Meetings and more meetings

February 10th
Someone somewhere ought to invent a new word which we could use alongside "meeting": I seem to have to utilise the word all the time and it sounds too formal to describe the different kinds of gatherings which WI members find themselves attending. We all know about the meeting which the person whom we call on the phone is always engaged in, which I suspect is a nice little chat around the office coffee machine but then there are all the others; those where we do meet together when it is more like a conversational visit but has hopefully an end result.What should we term those?
Our local WI book group meets informally in a member's house. Sometimes there is debate about the books read, sometimes just conversations. This week we were discussing The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill which is the middle part of a trilogy featuring the author's detective, Simon Serrailler. It is a thriller which everyone found gripping although some members criticised the fact that the story contained pieces which obviously harked back to the first instalment or were hooks needed for the next.It was an exploration of the idea of evil being a basic element present in most people: it may remain dormant but can be activated by situations experienced in their lives.About six other books were exchanged and recommended so we will not be short of material next month.

February 9th
We had fixed the topic for the discussion evening before the mounting concern for the future of our local library branch. It was an opportunity for those who had attended the recent public meetings to put those who hadn't, in the picture.The Read-In at the library the previous Saturday had been very successful.In discussion it transpired that there were those present who could imagine a future without a library as we know it today, a time when people will be reading their books downloaded on to their electronic plastic pads but the majority of us couldn't find it in themselves to look forward to such a development. We discussed our experiences of libraries throughout our childhoods and student years and also what we could expect of a volunteer community library, if that should prove to be the only way to maintain our town library.

February 8th
The local WI Craft Group fell into abeyance before Christmas so this afternoon we had a meeting of interested parties to try to rectify the situation. It would be a great pity if craft activities went underground again, as it were. There is a lot of talent in every WI and one of the aims of the WI movement is to keep crafts alive. Many of the new WI members cite the wish to learn crafts as the reason why they have become members. The good news is that we seem to have rescued our group and in order to involve ourselves in a corporate effort, we are going to enter some of the BFWI county competitions. This will give us a purpose and a way of finding out what everyone is able to do. It is however, quite possible to run side by side with some members just getting together like an old-fashioned sewing bee and those working towards a competition or dare I say it producing a new WI tablecloth or something for a charity.But let's keep the ideas flowing and the crafts alive.

February 3rd
Two thirds of the local WI membership enjoyed an outing to the new theatre in Aylesbury. We spent the morning being guided around backstage and then in the afternoon we watched the matinee of "Annie".These tours may be booked by any group and the young managerial staff members are available to come out as speakers to WI meetings provided they may be fitted in to their heavy workload. It was a most interesting day and we were all impressed by the amount of activity backstage, the enthusiasm of the staff and the architectural features of the theatre.It really adds to Aylesbury's image as a growing town. We just wonder about the need for parking and especially somewhere to set down for the coaches. Anyway, make sure you come along to the BFWI Council Meeting on April 19th when you may see the theatre for yourself. Let's show them we can fill it too!

February 2nd
There are some who can throw a successful pot and there are those who can't. This we learned at our February meeting when we had a pottery demonstration instead of a speaker. We now have around 55 members paid up and more to come which is very rewarding. There are lots of events on the calendar, outings and meetings on various topics, workshops and the inter-WI county quiz. Badminton continues and the Wednesday morning walks are popular so there are lots of other things available beyond the monthly meeting.The names of volunteers to help with providing teas for the blood-donor service were taken and helpers came forward to assist at the Jigsaw Swap on February 15th in aid of Adoption UK. Members appreciated the work of the new committee and it is already planning the annual fund-raiser in October. It will be something completely different again I am sure.

The World outside

31st January
Just in case you imagine that I have gone into hibernation which I would dearly love to do, I am going to add some not-exactly WI things which I have been spending time on. Those of you who were in at the beginning of this blog will know that its real function is to illustrate the various events and activities in which an average WI member in Bucks would or could be involved.The list of possible resolutions to go forward to the AGM in Liverpool in June 2011 includes one about the closure of libraries in order to meet the demands of the Government for savings in the public sector.My local town has a library which is under threat so, along with several other members of my WI, I attended the meetings to see what can be done about the situation. These were run by the Town Council and were well attended.After much discussion a Friends of the Library management Committee has been formed to explore ways of co-operating with Bucks Library Service to set up a "community library" with a lot of volunteer participation.This may or may not be the solution: we must wait and see.If you wish to read an excellent article on the subject read http://falseeconomy.org .uk/blog/save-oxfordshire-libraries-speech-philip-pullman.
The local branch of the Lions held an open meeting on another subject on which the WI has been campaigning viz. "Care not Custody".Actually this meeting was about sentencing in general in magistrates' courts but it touched briefly on the specific problem. I thought WI meetings were difficult to control but try the Lions! There were some fierce views expressed on what to do with various offenders but I think we were all made to understand the difficult decisions the courts need to make and the important role of the probation service.Some of us are going to visit a neighbouring WI whose next monthly meeting has another magistrate as its main speaker.This interest came about following the NFWI campaign and our local WI's discussion group.
One final snippet of information from the national press last week---did you read the interview with the WI National Chairman, Ruth Bond as an Eco Hero in the Telegraph? She was talking about our other campaigns on COOL labelling of foodstuffs and the use of hazardous chemicals.The public relations team at NFWI seem to manage to keep the WI in the public eye and to present a positive image. No wonder we are gaining members again.