob Bessell, Chairman of RSL, who own the freehold of Fullerton Court, visited earlier this month and spoke initially with the Board, and later with the Owners, about the possibility and the implication of a Court freehold being owned by the Owners. Taking into account views expressed at this meeting and further discussions I have had with Owners; my thinking is that we should wait and see what developments there are at RSL but be prepared to act if an appropriate offer is made. If any Owner or family member would like to discuss this matter further, please do not hesitate to contact me. Court Finances: The Board officially meets every Quarter, when the main item on the Agenda is the Quarterly accounts, copies of which are in the Minutes folder in the Lounge. Our main expenditure from the Fund for Future Maintenance (FFM) this Quarter was for the two boilers in the Laundry Room, which provide all our hot water services. Gardening Committee: Many of you will have noticed that our bi-annual visit by the Tree Surgeon took place earlier this month. The cost for this visit comes out of the Gardening Budget. We have a Gardening Committee Meeting on Wednesday 13th. If you have any thoughts or ideas, please let us know. Udney Park Playing Fields: The High Court hearing regarding the re-instatement of the Playing Fields as a Local Green Space was heard on the 16-17th January. We are awaiting the Judge’s decision. Personal: Sadly, Harold Hale, Eileen Newman and Leonie Lazarus are no longer with us, may they rest peacefully. Our sincere condolences go to their families. We welcome Candy Francis as a Temporary HKA. Social Committee: Jill Wood has resigned as Chairman of the Committee, a post she has held for some 8 years during which she worked extremely hard, supported by the members of the Social Committee, to provide a wide range of talks, entertainment and outings, which included Pub Lunches and River Trips; for all her effort and enthusiasm we are all extremely grateful. Joyce Southern has kindly agreed to take on the role as Chairman, and we assure you that a Pub Lunch, transport provided, are very much on our Agenda. Once again, your thoughts and suggestions are much appreciated.

SOCIAL COMMITTEE TRAVELOGUES OF FLOWERS AND EVENTS

Roy Wood Tuesday, 22nd January

Roy Woods presented an entertaining programme of photographs accompanied by music and commentary: The beautiful gardens of Compton Acres and Kew, a cruise to Antarctica with commentary by the ship's captain, a clever cartoon showing Bob the Builder cleaning or repairing famous London landmarks, underwater photographs taken by a scuba diver swimming with whale sharks (the largest fish in the sea), a fond farewell to Concord and a moving poem composed by a soldier killed in the 2nd world war. All followed by conversation over nibbles and a glass of wine. A very enjoyable evening. Joyce Southern

UNIVERSITY OF THIRD AGE HISTORY GROUP

EUROPE’S FIRST COMMON MARKET – THE HANSEATIC LEAGUE The League was established in the 12th/13th centuries after warfare turmoil following

failure of the Crusades. The League originated on the Island of Gotland in the Baltic, then transferred to Lubeck. Eventually other cities from Scotland to Russia joined. Basically, the League was an association providing mutual benefits to members. In England secondary locations were established on the East coast. Trade took place in a wide variety of commodities such as fish and lumber. The currency was based on silver coins. At its height (1350-1370) the League was established in70 cities. The league internally resembled town guilds. It assisted to defend against foreign competition. Denmark was regarded as an enemy. Slowly alternative markets were established

by rising nation states undermining the Leagues monopolies. In addition, alternative methods of credit were established in Italy. By the end of the 16th century the League had imploded. Bill Small The Group will meet on the 5th February (Wellington at Waterloo),19th February (The Regency and William IV), 5th March (subject to be decided), 19th March (The Reform Acts). Owners are welcome. Bill Small

THE SMART-PHONE OBSESSION AND FINAL TAKEOVER

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF RETIREMENT SECURITY Ltd

Three Directors, Hélène Blackwell, John Blackwell, David Pegler, and the Court Manager, Linda Sutcliffe, travelled to Stratford-upon-Avon in heavy rain on Wednesday, 16th January, to attend the Annual General Meeting of RSL. They assembled at Margaret Court, Tiddington, on the outskirts of Stratford, a relatively new Court built in 2009, and slightly larger than Fullerton Court with 44 apartments and six bungalows. The group was welcomed over coffee by two Directors and Staff and stayed on for a pre-booked lunch before the afternoon meeting. The AGM was held at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel, with around sixty owners and shareholders in attendance. The Chairman, Robert Bessell, opened the meeting giving a somewhat brief annual report announcing that the long serving Vice-Chairman, Sir Alan Greengross, had died last August. Also, reporting on a significant reduction in profit for the past year, a net reduction of £135,762 on the previous year, largely due to very high legal costs. Currently, Mr Bessell is acting both as the Board Chairman and as the Chief Executive Officer. The Board is currently seeking a new appointment with the title of Chief Operating Officer. At the elections, Mr Bessell was re-elected to the Board along with the Estates Director, Nicholas Chriscoli, Mrs Linda Clement, the Court Manager of Plymouth Court, Redditch was formerly elected a Director of the Board, having been co-opted several months earlier. The visit allowed our representatives to re-unite with many old friends from other Courts, helping to establish a good relationship and to learn from their experiences.

TREE-MENDOUS NEWS

Many trees are to be planted in the Richmond Borough as the Council plans to almost double the number of trees planned on last year’s figure. 500 trees will be planted between the middle of November 2018 and the end of March. This was announced last November during National Tree Week. Varieties of trees have been chosen to suit the areas in which they are planted, and ensure they are able to grow and thrive in varying weather conditions. Each newly planted tree will have a label attached encouraging residents to water them, particularly during hot and dry periods where the extra TLC will supplement the Council’s regular watering efforts.

THE GENERATION GAP

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During a visit to a doctor, Roy asked him, ‘How do you determine whether or not an older person should be put in a Nursing Home?’ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup, and a bucket to the person to empty the bathtub.’ ‘Oh, I understand,’ Roy said. ‘A normal person would use the bucket because it is bigger than the spoon or the teacup.’ ‘No’ said the doctor. ‘A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?’

CANARY WHARF WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL, 2019

The ‘Winter Lights Festival’ returned for the fifth year, from 15 – 26 January. This is a display by international artists using ‘light art’ technology. It consists of 21 different displays, including an extensive roof garden, which allows visitors to walk through 24,000 suspended lights Access can be gained from Waterloo and the Jubilee Line. Adjacent is the Dockland Museum, illustrating the docks procedures when London Docks were operating. Bill Small

HORSE LAUGHS

Some supermarkets have admitted that there is horse meat in their home-cooked burgers. Burger King have had to admit that there are ‘small amounts’ of horse meat in their burgers. Within hours of the news that Tesco's 'all beef hamburgers' contained 30% horse meat, these quips hit the Internet: 1. ‘I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse..... I guess Tesco just listened! 2. Anyone want a burger from Tesco? Yay or neigh? 3. Not entirely sure how Tesco are going to get over this hurdle 4. Waitress in Tesco asked if I wanted anything on my Burger. so, I had £5 each way! 5. ‘I've just checked the burgers in my freezer ... AND THEY'RE OFF!’ 6 ‘To beef or not to beef, that is equestrian’..... 7. I hear the smaller version of those burgers make great horse d'oeuvres. 8. Instead of choosing ‘rare, medium or well done, it’s now Win, Place or Show’

PARONOMASIA

1. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says 'Dam!' 2. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too. 3. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other says 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.' 4. There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.