IGO News Extra February 26
We’ll all be hoping for a happy 😊 Valentine’s Day. Let’s hope too the spring 🌷 flowers emerge to brighten our lives. Please send all comments and articles to
Potential groups ready to get started
These potential groups have more than 10 members and as such will be ready to get started over coming weeks – please visit the Beacon members portal to join and be thinking about whether you could help organise sessions, how often you would want the sessions to take place and how you would want the session to run etc.
- Black history
- Map reading
- Neville Shute novels
- Tennis news
New potential group – American politics
Join via Beacon
MEGutsell, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
In recent times 21 groups have formed from original ideas arising from potential groups – here’s a selection of these groups with some spaces still available
- Geology, 4th Tuesday
- Opera appreciation, 2nd Thursday
- Poetry and mindfulness, 3rd Monday
- Russian reading and conversation 2, tba
- Science and technology, 1st Monday
- Virtual walks, 4th Tuesday
- What to watch, 3rd Wednesday
- Wine appreciation, 1st Thursday
- World history, 3rd Thursday
Please visit Beacon to join.
The IGO Chess Club meets 10:00 2nd and 4th Fridays during the winter months (October-March), excepting December when there is no meeting. In summer (April-September) meetings may be 2nd or 4th Fridays only, or there may be a summer holiday, depending on member demand.
In addition to playing friendly chess games, we also examine interesting puzzles, grandmaster games and instructive videos. The group is not intended for beginners. A typical member has played little chess since school days but is interested in taking up the game on retirement. New members are always welcome.
Please visit Beacon to join.
Quiz time
- Tyne Daly was born on 21/2/45 in which American police drama did she star?
- On what date in February every year is Candlemas celebrated?
- On 3/2/64 73 million Americans tuned in to watch the Ed Sullivan show - what was the draw?
- What colour is Amethyst the February birth stone?
- Johnny Cash was born 26/2/32 was he a Pisces or Aquarius?
- Who became the leader of the Conservative Party on 11/2/75?
- Who was the author of Twenty thousand Leagues under the sea born 8/2/1828?
- The first large deposits of Amethyst were discovered in the early 19th century in which South American Country?
- Which country is hosting the Winter Olympics in February this year?
- Which large arctic animal is celebrated with an International Day on 27th February?
Answers at the end
Moules marinieres
Ingredients
- 1.75kg/4lb mussels
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 15g/½oz butter
- a bouquet garni of parsley, thyme and bay leaves
- 100ml/3½fl oz dry white wine or cider
- 120ml/4fl oz double cream
- handful of parsley leaves, roughly chopped
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Wash the mussels under plenty of cold, running water. Discard any open ones that won't close when lightly squeezed.
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Pull out any tough, fibrous beards protruding from between the tightly closed shells and then knock off any barnacles with a large knife. Give the mussels another quick rinse to remove any little pieces of shell.
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In a very large pan (ideally big enough to take all the mussels and only be half full), gently fry the garlic and shallots in the butter with the bouquet garni. Cook over a low heat until the shallots are soft and translucent.
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Add the mussels and wine (or cider). Turn up the heat, then cover with a lid and steam for 3–4 minutes. Give the pan a good shake every now and then. The mussels should open, discard any that stay closed.
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Remove the bouquet garni. Add the cream and chopped parsley and remove from the heat.
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Spoon into four large warmed bowls and serve with lots of crusty bread for mopping up the delicious sauce.
