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Walking Group One 25th April 2024
Five hardy souls collected today at Happy Valley for the first Hill Walk of the year .The temperature was cool with a North Easterly wind blowing and a hint of rain on arrival.
Off we set heading towards Russadale Quarry, spotting a Buzzard on the way.Turning into the footpath we remained sheltered from the wind all the way to the top of the hill.
The sun was out at the Quarry and a Greenshank was feeding at the edge of the Lochan. Then it was up the Peat road to the summit with spectacular views across Stenness and Harray Lochs, plus a view of the Closed Road beyond the Watch Stone. On the other side we looked over the Flow and down towards the Oil Platform and South Ronaldsay
Then it was back down after a stop for a snack and finally a walk around Happy Valley itself. The Daffodils planted by James and others were looking lovely and the Bluebells are days away from opening. Then it was on to a well deserved lunch at the Pier Cafe, having walked 4 miles and gone up 800 feet (and down again )
The next walk will be on Friday 24th May and hopefully more hills and views.
Keep moving.
EX-CHAIRMAN'S BLOG
by Richard Thomas - 09:12 on 21 March 2014
EX-CHAIRMAN’S BLOG 21
20 MARCH 2014
1. I have stood down from being Chairman at yesterday’s AGM and I just wanted to put a couple of thoughts down in my last blog.
2. The first is to offer Tim Wright every best wish as the new Chairman and of course it goes without saying anything I can do to help, I will do. Doubtless information on the rest of the AGM will be forthcoming in the next couple of days.
3. Then I want to thank the members of the Committee for their support, advice and assistance over my 3 years in office. They’ve kept me on the straight and narrow by shooting down some of my ideas and helping to build on thoughts of how we might take the U3A forward. We have had numerous Committee meetings all of which have been good humoured, constructive and positive; in other words, a pleasure to chair and to be part of.
4. I should particularly mention Hilary’s work as Secretary in keeping the show on the road and me in line with good practice and process.
5. I also thank Allan who has stood down as Treasurer and Membership Secretary after holding the office since our launch 6 years’ ago. It is a tribute to his hard work that our membership has stabilised in the mid 90’s and we have essentially a year’s money on the balance sheet.
6. The AGM went very well and I was delighted to see so many folk there – I thought nearly 50 which is just excellent for a formal meeting although I am sure that the prospect of the music from Ken’s folk band might have had a little to do with the numbers present. On that note, if I might hazard a pun, the band was excellent and I hope that their music will be a permanent feature of the programme in the next years.
7. We have become part of the Orkney network of voluntary groups and societies and it is pleasing to note that our general meetings attract very good attendances and I am sure that next programme of events will maintain this interest.
8. It just remains for me to say that I will be trying to get the Archaeology Group re-started and that I have taken over the Family History Group from Dave Woodcock and we will be getting together shortly.
Richard Thomas
20 March 2014.
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