Not a university and not for old people On a beautiful, hot afternoon in July of this year I was in the churchyard of a small village in south-east France called Seythenex. It’s on the side of a steep valley, with a mountain and a pine forest behind it. I had been in the village a few times before because my grandson goes to the tiny school (77 pupils) there, but although I’d seen the church countless times from the other side of the valley, where Max lives, and had promised myself that one day I would go inside it, I’d never done it. Today we were putting that right. The church did not disappoint. It’s like very many rural French churches: beautifully decorated “up at” what Philip Larkin called “the holy end”, but otherwise plain off-white apart from the Stations of the Cross in frames on the walls. The churchyard is large because, although the village is small, people have been dying there for donkey’s years. As I stood with my back to the church, looking across the mar...
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Statue of Plato (detail) by Leonidas Drosis at the Academy of Athens. Philosophy The word philosophy comes from the Greek meaning ‘love of knowledge’. What can we know and most importantly how can we know it? How can we know what is the Good? How can we know what is Truth? P&D u3a Philosophy Group is led by Ian Gregory with highly convivial sessions of intellectual stimulation held at his home in Barmby Moor. Ian says that a crucial task is to lay bare the presuppositions at the heart of some of our most fundamental ideas and practices. Concepts such as Justice, Equality, Freedom, the Rule of Law, Citizenship and Democracy are some of the most important subjects for critical dialogue. Socrates was one of the most famous early philosophers who pursued intellectual enquiry in Athens as early as the mid 400’s BC. He taught Plato (a teacher of Mathematics and Philosophy) and he in turn taught Aristotle. Can you believe that these people were seek...
Pocklington and District u3a Garden Wildlife Group is led by Tony Flavell, founder of popular Greener Pocklington tree planters but here the focus is on wildlife. The group is very sociable and meets in various members’ gardens. They undertake practical projects and swap ideas about the plants people are using – which plants to choose and where to site them in order to look after garden visitors and encourage bio-diversity. The group says four main needs for wildlife are food, water, shelter and a place to breed. Everyone can help maintain a healthy eco-system by making a few small changes in their garden – even doing a little can help a lot. How does your garden rate? A variety of plants will encourage different species of birds, animals and insects. Swifts can be encouraged by fitting special boxes onto houses. Hedges and shrubs provide ideal places for birds to nest and a bird bath doesn’t need to be ornate - just somewhere for birds to feel safe to drink. Small animals will...
Fun and Games on West Green Pocklington and District u3a chose to celebrate National u3a Outdoor Day by meeting on West Green on Friday 22 nd September. Members used the Table Tennis table and Basketball Hoop which are in situ, and had a go at the games Vice Chair, John Senior, had collected from the East Riding store based in Driffield. Thanks to him, many members were able to enjoy Jenga, Quoits, Boules and Croquet. Everyone also enjoyed socialising and sitting for a chat in the sunshine in such pleasant surroundings. There were conversations about using West Green more and doing more outdoor activity. The new path was appreciated by those with mobility issues with the hope that it could be further improved and there was great interest in looking into trying to help establish a Boules Court. This might only need a lining and gravel. It was thought that the Skate Park was more for the young (at least no-one had a go this morning!) whereas a relatively l...