Announcing Our Fall 2010 Away Days

"Every person needs to take one day away."

Maya Angelou
This is your chance to try something different this Fall - a day out with other women that is easy-paced, that has lots of variety, and that makes activities and philosophy accessible, fun and epicurean. Make sure to check out our great deals for turning your away day into a weekend option.

 

Walking the Talk Away Day
 
Sunday September 19th, 2010, 10am - 4pm
Cost: $50 for members and $60 for non-members
(Price includes lunch and all materials)

 
 
"There are some good things to say about walking...Walking takes longer, for example, then any other form of locomotion except crawling. Thus, it stretches time and prolongs life. Life is already too short to waste on speed...Walking makes the world much bigger and therefore more interesting you have time to observe the details." (E. Abbey, 1977)

What can you tell about a walking body? - both your own and another person's? What is to be gained from Peripatetic Philosophy - that is, a philosophy or teaching method in which discussions are conducted while walking. And do we allow enough time for walking in our lives? Whether you are already an avid walker or whether you are thinking of making walking a bigger part of your life, this away day is sure to give you some refreshing new insights into this everyday 'activity' that is free, good for you, and meditative.



Painting Autumn Colours Away Days
 
Saturday October 2nd, 2010, from 10am - 4pm
Sunday October 3rd
, 2010, from 10am - 4pm
Cost: $50 per day for members and $60 for non-members
(Price includes lunch, and tea or coffee throughout the day)

 

These 2 away days are for people who would like to learn to paint, and who want to catch those beautiful autumn tones at their peak. Our resident artist, Janice Poltrick Donato, will be on hand to help you as you perch yourself on the edge of our private lake (check out those reflections!) or take off into our 22 acres of woodland trails to experience those remarkable autumn colours at your leisure. If you have your own watercolours, acrylics or oils, bring them along. If not, we'll have a selection of painting materials available for you to experiment with, and find your medium.

Why not take advantage of our special wwp weekend deal and make a whole weekend of it! Stay over on Saturday night at The Nurtury and enjoy a delicious evening meal, plus continental breakfast on Sunday morning, for only an extra $30.

A whole weekend of painting, with overnight lodging and meals included, for only $130? ($150 for non-members)...Try beating that!




Social Bridge (Beginner/Intermediate) Away Days
 
Friday 26th November 2010 (5pm -11pm)
Saturday 27th November 2010 (10am - 4pm)

 
Cost: $50 per day for members and $60 for non-members
(Price includes meals, and tea or coffee throughout the day)

 

Join us for a day or two of social bridge. If you already play some bridge, The Nurtury is the ideal place to experiment with that 4NT bid. If you are a beginner or just starting out on your bridge journey, we will make sure that you will be teamed up at a table that puts you at ease.

One way or another, this is the day to pull up a chair fireside and bridge yourself out.  Delicious feel good meals and snacks ensure that we are well pampered between rubbers.  Over dinner and lunch, as for food for thought, Rona Brodie takes a philosophical look at who we are, and what we reveal about ourselves, when we play games.

To see how our summer Social Bridge away day went please visit our blog

Why not take advantage of our special wwp weekend deal and make a whole weekend of it! Stay over on Friday night at The Nurtury and enjoy a delicious evening meal, plus continental breakfast on Saturday morning, for only an extra $30.

Two days of bridge, with overnight lodging and meals included, for only $130! ($150 for non-members)...Try beating that!


Is your inner philosopher's curiosity piqued? Email us if you are interested in joining us for a refreshingly different Away Day up at The Nurtury. Attached, you will find an Away Day registration form.


A selection of past away days

Soundwalking Away Days
 
Saturday April 24th, 2010, from 10am - 4pm
Sunday April
25th, 2010, from 10am - 4pm
Cost: $50 per day for members and $60 for non-members
(Price includes lunch, and tea or coffee throughout the day)

 

Soundwalking is a practice that makes places audible: amplifying tiny sounds to bring our attention to things we don't usually hear going on around us; discovering the sonic intricacies of a place through walking, listening and recording.


For those who are interested in discovering the sounds of nature, the surroundings of The Nurtury provide an ideal place to soundwalk.  Far from the bustle of the city, we hear birds, water and the sounds of the weather, and learn through our experiences of these sounds. 

Over the course of these away days Andra McCartney introduces new soundwalkers to the pleasurable processes of this activity. Under her guidance we walk through the property both together and individually: listening to the remarkable soundscape of the area, recording sounds on our walks, and then meeting together to talk about how to work with these recordings.  Listening to soundwalk recordings made by other artists encourages us to think about how we can glean nourishing sound works from ambiances that usually go unnoticed.

Not only do these insights about sound environments accompany us back into daily life; they also provide the starting point for our exploration of listening as a sensory concept
.

Why not
take advantage of our special wwp weekend deal and make a whole weekend of it! Stay over on Saturday night at The Nurtury and enjoy a delicious evening meal, plus continental breakfast on Sunday morning, for only an extra $30.

A whole weekend of soundwalking, with overnight lodging and meals included, for only $130? ($150 for non-members)...Try beating that!

For more information on how this weekend went visit our blog 




Funny Girls : What Makes Us Laugh And Why?
 
Saturday March 27th, 2010, 10am - 4pm
Cost: $50 for members and $60 for non-members
(Price includes lunch and all materials)

 

This away day looks at what makes us laugh.  Using footage old and new, we explore the work of female comics from Mae West to Margaret Cho, from Lucille Ball to Ellen DeGeneres.  And between laughs we ask...What lies behind what these funny girls do?  What challenges do women comediennes face that male comics do not? What is a sense of humour?  And in this age of "laugh therapy," is laughter really all it's cracked up to be? 

Visit our blog for details on the day



Slowing Down as the World Speeds Up : An Introduction to Slow Philosophy
 
Saturday January 23rd, 2010, 10am - 4pm
Cost: $50 for members and $60 for non-members
(Price includes lunch and all materials)

 
Over the course of this day we consider what it means to 'slow down' in a world that seems to be moving ever faster. Taking inspiration from 'the slow food movement,' we ground our discussion in practical activities such as writing, singing and dining. We examine what it takes to move at a pace that fits with our own needs, but goes against the common flow.

Below you'll find the schedule for this away day. It will give you a flavor of what our away days are all about.


Slow Philosophy Away Day: A Communal Experiment in Embodied Philosophy and Bodily Learning

Morning Session (10-12*): Feeling Time with our (Female) Bodies

"If there is one virtue that should be cultivated more than any other by him who would succeed in life, it is punctuality: if there is one error to be avoided, it is being behind time." - Electric Signal Clock Company Catalogue, 1891

"In my father's presence I believed I was pure mind; I was horrified to think that he now suddenly saw me as an organism. I felt permanently dethroned."  - Simone de Beauvoir, on starting to menstruate at age 13

Bill of Fare:

1)  Viewing of factory scene from Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times (1936)

2)  A reading that evokes philosopher Simone de Beauvoir's relationship to time, and her embodiment of  Existentialism

3)  "Racing Against the Clock" Charades: Timely Expressions through Bodily Impressions

4)  An Experiment in Haiku Writing: Timepieces and our Corporeal "tics"

Lunch Session (12-2*): Feeling Flow with our Bodies

"A firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life...Our defense should begin at the table with Slow Food"  - Carlo Petrini, Founder of Slow Food Movement

Bill of Fare:

1)   Spicy Parsnip Soup - Slow Food is "Clean"

2)   Chicken and 'Slow Lemon' Tagine  - Slow Food is "Fair"

3)   Grapefruit and Pear Frappe with a Twist - Slow Food is "Good"

4)   Chocolate Nut Cake - Slow Food is "Pleasurable"

Followed by an exploration of walking vertically rather than horizontally, as we step outside and take a 20 minute walk with our chora.

Afternoon Session (2-4*): Feeling Rhythm with our Bodies

"Movement is located not in the"I" that moves but rather, is out there already circulating, waiting for the "I" to hop on board"          

Bill of Fare:

1)   Finding our Pace - Moving to the Metronome

2)   Sharing our Pace - What it feels like to be "in" our natural pace, and "out" of it

3)   Your Pace or Mine? - Music that moves with us or against us

4)   Changing Paces - Singing ourselves into a Whole

*Timings today are subject to change in accordance with our group's tempo giusto

Visit our blog for details on the day