Walk - 5th December 2018

8 of us decided to ignore the dire weather forecast and have a 10 mile walk today - from the club, through Chawton Park Woods and across to Bentworth.  

We enjoyed a super lunch at The Sun and then headed back another route - this time coming back to the club through Ackender Woods.  We avoided rain on the way there but it caught up with us on the way back home.  

On the way to the pub - look, no rain!  

Coming back, I managed to take this photograph - just before I slipped over!

"Contrast" images

It is quite a challenging task to try to capture the idea of "contrast" in a single picture. You will also, no doubt, have found it difficult deciding between images.

I am sure that this thought won't have occurred to many of you (as your baking is always just right!) but one idea I had was to take a photograph of some baking that I had just done beside the recipe book's photograph of what it should have ended up looking like!

Anyway, here are the various interpretations you have all come up with for "contrast" - it has been great seeing them come in, with them all looking so different.  As before, the topic for next month is revealed at the end.

Sue H

Steve - light & dark

Jan - Caspar

Ailsa - the abundance of life and the finality of death.
Carpe diem!

Ken - black & white

Gill - sunlight & shadow at The Vyne, Basingstoke

Don - a Houston house on a winter's day!

Rosie

Helen

Angela - Edward Colston.......philanthropist and slave trader

John

Keith C

Gaynor - the garden at "Fort Defiance"

Kate - War or Peace?  The wreath with white poppies is from the Quakers



............................ and the topic for December is "Circles"

Photography group stuff!

This has nothing to do with this month's topic of "contrast" but I thought you all might enjoy some of these images:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-46302730

The 39th - and unfinished KIT!

Today's KIT was very tightly contested and involved John, Tim, Ken and Keith AO + Jan, Hilary, Angela and Alison. 

The weather wasn't brilliant but we managed to play the round robin section to end up with, what would have been, a final between:

John & Angela   v   Ken and Jan  

By then we were quite cold and the courts were a bit slippy, so we decided to call it a day and leave the KIT, like Mozart's Requiem, as unfinished.

Hopefully we will have better luck with the weather when we have KIT number 40, sometime in the New Year. 

Cycle ride on Mon 12th Nov

There were only 4 of us today for our ride - Hilary, Angela, Keith C and Ken.

Hilary choose a lovely route - from Alton through Binsted to Alice Holt Forest, with the forest trails there looking stunning in their autumnal colours. We had lunch at the Forest cafe - then back via Isington , Neatham and Holybourne.

Keith had veered off home before we got back to Alton and I took the photo - hence only 2 people in the picture!

Contrast!

It is only 5th November and already I have had one photograph sent to me as well as comments from a few others that they have various ideas in mind.
The topic of "Contrast" should provide quite a wide range of different interpretations.  The hard bit for you all will be choosing only one!

Here is a non-photographic example of "contrast" to inspire you.  It is a poem by Brian Bilston that I have shown a few of you in the past.

Please don't get annoyed as you read it - just persevere with it. Once you have read it then just read it again, but this time from back to front - this will give you the contrast!

Refugees

by Brian Bilston

They have no need of our help

So do not tell me

These haggard faces could belong to you or me

Should life have dealt a different hand

We need to see them for who they really are

Chancers and scroungers

Layabouts and loungers

With bombs up their sleeves

Cut-throats and thieves

They are not

Welcome here

We should make them

Go back to where they came from

They cannot

Share our food

Share our homes

Share our countries

Instead let us

Build a wall to keep them out

It is not okay to say

These are people just like us

A place should only belong to those who are born there

Do not be so stupid to think that

The world can be looked at another way

Our Water photos from October!

Here are our photographs from October on the theme of "water".  Thank you for sharing them - here they are, in the order they were received.  

The theme for next month (November) will be revealed at the bottom!

Sue H:- Heron at Newman Collard tennis club.

"I was so distracted that I nearly lost the set!"

Don:-  "Relaxation near the water at Beer"

Gaynor:- taken in her kitchen

Ailsa:- taken at Wisley

Jan:- Wakehurst Place - "a beautiful day in October"

John - the river Test near Stockbridge

Keith C:- "Reflections" - a river near Frensham Pond

Rosie - on the isle of Wight

Helen:- in the garden

Kate:- the view from her bedroom window on 6th October

Keith AO:- in Guernsey

Gill

Steve

Ken:- "Bath time!"

Angela:- "the pond needs sorting!"

The theme for November is "Contrast" - make of it what you will!  

As before, please send your photo to me by the end of the month and I will try to put them up at the start of the following month - in this case, Saturday 1st December.

Some activities coming up for Nov & Dec

Cycle ride on Mon 12th Nov

Leaving Anstey Park at 11 to head to Binsted, then through the forest to the Forestry Commission cycle trail - with lunch in their cafe.

The cyclists so far are Hilary, Ken, Angela and Keith C.


KIT on Mon 19th Nov

It will be the usual 9:30 start and this time the group will comprise:

John, Tim, Keith AO and Ken + Angela, Jan, Hilary and Alison 


Walk on Wed 5th December

This will leave from the club at 10:30 and head up through Chawton Park woods to Bentworth, with lunch at The Sun.  We then come back a different route, including Bushy Leaze wood.  It takes about 2 hours there and 1 1/2 hours back to the club.

There are 12 walkers so far:

Hilary, Angela, Gill, Rosie, Ken, Ailsa, Steve, Keith AO, Kate and Gaynor + Tony & Hazel from Medstead.

Cycle ride - Monday 8th October 2018

8 of us cycled (by the back roads) from the club to Alresford for a lovely lunch at The Globe - then back by a different route.
We were: John & Jan, John & Sue, Hilary, Keith, Angela and Ken.
Only 5 of us were willing to pose for the camera!  
The appearance of water in the background is just a coincidence!

Introducing our photography project!

A few simple rules:

• 1 photo from each of you every month – with the location, if appropriate
• Take the photo during that month – no looking back through the archives!
• Deadline is the end of each month
• No editing of the photo – just send the original image 
• Photos will be posted at the beginning of the following month and the new topic revealed

The topic for October is:

Water

Update on the cycle ride on Monday 8th October

There are now 8 of us for Monday's cycle ride.

The plan is for John & Sue Hubbard (on her new electric bike!), Hilary, Keith C  and myself to meet at the sports centre ramps at 11am.  

We will then meet/collect John & Jan Hayman + Angela by the car park at the top of the forest track in Four Marks about 11:40.  Lunch is booked at The Globe – from about 12:40 in their little room, or outside if it is warm & sunny.

I think we might come back by roads this time but we can finalise that on the day.

October Stuff

The summer has gone!
2 things are currently organised for next month: 

- a cycle ride on Monday 8th October.  Currently the people involved in this are:
     Hilary, Ken, John & Jan, Keith C and Angela

- a KIT on Mon 15th October involving:
     Don, John, Ken and Tim G - Hilary, Gaynor, Jan and Angela


This will be the 39th KIT competition since it all started back in 2012!

Walk on Monday 30th July 2018

This morning ten of us walked from the clubhouse up through the forest to Four Marks, then back via St Swithun's Way to Farringdon - and a very enjoyable lunch at the Rose & Crown.  Then back again to the club via Chawton.
The merry band were: John & Jan, Don & Angela, Steve & Angela, Gaynor, Hilary, Ian and Ken.  We are all visible to a greater or less degree in these 2 photos!

Monday 18th June 2018 winners

We had a very close competition today with 6 out of the 8 people ending up with 12 points - the first time this has ever happened!  Count back was impossible so we resorted to tossing loads of coins to decide the finalists:
  
John, Ken, Keith C and Don  - 12 points
Alison and Angela - 12 points
Jan - 14 points 
Sarah - 10 points

The final was eventually played between John & Jan and Don & Alison, with John & Jan coming out on top by 6-1.

Winners - John & Jan

Wed 23rd May 2018 winners

The KIT today was played in lovely sunny weather between Don (in new shoes and with a new racket!), Keith, Ken and John Hubbard + Gill, Jan, Rosie and Anne.

The final ended up as:

Keith and Anne v Don and Gill 

with Keith and Anne winning 6-1.

Winners - Anne & Keith

Cycle ride on 21st May 2018

Nine of us enjoyed a cycle ride to and from Alresford today, with a break for lunch at The Globe.  It was about 22 miles from the club to the pub and back.

The group was made up of Hilary, Keith C, Joan, Ken,  Anne & Wahab, John Hubbard, John & Jan.

Here we are at the pub:

... and here are some of us cycling back:

The next 'event' is a KIT in 2 days time - Wed 23rd May 2018 at 9:15.  The players this time are Keith C, Ken, John Hubbard, Don + Gill, Jan, Anne and Rosie.

April 16th 2018 winners

We had another very enjoyable KIT competition today - this time between:

John, Ken, Keith C and Keith AO + Hilary, Jan, Alison and Gaynor.

The scores were very close at the end of the round robin matches, with the final being played between Keith C & Gaynor and Ken & Jan.  
Ken and Jan were unable to retain the trophy they won last time and Keith & Gaynor came away with a well deserved win by 6:1.

Winners - Keith & Gaynor

March 26th 2018 winners!

Today's KIT was the usual hard fought competition.  The group today was:

John & Jan, Sue H, Don, Ken, Alison, Angela, Tim.

It all ended up with a close final between:

Ken & Jan and Don & Sue H - with Ken & Jan managing to win 6-3

Winners - Jan & Ken

+

The next KIT is on Monday 16th April - between:

 Hilary, Alison, Jan, Gaynor + Keith C, Keith AO, John, Ken

Walk on Monday 19th March 2018

11 of us (+ 2 dogs) enjoyed a lovely walk round the outskirts of Four Marks today - starting and finishing at the garden centre, where we had a good lunch.
The next walk is on Mon 30th April.
We are also planning to start up the cycle days again - now that the weather is (hopefully!) improving.

+ in other news!