Dear all,

Leeds City Council is encouraging people within their household groups or support bubbles to collect tree seeds in their local parks and green spaces to help support the growing of future woodlands across Leeds.

Running until November, residents can collect acorns, beech nuts, chestnuts and conkers, and leave them in seed collection boxes across the city for use as part of the council’s Woodland Creation initiative.

https://news.leeds.gov.uk/news/people-of-leeds-encouraged-to-collect-tree-seeds-that-will-form-future-woodlands-across-the-city?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

The Corona-19 virus is an ill wind that blows nobody any good, unless you happen to be the very same Eric Yuan who introduced the Zoom corporation to the public in 2013, without realising that soon afterwards the public would find uses for Zoom that probably hadn’t occurred to Eric Yuan.

He must have thought there would be a host of business and educational uses for Zoom, which allows up to nine people at a time  to appear on one screen in a conversation from their own homes.

True they’ve been shrunk to matchbox-size and have a tendency to freeze mid-frame, as if they were having an extreme cardio-vascular event, but it’s not wholly unlike being in a roomful of people trying to carry on as if nothing too much had happened,

For example, a group of regulars at the Chemic Tavern in Woodhouse, Leeds – including me – meet twice a week on Zoom to try and recreate the aimless chat we used to enjoy before the big lockdown and now continue because, although it’s nothing like being in a pub, it’s something like being in the human race.

The problem is that we don’t have much to tell each other because there’s very little news that’s not virus-relayed and we don’t get out much. Often we end up showing each other what we’re making for tea or trying to remember all the good stuff we’ve seen on telly, which doesn’t take long.

The community group Caring Together in Woodhouse and Little London, which offers activities and advice for the over-55s and which Lynne and I belong to, has thought of a more imaginative use of Zoom.

Last week it attempted to recreate the full cinematic experience without big screens, screaming music or precariously-employed staff. There was, however, a Zoom showing of the 2017 musical The Greatest Showman, a bag of popcorn, nuts and  pleasantly unhealthy sweets, and, to represent the bit where the audience shuffles around looking first for their seats and then for the exit, a short Zoom discussion before and after the show.

It all made for something that felt like an Occasion because watching a film at home isn’t an Occasion and talking on Zoom isn’t an Occasion but combining the two, so that there is some sense of communal activity, is at the very least an Event, similar, in quality, if not in size, to a big sports final or a premier at the Odeon, Leicester Square.

Incidentally, The Greatest Showman, based on the life of the circus entrepreneur PT Barnum but not to be confused with the 1986 musical Barnum, was… well, not exactly Oklahoma or Carousel but still welcome enough in troubled and very rainy times.

Thank you for sharing Oliver, until next time….

p.s. And a big thank you to Ann for sharing your film with us 🙂

Dear all,

“Trains & Boats & Planes” so goes the song by Dionne Warwick.  I can’t say there’s much to report on Planes as commercial aviation’s never been to my liking despite being interviewed for a job at BOAC in the late 60s. Before you think it involved globe-trotting and wings on a navy uniform, it was a clerical job in the Leeds office on The Headrow. I’d never flown by the time of the interview so that probably didn’t bode well when I told them I preferred travelling by sea.

Shortly afterwards though, a couple of friends offered to take my friend Jill and I for an hour’s flight from Doncaster Aero Club. A ‘Cessna 172’ was parked up on the grass, from where we took off and landed! We circled around South and East Yorkshire and to say it was exhilarating looking down the cooling towers of Drax Power Station at low level was an understatement and I was happy in photographing my new adventure. My Mum was terrified at the thought of what I was to do that day and I was lectured many times but being 21 and pretty fearless I dismissed, as one did, but felt guilty each flight I took thereafter.

Sunny weather was no longer a priority, just clear skies and light clouds.  The best flight was in a 8-seater ‘Cessna’ though from Leeds Bradford Airport. David was co-pilot this time with his Tutor, Mike Woodley in the ‘driving’ (?) seat. Some time ago I ‘Googled’ Mike to see whether there was any mention and was impressed to read his Film aviation services were responsible for breathtaking aerial stunts in the ‘Bond’ films and many others. That day the plan was to fly to Blackpool but due to low cloud we did a few ground controlled approaches (GCA’s as known in the trade) to assist David with his flying of a larger aircraft, which I enjoyed and felt quite blase about the whole thing. Fortunately in those days pilot Mike wasn’t into aerial stunts.

Four years later in 1972 I went to Majorca, flying at midnight from Manchester. Commercial aircraft at last, with ‘Britannia Airways’, but this time far from blase – I was terrified! Shaking uncontrollably from taking my seat to landing at Palma. I hated every minute. I spent the entire four days dreading the return, not helped by disliking the food. Being early February the weather was much better than in Leeds and surprisingly I actually enjoyed the return flight. As fellow passengers took deep breaths in readiness for the landing, I had no fear; I was excited as I knew I was nearly home. My ordeal was over and I never flew again.

Thank you Maureen, until next time….

Keep yourself up to date and safe with the latest from West Yorkshire Trading Standards. This session is open to everyone, members, neighbours, partners, friends, and volunteers. It will be an informative discussion about the latest scams and frauds with space for you to share your own experiences if you wish and to ask questions too. If you don’t have the technology yet would like to chat further about this subject then please call. If you would like to join us then email: lisa@caringtogether.org.uk or call 07436 530073and I can send you an invite nearer the time.