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 - Committee Meeting 31.05.16
by Tim Wright - 17:35 on 02 June 2016
Dear Members,
Ten of your U3A Committee met this afternoon at Westbank, St Ola.
Among the items discussed were:
1. General Meeting Speakers
A list of potential speakers for next year's General Meetings were put forward and I will start contacting them after the Summer. However, if there are any members who would like to speak next year or have contact with someone who would be prepared to speak, please let myself or Fiona know.
2. Membership
So far 75 members have renewed their membership. Final reminders will be sent out very soon. After that the Group Leaders will be told who in their groups have not paid and their continued membership of the groups will cease. So if you wish to continue to attend U3A activities, please pay promptly.
3. Orkney U3A Website
This is undergoing under a revamp with new information on it. The blogs and the latest information can be seen on the Orkney Communities Website under Orkney U3A. http://www.orkneycommunities.co.uk/U3A Old photos are about to be replaced and there is a request for new photos of the groups in action. Group Leaders are asked to check their Group descriptions and information and update them via Sally and David on the Website Team.
4. Publicity Officer
We are keen to get reviews of the General Meetings in The Orcadian. It was felt too much to ask one person to do this every time. As a result, we want to start a group of 5 reviewers who will write a review of the General Meetings, a maximum of twice a year. The review will then be sent to the Secretary for transmission to The Orcadian and to go on the Website. As Kate discovered, not all reviews get published in the Orcadian but if we don't send them in we miss a good bit of publicity for our U3A. If you are prepared to do a couple of reviews a year to help out, please let Fiona or myself know. A list will be drawn up and the work shared out evenly.
5. Group exchange with Gairloch /Wester Ross U3A
Linda Howarth of Wester Ross U3A, based in Gairloch, has been in contact with a proposal for an Exchange visit with us in Orkney. This would be next year in the Spring/Summer months. She has a dozen members interested. The idea would for them to be hosted by various of our members for 3 days or so, in Orkney, while receiving a similar number of days with them being hosted over on the West Coast. She, and they, are very keen and I am sure a few days with them would give a very interesting local view of their area. If you are interested, please let me know and I can include you, so we can start to work out if there is enough support for this exciting opportunity. It seems like an ideal trip for the Photographic, Bird and Botany groups but even if you are not in these groups please let me know if you want to come too.
6. Next Committee Meeting will be on Tuesday 18th October at 2pm at Westbank, St Ola.
All the best,
Tim
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