1st February 2023 

 

Hello Everyone, 

 

I write on a brisk, cold day, hoping that the temperature may rise soon. You will not, I am sure, be surprised to hear that I write the monthly letter a little in advance of the 1st of the month, and then our Web manager posts it onto the website in time. This month I have been dithering as to whether I should make it a little later and include the news of our Winter Supper and lecture from Tyler Butterworth on January 31st. I had a vision of peering at my screen at a late hour and trying not to make too many spelling mistakes after the event, and also decided that it would push Anita’s good will too far, so that will be in next month’s letter. 

 

Meanwhile we must thank Tyler Butterworth for being so accommodating in changing his arrangements to come to speak to us. His train ticket, booked long ago, will sadly not be of any use to him due to strikes, so he faces a long drive. Let’s hope that the weather is kind at any rate. 

 

Which it wasn’t for our January speaker, Hugh Ellwood who drove down from Lytham on 16th January to deliver his talk on 

 

Venice: Queen of The Adriatic 

 

There was an excellent attendance, on what began as a sunny afternoon. The architectural slant to Hugh’s lecture was interesting and thought provoking and people were clearly enjoying the day. As the last of us were leaving Heswall Hall the snow fell, fast and hard and settling. Some of you may well have reached home before it started, or soon after, but Mr Ellwood had the M6 in prospect ! 

 

You may remember that just in time for our meeting on 16th January we had news of the 2nd trip to see the Vermeer Exhibition at the Rijksmuseum which has been arranged by the North West Area Committee. The first trip sold out so rapidly that it’s a pleasure to think they were able to organise another so rapidly. 

 

I joined a Zoom meeting shortly after that with the North West Area Chairs. Always interesting, and of course we discussed the forthcoming North West Area meeting on Monday 6th March 

 

Preparations for our own Wirral AGM on Monday 20th March are well under way now, and before that we have our February 20th meeting, when Roger Mendham will be speaking on 

 

The Power of Photography 

 

We are fortunate in having our Programme Secretaries who book and arrange such wide-ranging lectures for us. It’s so important to provide for our different interests, and dare I say it, sometimes the titles which seem not quite on our own wavelength can turn out to be those we enjoy most. 

 

For those of you who like to scan our website, may I draw your attention to news under the Visits Tab: 

 

A Curated Tour of JMW Turner - Dark Waters - with Lamin Fofana 

 

has been arranged for 24th April, meeting at the Tate Liverpool at 10:30 am. All details will be available of course at our next lecture on the 20th February, and there are the contact links on the website to reserve a place. 

 

A further Visit is being arranged to Saltaire in May, by coach. Later in the year we will hope to have our traditional trip, details not quite finalised. As soon as we can provide the details, we will. 

 

We approach the first anniversary on 24th February of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Impossible to have thought of such a thing a year ago. What can any of us say? 

 

For now let me finish by sending 

 

All very best wishes, 

 

Yvonne Woodhead