A treat or two for U3A Vall del Pop members
Best selling author gives talk to U3A
Jana Petken was born with a Scottish accent but grew up in Denia, where she has been living for almost 50 years. She had always had a great yearning to travel, so in 1976 she joined the Royal Navy. This didn't quite provide the stimulus she wanted, so she transferred to the Regulating School. This course offered an introduction into security and policing within the Navy, and she found herself doing combat training against the guys in her group.
This led to an offer for something very different, for close protection work to a Saudi Princess. The Saudi Princess seemed to spend most of her time away from her homeland.
Jana found herself in New York watching her 'Principal' eating, shopping, eating,- shopping - and more shopping .... on a DAILY allowance of £10,000. Well that doesn't go far on 5th Avenue!
Following this, she worked in protection with Prince Andrew... who once made her a cheese sandwich. How the other half live!!
BUT - there still wasn't enough travelling to satisfy her soul, so she joined British Airways Long Haul in 1995. This ended after her aircraft hit clear air turbulence, and she was flung up to the cabin ceiling, severely damaging her neck, and she was grounded permanently. However, her therapy, typing, provided the opportunity to regain the use of the damaged nerves and muscles in her arms and hands. She typed... and typed... and wrote Guardian of Secrets. Her new path as a selfpublishing author of historical novels was set.
Jana has won multiple awards for her work - one award given in the USA just the day before she spoke to us. She is working on screenplays from her books and waiting for the right offer to make the film up to her exacting standards. All in all, a very varied career, which provided her with plenty of travel, and allowed her to develop her ability to create wellresearched historical novels.
Coffee and cakes – Yummy!
Written by Carol Lockhart
On Thursday, February 7 the U3A Vall del Pop members were treated to pre-meeting coffee and cakes, when a group of lovely ladies arrived with a fabulous array of mouth-watering home baking, all to be sold in aid of the Goodwill Team’s Charity Fund.
There were lots of ooh’s and aah’s when the cakes were spotted and remarks like, ‘Oh, but I am on a diet!’, to which the response was ‘A little of what you fancy does you good!’ Suffice to say the cakes shot off the table, some to be consumed with morning coffee, others whisked away to be enjoyed later at home. Those cakes still waiting for a home just before the General Assembly started, were expertly auctioned by Elaine Horton until there were very few left, these being sold at the end of the meeting by donation.
A ‘very big thank you’ to all the expert bakers who donated their time and talents to contribute to the cake sale, which raised a superb €185. This has been added to the other donations received that day, for drinks and members €1 for selecting the charity of their preference, bringing a total for the day to €232, which is fantastic.
Thank you to all the members who purchased the cakes, it is hoped that you really enjoyed your little treats and that waistlines haven’t suffered too much.
The next fundraiser will be at the General Assembly on April 4, so be prepared for another fun event to help boost the charity fund.
Written by Carol Lockhart
Why not come along and join the fun, meet new friends, learn new skills.
For further information on U3A Vall del Pop check our website http://u3avalldelpop. com.
The U3A is all about enjoyment and learning, and this is particularly evident in the U3A Vall del Pop, whose members hold their General Assembly generally, fiestas and holidays permitting, on the first Thursday of each month at the Centre Polivalent in Murla, and have a diverse range of groups for the interest of the members.