23rd September
I think it was 24 of us from the Bucks Federation who had spent the weekend making cakes for the Denman College Diamond Anniversary celebrations. The neighbouring federations around Marcham each undertook to do the refreshments for one day during the week of celebration. The Denman kitchen provided the ingredients for the rolls and sandwiches but it was up to us to make the cakes. It was an early start and because this was the first day Bucks were the guinea pigs to see whether it would work. There were too few urns and problems with the water supply but besides that, it was with a sense of achievement when we finished the day having looked after over 600 guests plus staff and stewards over lunch and tea.A heavy shower of rain at lunchtime ensured that everyone came in to eat at the same time but the atmosphere was sunny both sides of the serving tables. No one commented on the fact that two out of the 24 Bucks caterers had black eyes. I thought there would be the usual quips plus mention of the current WI campaign re. Violence against Women but narry a one.I hasten to add that both eyes were the result of accidents with bicycles which is pretty noteworthy as one lady must be well on towards her eighties!
Those of you who didn't go to Denman missed a treat. The flowers were wonderful dotted around the grounds all very modern but absolutely beautiful. It was good to see Diana Kerley the former Denman College Head of Staff flying about in her black boots just like old times. She never walks when she can run! There were masses of things to see and do in the marquees and across the gardens but I left the inside activities until later in the week when I was to steward and not fill rolls all day.
24th September
This was a long committee which got a bit out of hand as we heard of mutters against the rise in the subscription, about the last year's rather dull speakers and general dissatisfaction with the amount of things organised in the run up to Christmas. Have you noticed how the car has become a sort of confessional box these days? People air views that would not be heard elsewhere.What gets me mad is when the same people who complain about the subscription don't turn a hair at agreeing to an extra event eg Christmas dinner which costs the same as the sub. but is eaten in one evening! There was the usual complaint that it was no use circulating the sheet for nominations to the NFWI Board of Trustees because "We don't know anyone". I would have thought the arrival of WI Life would have helped with this problem but no...
The committee will wear name badges for the next meeting as would you believe some members are not sure who we are either. Perhaps I was tired, but I admit I was looking round for a bag of lime!
25th September
Back to Denman this morning and the weather was bright and sunny. I was stewarding inside the Main House which would have been where I would have picked, if given a choice. I just love that place. The flowers inside the house were wonderful and so imaginative. And then the quilts were on display which had been on view when we went to the NEC in Birmingham and I got to talk to the lady who had created the winning quilt.Then there was the sound of the piano being played wafting up from the drawing room and then two harpists. Magic! Ann Stamper the WI Archivist was in attendance upstairs giving advice to members worried about their WI scrapbooks and memorabilia.Lots of visitors were not WI members and they were enquiring into how they could attend courses and many were absolutely bowled over by the bedrooms. I went over in the lunch break to see the new Holly Cottages and the Ferris Home Economics hall. Everything is impressive and state of the arts with equipment and I really believe that the College will go from strength to strength from now on. Lots of Bucks members visited over the days when I was there so there were lots of positive comments which restored my belief in the WI after last night's blues.
26 th September
Spent the morning on the phone sorting out a muddle created by the travel firm which is dealing with the November holiday. What on earth possessed it to send the invoices direct to the travellers who wanted insurance instead of me I'll never know. Luckily most people said they had thought it rather strange to be asked to pay twice and had waited to see what would happen next, but one had dutifully sent off a cheque to the firm because they had put a closing date on the invoice and she didn't want to miss it!
WI Life arrived and as the members who went to the training session said, it had another extremely young face on the cover. Could we not feature the members of the Board of Trustees: then members would have no excuse to say they don't know what they look like.
Sunday, 28 September 2008
Sunday, 21 September 2008
September:season of meetings
1 September
This morning three of the local WI committee got together for a cup of coffee to discuss a plan of campaign for the NFWI initiative the Big Tidy Up. We were keen to take part in this as the WI really kickstarted the Keep Britain Tidy scheme way back in the nineteen fifties.We are going to invite other organisations in the town to join us and try to have a public gathering to start off together to cover our various areas. We need more equipment so will try to borrow litter-pickers from the Council and we already have the kit ordered from Encams. So we worked out publicity and a draft letter and we will tackle the local paper nearer the time.It should take only a couple of hours if we have the volunteers and gather together the right bags for disposal etc.
2 September
Another small meeting --this time in the evening to make arrangements for the next WI Group meeting in October. I enjoy group meetings when five or six WIs get together for a bigger meeting twice a year, taking turns with being the host under the general direction of the Group Convenor. Each WI does its own thing about catering and reports on the successes and disasters of the previous year.We are lucky that our Group Convenor also arranges a coach outing as well, usually in the summer. These are very popular as of course the initial pickups for the coach are all so local that we avoid the long drawn out starts to the Federation trips: Bucks has an awful county shape to find an easy solution.Eighty miles long and forty wide is quite a logistical problem.
3 September
Tonight was our local WI meeting which was well attended considering it was the September one. Many members are free of childminding this month so take their own holidays then. We enjoyed a good speaker talking about bee-keeping. Isn't it the way that the person who requested this talk was on holiday so missed it! We all enjoyed it anyway so will be able to tell her enthusiastically what she missed. We heard a very favourable report from a member who had been on a course at Denman College. What enthusiasm she showed, so one can only hope it will encourage others to go along. It is true that once they get a member through the door at Denman she will return for more.It's just that initial visit which is so difficult.I hope we will get lots of people putting £1 in an envelope for the Dip for Denman draw at the council meeting next month.We have volunteers for catering at our fundraiser quiz in November and also for litter picking for the Big Tidy Up--that was a bit slow as people thought litter included dog dirt but that is another department and we need only alert the Council to the worst areas for that Thank Goodness!
8 September
We certainly have to pay for doing very little WI business in August because so far September has been non-stop! A small working party meeting tonight about the November Quiz. Publicity and tickets again to plan and to check up on the hall and bar arrangements and the buying of raffle prizes. I heard someone mutter that we will not make money on this event and we should stick to what we always do for fund-raising. However when pressed she had to admit that there is not something which we always do as we try to ring the changes each year. A lot depends on the people on the committee who come up with ideas which of course reflect their own strengths eg flower arrangers go for that sort of event, caterers for cookery demonstrations but at present a quiz is very popular to people living in our town.It is better for the WI if it attracts money into funds from non-members and it is good publicity to gain new members. We have three waiting to join now who have come in through interest groups run as offshoots of the WI.
11 September
A Federation meeting of the Education and Current Affairs sub committee which also involved lots of planning of a future event was held this morning in High Wycombe at our County Office.Again correspondence had mounted up over the summer. We had been in touch with Postwatch over Post Office closures, with the various councils over their getting closer to communities scheme, with NFWI over the Violence against Women initiative and other environmental issues. It all takes time but shows what a valued role the WI plays in society. Our Health evening is looking good but we are having trouble arranging a brain games mini-school for February 2009.
15 September
A rather select group at the local WI Book readers met this afternoon. We are starting on a new list of the collections on offer from the County Library but feel we would like to go back to the Mail on Sunday selection to run along side of this. We want some more biographies to choose from and we have more members now who like historical novels. We have an Amy Tan book to read for next time.
17 September
Tonight a WI training session was held in the town so two of us went along.It was well run and it was good to be introduced to some new WI Advisors in training. A lot of hints and strategies are swapped at these events in a fairly relaxed atmosphere. Opinions expressed about the WI Life magazine were on the whole positive and also on the NFWI website but oh dear! the Bucks website was roundly criticised, and justly so. It is not kept up-to-date on the campaign side of things and it ought to look more lively with photos of people and events. What we need is someone designated just to deal with the editing of the website. There is nothing wrong with the setup of it: it is just the use made of it. But then who am I to talk as I haven't added pictures to my blog which I promised to do this year!
18 September
Great news! I have just heard that Twyford Post Office is to be saved. Padbury still loses its but I think people thought that would happen as it has been precarious for a couple of years now. A muted review of the stage show of Calendar Girls appeared in today's national papers. I am looking forward to its arrival in High Wycombe and hope a lot of WIs will run outings to see it. Can anyone improve on Helen Mirren and the film cast? Let's wait and see.They are a real hard act to follow.
This morning three of the local WI committee got together for a cup of coffee to discuss a plan of campaign for the NFWI initiative the Big Tidy Up. We were keen to take part in this as the WI really kickstarted the Keep Britain Tidy scheme way back in the nineteen fifties.We are going to invite other organisations in the town to join us and try to have a public gathering to start off together to cover our various areas. We need more equipment so will try to borrow litter-pickers from the Council and we already have the kit ordered from Encams. So we worked out publicity and a draft letter and we will tackle the local paper nearer the time.It should take only a couple of hours if we have the volunteers and gather together the right bags for disposal etc.
2 September
Another small meeting --this time in the evening to make arrangements for the next WI Group meeting in October. I enjoy group meetings when five or six WIs get together for a bigger meeting twice a year, taking turns with being the host under the general direction of the Group Convenor. Each WI does its own thing about catering and reports on the successes and disasters of the previous year.We are lucky that our Group Convenor also arranges a coach outing as well, usually in the summer. These are very popular as of course the initial pickups for the coach are all so local that we avoid the long drawn out starts to the Federation trips: Bucks has an awful county shape to find an easy solution.Eighty miles long and forty wide is quite a logistical problem.
3 September
Tonight was our local WI meeting which was well attended considering it was the September one. Many members are free of childminding this month so take their own holidays then. We enjoyed a good speaker talking about bee-keeping. Isn't it the way that the person who requested this talk was on holiday so missed it! We all enjoyed it anyway so will be able to tell her enthusiastically what she missed. We heard a very favourable report from a member who had been on a course at Denman College. What enthusiasm she showed, so one can only hope it will encourage others to go along. It is true that once they get a member through the door at Denman she will return for more.It's just that initial visit which is so difficult.I hope we will get lots of people putting £1 in an envelope for the Dip for Denman draw at the council meeting next month.We have volunteers for catering at our fundraiser quiz in November and also for litter picking for the Big Tidy Up--that was a bit slow as people thought litter included dog dirt but that is another department and we need only alert the Council to the worst areas for that Thank Goodness!
8 September
We certainly have to pay for doing very little WI business in August because so far September has been non-stop! A small working party meeting tonight about the November Quiz. Publicity and tickets again to plan and to check up on the hall and bar arrangements and the buying of raffle prizes. I heard someone mutter that we will not make money on this event and we should stick to what we always do for fund-raising. However when pressed she had to admit that there is not something which we always do as we try to ring the changes each year. A lot depends on the people on the committee who come up with ideas which of course reflect their own strengths eg flower arrangers go for that sort of event, caterers for cookery demonstrations but at present a quiz is very popular to people living in our town.It is better for the WI if it attracts money into funds from non-members and it is good publicity to gain new members. We have three waiting to join now who have come in through interest groups run as offshoots of the WI.
11 September
A Federation meeting of the Education and Current Affairs sub committee which also involved lots of planning of a future event was held this morning in High Wycombe at our County Office.Again correspondence had mounted up over the summer. We had been in touch with Postwatch over Post Office closures, with the various councils over their getting closer to communities scheme, with NFWI over the Violence against Women initiative and other environmental issues. It all takes time but shows what a valued role the WI plays in society. Our Health evening is looking good but we are having trouble arranging a brain games mini-school for February 2009.
15 September
A rather select group at the local WI Book readers met this afternoon. We are starting on a new list of the collections on offer from the County Library but feel we would like to go back to the Mail on Sunday selection to run along side of this. We want some more biographies to choose from and we have more members now who like historical novels. We have an Amy Tan book to read for next time.
17 September
Tonight a WI training session was held in the town so two of us went along.It was well run and it was good to be introduced to some new WI Advisors in training. A lot of hints and strategies are swapped at these events in a fairly relaxed atmosphere. Opinions expressed about the WI Life magazine were on the whole positive and also on the NFWI website but oh dear! the Bucks website was roundly criticised, and justly so. It is not kept up-to-date on the campaign side of things and it ought to look more lively with photos of people and events. What we need is someone designated just to deal with the editing of the website. There is nothing wrong with the setup of it: it is just the use made of it. But then who am I to talk as I haven't added pictures to my blog which I promised to do this year!
18 September
Great news! I have just heard that Twyford Post Office is to be saved. Padbury still loses its but I think people thought that would happen as it has been precarious for a couple of years now. A muted review of the stage show of Calendar Girls appeared in today's national papers. I am looking forward to its arrival in High Wycombe and hope a lot of WIs will run outings to see it. Can anyone improve on Helen Mirren and the film cast? Let's wait and see.They are a real hard act to follow.
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