AT the October meeting, members were told the trip to Ryton had been a real eye-opener.

Everyone who went agreed they had learned a lot from the excellent guided tour and the time had been too short for all that was to be seen.

A Christmas shopping trip by coach has been arranged to Webbs of Wychbold on Sunday, December 5. A carvery Sunday lunch in the restaurant is included and the price is £11.75 for members and £12.75 for guests. Bookings to be made as soon as possible.

Speaker Mike Hinton, from Kings Heath, gave good advice on Refurbishing Your Garden.

He is of the opinion the TV garden design bubble will burst soon and instant makeovers will be a thing of the past.

He talked about the need for good infrastructure and keeping valuable trees and shrubs that cannot be replaced overnight.

He illustrated with slides the good and bad in garden design and steered members towards a conservative sort of plot to live with rather than a modern outdoor room, which will need redecorating every couple of years.