TWEEDDALE U3A INTEREST GROUPS 2015/16
Art Activities
We meet fortnightly on Tuesdays at 10.30 am.
This is a very informal drawing and painting group for all levels
and using any medium. This could be watercolour, acrylic, oils
or pastels. Subjects are chosen by the participants.
Art Galleries Group 2
We meet once a month.
Our aim is to extend and develop our appreciation and
knowledge of art in all its forms by visiting arts galleries and
exhibitions. We travel by bus, car and minibus. We endeavour
to see a wide range of art including architecture, sculpture,
ceramics, as well as paintings, installations and exhibitions.
Guided tours/talks arranged whenever possible and occasional
art films/documentaries. We meet together for lunch or coffee
before returning home to discuss and reflect on what we have
seen and to learn from each other.
Art House Films
Group meets in group members’ houses on the first Tuesday of
each month from October to April. Each film is introduced by a
group member and a discussion on questions arising from the
film follows the viewing. Films are normally of a serious nature
and have not been on general release. This group is currently
full; when there is a vacancy you will be advised. (See other
Film Group)
Astronomy Group
We meet monthly on a Monday at 2.15 pm
We hold monthly meetings that have so far covered a range of
topics, including Earth satellites and space probes, the orbits of
plants, comets, meteors, types of telescopes, elements in stars
and measuring astronomical distances. We have attended
some of the Monday evening public lectures at the Royal
Observatory at Blackford Hill, Edinburgh and are in close
contact with the newly formed Peebles Astronomy Group that
meets at Kailzie. Skies permitting, my telescope can be set up
in my back garden to view the Moon, stars and planets.
Current Affairs Discussion Group
This group will meet monthly on the 4th Tuesday at 10.30 am to
discuss a topic that is currently in the news. (These timings
may need to be negotiated.) The Group will meet in the home/s
of group members and the size of the Group will be limited to
10 members. Each monthly topic will be led by a group
member, who will choose the topic and prepare a short
introduction.
Jazz Appreciation Group
We meet on the 2nd Monday of the month at 2pm.
The objective of the Jazz Appreciation group is to encourage
the appreciation of jazz music as it has evolved from the
beginning of the 20th century to the present day, by listening to
recordings and looking at videos of interviews and
performances Discussions include considering what makes
jazz uniquely different from other musical forms, and how the
jazz musician creates improvised variations on a theme.
Bird & Plant Identification Group
We meet fortnightly on a Thursday morning, or whole day from
February through to about August. We meet on the Thursday in
between the Wednesday Walking Group.
In the autumn, winter and spring we do birds, and during the
summer we do plants, but also birds. We started this year in
February with walks, first to the north of Peebles observing
birds, and then to the south side. Later in March we went to
Vane Farm in Fife which was particularly interesting, also to
Aberlady and Musselburgh Lagoons where we have the
services of a local warden sometimes. Nearer to home, we
regularly visit the Manor Valley for both birds and flowers. We
carry books, binoculars and cameras and discuss, learn and
hope to remember what we have learnt!
Aspects of Life
We meet on the 1st Friday of each month at 2 pm.
The Aspects of Life group has flourished in various guises
since the foundation of Tweeddale U3A. It is not an easy group
to categorise, nor to describe – and that is what characterises
it. We do not have a tangible output, we do not study a specific
topic, we do not visit specific types of venue … it’s easy to
identify what we don’t do. And yet this is a lively and enquiring
group in which many friendships have been formed, much
knowledge and understanding shared, and many new
perspectives opened as, month by month, group members take
turns to choose and then present a topic that’s close to their
heart, and to choose the manner in which it’s presented. We
plan a programme for the year, which is published in advance,
but the choice of topics is entirely up to each presenter, and so
each year’s programme provides opportunities for serendipity
and unexpected discoveries. Just to cite a few examples, topics
which the group has explored range from yoga to genetics, fairy
tales to issues facing people and their carers as they grow
older and perhaps less mobile, from dowsing to reincarnation,
and …
Formats have been as varied as the topics we have covered,
and have included talks from group members or by visiting
speakers, followed by discussion and/or sharing of personal
experiences, practical demonstrations and taster sessions of
craft or bodywork skills, debates, role-plays and literature
readings.
Exploring Classical Music
This group will meet on the 4th Wednesday of the month in the
afternoon for 2 hours. This is a new group, so the format is as
yet a provisional one, but it is hoped that members will share
and learn from each other, and that, as they listen each
member will discover music that is new to them, as well as
finding new insights into what may be an old favourite. Various
genres will feature, including instrumental, chamber and
orchestral music.
Walking Group
We meet on alternate Wednesdays at 9.30 am at
Kingsmeadows car part (Ninian Haugh). Peebles
The walks, of about 5 miles, are organized and led by
members, and the details are circulated by e-mail beforehand.
The walk locations tend to be scattered between the Pentlands,
Broughton, the Tweed Valley and Melrose. Car sharing and a
pub or café meal afterwards are options. In both the summer
and autumn there is a full day excursion, and also a 2-night
Walkaway with locations ranging from Coylumbridge to
Borrowdale and the Island of Bute.
There is also a sub-group that arranges gentle strolls based on
the Peebles to Cardrona Walkway, on the same Wednesday
mornings as the main walk, and with details provided by e-mail
beforehand.
Lunch Club
We meet either the 2nd or 3rd Wednesday of the month
throughout the year. We are a friendly group who sample the
fare at lunch time from restaurants in the Tweeddale area and
enjoy getting to know each other. Transport is usually available.
Local History Studies
We meet the 2nd Thursday of the month.
If you live in the Tweeddale area you can’t help but be
fascinated by the amount of history we have on our doorsteps.
You do not have to be an expert in history, local or otherwise,
to be involved in our group, you just have to be prepared to do
some research, either on your own or with others members of
the group, and share it at one of our meetings.
Sometimes we cover one topic with one presentation,
sometimes we have shorter presentations from two or three
members. Members might arrange a visit to a local place of
interest, or lead a walk around a local area. We have explored
Tweeddale by mini bus, led by one of the group. We also
improved our research skills by a visit and talk at Hawick
Heritage Hub.
Anything else? Well come along and join us – we’re open to
ideas.
Gallery Visiting Group
We meet on the 3rd Tuesday of the month.
As the name suggests, this is mostly what we do. Usually from
September to June sometimes in Peebles, mostly in Edinburgh
and as far away as Glasgow or Pittenween. Occasionally we
watch a relevant video if the weather is bad. Planning meetings
are held as required and each member take turns to organise
the monthly visits.
Great Writers Book Group
We meet on the 2nd Monday of each month at 2 pm.
As our group’s title is “Great Writers” we generally choose wellproven classics such Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters.
Recently we read and discussed Scottish novels by Neil Gunn,
Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Robin Jenkins and others. We also
selected American authors such as Steinbeck, Hemingway,
Fitzgerald and Henry James to mention a few. If a good film
has been made from a novel we have read, we have been
known to indulge ourselves with a viewing accompanied by tea
and coffee. Anyone who enjoys reading good books and talking
about them with like-minded people is welcome to join us.
Readers
We meet on the 4th Friday of the month at member’s homes.
Our aim is to read and discuss a variety of modern fiction,
including American and European authors. Books are
suggested by members who then lead the discussion at the
meetings.
Books for All
We meet on the 3rd or 4th Wednesday of the month.
Members bring suggestions for our group and the books are
chosen in advance. Previous selections have been fairly
eclectic, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, The Master,
The Bookshop to the Flight Behaviour.
Science and Society
We meet on the 3rd Monday of each month.
Members of the science and society group discuss the ways in
which scientific advances have improved all our lives. The
contribution of individual scientists are highlighted and the
areas where progress in the future may be are investigated.
Members without a background in science find the discussions
interesting.
Garden Group
The Garden Group meet once on the 3rd Friday of the month
throughout spring, summer and autumn Members share a love
of plants and gardens and learn from each other about garden
design and plants suitable for Peebles. At a planning meeting in
late winter a programme is suggested for visiting local gardens
and notable gardens further afield for both pleasure and
inspiration, travelling by minibus or car. Most visits are
afternoon only but occasionally we undertake a day out. New
members are welcome, whether knowledgeable garden owners
or not.
Film Discussion Group 2
The group meets on the last Monday of the month at 1.30 pm
from October to April.
Each member taking it in turns to choose the film and host the
meeting. We usually have a fairly “eclectic” choice of films,
some more serious than others.
Film Fans
We meet on the 4th Monday of the month at 2pm. We watch a
DVD of a film recommended by one of the group and follow that
by discussion of the main theme, the portrayal of the
characters, the setting and how much we enjoyed it. At present
we have 11 members and cannot accept new members
because the accommodation in our houses is limited.
Heritage & Archaeology Group
If you enjoy morning coffee, lunch and visits to places of
interest, then why not join our group on the 2nd Friday of the
month. Our members take turns to organise a monthly trip to
places of interest in each of the spring and summer months.
We have presentations on archaeological or heritage subjects
in the winter months. We recently visited Caerlaverock Castle
and Sweetheart Abbey.
History
What does the U3A History group do - and how do we do it?
We meet on the 3rd Thursday of each month, apart from
December, July and August.
The category “history” is defined as more or less any
historically relevant topic from 1000 AD onwards. Most of our
sessions are talks, computer presentations, etc, but
occasionally we do on-site visits. In September we have a
planning meeting when we usually fill our calendar with
subjects suggested by members. This pre-planning means that
each month the entire group can prepare for the chosen topic,
and this results in a lively post-presentation discussion. We
have great fun, learn a lot, and we all contribute.
Table Tennis
We meet weekly on a Thursday at the St Joseph’s Centre,
Rosetta Rd, Peebles, to have fun and get some exercise.
Equipment is provided. We encourage you to come along and
give it a try.
Bookworms
Our meetings are the 3rd Tuesday of the month between
September and June in member’s home. At the June meeting
each of us brings two or three suggestions for the following
season, making sure our choices are available in paperback.
We mostly read modern fiction, though we have included
biography and one or two of the classic 19th century novels.
Some of the books we are reading currently included The
Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, Leaving Alexandra by Richard
Holloway, the Garden of Evening Mists and Memoirs of a
Geisha.
Poetry Group
We meet on the 3rd Monday of the month in each other’s
houses at 2pm.
The host usually chooses the subject; it may be a general one
such as, Love, The Sea, Mountains, or a particular poet may be
chosen. Each member brings along their own selection and we
read and discuss the poems. Occasionally a member may
choose to do a presentation on a particular poet and we look at
that poet in some detail. There is always a good discussion and
laughter. We never leave without learning something that
“makes a difference”.
The Romantic Period in Music c.1825 – 1925
What we think of as ‘Classical’ music has had many periods of
evolution from Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th Century Rhenish
nun who composed much German liturgical music to the Post
Modern era of today. For our purposes, these periods fall into
loosely dated eras, generally; the polyphonic church music of
Italy, Tudor and Elizabeth with composers such as Vittoria and
Purcell, Jacobean, Baroque, Gallant, Classical, Romantic,
Modern and Post-Modern to the music of the present day.
I aim to provide a guide to the basis of notation and harmony so
that as we progress through the Romantic period, everyone will
have the same (very) basic knowledge of the language of
music. Don’t worry; I shall not attempt to give every member a
music degree – merely a general starting point.
We shall listen to not only well-known composers such as
Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, Brahms and on to later
composers who straddled the turn of the Century such as
Debussy, Ravel and Rachmaninov, but also some of those who
have slipped out of history for various reasons..
Dependent upon the number of U3A members wishing to
attend, this whole series might take a year or more and
members must feel free to come and go as they wish.
The Future of Europe Group
We meet on the last Wednesday of the month at 9.30 am.
Favourite subjects under discussion are the institutions of the
European Union, and the current EU crisis as well as aspects
of the Common agricultural policy. Each member is expected to
make a presentation on an aspect of European affairs, and
equally to question and make comments on the subject under
discussion. The group was launched in autumn 2005.