16 March
Tonight there was a gathering of local WIs in our WI Group. The subject was "Weird and wonderful weddings across the World" which sounded interesting and proved to be most enjoyable. The speaker was an anthropologist who brought along a marvellous collection of visual aids and hardly stopped for breath as she discussed each item.We are lucky to have a good group whose members get together for outings as well as welcoming each other to their special events.I feel sorry for WIs when their group has fallen into disuse because a group really widens the opportunity to hear different speakers--not that a higher fee guarantees a better speaker but it means one can offer a larger audience which appeals to some speakers from farther afield.
24 March
Local book group this afternoon at which we were discussing "Gem Squash Tokoloshe" by Rachel Zadok. It's no good: I cannot remember that title and had to look it up again. However I shall remember the book for a long time.Some readers were put off by the first chapter in which the author took a risk of this happening but once through that, the story became spell-binding as it was about the childhood of the lead character as her mind was filled with the myths and legends of her African culture. What a terrifying imaginative world she lived in!
Other titles were discussed because we all seem to get through many books in a month and pass them around to share. We also went through a list of titles we had covered over the years in order to see whether we had enough to concoct a display based on the different world localities in which our books were based. No problem! What a contrast between the atmosphere conjured up in Gem Squash and the new series on TV of the Number One Lady Detective's Agency in Botswana!
25 March
Four stalwarts this morning met as a working party to plan an event coming up in May. I have always felt a bit guilty meeting in a hotel foyer, having a coffee and staying over an hour with papers all over the table but after today I will stop, as we were surrounded by other groups doing exactly the same, including (would you believe ?) 5 women who I am sure were sharing books in a book group.So if a venue is a problem, why not try that?
Our local WI committee was held tonight at which we discussed our main fund-raising event in November and how best to present it to the members so that they embraced the idea as well.It is rather ambitious and different so we will need everyone's support both in practice and in theory. We are back to 51 members and discussed this idea of becoming de-registered with the Charity Commission. It sounds as if it will cut down on a lot of form-filling without us losing any advantage of registration. Presumably each WI will still be protected under the Federation charity number but lose the individual number which few WIs used anyway.We have also received another letter of thanks from the RAF overseas which always encourages the members to buy the extra bag of sweets or toiletry when shopping.
26 March
Off to the WI Quiz evening in Buckingham tonight where 35 teams of three from the northern half of the county battled it out.It was an enjoyable affair but why these days cannot one remember a name within the time allotted? Actually our team thought there were too many American questions but no one else was heard to mutter on that score. Of course we didn't win but we never have, so we were very content to just enjoy the evening. The winning team contained a lady who told me because she was over 80 she wasn't as good at remembering as she used to be. You could have fooled me!
27 March
This week has been a week of ballots for events which is good because it shows the Federation is putting on activities that the members wish to attend. However it is sad for the organisers that they have to turn people away and much soul-searching goes on before those letters are posted. Many events are limited by the size of the hall available or the number of tickets we can obtain from a museum or a show. Sometimes the tutor cannot take more than a certain amount in order to give enough attention to everyone. The Federation keeps an account of members turned down for every event and this is consulted before another cut is made in order to try to be fair.Then if one is doing a cut in ratio, one has to consider places in a car and not reducing down to singles... It is a can of worms and now we open a lot of events to non-members, that problem comes into the equation.We really do the best we can but obviously do not please everyone.
28 March
I am still suffering the after-effects of our WI's Fun and Fitness Day! Actually it was fun but I was obviously unfit to take part.We spent the morning doing exercises on chairs and then gently, standing up. After a healthy lunch we went into line dancing and ended up on the floor with more exercises and then relaxation.There was plenty of time for drinks and chat and laughter throughout the day although there was serious intent too. Our instructor was very good and we did enjoy ourselves and learned quite a few ways to keep fit. It's only a matter of keeping at it.Whatever happened to Elliman's Embrocation?
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Busy March
3rd March
There was a meeting down at the Federation Office for those interested in updating the Bucks website and setting up a team to keep it rolling. Members have lost interest in the discussion page and the campaigns information is almost 4 years out of date.This is not only embarrassing but a shame as there has been a lot of work done within the County recently on the projects promoted by the NFWI, such as the BIG Tidy UP and Violence against Women and the protest against cuts in adult education.You will be pleased to know that all will be rectified soon and we will be informed when the new website is launched.It would be good if WIs could get into the habit of sending snippets in about their own activities. We will probably be able to include photos now. The wonders of modern technology!
It was busy at High Wycombe as the WI shop was open and there were people coming and going. The shop is only open twice a month (the first and third Tuesday) but one can buy from a wide range of cards and stationery, gifts and kitchenware as well as the WI tools of the trade, such as registers and account books.It is worth going down to visit--perhaps to include a walk on the Rye now the weather is improving.
4th March
Our WI speaker tonight was a Wimbledon umpire who told us about her training and experiences on the tennis court. The rules and regulations about dress are as draconian as the poshest public school. The lady was a good speaker and everyone enjoyed her talk. We had quite a long discussion on what to do for our meeting where we have had a cancellation and I was able to put through some of the suggestions from the comments on my last blog. Imagine ...comments actually received! Anyway, there were lots of ideas put forward and I think we know what we are going to do.There was also a good report from one of the members on her course at Denman College where she was experimenting with machine embroidery.We were able to view her lovely work of art even though it is not quite finished. We always like an account of visits to Denman especially if the member went on our WI bursary.
9th March
I went over to a neighbouring village to iron out a long agenda this morning and finished the morning off learning about different species of snowdrops. I have always looked at snowdrops and thought how pleased I was to see them, heralds of Spring etc. but not recognising all the tiny differences there are between the varieties. I went straight home to stare into the faces of our garden flowers and was really pleased to find they were not all the same, and not just short and tall types either.
In the afternoon it was the local WI craft group meeting. The bad news here is that we will more or less have to start again with our sampler because of assembly difficulties.Personally I was disappointed that no one felt they had the time to produce a story sack as requested by the Federation for the Chiltern Show. It has to be the work of three people so that is that, I suppose.
11th March
This evening the Bucks Federation had been invited to attend the Soroptimists International Women's Day event in Aylesbury so two members of the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee went along with a promotional display and information on ACWW (Associated Countrywomen of the World).The Soroptimists seem to have the same concerns as the WI on campaigns such as violence in the home and the dreadful lack of food and facilities suffered by women across the world.We spent time chatting, listening to the Radio Oxford speaker and watching a fashion show but the real highlight was the variety of stalls selling wonderful hats and ethnic handicrafts from around the world and a presentation on the work done in Nicaragua.
12th March
Up and away this morning to the subcommittee meeting of Education and Current Affairs. We have received the full complement of replies from the county MPs about cuts in adult learning opportunities and thanks for our efforts with the campaign against Violence against Women in rural areas. The full report on the survey makes interesting, although depressing reading. Most of the agenda was to do with forthcoming events because we have a lot at the planning stage at present. The trip to the Darwin Exhibition was oversubscribed and it is with relief we can report that the Crosswords workshop will be able to go ahead. One never knows with something absolutely new whether it will appeal to members or not.We all live on tenterhooks until the budget deadline is reached.
After the meeting a physiotherapist joined us for a session on Core Wellness. I cannot describe this as a hands on session, more an-on-your-knees activity. Luckily we knew each other quite well beforehand but we certainly knew each other a lot better afterwards.It was really worthwhile to learn the exercises and was good fun but I don't know whether we would get any takers for a bigger event for the WIs, which is what the organisers want us to do. You know, "cascade", which in this context is an unfortunate word to use! But it is good that people will now talk about problems with pelvic floors which would have been unthinkable only a few years ago.
There was a meeting down at the Federation Office for those interested in updating the Bucks website and setting up a team to keep it rolling. Members have lost interest in the discussion page and the campaigns information is almost 4 years out of date.This is not only embarrassing but a shame as there has been a lot of work done within the County recently on the projects promoted by the NFWI, such as the BIG Tidy UP and Violence against Women and the protest against cuts in adult education.You will be pleased to know that all will be rectified soon and we will be informed when the new website is launched.It would be good if WIs could get into the habit of sending snippets in about their own activities. We will probably be able to include photos now. The wonders of modern technology!
It was busy at High Wycombe as the WI shop was open and there were people coming and going. The shop is only open twice a month (the first and third Tuesday) but one can buy from a wide range of cards and stationery, gifts and kitchenware as well as the WI tools of the trade, such as registers and account books.It is worth going down to visit--perhaps to include a walk on the Rye now the weather is improving.
4th March
Our WI speaker tonight was a Wimbledon umpire who told us about her training and experiences on the tennis court. The rules and regulations about dress are as draconian as the poshest public school. The lady was a good speaker and everyone enjoyed her talk. We had quite a long discussion on what to do for our meeting where we have had a cancellation and I was able to put through some of the suggestions from the comments on my last blog. Imagine ...comments actually received! Anyway, there were lots of ideas put forward and I think we know what we are going to do.There was also a good report from one of the members on her course at Denman College where she was experimenting with machine embroidery.We were able to view her lovely work of art even though it is not quite finished. We always like an account of visits to Denman especially if the member went on our WI bursary.
9th March
I went over to a neighbouring village to iron out a long agenda this morning and finished the morning off learning about different species of snowdrops. I have always looked at snowdrops and thought how pleased I was to see them, heralds of Spring etc. but not recognising all the tiny differences there are between the varieties. I went straight home to stare into the faces of our garden flowers and was really pleased to find they were not all the same, and not just short and tall types either.
In the afternoon it was the local WI craft group meeting. The bad news here is that we will more or less have to start again with our sampler because of assembly difficulties.Personally I was disappointed that no one felt they had the time to produce a story sack as requested by the Federation for the Chiltern Show. It has to be the work of three people so that is that, I suppose.
11th March
This evening the Bucks Federation had been invited to attend the Soroptimists International Women's Day event in Aylesbury so two members of the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee went along with a promotional display and information on ACWW (Associated Countrywomen of the World).The Soroptimists seem to have the same concerns as the WI on campaigns such as violence in the home and the dreadful lack of food and facilities suffered by women across the world.We spent time chatting, listening to the Radio Oxford speaker and watching a fashion show but the real highlight was the variety of stalls selling wonderful hats and ethnic handicrafts from around the world and a presentation on the work done in Nicaragua.
12th March
Up and away this morning to the subcommittee meeting of Education and Current Affairs. We have received the full complement of replies from the county MPs about cuts in adult learning opportunities and thanks for our efforts with the campaign against Violence against Women in rural areas. The full report on the survey makes interesting, although depressing reading. Most of the agenda was to do with forthcoming events because we have a lot at the planning stage at present. The trip to the Darwin Exhibition was oversubscribed and it is with relief we can report that the Crosswords workshop will be able to go ahead. One never knows with something absolutely new whether it will appeal to members or not.We all live on tenterhooks until the budget deadline is reached.
After the meeting a physiotherapist joined us for a session on Core Wellness. I cannot describe this as a hands on session, more an-on-your-knees activity. Luckily we knew each other quite well beforehand but we certainly knew each other a lot better afterwards.It was really worthwhile to learn the exercises and was good fun but I don't know whether we would get any takers for a bigger event for the WIs, which is what the organisers want us to do. You know, "cascade", which in this context is an unfortunate word to use! But it is good that people will now talk about problems with pelvic floors which would have been unthinkable only a few years ago.
Sunday, 1 March 2009
books and crafts
23 February
A meeting of the local WI Book Group today. We seem to have got through a lot of titles over the last few weeks.We are also bang up-to-date with our "set" books because one was "The Reader" by Schlink and the other was "Faceless Killers", a Wallandar detective story as seen on TV.We had quite a long discussion on whether we liked to see a film after we had read the book or not. Personally if I have enjoyed the book, I don't like to interfere with my feelings towards it by seeing someone else's take on the book. The flyers for the very successful film of "The Reader" seemed to emphasize the concentration camp part of the novel which worried me slightly as it was crucial on the page but there was more to it than that. However I hear that the film does follow the order of presentation of the story and the acting is great. It is a good short novel and the characters are strong and believable. Discussion led us on to "The Welsh Girl" by Peter Ho Davies and "Suite Francaise" by Irena Nemerovski which covered the prisoners of war in British camps and the early years of the German Occupation of France.
The detective Wallander is not a person I would like to have any dealings with. You cannot say he is a pleasant character and if the author,Henning Mankell wants us to be on his side, he doesn't really succeed. I am told that his private life is a link between the stories but I became tired of his dietary problems, let alone his shattered marriage so I wont be watching any of the TV series. The scenery will obviously be attractive on the screen which could act in its favour.
The Book Group has been asked to prepare a display for this year's Winslow Show so we will have to think of something that will attract people into the WI tent from our readings in the past.Perhaps geographical, as this month we have touched on Germany, Sweden, France and Wales.
24 February
The Arts and Home Crafts sub-committee held a Craft Collation meeting at Cheddington today. It was well attended and very enjoyable.It managed to be quite informal although there was a large audience. The show -and -tell session was difficult because of the lack of a microphone but most people were audible. The work shown was of a high standard, varied and beautiful. Most items were decorative rather than useful. Ideas were tossed around and it was good to learn that the Federation is planning some competitive projects for the future eg some more story sacks and samplers. Competition brings out the best in the craft circles and a shared purpose binds a group together.There were a lot of crafty bargains to be bought at giveaway prices and the cakes at teatime were wonderful.
25 February
The local committee meeting was very busy and chatty .There are lots of events planned in the county over the next couple of months and we have our own Group Meeting coming up too. We were pleased to have received a supportive reply from our MP against the proposed cuts in adult education. He had already signed the Early Day Motion.The programme setters have a problem cancellation for June. We are wondering whether a do-it-yourself session might go well instead--not home improvements, but short talks from our own members either on a theme or based on a personal photo. It has been done successfully elsewhere and someone suggested it in our questionnaire.
A meeting of the local WI Book Group today. We seem to have got through a lot of titles over the last few weeks.We are also bang up-to-date with our "set" books because one was "The Reader" by Schlink and the other was "Faceless Killers", a Wallandar detective story as seen on TV.We had quite a long discussion on whether we liked to see a film after we had read the book or not. Personally if I have enjoyed the book, I don't like to interfere with my feelings towards it by seeing someone else's take on the book. The flyers for the very successful film of "The Reader" seemed to emphasize the concentration camp part of the novel which worried me slightly as it was crucial on the page but there was more to it than that. However I hear that the film does follow the order of presentation of the story and the acting is great. It is a good short novel and the characters are strong and believable. Discussion led us on to "The Welsh Girl" by Peter Ho Davies and "Suite Francaise" by Irena Nemerovski which covered the prisoners of war in British camps and the early years of the German Occupation of France.
The detective Wallander is not a person I would like to have any dealings with. You cannot say he is a pleasant character and if the author,Henning Mankell wants us to be on his side, he doesn't really succeed. I am told that his private life is a link between the stories but I became tired of his dietary problems, let alone his shattered marriage so I wont be watching any of the TV series. The scenery will obviously be attractive on the screen which could act in its favour.
The Book Group has been asked to prepare a display for this year's Winslow Show so we will have to think of something that will attract people into the WI tent from our readings in the past.Perhaps geographical, as this month we have touched on Germany, Sweden, France and Wales.
24 February
The Arts and Home Crafts sub-committee held a Craft Collation meeting at Cheddington today. It was well attended and very enjoyable.It managed to be quite informal although there was a large audience. The show -and -tell session was difficult because of the lack of a microphone but most people were audible. The work shown was of a high standard, varied and beautiful. Most items were decorative rather than useful. Ideas were tossed around and it was good to learn that the Federation is planning some competitive projects for the future eg some more story sacks and samplers. Competition brings out the best in the craft circles and a shared purpose binds a group together.There were a lot of crafty bargains to be bought at giveaway prices and the cakes at teatime were wonderful.
25 February
The local committee meeting was very busy and chatty .There are lots of events planned in the county over the next couple of months and we have our own Group Meeting coming up too. We were pleased to have received a supportive reply from our MP against the proposed cuts in adult education. He had already signed the Early Day Motion.The programme setters have a problem cancellation for June. We are wondering whether a do-it-yourself session might go well instead--not home improvements, but short talks from our own members either on a theme or based on a personal photo. It has been done successfully elsewhere and someone suggested it in our questionnaire.
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