Wetlands in Madrid

Misty morning

On Saturday  Alejandra accompanied us on a guided tour of these lakes in Velilla San Antonio and pointed out the features of this curious place . She knows it very well and knew where to stop to see all the birds that have made it their home. So we saw the purple gallinule, the shy calamon, many little black ducks to me but she told us that they are pochards, the gadwall and the great cormorant stretching its wings to dry them, in the trees. What a picture!
The vegetation is quite typical here in Spain . White and black poplar, elms and newly planted white willows.  There are tamarisk bushes and spartograss which  can be used to make espadrilles. We learnt that 'junco' is rush and that 'caña' is cane and that 'mimbre' comes from willow trees.

Then the sun came out

You definitely need your binoculars because this is where you can see the magnificent falcon,,woodpeckers and the bee eater in spring and summer.
 It is a haven for them. Many people go there to fish on condition that they return their catch. When you are alone it must be very serene with the calm waters and the birds singing as happily as can be.

A guided tour is a good idea as you could easily get lost.and the lakes cover an incredible area so contact Centro de Campillo

Telephone 912760307 or write to centrocampillo@gmail.com.

This week's topic

HABITS

How we make them and how we break them.
Not only we as individuals are interested in this topic but as our links show, market research is discovering a lot about our habits and pre-empting us.
Luis has sent us some very interesting links on the topic. If you want to join our talks you will find us here in San Sebastián De Los Reyes: 
Wed Nov 30th 18:30h    in la Universidad Popular 

Beautiful aromas and we imagine the rest.

A stunning performance

AUDREY WRITES:

On a mid November Saturday afternoon, a group of members of ASEDOW gathered to attend a production by English Theatre Madrid of William Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet. 

The play was set in much more modern times, 1980's Britain, than the original which allowed the costume department to dress some of the actresses in "power shoulders", reflecting the women's fashion trend of that epoch of wearing shoulder pads sewn into blouses, jackets and coats.

Nobody wore this fashion better than the late Margaret Thatcher, whose authoritative persona was chosen to replace the Prince in the original version. Her portrait was centre stage throughout the play, together with two placards, one to the left and one to the right, representing the British Labour and Conservative parties respectively to depict the rivalry between the two families.

The tragic theme of the play was given a dash of levity thanks to a brilliant interpretation by the actors of a script which remained true to the original old English while adding a touch of modernity and poetry to several of the lines.

It was further enlivened by the inclusion of some 1980's pop music, either recorded or sung live, which served to complement the action on stage, most memorably in a superbly choreographed scene, featuring part of Michael Jackson's "Thriller", which caused the audience to break into spontaneous applause. However, the loudest acclamation came at the end of the play in tribute to a highly talented cast who provided a most entertaining and enjoyable performance of Shakespeare's timeless classic.   

Our talks

In line with the virtual visit to London town below, is the topic for this week's talking group.
Identity.
How much of your cultural identity do you lose when you settle down in another country?  It is a burning issue nowadays whether integration means losing your cultural identity or whether host cities and countries  benefit from cultural diversity.

Come to our talks: Wed 23rd Nov 18:30h
Universidad Popular
Av Baunatal 18
Sanse
Metro Baunatal

London Calling

Upstairs on the 2nd floor of  the local library Biblioteca Central in San Sebastián De Los Reyes, you can enjoy this London weather and see the selection of books, cds and dvds of this amazing multicultural English city. From Charles Dickens to Zadie Smith, from David Bowie to Adele, there are many things to entice you back or to visit it for the first time



http://www.canalnorte.org/videos/4448/london-calling-la-propuesta-otonal-de-las-bibliotecas-de-sanse

Where Did My Supermarket Go?

Join our talks.
Be prepared and write to us at asedow@gmail.com for the links.
U.P. Sanse
18:30h Wed 16th Nov
Centro Cívico Pepe Viyuela
19h Fri 18th Nov
Actually the picture on the right is in Madrid de los Austrias
built way before supermarkets and see how pretty it is.

Wednesday 9th November

NEW DEADLINE

You have until midnight tonight to hand in your stories for the story competition, it has been decided.

Members of ASEDOW can take advantage of the fact that there is no discussion group in the Universidad Popular today and that they are free to submit a story if they so wish.

2016 Nobel Prize For Literature

  

 

Should Bob Dylan have won this prestigious award? 

Form your own opinion!

This is our selection - the essential songbook. 

 

1963 - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

1963 - Blowin' in the Wind

1963 - Masters of War

1964 - Boots of Spanish Leather

1964 - It Ain't Me Babe

1964 - The Times They Are A-Changin'

1965 - Like a Rolling Stone

1965 - Love Minus Zero-No Limit

1965 - Maggie's Farm

1965 - Mr. Tambourine Man

1969 - Girl From the North Country

1969 - Lay Lady Lay

1970 - The Mighty Quinn (Quinn, the Eskimo)

1973 - Knockin' on Heaven's Doors

1974 - Forever Young

1974 - You Angel you

1976 – Hurricane

1989 - Everything is Broken

Whether you are a fan or not, come to our shared readings at the library and  listen to these songs, read the lyrics, sing along and figure out whether Dylan deserved to win the Nobel  prize for Literature 2016.

 


Biblioteca Central  

San Sebastián De Los Reyes on Tuesday Nov 8th at 19:15h

Write to us at asedow@gmail.com or go by the library for more information.

Text appropriately written in denim blue

MONEY TALKS

How do the rich and famous end up broke?
Like the rest of us it seems.
We have some good links to share about managing lottery windfalls;))).
Come to our talks.
At the U.P. Room 1.1. 2nd November 18:30h
At the Civic Centre Pepe Viyuela with Asociación Dehesa Vieja 4th November 19h
For more information :asedow@gmail.com

BTW HAPPY HALLOWE’EN!

Para disfrutar de la cultura de Irlanda en España

The Irish Embassy shared some great things to do in different parts of Spain on this long weekend break so look out for them if you are in any of these places.

CÁCERES
OCT 28th to 30th  The 13th Irish Music Festival!

SITGES
OCT 27th -30th Irish/ Catalan Cultural Events

OURENSE
NOV 3rd The International Film Festival with a short film about the rock opera 'The Rebel' based on Padraig Pearse and the 1916 Rising

MADRID
OCT 30th Irish musician Vincent Mc Morrow plays at Joy Eslava 21h

Check them out!!!