Interest Groups

The Groups and Times

Wednesday Morning Study Group’s Art talks – every 2^nd Wednesday at 10:15 a.m.

Members carpool together to attend an illustrated series of talks on “Diversity in Art and Artists” at the National Gallery of Canada. There is a fee to attend.

Art Tours – 2^nd Wednesday 1:00 p.m.

At the National Gallery of Canada, members join in on art tours arranged by CFUW/Nepean. There is a fee to attend.

Paint Pals – 4^th Monday 9:30 –11:30 a.m.

If painting is one of your passions, but you never seem to set aside the time to create a new masterpiece, or if you wish to explore painting in the company of artistic friends, then new Paint Pals is for you.

Fibre Fans – 2^nd Friday 1:00 p.m.

Explore the world of fibres and discover what can be created with them.... quilts, both traditional and contemporary, tapestry, embroidery, knitting, needlepoint, felting, upholstery, weaving ....the list is long and the learning never stops! Members share their expertise and work on various projects. To punctuate these sessions with fun and sources of new ideas, visits to upcoming arts and craft shows are planned.

Chocolate and Wine Book Club - 3^rd Thursday 3:00 pm

Hostesses serve wine to those that imbibe (one glass) and nibble on something chocolate as they discuss books.

Lit Chicks - 4^th Wednesday 1:30 pm

This is a slightly smaller group than some of the other book groups (maximum 12 participants). This year's selections will focus on participants "favourte authors".

Monday Morning Book Club - 1^st Monday 9:30 am

A rather special group that restricts its choices to include only books that are available in an audible format. Most members read the print version, but some members of the group are unable to do so and read by listening. The opinions are always varied and firmly held leading to an exhilarating and amusing debate. We choose ten books with at least one from each section: Canadian Fiction, International Fiction, Classic and Non-fiction.

Last year's selections were:

• East of Eden - John Steinbeck

• The Ghost Map - Steven Johnson

• The Golden Mean - Annabel Lyon

• Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell

• Consolation - Michael Redhill

• The Road Home - Rose Tremain

• Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

• The Lacuna - Barbara Kingsolver

• Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson

• Best Laid Plans - Terry Fallis

Monday Afternoon Book Club - 1^st Monday 1 pm

The group is very eclectic and as a result, the discussions are lively and present an opportunity to hear diverse points of view. At least one non-fiction book and possibly a biography are included in the reading list each year. The schedule for hosts and presenters will be discussed at the first meeting.

Twisted Sisters Book Club - 2^nd Wednesday 10am

Each month participants pick a topic (e.g. biography, inspirational, classic children's literature, books made into movies, award-winning books) and bring their books to discuss in the group. Members host once a year.

National Mah-Jongg - every Thursday 1 p.m., starting June 7th.

Mah-Jongg (or "Maajh") is a fascinating rummy-like game played with tiles rather than cards. It is a game of skill, strategy and calculation but also involves a certain degree of chance. The game originated in China and dates back to the time of Confucius. It has since evolved and been adapted to various cultures.  Ideally, Mah-Jongg is played with four players per square table and a set of tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols.

There are at least eighty versions of Mah-jongg, but each fall under two broad categories: National (American) Mah-Jongg and Classical (Chinese) Mah-Jongg. National Mah-jongg uses 152 tiles and a card of Standard Hands, against which all games are played. These cards are changed annually. It also uses 8 Jokers (hence 152 tiles rather than 144), and each game is started with a "Charleston", or the passing of 3 unwanted tiles from one player to another. Very little time and effort is required to master the elementary principles of the game. Your patience in mastering the fine points of Mah-jongg will be repaid many times by the keen enjoyment invariably derived from the game.

The National Mah Jongg League was started in 1937, by a number of enthusiasts who met in New York City to standardize the game. The League started with 32 members and today numbers over 350,000.

Each player will need a National Mah Jongg League 2012 card costing $8.

Mixed Duplicate Morning Bridge – 3^rd Monday 9 am

We're a friendly group of bridge players, who take turns hosting in our homes. If you'd like to join the group, find a bridge partner of either gender and contact the convenor. If you don't have a partner, we may be able to match you up with another single. We welcome new members at any time of the year.

Ladies Monday Afternoon Bridge – every Monday afternoon 1 p.m.

The Ladies Monday Afternoon Bridge Group meets every Monday all through the year (even the summer!) from 1 to 4 p.m. We have a fairly large group of approximately 26 members. Every member hosts twice a year. Most members can accommodate 3 - 4 tables. A few members can only host 2 tables. We used to play every 2nd Monday but with so many players it was better to play every Monday so that if someone does not get to play one Monday, she can get into the next one. We ask our members to call the next hostess no more than 2 weeks ahead of time toreserve a spot to play. We are a friendly and lively group. There is almost as much conversation as there is bridge since we enjoy seeing each other when we get together to play.

Wednesday Afternoon Bridge – every Wednesday 1 p.m.

This group originated from a core of people who attended a CFUW/K's Beginners' Bridge class in the spring of 2005. A few people had played before but most were beginners. Since then, we've been "bitten" by the bridge "bug" and meeting weekly, have all enjoyed the friendship with the challenge of Bridge in a supportive, non-critical, learning environment.

Mixed Duplicate Bridge - 1st Friday 7pm

A Bridge partner may be of either gender. Hosting is shared.

Social Contract Mixed Evening Bridge - 3^rd Friday 7pm

This group meets the third Friday evening of each month at 7:00pm at members' homes. A good fundamental knowledge of bridge helps make it satisfactory for all. The mixed concept of partners could be husband & wife partners, or same gender partners. Evening consists of four or five rounds, changing partners after each round (four hands). Light refreshments during and/or after.

Outings - 3^rd Wednesday 1pm

The type of outing, meeting date and time are all confirmed by the convenors a few weeks in advance of the event. Whenever it is convenient, members carpool to the outings which are varied and interesting. So far, members have enjoyed the following trips:

• September: Bank of Canada Tour; special exhibit: "Fakes and Forgeries : Yesterday and Today."
• October: Guided tour of the Beechwood Cemetery
• November: Signature Craft Fair at the Congress Centre
• December: Manotick Christmas Outing
• January: Chocolate demonstration at Stubbe Chocolates & More
• February: Knitting demonstrations and more.

Travel Talk - 3rd Thursday 7:00 pm

Travel talk provides an opportunity for members to share their own travel experiences and to learn about places that others have visited. The group will exchange travel tips and ideas and just have fun "touring" the world without leaving home.