Newsletter September 2019

1 of 4    Website:​ w​ ww.flintshire-u3a.co.uk​ E​ mail:​ [email protected] Volume 14 Issue 4 September 2019 Diary Dates:  Sept 8​th​ ​Mad Hatter’s Tea Party 2.30pm at Gwernymynydd village centre.    Oct 23r​ d​ ​ ​Closing date for the submission of articles for the November newsletter.   Nov 7t​ h ​ O​ pen Meeting. Speaker Viv Williams - Stories from Flintshire WW1 Memorials.​      New Year Lunch 2020    A new venue this year and it is the Highfield Hall just on the outskirts of Northop Hall. The lunch will take  place on Thursday 16​th ​ January at 12.30pm. The cost will be £20 for 3 courses of your choice and  includes the staff tip. This lunch is always popular and the meal choice forms will be out in October.  Completed forms are to be returned with payment by cheque please.   Welsh Learners Group Visit to Gwrych Castle       In May, the Welsh Learners Group and their guests visited Gwrych Castle. This gothic style castle in  Abergele built in 1822, is a distinctive building easily identified when travelling along the A55 coast road.  Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh was inspired by the memory of his mother’s Welsh ancestors to have  built one of the nineteenth century’s largest structures in Europe. Even though the weather, flora and  fauna have taken their toll on the castle, we could envisage the immense scale of the park, walls, towers  and gate lodges as we  strolled through the terraced  garden where once melons  and pineapples were grown  to adorn the dining table.  Today the entire interior has  been lost, but we were able  to view a restoration of the  Countess’s writing room and  the conservatory tower.  Warmth and sunshine  accompanied us on our tour  of the grounds, which boast  an Ancient Woodland, a Site  of Scientific Interest and  extensive views over the park  to the sea.   Although there is still much work to do to repair the theft, vandalism and trespass that has occurred in its  past, Gwrych Castle might yet prove to be the phoenix that can arise from the ashes.     We ended our outing with a meal at the Pet Cemetery Tearoom in Holywell. We chatted in both English  and Welsh about our news and the very enjoyable day we had spent together.    Vera Williams  1 

2 of 4  Message From The Chair  I am very glad to say that the Midsummer Party was a roaring success with everybody joining in the fun  and hopefully the Mad-hatters, which is coming up soon, will be just as good or even better. As some of  you might know I am on my European travels which took me up a very high mountain in Innsbruck and  that is where I saw this writing on a window “ONLY THOSE WHO RISK GOING TOO FAR CAN POSSIBLY  FIND OUT HOW FAR ONE CAN GO”. Hope to see many of you at the Open Meeting on 5​th​ ​Sept.  Colin Lewis 0​ 7598398701  Neges gan y Cadeirydd Rwy'n falch iawn o ddweud bod y parti Canol Haf wedi bod yn llwyddiant ysgubol gyda phawb yn ymuno  yn yr hwyl. Gobeithio y bydd y parti Mad-hatters fydd yn digwydd yn fuan, yr un mor dda neu hyd yn oed  yn well! Fel y gwyddoch efallai, dwi'n teithio yn Ewrop a mi es i i gopa mynydd uchel iawn yn Innsbruck, lle  gwelais yr ysgrifen yma ar ffenestr yn dweud “DIM OND Y RHAI SYDD DDIM YN OFNI MYND YN RHY  BELL SY'N GWYBOD PA MOR BELL ALLWCH FI FYND”. Gobeithio y byddaf yn gweld llawer ohonoch yn y  Cyfarfod Agored a gynhelir ar 5ed Medi. Colin Lewis 07598398701​ Translation provided by Jane Owen  Wine Appreciation Group   Craft Group  Thought you might like to see our latest Craft  Best of the month (August) selection.  Group creations. They’re called a ‘Quilter’s  Jewel’  Best Red:-Farmers of Wine Organic Red 2017 13.0%    Italy ASDA​ ​£7:00    Tricia  Deep ruby red. Intense and bright aromas in the grapes,  with a fruity and flowery bouquet. Mouth filling and well  balanced sweetness and acidity. The finish is  characterised by sweet fruit, lush and jammy on the  palate, with a fruity long finish. Food pairing be​ ef​, pasta,  lamb.​ ​ Easy to find just look for the bottle in a brown  paper package (really)    Best White:- Soave Superiore Classico 2017 13.5%  Italy Tesco Finest ​ £​ 7:50  This elegant white has been made using the finest  Garganega grapes hand picked on Italy's Soave  Classico hills. Partially aged in oak for 10 months, its  mineral character is balanced with layers of ripe citrus  and stone fruit flavours. A refreshing yet rich dry white  with flavours of peach, apple and citrus with the  characteristic notes of almond blossom typical of top  quality Soave.       Enjoy, we did ! ​John Tiplady  Archaeology  On Monday 22​nd​ ​ July, our speaker was Chris Winner, who has just recently  taken up the position of Trustee for Wales. Her presentation was entitled,  'Kemet' which is the old Egyptian word for Egypt.  The talk concentrated on eight important women in Egypt's ancient history  and was packed full of interesting and unusual facts about their lives and  those around them. We were treated to a well researched and pictorial  slideshow to accompany the presentation. We all found it fascinating. Many  thanks to Chris for her obvious enthusiasm and for sharing her knowledge  with us.​ O​ ur next meeting is on the 23r​ d​ ​ of September and every subsequent  fourth Monday of each month.     Julie Harvey 2 

3 of 4  A New Activity Group - Boules/Petanque    We feel sure that many FU3A members will have played or watched boules whilst on holiday and may be  interested in joining us in this new group.     The rules are fairly easy and the game is not too strenuous. We play for fun, not competition, although an  element of competitive play does emerge. Boules/Pétanque is perfect as a low impact exercise involving  throwing, bending and walking. However it also requires team play, concentration, tactics and strategy.  Being a relatively inexpensive activity the social side of the sport is another of its great benefits. As long  as you can hold and throw a boule you can play pétanque.     Our initial meeting was held on Thursday August 15​th​ ​. We had a lively and productive discussion drawing  up the details of our New Activity Group with Ken Archer (new Joint Coordinator) and Brian Williams. We  christened the new piste (pit) with great success.    Please contact​ Mike & Gail​ on 01745571152 or 07885582424 for further information.      Exploring Science Group Flintshire U3A Survey  Recent Open Meetings have not been well  Meets on the second ​Tuesday of the month from 14:00  attended and we would like to receive some  to 15:30 at the Methodist Church, Mold.  feedback from members on their thoughts on  the future of these meetings. Survey forms will    be available at the September Social History  and Open meetings. In addition, from Group  Sep 10​th​ The Story of the Sun by David Roberts  Coordinators and also the web site. Please  Oct 8​th​ How to find a Tram on the Manchester Metro  complete the survey before the end of  September, and return it to any Committee  by Alan Symes  Member, Group Coordinator, or via email to  Nov 12t​ h​ Plastic - An Attempt to Discover Some Truths   [email protected]  Philip Johnson  by Sue Foy from Chester U3A   Dec 10​th​ Meeting cancelled because it clashes with   the FU3A Christmas Concert     Geoff Newbold: 01352 753683  Social History    Our Social History Group meetings take place on the first Monday of the month (except Bank Holidays) at  Ewloe Social Club - postcode CH5 3AU - 10.15 am start. A mixed programme of topics/subjects and  speakers are covered. The FU3A Social History Group programme for the remainder of the year is as  follows :    7​th​ October The life and times of Sir Winston Churchill Speaker: Derek Herbert  4​th​ November Faces to my camera - Part 2 Speaker: John Butler  2​nd​ ​ December A further look at our County through old postcards Speaker: Brian Bennett    Brian Bennett​ - FU3A Social History Group Coordinator  3 

4 of 4  Walking Group 2      The U3A Tuesday Walkers led by Peter Gordon, started their walk in Whitford, near Holywell. On their way  they passed the Pharos, reputedly a Roman lighthouse but others think it could have been a 17th century  watch tower built to give warning of pirate raids! The next stop was for the Maen Achwyfan or  Lamentation Stone. It dates from around the 10th century but its function is uncertain. It may have been  used for preaching or even as a slaughter monument as a number of bones and skulls have been found  nearby. After a picnic at the halfway point the group ended their walk at Whitford church. P​ eter Gordon  Music Live  Music Live played at Mold Methodist Church on 10​th​ August. We took part in an event which raised over  £400 to help support agriculture in Zimbabwe. The singers are Arthur Kemp, Liz Parry and Jenny  Mulholland. Everyone enjoyed it and the food was brilliant - pork and apple pie with new potatoes and  peas followed by a chocolate fudge cheesecake. ​John House   Philosophy Group  The Philosophy Group welcomes new members to discuss topics of interest. As the philosopher  Socrates said “Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people\"  Which do you want to be? We meet on the first Tuesday of the month at Parkfield’s Community Centre  between 2-4pm. ​Pauline 01352 770639   This edition of the newsletter was edited by Martin Hampstead, Helen Lloyd and Muriel Vernon.      4