Welcome!

This is to welcome anyone logging on to the U3A blog for the first time after having read about it in the Newsletter.

You can see all the postings made so far by scrolling down the page or you can open up any item by clicking on to its title in the list "Previous" to be seen at the right. As the blog only started in July, all postings are listed, but after a while the earlier ones will be archived. They can then still be found by clicking on to the appropriate month.

This is a reminder that if you would like a posting to be done for you, you can send it to me by e-mail to nodnurg@aol.com.

Remember to log on to the blog regularly so that you can see if there are any messages that concern you.

Tom Grundon

Computer Group 2004

This is the chateau in Arc-en-Barrois where the U3A party stayed in June 2005

NEWSLETTER OVERFLOW

The following group reports from Hilary Semmens unfortunately just missed our copy deadline, but thanks to the miracle of modern communications here they are now:

READING FOR PLEASURE
This group went into hibernation for the summer but will be resuming on Monday September 12th. Old hands will know that we are an open friendly bunch, all keen readers. We all take turns to introduce a book we have enjoyed and want to recommend to the others. This leads to considering a wide variety of books, old and new, classic, literary and genre, and we often find that a book it would never have occurred to us to pick up turns out to be a door into a new and wonderful world; at the morning's close presenters often find themselves with a queue of people wanting to borrow their book.
Some of us like to take the full two hours (less coffee time) on our books. Others feel happier with an hour and then we have two members presenting a book each. Obviously the bigger the group the less often the task comes round. New members would be welcome; we have lost a few to removals, care of grandchildren and so forth. I do have room and we love to make new friends.

WRITING FOR PLEASURE
This year more of the members of this group have entered the Arts Festival Short Story Competition, and if the reception they give to each other's work is anything to go on, the judges should be impressed. Personally I am proud of what they do.
Some of us have been achieving a measure of success with our stories, others have more modest goals, to learn to write a more interesting letter, a clearer report to a committee or to leave an account of ourselves for our grandchildren. But all of us are developing confidence and fluency in putting on paper what we want to say. Listening to each other every session is a really enjoyable experience. Everyone has a tale to tell and the more we write, the more in tune with our readers we get and the better we tell it.
The essence of the U3A, as I see it, is communicating to each other the skills we have acquired in our lifetime, sharing the benefits of experience. We in the writing group are improving our written communication skills. When we succeed, as from time to time we all do, in making each other share our discoveries, laugh with our laughter, quake with our fears or weep with our tears, it is a feeling beyond price.
PS. I've had some very kind feedback on my own book from U3A members elsewhere in the country, by the way.
Hilary Semmens

U3A Diaries Available!

Diaries for 2006 have arrived and will be on sale at coffee mornings and at the Information and Enrolment meeting being held at the Friends' Meeting House from 10 am till noon on Tuesday 13th September.

They are a bargain at £2 each. First come, first served!

Editor Calling!
Your newsletter editor has joined this blog. Watch this space for late news, competition results, and general trivia. Even the occasional candid camera shot. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Your very first blog!

Martha Perriam, your Secretary, has provided the following contribution to get you all going!

I wonder whether this could be set to music and become the U3A theme song?

There was an old lady of Frome
Who kept fifty sheep in her room
When her friends asked her why
She said in reply
They remind me of someone - but whom?

Martha (not original)

This is a blog (web log) set up for the members of Weston-super-Mare U3A. It is hoped it will be found useful for anyone, including Group Leaders, who wish to publish information that they wish to be brought to the attention of members. It is not intended to take the place of the Newsletter.

The blog will be open to anyone in the world with access to the Web to read. However, only authorised persons will be able to make postings to it. Your Committee will decide who these will be. Tom Grundon, the present leader of the
W-s-M Computer Group is the administrator of the blog. For the time being, and until the Committee has made a decision regarding who will be allowed to make postings, you are invited to send the text of any message you would like published by e-mail to him, and he will publish it for you.

His e-mail address is nodnurg@aol.com

We suggest that you add the address of this blog to your bookmarks or favourites and that you check the site regularly to see if anything has been added. The most recent message will be at the top of the list and you can scroll down the page to see others. Every month messages are archived. You can see any of these by clicking on the appropriate month in the list.