October 2013 - U3A Vall del Pop

U3A Vall del Pop
News4U
No. 43
Oct
2013
ASSISTANTS URGENTLY NEEDED!
ARE YOU GOOD WITH FIGURES?
JIM LOCKHART WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU
ARE YOU GOOD WITH WORDS?
CAROL LOCKHART WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU
DO YOU HAVE A GREAT SMILE AND A WARM WELCOME?
MARGARET CARNEY WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU
For occasional help in her MAGS team
DO YOU LIKE ORDER AND ORGANISATION?
MAUREEN BARRETT WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU
To help her in her role as Membership Secretary.
Just look online or contact Graham the Secretary for details.
THANK YOU ANNIE!
New leader of the TCP, Sandra Welham, gave a touching
tribute to Annie Hawker as she presented her with a huge
bouquet of flowers. Annie has now moved back to the UK,
after a marathon stint spearheading the TCP for 5 years. Last
month’s trip to Cartagena was the last one Annie organised.
Annie has also been a valuable committee member and a vital
assistant to husband Mike, Membership Secretary. They will
both be very much missed and we wish them every happiness in
their new life.
ANYTHING FOR NEXT MONTH’S NEWSLETTER?
“NEWS 4U” is YOUR newsletter! Please send all those items which you think will interest
fellow members of our U3A to [email protected]. Things you want - things you want to
sell - local information - restaurant favourites (for the free draw!) etc.. Articles should be
in Microsoft Word if at all possible, no more than 200 words with no fancy formatting please.
If you have a LOAD of photo’s … just choose your favourite TWO !
Dear Members,
Firstly, can I thank everyone who took the time to vote in the recent petitions. After
our September meeting, I contacted all the other U3A's on the Costa Blanca and the
response has been fantastic. Let’s hope that the UK government listens to us!
Well, nearly all the groups are now back, up and running after the summer break, and I
hope that the new members who have recently joined us will take the opportunity to
see what is on offer. Remember this is your U3A , so any new groups or suggestions on
how you think we can improve, will certainly be welcomed. You can contact us by mailing
(addresses on the website) or speaking to a committee member.
I would like to thank both Jazz and Lorraine for all their hard work in
putting together the recent cake competition. I certainly enjoyed paying my
euro for a slice . Through the generosity of Maureen Barrett and Anna
Cameron who kindly donated their cakes , we managed to raise 135 euros for
Jalón Valley Help.
Those who attended the meeting will have had the opportunity to see the
new table cloth, kindly made by Cazzie Millington, which
adds a touch of class to the proceedings.
Best wishes,
Bob. (President)
(Since he became President in April 2011, Bob has signed all his letters to members
with a penguin. The penguins this month are on his pinny ... Bob cooking in it .. and Bob
exhausted afterwards! Jazz)
U3A Vall del Pop’s visit to the Moraira Bowling Alley.
(This was in June, but just missed the newsletter deadline
and we don’t know who submitted this report – apologies to the author!)
26 members met at the Bowling Alley in Moraira to show how skilful and talented they are.
Mary Briggs organised the event and on arrival, members were presented with their team leaders and lanes.
The style of bowling left at times something to be desired. It was obvious that some had bowled before and
others were complete novices – but did it matter? No! Every one had a great time.
From the bowling alley, we went to the restaurant Los Leones, where we had a very enjoyable meal. The food
and service were excellent. During the meal the lead scorers of each team were awarded a prize , with Dennis
Arthurs being the overall winner.
The evening passed very quickly but by 11.o’clock everyone was ready to
retire home after a very tiring but enjoyable time.
Photo ; Brigid Redmond. Anne Green, Dennis Arthurs and Derek Hall.
And a note from Graham Quirk…….
An official U3A bowling group has now started, meeting every 2nd Friday
(next 4th Oct.) and they would love to see more members coming along.
Tony Lamb is the organizer, details are on the web site, and to ensure that enough lanes are booked he would
need advance warning from members who to attend.
U3A’s Man on Everest!
U3A Vall del Pop member Vic Delstanche treated us to a fascinating talk at the
October General Meeting on Thursday. Amazingly, at the age of 70, when most of us
are discovering the attraction of a hammock, Vic made his third assault on the
Himalayas, tackling Everest from the Chinese/Tibetan side. This was the culmination of
a life-long love of climbing, and he prepared by joining the Costa Blanca Mountain
Walkers to strengthen his legs, and working out with a home-made system of ropes in
his garage to strengthen his upper body.
After flying to Katmandhu, driving through the Chinese
border, (where curiously, cooked sausages in the rucksack
were not allowed through and not allowed in the waste bins …
they had to be eaten in full view of the officials!) the party
drove to base camp at 17,000 feet. Then, for the luggage and
equipment, it was yak power up to the next camp at
21,000feet. At minus 25degrees, it would not appeal to
everyone!
Vic achieved a climb to 23,000feet, which was the limit to which
his equipment would take him. The six-week adventure has
obviously given Vic a better knowledge of himself, Everest, and
the Tibetan people. He now realizes that you can keep a vest on
day and night for three weeks, that it’s best to refuse marriage
proposals from the locals as they may have a brood of offspring
to support, and if the group leader confesses that he’s never
seen Everest before, get yourself into another group!
Thank you Vic!
Jazz Waspe.
PS – Did you know that it costs 25,000 pounds to buy a package holiday to the summit of
Everest? AND you have to do your own climbing!
Jenny writes .....
Jenny Mulstroh is still at her home in the West Country and has written another of her evocative
pages describing life out of her cottage window. Anyone missing rural UK at its best should go to the
features page and read! www.u3avalldelpop.com/features. Here’s just a sample .......
The End of August.
Another bright summer day. A low murmur of voices gathers in the lane outside, as the church
bells start a lively peal. A wedding! The murmur grows in volume as time goes on and the bells
quicken. Children's voices, excited, adults admonishing them, laughter and anticipation. The
usual knot of village ladies gather around the church gate to get a peek at the bride, and I see
two small blond curly haired boys being towed past the cottage, crisp in white shirts and
breeches, perhaps the pages?
A joyous end to the month, and a summer of sunshine and blue skies.
CARRIED AWAY IN CARTAGENA?
Whilst innocently watching the spectacular Romans and Carthaginians parade on Saturday night there
came a pause in the marching. A tall and handsome tunic-clad soldier stopped opposite our little crowd of
spectators. Immediately his eyes fell upon our very own Sue Whitfield, also clad most fetchingly.
He indicated his interest in her and wondered whether the man sitting to her right was her husband ? His
actions with his sword indicated his willingness to despatch the poor fellow, if she wished, so that she
could run away with him. Sue reassured him that she had no claim whatsoever over John Blakeman.
With this, further enticements were made much to Sue’s excitement and delight. Sadly, however, he had
to move on. The Captain of his army had given the command. Off he marched, with a twinkle in his eye
leaving Sue with a pounding heart and great hopes that he would
return for her once the parade had ended.
Sadly he didn’t ...but the story might have had a different ending had
he flung her over his shoulder and run off with her. We would have
had to explain to Annie the reason for the missing person on the
hotel- bound coach that night. Do you think she would have believed
it?
Anne Martyr
(Sue apologies for the quality of the photo…they were all just SO excited!)
U3A Vall del Pop Visit to Cartagena
Friday 27 to Monday 30 September
Cartagena is a great place to visit, particularly if your visit coincides with their annual Fiesta, which celebrates
Carthaginian and Roman battles during the Second Punic War. Our visit was during the last weekend of their
celebrations and we were treated to wonderful parades which commemorated the landing of the Roman Army at
the port, the Great Battle to conquer the city, final surrender and the Proclamation of Roman Law.
The parades of the Carthaginian Troops and Roman Legions, through the old historic part of the city, were a
memorable spectacle. (see separate report…..Carried away in Cartagena!)
The costumes were lavish, colourful and worn with verve and panache, not only by the Troops and Legions, but
also by their elegant ladies and children.
Thanks to extensive excavations, the remains of many roads and buildings are now open to the public. including
the Roman Amphitheatre, the Forum Area and the Casa de Fortuna.
The Amphitheatre, which has been partially restored, is reached through an excellent
Museum which contains many statues and artefacts found on the site.
In the Forum Area you can see wall paintings, frescos and floor mosaics, the
foundations of the bath house, including the furnace used to heat the thermal baths
complex.
The Casa de Fortuna began as a private family dwelling, but over time was converted
into multiple dwellings and later into a small artisan workshop which made ivory
pins for the ladies hair, some of which are on display. The rest of the building
became a tavern and a shop.
Delia Burke
LUXURY ONE DAY CRUISE TO MAR MENOR
Four of us decided to explore the narrow strip of land enclosing the Mar Menor. It was clearly visible from our
hotel and adorned with many apartment blocks and a few trees. Not exactly attractive, but it was there and
ought to be ‘done’. Just like you climb mountains because they are ‘there’. Well, some people do.
The receptionist produced a taxi for us almost out of thin air. It arrived in
within seconds of her phone call. A BENTLEY no less! In we piled, sat back
and enjoyed the purr of the classy engine as we slid gracefully along the
streets of Los Alcazares towards San Javier.
Our boat arrived without delay. We were piped aboard then shown to the
first class seats by a lady who seemed far too well-dressed for her rather
practical job, in a slinky dress in fiery hues, full makeup, heels (honest!), and
dripping with jewellery.
The trip to La Manga Marina took 30 minutes. Where a few million euros worth of yachts and gin palaces
languished. We chose our favourites, put down deposits and headed off for a coffee. We discovered a
wonderful beach of white sand, very wide and totally unspoilt. Could have been the Caribbean!
Offshore was one of several islands which were the result of volcanic activity many years ago. These
geological wonders are overlooked by block upon block of apartments which have all been built within the past
30 years. One restaurant displayed photos of La Manga before the developers moved in. Completely bare –
nothing at all, just the strip of land.
We had a fantastic lunch in one of the best fish restaurants in the locality
before re-boarding our boat. It was slightly choppier than before but after 5
minutes everything settled down and the high heeled lady didn’t totter quite
so much. One of our party was convinced that the lagoon of Mar Menor had
become wider during our short visit. Her suggestion was that it was due to
‘Continental Drift’ taking place. Who am I to argue ?
A most enjoyable day, done in style !!
The author of this piece wishes to remain anonymous due to over exposure.
U3A VALL DE POP – SAGUNTO TRIP 18th September
We had a lot to fit into just one day so a coffee was essential to get us underway. We sat in the Plaza Mayor
and admired the colonnaded walkways with overhanging accommodation – designed to give extra space above
street level and also much needed shade in the summer months.
Then it was onwards and upwards, first to the museum, followed by a visit to the Roman Amphitheatre – here
we were treated to a solo performance of Ave Maria by one of our Members. The castle was impressive –
nearly 1 kilometre long!
Lunch beckoned, and this was followed by a short journey to the Caves of St Josep, located in the town of Vall
D’Uixb. Here we boarded boats for our journey to the ‘centre’ of the earth, gliding along the still waters of
Europe’s longest navigable underground river. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for Members to burst into
song singing Happy Birthday to Terry, celebrating his ...th birthday. What talented people we are !!!!
Back to our coach for the return journey home, with lots of happy smiling faces all looking forward to our next
outing.
Angela Woodhouse
Singing in Sagunto
On our recent visit to Sagunto , part of the sight seeing tour was to visit
the Roman Theatre. We were all amazed by the reconstruction and size.
Clara, our guide told us that on certain months of the year that children
took part in their own special celebrations .
Clara deliberately spoke quietly to demonstrate the full advantage of the
fine acoustics. Then much to our surprise she asked if one of us would be
brave enough to come forward and sing. With little encouragement,
Margaret Staines stepped forward informing us all that she hadn't
performed for a number of years.
When she started to sing we realised that she had been keeping a very special secret. Her voice resonated
around the theatre amazing us all of the quality and clarity of her version of 'Ave Maria'.
For me although the sight-seeing of Sagunto and the boat trip at Sant Josep were very enjoyable, the high light
of the day was hearing the beautiful voice singing just for us.
Thank you, Margaret.
Sandra Welham.
POSITIVELY THE LAST WORD ON THOSE CAKES!
We wanted to give members - who don’t enjoy taking photos, writing
epic poems, short stories or entering other cerebral type competitions a chance to shine in the kitchen.
The response was, let’s be frank, a tad underwhelming, but in the end
proved a great way to raise money for Jalón Valley Help, - 135€ in total!
It’s not about showing off our skills, but doing GOOD. And we did.
Derek did a great job as auctioneer, thanks for that.
And a HUGE thank you to Maureen, who brought the Star cake (it
wasn’t for judging) – with the Vall del Pop logo. She paid for it to be
made, was the highest bidder in the auction, and then cut it all up for people to enjoy and gave all the
proceeds to the charity.
So, the winners:
1st – Jean Watson, with her pink pigs swimming in chocolate
2nd – Sandra Welham, with her Alien Invasion cake
3rd – Olive, whose brownies, were, well, a brave effort with icing that clearly wished to escape.
Olive, Jazz, Jean and Sandra
Careline Theatre
proudly present Old Time Music Hall,
“Those Good Old Days”
at its theatre in Alcalali from 17-19 October.
Doors open at 7:00pm, curtain up each evening at 8.00pm.
Seats €10 euros (10% off pre paid bookings of 20+ seats) available by calling the Box Office on 652 294 750
or e-mail: [email protected]. Proceeds from the first night will be donated to The Royal British
Legion."
After the article we included last month about animal rescues, we asked for heart-warming stories from our
members ....
HAPPY ENDINGS…..
We have two dogs from the Rescue Home in La Nucia.
They had never seen one another until we had them. I wanted Fred (dark
brown) and John wanted Charlie (brown and white) we wouldn't
compromise so we had both! From the first moment they got on famously.
Fred is getting old now, he always was the one in front, now Charlie is
faster. We live in the country, there is a steep hill before the main road,
Fred used to keep up with the car up the hill at 40 kilometres an hour!!!!
Maureen Barrett
Callosa d'en Sarria
U3A Vall del Pop Members tuck in at the Hog Roast.
Over 100 members attended the Hog Roast on Friday 21st September
which, for the second year, was held at the beautiful venue of Mas la
Pau in Lliber. Everyone agreed that the view and setting was
wonderful and took the time to appreciate the lovely area in which we
all live. The weather was kind with no rain clouds in the sky making
for a lovely warm afternoon.
Members arrived early, eager to get started and the event began with
lots of glasses of sangria and nibbles. When the Hog was cooked to
perfection the revellers faces lit up when they realised that it was time
to eat. The aroma from the roasting hog had everyone’s mouths
watering and the wait to sample the meat was well worth it.
The hog was served with a range of salads that added to the full flavour of the meat and there was so much to
eat that several people took the opportunity to go for seconds and, in some cases, even thirds! Many were then
surprised that they had to make room for a fantastic assortment of home made desserts and ice cream.
After everyone was full they then took the opportunity to dance off a few of the calories that had been
consumed during the event. Roy Collins provided the musical entertainment and had the members singing
along to many of the 60‘s and 70’s songs that he played.
Thanks must go to Mike and Doreen of Mas la Pau for hosting the event and to their willing helpers, to Nigel
the Hog Man, Roy for his music and the TCP Committee for making this another U3A successful event.
See 27 pictures in the Gallery. www.u3avalldelpop.com/gallery
THERE ARE NOW OVER 50 GROUPS
IN OUR U3A! YOU CAN SEE THE
FULL LIST ON THE WEBSITE, WITH
CONTACT DETAILS FOR THE LEADERS. MOST GROUPS HAVE ROOM
FOR MORE MEMBERS … GIVE THE
LEADER A CALL IF YOU ARE INTERESTED.
CHESS
Just a few of the Chess Group were caught enjoying a challenging Tuesday afternoon in Jalón recently! Leader Rod
Waspe is making what he claims is a “shrewd move”! Really?
The group meet every week, plus for occasional matches
against other U3A chess groups, and would welcome any new
players. Whether you have never played before, or have
experience, the group would be pleased to see you - just
ring Rod on 605 231 331 for more details.
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Peter Tomlin has recently taken over as leader of this popular
group. They meet on the first Monday of every month at the Cooperativa in Parcent at 2 o’clock. He has been a member of the
Royal Photographic Society for two years and would like to encourage the use of the photographic expertise available to the
group.". Monthly photographic projects, photo-shoots, comments
and critiques are planned as well as tutorials on basic or advanced
photography and photoshop. These tutorials will be in a different
venue with a different tutor and will cover about 6-8 weeks.
If you are interested, email Peter at [email protected]
WHAT A WELCOME!
Sporting the brand-new U3A lanyards to tell people who they are,
the Meet and Greet team were on hand at the last meeting to
welcome everyone and see that all members, and especially new
members, were safely directed to where they wanted to be!
Margaret , Lorraine and Olive did a wonderful job! Margaret
Carney would still like to expand the team, so if you would like to
help out at just a few meetings, email her at
[email protected].
Jalon Valley Help is now on face book so if you are
interested in keeping up to date with what's going in the charity
Javea Players’ production of Yes Prime Minister is playing at the Union Musical, Gata de
Gorgos from Monday October 21 to Friday October 25. Curtain-up each evening is at 8pm. Tickets are
priced at 12 euros, 11 euros for party bookings of ten and over for the Wednesday and Thursday
performances and for Javea Players members and friends. Book on 96 647 28 76 or on line at
[email protected]
November 1st. Día de Todos los Santos / Día de Muertos.
Hallowe’en as the English know it doesn’t happen in Spain, as we know. But in Spanishspeaking countries the graveyards come alive on the night of November 1st..
Here, the most obvious sign that it is All Saints' Day is that you'll notice the graveyards to be
unusually full of flowers. The Spanish remember their dearly departed on All Saints' Day and
bring flowers to the graves of their loved ones on this day. But in South American countries,
whole families gather in the graveyards for picnics and celebrations during the night! Fiesta
time!
We have received this memo from Lesley Ellis, who kindly gave us a talk earlier in the year about
Spanish Inheritance. It seems that things have changed ….
Be Informed - Spanish Inheritance Tax Changes
Do you want the Good news or the Bad news?
As of 2nd August the Allowances and Exclusion Rates of Inheritance Tax in the Valencia region have
changed.
The Good News is that the allowances have gone up!
Group 2 allowances which includes a spouse (yes - they DO have to pay IHT in Spain) have risen
from €40,000 to €100,000.
PLUS the allowance for your habitual home has risen to a maximum of €150,000.
Therefore if your property is worth less than €300,000 and your spouse had no other assets in Spain
you will not be liable for Inheritance tax here.
The Bad News is that the 99% exemption rate we have enjoyed as residents and has kept most of us
protected up until now has gone down to 75%!
Therefore if you inherit more than €100,000 from your spouse OR your home is worth more than
€300,000 you will be liable for Spanish IHT.
Resident or non-resident?
To be eligible for these extra allowances you have to be able to prove via Padron, Residence
Certificate or a Spanish Tax Declaration that you have both been habitually resident in the Valencia
Region for more than 5 years.
If not, you are deemed to be non-Resident and your Group 2 allowance is only €15,956 and you are
then liable to pay tax on a sliding scale up to 34% of the Inheritance or up to 81.6% if you are not
married!
Also this has to be paid within 6 months of death BEFORE you can touch any of the Inheritance,
including your own house!
If you would like any more information, or a FREE confidential Inheritance Tax Illustration to know
exactly how it is likely to affect your family, please feel free to contact me Lesley Ellis 686 100 942 [email protected]
FOR
SALE
CANON PIXMA iP3300 colour printer.
Perfect working condition, but requires new ink cartridges.
20 euros.
CANON CANOSCAN LIDE 25 colour image scanner.
New, never used, still packed in box. 30 euros.
John Larkin on [email protected] 645 324 450
Cane glass top table and six armchairs
Excellent condition and very comfortable
Hardly used 120 Euros
Telephone - Angela Woodhouse [email protected]
634 312 862 (Jalon)
1 pair of ladies Italian ski boots size 6. Worn twice. Excellent condition..25 euros
1 pair of mens ski boots size 8. 20 euros
Both pairs come with a ski carry bag.
Tel ..Barry Heath. 648 538 192.
E. mail. [email protected]
(LLlBER)
Bosch MUM48R1 Food Mixer. Red 600 watts. As new. €70,00.
Tel. 966 482 340. [email protected]
Small BRAND NEW (@£72) lightweight Firefly Kipling backpack in a pale dusky pink. 5
pockets. Perfect for walkers needing to take enough for a few hours in the hills….or to the
beach…or rastros…….or an ideal child’s backpack. Offers around 40€ please. (EBay
collectors are paying around 12€ just for the monkey key-rings!)
I also have a small beige Kipling shoulder bag and a large dark navy multi-pocket Kipling
laptop/notebook bag, both rarely used and in as new condition ….which I might be persuaded
to part with. [email protected] 965 577 480, Lorraine. Orba.
WA
NTE
D
Reliable window cleaner for a villa in Alcalalí, on a fairly regular basis.
[email protected].
Number withheld on request of the owners for personal reasons, but they
will answer e-mails.
Information from anyone who has a hot tub! I can’t afford a pool, but this might be a
substitute. Warm in the winter, and (in a shady place) cool with a nice Bucks Fizz in the
summer? All advice very welcome please. Offers of a good second-hand one certainly
considered.
Lorraine Barker 965 577 480 [email protected]
October newsletter recipe
Persimmons (also known as kaki or Sharon fruit) are currently in
season. The easiest way to keep them is to scoop out the pulp, purée
with a blender and freeze in small portions, then serve stirred into
natural yogurt or with pork/ sausages in place of apple sauce. The
persimmon loaf recipes is scrummy, cheap, easy to make and keeps for
up to a week in an airtight tin or can be sliced and frozen.
Persimmon loaf
2 kilos persimmon fruit pulp (only the very soft ripe fruits)
300gm plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
150gm sugar
100gm butter or margarine
2 eggs
100gm chopped almonds or walnuts (optional but very nice)
Oven R4/180
Grease either 2 x 20cm loaf tins or a 22cm round cake tin and line base with grease proof paper.
Scoop pulp out of the persimmons to give 1.5 kilos of pulp.
Add sugar and purée with a hand blender
Put flour and baking powder in a bowl, add butter and rub in
Beat eggs and add to flour mixture and stir in the puréed fruit.
Beat or whisk with a hand mixer to blend ( do not over beat as this toughens the flour)
Put mixture into the tin(s)
Bake for 1 hour, test with a skewer first as it may require a little longer.
Leave to cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack.
Teresa Boyle
QUIZZERS WHO CARE
We were lucky that anyone turned up at all to our first quiz of the new ‘academic’ year. It was pouring with rain
and most had been caught en route in an unbelievably loud hail storm.
However, once they had all arrived and dried off we counted a full house of 48. In their haste and concern about
the elements some quizzers had left their Caritas donations behind but plenty had remembered. A small mound
of tins and assorted items grew quite sizeably as folks came through the portals of Bar Nou.
A book of raffle tickets was bandied around for those who mistakenly came empty – handed to enable them to
take part in the draw. A further 45 euros was raised for the charity. This has been handed over to the U3A
Caritas fund for purchasing necessary items for the needy of the Valley.
So....a very BIG THANK YOU once again for your generosity. The goods were delivered the to the Alcalali
store the following day and were most gratefully received.
A reminder that 5th December’s Caritas Quiz will, as always, have a Christmas theme. All participants are
invited to dress up appropriately and prizes will be awarded for the best costumes.
Derek will make sure he has a new pair of Santa trousers to replace the disgraceful ones from last year !
Anne Martyr
SEND US YOUR REVIEW OF YOUR FAVOURITE RESTAURANT AND WE WILL PRINT ONE EVERY MONTH.
THE NAME OF EVERY MEMBER WHO SUBMITS A REVIEW, WHETHER IT IS PRINTED OR NOT, WILL
GO INTO A HAT. IN DECEMBER, ONE LUCKY WINNER WILL RECEIVE A PRIZE OF €50 !
SEND IT TO THE USUAL NEWSLETTER ADDRESS ( [email protected]) BY THE 6TH OF THE MONTH.
KEEP IT UNDER 200 WORDS, NO FANCY FONTS OR FORMATTING PLEASE, AND SEND A PHOTO IF
YOU WANT TO. TELL US ABOUT YOUR DINING EXPERIENCE - BUT ONLY IF IT’S GOOD! WE WANT
HAPPY STORIES, NOT HORROR STORIES!
€50! NOW THAT’S WORTH HAVING !
El Paraiso
Partida Poet de Mas 5
Parcent
966 405 398
Booking advised, and essential on the music evenings.
[email protected]
Great views, great food. They have a fixed price menu for both lunch and dinner – but what fantastic value for
money! For €13.95 you can indulge yourself through 6 courses; aioli, butter and salsa for the hot crusty roll, then
a tasty appetiser, the starter, followed by an icy lemon sorbet, main course and glamorous desserts…and very
generous portions. (The deep fried brie was the size of a house brick…) and proper veg in a side dish, nicely ‘al
dente’ in true British style! The menu offers about 7-8 choices for each of the starter, mains and puds.
All graciously served, and specially for our birthday event – with lots of confetti sparkles and a firework in the
Grand Marnier soufflé.
The music evenings are always a sell-out. There is a special buffet menu which covers the meal, wine and show,
listed at €20 for the Bourbon Street Stompers evening on the 13th October.
Lorraine Barker
THANK YOU, - U3A!
Our charismatic speaker last month was Nikki Luxford, who made a heartwarming plea for her African Appeal. Our collecting tin on the day produced
330€, for which she sends a big Thank You.
Good health is like Love and money—You don’t fully appreciate it until
it’s gone—Alan
Thunder Storms and Computers.
I think we all understand that thunderstorms, lightening, telephone wires and computers are not a happy mix.
In our area of Spain nearly all the local telephone wires are hung on poles in the air above the ground, and
extend for many miles. The other end of this long wire we plug into our Routers.
I think we can all see the potential for lightening to cause damage as the phone wires are often the highest point
above the ground and extend for many miles.
In thunderstorms these wires can be struck and conduct electricity back to your router which is plugged directly
into the end of the phone line.
However the phone wires, supported on sticks under the clouds don’t have to be struck directly. They will
pickup a high voltage (induction) just by being so exposed during a thunderstorm. This high voltage will be
guided back to your router which can easily be damaged.
So what can we do to protect our computer equipment.
I use the cheapest and most effective solution. In a thunderstorm I run around unplugging all my equipment!!
This includes the phone line, the mains plugs and TV aerial.
When going away I also unplug everything I can. If your equipment is unplugged it will be safe.
The only alternative is to use a surge protector multi-socket, but everything must be plugged into it to be
effective. This includes the TV aerial, phone lines, plugs and sockets. If you miss out one item it can act as a
short cut and cause damage. I find this too hit and miss so go for the first solution.
For the technically minded
A router uses less then 100th of a watt to communicate with your computer (one wonders why it gets so hot).
The maximum allowed within the EU is 1tenth of a watt. Along comes a bolt of lightening radiating millions of
watts of energy much of which is radio frequency. The typical overhead phone line around the valley is many
miles long, stretched between poles soaking up all this radio energy. It then instantly directs it to your router. I
think we can all see what the end result is likely to be.
I usually get a phone call after a storm asking if I know when the Internet will be back on. I usually reply that
the Internet is OK but you need a new router.
Roy Deavin Computing Group
More information is available at our group meeting every Wednesday (Excluding the Summer) 11.00 in the
Pensionistas Centre behind bar Crue in Alcalali Starting 25th September
BOOKINGS PROCEDURE FOR OUR TCP. ORGANISED EVENTS.
Our events are becoming so popular that the TCP have had to revise the bookings procedure. When booking
at a general meeting, please have your membership card and contact details ready. (Some members have
written email addresses etc. on the reverse of their cards. Seems like a good idea!)
Each person will be able to book for one other person and no more – and in this case all membership details
must be shown for person being booked for. BUT a couple can book for another couple and only one has to
stand in the queue – that should reduce the size of the queue a bit. All events are launched at General
Meetings and bookings taken then. Attempts will be made to open bookings at 10 o’clock on the morning of
these meetings.
Requests for refunds for cancellations will each be considered on merit, but usually refunds can only be made
if the cancelled seat is filled by another member.
2014 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS.
Our Membership Secretary, Maureen Barrett, is working hard to streamline to membership renewal
system. Now that we have so many members, she will accept renewals even earlier than before. At the
General Meeting in December, you will be able to pay your annual 5€ to cover the calendar year of 2014.
This should help cut the queues at the January meeting.
There’s such a lot to do in our area no need to stay in and get mouldy and oldy !
The U3A website has always got plenty of “Upcoming
Events”, so go there, hover your mouse over the event you
see and get more details. The “TCP” are the Travel and
Culture People of the U3A who work voluntarily throughout
the year to bring you a wide variety of things to do.
EVENTS ROM THE U3A WEBSITE
OCT
NOV
DEC
2014
Fri 11th
An afternoon of music with
Encore at Mas la Pau. 3pm.
Mon 21st Film in Parcent
Tue 22nd
Guitar Group’s curry evening
Sun 27th
Adriatic Cruice commences!
Fri 1st
Day triup to Cocentaina
Mon 4th
Film in Parcent
Thurs 7th U3A General Meeting
Speaker - Mike Rendell.
Fri 15th
Day trip to Novelda
Mon 18th Film in Parcent
Thu 28th
Cirque de Soleil
Mon 2nd Film in Parcent
Tues 3rd Christmas dinner and disco
Thurs 5th U3A Very Special Christmas
Meeting
Fri 6th
Quiz for Caritas.
Mon 16th Film in Parcent
Fri 23.5.2014 FABULOUS FJORDS
CRUISE
U3A Cinema in Parcent
No tickets needed - 1 Euro donation requested on
the door. See Cinema Group webpage for details.
Monday
21st October, 7.15
'SILVER LININGS
PLAYBOOK' One of the big hits of the last twelve months,
this is a quirky rom-com about a former
teacher trying to sort his life out after a stint
in a mental hospital. While trying to get back
together with his wife, he meets a pretty
young woman with problems of her own, who
offers to help him if he will enter a dance
competition with her.
Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence,
who won an Oscar for her performance, and
Robert de Nero.
122 minutes, 2012, cert 15.
SPEAKER AT THE NEXT GENERAL MEETING ….U3A MEMBER MIKE RENDELL
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS IN MEDIEVAL TIMES
Mike's talk will look at Eighteenth Century dining habits - when meals came
out of the Great Hall and into the dining room; when oak trestles gave way
to mahogany tables; when cutlery as we know it appeared; and when eating
fashions moved into the modern age. He will look at Regency banquets and
Georgian etiquette, and remind us of some of the eating habits which still
echo with us especially at Christmas time when we pile our table full
with of roast meats, stuffing, sauces and vegetables. Along the way he will
consider just how a well-mannered lady would seek relief during a feast
which might last for up to six hours - without leaving the table - and how
men copied the French in everything except table manners. He will illustrate
his talk with entries from his ancestor's diaries, which his family have kept
for nearly 250 years.
866 and rising! We now have more members than ever before! Welcome to everybody and we hope you will enjoy
your time with our fantastic Vall del Pop U3A!! Don’t forget to keep checking the website! www.u3avalldelpop.com
COULD YOU CONTRIBUTE TO THIS PAGE? DO YOU KNOW OF EVENTS WE ARE MISSING?
THE NEWSLETTER TEAM WELCOMES INPUT FROM ALL U3A MEMBERS, SO JUST CONTACT
THE EDITOR, JAZZ, AT [email protected] with your ideas.