Year3: 2009

2009
Already we are nearly one twelfth of the way through the year and I haven't added a thing to my blog. Actually I am a bit despondent about it as I ended 2008 with a plea for information on how many people actually valued it or even read it. I would have ended it with the quote
"I have no precious time at all to spend
Nor services to do till you require"
but I didn't think of it at the time. Now with a complete lack of response "I wander lonely as a cloud .." might be more appropriate.However I am reliably informed that the blog chalks up hits (in internet jargon) so I will soldier on for a while.
January 7th
The first event of every WI year seems to be the series of Resolution Selection meetings. This year I attended the first of the four organised across Bucks.Members vote how they think personally on whether the resolution should be discussed at the National AGM in June at the Royal Albert Hall. They are not representing their own WI although they should report back on the result of the voting at the particular meeting attended.WI Advisers presented each of the 5 resolutions and there was another source of interest this year because two of the presenters were trainee WI Advisers. The NFWI trains members who have been suggested by the Federations as likely lassies: they learn all the information on the history and structure and rules of the constitution of the WI so that they can form new WIs and help with problems in their own counties.
The resolutions to choose from this year were on the health of honey bees, action on flooding, hospital cleaning services, residential care fees for the elderly and GP led health centres. All wanted to urge action by the Government and if any of these become mandates in June, the WI will be able to lobby the Government. The NFWI has a very powerful and effective public affairs department. The members at the meeting in Aylesbury wanted the resolution on the health of bees to be first on the agenda and the question of fees for residential care to be second.I think the elderly care would have received more votes if we hadn't become side-tracked by the postal code lottery rather than the different rates demanded for the same services in the same residential home fixed by income.Perhaps that issue will come out more at the other meetings.
In the evening we attended our first committee meeting of the local WI. It was mostly to do with sorting out jobs for the new year as there has been a slight change in the make-up of the committee. Unfortunately we have lost some WI members through ill-health but we have also gained a handful of new ones to replace them so our membership will probably remain about the same.
January 8th
Thank Goodness the snow was on the way out as the last few days have rendered the smaller roads very hazardous for walking or driving---the main roads were well salted.The Education and Current Affairs sub-committee met at High Wycombe. We were a rather select group because of illness as well as the weather.
We have loads of plans to complete for events in the Spring and Summer and have some really good things on the agenda.One of our recurring problems is that a lot of speakers these days require powerpoint presentations and the Federation is going to have to invest in a projector.We will have to consult others for advice.
January 12th
The advantage of bad weather and a break for Christmas is that one has time to read. Our local WI Book Group has knocked off a lot of titles over the holiday. The novel we were supposed to be sharing "Housewife Down" by Alison Harper was not popular and was returned to the library collection very quickly! However we had enjoyed reading several of the Kate Adie books which we had purchased at the Council Meeting. She writes so well and, for all she denies it, is a very brave lady.Three of us read The City of Djinns which is non-fiction, an account by William Dalrymple of a year in Delhi but gives a very good backwards history of India. Although it is amusing, it really opens one's eyes to the horrors of partition in 1947. When will the Powers-that-Be realise that partition never works, be it Ireland, Cyprus or Korea? I also enjoyed The Tenderness of wolves by Stef Penney, and then there were the Christmas presents as well. There are books going in all directions across the town! Again we have lost one member of our reading group because of deteriorating sight but we have gained a new member so it is as we were here too.
January 13th
The National press office at New Kings Road has been successful again in obtaining very good coverage of another young WI newly formed. A lovely picture of girls lined up on a bridge in Colchester with the article stressing how they were going to do new things at their meetings to shake off the elderly image of the WI. Several WI husbands were reported as saying "What's new there? We have listened to accounts of activities of this sort for years in the local WIs". Never mind, it is good publicity and will off-set the rather negative coverage with Trinny and What's her name on the TV dress programme.
January 14th
A really good local meeting tonight about evacuation in World War II. OK, so a lot of our members were old enough to have been evacuees or to have harboured them but the younger members enjoyed the two-way exchange of memories and tales of the wartime plane crash in Winslow. Actually it was a very lively meeting. We changed the order of proceedings and managed to alter the seating to break up the set groups and forced everyone to wait until the real end of the meeting instead of drifting off without really saying goodnight, which is one of my pet hates.
January 16th
I had a meeting with a caterer today to try and work something out for the Literary Lunch in May. Now that we have employed outside caterers we will probably have to stick with that until the Catering Committee gets in some younger blood. It is a pity really, as our WI catering is always excellent and of course cheaper but needs must if we haven't the physical manpower.
January 19th
The local WI Craft Group treated itself to a lunch out today. We justified this by visiting Hobbycraft for supplies for some of our meetings to come. I must admit to getting side-tracked in the shop and had to be very strong-willed not to equip myself for another project before finishing the one I have draped over several surfaces at home.We are looking forward to making our sampler for the Federation display book and there are members interested in drawing line prints for the teacloths, also requested by County.