Reports from Recent Events
ON A DARK DECEMBER DAY, TIME FOR TIGER AND
THE TEA
We were not among the most expected audience at the “The
Tiger Who Came to Tea” performance, aimed at the +3-year-olds. No
children in our company, on Sunday 4th December 2011 we nevertheless
made our way to the Warwick Arts Centre and we enjoyed it
nonetheless.
We simply wanted to see the tea-guzzling tiger. The performance,
based on the picture book by J. Kerr, and adapted for the stage by
D. Wood, indeed cast a new light on what is meant to be idyllic and
cosily predictable, the teatime. But all daily routines of Sophie
and her mother get disrupted when a big and stripy tiger knocks on
the door, politely invites himself to the table, swallows cookie
after cookie, and drinks a whole pot of tea! Swirling and dancing
round the stage, it was the most graceful tiger.
Those of us who haven’t seen the play can still pick up the book.
For it reminds us that when the evenings seem never-ending and
sparkling lights brighten up our town’s wintry streets, we should
expect the unexpected… and store plenty of cookies in our cupboards.
Sandra Young
WROXALL ABBEY TO BADDESLEY CLINTON WALK
On Saturday 12th November four of us walked a circular
route to include Wroxall Abbey and Baddesley Clinton. With gladdened
hearts, we trudged through fields of grass and cabbage and slippery
mud. Our journey was made more fatiguing by the heavy sludge
clinging to our boots. There were several gates and stiles on our
planned ramble. After a short rest, Sandra guided us to some
woodland of enchanting autumnal beauty – dappled shades of olive
green and rich browns and gold and amber. We paused to enjoy the
apples Kit gave us for lunch and then headed back to the abbey.
Distant cows mooed us home, as we crossed the final field. We will
do more walks in 2012, if you would like to offer a walk please
contact us.
FIREWORKS AT KENILWORTH CASTLE
Seven of us enjoyed the Round Table's Bonfire Gala at
Kenilworth Castle on Saturday 5th November. We had a warming supper
before heading out the fireworks. Four of us went into the castle
and others stayed behind to watch from the mount behind the castle.
James Bond was the theme this year and we enjoyed the show with the
fabulous background of the castle and enjoyed the music. The evening
continued with drinks and lots of chat and laughter.
CINEMA - "THE WAY"
Six of us went to see 'The Way' in the cinema at Warwick Arts Centre
on 29th July 2011. Emilio Estevez directs his father, Martin Sheen, who
will be familiar to many as President Bartlet in The West Wing and
from Apocalypse. Now in a moving but humorous story about loss and
discovery Sheen plays Tom, a successful ophthalmologist in
California, who learns that his only son Daniel has died walking El
Camino, the ancient pilgrims' way to Santiago de Compostela in
Northern Spain.
Tom sets out to bring Daniel's body home for
burial. But inspired by the police captain, he decides to have
Daniel cremated, and then to carry his ashes all the way to the
Atlantic Ocean. Wracked by the pain of his loss, but ever more
determined to fulfil Daniel's dream by walking El Camino, Tom teams
up with a trio of misfits: an Irish author facing a writer's block,
an extrovert Dutchman desperate to lose weight, and a Canadian woman
determined to give up smoking when she gets there. After several
comic misunderstandings and fallings out, the group begins to come
together and look out for each other. When they reach Santiago, the
end of the road, they decide spontaneously to accompany Tom further
to the Atlantic shore, where he finally scatters Daniel's ashes.
None of the four has an orthodox faith, and Tom
is adamant when confronted by a priest that his Catholicism is
lapsed. But all of them learn a reverence for the Way, and for the
thousands of pilgrims who have passed before them over the
centuries. They discover a new sense of humanity in themselves and
in each other. They do not find a faith, but it's as if their eyes
and souls have been opened to the possibility of redemption to fill
the emptiness which drove them onto the way in the first place.
Subtly acted by Sheen, with an over-the-top
performance by James Nesbitt as the Irish writer, the landscapes and
architecture are beautifully filmed. It's a feel-good movie, but
with enough bite to set a few ideas running through the warm glow I
felt at the end. And I am sure it will inspire many others to follow
the Way to their own discoveries.
James Kennedy
COUNTRY WALK
Our walk from Kenilworth Castle took place on Friday 15th July 2011 at
6.30pm. Six members of the group walked the circular four-mile walk
in just two hours. Although there were dark grey clouds in the sky
we went ahead as planned.
We started from Kenilworth Castle along Chase Lane to the ancient
Chase wood where Queen Elizabeth hunted during her stay here in
1575. We passed large fields of crops including wheat, barley and a
purple thistle type plant that caused a great deal of interest.
We enjoyed each other’s company and were able to share the events of
our week and the weekend ahead. Our discussions included the best
pet to choose and how to negotiate several cows in the fields that
we passed through.
Our walk brought us back along Purlieu Lane to the Pleasance, a
recreation area built by Henry V but dismantled by Henry VIII and
rebuilt in the castle grounds. In 1575 Queen Elizabeth’s evening
ride home was by torchlight; ours was less romantic dodging the rain
to the Queen and Castle for a well earned drink. We look forward to
welcoming you to our next event.
Sandra Young
