That was April, that was

April 15th
I bet you are enjoying the irony of someone who is always saying that things must be up-to-date falling so far behind with the blog, so I had better do some catching up!
The local WI had its first session for a small group who fancied doing some playreading. We were ably guided by a member who is part of the town's amateur dramatic society.We had borrowed several sets of plays from the Bucks WI drama collection at Stuart Lodge.This is an amazing resource where Mrs Barbara Edwards had annotated and catalogued all the plays--- a real labour of love which should not be forgotten.Anyway we spent an enjoyable afternoon and roped in a passing grand daughter to read a part too. We have agreed to meet again and are plotting a contribution to the WI Christmas meeting.
April 20th
Not such a happy occasion today as about a dozen members attended a well-loved member's funeral.It is always sad to lose someone but this occasion was kept as a celebration of her life which went some way to soften the blow of an unexpected departure from our midst.
April 27th
Local WI meeting of the Book Group. We had expected a newcomer to the meeting but unfortunately she didn't appear so we will need to chase her up. The novel under discussion was "About Grace" by Anthony Doerr which was set in the Caribbean and Alaska. It contained some strange characters, all of whom seemed to have consuming interests in a subject such as metal sculpture, model boat making, sea creatures or (the main character's) the structure of snowflakes. The hero (if that is the right word) also suffered from severe attacks of deja vu about coming disasters which in most cases proved remarkably accurate and affected his life decisions.I had rather hoped people would be prompted to talk about this phenomenon which probably we have all shared at some time but I got the feeling the others didn't want to. Anyway the novel received a mixed reception.The next evening I watched a TV programme about snow crystals which was a bit weird--not the programme, but the timing.
April 28th
There was a meeting organised by the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee today at Bierton in a little hall still owned by the village WI.These halls are a mixed blessing to the WI.The accounts have to be kept separate but the buildings cost a lot to maintain and equipment tends to become out-of-date.We certainly battled today with desperate tables and metered heating but these problems were soon forgotten as 40 people pitted their brains against a selection of crosswords brought along by a devilish crossword setter for the Times and other newspapers. Tim Moorey was a wonderful speaker, quite charming and able to hide the workings of his devious mind behind a very engaging manner.We all enjoyed ourselves immensely and he liked us too and has promised to come back to hold another session for the members balloted out this time.
April 29th
An outing to Wimpole Hall was arranged for today by the new sub-committee for Homes and Gardens. Three coachloads of members and friends set out on a beautiful morning. Unfortunately one of the coaches broke down but the driver coped with the situation very well and within an hour a replacement coach had picked us up and we were on our way again. I wished that I had picked up the newspaper before I left the house so I could have exercised my improved skills at finishing cryptic crosswords.Instead during the wait with everyone else on our side of the coach we surveyed the portaloo across what looked like the trenches of the Somme battlefield and I wondered whether I would be the first to have to leg it across to the builders' facility!
Wimpole Hall is gorgeous and the gardens too but the stewards in the hall itself were so approachable and enthusiastic about the place that it added a lot to the visit.
As our coach had been given extra time because it arrived late, we had hardly had a quick wash before it was off to the local WI committee meeting.We heard what a good Council meeting it had been in spite of the fact that the County Chairman was too ill to attend.I was sorry to have missed it as I really enjoy council meetings and catching up with what is happening outside my patch.Our own meeting had been very successful when the members were asked to bring a photo meaningful to them and then talk about it.AND THEY DID.So that is a useful idea when a speaker leaves you in the lurch.Our treasurer has produced a budget for the year which we will discuss at the May meeting, then there are lots of events attended to report on and plans to make, so the evening should be full even though there is just one resolution to discuss.There was an active bees' nest in the structure of the wall in the walled garden at Wimpole Hall. They looked busy and healthy; I hope they keep that way.There is a lot of information about bees on the TV and in the papers at the moment so members should be quite well-informed for the Annual General Meeting at the Royal Albert Hall in June.