Letter from the President

0161 439 559813 Maple RoadBramhallStockportCheshireSK7 2DH

January 2012

Dear Friends,

Our Christmas Fair went well, Father Christmas in attendance, raffle, lunch and numerous stalls. Well done to everyone; and the following evening Whinge and Racket entertained us in the Bar to their usual terrific standard. We travelled to Provence with Dr Beaumont and the Travel Section. We enjoyed our fantastic Panto along with two grand-daughters –one was terrified by the witch!- well done to Ray Wood and all the hardworking cast, as well as the scene painters, light and sound engineers, stage setters and of course, wardrobe! This was followed by the Lingwood Bar Quiz on the Sunday evening- well done Niel and Jo, very mind-testing. We were entertained by the Wine Section by a man in a funny hat and smock, Mr Rush, on “Old Christmas Customs”, whose book I bought and enjoyed. Beautiful mulled wine and stollen were on offer at the Linguists’ coffee morning as well as their pantomime, and in the evening Andante’s concert and supper were much enjoyed. Well done to them all and to Alan as accompanist and general “in charge chap”.

We enjoyed the Digital Photography V.P.’s evening with a quiz of pictures around the area to identify and Travel took us on an exploration of “The Canals of the Cheshire Ring” when Mr Ian Moss taught us more about our history. The Gardeners’ coffee morning brought us some beautiful Christmas table decorations, and another very enjoyable Walrus lunch further expanded my waistline. Many thanks to Brian and Jean as our dependable hosts.

Christmas Eve in the Bar had us all singing and quizzing very pleasantly and getting us all in the mood for Christmas festivities. Thank you Jean.

Cont/….

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A few days at home to get our breath back and be ready for New Year’s Eve which was great- well done to Wendy and all her team; I’ve never had so many kisses at 12 o’clock.

Many thanks to everyone who has made our “first term “ so memorable and may you all enjoy a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful 2012.

best wishes

Angela Cowap

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The Brookdale Website

In the groundbreaking days of computer technology Don Hyde was at the cutting edge of what has become a global phenomenon and was responsible for developing, building and running the Brookdale website. His vast business knowledge and technological skills have been put to good use in managing this important part of Brookdale life over many years and many changes. At the same time he has also been responsible for running the websites of other organisations.

He has now decided that the time is right to relinquish his role as Webmaster of Brookdale.

We owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude and thank him for the countless time he has given to this role.

We are sure that he will be on hand to offer valuable advice to the new Webmaster during the development of the new website.

From the General Committee

SOCIAL COMMITTEENEW YEAR’S EVENew Year’s Eve was attended by over 110 members and friends who were provided with a hot meal and entertained by Ged Scott. After the midnight chimes of Big Ben, there was the traditional singing of Auld Lang Syne and New Year greetings to friends and acquaintances

The Social Committee warmly thanks all those who contributed their time and effort to the arranging, setting up and taking down for this event, all done in a happy atmosphere.

***TABLE TOP SALESThe next Table Top Sale is on Sunday 5th February 2012. The telephone number for anyone wanting to book a table is 439 0606. The following sale will be on 4th March. Anyone who is willing to help with these Sales in any way will be very welcome. The tasks are not onerous and most need only take just over an hour of your valuable time. If anyone not already on my list feels able to volunteer, you will be most welcome – Ray Rodwell - 0161 485 4665.

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FUTURE SOCIAL EVENTSThe next events are in April and details will be in the next issue of The News:- Saturday 14 th April (evening) – Entertainment by musicians from

the RNCM – more information in the next News and on the Noticeboard.

April – date to be confirmed – Fashion Show

***WHIST DRIVESOpen Whist drives take place on the third Thursday of each month in the Upper Hall. Play starts at 7:30 pm and admission is £2 per person which includes tea and biscuits in the interval, when raffle tickets are also sold.

The five whist prizes and the raffle prizes are usually presented to the winners by the President at the end of the evening.

Remember, you don’t need a partner to play whist, just come along for a friendly, sociable evening.

The next dates for whist are Thursdays 16th February, 15th March nad 19th

April.

***250 CLUB

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The monthly draw for the 250 Club takes place in the Bar at 11:30 am on the first Saturday of each month (usually following the theatre coffee morning).

The President draws the three winning numbers and presents the cheques to the winners if they are present and if the first prize winner is in the Bar they also receive a bottle of wine.

Anyone wishing to join in this Brookdale Fund Raiser with effect from the February draw would only need to pay £7 for each share.

The recent winners are:-November:1st Peter Browne 2nd Jean Tudge3rd Mary Wyles

December:1st Wendy Joyce 2nd Agnes M Paxton 3rd N. C. Wood

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HELP!Do you enjoy reading the News?

The Hon. Editorship of this publication will soon be vacant and if you wish to continue reading the News a replacement or some help is needed. It is one of the most interesting jobs in the Club as you are first with all the News! The News is composed of word documents so if you have a basic knowledge of word (cut/ paste/ fonts) and also have e-mail for the submission of articles you could help. The News is currently produced 7 times a year.

If you are interested in helping or would like more information then ring Alison on 439 9371 or Andy Altree on 440 8714.Job sharing might be possible.

BAR COMMITTEE

Many thanks to Jean for arranging Christmas Eve in the Bar with raffle, refreshments, quiz and music, getting us in the right mood for Christmas.

Ray Wood took the quiz on 8th January, with Margaret providing the refreshments. Many thanks to them for a very enjoyable evening.

The February quiz will be held on 5th and will be taken by the Theatre-goers, while on 4th March, Arthur and Sheila Watson will be in charge

We hope to have our extra glass-washer re-instated in the bar store soon. Our coffee machine has done well and is popular with members.

When bar staff cannot do their usual duty, they must arrange for someone else to do it. If you know well in advance that you are going on holiday, please fill in the list in the store.

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DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT NEWS 24th February (Friday)

(April 2012 Edition)

This edition should cover events from mid March through to the mid June (if you wish). Inserts are bound in the middle of the news, so these must be with the editors by the deadline. If you need any help with the layout then please ask well before the deadline.

Email contributions to twodavids54news@btinternet.com

Please ensure all attached documents are word or rich text files with file extension .doc or .rtf

Section News (in alphabetical order)

ANDANTE

Happy New Year to you from all of us in Andante. Hopefully you’ve had plenty of time now to recover from the festive season’s indulgencies. We are now reflecting on the success of our Christmas Concert. We’ve had some really good feed back and we all enjoyed the whole experience especially being able to use the extended stage with the tiered system. Even though some of us found it hard to climb on to, the audience’s reaction was very favourable and everyone said they preferred us being up there in full view. The stage is an amazing contraption, it can be pulled in and out but also it can be flat or tiered. It was a new experience for us to use it and the whole evening was very enjoyable singing all our rehearsed popular songs and carols, and serving food to our lovely, appreciative audience.

The food was really delicious and all thanks go to Hilary Wharton who designed and organised it, helped by her husband Tony, also John and Wendy Birch-Jones and our own David Smith, all members of Caracamp. Sheilah Mullen organised the choir with her usual military precision for us all to know exactly what we were doing, and where and when we were doing it! David did a wonderful job making name tabs for everyone to know where they were sitting and sorting all the tickets and money. There were some 150 people in the audience and 40 in the choir. The hall looked lovely as usual, thanks to all those who helped in setting it up.

The singing was greatly appreciated and the solos were well received. Sheila Howe sang ‘The Nearness of You’, Tommy Farrell ‘Imagine’, Joan Sharpe ‘Edelweiss’, Sheena Anderson ‘Time After Time’, Pam Griffiths played ‘Here’s That Rainy Day’ on keyboard and a small group from the choir lead by David Smith, sang carols in between the popular songs performed by the whole choir. Well done Audrey Bruckshaw for taking part and even singing solo in one of the carols, in spite of an injury incurred just before the concert started! The choice of songs old and new were well known by the audience and they were keen to sing along when invited. Thank you to Carol Streak for the Christmas tree on the stage and chocolate money given to each member of the choir. Thanks to Alan Streak our choir master again for his patience especially on the last night of rehearsal, the first time we had tackled that stage! He certainly entertained us all with his lively and amusing repartee introducing each number on the night. All in all it was a great evening and again thanks to all of you who gave us your support.

We welcome a new member, David Leach. He has decided to sing instead of dance on his Wednesday evenings, and he is a great addition to our choir.

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We are now practising for a concert here at the Brookdale, at 2:30pm on Sunday 26th March, costing £6.50. All proceeds will go to the Multiple Sclerosis Society (MSS) and you are all invited. Tickets can be obtained through members of the choir including David Smith, phone 0161 473 2716. There will not be the usual order form because it is a function organised by the MSS.

We look forward to seeing you there! Anne Groome

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ART

A happy and colourful 2012 to you all. May our members who have been unwell soon return to good health.

The sales of our original art Calendars and cards went well at the Christmas Fair. Well done to all who helped in this project.

A small group enjoyed a visit to the Manchester Art Gallery in December to see the Ford Maddox Brown exhibition and the murals at Manchester Town Hall.

The artist, Martin Goddard, has been booked for a workshop on Wednesday 25th January. The subject is street scenes with figures.

Our annual lunch will be on Wednesday 8th February at the Deanwater Hotel. The menu and details will be posted on the noticeboard. We would be delighted to see you there.

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BOWLING

All the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over and we hope you all had a good time and that 2012 will be happy and healthy.

The Blackshaw Cup Competition is well under way so please check on who you will be playing next.

Cont/….We are all looking forward to our Annual Luncheon at Alma Lodge on Sunday, 22nd January. This is always a special day for bowlers and much enjoyed. We have a few future dates for your 2012 diaries.

Thursday, 26th April: Prestatyn Day Out. Booking now open. 7

Monday, 18th June: Charity Bowling Day.Wednesday, 27th June: Captains Day.Wednesday 15th August: All Prize Day.

We were very sorry to hear that Jenny Higgins has had an operation and is unable to bowl at the moment. She wishes to thank everyone who sent her cards and good wishes. Bob Hopkinson is recovering well from a hip operation and Margaret Longden has recovered from a serious eye infection and has managed to re-book her holiday to Kenya. We wish you all a quick recovery as we miss your company in the Jubilee Room.

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BRIDGE

As a good doctor, it is inevitable that I should begin my task with a round up of the frail, sick and recovering section members. To do so I’m indebted to V.P. Robyn to whom I am awarding the title Honorary Matron of the Brookdale Sickroom. Mike Thomas has had both knees replaced and is coping. Jennie Fisher is recovering from the effects of a stroke. Fred Screeton is progressing but as I write, he has had a minor set back, yet remains cheerful. Jeanne Brookes, who doesn’t keep good health, has felt a little unhappy of late. I add that June Lythgoe has “damaged” her leg but to what extent she is disabled I know not. Poor Pat Wareing has fallen at home, breaking a shoulder and is having surgery within the next few days. On the retired list I record that Joyce Bateman is moving from us to be with her family; we wish her well.

All the subdivisions of our section are happy and contented. The Beginners and Improvers increase in numbers; some are quite addicted and have been heard to murmur ”More, more, we want more”. Rubber bridge (on Monday) is the haunt of my wife Ella and her partner Kath. These girls achieved their place in history on 15 th November, winning the afternoon session, with a score of +37. Rash frivolous generosity is not a sin from which I suffer, but later in the day Ella and I celebrated the occasion by sharing a small glass of excellent sherry. Sorry, Kath, there wasn’t enough for you. We toasted absent friends!

Teams of Four are going smoothly; after five weeks the Pat Tooze team held the lead but were last night nudged off by you know who! We have two teams in the Manchester League, captained by Graham Barker and Wendy Joyce respectively but they are in different divisions. I’ve no information as yet to report how they stand but we wish them well. Let’s hope they can bring home the bacon or better still, cups and shields. Our Duplicate sessions are well attended, with certain ”boys and girls” frequently gaining tops or thereabouts. I look up and applaud.

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I announce two Open Bridge Drives; Saturday 7th January and 4th

February. These are in the Main Hall and start at 7:30 pm. The Section’s Bridge Lunch is on Saturday 25th February, 12 noon for 12:30 pm, again in the Main Hall.

Somewhat belatedly I record real success; Marion Moulds/Dieter Salden and Graham Barker/Arnold Hepworth were 15th and 16th

respectively in the National Charity Simultaneous Pairs. We are proud of them. What fine ambassadors they are for the Club’

Now a matter of some importance for those who don’t own or use a computer. If your personal details change-address etc., you should inform the E.B.U. by contacting Members’ Amendments, telephoning 01296317200. If nothing else this will ensue safe delivery of “English Bridge”.

I record with great sadness, that after a long illness, Nancy Clarke died early on New Year’s Day. This dear lady will be sorely missed by many and none more so than by Noel, who with great tenderness has cared for her for some time. We offer him and his family our sincere condolences.

Finally the answer to last month’s silly little thing was ”Old Testament, Genesis, Ch. 35”!!

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CARACAMP

A Happy New Year to everyone!

It is good to start the New Year with good news and we send Congratulations to Alison Brown on the birth of a daughter, Milly. This is a granddaughter for Sheilah and John Mullen and we hope that one day Milly will be visiting a Carabreak weekend! John has had another spell in hospital recently for treatment on his foot and we send good wishes to him.

The January Coffee morning will probably be over when the “News” is circulated but there is still one to look forward to on 11th February when cakes will be served with the coffee.

Our section members’ Sunday lunchtime outing also takes place in January and has been organised by Sheilah – many thanks to her.

There will be a Carachat on Monday 26th March when David Smith will guide us through an evening of “Diminishing Whist”. This will be open to any club members who would like to join us in the Lesser Hall at 8:00 pm.

Our Vice President’s Evening will be held in the Main Hall on Saturday 21st April. and is Betty’s Jazz Night with “The Tame Valley Stompers.” This is an award- winning band who will play a selection of New Orleans Jazz and we anticipate a big demand for tickets. The evening will start with supper at 7:30 pm. Tickets, priced £15, are available from

Betty Nixon 439 4300 OR Hilary Wharton 483 1503

Plans are underway for the caravanning season and dates for Carabreaks will be available soon.

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DANCING

A happy and healthy New Year to everyone, hope you all had a good Christmas.

Our last Saturday dance in November was well attended and very enjoyable. It was our first opportunity to welcome our President, Angela Cowap and Denis to our Section. Thanks to Gerry Needham for a great programme of music and to the committee for all their hard work. Also very successful was our dance party night in December when Arthur Stevens played his lovely Christmas music to a full house of dancers.

We now look forward to our next dance on 11th February when we will be entertaining all the Sections VPs. The evening will start with a buffet supper at 7:30 pm followed by music and a varied dance programme. Dennis Hill will be our MC on this occasion. Tickets go on sale from mid January so get yours early to avoid disappointment.

Our Wednesday night dancing continues and Richard and Susan Church will be teaching us a new dance in February.

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DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Horizons have always caused me a problem! No matter how carefully I use the camera viewfinder to ensure they are horizontal, when I see the resulting photograph I have a slope to either left or right. This is most noticeable with seascapes, where the sea is appearing to drain off out of the picture! But wait, help appears on the horizon (sorry, I could not resist that one). At our well attended November meeting Ron Clare gave us a very informative insight into using the free to download photo editing software “Picasa.” This is easier to use than Photoshop and lo and behold you can use a special grid to level sloping horizons! I must try it when my computer stops having nervous breakdowns. Many other digital gadgets are available to personalise your photos with this software and much experimenting can be done quite easily. At this meeting we were pleased to welcome a number of potential new members to our group and look forward to seeing them again at our next meetings. The close up and macro photo competition was well supported and ably judged by George Berry. Our congratulations go to the winner Ray Halls and to the runners up Laurie Bell and Rowland Dunston.

Cont/….On our photo display board at the Christmas Fair we had a variety of photographs taken by members and this proved to be very popular with visitors to the fair. A lot of favourable comments were made and most

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thought the quality of our pictures had improved considerably. Of course it is the aim of our group to help and advise each other on achieving better results, and from the comments made we are managing to do that.

A busy afternoon in December saw us preparing the main hall for our VP’s evening and social get-together. The VP’s and their escorts from all the Brookdale sections attended along with our president Angela and Denis. After the reception our good friend Paul McNulty and his wife entertained us with a digital slide show featuring his varied wild life photographs, very enjoyable and our thanks go to Paul. We followed this with our fun quiz of who what and where produced by our chairman Ray Halls, who also provided a word matching table quiz for us to occupy ourselves with. This was not easy to do and most of us were not able to complete it!! The photo competition was for one A4 or 10 x 8 inch picture of Bramall Hall (front view) and this was again well supported. We asked the VP’s to vote for the one they liked best and the resulting winner was a snow scene by our own VP Judy Rodwell, well done Judy. All the photos were of high quality and after much deliberation the following runners-up were announced. George Berry, Laurie Bell and Alison Davids. Our congratulations go to these winners and our thanks to all who entered, without you we would not have a competition. Our future competitions ask for a maximum of two A4 or 10x8 inch photographs on the following subjects:-

“A winter scene” to be judged at the 21st February meeting,“Patterns” to be judged at the 17th April meeting,“Doors and Doorways” to be judged at the 15th May meeting.

We also have a meeting on 20th March when we do not have a photo competition. All our meetings start at 7:30 pm with a question and answer half hour. Bring your camera and instruction book. From 8:00 pm the following subjects are planned for our meetings:-

February: Point and shoot photos, cropping and pattern photos.March: George Wilson on landscape photography April: Laurie Bell on the history of slide shows.

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GARDENING

The very best of good wishes to you and yours for a happy and healthy 2012 !

The last two Coffee Mornings of 2011 once again had bumper attendances of cheerful folk intent on a coffee and a chat, and the December event was of course our Christmas Special. This included, inter alia, over 130 present (a new record), warm mince pies, committee members in Santa hats (including one remarkable creation clearly suggesting that the dear man goes down chimneys head first) and a verysuccessful Festive Table Decoration Competition won, not surprisingly, by that very keen gardener and esteemed section assistant secretary Carole Wyatt.

So that rounded off the old year in fine style. Now, have your diaries open and pens at the ready for coming events not listed in your present membership card (see the third paragraph below).

FORTHCOMING ATTRACTIONSThe Evening Event of Friday 3rd. February (Upper Hall, 8:00 pm) will be drawing near as this News hits the streets. In it, Irene Scowcroft will tell us about The Myths and Magic of Old Wives' Tales. Your Scribe (who still hopes somehow to lessen the Complications, Contradictions and Confusions of Gardening which he so frequently experiences) is absolutely agog to know how they can relate to roses and mildew, lupins and whitefly, bizzy lizzies and slugs, and so on ad infinitum, and is very willing to pay £2 at the door to find out. Please note that the Vice-President's Evening will be on Friday 27th. April, and not Friday 6th (which is Good Friday) at 8:00 pm in the Upper Hall.Now please note these special events, which the committee is actively planning, to add to your programme for April to August. Dates and venues to be confirmed at coffee mornings, on the noticeboard and in this space. Tickets as required at coffee mornings or from Christine Pickford on 0161 439 1948.

1. The committee hopes to organise a special event at the Club as part of the Royal Horticultural Society's first-ever National Gardening Week, which commences on Monday 16th April.

2. Following Sue Beesley's very successful talk at the Autumn Evening Event, we plan to visit her Bluebell Cottage Gardens and Lodge Lane Nursery near Warrington (a half-day trip) on Monday 28th May.

Cont/….3. The Vice-President's Outing is planned to be to Chatsworth

House and Gardens on Wednesday 11th July. 13

4. A visit to the Breezy Knees Gardens (yes, that's right !) near York is proposed for Thursday 30th August.

If any venue proves unavailable, the date will be retained and a new venue selected. Coffee Mornings will be held in the Main Hall at 10:00 am on Saturdays 18th February (including the Annual Bulb Show), 24th March and 14th April.

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LINGUISTS

I hope that like me you have successfully and safely survived the 2011 Christmas and New Year Handicap Chase. We cleared The Preparations and Christmas Eve easily, and the First Christmas Day Turkey was daunting but safely over. The Boxing Day and Third Turkey hurdles were a bit more of a challenge, and then we had the deceptive relaxation of the Christmas – New Year straight before the New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day fences, possibly the biggest on the course and so close together – and followed this year by an extra Bank Holiday Fence before the winning post. But here we are safely in the Unsaddling Enclosure, and that’s quite enough of that metaphor!

First, a really big thank you to those who contributed to the Christmas Fair through the excellent “Twin Towns” game and the 2011 “Clipboard” – we can be really proud of the Section’s response to the call.

Our last event before Christmas was the Christmas Coffee Morning, which included the traditional glühwein and stollen as well as the mix of entertainment from each of the language groups. Well done to all those who organised the event and to those who devised the entertainments – what a mix of talent we have in the Section!

Our VP’s Evening on 14th January is still to come as I write but will have taken place by the time you read this, so a report next time.

Looking forward, we have our Early Spring Coffee Morning on Saturday 25th February at 10:30 am in the Upper Hall. This year, it will be on the theme of “Daffodils” with an appropriate table quiz, so come along dressed in something yellow or bring a daffodil – in flower in our garden since before Christmas! Just £1 – pay on the door.

The title for our Main Event on Saturday 24th March is “Dine and Climb with the Linguists”. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that we have decided to take everyone on a mountain trek – instead there will be a two-course meal (main course and dessert with coffee) provided by the ever popular Blenheim team, followed by an after dinner talk by Brookdale member, Kathleen Potts, about her experiences trekking in the Annapurna mountain range in Nepal. Kathleen describes her talk as “A

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Light Hearted Misadventure”, so an entertaining and amusing (and well-fed!) evening is in prospect. The event is in the Main Hall starting at 7:30 pm, so do join us to scale new heights – tickets are £12 in advance, and a booking form is in this edition of the “News”.

I am almost frightened to tell you that the only other dates for your diary are the Late Spring Coffee Morning on Saturday 28th April and the AGM on Monday 14th May – surely it can’t be time to think about those yet! Oh, and about next year’s Clipboard......... Finally, let your New Year’s Resolution be to join one of our language groups. To find out more about them, particularly any new club members, do contact the Group Leaders who are:-

FRENCH Jo Moor 0161-439-9818GERMAN Peter Miles 0161-488-4130WELSH George Beaumont 0161-439-5445ENGLISH Jean Harrington 0161-456-8761SPANISH David Singleton 0161-485-5123

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RAMBLERS

WalksOn Thursday 10th November 13 members took the train to Manchester to repeat the history walk first featured quite some years ago. The fact that most who attended had either not come on the first occasion, or had forgotten the details they had previously been told, was quite a relief to the organiser. A clammy day turned a bit showery, but with frequent stops – one for coffee, one for a sandwich lunch – 9 of our number were able to finish the planned route in something over 4 hours, which was quite an achievement in itself. Thank you, folks, for your support.      Leader Sylvia Hill

Thursday 8th December - Ramble through Lyme ParkOur pre- Christmas meander around Lyme attracted three brave femaleson a very windy rain forecast day, but we were rewarded with an invigorating walk up to the Cage where we spied three herds of Red Deer on the leeward side. As we got closer, their antlers looming up out of

Cont/….the grass seemed quite magical and we stopped and observed them for awhile. Further on, as we searched for the fallow deer around the back of the Hall, we came across a lone stag looking sorry for himself, as though he had been in a fight. In the end, we found that the fallow deer had been locked in for the winter but glimpsed one (much lighter than the red) in the distance. Rather damp, we then decamped to the cafe for hot drinks and bacon butties.    Leader Sheila Salden.

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  StrollOn Sunday, 27th November, 12 strollers enjoyed a walk around Abney Park, Cheadle.  It had rained heavily overnight, but we were blessed with sunshine and a blue sky as we made our way around the park. Most of us were aware of the Hall, as some departments of Stockport Local Authority have been housed there over the years, and we also visited it recently as a group on a history walk with Sylvia Hill, but for most of us the grounds came as a surprise. We feel another visit is called for in the spring or early summer, as there is said to be a good display of wild flowers and wildlife in general. We had lunch close by in the Cheshire Line Tavern, formerly Cheadle railway station.  A very pleasant ending to our outing.  Leader Blanche Milgate 

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THEATRE

Happy New Year and welcome to 2012!

A year which is going to provide a lot of events. The Diamond Jubilee, the London Olympics, the European Football championships, etc. etc. And of course a lot at Brookdale too.

What a wonderful Pantomime we had before the Christmas break. (oh no it wasn’t – oh yes it was). Well done to the cast and crew of the show, you put on an excellent production. We even sold tickets for the Dress Rehearsal, that was how popular it was! Once again well done.

The weekend before Christmas, our BYT section gave us a festive evening of entertainment, which put us in the mood for Christmas. Very popular and enjoyed by the many who went.

As I write, the final rehearsals of Blood Brothers are taking place. But, as you read this, the production has been on stage and as usual it has been another successful production by BWT.

Our next show is “A Voyage Round My Father” by John Mortimer. For those who are unaware of the play, it was written by John Mortimer of “Rumpole of the Bailey” fame. It is an autobiographical account of the authors relationship with his father, a noted Q.C. A heart-warming, poignant and funny play, that is very well worth seeing. It has a large cast (including your erstwhile scribe) with many playing multiple roles. Make sure that you get your tickets early, as we are sure that this will be a popular production.

Following the play, will be our show “The Producers”, more of which will be in the next News.

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An advance note for you diaries. The annual BATA’s will be on Saturday 14th July this year. This is due to Brookdale hosting the GMDF drama festival in June (another note in your diary….)

We have heard that Grace Sheriff has been in hospital. Get well soon Grace, we hope to see you back down at Brookdale soon.

*** TheatregoersMany of you will know by now that the Theatregoers Spring outing will be to see “Wonderful Town” at The Lowry on Tuesday 10th April. This very popular show stars Connie Fisher, and is being presented by The Halle, the Royal Exchange and The Lowry. This is the first time that these three organisations have come together in a joint enterprise, and it promises to be something very special. This evening performance starts at 7:30 pm. Please check the noticeboard for up-to-date information on availability.

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TRAVEL

We hope you all had a good Christmas and wish you all the very best for the New Year.

In November Mr George Beaumont gave us a very interesting “Journey to Provence” via the Rivers Saone and Rhone.

At our December meeting Mr Ian Moss talked very informatively and humorously about “The Cheshire Ring”. We had a problem that night and ended up in the Jubilee Room which luckily did not detract from the evening.

13th January: Our first meeting of the New Year will be Mr David Drackley giving us a talk on “Antarctica”. I am hoping this will not reflect the weather outside the Club.

Cont/….17th February is our Annual Dinner. At the time of writing there are still tickets available. Contact Jean Lingwood.

23rd March: There is a change to the programme and Mr Barry Rowlands will take us on “A Moroccan Adventure”.

20th April: We will take “The Isle of Man Coastal Path” with Mr John Wilson.

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23rd April: A group of you will be going to Keswick staying at the Lodore Falls Hotel. Hearing about all the lovely things you can do in that area, you are in for a splendid break.

There are plans in hand for a trip in February to Bents Garden Centre with a visit to Mr Bent’s own garden where, we are told, there is a fantastic snowdrop display.

There is something being organised for June. More details about that at a later date.

Get well soon to any members who are not enjoying the best of health.

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WALRUS

Following superb Christmas and New Year Celebrations and reclining in a somewhat somnolent condition, I found myself dreaming and in so doing a message appeared suggesting that the next Brookdale News entry was very shortly due to be with the editor. I woke up with a start and here I am writing my first entry for 'the year of our Lord 2012'.

My first pleasure therefore is to wish all those who read this entry a very Happy and Healthy New Year, hoping that you have all enjoyed Christmas etc as much as we did with our families all around us. So here we are into a New Year and almost half way through another Brookdale Year. Let us hope that all Brookdale has to offer will be as enjoyable and interesting as in earlier months.

From a Walrus perspective we finished 2011 with our Christmas Lunch in a traditional manner followed by the very excellent talk and presentation on Music of past Years with particular emphasis on Bing Crosby and of course 'White Christmas'. Now we have to report on our first luncheon of the Year on 18th January which was well attended and where we enjoyed listening to 'Elaine Bates about “Lyme Hall, My Weekend Home”. Elaine told us much about Lyme which many of us, I feel sure, were not aware.

Our February Lunch on Wednesday the 15th, will also be one not to miss. On this occasion our speaker is very local and possibly known by several of our members. Andrew Cant of 'Simply Books' from Moss Lane will be talking to us about his development of 'Simply Books' to what is now a status of national recognition. This should be good, don't miss it.

So much so far for this year, more speakers are constantly being sought, if therefore you have any entertaining/interesting suggestions to make do let us know. We are a small band and any help in this direction

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is always well worth our consideration.

I have refrained from earlier mention of the weather. So far it is an improvement on that of twelve months ago, and we have already passed the shortest day. Perhaps it can only improve towards Spring, better days and gradually lighter nights. After all we change the clocks again in March.

Before I close we send our very sincere condolences to Noel Clark following the recent loss of his wife Nancy. Noel was a member of our committee for many years and our thoughts are with him at this sad time. Also spare a thought for those who are not well, and for their carers. As the years roll on Winter is not, as Dickens said, 'the best of times'. Well that's about all for this entry and as the ITV Weather Forecaster Fred says 'Sleep well, you deserve it'.

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WINE SOCIETY

May I first of all apologise for this brief report. I forgot to forward my completed news to our editors before leaving for a weekend in London so am writing this from memory in a hotel room on an iPad! The Editor has kindly agreed to give me extra time.

A very Happy New Year to you all. May it be healthy, happy and peaceful.

Our Christmas meeting was an hilarious presentation by Ray Rush on Christmas and New Year customs. It was a great start to the festive season. I will report on our first 2012 gathering - our Hotpot supper- next time.

Cont/….On 10th February Don Hyde, who as many of you know, is an intrepid traveller,  will talk on some of the “Interesting Places” he and Judy have visited. Our 9th March meeting will be a wine tasting by Metropolitan Wines who, I understand, present a superb evening. Please refer to our noticeboard for the details which  regrettably have escaped my memory.

In April our very own Bryan Lingwood will talk on his days as a Schoolboy in the War Years. This will no doubt be an X certificate!Good wishes to any of our members who have been under the weather and again I am sorry for my huge senior moment.

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MESSAGES TO MEMBERSGOOD WISHES

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The Gardeners send their best regards and good wishes to Patience Parish and Pat Wareing following their recent hospital stays, and also to any other members who have been experiencing ill health or accident. We hope to see them all back at the Brookdale soon.

Ramblers send best wishes to one of our keen strollers, Patience Parish who has been in hospital after a car accident

***THANK YOUJune Lythgoe wishes to thank everyone for all their cards and get well wishes during her recent illness.

***CONDOLENCESBridge send their sincere condolences to Noel and his family on the death of his wife, Nancy Clarke, who died on New Year’s Day.

***IN MEMORIAMOn behalf of the President and members of the Club a donation has been made to The National Eczema Society in memory of Pauline Warburton who passed away recently.

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NEW MEMBERS

We would like to welcome the following new members to Brookdale:-

Introductory Membership:Mrs L Adshead Mr J Arrowsmith Mr J BanburyMrs M Banbury Mr R Boucher Mrs A BissellMs J Chana Mrs P Forrest Mrs B GannonMrs J Gettins Mr A Hatherall Mrs R HeymanMrs J Howard Mr K Jardine Mrs J LeaMr M Sarginson Mrs M Shaw Mrs I SingerMrs M Thomas Miss Z Watson Mr R WelshMrs S Welsh Miss A Whitehead

Intermediate Membership:

Mr M Banks Miss O Boyd Miss J Savory

Junior Membership:-Mollie-Jo Matthews

***Resignations:Michael Wood

Deceased:Pauline Warburton

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Brookdale News Deadlines for 2011/12 Season

Edition Dated

Copy to Editor by8:00 pm on Friday:-

Delivery:- Week beginning Monday

2012April 24th February 12th MarchMay 13th April 1st MayJuly 25th May (provisional) Thu. 14th June

Message to Deliverers of the News: It is hoped that the April News will be available for delivery by 12th March.

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SECTION SECRETARIES

If you have any queries concerning a Section or Event you may find the following list helpful:-

Section Secretary Telephone No.Andante Pam Griffiths 419 9727Art Delia Haslam 486 0550Badminton Paul Golds 01625 535493Bar* Rita Chadwick (Acting) 439 1897Bowling Hilda Taylor 01625 876453Bridge Rosemary Moorhouse 427 6001Caracamp Wendy Birch-Jones 483 1672Dancing Joan Clare 439 2711Digital Photo Ingrid Halls 439 6095Gardening Dorothy Woodall 483 8229Kitchens* Wendy Joyce 01625 873601Linguists Sheila Haley 439 5240Ramblers Brian Guest 01663 763678Social* Carol Pimlott 439 5398TheatreTheatregoers*

Marilyn WebleySylvia Hill

456 5588483 4653

Travel Jean Hopkins 439 6626Walrus Jean Lingwood 439 3181Wine Roger Salt 439 0371

*Sub- Committee

Contact details for Club Officials and the Editor are inside the front cover.

If you would like any information about joining any of the above groups or helping the committees then please do not hesitate to ring the Secretary shown above for more information.

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FORTHCOMING EVENTSJANUARY

Fri 20th Wine: “Bees & Honey” & Hot Supper UPPER HALL 20:00Sat 21st Caracamp: Coffee (and scones)

MorningUPPER HALL 10:30

Sun 22nd Ramblers: Stroll See Noticeboard 10:30Sun 22nd Bowling: Annual Luncheon Alma LodgeMon

toSat

23rd

28th

Theatre Production:“Blood Brothers” Curtain Up 19:45

FEBRUARYFri 3rd Gardening: Evening Event, “The

Myths and Magic of Old Wives’ Tales”UPPER HALL 20:00

Sat 4th Theatre: Coffee Morning UPPER HALL 10:30Sat 4th 250 Club Draw BAR 11:30Sat 4th Open Bridge Drive MAIN HALL 19:30Sun 5th Table Top Sale CLUB 09:00Sun 5th Bar Quiz Night BAR 20:00Thu 9th Ramblers: Ramble See Noticeboard 09:30Fri 10th Wine: Interesting places Don Hyde UPPER HALL 20:00

Sat 11th Caracamp: Coffee (and cake) Morning

UPPER HALL 10:30

Sat 11th Dancing: VP’s Event MAIN HALL 19:30Wed 15th Walrus: Luncheon MAIN HALL 12:30Thu 16th Open Whist Drive UPPER HALL 19:30

Fri 17th Travel: Annual Dinner MAIN HALL 20:00Sat 18th Gardening: Coffee Morning and

Annual Bulb ShowMAIN HALL 10:00

Sun 19th Bowling: VP’s Lunch LESSER HALL 12:00Tue 21st Digital Photography: Q & A with Paul

Point and Shoot, Cropping & PatternsLESSER HALL 19:30

20:00Fri 24th BROOKDALE NEWS

DEADLINE20:00

Sat 25th Linguists: Daffodil Coffee Morning UPPER HALL 10:30Sun 26th Ramblers: Stroll See Noticeboard 10:30

MARCHSat 3rd Theatre: Coffee Morning UPPER HALL 10:30Sat 3rd 250 Club Draw BAR 11:30Sun 4th Table Top Sale CLUB 09:00Sun 4th Bar Quiz Night BAR 20:00Thu 8th Ramblers: Ramble See Noticeboard 09:30Fri 9th Wine: Tasting with Metropolitan

WinesUPPER HALL 20:00

Cont/….MARCH continued

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Wedto

Sat

14th

17th

Theatre Production: A Voyage Round my Father by John Mortimer

Curtain Up19:45

Thu 15th Open Whist Drive UPPER HALL 19:30Sat 17th Bowling: Coffee Morning UPPER HALL 10:30Tue 20th Digital Photography: Q & A with Paul

George Wilson on Landscape Photography

LESSER HALL 19:3020:00

Wed 21st Walrus: Luncheon MAIN HALL 12:30Fri 23rd Travel: A Moroccan Adventure, talk

by Barry RowlandsUPPER HALL 20:00

Sat 24th Gardening: Coffee Morning MAIN HALL 10:00Sat 24th Linguists: “Dine and Climb” Meal

followed by talk from Kathleen PottsMAIN HALL 19:30

Sun 25th Ramblers: Stroll See Noticeboard 10:30Mon 26th Caracamp: Diminishing Whist LESSER HALL 20:00

APRILFri 6th GOOD FRIDAYSat 7th Theatre: Coffee Morning UPPER HALL 10:30Sat 7th 250 Club Draw BAR 11:30

Mon 9th EASTER MONDAYThu 12th Ramblers: Ramble See Noticeboard 09:30Fri 13th Wine: Talk Bryan Lingood- “My

School Years during the WarUPPER HALL 20:00

Fri 13th BROOKDALE NEWS DEADLINE

20:00

Sat 14th Gardening: Coffee Morning MAIN HALL 10:00Sat 14th Social Event: Entertainment by

musicians from RNCMTBA-see noticeboard & next News

Mon 16th Gardening: RHS National Garden Week Event

TBA

Tue 17th Digital Photography: Q & A with PaulLaurie Bell- A History of Slide Shows

LESSER HALL 19:3020:00

Thu 19th Open Whist Drive UPPER HALL 19:30Fri 20th Travel: The Isle of Man Coastal Path,

a talk by John WilsonUPPER HALL 20:00

Sat 21st Caracamp: VP Evening MAIN HALL 19:30Sun 22nd Table Top Sale CLUB 09:00Sun 22nd Ramblers: Stroll See Noticeboard 10:30Fri 27th Gardening: Vice- President’s Evening UPPER HALL 20:00

Sat 28th Linguists: Coffee Morning UPPER HALL 10:30

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