Members attending the March Gainsborough and District u3a meeting were entertained by Professor Trevor Kerry who, in explaining ‘What Theologians did all day’, pointed out how difficult it was for experts to interpret the ancient writings which were the basis for the Bible. Amongst the various problems he suggested were: the scrolls on which they were written had largely disintegrated; scrolls were stored together and consequently mixed up; the scribes tended to record the words without vowels; about 17% of the words used only appeared once in the writings – which made them hard to interpret. It certainly appeared that the task was a very much harder than anything on Richard Osman’s House of Games and much nearer to the mind-blowing quizzes of Only Connect!
The meeting on Thursday 14th April was a talk by Barbara Meyer about her wildlife photography. She showed many of her photographs, including some intimate close-ups of big cats, which is her major interest. She also showed a delightful collection of other animals including owls, deer, seals and foxes. She outlined some of the techniques she used and gave many useful tips for beginners.
In May, the speaker is another return visitor who will speak on the work of the Mercy Ships.
Groups are getting back to normal. The Buccaneers are leading the way. The 10 Pin Bowling group, which was a spin off from the Buccaneers, have enjoyed three successful sessions. The Buccaneers themselves have an afternoon tea, a ballet matinee in Nottingham and a visit to the Leisure Centre toning tables all booked for the near future. They are also looking at a ‘Detective Mystery’ tour of the Cathedral Quarter in Lincoln.
The gardeners are also celebrating the approach of spring with their annual outing being planned to one of two venues in Yorkshire.
The Kurling group had its first internal competition since November 2019 and after the trophy presentation everyone went to Thonock Park for a carvery lunch. This is not quite the same as the curling that some of you may have seen during the Winter Olympics. The full name is New Age Kurling and it is not played on ice and no one is equipped with brooms to make the stones go further. This game is played on solid ground and the ‘stone’, once pushed, is allowed to make its way to the target under its own steam.
If you are interested in joining any of the groups, please search ‘u3a Gainsborough’ to find details on their website of how to join.