It's all education

24 November
It was up with the lark this morning to join the Bucks WI winter break at Norwich. We ran exactly to time, picking up first in High Wycombe and finishing in Bletchley.We then stopped for a late coffee or an early lunch at a little garden centre just off the A1 and then enjoyed a longer stop in the afternoon at Bury St Edmunds. What a lovely little place this is! The cathedral is well worth a visit and the town centre is most attractive. The hotel in Norwich was fine and the staff kept telling us they had had 4 inches of snow the weekend before we arrived so we felt lucky to see a marvellous red sunset.
25 November
We spent the morning in Norwich. It was cold but dry. Some travellers explored the cathedral in whose close there was the remains of a snowman sinking sadly into the ground. The castle was exposed to an icy wind but afforded a great view of the city.Others enjoyed some excellent retail therapy amongst the major High Street stores and the lovely little old-fashioned shops. The covered market which has been there for 700 years was quite as good as these continental Christmas markets. After a restful afternoon we attended the Christmas Spectacular at Thursford. It was spectacular too.The theatre which is a converted hangar seats 1500 people and there wasn't an empty seat to be seen.There is a Disneyland type exhibition next door and a small Dickensian village of shops attached.I will not say any more about the event because you ought to go and see it for yourself but you need to book a year in advance to stand any chance of reserving a seat.
26 November
Undeterred by a wet start to the morning, we drove to Sheringham and went down to the beach.Again the weather cleared for us but the wind discouraged even the keenest paddler from actually getting her feet wet! Then it was off to the Pensthorpe Wild Fowl Centre near Fakenham. We had booked for a 40 minute guided stroll among the wintering birds. Two hours later we were still enjoying the company of our guide and dashing in and out of hides and ended up watching the feedtime in the gathering dusk. We really appreciated the guide's quirky presentation and gained a lot of information on the difficulties encountered by the pinioned birds in their sex lives and as for identification of ducks and cranes the Bucks WI members must be past masters! Another place you ought to visit.
27 November
Home today via a lunchtime long stop at Newmarket where some of us visited the National Horse Racing Museum which is very interesting and has been recently extended thanks to a Lottery Grant.
While we were away in Norfolk the national papers were full of the speech by Harriet Harman in which she called on the WI members to report on advertisements for sexshops in their local papers so there was quite a lot of discussion about that. Actually what the Minister was asking was not exactly in line with what the Hampshire Federation had been proposing when its members carried out its investigation into prostitution. They came to the conclusion that these advertised places should be licensed as they were safer for the women than the operations in the street directed by pimps.Harriet Harman was concentrating on the unlawful trafficking of women which is part of the campaign against violence against women but I suppose it was publicity for the WI's campaign. I cannot see how from the adverts we can know what nationality the girls are nor whether they are being exploited against their will.I shall have to take to reading these columns. I do know of one 90 year old gentleman who having been advised to try massage by his doctor was very surprised over the phone to be offerred some services but when the mistake was realised was given kind and helpful advice on where to contact a more suitable treatment! She hadn't a foreign accent either!
1 December
We had a most interesting time at the local book group today. It wasn't all to do with the books we had been reading but a lot to do with events in India recently. Two members had avoided the terrorism but returned full of memories of their holiday and we are lucky to have a member who was brought up in India and Pakistan.We have been reading novels set in Asian and Islamic countries and to have someone who can help us to understand these different cultures is a real bonus. We had read the Road Home by Rose Tremain and The Wife in the North, which started out as a blog. These were both about people being uprooted and moved to some place which was new to them, albeit in one case just out of London and up to Northumberland. They were similar in a way but Thank Goodness the British came out of the Road Home in a better light than in the Two Caravans which we have also read this year. I never got round to reading the Ian Rankin---not my kind of book, but several of the others enjoyed it.
3 December
A very social WI meeting always, the last of the year when we entertain ourselves. We bring a plate of something to eat to share, then enjoy a few readings on a Christmassy theme and then this year the committee had worked out a session of The Weakest Link which went down very well. We certainly had a very good substitute for Ann Robinson as questionmaster!
8 December
Tonight the local WI held their Christmas dinner at a nearby restaurant. This is of course an extra event which is outside the WI finances. It always amazes me that some of the members who complain about the rise in the subscription are quite happy to pay out more than the annual subscription on a meal out.It strikes me as double-think but there it is. We were presented with an excellent meal and the level of noise was as usual extremely high and everyone had a really good time. A lovely way to end the year among friends.