OUR president thanked all members for their contributions to the Jubilee festivities. Our skittles team came second in their group – well done. Jay Popplewell sent an account of the AGM.

Our speaker was Jill Salmons, talking about how nations perceive beauty in the human form. She opened her talk by showing how the classical Greek idea was based on the ratio of height to breadth.

But Africans – she showed slides of Nigerian Women, who were large and to our eyes obese, but viewed in their country as beautiful.

They came from wealthy families who could afford to eat well, so size was equated to wealth.

Body parts enlarged – ie necks, earlobes, lips as a sign of wealth. Some communities covered their bodies in paint, or tattoos. The Japanese considered Geishas as beautiful with chalk white faces. The idea of beauty varies considerably from continent to continent, which makes for a more diverse world.

The next meeting is on July 10 – and will be a supper party at a member’s garden.