This month has had an international flavour about it – just the ticket to cheer us all up, during the long month of January.
Members came along to the first meeting of 2005, knowing that they would be transported to the other side of the World, if not literally then metaphorically at least, by George Nelson. Members sat back to enjoy Part II of Back-packing for the over 50’s, Part I having been shown to us last January.
The newsletter for January 2004 explains about the six-month sabbatical that George and his wife Diana took, and we re-joined their journey in George’s native New Zealand. This part of their trip was more of family reunion, as they were joined at different points by three of their four children, and although we were led to believe that this leg of their trip was not such an adventure, they still managed to fit in a parachute jump, helicopter trip and for Diana her first attempt at hang-gliding.
It was a most enjoyable interlude and we were all full of admiration for this well travelled family.
Earlier in the evening News & Events encompassed the past as well as the future. Our Christmas Dinner was judged a great success, our caterer has already been booked for December 2005, and those who had enjoyed the Christmas Workshop on gift-wrapping and table decoration were delighted to learn that George King had written to say how pleased he was that the Pamela King Bursary had been used in this way.
Members were urged to make sure they had applied for their tickets for the Evening with Angela Baker (as played by Julie Walters in the film Calendar Girls) as the remainder were being put on sale to other Institutes on Saturday 29 January.
The Competition Trophy was awarded to Margaret Wilson, but only after Muriel Spanholtz gave a nail-biting account of how close the result was, as any one of about four members could have won, but Margaret gained the vital extra point in the last competition of 2004 – it only goes to show that every point really does count.
We started 2004 in the Pub, but continuing with our travels around the world, on the last day of January about 10 of us met up for lunch in one of the Chinese restaurant’s in town – this gives us a chance to catch up in between meetings.
Our next meeting is on 24 February 7.30 p.m. in the Village Hall – why not come along.
