Cariboo Chilcotin Elder College is once again offering a lively selection of brain food to stimulate the minds and bodies of members throughout the winter and early spring.
Further information for those who missed the earlier registration sessions is available by e-mail at admin@wleldercollege.ca or by phone at 250-392-8180.
• The first course to start is the returning Behind the Headlines, a discussion of current affairs discussions, including Afghanistan and the Middle East in general and increasing concern with terrorism.
Joe Varesi will again lead the course, which will be flexible to cover any important developments, especially those that affect Canada.
The classes, starting Feb. 3, take place from 10 a.m. to noon on Thursdays through March 10 at the library meeting room.
• Local wine maker Willie Dye will offer an Introduction to Craft Wine Making in four sessions, giving participants a hands-on overview of making their own wine.
The classes will run 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays through March 8 at Borland Creek Brewing, 199A North Third Ave.
Topics include the art of wine making, wine making kits, step by step coverage of the process, food/wine pairings, types of wines and their characteristics and developing a wine cellar.
• Bill McDonald will return with his 12-hour version of Fast and Furious Spanish to help visitors to Latin America communicate with their hosts and enjoy their visits more.
He will cover pronunciation, basic verbs, essential vocabulary, common phrases and language patterns to build on.
Bring your sense of humour and willingness to participate. Classes will run Monday and Wednesday starting March 28 and ending April 13, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the School District 27 Resource Centre beside Cataline School.
•Music Appreciation and Listening Sessions will be led by Dennis Tupman from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays, May 2, 9 and 16, at St. Andrews’ United Church library.
The theme for the first class will be music from the 1950s on, showing how much has happened in the last 60 years.
The second class will cover oldies but goodies, featuring compositions by seniors, either as performers or composers.
Music for the occasions will touch on special occasions that have been marked through history by music.
• Watercolours with Wally Chernoff will be back by popular demand, focusing on basic watercolour painting concepts and techniques.
It covers composition, value and colour in creating pictorial art, designed to be enjoyed by newcomers and also those who have taken previous art lessons.
Classes start Thursday, March 31, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the library meeting room, and finish May 5.
• George Cornett will carry on guitar lessons with previous students as well as those who are new to the experience.
They will improve proficiency in songs they learned in the earlier classes as well as learn new songs.
Classes will be Monday mornings, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Seniors’ Activity Centre beginning Feb. 7 and ending March 14.
• Quilting, Jewellery and Card Making will be covered in two sessions each on Wednesday mornings, starting Feb. 16.
The basics of the three crafts will be taught by Elaine Watt, Gwynneth Nelson and Anne Moutray.
It may also be possible to register for a single two-session component.
The course, which will be taught at St. Andrew’s United Church, will wind up March 23.
• Armchair Archaeology will provide a general introduction to the subject, beginning with the archaeology of BC and then on to other areas of interest. Beth Bedard will lead the course, beginning Friday March 4, from 10 a.m. to noon, and continuing Fridays until April 8.
• Geocaching for Beginners involves a world wide game using GPS navigation to find hidden containers.
A hand held GPS receiver with access to a computer website is required and students will be trained in the use.
Participants should bring a GPS if possible or a loaner will be provided.
Ginger Houser will teach the Saturday session on April 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the library meeting room.
How to Do Just About Anything with a PC Computer is an introductory course for those who know nothing or almost nothing about computers. Elder College computers will be used to teach the basics with lots of one on one instruction. Jeaninne Morgan will be teaching the classes beginning Monday, Feb. 7, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Seniors Activity Centre, downstairs board room. Classes will be Mondays and Wednesdays until Feb. 23.
• Who hasn’t felt the frustration of dealing with a new cell phone that just won’t cooperate with the operator? Jeannine Morgan will help students to learn about taking messages, using the alarm clock, calendar, camera, call log, video camera, phone directory, play music and so on. Two classes will be held, one on Monday, Feb. 28, and a second on Wednesday, March 2, at the Seniors Activity Centre.
• Cooking at Beeotcheese will explore trade secrets from two chefs, Alison Sutherland-Mann and Lynne Connor at Beeotcheese Bistro & Bakery. Sessions will include baking, appetizers, pot luck meals and dealing with leftovers. Classes will be Saturdays, 9 to 11:30 a.m. from March 5 to 26 at Beeotcheese.
• Advanced Computers — The Next Steps, will be taught by Chris Fletcher from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays on March 7, 14, 21, in the downstairs board room at the Seniors’ Activity Centre.
It will cover safely downloading programs and software, learning about and setting up program features, becoming familiar with computer security, fine tuning by using shortcuts to programs, burning images and data to CDs and DVDs and using portable hard drives.
• Community Service Courses, which are free lectures, will be offered in the library meeting room, on Tuesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Topics in the Dealing with Difficult Issues set will be Feb. 1, covering alcohol and narcotics; Feb. 8, elder Abuse; Feb. 15, Depression, and Feb. 22, prescription medications.
• The second set of lectures, Keeping Your Brain Alive, will be Wednesday afternoons from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in the Seniors Activity Centre.
March 19 will deal with preserving and enhancing the brain’s capabilities into senior years, including brain exercises.
It will also discuss warning signs of Alzheimer’s and other dementia and dealing with the conditions.
Nutrition for seniors and foods that will help keep brains active and well nourished will be the focus of the March 16 session.
