Steppin Stones

Last Post

2008-08-23T14:54:00.002Z

This will be the last post as there is now a new website which will have all this blog did and more.
The most recent outing was to the Dorchester Fete,where 8 members enjoyed a typical fete with vintage bikes and cars-including a replica Nazi staff car which was used in the film "Where Eagles Dare"! There were stalls for various local/national charities,games such as "Wellie Wanging", where I managed about 15 metres, and of course tea and cakes. And finally, last Saturday(Aug.16) saw the annual Elder Stubbs festival,where we came away with 7 1st and 11 2nd prizes as well as raising £110 from the sale of plants. Well done once again to our 2 allotment stalwarts,without whom we'd not have the regular contribution of organic veggies that we use here at the centre. I hope you will check our website and that members will contribute as its there for members use.....www.steppinstone.org.uk
thanks to all who took the time to read my postings!

13/04/08

2008-04-13T13:52:00.003Z

Well here we are in April and a lot to catch up on,so here goes....On the 23rd of Feb me and 4 members went along to the "Climate Science Fair" at the Town Hall. There were various stands promoting recycling,water conservation, etc., with facts and figures galore. there also were interactive experiments for children,guides to "your carbon footprint" and an ornithology stand-from where I learned that due to global warming, Oxford's bird population is slightly up, with birds such as herons here that weren't around 10 years ago.As we had time to spare we popped into the Museum of Oxford, which had an exhibition called "1000 faces of Oxfordshire".As you'd guess, it featured faces past and present, ordinary and renowned,all gathered to celebrate 1000 years of Oxford-so presumeably Oxford's officially been in existence for that long! I've only been here since the past millenium, so forgive me for not knowing that.
On March 1st we were visited here for a "show and tell2 by Susan, who is a community education officer attached to Oxford's museums. She brought some objects which she passed around the 11 members who took part so they could have a look/feel and try to guess what they were-being given 3 possible choices for each. It was fun and it was good to see so many members interested and the lively exchange of opinions.
Unfortunately I was away for the theatre outing on March 8thto see "Aint Mizbehavin" at the Pegasus theatre but the 7 who went(including 2 volunteers) all said in was fantastic. If you dont know, it was about the life and music of Fats Waller the jazz pianist.
On March 22nd, 5 members came with me to Bletchley Park to see the home of the Enigma machine, which argueably was where the codebreakers helped to end WW2. Half the group went off on their own as they had been before while the rest went on the guided tour.The guide was fiddling with coins in his pocket when he started his talk so one of our members politely asked him not to. The guide apologized but after a further few minutes he began again, only to stop him self and redfacedly say he hadn't realized that it must be a habit. There was lots to see, and though we stopped at certain places and had 2 experts describe the ins and outs of the various machines and early computer-type devices, sometimes it might have been good if the guide gave us 5 minutes here and there so we could look at pictures and read about things on the posters for ourselves. Still, for those who kept their ticket there is always the chance to return for free -which is what more and more places are doing-charging a bit more but allowing you to return for free within a year.
Lastly, yeaterday we had our sponsored walk,which 65 people took part in. There was one short burst of raain plus later a 8 minute drizzle but the boat trip back was sunny all the way. As the boat left earlier there wasn't time for rounders but a good time was had by all. Well done to the 2 young (under 11) children who raised nearly£250 between them. At one point I had to double back as the route along the river involved having to clamber over a log crossing some water (which might have been tricky for some to manage), but I managed to move the arrow sign before the walkers arrived there.A big thank you to all who helped and/or took part.
Finally, I'm wondering if I should carry on with this blog-if anyone is reading please leave a comment as I have no way of knowing otherwise. Am happy for positive/negative feedback,tho attaching photos to previously archived sections seems to be problematic for many other bloggers apart from myself, which is one comment I received in person. Please comment on the blog itself! ttfn(ta ta for now)....Bruce

August 2007

2008-02-01T16:01:00.000Z

May 2007

2008-02-01T14:52:00.000Z

January 2008(October 2007)

2008-01-27T16:10:00.000Z

Well here we are in January and the blog has fallen a bit behind,'tho as some may know I was rather wiped out by a somewhat serious bout of pneumonia for a month. So I've been back for over a coupla weeks and can finally access this blog-I did have difficulties logging onto here when it switched to being powered by google, who allegedly will take over the planet(along with Facebook?)soon!
Back to Steppin Stone and the last proper outing which was at the end of October to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth Harbour. 6 members and a volunteer came with me and 'tho it was raining all day it was action packed! We had to park a bit further away than we would have liked due to the Bupa South Run but once we walked the 10-15 minutes there was loads to see.Most of spent a long time on the H.M.S. Victory (built in 1759)and the slightly more modern Warrior 1860,which was the 1st ironclad steam and sail driven warship. It must have been quite the deterrent as it never had to fire a shot in anger! We also saw the remains of the Mary Rose, which is preserved by being sprayed with some liquid waxy mixture.We also went on a 45 minute tour of the harbour which featured some decommissioned ship which are either now used for cadet training or in one's case target practice! Amongst the ships were the Invincible and the aircraft carrier Ark Royal to name the most well known. We did see the Naval museum but there were 3 sections and time was running short, so while they were interesting we rather had to somewhat skim thru them. And to finish off the day (which was about 10 hours from leaving to arriving back) we had fish'n chips by the harbour front. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and 'tho we all got wet more than once nobody was the worse for wear afterwards.
The other news is that Jane is leaving us for a more regular hours job with a housing agency we work with-so at least those who miss her may get to see her from time to time when she comes by. She did some good work and wont be forgotten, and will take some long lasting memories from here-and probably miss us from time to time too! Though we thought we had found someone to replace her in December, the person turned us down in the end, so what with me being ill it's been a struggle staying open. But thanks to the regular and casual staff we did and we have found a new full time worker called Ian,who starts February 1.
Now that we are in January I wont say much more but to say I will try another posting next weekend, when volunteer Ed will be taking anyone interested to the big "Open Art" exhibition at MAO and we will have met the newest member of staff! The 2nd weekend of Feb was supposed to see a selection of objects from Oxfords museums being brought here for a "show and tell" of sorts,but the woman has had to postpone until March-will keep you all posted.Let's hope a few of you turn up,and am still lacking comment from you who read this(have put some photos on but they seem to have gone to the top of the blog rather than next to their associated article by date) Other bloggers have had problems putting photos with archived articles.

October 13

2007-10-14T14:25:00.000Z

Well its now October and due to staff holidays/absence we haven't had an outing for a fair old while. But yesterday(Oct13th) 7 members and myself went on a double decker tour of Rose Hill, Blacbird Leys, Cowley etc ending up at Modern Art Oxford who organised it. There was some concern as to whether we would get on the bus do to some admin problems at their end but as we were the first on the reserve list we managed to squeeze on-next time they may need 2 buses! Anyway, a good time was had by all and it was nice to be thanked by 2 members who only came at the last minute as 2 others had dropped out. Headphone commentary was provided along with photocopied pictures of the sights being talked about.I think everyone learned something new about Oxford's history-I liked the tale of the ghost of Magdalen bridge, who was a chimney sweep that had been shot by mayor-elect(?) Lord Harcourt while trying with others to prevent him crossing. Allegedly on a dark night people say they see a dark figure falling over the side of the bridge! Thanks to Jane for getting the info about it. The next outing should be in a fortnite (as long as driver insurance forms can be processed in time)and will be to Portsmouth's Historic dockyard, which houses a Naval Mueum and many ships including the Victory and Mary Rose....

August 07

2007-08-31T15:05:00.000Z

Sorry I haven't been able to get to this sooner,'tho maybe the lack of comment has made this seem less urgent. Perhaps members would like to write a report on activities they've been involved with at the centre?? 4(5)members took part in a canoeing session at Donnington Bridge lead by Mark, who often facillitates our open meetings.All will feel more confident doing it the next time,which is hoped to be in the autumn.The outing to the Diamond Light centre 'tho much delayed was enjoyed by all. Of particular note to a few of us was the fabric art depictions of viruses-one member quipped that the more attractive the art the deadlier the virus!On the way back a group photo was taken by a stone plaque commemorating where the first U.K. air squadron took off from in WWII.24 members took part in our annual "picnic in the park" where we played rounders and ate sandwiches and cake-special thanks to Sian and Jane for doing most of the sandwich making, and volunteer Neira for the cake-not to mention the other volunteers who took part....well, ok, Ed,Jean, Gordon, Naveed....more soon!

May 2007

2007-05-13T14:31:00.000Z

A fair bit to catch up on-firstly, the Sponsored walk.It was a lovely day and 83 people took part. The boat,kindly donated by Salters' Steamers, had to return from Abingdon at 2:30 which meant that the last people to arrive had to get straight on. The rest ate up the remaining sandwiches and rested in the sun or had lunch at a pub, so there wasn't enough time/people to play rounders or football.Anyrate, it was an excellent day and at the last count we've raised £3400+,which should end up being £3800 when all the monies are in.
More recently we had an outing to the Hellfire Caves in West Wycombe.7 members came along and, as I was able to blag a slight discount,we all had an ice cream while admiring the views from the church area on top of the hill.The caves themselves were cooler than outside and had audio commentary throughout.Some of the caverooms had mannequins in period costume including one which had a "party" scene,which included a monkey dressed demonically-apparently this had happened as a joke to put a scare into Lord Sandwich, but he took it badly and the incident led to the ending of the Hellfire Club.
Lastly, we recently restarted the work placement scheme with Streetwise Opera/O.C.M. where members helped setting up venues for concerts and stewarding at them.All who have taken part seem to very much enjoy doing them,'tho a couple people have missed out do to unforseen circumstances. Let's hope the last upcoming gigs have the full compliment! I'm hoping to get some photos posted here and am still awaiting any comment/feedback,which is only moderated because I discovered an unsuitable link/spam had been posted.Cheerio:)

January 2007

2007-01-21T16:55:00.000Z

Well here we are in the new year with new opening/closing times to get used to. A quick update from last year: 3 members came on a vaguely "performance art" style tour of the Botanical Gardens greenhouses which included arid and jungle sections. Thanks to Streetwise Opera who treated 6 members to see "Cats" the musical.A family friend of mine was in the cast so he kindly stepped into the cold in his dressing gown to have his photo taken,but it was dark so I'm not sure how it will come out. Xmas was a success with a full house of 25 enjoying the food and atmosphere. We said goodbye to Al, whose last day was the 26th-we all wish her well. Yesterday 7 members went to the Museum of Oxford and some came on the the Ovada art gallery where they had a collection of eyeglasses that belonged to Maggie Thatcher, Saddam Hussein, George Bush and others. Oddly the reason Mrs T. didn't like that pair was that she didn't like her image in them! Also, in the past month or so 6 members have had "inductions"at the gym-'tho only 2 or 3 are going regularly.Sadly, as people either lost interest or haven't been able to go to badminton we've temporarily had to stop that activity. Hard to beleive we once had up to 7/8 people doing it on 2 days a week...lets hope interest renews in the spring! Coming up is the next Open meeting on Feb19 and the annual Sponsored Walk will be on April14th. More to come soon-any comment?

Late November

2006-11-27T13:55:00.000Z

Well, here we are in late November and lots has happened. The art exhibition was a success,and 'tho we hoped more people would attend there were 47 people including staff and members with a fair few pictures and mirrors sold. The sleepout was well attended with around 100 people braving what was probably the coldest night of the year. Including gift aid it has so far raised £9000!Also, we have had 4 members take part in a work placement scheme thru Streetwise Opera, who arranged for members to do ushering/stewarding, leafletting and some equipment moving at O.C.M. gigs throughout October and November. They mostly seemed to enjoy the music, which ranged from improvised jazz to modern classical as well as electronic music with unusual instruments and lighting.Streetwise Opera are also setting up a visit to the theatre to see "Cats"for members in late December.We are going to visit the Botanical gardens the 1st weekend of December and also have a table top sale coming up on December 9th.
Unfortunately we haven't been awarded a grant from the Lottery this year which means we will be saying goodbye to Al, who has been the People and Projects manager for the last year, as well as our casual staff. Let's hope we have better luck when we reapply in April.

Late October

2006-10-22T14:32:00.000Z

Here we are in late October. Having had 10 days off in mid-Sept/early Oct,I returned in time for our table top sale,where we sell off excess tinned food, jams, pasta,etc.,as well as bric-a brac, books, and cd's. Apart from having to improvise how things were laid out because one of our trestle tables turned out to be broken,it went fine- it raised around £130.Yesterday we had a music/drama workshop with Sharon from Streetwise Opera. 3 members took part, and although 1 left early felling poorly, another member who had come down from computer room for a tea break joined in. We did some warm ups Qi Gong style, then tried to portray an emotion as if we were on TV or the theatre stage,-TV style being smaller/more subtle whereas for the stage/opera you need to be more "larger than life". We ended up singing "Walk on By" and "Miss Otis Regrets",which the members sang while enacting differing degrees of subserviance as if they were a butler talking to the "Lady of the house"! I accompanied them on guitar. The Art exhibit is coming up on November 4th from 2-6. Today had been busy with members and staff preparing for it with Innes. Let's have some feed back guys!!

2006-09-30T14:47:00.000Z

Well, lots has happened since Ilast wrote. We had our 2 "open days" where agencies and funders came on the Friday and friends/volunteers came on the Saturday. We gave tours around the building to all who were interested and gave them cakes /sandwiches/biscuits, etc. They were also able to look at photos past and present as well as a still-to-be-edited film that volunteer Ed and some members have been working on as well as some of the art on display-a few people bought baskets of organic veg from our allotment.
Last Thursday 4 members,myself and 2 volunteers went to see The Living Rainforest which is near Newbury. We went thru in in 40 minutes, had some delicious fairtrade-type coffee, and then went through again with a worker there who pointed out some animals we missed-sometimes they hide away. Some good pics were taken by one of the volunteers and I got a couple on my phone's camera.....still awaiting some comment people!!

Sept7

2006-09-07T15:10:00.000Z

Elder Stubbs was a success-10 1st prizes as well as some 2nd and 3rds and the stall sold over £110 worth of goods.

7 members came on the Bournemouth trip. Twas a partially sunny but not too hot day and we enjoyed the sun and sea air, japanese metalwork and a tattoo exhibition at the Russell Cotes museum, and listening to the brass band in the park-some of which was good and some corny!

Our picnic in the park went well-'tho it did rain just before we headed off. Fortunately after that it drizzled briefly and we had to move the blankets/food etc.,but it became a nice day around 1pm. After chucking around Jane's cloth frisbee till we managed 20 throws without dropping it 6 or so members started playing cricket for 30minutes or so. After some sandwich and cake munching we launched into rounders. Though volunteer Ed explained the rules there were a couple moans about "making it up as you go" but it was mostly good fun and we played 2 innings(?) with a break in between. Finally, we finished up w/5 a side footie and then back to the centre for a cuppa and showers for those who needed them. Someone suggested we should do a picnic once a month! Thanx to Jane, Sian, and member Stevo for the food prep and to volunteers Ed, Raj, and Brother Paul for joining in the sports w/Jane (and me!) and the 25 or so members.

Next upcoming events are the "Open Days" Sept 15/16 for agencies/funders and friends/volunteers respectively.Looks like we will have an outing to the "Living Rainforest" on the 28th and a workshop and theatre trip w/Streetwise Opera-date T.B.C., probably either the 30th or the 14th of October.....whew, that's all fer now!

About the centre

2006-08-19T13:43:00.000Z

Well there is quite a lot goin on at the moment. As I write the Elder Stubbs fest is happening-so far the weatherman has been wrong and it hasn't rained! Next week we are having an outing to Bournemouth, the following Monday we are having a Bank Holiday picnic/fun day in South Park, and we are hoping to go to the Great Dorset Steam Fair Thursday the 31st-at members request at the open meeting we had this past Tuesday. We seem to have been busier again lately....any comments are welcome!

readers group

2006-08-19T13:26:00.000Z

"Urban Grimshaw and the Shed Crew"
R:Noticed similarities to "Stuart". Related to the bit about "life knocking the fire out of your eyes eventually"(sic)
D: Wondered if being "wasted"is seen as a badge of honour and if the relationship between Chop and Urban was healthy.
R: Shocked by the over-acknowledge of "nonces"
D: How much does the author need to mentor compared to Urban's need for a father figure.
Should we feel guilty about the injustice in society which leaves kids like these to fend for themselves.
We all talked about nicknames-the author having referred to the mining community having official names for government,etc., and nicknames amongst themselves. We also talked about the breakdown in"community"-families and neighbors used to be more close-knit and maybe people stayed put compared to todays more transient society. The casual attitude to drugs and sex in the book was also a talking point.

latest

2006-07-30T14:05:00.000Z

We have now got copies of the "Urban Grimshaw book. I am still awaiting a response to the Branson questionnaire from a member.Would be interested in hearing any thoughts from anyone on the books we have read or are reading....cheers1

1st real post

2006-07-15T14:53:00.000Z

Today I "learned " how to create a blog. I hope that members might take an interest. 2 members and a guest attended the session, which was run by Chris from the Gatehouse/homeless college network.