As the year moves from summer into autumn (always my favourite season) then it seems appropriate that the theme of u3a week at the end of
September is Positive Ageing. That can mean many different things, but it’s intended to be all about celebrating ageing, staying healthy and
energised.
I had time to ponder more about that over the past few weeks when, after a gloriously exhausting week with our two grandchildren, we met up with two long-standing friends in Madrid and the four of us headed off for six days cycling around the hills and villages of Segovia in north-west Spain. It was a part of Europe we had never explored before, and the trip made me appreciate the breadth of all the fabulous groups run by you in the Southwell u3a.
Madrid itself was a focus of the differing arts and culture offered, from Picasso’s Guernica through to more classical Velázquez, Goya and Rubens. As we headed into the hills and gorges, the birdwatching groups would have been in their element, with Griffin Vultures circling overhead and nesting on the ledges, through to kites and eagles soaring around. The highlight for us was a beautiful Booted Eagle caught in all its splendour against the blue sky (one for the photography group!).
History and architecture would have enjoyed exploring the sites from the magnificent aqueduct in Segovia, the grand palace and gardens of La Granja through to the many smaller chapels in Pedraza, Sepulveda and other surrounding villages. On course, there was the language challenge (over 90% of visitors to the region come from within Spain) and as it was Fiesta time in the villages it was a chance to learn a lot more about local culture and customs.
To cap it all was the fabulous food and wine – just a warning in case you do ever decide to visit but as the local speciality is roast lamb and suckling pig it is not the centre of the culinary world for vegetarians!
At the top of some of the steeper climbs we felt more like we’d “positively aged” but the experience of the whole week would certainly fit
with us all as a great experience of Positive Ageing. When I look back on all the experiences we shared during the week and compared them to our own Groups List, it emphasised to me how much we have on offer to try to help everyone continue to Learn, Laugh and Live.
To help us manage and communicate all that is on offer, then the big news for the month is that the new website is up and running. As anyone involved in any IT project would appreciate, this has taken a huge effort and there are still some final teething problems to be resolved. However, I hope you all find the new site one that’s much easier to find your way around and you’ll soon see the benefits it offers. Many thanks to Steve, Richard and Rik for the many hours and hard-work they’ve put into developing the new site and getting it up and running – it’s not been an easy task at all.