End of year countdown

13th December
This will be my last entry for 2011 unless the WI does something newsworthy in the run up to Christmas. I would like to wish all the blog readers a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Perhaps some of you could make a new year's resolution to look at the new BFWI website every now and again and even better, contribute a little something towards it.We often feel like voices crying in the wilderness.Our local WI has at last been accepted on to the Town Council website so by publishing our programme and writing up events we may attract new members.Mind that hasn't been a problem this year when every meeting seems to welcome someone new.

This afternoon was the meeting of the Book Group. The novel was The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer. It hadn't been on our list but we are grateful that our branch librarian had provided it for us because more than half of the readers really enjoyed it: others found it a bit long-drawn out and with too little action.It was a beautifully written story set in the USA of the 1950s when young men were trying to dodge the draft or suffering the after-effects of war, when racism was rampant and the public was coming to terms with accepting homosexuality.In the middle of all this, the story tells of the struggle of a young wife to hang on to her husband against the blandishments of a former army friend.

12th December
Some 40 local WI members and friends went out for a Christmas dinner this evening. It was a very noisy affair but great fun. The food was good and we hired the community bus so that no one need worry about the odd glass of wine---or two.This is a chance for members to say thank you to their partners for all the many strange jobs we ask them to do in the course of the year.

7th December
The final meeting of the WI had a party feel to it because we had a brief session of traditional musichall singing and nearly everyone came in a big hat. Unfortunately the heating in the hall packed up on us so we were forced to wear our coats for most of the evening which made light-hearted bonhomie quite difficult to achieve.The January meeting promises to be really special as we are being given a cookery demonstration by the nationally recognised local chef from the town's cookery school.At one fell swoop the raised WI subscription will prove its worth. A vote was taken on whether to cut down on speakers in the 2013 programme because of the expense. This is a controversial idea so although it was carried on the night I am hoping that we will be given a second chance to argue the point. A WI stands or falls by its speakers---anyone can do social.

3rd December
The local church tree festival was a huge success. The church looked lovely and the stalls were well patronised. The WI tree looked pretty good with its homemade sheep, shepherds and stars, depicting "When Shepherds watched". There was a line of mini socks hung out to dry which was a touch I hope people appreciated.I hope the tree survives:it is very near to a radiator but as half the WI members have volunteered to water it it will probably suffer death by drowning.