7^th March 2021

 

Dear All,

I tuned into two excellent U3A talks this week. On Tuesday the Science lecture was entitled “SARS and COV -2 Infection - Where are we now?” by Prof. Paul Lehner who is a member of the Covid Advisory Panel. His talk covered: lost opportunities, why is the virus so successful? the history of the Pandemic and what we have learnt so far. One reason that the virus has been so successful is that it builds and peaks in infected hosts before any symptoms are shown so it is being spread before people realise, they are infected.

The second talk was “Conflict on the Roof of the World – Himalayan Politics and Warfare” by Henry Edmundson. He has climbed 4 of the highest peaks in the Himalayas and been on 9 long treks covering nearly the whole range. He concentrated on the India/Pakistan confrontation in Kashmir and the China/ India face off over Tibet. He covered the historical build up to these disputes, what has happening currently and what might happen in the future. As you might expect he had some fantastic photographs of the mountains and has just published a book “Tales from the Himalayas” for as little as £33!

Otherwise, we have stripped ivy from a few more gravestones, trimmed Ken Elsom’s hedge, cut the grass for the first time, laid fleece on the allotment to warm the soil and harvested some decent Purple Sprouting Broccoli.

On Thursday we walked through the orchard to Swavesey, past the windmill to the RSPB reserve, the river, Overcote and home. After heavy rain Wednesday night, it was a little sticky but not as bad as it has been. Highlight was almost seeing a seal in a dyke round the reserve, we met a jogger who had just seen one near the guided busway but it was not showing when we arrived.

 

 

Swavesey Windmill

 

RSPB still overflowing

 

 

River Ouse

 

Another member of our walking group died this week, Rosemary Pollack was a remarkable Jewish solicitor whose family had fled Nazi persecution. She had been involved in smuggling funds to the ANC in South Africa supporting the fight against Apartheid.

“Biographies” topic this week was Charles Orr Stanley he was a businessman who played an important role in the early development of commercial radio and television in Great Britain, especially in his role as head of Pye Ltd in Cambridge. He saw the potential of radio then TV very clearly and at one time had 109 companies worldwide.

 

 

Charles Orr Stanley

Mervyn Howard was 80 yesterday and a number of us gathered (socially distanced) outside his house to sing Happy Birthday and Kate had made some cakes to distribute.

 

 

Gordon & Mervyn

 

 

Well Wishers

With love

Mike & Kate