In The Loop – 15 February 2024
Hello everyone and welcome to a slightly new look for ‘in the loop’
We have changed the software we are using to create the newsletters – I’m still learning how to us it so the quiet of half term has been the perfect opportunity!
New Courses Alert!!
We are delighted to welcome a new tutor Matti Ron to the Stoke Lodge family, Matti has lots of great ideas for literature courses which sound fascinating.
We have 6 week courses planned for the summer term BUT this term you can dip your toe into literature with Matti with 2 fab taster for just £5 each!
Modernism is one of the iconic twentieth-century literary movements, but also notoriously one of the most enigmatic.
Explore this key literary genre and find out about our planned course. Try our one-day taster – Wed 1pm to 3pm on 28 February – Just £5 F38A
Read Literature like a Literary Critic
Reading literature is one of the fundamental pleasures of life. But how do authors make us feel what we feel? In this taster session, you will explore some of the tools and techniques used to analyse literary texts.
Explore some of the tools and techniques used to analyse literary texts. Try our one-day taster – Fri 1pm to 3pm on 15 March – Just £5 F38C
Plus still a few spaces on the following courses starting soon
Just Charcoal – Thu 10am to 12.30pm starting 22 Feb for 6 weeks with Jenny D60G £116/£71
3D Crochet – Design and make a Toy – Wed 1pm to 3.30pm starting 28 Feb for 5 weeks with Cristina T63A £99/£63
Get By in Spanish – Tue 3pm to 4.30pm starting on 20 Feb for 6 weeks with Luz LES54 £70/£42
Make Your Own Terracotta Plant Pot – A relaxing and creative workshop, where you will be guided through making your own plant pot using various hand-building techniques
10.30am to 1.30pm on Sat 16 Mar with Joanna at St Pauls Learning Centre P39C £35/£22
Flower Arranging – For Mothers Day – Make a beautiful hand tied bouquet ready to gift to your Mum, friend, loved one or keep for yourself.
You will also make an arrangement to dress your table for Mother’s Day lunch or afternoon tea.
10am to 3.30pm on Fri 8 Mar with Kathryn P35B £115/£97
Oriental Gardens from around the World – Every passionate gardener can learn a great deal about the principles of garden design through studying oriental gardens.
10am to 12noon starting Fri 29 Feb for 5 weeks with Jason GJL3 £75/£45
The Hidden History of Horticulture – An informal and entertaining look at some of the women and men who shaped our gardens
10am to 12.30pm on Tue 12,19 and 26 Mar with Christine GCP14 £60/£36
Garden Styles: Cottage Garden – An informal one-day workshop for anyone who wants to explore this timeless form of gardening
10am to 3pm on Fri 15 Mar with Christine GCP8 £40/£24
Saturday 2 March
Italian Day – Beautiful places to visit in Italy
11am to 4pm with Marika LIM32 £40/£24
How to Polish Your Prose to Perfection
10am to 4pm with Carolyn F37B £50/£30
French Day – La Bretagne
10am to 4pm with Albane FLC25 £53/£39
Freemotion Embroidery – Small Treasures
10am to 4pm with Debby T35F £53/£39
Dementia Awareness
Bristol Dementia Action Alliance are running a free Dementia Awareness session here at Stoke Lodge on Monday 26 February 11am to 12noon
The session includes information about types of dementia, how they present, what carers can do and coping mechanisms. Plus, lots of opportunities to ask questions.
You can find out more about the work of Bristol Dementia Action Alliance here Bristol Dementia Action Alliance.
International Women’s Day Event
Bristol Women’s Voice are organising a fantastic free event at Bristol City Hall on Saturday 2 March 10am to 5pm. There will be over 50 workshops, arts, dance, debate, film, and lots of interesting people. Everyone is welcome. You can find out more at bristolwomensvoice.org.uk
Parking
On busy days our parking is at capacity, so we appreciate everyone parking carefully.
In our back car park, we don’t have marked spaces but if people can try not to leave too big a gap between cars (with enough room to actually get out of course!) then hopefully everyone that needs a space can fit in.
German Book Club – Visit by Ralf Schlatter
Recently our German Book Club was delighted to offer a special session with Swiss author Ralf Schlatter reading from his novel ‘43586- Ein Schweizer Decamerone’, the story of 11 people telling stories to Paula on the last 7 days of her life.
Listening to the clear, full voice of the Swiss author and Kabarettist (performer of political satire) was wonderful. They had a lively Q&A session ending with a song sung by Ralf’s co-performer.
It was also a great opportunity for students from different German classes to meet, enjoy lovely homemade cakes and coffee break chatter.
German tutor Christel has been offering German book clubs since 2016, usually choosing books of contemporary authors under 200 pages, often accompanied with films or audio books and English translations.
Christel had written to Ralf to ask whether there were any audio or video clips. Ralf responded ‘no’ but offered to record bits especially for us and then offered to visit in person!
