stay safe issue 5 v1 - u3asites.org.uk
TRANSCRIPT
Editors Welcome
Welcome to the fifth issue of “Stay Safe Sale U3A” - now only available directly from our website.
The Sale U3A committee met again on a ZOOM video call and has agreed to pay for a full ZOOM licence. All the
Group Leaders have been contacted to offer this ZOOM facility for online group meetings while we still stay in
lockdown. Obviously, you need a smart phone, laptop or desktop computer to use this but I’m sure it will help
groups get back together safely.
Don’t be shy - please send your stories, poems or letters for our next issue - to [email protected] Perhaps
you might like to tell others how you celebrated the 75th
anniversary of VE day!
Brian Feast - editor
Articles in this issue:
Message from the Chair
“Streets Ahead” Manchester’s street festivals of the 1990’s Part 2 – Brian Feast
The solution to Jose Anderson’s cryptic crossword
Bexie’s Holiday Tails – PART 2
Ian Hamilton gives the answers to his picture puzzle
Victory in Europe 75 – street partying at a distance – Brian Feast
Ian Hamilton tests your knowledge of Film and TV
What colour is your elephant?
Covid19 Advice
Coming soon:
The story of “Letters from Egypt” written by Florence Nightingale – Brian Feast
A Rough Guide to World Music
The TV Quiz Book from 1958 – Brian Feast
“Tippi – My book of Africa” written by 10 year old Tippi Degré
Stay SafeStay SafeStay SafeStay Safe
15th
May 2020
Issue 5
Message from the Chair
As we enter yet another week of lockdown for us, I know you will be wondering
how we can resume any of our normal U3A’s activities. We do not anticipate
opening before September. Even this is in doubt, as it could be January before we
resume normal activities including Friday afternoon meetings. Thanks to those
Group Leaders and Groups who are continuing to have virtual meetings through
ZOOM. As we cannot proceed with Friday’s meetings this is perhaps an opportunity
to join a new group or even set up a new group if you feel you can. You don’t have
to be an expert and the national U3A offer advice for many subjects.
As a Committee, we have frequent ZOOM meetings and we are trying to come up
with ways to continue to involve people. We welcome any ideas from our
members. It may be something that has been done before elsewhere.
The Committee has purchased an ongoing ZOOM licence for Sale U3A; to this end, Brian Feast is managing the
exercise. Within the next week Practical Philosophy, Italian, Spanish (post beginners), French and Recorder groups
will be benefiting from our licence and without the 40-minute limit!
We are also considering using ZOOM to provide an alternative to our missing Friday afternoon meetings by providing
online presentations. We are also looking at recording presentations and making them available on YouTube.
We will continue to produce the “Stay Safe Sale U3A” newsletter that is now published via our website. Please do
send in contributions to keep this valuable newsletter entertaining and informing us all.
Talking to a member on the phone the other day, I was surprised that she knew nothing about the newsletter, so if
you are talking to other members on the phone ask them if they know about it. Not everyone has a computer or a
smartphone but I am sure we do not have all of the member’s emails addresses, so again ask other members if they
have supplied theirs as it helps us to keep in touch with you all.
Finally keep safe. Although people are being encouraged to go back to work the danger from Coronavirus is still
there. It is hard not seeing people at the moment, but you need to keep well. Keep your sense of humour and if
you can exercise as it’s good to be out in the fresh air so make the most of it. Keep in touch with your friends and
family.
Judith Lloyd
Warning – email scam 14th
May
Good morning Brian.
I’ve received an email this morning saying our TV licence is due to expire...we pay by direct debit. Thus we think it’s a
scam: it’s the second time we’ve received this. Just thought you could notify the rest of the U3A
All the best.
Gwyn Robson
Note - I have not seen this on Trafford iCAN Alert but who knows! Brian
STREETS AHEAD - Manchester’s street festivals of the 1990’s - Part 2 - Brian Feast
One of the funniest and risqué events was called “Display All” which ran in 1997
and 1998, where with the help of a French group called Cacahuete, local
performers took over 34 shop windows in Deansgate, Market Street and more.
The idea was to parody the shop or a person such as a John Major lookalike
selling the Big Issue.
Each performer had a card telling you what
they were doing. Here we have a man
dressed as a chef in a restaurant window
cooking eggs. His card says “2 Egg Butties on
Brown – TO GO”. For most of his act, he is
facing the street dressed in a chef’s outfit
demonstrating how to fry eggs. It is only
when he turns his back on the street
audience that the joke is apparent. I did say
it was risqué!
There was a princess complete with tiara
playing a grand piano but occasionally
stopping to pick her nose in Forsyth's music
shop in Deansgate and an apparently naked
lady lying asleep in a shop window but
covered modestly with fruit and vegetables!
The list could go on but my favourite was
the man in a conservative overcoat and
bowler hat outside the Swatch watch shop
(photo below left). He would gather a crowd and then show one side of the
inside of his coat that was covered in watches. Miming all the time, he would entice you to buy one and then he
would do the same with the other side. When he had a large enough crowd he would suddenly fling open his whole
coat to surprise the whole audience, as he had nothing on except a strategically placed Frisbee! I have a photo of
that but the U3A committee censored me!!
On a grander scale, some street theatre had such an impact that it set off car
alarms and building burglar alarms! From Spain came "Pa Boom" (it's in the
name!) with a massive Mascletà display of fireworks. Another year Mossley
Community Arts produced Correfoc (Running with Fire) a tradition from
Catalonia. Dressed as devils and to the sound of drums they danced and
carried huge fireworks that showered everywhere.
Perhaps the most explosive sound had no fireworks at all; it was "Manchester
5000 Samba" with a huge Batucada drum band and dance troop. This event
took place in Albert Square and as they entered from Lloyd Street, the
synchronised drumming was almost deafening.
Each year the finale was a torchlight parade From Albert Square to Castlefield
called "Creatures of the Night" The audience were encouraged to buy flame
torches or whistles* for charity (Christies against Cancer) and walk with the
acts to a grand firework display to end each year's festival.
* I still use my whistle on Thursday nights at 8.00 when we "clap for carers and the NHS"!
Manchester's own Avanti Display have been performing around the world since the late 1980's and they were
regulars each year at Streets Ahead. One of their performances - "The Spurting Man" is one of my favourites. I last
saw them perform this in 2005 outside the Waterside Theatre is Sale!
The silent performance shows the unequal relationship between the famous specialty performer, ‘The Spurting Man’
and his downtrodden assistant and is performed to classical music such as Ravel’s Bolero. The pompous “Spurting
Man” shows his tricks whilst his assistant, dominated and undervalued, is given no credit for the role he plays. The
assistant despises his master. The master ignores the assistant. The bizarre and unequal relationship lays the basis
for hilarious comedy.
Each trick the “Spurting Man” performs culminates in a display of squirting water until, finally crowned and on top of
his pedestal, the grand finale takes place and “The Spurting Man” cascades fountains of water from his body. 200
litres of water in 3 minutes. See it for yourself performed at The Royal National Theatre in 2001
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxVM_EprPLc
The 1999 Finale
"Creatures of the Night"
The torchlight parade moving
down Deansgate headed by an
acrobat hanging from a balloon.
Dream Engine - Heliosphere.
And I never got to tell you about
all the World Music stages around
the city!
The solution to Jose Anderson’s cryptic crossword
Bexie’s Holiday Tails – PART 2
I thought you might like to hear about another of holidays!
After the success of my holiday in Suffolk, my minders decided to book another cottage for October 2018 and they
thought they had found one in Farlow, South Shropshire but the location was more residential. There were no
escapades for me this time so my minders had to make sure the next holiday was in a more rural setting.
My minders booked our next two holidays to the same cottage in Hebden Bridge and we went in July and October
2019. Located high up on the Pennines in Wadsworth overlooking Stoodley Pike, both trips had fine weather so that
we enjoyed the spectacular views. This cottage was a converted pigsty and was all on one level!
Large patio doors opened out onto a decked balcony
and I made a beeline straight for it. Pacing up and
down, I was looking for a way down into one of the
fields below, I could have attempted the jump down
into the soft grass but it was too high to get back up.
My minders solved my dilemma by scouting around
and found a large plank that they wedged between
two of the balcony railings. Hey presto, I had my own
ramp! Once I got the hang of it, I used it as my main
entrance in and out of the cottage. It also had a
vantage point for me to observe a ‘mousey thing’
which I could hear scampering about underneath and
my female minder and I spent a few hours staring
through the slats hoping to catch a glimpse of it. I then tried to stalk it by ‘walking the plank’ and settling myself into
the long grass hoping it would come by but it didn’t and eventually I got fed up waiting for it.
Shortly before the ramp was set up, my entrance was in and out
via the front door that was behind the kitchen and living room.
My food was put on the floor at the side of the sofa. I had been
out having a good nosy round and my minders were in the living
room. I charged back in, jumped onto a chair and sat glaring at
‘something’ on the floor. My female minder became aware that
my food was being eaten so she cautiously crept around the sofa
to find another cat busily eating my dinner. It polished the lot off,
walked out and we never saw it again.
Next to the cottage were three pet pigmy goats living in a large pen with access to two fields. They were very
friendly especially when my minders picked big bunches of grass for them. One came over to the fence to have a
sniff, introduce himself, and after some hesitation I began to get brave enough not to shy away.
Originally, the cottage was part of a farm and the owners live in the farmhouse that also houses two stables. The
resident horse lives in the field but is brought into the stable before he goes out with his owner. There was an
enormous din of the horse kicking the stable door to be let out and I was sat on the front doorstep listening to it all
but I didn’t hang around as he was a lot bigger than me.
The owners had a dog called Boris and he was very boisterous and didn’t respond to requests to quieten down.
Boris was tethered on a strong rope lead during the day and his owner took him on walks away from where I was in
the evenings but I did tease him by sitting on the wall knowing he couldn’t get me.
There was so much for me to do on the doorstep of this cottage so my minders decided not to take me out in the car
for our morning walks. Again my afternoons were spent curled up on my blanket in the living room and their
afternoons included trips to Shibden Hall where Gentleman Jack had recently been filmed, Heptonstall to visit Sylvia
Plath’s grave, Hebden Bridge, Keighley, Todmorden and Haworth.
This year we were heading back to South Shropshire where my minders had found another rural cottage but due to
something that they call The Virus, we don’t know whether we will get there or not. If we do, I will keep you
posted of my future exploits!
Ian Hamilton gives the answers to his picture puzzle
1 In a nutshell 15 Big cheese
2 Piece of cake 16 Red herring
3 Cherry on the cake 17 To tie the knot
4 Bald as a coot 18 Put all your eggs in one basket
5 A screw loose 19 Walking on egg shells
6 Stiff upper lip 20 Shadow of your former self
7 Born with a silver spoon in your mouth 21 No room to swing a cat
8 Ear worm 22 The cat's got your tongue
9 Keep your cards close to your chest 23 Kick the bucket
10 Joker in the pack 24 Pull your socks up
11 Ace up your sleeve 25 Cold feet
12 Heart on your sleeve 26 From rags to riches
13 On a silver platter 27 Time flies
14 Spill the beans
Victory in Europe 75 – street partying at a distance – Brian Feast
Did you manage to get out in the glorious sunshine last Friday (8th
May)? Perhaps you were able to celebrate VE75
with your neighbours. Here are some photos from the party that my neighbourhood had and I could even see other
groups meeting further down the road.
If you celebrated in your street then please send in your photos to [email protected] and I will publish them
in the next issue.
Time to fly the flag! Cheers!
Is this the “Last Night of the Proms? He ain’t heavy – he’s my brother
Social Distancing with afternoon tea The newest resident (3 weeks old) meets the neighbours
Voulez-vous une pâtisserie français? Someone was prepared!A
Ian Hamilton tests your knowledge of Film and TV
1 Who was the original host of the TV game show Family Fortunes?
2 Which actress was the elder sister of Joan Fontaine?
3 Which singer starred in a series of spoof spy films featuring the character of Matt Helm?
4 Which family owned 165 Eaton Place, London?
5 In what year was Blue Peter first broadcast?
6 In which Scottish village was the 1990s TV series Hamish Macbeth filmed?
7 Which Tennessee Williams play was turned into a 1959 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Katherine Hepburn?
8 What is the title of the makeover series presented by Charlie Dimmock with Harry and David Rich?
9 Who were the original team captains on A Question of Sport?
10 Which song is played at the end of Dr Strangelove after Slim Pickens rides the atomic bomb like a rodeo horse?
11 Who starred as the police officer in the 1973 film The Wicker Man?
12 The crime drama series DCI Banks starred which actor in the title role?
13 In the 1965 film The Family Jewels which actor played seven roles?
14 What was the nickname of Brookside's window cleaner?
15 Which actor starred in the 1957 film Pal Joey?
16 What make and model of car is used as a time machine in the Back to the Future franchise?
17 In the title of the 2018 film what Society was based on Guernsey?
18 Sir Mark Rylance won a Best Supporting Oscar for his role in which 2015 film?
19 Which animated film of 2004 involves a train taking children to meet Santa?
20 In the classic film Casablanca who played Captain Louis Renault?
Print me off and colour me in – it’s a very relaxing exercise!
COVID-19 Advice
Trafford Community Response
Five community hubs have been set up to support people through the COVID-19 outbreak.
The centres are available to those living in the area who are self-isolating or vulnerable.
They have been set up and coordinated by Trafford Council, Trafford Housing Trust, Thrive, Trafford Stronger
Communities Board and other local community groups who were already helping to support local residents when
social distancing measures were first put in place.
Their exact location in Altrincham, Gorse Hill, Partington, Sale and Urmston will be given to residents who need
support or those volunteering to assist when they call the dedicated helpline 0300 3309073 and select option 4
for Trafford. Opening hours are 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
If you need help with anything such as:
Food shopping, getting fuel (if you are on a pre-paid meter), getting essential medication, looking after pets or need
someone to talk to - then get in touch.
Trusted Websites
Websites that can be trusted to give you accurate information about Coronavirus are the BBC News website, NHS,
U3A and Trafford Council, Please do not rely on Social Media.
Keeping in Touch
We all have the technology to talk to other people – our phones, whether they are landlines or mobiles. I am sure
that many of you have friends and family around the world and already use computer technology to talk and see
your contacts. Here is a reminder of how to use these systems to have a chat with your group members or just a few
friends together.
If you have a smartphone (iPhone, Android or Windows) or a Tablet, Laptop or Desktop computer (with webcam and
microphone) then you can have a video call with one or many people at the same time.
Some of the free software available include Skype, Zoom, Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger. You can find out
more from our main U3A website by going to the “Keep in Touch links” web page.
Joe Fogg who helps with our own “Computer and Tech Workshop” group emailed with details about Zoom, which is
easy to use and free, although if you have a group video call the free version limits you to 40 minutes duration.
Just imagine all of the Guitar Group or a language group getting together on Zoom for a meeting! You have nothing
to lose and it will help to break the self-isolation.
To help you out, Joe’s documents are on the Sale U3A website on the “Coronavirus Newsletters” page.
www.u3asites.org.uk/sale