Please take a photograph of your group "in action." Don't forget to ask for permission from everyone for the photo to be published on the web. Then email it to the address below and we will upload it to the gallery.
Photography Group One 1st May 2024
Ten of us met at the roadside Car Park in Finstown on a day with little wind and some low cloud but with the sun trying to get through. We set off to the Community Garden where we found lots of lovely colourful flowers out as well as tree buds bursting forth. The Burn was a great source of images.
Jocky Wood was painting a new picnic bench with the appropriately titled Wood Stain! He does a great deal of the work on the garden as well as his own just up the hill opposite.
Six of us then headed for Binsgarth Woods.
The track was muddy in places but the spring flowers were out all the way. There was Pink Purselaine, Wild Garlic, Wood Anemone, and the invasive Salmon Berry. Since the tree leaves were not blanketing the light, one was able to get good photos close up. The Burn had lots of interesting tree roots and hanging tyres and ropes from the kids' dare devil antics. Then it was back to the shop for rolls and along to Tom's house for a cuppa and a nice piece of cake. Thank you very much for that Tom and all the stories too.
The next meeting will be going to Westray on Wednesday 29th May for the day. Arrangement will be made nearer the time.
All in all a lovely morning, taking time to look at the flowers and listen to the Wrens, Willow Warblers, Chaffinches and Robins singing in the woods.
Keep clicking.
Walking Group One 25th April 2024
Five hardy souls collected today at Happy Valley for the first Hill Walk of the year .The temperature was cool with a North Easterly wind blowing and a hint of rain on arrival.
Off we set heading towards Russadale Quarry, spotting a Buzzard on the way.Turning into the footpath we remained sheltered from the wind all the way to the top of the hill.
The sun was out at the Quarry and a Greenshank was feeding at the edge of the Lochan. Then it was up the Peat road to the summit with spectacular views across Stenness and Harray Lochs, plus a view of the Closed Road beyond the Watch Stone. On the other side we looked over the Flow and down towards the Oil Platform and South Ronaldsay
Then it was back down after a stop for a snack and finally a walk around Happy Valley itself. The Daffodils planted by James and others were looking lovely and the Bluebells are days away from opening. Then it was on to a well deserved lunch at the Pier Cafe, having walked 4 miles and gone up 800 feet (and down again )
The next walk will be on Friday 24th May and hopefully more hills and views.
Keep moving.
Tim's Blog
by Tim Wright - 23:21 on 25 August 2015
A committee meeting of Orkney U3A was held today at Westbank ,St Ola .
Items of interest were as follows ,
1 .Currently Membership stands at 89 including five new Members from Westray ,who we welcome into the U3A.
2. Finances are stable helped by the £ 1 admission fee for the running of the General Meetings .This £ 1 goes towards the hire /advertising /tea/coffee for everyone attending the General meetings and is payable by all who attend .
3. The request for Speakers for the General Meetings produced a large number of suggestions for the next nine months . A selection was made by the Committee of a variety of different subjects . Possible speakers will be contacted in the near future . Some in house talks will also be included .
4. Wester Ross U3A, based in Gairloch, have contacted us with the suggestion of a Quid Pro Quo arrangement for up to 12 of their Members visiting Orkney for a few days to see the sights while offering a similar to their Hosts here, to see the West Coast around their area .We are in the early stages of looking into this and dates/plans etc are tentative so far but the idea was met with enthusiasm by the Committee .We will try to firm all this up over the coming months .
5. The Christmas Lunch ,due to be held in The Kirkwall Hotel on 17 th December was discussed .Fiona will circulate the menus when they are available in October .
6 .John o'Shea will draw up a list of Groups who will be expected to help with the distribution of Tea/Coffee at the General Meetings . Please look out for your group and step forward to help him when it is your turn .
Next Meeting of the Committee is Tuesday 8th December at 2 pm at Westbank.
The next General Meeting is Tom Nimmo speaking about " Perspective " and includes all sorts of visual illusions .This is September 17th at 2pm in the Library
Thanks ,
Tim
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