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Hi EveryoneIt is a long held belief that we lsquoold peoplersquo are stuck in our ways and donrsquot like change That view is of courseperpetuated by our children who donrsquot want us invading their techy territory First of all we grappled with Facebook(and Irsquom told by my children that itrsquos only used by lsquoold peoplersquo now as they have moved on to Instagram and SnapChat) However due to the current situation we have embraced the virtual world and are all over Facetime SkypeZoom etcMy children were amazed when I said I was having a virtual cuppa with my friends and I know of a couple of 84year olds who were given Ipads by their daughters to keep in touch and within days they were Facetiming friendsand family all over the world If you feel you havenrsquot got the tools to communicate virtually I would highlyrecommend you try Get Connected which covers everything from downloading apps to online shoppingwwwboldnewworldcouk
News from the GroupsSince lockdown was imposed some of our interest groups are using technology to great effectBook Club 2 has held virtual get togethers using Zoom to review books and the Science Group have used it todiscuss various aspects of sleep and plan more topics perhaps even every fortnightThe History group still receives thoughtful treatises from Bobby Hamilton on all manner of subjects Perhapsfellow historians might consider Zoom to discuss his topicsThe Gardening Group are exchanging emails with observations from their gardens as well as posting photos oftheir gardens on line WhatsApp is also being used to share news and identify plants that have suddenlyappeared in gardensThe Japan Group enjoyed watching Paul Hollywoodrsquos lsquoEating in Japanrsquo and Monty Donrsquos Gardens of Japanwhich they discussed via emailThe Writersrsquo Group is busy putting together an article along the lines of Living History which they are planning tosubmit to the U3A magazine Unfortunately others such as Rummikub and Mah Jong have yet to find a way of playing online but they arekeeping in touchIt could be that the Walking Group will be one of the first to meet again - keeping 2 metres apart using their walkingpoles and all wearing face masks
As you are probably aware this is lsquoMental Health Awareness Weekrsquo Itrsquos perhaps no surprise to learn that morethan 50 of the nation are suffering from anxiety at the moment so this yearsrsquo theme of lsquokindnessrsquo could not bemore apt One thing that we have seen all over the world is kindness prevailing in uncertain times and amid thefear there is also community support and hope U3A Heathfield is almost a community within a community anddespite lockdown it seems you are finding ways to keep in touch with each other And because we are acommunity if you are struggling with anything be it mental or physical there are people to help Please donrsquothesitate to contact Lin Plant on 01435 862449 or mail linplant2002yahoocouk who can put you in touch with
9122020 Heathfield U3A - May Newsletter
httpsmailchimpfec7e21d04edheathfield-u3a-newsletter-19-december-5395273e=[UNIQID] 23
fellow committee members andor the local volunteer group Also do let me know if you would like an occasionalphone call or perhaps you would be willing to ring others who would like to chat
Philippa Pigache finds herself Trapped in Lockdown -
Two days before the social distancing guidelines came into force Iviewed a rather nice garden flat in Tunbridge Wells I asked the ownera recent widow like me why she wanted to move lsquoTo live nearer myson in Burwashrsquo she replied lsquoSnaprsquo I said lsquoI want to move back to TWells to be nearer my sonrsquo Then all viewing showing moving shutdown Irsquom trappedWe came to the country for the big garden so that my husband couldgrow vegetables When he died the little tomato plants the leeks andthe peppers were already in pots in the greenhouse and the potatoeswere in the soil I laboured night and day to bring them to harvest lastyear This year I promised myself I would move on find somethingsmaller nearer my family and old friends It was not to beWhat do I do The garden is a selling point for the house but I canrsquotmaintain it without him After 18 years my husbandrsquos ratherramshackle wooden structures are falling down lsquoThe Artful Bodgerrsquo iswhat he called himself The greenhouse lost three glass roof panels inthe February storms and its ridge dips like the back of an old horse
Any minute it will collapse around my shouldersA month ago while clearing out junk I found a faded envelope with the last of his 2018 tomato seeds Would theygerminate after all this time I planted them Two weeks later they pushed their heads above the earth It will beAugust before they fruitIrsquom staying then I suppose or selling them with the house
And as for the Lingo of the Lockdown - Tim Williams suggests the real meaning of terms used by politicians(and the US President) or otherwise encountered in the current crisis
lsquoUnprecedentedlsquo means wersquove forgotten the Black Death Spanish flu HIV Ebola SARS BSE and MERSandthe World Health Organisation
lsquoRamped uprsquo means yes ok we got it wrong Wersquore back-pedalling furiously
Target ndash an emollient Aka a castle in the air
Goal - a target (a contraction of own goal)
lsquoLet me be quite clearrsquo ndash Irsquom about to obfuscate
lsquoLet me be absolutely clearrsquo - Let me point you in a different direction
lsquoThatrsquos a good questionrsquo - Yoursquove got me there
lsquoDo you want to come back on that rsquo ndash I dare you
Peaking ndash beware of politicians peaking too soon
PPE ndash a common Oxbridge degree sometimes refers to rare anti-viral attire
Mask ndash (verb) to hide or conceal (noun) semi-permeable material covering the mouth and possibly the nose ofuncertain value in limiting viral spread
Cloak ndash (v) as above (n) aka gown a single-use plastic viral culture medium
lsquoWersquove supplied this VERY BIG NUMBERrsquo ie a fraction of whatrsquos needed
Expert ndash someone privy to information not widely available Met Schroumldingerrsquos cat twice
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9122020 Heathfield U3A - May Newsletter
httpsmailchimpfec7e21d04edheathfield-u3a-newsletter-19-december-5395273e=[UNIQID] 33
SAGE ndash a person of great wisdom Also acronym for an advisory committee in which the number of governmentofficials exceeds the number of independent experts
Disinfectant - a White House solution (sarcastic not caustic)
Hydroxychloroquine - a drug with side-effects used to treat malaria (bad air) but with no proven activity againstthe coronavirus
Bad air ndash an ill-informed pronouncement by a statesman who over-rules experts
To trump - to claim a winning hand worthless on scrutiny
lsquoItrsquoll all be over by Easter Christmasrdquo itrsquos going to go on for a very long time (hopefully not four years)
Vaccine ndash the opposite of lockdown a miracle
Lockdown ndash a prison protocol that usually prevents people or information from leaving an area (Wikipedia)
lsquo
I now realise why dogs get so excited about something moving outside (I think I just barked at a squirrel) But atleast the world is a little more accessible than last time I wrote to you how wonderful that we are now able to walkamp talk with friends and family (even if it is still one at a time) Stay safe be kind Annieannieschofield21gmailcom
Copyright copy 2020 Heathfield amp District U3A All rights reserved
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