stalbanslife

Sam Ryder's Office

Verulam Golf Club, which prides itself as a thriving Par 72 course and home of the Ryder’s Cup, is situated to the south of St Albans.

Next month, they are holding two open days for ladies (or girls) who are willing to experience the world of golf.  You can have taster lessons with fun competitions, meet and receive tips from the current members and even play a few holes with them. Refreshments are provided. 

Note; Samual Ryder took up golf at the ripe age of 50 so it’s never too late to start your professional golfing career! I might just have a go too!

Dates; April 2nd/3rd – 1.30 – 4pm. For those interested; phone 01727- 853327 or email info@verulamgolf.co.uk  to book your place. Maps and lots more info on www.verulamgolf.co.uk

Verulamium Park

February’s weather is cold and dull but  there is plenty on in this city for the family to get out and enjoy. Here are just a few examples but follow the links to find out lots more about each venue.

ST ALBANS ARENA – THE ST ALBANS GANG SHOW 2011

Wed 16th – Sat 19th February 7.30pm (Matinee Sat 2.30pm) Tickets £6-£13

32nd time for this very popular show! Energetic song, dance and comedy by the local guides, scouts and young leaders. Ph Nicola Wells 01727 830397          www.alban-arena.co.uk   for address and more details

MUSEUM OF ST ALBANS – HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

21st – 24th Feb 10.30am – 12.30pm Theme of Medieval Mayhem Sessions for 6 to 13 year olds. Book in advance at the museum or tel 01727 819340 www.museumofstalbans.co.uk

VERULAMIUM MUSEUM - MEET QUEEN BOUDIKA

26th Feb from 2 – 4.30pm It’s a wonderful experience to listen to Queen Boudika tell her stories and engage the children. Entry FREE for residents. www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk

PLAY IN THE PARKS (Feb Half Term Break)

Play in the parks offers free activity sessions for children 8 yrs and under in parks all over the district! No need to book, just turn up. This year, some of the sessions will be indoors too. Contact Mark Caldwell on 01727 827 667 or lots of interesting information is available for families on www.activestalbans.com

WILLOWS FARM VILLAGE - LAMBING SEASON

21st – 26th Feb. As always, Willows Farm Village has a host of exciting events lined up including new lambs to be enjoyed everyday, Triston the Tractor – rides, Ice Rink, Country Fair Rides and Meet the Shepherd! Click on www.willowsfarmvillage.com for lots more info including times, prices and membership.

TRESTLE ARTS THEATRE – PETER AND THE WOLF

Sun 6th Feb, 2pm and 4pm. Performance of Prokofiev’s musical tale including folk songs, gypsy music and classical favourites. Suits age 3 upwards and runs for 45 mins. Family tickets £25. click www.trestle.org.uk to find out about all the shows running in the coming months and to book tickets.

St Albans is covered in a pretty thick blanket of snow. It happens to be one of the busiest weekends of the year with people buying last  minute gifts and preparing for parties. Yet the state of the roads makes this extremely difficult.

The met office has issued the following advice;

During snow or ice

• Avoid travel if possible.
• If you must drive check the Highway Code for advice on driving in ice and snowy weather. A summary of the advice is: Take care around gritters. Don’t be tempted to overtake. Slow down — it can take 10 times longer to stop in snowy or icy conditions, so allow extra room. Use the highest gear possible to avoid wheel spin. Manoeuvre gently and avoid harsh braking and acceleration. If you start to skid, gently ease off the accelerator and avoid braking. If braking is necessary, pump the brakes don’t slam them on. If you get stuck, stay with your car and tie something brightly coloured to your aerial.
• If you go outside wear several layers of clothing and keep dry to prevent loss of body heat. Watch out for signs of hypothermia — uncontrollable shivering, slow/slurred speech, memory lapse and drowsiness and frostbite — loss of feeling in and pale appearance of fingers, toes, nose and ear lobes. Keep moving your arms and legs to help the blood circulate.

After snow and ice

• Be careful when walking or driving on compacted snow — it may have turned to ice.
• Take care when shovelling snow. Cold air makes it harder to work and breathe, which adds some extra strain on the body and can be the cause of heart attacks in the vulnerable.

More local information available from the St Albans District Council’s website;http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/advice-and-benefits/emergencies/winterweatherinformation/

A few years ago, I asked Imogen de la Bere what she would consider to be the essence of life. ‘Truth‘ was her reply. Interestingly, the OVO philosophy of theatre is that the ‘emotional truthfulness of the acting should supply everything.’

There is no doubt that this passion and philosophy for truth has shone through in Imogen’s latest play, Chekov’s Three Sisters at  OVO Theatre.  I don’t know a great deal about the Russia of early 1900 but it just took a few minutes of feeling the misery of the actors to know that things were pretty bleak and desperate.

 The cast were incredibly credible (especially Anna Franklin and Jo Emery) and I loved the mixture of despair, longing and fun with music interweaving throughout. Passion also  plays a large part in Three Sisters and this was simply heart-melting………By the end I had to remind myself that I was in St Albans not Russia!!  The upstairs bar (which just had to be inspected) served divine wine and as a bonus, I could sit by the window in this lovely bar-with-a-view!

Notes; Three Sisters  continues until 27th November (excl 22nd/23rd) at the OVO Theatre in Pudding Lane, St Albans. Prices range between £7.50 – £12.50 and online bookings on www.ovo.org.uk  / tel 07807 521436