MIRTH Xtra – Curry night

Gian came to Leamington from the Punjab as a boy and was soon learning how to cook and clean for his dad and seven housemates who were working shifts at local foundries. Ever since then he’s been cooking for family, friends and colleagues. He spent 40 years working in the Warwickshire County Council finance department.

Gian kindly agreed to cook for some 60 people who turned up on Friday 10th of November for the MIRTH special event (that stands for: Men In Retirement Together Having … in this case: Curry!).

Organiser and MC Terry Salter asked Gian to explain his cooking technique for the culinary benefit of the assembled gathering. And he also got Gian to talk about his life in Leamington: how he integrated into local life; how he became a Christian, and how his family accepted that. His audience were fascinated by Gian’s tales of his life in India and Leamington. And they thoroughly enjoyed his beef curry!

Your good health – Dr Peter Davis

On 17th October, 22 of us gathered in St Paul’s to hear excellent advice from our own Dr Peter Davis, talking about how to stay healthy. He reminded us of some general tips, like getting plenty of exercise (and gentle exercise is fine if we are no longer at peak performance levels 😉) plus ensuring we eat sensibly. He picked up that theme by showing us how colourfully we should eat – meaning we should aim to have lots of different fruits and vegetables – up to 30 per week say some experts.

He then focused on arthritis and pointed out that 60% of people over 60 suffer from some form or other, going up to 80% of folk over 80 years of age. He talked of how common osteoarthritis is these days – that’s the “wear and tear’ version – while rheumatoid arthritis (usually genetic) is more rare and can be more challenging.

There was lots of interaction and we felt that Peter had led a really helpful and informative session in a way which was extremely accessible to us all. We’re now looking forward to part 3 next year …

Kingston Estate, Chesterton

On Tuesday 11th October, nine of us set off on a misty morning to walk around the Kingston Estate, Chesterton.
We appreciated the gentle paths, the beautiful views, the fish ponds and the meticulously kept farm buildings (we were certainly never going to risk trespassing!).
We were nearly attacked by literally hundreds of ducks who walked noisily right up to us. This of course got us thinking about lunch … and though there was no Peking duck on the menu, 10 of us enjoyed the ‘senior citizens’ options at one of our favourite pubs – The Fox & Hen, at Bascote Heath.

Stratford Armouries

On 19th September, 16 of us met up at The Boar’’s Head in Hampton Lucy for a very enjoyable lunch – filled with tasty food and stimulating company.
We then proceeded to Stratford Armouries where Terry had arranged for David Baulk to give us a special tour of the ‘Pegasus’ exhibition – about one of the most famous elements of the Normandy landings in 1944. We were then free to to look around the rest of the exhibits – and discuss which of our MIRTH members were most like Churchill (answers on a postcard please to …😉)

The National Memorial Arboretum

Visit to the National Memorial Arboretum / 20th June 2023

34 of us piled onto our coach on a wet Tuesday morning on 20th June and headed north to the National Memorial Arboretum. 

We were then free to explore the 150 acres of growing woodlands and gardens and to appreciate some of the over 400 memorials dedicated to both military and civilian organisations. 

We were hugely impressed by the range and variety of trees, gardens and especially memorials. Many were incredibly poignant and moving. 

By the time we left – in the middle of a beautiful sunny afternoon – quite a few of us were heard to say: “we’ll be back!”