14 members of the walking group, and Shelby the dog, set off from Chester Station to begin a walk around the Duke of Westminster’s Estate. Walking along the ancient city walls, and along the edge of the Shropshire Union canal, we approached the Roodee, the site of Chester Racecourse. Just a short stride from here we walked into the tree lined paths of the Dukes Estate and enjoyed a little welcome relief from the hot June sun. Continue reading
Well actually the title is not quite true! Foodie group members and guests attended a foraging menu evening at L20 restaurant, the hotel school of Hugh Baird College, last night. The restaurant is a firm favourite of the group, and as usual we dined in style. Using the definition of foraging, the acquisition of food by hunting, fishing or gathering of plant material, the students developed a menu using foods which they had indeed foraged this week. Continue reading
The foodie group met today to sample recipes of rice and grains. We sampled Nasi Goreng, an Indonesian stir fried rice recipe made with chicken breast ; Help yourself tuna rice salad, a dish which the family can dip into whenever they wish; Old fashioned rice salad; a slimming world recipe full of vegetables and other delicious ingredients, and Cranachan; a traditional Scottish dessert of oats, cream, whisky, honey and raspberries, which is a delicious alternative to trifle. Although we only have “tasters” I doubt many foodie group members eat lunch after our meetings! Our topic next month is “pies” so forks at the ready!
13 members of the walking group had a great walk today, completing 10.5 miles along the banks of the Cheshire canal, the Weaver Navigation and the Trent and Mersey Canal. Setting off from the Anderton Boat Lift in Northwich we walked along canal banks and across meadows and were lucky as it was an ideal day for walking.
40 U3A members attended at wine tasting last evening led by George Birchall. Visiting “Wine Time at Scatchards” on Great Howard street, we were treated to an array of Italian wines, mostly from the region to be visited on the next wine tasting holiday. Two whites, a rose and three reds were accompanied by a selection of chorizo, cheeses and olives. Thankfully transport had been arranged as the measures were far from mean and there may well have been a brush with the law had anyone been foolish enough to drive! The evening was a great success and everyone is looking forward to the next event in a couple of months time. Thanks to George and Mo for organising everything.
Following the usual tradition the Pedal Pushers cycling group rode to Sefton Park, Liverpool yesterday to visit the Field Of Hope. This expanse of different cultivars of daffodils was originally planted as a fund raising venture for the Marie Curie Hospice in Woolton, which is only a couple of miles from the park. People could purchase a daffodil bulb for £1 which was then planted in the park. Over the years the bulbs have increased by natural spread. The display is much later than usual this year, due to the poor weather we have had, but nevertheless, the display is beautiful and well worth a visit.
21 members of the walking group set off from St Michaels station this morning in beautiful Spring sunshine. Given the awful weather over the last few days we were delighted to see the clear blue sky and feel warm sunshine giving us a welcome dose of vitamin D. During the course of the walk the layers came off, with many of the group finishing the walk in short sleeves! Following the path from the station we walked up the very cosmopolitan Lark Lane with its eclectic mix of bars and restaurants, and made our way to Princes Park. Continue reading
The Foodie Group met again today and, as you can see from the slideshow, were treated to a veritable display of delectable delights which we demolished! Rounding off our 3 course menus the focus was on desserts and we certainly had a great time Thankfully, oops sorry, regrettably, quite a few usual members were missing, so those who attended had to were able to carry out the Oliver Twist tradition of ” please sir, can I have some more”! Thanks to everyone who served such a fine table of food. Our focus next month is pasta dishes, which, hopefully, will be slightly less calorific !
Following weeks of bad weather on a Wednesday, illness and holidays, the Pedal Pushers managed to get an almost complete group on the ride today. Using the Cheshire Lines cycle way we rode out from Maghull, did a circuit around the lanes and paths of Lydiate and Aughton before a coffee stop at Hartleys, Then following the cycle lanes, and avoiding the debris left by the hedge cutters, we rode back to Maghull. Just under 8.5 miles, but enough to get the joints going again. Hopefully we’ll get a longer ride next week on our annual Spring trip to Sefton Park to see the daffodil displays.
12 members of the walking group took on the challenge of “the beast from the East” and tackled a 7 mile walk from Maghull to Aughton today.Using the canal paths and byways, the first part of the walk was actually quite pleasant, walking alongside the Leeds Liverpool Canal, watching skating ducks and enjoying the brief glimpses of weak sunlight. Leaving the canal we headed across open farmland in Lydiate when the wind really started to blow. Continue reading