Author: Trevor

A welcome return by John Parnell, this time not demonstrating hula hooping but demonstrating balloon modelling! From a bag of balloons he produced a wide variety of balloon models, from the ubiquitous dog to hair dryers which doubled as gums, from giraffes to Santa hats. And at the end, we all had a go at…

JILL DWYER from Leicester’s HealthWatch came to urge members to complete their surveys on women’s health. Not that men’s health is unimportyant, but women have very significant healthcare problems due to their gender, and HealthWatch have out nine surveys which trhey would very much like you to complete so that the restricted resources of the…

Back by popular request, a visit from Ringtons helping us to get ready for… a sweet Christmas! Tea, coffee, biscuits, chocolates, and more. And I can tell you that they sold well!   To help show us what’s new in stock and to supply our Christmas sweet tooth, Raymond brought along Andy.  They promised to come…

This is Jess Zara, senior conservator at Twycross Zoo. She came to talk to us about the conservation work which she and her team, and indeed everyone at Twycross Zoo, carry out throughout the year. Their brief is very wide-ranging, and includes working with zoos around the world to preserve and protect wildlife, especially endangered species…

We were enjoying a delightful meal at The Greyhound, Woodville when the Staff heard that it had been Ann’s birthday the day before. And when they came out with Ann’s pudding, this is how it was presented! What a delightful gesture by the lovely Staff at The Greyhound! And not only do they serve delicious…

Bach to the Beatles and Tall Stories! Peter, John, Iris, and Mary together are the After Eight Quartet, and we were treated to a viruoso a capella performance from Bach to The Beatles via Elvis and more, all interspersed with witty banter, jokes and tall stories. Needless to say, there was much laughter and appreciative…

The ancient skill of… hula-hooping! John Parnell – the Hoop Guy – presented a fascinating and very amusing talk in three parts. He first described how hula hoops had been found in the ancient world dating back to 500 BC. In 14th century England, doctors treated patients with pain, dislocated backs, and even heart failure due…

Not just Strawberry Tea at Nailstone Church! You can see everything about our recent visit to Nailstone Church in this picture. The Church background of course, the sumptuous tea which we were served along with strawberries and fresh cream, our members of course, but also the Nailstone School Choir who sang two delightful songs, one…

We never knew we could learn so much about playing cards! And yet Mike Lister returned this year to tell us even more! Everything from the history of playing cards to the many different designs around the world, the fascinnation with playing cards clearly has known no bounds for millennia! Here’s a fascinating fact! The…

Forgive the pun, but Trevor Moore’s excellent talk on beekeeping created quite a buzz among our members! In the three years since he took up the hobby, Trevor has become an expert on keeping bees and about bees themselves. We were treated to a superb explanation of how to make honey, we sampled two different…

We very much enjoyed the recent performance of a wide range of Elizabethan Music by well-known local musician Chris Susans playing the lute, and also accompanying Wendy Nieper, a soprano who has sung for film sessions, jazz, opera/classical, and rock and pop, and recorded with some of the rock greats. And it was a great privilege…