Tim Marsh

Mike, who teaches music to Junior schools, brought 3 ukuleles to entertain us with – a small plastic soprano, a concert and a tenor. All very simple 4 stringed guitar like instruments. He also brought a ukulele banjo which had a circular frame with a raised velum sound box. There are other forms of the instrument … Read more

Professor Stirling put forward the proposition that scientists make decisions based on good evidence. This gave him a problem when considering religion, creation, and all the literature surrounding it. That was the thrust of todays talk. Brought up as a Presbyterian in Scotland, but now attending a Church of England Church, Charles professed to believe … Read more

Andy had always, since the age of 3, wanted to be a soldier and at 16 he realized his ambition, by joining the Coldstream Guards, and after 24 years’ service, he ended up as their Regimental Sergeant Major.  It was clear to see how Andy had achieved this position. He had spent time on many … Read more

Inspired by ‘The Spirit of the Hills’ by Frank Smythe who reached 28000 feet up Everest in the 1930s,  and also the poetry of Geoffrey Wynthrop Young, John Driskell and David Peckett  dreamed of spending a year, getting as close to Everest as they could, with 3 others, in the early 1960s. Two Yorkshire men … Read more

Snuff  (Nicotania Rustica and Tabacum) is tobacco leaves, dried and crushed to a powder, then graded. Many varieties and flavours are manufactured, depending on the plant, the additives, the moisture content, and the coarseness. Dr. Brennan took us back 18000 years to when tobacco was known to have been smoked first. It has been used … Read more

   Newton’s Laws of Physics – Rubbish!    He hadn’t got out much into the Universe or yet heard of Einstein’s theories of Special and General Relativity, even though Galileo was on the scent before Newton’s time. Newton’s Laws are applicable relative to Earth but not related to a universe 50 billion years old, and … Read more