Turriff and District U3A

Newsletter September 2015

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE

Hello everyone,

Welcome to our first Turriff & District U3a Newsletter kindly produced and ed-

ited by Kathleen Smith (as if she hasn’t enough to do already). Thank you Kathleen.

Many other members have given their time, energy and muscle to promoting the

wonders of T&D U3a this summer and our main event was of course The Turriff Show. I’d

therefore like to give special thanks to all those who volunteered to man (or person/woman) the

stand on Sunday and Monday. (You know who you are.) We’d all been warned about the tradi-

tion of rain and wind at the Turra’ Show and were pleasantly surprised by the remarkably be-

nign weather. In fact some of us found it rather too hot and had to retreat to the back of the tent.

One thing I’d never imagined.

I’d also like to thank John Smith for helping with useful ideas and contacts - especially the pro-

vision of the tent. And to Rose Logan who lent it to us.

I really enjoyed arriving at the showground early on Sunday morning to

set up. The stewards were cheerful, the atmosphere excited, and I got a

lovely view of some very elegant horses having their breakfast while still

wearing their slippers – or are they legwarmers? I know nothing of equine

fashion but they were a charming sight.

The visitors were perhaps a little bewildered by our banner which seems to

suggest that we are an erudite organisation run by New Age Academics. (“University of the

Third Age” does not always help our cause!) But our friendly volunteers outreached bravely

and gave out leaflets and smiles. (I also gave out dog biscuits to a very sweet and well-

mannered lurcher even though he was unlikely to join up as he lived too far away.) The display

boards were also very helpful in showing what we actually get up to and they did not get swept

away by gales. (Something we had been worried about.)

Some people took forms and we have 4 new members signed up and perhaps more to come. I

can now proudly announce that our number stands at 58 and counting! Not bad for an organisa-

tion that is barely a year old.

One other piece of news is that I will be attending the U3a’s national Annual Conference be-

ing held this year in Nottingham from 25th to 27th August. I hope to be able to report back Use-

ful Things that I’ve picked up in the next Newsletter. As a new U3a branch we were offered

financial help to cover the cost of sending someone and we are very grateful to U3a Central for

helping us in this way.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our next General Meeting on Tuesday 1st September

when our speaker will be Kath Hamper of the RSPB site at Loch of Strathbeg.

Best wishes,

Sally (Chair)

Group News Calligraphy The calligraphy group started in June for those of us who want to practise the art of decora-

tive handwriting.

We meet in Oldmeldrum fortnightly, on a Monday afternoon, 1.45 pm to 2.45 pm at the

home of one of our members. At present there are three of us in the group and we welcome

anyone who wants to create lovely lettering!

Our classes start again on Monday 7th September.

Creative writing The writing group continues to meet once a fortnight in Turriff library on a Tuesday morn-

ing at 10:15. Sessions usually finish around 12:00 midday.

We currently have seven members. We continue to write to themes usually decided at the

previous session

On 27th January Peter Gray came along and spoke to us about his historical novel The Door

of Perarolo. This proved to be a very interesting session and we all enjoyed it immensely.

In April we participated in a writers workshop with author Maggie Craig. Again this was

very productive and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

One of our group, Kathleen Smith, won the Buchan Heritage Society prizes for Doric story

writing and for Doric poetry in May.

Then August saw the launch of our booklet Off at a Tangent which is on sale locally. It sim-

ply showcases some of the work the group has produced over the last few months.

We have had a rest over the summer and began meeting again on Aug. 18th.

The following dates are when the group will meet through until Christmas:- 1st September,

15th September, 29th September, 13th October, 27th October, 10th November, 24th Novem-

ber, 8th December, 22nd December

Current affairs/discussion The Current Affairs group meets on the third Friday of the month in the Turriff Library from

2.45 – 4.15pm.

A wide range of subjects are discussed from ‘The widow who gets 1000 begging letters a

year from charities’ to ‘Areas being considered for new travellers sites’ to ‘A shortage of

doctors in the NHS in Scotland’. Members bring with them items from newspapers that in-

terest them and the subject is then open to general discussion. Lively exchanges of views

ensue.

This sociable group welcomes new members.

Family History The Family History group meet monthly in Turriff Library. Over refreshments provided by

the library staff, we are able to discuss various aspects of our research.

As we all do the research in our own time, our get-togethers are the ideal opportunities for

helping each other to solve problems or to learn more about a particular subject.

We have looked at old photographs, learnt more about causes of death and discussed popula-

tion movement.

We are hoping to have more topics and speakers at the coming meetings.

Although we have all started our research, there is plenty of scope for others to join us either

to get help in starting out or searching for solutions to the inevitable brick walls that we all

stumble against.

French conversation

Our group has about 8 regular members so there are usually about

6 of us gathered together at our fortnightly meetings in the Town

House in Turriff.

Over the summer we took a break as so many of us are gallivanting

about – some to speak French with the natives and often at high

altitudes, as climbing and walking seem to be very popular.

We usually choose a theme for each session and recent ones

have included:

What makes us happy? (This included a recording of Piaf’s

“La Vie en Rose” which we attempted to translate and sing

along to – neither of these is easy but we don’t care.)

Domestic Pets, The Weather, Drinks (Essential vocabulary)

And when we get together again on Wednesday 2nd September we will be talking about

What I Did on my Holidays. Well if kids in primary school can do it we should be able to

give it our best shot too.

We meet to enjoy speaking French together and gradually build confidence by making mis-

takes in good company. We also enjoy the tea break which we share with the Italian group

and the relief of being allowed to speak English again plus the comforting sight of tea and

biscuits makes for a noisy recreation. Again it’s a bit like primary school in the decibel

count.

Geology This group is very much for beginners and we are continually learning together.

Our first expedition was in mid March when we visited Crovie and Gardenstown.

On the left are some of the group beside the conglomerate rocks on the

path between Crovie and Gardenstown

and on the right you can see one of our

group (Bernie) closely examining the

Old Red sandstone cliffs found on Gam-

rie beach with a hand lens.

This first trip was shared with the pho-

tography group. The weather was rather

mixed with some wind and rain but a

hot drink in the café soon warmed us up.

Geology - continued In April we visited Windy Hills, Woodhead, Fyvie, and in May the Marble beach at Porstoy,

Then in June we explored the flint mines at Boddam. We enjoyed another

great day out and found the remains of the pits where the flint was exca-

vated.

As well as the geology we find many other interesting things to examine

like this beautiful Northern Marsh Orchid pictured on the right.

In July we visited New Aberdour Bay where we explored

the caves to the east of the bay and the changing rock for-

mations at the west side. Again the weather was really

kind to us and we had sunshine and blue skies.

In August we visited the Sands of Forvie Nature

Reserve where the ranger gave us a presentation

and told us about the reserve which we then

went off to explore for ourselves.

As well as going out on field trips we

meet once a month on a Friday morning at

the Town House in Turriff, usually on the

last week of the month .

At our monthly meetings we discuss upcoming trips and possible places of geological inter-

est to visit. We also examine any rock specimens we may have collected using a digital mi-

croscope.

We next plan to visit Stonehaven and the Bin Hill quarry at Huntly if you fancy coming

along. A small group of us are going further afield in October when we plan to visit Assynt,

just north of Ullapool and Hugh Millar`s cottage in Cromarty.

Italian The U3A Italian Group is a group for beginners. We started off with just three of us and

now have more than doubled in size, but we are always happy to take in new starters.

We work from a course book, Buongiorno Italia! - but it's not scary, as this BBC course is

so well designed that everyone finds it straightforward and fun. There

are CDs for people to practise at home.

We try to vary the format. For example, we had one meeting of the

group where a box of fruit and veg was brought in and we practised buy-

ing produce from an Italian market stall! Another example: one group

member, Ros, works on a private railway (driving trains!) - so we prac-

tised buying railway tickets, single and return, to various destinations.

All good fun!

Layering and cross bedding

at Windy Hills, Fyvie

The red and green Serpentine at Portsoy

more commonly known as Portsoy Marble

One of the caves at

New Aberdour beach.

Chris wielding

the geological

hammer at New

Aberdour while

some others

look on.

The diverse landscape

of Forvie.

Amazing rock formations

at Forvie.

Local History The Local History group meets fortnightly on Monday afternoons. Field trips are

planned at the beginning of the month in Turriff Library 2.45 –4.15 pm. Since its forma-

tion, the group has visited many places of historical interest in the North-east including

Fyvie Castle, Maud Railway Museum, Dunnotar Castle and, at Christmas, booked a ride

on the ‘Santa Special’, the steam train that runs between Keith and Dufftown with

mince pies and a ‘real’ Santa on board!

Our little group has been out and about

To castles and grandiose piles

We’ve had lots of fun - without a doubt,

And travelled a good few miles.

We’re a friendly bunch, which is just as well

As we share our cars and our lunches;

And we always have a story to tell –

At the car park we gather in bunches!

At Dunottar Castle the wind was so wild

We couldn’t get right to the top,

But we sat on a bench in the sunshine so mild,

And enjoyed the rest and the stop.

At Haddo our guide showed us over the house

Full of wonderful works of art.

In the grounds we encountered wild pheasant and grouse

And hoped a red squirrel to start.

An important aspect for most of us there

Is to seek out the local supplies

We sample each tearooms’ refreshments and fare

The food’s a delight to our eyes.

Sometimes going home can be quite an adventure

Some people can’t find their way home

But if you don’t mind some light hearted censure

Come join us, we’re licensed to roam. by Pam Maclennan-Brown

Having only joined U3A in May I was delighted to join the Local History group and go

on my first outing with them to Dunottar Castle. We met in the car park in Turriff and

having sorted out which cars we were using we agreed to meet up at the harbour in

Stonehaven.

On arrival our first port of call was a local tearoom to use the facilities – of course! We

then moved off to the car park at the castle – but it was a very windy day – although

lovely and bright and sunny. As we made our way down the steps toward the castle we

were met by a warden who told us that they had had to close admission to the castle as

there were 40 mph winds on the headland and it was considered too dangerous to admit

the public. Nothing daunted we proceeded to a sheltered bench on a bend in the path

and enjoyed our packed lunches amid beautiful scenes and brilliant sunshine.

On our return to Stonehaven we visited the Tolbooth Museum which had some very in-

teresting exhibits – including several things form our own childhood which were now

considered museum pieces!

Before our return journey we sampled a different tearoom – we must encourage the lo-

cal tourist industry – and then made our own way back to Turriff. Since my navigation

skills are sadly lacking I misdirected Marion along narrow lanes and even a cart track –

but we did make it back in the end! Pam Maclennan-Brown

Nature Walks The Nature Walks are really better described as more of an amble than a walk as we take in

the wildlife and countryside around us. The weather may not always be fine but the group

still turns out dressed in suitable clothing and footwear and hope for the

best.

In June we visited the RSPB reserve at Troup Head. Although it was windy,

the sun shone and we had excellent close up views of the Gannets accompa-

nied by the smell of guano wafting up from the cliff faces. A variety of

Gulls and Auks were also seen. The headland was a haven for wild flowers,

in particular orchids.

Later in the month we joined

forces with the Photographers and the Geologists

and filled two boat trips for a sea journey along

the coast from Macduff to the base of Troup

Head. The weather could definitely have been

better but we did get good views of the bays and

cliffs along the way as well as the nesting ledges and their occupants. One

lone Puffin obligingly put in an appearance for us.

For our July meeting we met at Cullen and walked along the beach and

up the cliff path to Portknockie, returning via the old railway line. The

weather was perfect and we enjoyed views of sand beaches and blue

sea. Shells, birds and flowers were abundant but unfortunately very few

butterflies were seen.

We had a change of time for the August meeting and held our get-

together in the evening. We met with NTS Ranger Stephen at Fyvie Castle for a Moth and

Bat Walk. Due to the wet weather, Stephen had been unable to set up a moth trap the previ-

ous day so he set one up before setting out on our Bat Walk. Unfortunately few moths ap-

peared while we were out. Using Bat detectors, we were able to pick up the sounds emitted

by the flying bats and identified some Soprano Pipistrelles feeding.

Photography The Photography Group continued to have monthly meetings during the 'summer' months

visiting a variety of locations in the area.

June took us to Whitehills Harbour where the boats moored in the marina were the main sub-

jects for pictures but flowers, flags and seaweed also appeared.

In July we visited the formal gardens of Pitmedden, a NTS property.

The colourful borders here provided plenty of opportunities to try

out close-up techniques.

Our last meeting in August was at Windyhills SSSI near Fyvie.

Woodland and wildlife were the theme for this session and, as usual,

there was a wide variety of shots taken.

After the practical session comes the fun time! With the help of tea

and cake we view our efforts on a laptop and compare and discuss them.

Then it's time to compare our 'homework' snapshots. A subject will have been chosen at the

previous meeting and we all take 4 or 5 photographs which illustrate it in some way. It's

amazing how many different interpretations can appear from a single topic such as Rust, Cir-

cles or feet.

Homework - Rust Homework - Feet

Whitehills

Photography continued We will continue with our outdoor sessions while the weather is reasonable but will have

some indoor meetings to learn more about computers and digital photography during the

colder months.

Theatre group There are currently 16 members of the group.

Over the past year members have gone to matinee productions at HMS and Cineworld in Ab-

erdeen. We travel independently and meet at the venue.

A list of forthcoming professional and amateur productions is circulated to members, and

then we meet to discuss possible visits.

Nine members are already booked for Peter Pan in December, as the demand for tickets is

high, and we wanted to ensure good seats.

Some members have expressed an interest in seeing “The Shawshank Redemption,”

“Rebecca” and “Then There Were None” but bookings for these have not yet been made.

New members are always welcome and you are free to choose to attend as many or as few

shows as you wish.

Scrabble The Scrabble group meets monthly in Turriff, on the last Friday of the month at 2 pm at the

home of one of our members. If you love putting letters together and coming up with words,

please join us. Our classes start again on Friday 25th September.

Walking The walking group is for members who want to enjoy an extended walk by the sea or in the

country-side. Walks can vary in length from 2 to 6 hours. The first three walks were along

our stunning coastline: from Cullen to Findochty; Sandend to Cullen and a round trip from

Banff to Bridge of Alvah and back to Banff.

Since then we had a beautiful day on Bennachie and a lovely sociable trip up the Bin at

Huntly. Summer has been busy with other activities and we hope to get going again in Sep-

tember.

The Whale`s Mouth

near Portknockie The Bow Fiddle Rock

Portknockie

On Bennachie On top of the Bin Hill, Huntly

Spanish - starting soon.

Spanish is a fun language. Very accessible.

Harmonic, regular and widely spoken. Just see

its ranking for ‘easiness’ in the chart below.

We’re mobilising a group for local people to

enjoy Spanish, so whether you are a complete

beginner or already an intermediate level lin-

guist, come and join in. The key goal is to en-

joy it.

Perhaps you holiday in Spain, or travel in

South America or have family connections -

it’s a modern language that crops up every-

where. You’ll discover you already know

what many Spanish words mean - aceptable,

basico, casa, delicioso - they are everywhere.

But there is so much more to discover.

It has never been a better time to enjoy Span-

ish. The web is full of audio visual media,

learning tips, films, TV - all the things that let

you help yourself.

How hard can it be - well just look at the chart

opposite to see the answer !