Mummies and Let's Cook

27th November
Over the next ten days, 140 Bucks WI members and friends will visit O2 and see the Tutankhamun Exhibition before being driven by coach to look at the Christmas lights. The exhibition was fascinating and although very crowded one was able to examine all the exhibits. The "shop" was awful! Whatever does one do with a miniature teddy with a Tutankhamun headdress?
These WI excursions to exhibitions and museums are always popular so there will be huge demand for the Terracotta Warriors in March 2008.
And aren't our coach drivers brilliant?!
28th November
Local WI committee tonight where the main business was planning the December Christmas monthly meeting. We also arranged how to ballot the members on their views about the WI Denman bursary. The special event called Food and Flowers had been a great success not only socially but also financially so the treasurer is starting her new term with a smile on her face.
3rd December
The Book Group meeting was small today because of illness but we enjoyed discussing Mark Haddon's A Spot of Bother. Although part of its content was to do with homosexuality and was very explicit ( which would have been considered taboo in the early days of our readers' lives), we managed to really enjoy the novel. We are going to try writing a review for inclusion in the Bucks County Library Reading Group newsletter and who knows? perhaps even WI Life. (The editor did request reviews in the last issue). We'll see how we go.
5th December
The WI Christmas meeting was well attended and very pleasant. There were some readings but no carols this year as we have lost our pianist. The result of the ballot was a wish to alternate the bursary between an individual award and an extra meeting for all members.We will start with an individual drawn by lot as the last two years have been special meetings.
One member had sweet-talked a trade demonstrator in Central Milton Keynes into giving her a good selection of cookery knives to donate to the Let's Cook project in Bletchley. We will present these next week along with the large casserole dishes already donated last month.
The Let's Cook scheme was started by NFWI. It is to encourage the County Federations to train volunteer WI members to teach basic cookery to disadvantaged groups. Bucks has trained two people already and has run a very successful course for young mothers in Bletchley. Another is planned for early 2008. Our WI wondered about offering Let's Sew. Of course, like anything else these days all instructors and helpers have to be police checked and this puts off volunteers.
I can understand this situation but don't you think it is time the WI led the revolt against some of these daft Health and Safety rules? In the press this week we have had parents forbidden to bring home-made mince pies to a PTA carol service and school nativity plays abandoned for fear of affront to other faiths.And what price now for summer fetes wanting to run name the teddy competitions? Yet we have footballers running about the fields called Jesus and receiving yellow and red cards like everyone else!
Someone or some organisation has got to make a stand and halt this paranoia.