Truro and Morlaix Christmas Zoom Get Together 19th December 2020
Largely free from technical complications, we held our 'International' Christmas Zoom Get Together on Saturday 19th December. Thirty four members took part and it was good to see our Morlaix friends once more. The session began with an introductory welcome from the Truro and Morlaix chairs, Margaret George and Hervé Bernard, followed by a few words from Bert Biscoe Mayor of Truro. All members raised a glass or two and then we individually exchanged Christmas Greetings. There was an assortment of festive apparel on display including some pretty impressive reindeer hats and also an assortment of brightly lit Christmas trees. Despite all the current gloomy news around about Covid and travel restrictions, bonds of friendship were reasserted and we looked eagerly forward to when our exchange visits could recommence.
We wish all our Morlaix friends a happy Christmas.
Nous souhaitons à tous nos amis de Morlaix un joyeux Noël.
We wish all our Morlaix friends a happy Christmas.
Nous souhaitons à tous nos amis de Morlaix un joyeux Noël.
TMTA Zoom Quiz Night 18th November 2020
Continuing to keep in touch despite the Covid-19 restrictions, we held our third fun quiz night since June on Zoom on 18th November.
We were very pleased to welcome 26 participants, including four from Morlaix. It gave an opportunity for everyone to share their news and it was heartening to see and talk once more with our French friends, following the cancellation of all exchange visits in 2020 due to Covid-19. Everyone felt that it brought Morlaix a little nearer to Truro, despite all the current difficulties.
There were once again eight question categories - Plants & Trees, Paintings & Painters, General Knowledge, Food & Drink, Rivers, British History, TV & Film and Truro. Test your knowledge with some of the Paintings & Painters questions - answers in bold, also with a bit of extra background added !
1. What happened to the Mona Lisa on 21 August 1911 ?
It was stolen from the Louvre by an Italian museum worker, Vincenzo Peruggia, who returned to Italy and kept it in his apartment in Florence until he was found out and arrested by the Italian police. The painting was returned to the Louvre in 1913.
2. Which city in Europe is generally associated with the origins of the Renaissance period, starting in the 14th century ? Florence in Italy.
3. What is the name of the watermill in Suffolk, which John Constable used in 1821 as a location for his landmark painting ‘The Hay Wain’ ? Flatford Mill on the River Stour, owned by his father, and which along with its immediate surroundings was the location for many of Constable's works. It is now a National Trust site, with the river crossing view kept similar to that depicted in the painting.
4. What is the name of the famous painting by William Turner which depicts a fighting warship being towed up the River Thames, under a dramatic sky ? ‘The Fighting Temeraire’. The 98 gun, HMS Temeraire, which played a role in the Battle of Trafalgar, was being towed up the Thames by a paddle-wheel steam tug in 1838, towards its final berth in Rotherhithe, to be broken up for scrap.
5. Who painted the ‘Bal du moulin de la Galette’ in 1876, housed at the Musée d'Orsay, and depicting a typical Sunday afternoon, dancing at the Moulin de la Galette in the district of Montmartre in Paris ? Pierre-Auguste Renoir. In the late 19th century, working class Parisians would dress up and spend time there dancing, drinking, and eating galettes into the evening.
6. Where did Claude Monet live and paint for 42 years of his later life, from 1883 to his death in 1926 ? Giverny, 75 km north-west of Paris. He directed the renovation of the house, and had the nearby river Epte partially diverted for the gardens, from which he gained much of his inspiration, surrounding himself with nature while painting outdoors.
7. On which Pacific island did the French artist Paul Gaugin spend much of his time in the late 19th century ? Tahiti. Disillusioned with French life and with his lack of success in France as an artist, he had a romantic image of the island as an untouched paradise. He immersed himself in Tahitian culture, and its women!, and painted what he believed were the authentic aspects of the culture and its people.
8. Which ear did Vincent Van Gogh cut off ? Was it his right or left ear ? According to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, Vincent van Gogh cut off his LEFT ear on 23rd Dec 1888, when tempers flared with Paul Gauguin, with whom he had been working for a while in Arles. Van Gogh’s illness revealed itself: he began to hallucinate and suffered attacks in which he lost consciousness. During one of these attacks, he used the knife. He could later recall nothing about the event.
We were very pleased to welcome 26 participants, including four from Morlaix. It gave an opportunity for everyone to share their news and it was heartening to see and talk once more with our French friends, following the cancellation of all exchange visits in 2020 due to Covid-19. Everyone felt that it brought Morlaix a little nearer to Truro, despite all the current difficulties.
There were once again eight question categories - Plants & Trees, Paintings & Painters, General Knowledge, Food & Drink, Rivers, British History, TV & Film and Truro. Test your knowledge with some of the Paintings & Painters questions - answers in bold, also with a bit of extra background added !
1. What happened to the Mona Lisa on 21 August 1911 ?
It was stolen from the Louvre by an Italian museum worker, Vincenzo Peruggia, who returned to Italy and kept it in his apartment in Florence until he was found out and arrested by the Italian police. The painting was returned to the Louvre in 1913.
2. Which city in Europe is generally associated with the origins of the Renaissance period, starting in the 14th century ? Florence in Italy.
3. What is the name of the watermill in Suffolk, which John Constable used in 1821 as a location for his landmark painting ‘The Hay Wain’ ? Flatford Mill on the River Stour, owned by his father, and which along with its immediate surroundings was the location for many of Constable's works. It is now a National Trust site, with the river crossing view kept similar to that depicted in the painting.
4. What is the name of the famous painting by William Turner which depicts a fighting warship being towed up the River Thames, under a dramatic sky ? ‘The Fighting Temeraire’. The 98 gun, HMS Temeraire, which played a role in the Battle of Trafalgar, was being towed up the Thames by a paddle-wheel steam tug in 1838, towards its final berth in Rotherhithe, to be broken up for scrap.
5. Who painted the ‘Bal du moulin de la Galette’ in 1876, housed at the Musée d'Orsay, and depicting a typical Sunday afternoon, dancing at the Moulin de la Galette in the district of Montmartre in Paris ? Pierre-Auguste Renoir. In the late 19th century, working class Parisians would dress up and spend time there dancing, drinking, and eating galettes into the evening.
6. Where did Claude Monet live and paint for 42 years of his later life, from 1883 to his death in 1926 ? Giverny, 75 km north-west of Paris. He directed the renovation of the house, and had the nearby river Epte partially diverted for the gardens, from which he gained much of his inspiration, surrounding himself with nature while painting outdoors.
7. On which Pacific island did the French artist Paul Gaugin spend much of his time in the late 19th century ? Tahiti. Disillusioned with French life and with his lack of success in France as an artist, he had a romantic image of the island as an untouched paradise. He immersed himself in Tahitian culture, and its women!, and painted what he believed were the authentic aspects of the culture and its people.
8. Which ear did Vincent Van Gogh cut off ? Was it his right or left ear ? According to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, Vincent van Gogh cut off his LEFT ear on 23rd Dec 1888, when tempers flared with Paul Gauguin, with whom he had been working for a while in Arles. Van Gogh’s illness revealed itself: he began to hallucinate and suffered attacks in which he lost consciousness. During one of these attacks, he used the knife. He could later recall nothing about the event.
TMTA Zoom Quiz Nights 17th June and 16th September 2020
Keeping in touch, despite the Covid-19 restrictions, we held two quizzes on Zoom in June and September. It gave an opportunity for everyone to share their news as well as joining in a fun quiz together afterwards. There were several question categories including food and drink, Geography, Truro, Cornwall, France, films music and literature. Test your knowledge with some of the French questions - answers in bold !
- Brittany has 4 departments. In which department is Morlaix located ? Finistère
- What is the name of the capital town of Brittany ? Rennes
- What is the population of the current administrative region of Brittany ? Is it: a) 2.5m b) 3.5m c) 4.5m ? b) 3.5m
- What is a Kouign Amann ? Brittany Butter Cake
- What is the longest river within France - excluding the Rhine which although being the longest of all the rivers, only partially runs through France ? Loire
- What is the name of the French National Anthem ? La Marseillaise
- On 6th May 1994 the Queen and which French President formally opened the Channel Tunnel ? President Francois Mitterrand
- There are five French speaking places in the Caribbean and South America that use the Euro as their official currency. Martinique is one of them, can you name another ? Saint Martin, Saint-Barthélemy, French Guiana
- The fastest train from Morlaix takes how long to reach Paris Montparnasse ? a) 3 hours 15 mins b) 3 hours 35 mins c) 3 hours 55 mins a) 3 hours 15 mins
Crêpe Evening 25th February 2020
Thank you to Jean for hosting our annual Shrove Tuesday Crêpe evening, and pre-preparing countless crêpes with tasty fillings. Everyone had a terrific time rounded off with lots of prizes won in the raffle.
New Year's Lunch and Horse Racing Game 12th January 2020
12th January was TMTA Carnon Downs Race Meeting Day.
Our famous thoroughbred horses, Morlaix Mover, Truro Tramper, Roscoff Rascal,
Plymouth Plodder,Twinning Twiddler and Brittany Bouncer all took part over four
exciting races.
The punters were busy placing their 25p bets with our two 'honest' bookies
Fred's Fast Getaway Ltd and Vanishing Victor Ltd, ably fronted by Margaret and
Alison !
Everyone had great fun - some people even won !, and 50% of all the takings
were added to TMTA funds.
The French triumphed on the day. Morlaix Mover won the first race, then Roscoff Rascal
won the other three. Lots more training needed for Plymouth Plodder and the other
horses before next year's race !
In between the races we enjoyed a delicious aromatic chicken and rice lunch,
followed by fresh fruit salad and sherry trifle.
Thanks to all those who helped organise and run the event, the Committee Members who supplied the lunch, and to everyone for cheering their horses towards the winning line.
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