20 minute read
Members’ corner
Cornwall rocks!
At the end of March 2019 Playing Place and Carnon Downs NWR went, with our other halves, to visit the United Downs Deep Geothermal Power Project. Geothermal energy is not new; Iceland and New Zealand both use this form of renewable energy and heat but from more active vulcanicity, closer to the surface. Cornwall’s land of granite hotspots is ideal for this type of energy, these being some of the hottest rocks in the UK. The project builds on research from the 1980s, but aims to go much deeper into the earth, being prepared to drill down as far as 7000m if necessary to reach the hot rocks. As we know, temperature increases with depth but in the areas around the granite it gets hotter more quickly. The intention is to pump water down a pipe drilled into the rocks: the water will become heated and return to the surface as steam, via a second pipe. The steam will be used to generate electricity. This will provide a renewable
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Bognor Blues
Bognor Regis group became more and more savvy with Zoom as 2020 progressed into 2021 and the screenshot which has made a regular appearance on the weekly national newsletters was a result of one of our early meetings. Members were asked to find ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue’! This led to a very entertaining evening with a profusion of much-loved teddies, clothes, books, antiques, and some more unusual and quirky items. The photo shows a blue
shawl from Myanmar, a blue homeopathy kit, a special blue pen, a blue boot, a very useful blue stitch unpicker, a blue yoga mat, a blue blouse from travels in South East Asia, an old cuddly toy of great sentimental value, some blue silk and a handmade throw with blue stripes which fitted into several of the categories. Very colourful indeed!
Stephanie Quinn, Playing Place and Carnon Downs NWR
Playing tag
Our September planning meeting on Zoom was well attended and full of its expected enthusiasm and ideas. While we concluded that the way forward was to continue with the certainty of Zoom, at the same time we looked for another way to meet, as the medium is challenging. At that point, in Scotland only two households could meet up, which for all our group meant two people.
So, we created our own coffee tag. Names were listed randomly, then lady one met lady two, a few days later lady two met lady three, and so on until the circle was completed and lady 12 met lady one. energy source producing electricity for about 1,500 homes at present but, if the project is as successful as expected, larger schemes are planned.
During our visit we were given a very interesting talk by a geologist who gave us a presentation on the drilling site and how much progress has been made since its inception. We were then invited to go up onto the viewing platform to see the drill but, unfortunately, it was not operational on the day we visited.
Since our visit, the first deep hole – United Downs 1 – has been completed, reaching a depth of 5,057 metres below ground level! Geophysical logs will now be carried out and a small production test will determine the permeability of the target structure. After this, the rig will be moved eight metres south and drilling on the second pipe, United Downs 2, will begin.
We were able to meet in a variety of settings until the end of the year, including coffee shops, gardens and just taking a walk, sometimes with the family dog. Topics of discussion were various, and members reported back via email, along with a relevant picture, which in itself prompted further super discussions!
We all enjoyed these meetings and the different medium of a one to one chat, in fact it was such a success that we repeated it with a secret Santa coffee tag. Janice Reid, Crieff, Comrie and Auchterarder NWR Cathy Tucker, Bognor Regis NWR
On the run
I met my friend Hamish whilst I was on my first ever painting holiday in Somerset. It was a trip for a local group from Sussex. We got talking one day about Roald Dahl’s book Esio Trot, and I heard all about his two Hermann’s tortoises, Cassandra and Victoria, who do actually try to escape.
Hamish told me that he had written a story about their adventure. Apparently, I said I would be interested in illustrating a children’s book, but I forgot all about this conversation until one day Hamish got in touch out of the blue.
I am not an artist or illustrator but have developed some skills since that conversation! I am a retired primary school teacher who has ‘dabbled in art,’ particularly watercolour. So, it became a lockdown project for both of us.
We also met when we could, to edit story content and discuss artwork. I visited their pretty garden to meet Cassandra and Victoria in their habitat, and took lots of photographs of them at various angles. Hamish and Diane delight in their tortoises who have grown from around the size of a fifty pence piece. They have recently emerged from a very long hibernation.
Their grandchildren love to visit too and Hamish has read his story to them, which they loved.
This journey has also led to looking at publishers’ websites, of which there are many, and sending off samples of artwork and aspects of the storyline. I’ve discovered that one has to be very patient in this regard and not expect any replies!
In the meantime, I began to scan work and insert text. To do this I had to master Photoshop, which was a challenge, but as the spider showed us, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again’. I also found that with Photoshop I could edit, combine and reformat scenes – this is an ongoing process as I spot something which needs to be improved.
I have recently completed the whole story for Hamish in what could be a
Nil desperandum
Oh mercy me and oh mon Dieu! When will there be a worldwide cure To kill the coronavirus strain So we can live our lives again? So many ill, so many dead How rapidly this virus spread So much despair and misery… But isolating stoically We sanitise, wash hands with soap And wearing masks we cling to hope Now brilliant scientists find a way To keep us all out of harm’s way They’ve formulated a vaccine To rid us of Covid nineteen! There’s hope that we can be protected If everyone can get injected. Then, even those without belief Will thank the Lord in their relief Oh mercy me and oh mon Dieu! Praise be to God we have a cure
Rosemary Crawford Plympton NWR final layout, so that he can share it with his grandchildren and enjoy it for himself. Sadly, he was in hospital for some time so we weren’t able to meet, and has now been settled into a care home as his health issues became more complex. So, I feel that I have to do this for him. He would certainly be very happy if his story were ever published and also because he has a second one in mind! Any tips or support from fellow NWR members re breaking into the world of children’s publishing would be very welcome. Do they manage to escape? That is a leading question! RUISLIP NWR invite you RUISLIP NWR invite you Liz Timmer, Horsham NWR to follow our to follow our
RUISLIP NWR invite you Telephone Treasure Trail Telephone Treasure Trail RUISLIP NWR invite you to follow our 15th to 18th November 202115th to 18th November 2021 to follow our Telephone Treasure Trail Telephone Treasure Trail 15th to 18th November 2021
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A Year to Remember
From one spring to another, it has been a very strange year. One in which our membership could have fallen by the wayside and everything could easily have dwindled to nothing. But it didn’t and, although no new members have been recruited, our group has held fast and risen to all the challenges.
In March 2020 we were happily congratulating ourselves for having held a very successful area Diamond Jubilee celebration at the Athenaeum in Bury St Edmunds a couple of weeks earlier. Thoughts of Covid had not exactly been foremost in our minds and, apart from making attendees aware that it was a good idea to wash hands for two minutes every now and then, we had all been merrily sharing tables and group conversations, cheering and talking loudly over the general hubbub, blissfully unaware of the greater dangers of airborne transmission. The virus was probably having a field day.
A couple of weeks later, things started to look bad and the first lockdown hit us amidships. In a way it wasn’t bad timing: as the summer programme was due to be planned in April, we didn’t have too much to rearrange. After the initial shock, it soon became apparent that if we wanted to continue – which we did! – then Zoom was to be the new living room for our main meetings and Book Group discussions. It took us a little while to get used to the strangeness of looking at faces in boxes on a screen, and technical issues inevitably led to some frozen, garbled, jerky, speeded-up bits, but a
Connecting in Kilbarchan
Over the long winter days and months of this last lockdown, Kilbarchan NWR has formed a book group. This is in addition to the quiz group we formed in Lockdown #1. To date we have read and discussed: The Thursday Murder Club, A Gentleman in Moscow, The Long Call, The Beekeeper of Aleppo and Lady in Waiting, with Where the Crawdads Sing planned for after this. We all score each book out of 10 and one member keeps the result on a spreadsheet. So far, A Gentleman in Moscow is in the lead!
The Book Group also has a separate WhatsApp group, so we have many spin-off conversations about books. One of these was in response to Jasvinder Sanghera’s books which some members read after hearing her NWR talk.
Sunday morning WhatsApp chats have also helped to pass the time in a lively, connected way. One member posts a conversation starter each Sunday morning and the chat then goes from there. We have found out connections that we were not otherwise aware of
We held a successful Diamond Jubilee celebration last March
good number of our members tackled it gamely and we persevered. We’ve even got the hang of screen sharing!
Of course, not all our members felt easy with Zooming, and unfortunately some have missed the main meetings. But there were ways and means, and we have successfully evolved our own methods of sharing the information. A WhatsApp group has been invaluable, with many a hilarious cartoon or link to something interesting being passed on that way to cheer us, and of course everyone has email so a report of meetings could be shared to all members that way. The NWR Facebook groups have been yet another way to share experiences and ideas. In fact, ‘sharing’ has become quite the buzzword for this past year.
Whilst most of our members have remained successfully connected in some way, we are saddened that there is
and we share memories, thoughts and feelings which sometimes also spark similar conversations with members’ families and friends, helping us all to feel connected in these (still) strange times.
We have also changed the format of our Friday afternoon meetings to incorporate chat afternoons, using breakout rooms to ensure all members get an equal chance to talk and contribute.
Going forward as a Scottish group of 18 members – 17 of whom use Zoom – we can meet outdoors in groups of six, so are planning for garden party afternoons of three groups, weather permitting, of course. As we know only too well, Scottish weather can be a strange and unpredictable force so all our plans are flexible, but…fingers crossed for actually meeting up with an amazing group of friends! We often say ‘What would we have done over the last year without NWR, and especially Kilbarchan NWR?’ Fiona Catterson, Kilbarchan NWR just one older, technically unconnected member who has been ill and whose husband passed away, but unfortunately we have not been able to make contact with her.
With the lovely weather last summer, our fitness levels must have improved no end. In between fortnightly planned meetings we could all, Zoom-savvy or not, meet up for walks and at least a coffee and a chat when and where allowed. The first time we actually met in person, we were quite overwhelmed at just how wonderful it was to see real faces and have a simple conversation. It hit home how much we missed and appreciated personal contact.
Individually, the virus has affected most of us in some way. Some contracted it personally; family and friends have been affected; beloved parents and husbands have been lost or have found life difficult; ours and our families’ livelihoods have been in jeopardy; and children and grandchildren have changed and grown without our input.
And so to March 2021. While the situation globally remains so uncertain, our group is forging ahead with plans to October, making sure we have contingency and flexibility in the content and venues for our forthcoming meetings. We’re not giving up. Maybe next Christmas we’ll be able to have a proper party, with real food!
The information, support and online content from NWR National Office has been amazing throughout. Thank you!
The Christmas party/panto was hilarious, although we missed our usual table full of delicious Christmas food…
Wantage walk
In April on a cold but sunny day a few members of Wantage NWR walking group enjoyed a welcome break in the Parkinsons.Me Community Garden for the first permitted walk of the year.
The garden, located in West Lockinge near Wantage, was created in aid of those with Parkinson’s and was featured on Gardener’s World in 2019. Further details of this lovely place can be found on their website: https://www.parkinsons.me/ community-garden-west-lockinge Rosemary Harwood, Wantage NWR (Walking Group)
Devon distractions
We are lucky enough to have two flourishing NWR groups in our small town, one daytime and one evening. The two groups are run completely separately but every so often, as for this article, we join forces.
Otter Vale NWR is the daytime group and is younger than the evening group. Younger, that is, in terms of how long the group has been in existence but not necessarily in terms of average age – there is one member who is over 90. Perhaps surprisingly, Otter Vale has grown in size over the lockdown and is in the happy position of having about 10 members, many of whom have never been to a group meeting in person. Indeed, some of them haven’t met any of the group in person! Unfortunately, our joint craft group had to be put on hold over the lockdowns but, finally, the crafting itch had to be scratched and the group has been restarted over Zoom.
So, what has Otter Vale been up to during lockdown? There was a great deal of reluctance to use Zoom so, at the beginning, we had telephone and garden meetings. Then it got colder and the lockdowns didn’t finish so Zoom it had to be. However, we can’t wait to get back to face-to-face meetings and have already started splitting our normal meetings into two groups, one group continuing to use Zoom and the other meeting in a garden. Although, as you can see, the garden contingent sometimes need to be quite intrepid!
In addition, Otter Vale has been writing circular stories – think the childhood game of Consequences. We have in progress both a short story – only add three or four sentences at a time – and a long story – write as many pages as you want. We have kept in touch over the winter months and a few members have been meeting for short strolls. Ottery St Mary NWR is a group of 12 who meet in the evening. We have continued to meet via Zoom and our discussions have been as varied as you would expect. What Law Breaking Would You Condone?; Food Through the Ages; and, difficult as it may sound, Let’s Talk about Funerals, guided by a local undertaker, which was timely and informative. Our next meeting will be to discuss the NWR country of the year, Spain, which will be particularly interesting as one of our members has family in the country, one of them married to a Spaniard. Food might also be on the agenda with us all producing something to share virtually.
We did also manage to get out and about, and our photograph shows us catching a wonderfully warm, sunny evening at the end of last summer before we were back into full lockdown, following a walk around Sidmouth which started with pre-ordered fish and chips eaten on the beach. More of that to come soon, we hope. In June we are going to spend a day visiting a working farm that is often seen on BBC Countryfile. We all need something to look forward to! Jill Machin, Ottery NWR groups
In Memoriam
Full versions of these obituaries can be found in the members’ area of the NWR website.
Peggy Dziabas 1950–2021 Peggy was a stalwart of Harrogate NWR. She was kind and considerate, and will be greatly missed.
Judith Gibson
A member of Ross-on-Wye NWR, Judith was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, practical, a lovely person, and far too young to die.
Mary Tucker
Mary was a much loved and valued member of Caversham NWR. Her contributions to meetings were always thoughtful and pertinent, and will be greatly missed.
Anne Zeglovskis
A long-standing member of Sutton & Carshalton NWR, Anne was always a smiling member of the group with much to offer. She is greatly missed.
I’ve had it!
A year ago, if you said, ‘I’ve had it’ people would have commiserated with you, presuming that you had contracted COVID 19! But, thankfully, now they will congratulate you on having had your second inoculation.
The first of April 2021 has become a very special day for me. Doubly so. On Maundy Thursday 1995 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Every year since, the Easter Triduum has brought back memories of the fear I experienced on that day. However, from now on I will be singing my mam’s song: This Is My Lovely Day!* *From the 1947 London musical Bless The Bride
Marion Dante, Camberly NWR
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