Hello <<First Name>>
Summer is well and truly here, but what happened to the weather, from a heatwave in Central and Southern Europe, to the cooler and wetter North Europe . Let's hope it gets better before the summer is out.
But aside all that, I have had the best Gladiolus this year for a long time, I love these flowers, tall and majestic they are a beautiful addition to any garden, I have been growing them for nearly 40 years!
'The gladiolus, or ‘sword lily,’ represents remembrance, calm, integrity, and infatuation.
Gladiolus indicates that the heart is being pierced with love.'
The image is a vase of Gladiolus from my garden.
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August is the eighth month of the year (between July and September) in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and the fifth month to have the length of 31 days. In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemisphere.
It was originally named Sextilis in Latin since it was the sixth month in the original ten-month Roman calendar under Romulus in 753 BC, when March was the first month of the year. About 700 BC it became the eighth month when January and February were added to the year before March by King Numa Pompilius, who also gave it 29 days. Julius Caesar added two days when he created the Julian calendar in 45 BC giving it its modern length of 31 days. In 8 BC it was renamed in honour of Augustus.
August comes from the Latin word augustus, meaning "consecrated" or "venerable," which in turn is related to the Latin augur, meaning "consecrated by augury or "auspicious."
The August birthstone, Peridot, symbolises strength. It is sometimes called the evening emerald for its light green color. It was once believed that the green peridot crystals found in volcanic ashes were the tears of the volcano goddess, Pele. When set in gold, this gem was said to protect the wearer from nightmares.
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Fairest of the months! Ripe summer's queen
The hey-day of the year
With robes that gleam with sunny sheen
August doth appear.
R. Combe Miller
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Summer set lip to earth's bosom bare,
And left the flushed print in a poppy there.
Francis Thompson, 1859-1907
I came across this poem on our wiki 'Rising Damp by UA Fanthorpe' which in light of the current weather I thought rather appropriate.
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The Black Prince - I came across this article written about Edward of Woodstock.
as I live not far from Limoges I was especially interested.......
'The Black Prince who has been blamed for 637 years for a massacre in Limoges, France is finally exonerated by historian who says it was actually committed by the French' continue reading
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Edward, Prince of Wales as Knight of the order of the Garter, 1453.
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The ornate tomb of the Black Prince in Canterbury Cathedral
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Araucaria araucana (commonly called the monkey puzzle tree,monkey tail tree, Chilean pine, or pehuén) is an evergreen tree growing to 1–1.5 m (3–5 ft) in diameter and 30–40 m (100–130 ft) in height. It is native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina. Read More
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Some Significant Dates for August/September
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Sapiens a Brief History of Humankind By Yuval Noah Harari
This course is being offered by one of our members to start in September 2017, he presented this course to his local Tiverton U3A over a period of several months. The course was originally made available on Coursera.org. Click here to see the introduction and course content.
You will have to join us if you would like to participate in this course. If you would like to know more then please contact us through admin@vu3a.org |
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I loved this poem...........
Hopi Elder Speaks
You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this IS the hour
And there are things to be considered... Read on
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This months featured health:
Bowel Cancer and Disposable Contact Lenses.
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Five ways to reduce your risk from bowel cancer
Your risk of bowel cancer increases from the age of 50, there’s something you can do about it........continue
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An optometrist has reported a case so gross that it beggars belief
Disposable contact lenses have improved many peoples' lives, but they require careful use...... continue
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Sometime ago a few of our members were asked to write about their Mum and Dad as part of a creative writing exercise, I chose this one. 'My Mum and Dad' written by Fran..... Read on 
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This article is for all you people who will be getting geared up to present new courses (or old ones) in September. I hope you find it informative and amusing:
10 tips for more effective PowerPoint presentations - 'A bad PowerPoint happens to good people, and quite often the person giving the presentation is just as much a victim as the poor sods listening to her or him.
Here are ten tips to help you add a little zing! to your next presentation. They are, of course, far from comprehensive, but they’re a start.' Read on
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Many of us use Google as our Search engine, but do you really know how to get the most out of it? 
Here are '20 Tips To Use Google Search Efficiently' some you may already know others you may not .....find out more
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Useful Websites
The Retirement Advice Centre - 'Taking care of tomorrow today.'
Webopedia - Extremely useful site if you are struggling with computer jargon
Age UK - The UK largest charity working with older people
Citizen Advice - For a wealth of very useful information
The Old Farmers Almanac - If you love Gardening you will love this site.
Arthritis Research UK - Useful website helpful and informative
Glaucoma - The international Glaucoma Association
Stroke - NHS Choices
Action on Hearing Loss The statistics
Tinnitus - NHS Choices
VirusTotal - Free online service that analyzes suspicious files and URLs and facilitates the quick detection of viruses, worms, trojans, and all kinds of malware.
Bowel Cancer - Bowel Cancer UK or NHS UK
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You have until the 15th October 2017 to spend your old pound coins, so get searching for any that may be hiding!
And don't forget,  If you find something of interest in this e-newsletter or previous ones, then you will most certainly find something to interest you on our Private Wiki.
If on the other hand you have something to offer then why not join us  and share it, and if you want to, get it published.
Take care
Ann
Web Editor
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