Dining at the Old School House
Category Archives: Interest Groups
Walking group’s last meet-up for 2022
We had a nice turnout for our final walk of the year. This is half of those who walked. Great weather, no wind and lots of interesting conversations!
Creative cooking group go out for a holiday lunch
The Creative Cooking Group enjoyed their holiday lunch at the Brantford Golf Club. While we missed a few members due to seasonal flu, we were happy to not be cooking, to enjoy the beautiful scenery over the Grand River, and to have a Cookie Exchange. It was a lovely afternoon.
Thursday Night Book Club
The Thursday Night Book Club discussed The Narrow Door by Joanne Harris. The author (most acclaimed for her
work Chocolat) has written this psychological thriller as a dialogue between Roy Straightly, elderly Latin Master,
and Miss Buckfast, new head mistress of the school .Through this dialogue, the author explores the idea that the
past controls what we do, shapes who we are and cannot be hidden away from forever. The predominant themes
of gender, memory and trauma and the clash between old and new were discussed in the context of women
entering a man’s professional world. “Men walk in through the main gates. Women have to improvise. All we need
is a narrow door.”
Balmy November ideal for walking group
Gran Sasso a hit with Dining Out group
The dining out group enjoyed dinner at Gran Sasso in Brantford on November 10th. The restaurant is quaint and the food is authentic fare from the region of Italy that bears the same name. We enjoyed bruschetta, with pasta, pork, lamb, or pizza, as main courses, and Cannoli or Panna Cotta for dessert. Once again, it was a wonderful evening of animated conversation and much laughter.
Glorious fall
Fall is such a beautiful time for our walking group!
Fall colours and beautiful conversations
Smart women talking books!
Our book group is small but mighty and while you only see three people in the picture there were 4 of us participating (one by phone) yesterday. Our group meets on Monday afternoons and unlike most book groups we don’t limit our discussion to a single book. Our members have eclectic tastes and backgrounds and the capacity for a lot of topics. In our last meeting we had a wide-ranging discussion of two wonderful Emma Donoghue books, Akin, introduced by Leslie and Haven, introduced by Marsha.
Marian told us about The BBC: A People’s History, by David Hendy and also Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century, by Christina Riggs. 2022.
Jean told us about Norman Doidge’s fascinating books about the plasticity of the brain and its ability to heal itself, while Marsha recommended Messages from Ukraine. Here’s Marsha’s review:
This seemingly simple book with graphic illustrations shows a slice of Ukrainian reactions as their country is being invaded by Russia. The story opens with a colleague in another country offering refuge to Ukrainian friends who need to escape the war. The varied responses are heartbreaking and inspiring. Some are surrounded so can’t get out, others have the care of family. Most though, while thankful for the kind offer of refuge, have no intention of leaving because they’re staying and fighting, or staying and helping in the war effort in another way. It’s an interesting contrast: When Ukraine is attacked, its citizens stay and fight. When Putin says Russia is under attack, its citizens flee. This book is short and of course has no ending but it’s a useful introduction for students who want to understand what it feels like to have your country attacked. The end notes include a discussion guide. Timely and important.
Leslie has been laughing out loud with Rick Mercer’s book and is enjoying The Marrow Thieves.
Our members also recommended two YouTube series. Jean has been watching PBS Frontline about Putin’s Road to War and Marsha has been fascinated with Timothy Snyder’s Yale Lectures on The Making of Modern Ukraine: Ukrainian Questions Posed by Russian Invasion.
Dining out at Langdon Hall
The Dining Out Group had lunch at Cambridge’s Langdon Hall, fifth best restaurant in the country according to Canada’s Top 100, complete with award-winning cuisine prepared by one of Canada’s most celebrated chefs. The dining room looked over the vibrant autumn colors in the gardens and the Carolinian forest in which the grounds are nestled. We enjoyed great conversation, lingered over dessert, and some of us walked through the gardens afterwards.
