The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Grzegorz Nowak,  attacked the challenging scores from a wide range of Russian composers (Borodin, Rachmaninov, Mussorgsky, Rimsky–Korsakov, Khachaturian and Tchaiokovsky), with enthusiasm and gusto, and the soloist (Alexander Ullman) was very talented. The cherry on the Russian cake was the pre-concert briefing from a very professional and … Read more

These two outings really were crackers. Firstly we learned the history of how the Ministry of Defence decided to abandon the long-established base of experimental military flying and move to Boscombe Down – followed by the bidding process, then the initial modifications and then the environmental hoops that TAG had to jump through, to establish … Read more

To start, we enjoyed a coach tour of Kent, involving a twisting and winding drive from Ashford, through small side roads, showing off the varied hamlets, and villages with farming and local trades, ending at Tenterden  –familiar to many of us from a previous outing.  Onto the fascinating St Augustine’s church with its unique separate … Read more

We travelled to that Icon on the South coast known as Brighton, where visitors can rollup their trousers and paddle in the sea, have a fish and chips lunch, and then visit a building where previous Monarchs took their lady friends – the Royal Pavilion, an exotic palace with a colourful history. Built as a … Read more

Our group were fortunate with the weather, no rain and the sun shone most of the day – ideal for visiting an open-air museum. Amberley Working Museum is an extensive 36-acre open-air museum, dedicated to the industrial heritage of South East England and with a special interest in aspects of the history of communications and … Read more

A small but determined bunch of travellers wrapped up well and braved the cold but bright sunshine, to travel to the Southbank. Enterprising Members found many attractions, within reasonable walking distance of being dropped at the London Eye – including the exhibitions at the Imperial War museum, and more locally – National Portrait Gallery, Royal … Read more

The January weather kind to us on this visit – cold but winter sunshine.  Maps helped participants find their way between the two main attractions and other points of interest, and a good outbound journey provided more time to wander. We had four different guides for our tours of the world-famous Bodleian Library, each with … Read more

Every section of the arena was completely full – no wonder we have to book so early to get a block of seats!  A full arena of enthusiastic listeners  made the experience all the more enjoyable. ‘Spectacular’ was the right description for the assembled performers – the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the military bands of the … Read more

The Four, or was it just Two(?), Rivers cruise. Starting at Southampton, we got to know each deck of the boat well before lunch. At lunch, the scenery did not move very much (the battery for one of the engines failed, and no replacement available), so we were able to appreciate the delicious lunch without … Read more

A sunny start to the day for our drive down to the Chichester area and arrived for an early coffee. The West Dean Gardens were established almost 400 years ago, and comprise a huge area with a variety of different horticultural attractions. Members explored the  2½ acre Walled Kitchen Garden (neat rows of vegetables, intricate … Read more