Days Out with Berrys                                                                                                             from Dorothy Davis

Like many of you I have often used Berrys when I wanted to go further afield than the local bus itineries and especially to visit places of cultural interest, such as National Trust properties. Such visits are sometimes cancelled due to lack of numbers and our members are just the ones to keep them going. On Tuesday 30^th March there is a trip to Dyrham Park near Bath (fare £8) and on 15^th April to Kingston Lacey near Wimborne Minster (fare £10). I have booked myself a seat on both and would welcome like-minded company. Give me a ring on 334174 if you’d like to join me in exploring the house & gardens or just for a sociable lunch. Both trips leave Elm Parade at 9.30am. Book your own seat and remember to bring your NT card.  

Reflections on the cold weather                                                                                             from the Editor

I suspect that during the icy spells just before and just after Christmas, most of us hibernated more than usual. What was the point of digging the car out of the drive or risking broken limbs on treacherous pavements? Being wise old birds our store cupboards and freezers were full and, with many U3A groups cancelled, we could, if we were virtuous, spend time turning out drawers, doing the filing or the accounts. The more enterprising amongst us engaged in serious internet surfing and favourite projects got an unexpected boost. The more indolent just enjoyed the view – snow has a strange mesmeric attraction.

Inevitably there were some accidents. One member skidded on black ice into a ditch and the car had to be towed out by two tractors. For another lady the snow brought the pleasure of having family members living at home again for a few days, enjoying the shared meals and relaxed atmosphere of earlier years as well as, for them, the bonus of less stressful journeys to work.

Some of us were grateful to family and friends, or even total strangers, for help in these unusual circumstances and I print below a well deserved tribute to an unsung hero.

Praise for the Milkman                                                                                                          from Mary Ross

Where best to locate a Carbon Monoxide Detector?                                                     from Mary Ross

When my gas central heating was last checked over – a few months ago – the gas man impressed on me the advisability of getting a carbon monoxide detector. Coincidentally he had one in his bag, so I agreed to buy it. ‘Where shall I put it?’ he said. So I asked his advice on the best place to put it and he, being tall and slim, kindly popped it onto the little shelf above the sliding doors, between the downstairs rooms. He said it would be nice and tidy up there.

Last weekend my daughter visited and the red light on the detector was seen to flash a few times. I had been told the warning signal is continuous bleeping (but that is all I was told) so obviously the red light flashing was not the warning of carbon monoxide. But my daughter impressed on me the need to phone the Gas Board and check why the detector should signal in this way as it might be warning of a fault in the appliance.

So I phoned the Gas Board and got some recorded messages. I find these so hard to hear. However I did understand that I must press ‘one of the following numbers’ and luckily I got a human being to speak to and I explained my problem. Eventually I heard a kindly female voice telling me I must bring the detector to the telephone and she would tell me what to do next. Yes, she would wait until I had got the little steps so that I could reach the said gadget. But even wobbling on the steps I could not reach the detector. So back to the very patient lady: ‘Yes, she would wait until I got the big steps from the garage.’

It turned out that if you ‘pull down the flap on the detector’, you will find instructions inside, in quite small print, and also the number of the Gas Emergency Service. So, in the event of emergency bleeping, having your detector high up, out of reach, is not the ideal situation!

In the course of talking to the kind lady from the Gas Board, who eventually helped me, she said that she had three detectors in her house. This seems sensible, actually, because if I was asleep in bed, I would never hear a detector in the living room. If I were cooking or using the washing machine in the kitchen, would I hear a detector anywhere else in the house? The problem was I had one detector downstairs and the boiler upstairs.

Most summers there are cases of people dying from carbon monoxide poisoning in some caravan or small cottage where the heating system has not been checked for years. This is very sad. So one tends to respond readily to the idea of buying a detector. But how real is the danger in the house or flat of someone who has a modern boiler which is serviced annually? Where is the best place to put such a detector or detectors? Maybe there is someone in U3A who could give advice?

Oh, yes, I never did find out why my detector’s red light had been flashing. ‘They do that sometimes,’ said the lady from the Gas Board. 

What are your experiences on using carbon monoxide detectors? How many are required in a two-storey house? Where do you place them for maximum efficacy and safety?