The End of 2012

This is probably my last entry for the year so may I wish my silent readers a Happy Christmas and a successful New Year!

5th December
The local WI gathered for its last meeting in 2012 which took the form of a party evening. We celebrated our rising membership, our continuing engagement with the town community through our bid for a grant to provide an exercise facility and the fact that so many of us had braved the dangers of ice-covered paths to actually get to the meeting.The programme for 2013 was announced and volunteers found to provide thanks to the speakers throughout the year and people to serve teas. The WI here doesn't charge for refreshments at meetings and gives everyone a county newsletter each month, nor does it have a raffle every month---all measures to offset the annual small rise in the subscription.
Arrangements for the Christmas dinner were completed and plans made for securing tickets for events in the New Year.A discussion evening was fixed to look at the future of Denman College before members completed the survey in the latest issue of WI Life.The Denman bursary is going to be spent on a cookery demonstration for all members by a Denman tutor in the summer.Our WI alternates its spending of the annual bursary between a course won by one member and a group activity of an educational nature to which every member can come. This year by inviting a Denman tutor we think we have combined the two options .
We enjoyed a very entertaining quiz set by a member, raised a glass of wine and tasted lovely festive food and then concentrated hard on the beetle drive.This is a sport that guarantees a lot of noise and laughter. It was a very fitting end to a sporty year.

27th November
In the afternoon the Book Group met to review The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw. This novel is set in Malaysia in the 1940s.Events are described by three people who took part in the same situations together but of course take a different stance on the action. One begins to see the reasons for the outcome and the effects it has on the lives of the characters. We were transported into the heat of the East and could visualise the dense vegetation and the tensions within the group as they explored a small island off the coast.The author obviously loves exotic plants and the use of them in gardens too, which is in direct contrast to the brutality and deceptions in the break up of the area prior to invasion.

In the evening about half the local WI membership met in a pub to play skittles.Some had played before but most were beginners. It is a very noisy activity anyway but add to that two teams in battle drawn and it was no wonder that the bars below cleared quite early on.The pub is under new management and under threat of losing its skittle alley so we thought we would go down and play a session to try to influence the management decision to keep it. Now having tested the facility, it seems we may go regularly because we enjoyed ourselves so much. There was good food on offer too and that always influences WI thinking!

26th November
The craft group met for the final session this year. Some members are going to a local shop for a patchwork course. We are lucky to have 2 good craft shops in the area which provide different courses in different skills.There is also a very well-stocked little shop in a neighbouring town which is having to compete with the giants such as Hobbycraft but hasn't the space to run courses. I hope we can continue to support these places.

Things to do to escape the weather

24 November
The latest issue of WI Life is very important because it contains the voting slip for members to nominate which Resolution they prefer for the AGM in Cardiff on 1st June 2013. It is between one about town centres and another about the dangers of Internet sites promoting suicide among young people.Hand your vote in to your local WI Secretary or send it direct to the Bucks Federation Office in High Wycombe but not to NFWI where it will be discounted.
Also in the December magazine there is a very important survey about what Denman College means to you. The National Board of Trustees alerted members to the problems in maintaining the college in the future and has opened up the debate through this survey. Please really think about this discussion and fill in the form.I am sure most WI Secretaries will be willing to collect them and send them up together to save postage on individual returns.
The December issue of our own newsletter is important too as it lists many events planned for the next 3 months which are not advertised on the website calendar---a missed opportunity it seems to me.Spread the word so that we can escape this ghastly weather together at some event:it saves on the heating bills too!

22 November
WI Christmas shopping days were held this week in members' own homes.Merchandise is brought out from the WI Shop at Stuart Lodge so that people who cannot face the journey there may enjoy looking and buying while consuming homemade mincepies and coffee in comfort. It is also a time to catch up on local news and check on what other WIs have been doing over the past few months.

14 November
A meeting was held in Winslow this evening to inform people about the changes being made in healthcare in North Bucks. This was one of a series set up by Aylesbury Vale Clinical Commissioning Group (AVCCG)---a new organisation run by family doctors which will take on budgetary and decision-making powers from April 2013.
More detail was given of the new non-emergency out-of-hours telephone number 111 which will direct callers to the most appropriate service in their area via a telephone triage system.More volunteers were needed to take up the role of being a member of the Patient Engagement Group (PEG). The Director of Quality for AVCCG and the Clinical Leads will all welcome feedback about health services, both positive and negative from the public.
Every GP is a member of the CCG and each practice manager is involved, so these changes are going to affect all WI members and their families wherever they live. Therefore it is a good idea to be aware of what differences are going to be made and to know what is meant by AVCCG, CCG and PEG.

12 November
A craft afternoon for the local WI when members gathered together either to learn a bit of crochet or to continue with some other project in the company of others. Is this the definition of a sewing bee? Certainly everyone was very busy and enjoyed the chat as well as finalising plans for attending other events and talking over what they had thought of those held recently.

Connections

29 October
The local WI Craft Group has come to the end of a series of sessions doing cross-stitch. There are some impressive projects still to be completed but now there is a change of subject. Six members gathered today to learn or re-discover crochet. Abilities ranged from beginners to the very proficient. There are more people interested in joining the group but half-term rather affected the numbers attending this first session.We hope to take in reading knitting patterns as well because there are quite a few knitters who can do all the stitches but have difficulty following a pattern.These meetings have a very pleasant atmosphere because one helps another and it doesn't matter if anyone comes along just to do any craft in company with others: we share in the talk and a cup of tea.

24 October
A nasty morning weatherwise so about 40 WI members from across the County were pleased to meet in Milton Keynes to learn how to start to set up a family tree. The tutors were excellent and their presentations were easy to see and understand.They talked us through from buying soft pencils and index cards to consulting census forms and deciphering parish registers.The questions were all answered and talk over lunch was all about "lost" past family members and strange family myths which were either proved absolutely wrong or had become embellished over the years.We are now capable of finding skeletons in cupboards and broad-minded enough to acknowledge them. It worries me that the present mores of society are going to make it extremely difficult for future generations to trace their families when everyone is able to play fast and loose with registering names of children and changing partners frequently.The displays of examples of family records were good too. I for one am now determined to organise the bits of paper with dates and names on which I have been storing in old envelopes in "important drawers" about the house and consult the many websites which Betty and Brian recommended to us. You never know, I might find someone famous among my ancestors...but I don't think that is very likely.You missed an enjoyable day if you weren't there!

23 October
Confusion worse confounded today! Our WI Book Group met to discuss "Started early, Took my Dog" by Kate Atkinson.This is one of her novels featuring the detective Jackson Brodie; I think my favourite sleuth. The plot is so finely woven that quite a few of us finished reading not sure how we had missed a vital link and had to start again. The fact that we wanted to do this is a compliment to the writing. The characters are well drawn and the jokes and puns are really funny. The comment on society is spot on although rather unsettling as there are crooked police officers and social workers and businessmen...At the moment, what's new? So we pooled our ideas and we think we have cracked it! It is well worth reading. The novel is set in Yorkshire with lots of references to well-known abbeys and Betty's Tearooms so a must for the Bucks WI members just returned from holiday in Skipton.

Making oneself heard

15 October
Another busy day for the local WI because the craft group met in the afternoon and then our WI was the hostess for the Group meeting. The craft people held their final cross-stitch session before changing to crochet for a few weeks. There are quite a few ambitious tapestry projects started and we have gained a lot from our own member's excellent tuition.
The speaker at the Group meeting was Malcolm Singer who has enjoyed a long career with the BBC and still presents programmes for local radio.Luckily, in today's climate, he had few associations with television. He reminded us of the good old days when the classic comedy radio shows were going out on the air in the fifties and sixties and told us about the difficulties encountered with outside broadcasts of concerts from places like the Stables at Wavendon before its conversion to a state-of-the-arts theatre.We also enjoyed a good moan about the shutting down of much local radio and the growth of these pointless phone-in programmes.The reports from the other WIs were very interesting and it was noticeable how busy everyone had been in the village communities, doing their bit for the Queen's Jubilee and the Olympics.

10 October
Today the Bucks Federation arranged an Autumn event in High Wycombe Town Hall at which Lynda Bellingham was the guest speaker. It was a sell-out because Lynda is a local girl and she has appeared in the Calendar Girls productions.She is a very gifted public speaker, never refering to notes and perfectly at ease with questions which led her into interesting digressions. I wonder whether anyone thought to tell her that at least one of the teachers she mentioned from the Aylesbury High School could have been in the audience, as she used to be a very active WI member.Lynda talked about adoption and the attitude towards young girls in the theatre in her early years when verbal and physical abuse were thought of as an easy source of laughs. She probably did more for members' awareness of the WI campaign against Violence against Women than any article in WI Life. Lynda's autobiography was selling like hot cakes afterwards and I do recommend that you read it, if you or any member of your family was about Aylesbury while she was growing up in Aston Abbots.
In the evening the local WI Discussion Group met to talk about the set theme of Driving.Love it or hate it we all have to do quite a bit of driving in our everyday lives.So we heard of experiences on driving tests,road accidents, the idiosyncrases of Sat-Nav, comparisons with practices abroad: the state of the roads also came up for comment.We discussed schemes to cut down on traffic but no one could come up with a way of crossing through Aylesbury in less than 35 minutes.

3 October
I don't know how I missed writing about our local WI's meeting when we were entertained by a lovely young lady demonstrating hula-hoop dance. She was wonderfully supple and a living example of the benefits of this type of exercise.Hula-hoop dancing is a cross between gymnastics and the dance of the seven veils! It wasn't long before people were getting up and having a go with the hoops that Janine Haynes  had brought to the hall.Apparently a few minutes a day of exercising with a hoop is relaxing and burns off the calories so perhaps we should take it up in earnest.Members were also encouraged to nominate others to the committee and consider standing themselves. Our entry for the Big Walk, Little Splash competition has gone up for judging in the Bucks Federation so we are waiting to hear whether it has been successful and chosen to progress into the NFWI competition.

Pens,jars and books

8th October
Ten apprehensive WI members met together this morning at Stuart Lodge, High Wycombe for a Writers' Workshop under the tutorship of Jan Moran Neil.We had been warned to expect writing exercises, group discussion and brainstorming as well as reading our own words so it wasn't really surprising that we were feeling nervous. The theme was to be our personal memory box and how to use it for writing not only our memoirs but also for background experience if any of us was contemplating writing a novel.With Jan's sympathetic approach to all our fears, we were soon scribbling away and listening to what others had written. It wasn't a time for in-depth literary criticism, more an opportunity to draw out thoughts that had been pushed to the back of our minds but needed organising. Where do I begin? Who am I writing for? Why do I want to write this anyway? The hours passed very quickly and although it was exceedingly tiring I think we all enjoyed the course.Jan runs courses and day schools at Missenden Abbey and in Beaconsfield so some of our October scribblers are thinking of joining in one of these.So you never know perhaps the next shades of grey bestseller might come from a Bucks WI member.
We did have time to express our indignation at the latest dictum from the EU banning the re-use of jamjars for home-made preserves for sale on stalls and Farmers' Markets.Come on National! We won on the silly ban on cakes so please make sure this is laughed out of court. Where does one buy small quantities of new jam jars? Preserving jars, yes but ordinary jars come in bulk and the average WI member doesn't deal in gross. Perhaps the EU is not aware that part of the production process for jams and marmalade is scalding the jars to sterilize them.

4th October
A lot of local endeavour this week has been spent on preparing a promotional WI display board and publicity stand to support the town players' production of Calendar Girls. This was staged for 3 nights and was a sell-out on all three. It was a really good production, very slick and well done.We were pleased to be asked to come along because it is still a wonderful advertisement for the WI even though we are often asked whether stripping is part of being a WI member. We were pleased to have also another opportunity to gather signatures for our community bid with the Town Council for an Outdoor Fitness Centre in the town.We have hundreds of signatures now and hope that we will be successful.

26th September
Another interesting meeting of the Book Group after reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Some members had seen the film too but nearly everyone had enjoyed reading the novel. The subject was distressing: the intense divide between black and white in the American South which featured in our newspapers in the 1960s but the author's treatment of it was sympathetic and witty. It is one of those books where one moment the reader is laughing out loud and the next close to tears.It was very effective to have 3 characters telling the story in their own accents which one could hear across the script.The cruelty and insensitivity exhibited so recently in that society is hard to believe but as one of the characters says "It was taught and passed down from parent to child." The lines were drawn and no one dared to cross them.  

Stepping up to be counted

16th September
Now that the Jubilee is over, the Olympics and the Paralympics are finished and we have mastered the new system of rubbish bin disposal whatever shall we talk about? Could I suggest that we think about the coming year when in November most Bucks WIs bring their years to an end and start to choose a new committee? There will be local elections for that and the National Board of Trustees is accepting nominations for the next two years. WIs will be asked to vote soon and we have a local nomination in the Bucks Chairman, Jean Morris this year which is exciting. Also all National Trust members are asked to vote for Appointing Bodies to that organisation and the NFWI is up for election there.So remember to use your vote whenever you have the opportunity---after all only then have you the right to grumble at future decisions.

13th September
Current Affairs sub-committee met today and set about licking its wounds from having to cancel Caring Matters. It was disappointing to have to do this when we had such a good programme of speakers lined up. Anyway Bucks members obviously don't want to think about the fact that they may become carers or already have all the information they require to make their life a little easier.Nothing daunted we are planning events for 2013 another historical day, a day on scientific discoveries and inventions and a couple of really interesting outings. If no one wants to come to those events we shall retire hurt and sneak off to a dark corner and never bother you again.

5th September
The local WI met and enjoyed an interesting talk about medical detection dogs. We are pressing ahead with the application for a grant with the Town Council to set up an outdoor fitness centre like those in Germany and Austria.Equipment for physical exercises will be sited in a closed area for the use of members of the community either on their own or as groups of friends. We have also completed our Big Walk, Little Splash journal and I believe every member has taken part. The trip to Highgrove had been much enjoyed in spite of diabolical weather and there are reports of voices raised in song to sing and dance in the rain.

3rd September
Whenever the blood donors van arrives in the town members of our WI are volunteer drink makers. We have performed this function for many years now and it is much appreciated by the nurses and the donors. Another example of the continued work of volunteers not only at big events but in everyday normal life.

August

30th August
Bucks County Show today.After all the rain the actual showground was already a sea of churned up mud but luckily because of the long spell of wet weather, it hadn't been possible to cut the fields set aside for car parking so the wheels stayed on top of a cushion of long grass.It is always pleasant to wander round and meet WI members either for a cup of tea or in the Home and Garden tent where the competitions are staged.I think there were 19 entries from WIs this year because the theme was very topical "Olympic Glory". It is amazing the different interpretations there are on any subject and this year was no exception. We all thanked the Heavens we were not called upon to be the judges as the standard was very high again. Bledlow WI, Longwick WI and Brill WI all deserved their medals.A lot of work goes into setting up these displays by the WIs but we must not forget the hours spent by the organisers planning the event and of course, the judges for doing their job early in the morning in uncomfortable surroundings whatever the weather.

28th August
The WI book group met in spite of it being a holiday month and nearly everyone was present. We had read "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett which was an extremely long book to tackle. Most of our readers thought it a very good story full of interesting details about medieval stone-masons building cathedrals and wicked barons riding amok among the local peasantry.The book was filled with powerful women and the hero was a celibate monk but it was a man's book---lots of gore, rape and pillage---but I suppose that is what the Middle Ages were like really. We are going for something more recent next time with a bit of humour thrown in too.

27th August
Bank Holiday Monday so it is the day for local shows and events. We never learn that it is also the day when the weather throws whatever it can down on us---if it isn't rain, it is a high wind to test the tents or blazing sun to make the animals' and small children's lives a misery.This time it was rain in fierce bursts and sudden gusts of wind.The local WI didn't have a display tent again but most members were present either in the crowd or helping on other stalls for different local organisations. I am sure quite a lot of WI business was conducted on the field in an informal manner because it is an event of importance in the life of the community

9th August
This evening the Great and the Good of BFWI met for supper in Buckland Village Hall. This supper is an annual event hosted by different WIs across Bucks and it affords the committee members who serve the federation a chance to get together socially. It is not a freeby but everyone feels it is worth the outlay just to be away from committee work and meet as people again. As you will imagine some business always creeps in and there is a lot of passing of papers and parcels but it is predominately social. It also brings some funds to the hostess WI. This year it was Buckland, Drayton Beauchamp& Aston Clinton WI who provided a wonderful meal for us.

8th August
The local discussion group met to talk about "Water". Well, we had done "Alcohol" the time before and two members had attended the Current Affairs day event on "Water,water everywhere" last month and wanted to share some of the information they had gathered there.The conversation flowed tonight and ideas were swapped for saving water and sins owned of particular ways in which we waste water.Actually it is a huge topic when you cover droughts, floods,sport and recreation. One realises how much we take for granted in this country and how lucky we are living when and where we do.The WI has always campaigned to help countries where water is scarce and recently has led a campaign to stop people buying bottled water in a land with excellent water services;by doing so,road traffic is increased and yet more plastic is produced to pollute the atmosphere.

Al fresco

4th August
The President of our local WI held a garden party today to which everyone was welcome.The weather did not look promising as we set up marquees and stalls in the morning but the rain held off until we came to dismantle them in the late afternoon. Then it made up for lost time as we cowered beneath the remaining two gazebos and clutched bags of assorted sale items and display materials.The event was a great success: we raised some funds, drank many cups of tea, ate lots of cake and enjoyed an exchange of news and gossip.That's what garden parties are about, isn't it? However, there was a serious element to this social gathering because we were collecting signatures in support of our combined bid with the Town Council for a grant to establish a fitness area in the town. Several members were not aware of this project and the display, held over from when the Olympic Torch passed through, put them in the picture with lots of information.We need some letters to be written now and yet more forms to be filled in and then we will see what happens. It will do us good to extend our sporting activities beyond the sofa in the wave of enthusiasm engendered by the Olympics.

24-25th July
With a WI friend I have been spending the best part of two days at Denman College. Although we were booked in for a day course we decided to treat ourselves to dinner,bed and breakfast the night before. This was a very good idea because we were able to travel in a leisurely way to Abingdon, meet up with others already resident for 3 or 4 day courses.The food is excellent, the accommodation first class and the house as lovely as ever. I cannot say I like the new reception desk in the foyer because being vertically challenged, I would have liked a periscope to see the faces of the people behind the facia. Anyway, why were they behind the thing instead of stepping forward to greet us on arrival as they used to do? We had time to explore the gardens in the sunshine and had the opportunity to meet two members of the NFWI Board of Trustees.
Our course was about symbolism in art which was very interesting; the tutor was good and we were accommodated in the new lecture hall which was comfortable. After dinner, we asked permission to gate-crash two sessions of other courses: one on gardening and the other on rambling three fairly local rivers. I think the latter might be good for our Bucks Federation weekend as it can be done at any time of the year. The tutors take in flora and fauna as well as churches and village architecture along the way---not too far to walk either. I must remember to suggest it to our Denman Representative.
The Denman College experience is something I am sure all WI members should enjoy. Have a look at the latest brochure because we must keep the reservations coming in to enable our college to continue to function. After all, we are one of the federations nearest to Marcham in Oxfordshire.

Is this the time for banner-waving?

19th July
I hope every WI member is keeping tabs on the debate about milk prices and the dairy industry. The WI has always supported the farmers in their campaign to end the injustices of the difference between the cost of producing a pint of milk and the price offered to the farmers by the supermarkets. In Buckinghamshire the number of dairy farms which have gone out of business over the past decade is alarming. If the state of affairs is not altered all our milk soon will be imported. The housewife can make a point here by refusing to buy milk from the supermarket even if the price is lower than what is supplied by the local roundsman. The big supermarket chains have to listen to the WI buyer. We did it with plastic bags and food labelling so let's get together to save the dairy farmers! Forget about border control people and airport personel: they have got jobs and can afford the time to negotiate but the dairy farmer is losing his livelihood right now. Look out for the new WI posters for this campaign and if you know of a good site for display, order some or (don't say who suggested this!), casually leave them close to the relevant shelves in your local supermarket.

17th July
Local WI book group today and we were discussing "Half a Yellow Sun" by Adichie which is all about the civil war in Nigeria and the fall of Biafra. This took place at the end of the 1960s when many of us were either at college or rearing children. I think we all remembered the photos of starving babies which were used to publicise appeals for aid posted in banks and on public hoardings but this novel really brought all the suffering home to us.The writing is very powerful and the book has an interesting structure. It had us searching atlases and recent history books for places and names: one member even unearthed a road map from a parent who had been working in Nigeria in the years before the conflict.What a lot of wars are really about the mining of oil and the machinations of the West to keep it flowing out of the Third World and into their fuel tanks.This novel was about the effects of the war on pairs of lovers,families and communities and the waste of all the advantages gained from the growth of education and healthcare during the years before independence which brought old tribal jealousies to the fore again.

12th July
The old sub-committee which used to be called Education and Current Affairs is now to be called just Current Affairs.Perhaps we could have called it Just Current Affairs! Apparently everyone thought the former title too dull and that it put the WI members off getting involved with its work: they don't want to be educated any more. Pity really, as the WI is an educational charity and education is a part of the movement's history and aims.The committee has had many successful events where the educational element has been dressed up and these have been popular with members. At present we are planning a day on Caring Matters in September which we hope will help people who find themselves caring for someone either now or will do in the future, to feel not so alone and to realise what a lot there is on offer for those caught up in this situation. Unfortunately we have to charge for an entrance ticket because we must cover the price of hiring a hall. Perhaps we should have tried for sponsorship but can a charity apply for charity from another? Anyway come along and learn how to work the system. There are a lot of carers in the WI and they save the national economy masses of money so deserve to benefit from the services out there.We are also planning some fun events but beware, they may be masking an educational element or even be tied in with one of the NFWI's current campaigns such as milk, water or care of the environment.

11th July
We enjoyed a really interesting discussion evening today. We had all been asked to bring along an item which meant something to us and talk about it. It need not be financially valuable but should be of special value to the owner. Actually, this might be a good idea for one of those occasions when the speaker cancels at the last minute.The items brought varied from a large piece of boating equipment to a small everyday fork, from a framed embroidered picture treasured after its maker had died to a picture of a jukebox which someone had bought and was her pride and joy, bringing back memories of the swinging sixties and all that jazz! I think everyone really enjoyed themselves and had to take part and of course, we all learned a little more about each other which is an important aspect of being a WI member---the friendship bit.

Making scenes

5th July
I realise that I may have been feeling rather tired but I am in the midst of a blazing row with the NFWI Moodle which is the members' training section of the NFWI website. As members we are all encouraged to acquire a password so that we may enjoy the benefits of this modern site. Ha! I have been going in and out for about 2 years now using my password but today it tells me that it is invalid and I must have forgotten my password. So I went through the usual period of self-doubt---perhaps I used capital letters? Perhaps I used a password for something else eg the house alarm? Finally I decided to appear to confess to having lost/forgotten my password, though I knew I hadn't, in order to get another to gain access to the site. The administrator then delivers another utterly unmemorable password by e-mail. OK. I'll go in with this new one. A little grid comes up with "add new password" and "add old password" which, of course is now established as "forgotten and invalid" so the whole charade starts again.Catch 22. Spit! So I have risked excommunication by sending an acerbic e-mail to NFWI.
Me, one of the members who has been fighting tooth and nail to get the WI to embrace the web locally in Bucks!

4th July
We enjoyed another really different type of monthly meeting tonight. It involved role play under the direction of two magistrates from the local Bench. Not only was it informative but also great fun to do.We were delighted to learn that the efforts of the craft group producing items for the 90th Anniversary display in the Market Square on Sunday had resulted in over £300 worth of sales. The raffle for a friendship quilt made by the members, a patchwork cushion and a coffee cosy had raised a further £143. The display looked good and had been of interest to visitors and who knows might have attracted some new members too.The County Chairman visited and the press had taken photos and some interviews were conducted.

1st July
Besides taking a stall at the Farmers Market to promote our WI's 90th anniversary until 2pm, the Bucks Education & Current Affairs Committee held an afternoon event in the Public Hall. A Dickens of a Good Tea. The speaker talked about the links between the life of Charles Dickens and the characters in his novels. This was interspersed with readings and it was all very enjoyable. The tea was home-produced and voted excellent.Bertie Pearce ended with a magic trick which resulted in the amazement of not only the audience but also those working in the kitchen: where on earth had that raw egg come from? This event was a bit of an experiment to see whether WI members would like sometimes to come with their families to meetings on a Sunday. There were over 70 people present so perhaps they did but it would be nice to know what they thought of the idea.

Collapsing worlds

19th June
The WI Book Group met this afternoon to talk about "Children of Men" by P.D.James. Those among the group who are P.D. James fans found this novel just as a-typical as "Death comes to Pemberley".It certainly engendered a lot of discussion and some had seen the film which apparently was very different to the book.The whole idea of the human race suddenly being unable to reproduce was quite disturbing.The effect on people as individuals and on governments was explored in the story and provided many different views among our readers.And what about the end? Was it hopeful or was the lead character going to abuse his power as others had done before him? Or was that abuse the only solution? Fascinating stuff! Was there a Christian message contained in the book as some readers thought? Even if we were not sure whether we had got the right end of the stick, we could all enjoy the lovely style of writing and the descriptions of a disintegrating landscape, especially as much of the action took place in the Oxford streets that we know so well.

18th June
The Bucks Federation of WIs put on a day's event called "Water,Water everywhere...nor any drop to Drink" at the Hub in High Wycombe. It was a pity that the audience was smaller than hoped because the calibre of the speakers was extremely high.Of course we had just come through a very wet week when the hosepipe ban had been lifted but no one should imagine this is anything but a temporary relief in the grand scheme of things.We are still using more water daily than the skies or the underground aquafers can replenish.Dr Mark Brandon, the polar oceanographer advisor to Frozen Planet, spoke well and showed fascinating pictures of his adventures.Professor Charles Ainger offered some solutions to individuals and water companies while explaining the costs and problems. We heard about WATERAID from Janet Wells and the world of the Marine Conservation Society from Paul Biggin. In the afternoon Roger Lerry told us about the local chalk streams and their problems.The NFWI with ACWW has been running campaigns to try to encourage people to conserve water. WI members, nearly a quarter of a million of us, could make a difference and teach our families to be aware of this problem. Never mind hosepipe bans: start at home with fewer showers, less deep baths, water butts, re-using water for flushing, stop the tap while you brush your teeth etc.A more complicated system would be if we stopped using our wonderfully safe water for every function and had a domestic fitting to safeguard drinking water in the home. Todays sytem is built on mutual distrust: the water companies dare not risk downgrading purification in case of legislation and the public buys bottled water because it doubts the water provided by the water companies.There's a national campaign for you!

Joining in

13th June
Nearly 70 WI members gathered at the Holiday Inn, Aylesbury at noon today for the Literary Lunch 2012. The sun shone so they could wander out into the courtyard to enjoy their welcome drink before sitting down to a very nice lunch. The guest speaker was Roma Tearne whose novels we know from our book groups are very popular with WI members. We were especially lucky because we were able to buy copies of Roma's latest work which is not being released until 5th July.To actually have her to speak this week was a bit of a coup as she is about to launch a film at the National Gallery in 2 days time.Roma is an artist and a film-maker as well as a novelist. She left Sri Lanka at the start of the civil unrest and this country, coloured by her own and her family's experiences, features in 3 of her novels. Because she describes the brutal torture which occured in that country, she will never be allowed back to visit. Many of Roma's concerns reflect the campaigns of the WI such as Violence against Women, the closure of libraries and Amnesty International.I think several of us listening to her, wondered how such a little person could be so powerful in her writing and her art. She knew nothing about the WI but was very impressed by the sense of fellowship in the room, based on village groups within the county.Her next book, like "The Swimmer", is based in Suffolk in a small village community in the 1950s/1960s so she asked us for the WI contact numbers in Ipswich so that she can research the WI activities in a rural setting.

6th June
The local WI meeting was a first in one way as the Town Mayor was invited to be our speaker. He had been warned that he couldn't express party political sentiments and he avoided that possible pitfall. He brought along maps of the town, wish lists and notes of costs for various services or constructions that might find their way on to our desired features.So in small groups we set about the planning of our town over the next 20 years.Amazingly the members agreed that we would need another 400 houses but where to put them? Your backyard or mine? How can our little town, blessed with an extremely busy road right down the middle, an inconvenient Health Centre, a dodgy bus service,little food shops with hardly enough space to function and limited local employment cope with the demands of a growing population which we want to use the town as a town, and not just a place to sleep?
You can imagine the level of noise in our hall! But we sent the Mayor away with plenty of ideas and we secretly felt that the WI members could make a good job of sorting out problems in planning because we are very practical people.It is a pity more WI members don't have the time to become councillors or members of parliament: a cry which has gone up from the NFWI for many years.

3rd June
I hope everyone has enjoyed the Jubilee and been able to celebrate the event in some way or other. Our little town pulled out all the stops so that every organisation or group within it was catering for a part of the population at some stage of the weekend. The inhabitants responded and braved the ghastly weather in true Blitz spirit. If the Queen can do it, so can we.The WI part in all this was to provide a 3 course dinner for the amateur players' production of Our Glorious Queens. It was a lot of work, both in the planning and in the serving but everything went well.These big events always do, if everyone does what is asked of them or what they have volunteered to do; no more, no less.I remember being told that was the secret of being a good WI member, that and coming to the regular monthly meeting.

The big stage

1st June
I know that I am not the only person quite thankful that the temperature has dropped.I have emptied my fridge to await delivery of salmon for the Jubilee dinner in the town which the local WI is to provide.The shopping is to be done today and the food distributed around to storers and cooks.We are very glad to report that we now have 4 members with Health&Hygiene certificates following the latest course so we are under strict controls! It's going to be a very posh do with waitresses in black and white with little aprons a la Lyons Corner House. No bunny girls!
In the morning a meeting was held at the County HQ for the chairmen and secretaries of the 6 sub-committees. This is held every year once the sub-committees have fixed their members so that everyone is following the same practices when organising events and writing minutes It was also an opportunity to chew over the AGM at the Royal Albert Hall.

30th May
An early start for the coach journey up to the Albert Hall for the NFWI Annual General Meeting. Two coaches travelled from Bucks and both arrived in good time.It is always impressive to see the hall filled with colour from the summer clothes but I never saw a single hat this year.The singing of Jerusalem is wonderful and then it is straight into the business side of the meeting. Ruth Bond, our National Chair(man) announced a successful year with 19,000 new members and reported on a busy twelve months of campaigning. She spent some time introducing the new National Federation website which hopes to incorporate links into each county so that they are all combined under the one umbrella. This may prove the answer to Bucks' problems with its website: if our members don't seem so keen on going immediately into ours, outsiders can find their way into Bucks via NFWI. After all, it is through the website that the WI is gaining new members.Ruth gave an up-date on the sale of WI Foods but there were none on show at the meeting.
Aleathia Mann then presented the Annual Review and the financial state of the WI, very cleverly comparing the financial report to a piece of knitting.The NFWI is financially sound but Denman College had made a worrying loss because of the falling numbers of students. This trend must be stopped or the future of the college becomes problematical. It needs 60 beds full per night.
The Lord Julian Fellowes then spoke tying in his theme of "strong women" with his books, television series and films including Mary Poppins.He spoke well and was amusing and was much appreciated by the audience.
The resolution on providing more midwives was moved with a back-up from Professor Lesley Paige, the President of the Royal College of Midwives. Professor Bosanquet from Imperial College agreed with our aims but suggested different ways to answer the problems. Unfortunately when he sought to encourage more money to go to management, the members began a slow handclap. It was obvious that this was unpopular, but his other ideas were acceptable and well reasoned.The debate from the floor was good and well managed. The resolution was carried 5939 to 214 votes.
After a resume of the campaigns it was a picnic lunch in the sunshine on the steps of the Albert Memorial before our return to the hall for the Guiness Book of Records attempt on the largest number of people knitting for 15 minutes at the same time.I don't know whether we were successful but it was fun to watch.
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock with 2 year old on her hip then spoke about the need to encourage women and girls into science and talked about her work with global telescopes in South America and the mind-boggling information gained from the Hubble telescope.I don't know whether the presence of the child was to shame the WI for not encouraging better childcare facilities when it came up as a resolution years ago or to show that the modern woman can have it all--motherhood and a successful career--but it was distracting for the listener, already struggling with a very fast delivery and God knows what it was doing to her spine.I found what Maggie was saying as an astronomer, was interesting but many found it difficult.Mind, the child behaved very well as she must have known it would.
Ruth Bond gave a rather valedictory speech in tone but warned that the WI's constitution was coming under review and that all WIs should make time to consider it.Then the stage was cleared for a brief commercial demonstration from 2 couples from the Strictly Come Dancing series which was very colourful and the meeting closed with the singing of all 3 anthems.
An interesting day as always, but not one of the greatest. We are off to Cardiff in 2013 on a Saturday which is a change. See you there!

Summer outing

24th May


On perhaps the hottest day of the year so far the Home and Garden sub-committee had organised an outing to Woburn Abbey gardens. Even the deer in the park were standing in the lake or basking on the moist mud around its edges.The rhododendrons were in full flower and looked marvellous against a blue sky.Some people had visited the Abbey in the morning before joining the rest of the party to view the gardens.Members and friends enjoyed a brief introduction to the history of the estate and then a guided tour of the historic gardens.The staff were very accomplished speakers quite able to cope with a large group even in the open air. We could all hear and ask questions as we strolled among the ancient trees and beautiful flowers. Gradually the Duke and Duchess of Bedford are planning a return to the original lay-out of the gardens as designed by Humphrey Repton. We admired the re-vamped Chinese style dairy which was blissfully cool and then the camelia house. We discussed the modern sculptures showcased around the lawns.Everything looked wonderful in the sunshine and I think we all took advantage of a short rest in the shaded restaurant area with an iced drink or ice-cream to hand.It was a very enjoyable and informative day and we are now looking forward to another outing to the beautiful gardens at Upton House in October when the asters will be in full bloom.



22nd May

The local WI book group gathered together to discuss a selection of novels by Charles Dickens and some by a modern author Lesley Pearce. The reason why we were all reading something different was because there had been a slight hic-cup in the supply chain from the library.In some ways this was a good thing because it meant everyone had to introduce her own book.Dickens came off well as some members had been slightly put off reading other titles after studying a novel for examinations but now thought it worth having a go at another and one reader had downloaded many on to her kindle for holiday reading! Amongst the random selection was a biography of Phiz the illustrator for a lot of Dickens novels whose life story was a rags to riches and back again Victorian tale of its own.The novels by Lesley Pearce were enjoyed by those who read them although as they talked there was a recognisable theme, and plot sometimes, running through the stories.An interesting session but we are all back to the same title next month.

Different menus

2nd May
A busy local WI day today. The rain held off for our morning sponsored walk on behalf of ACWW. Thirty members walked just under 4 miles around Winslow enjoying some historical details from our guide. Our numbers were swelled by 12 ladies from neighbouring WIs who joined us. We do not know yet how much money we have raised but it should be several hundred pounds to help this worthy group improve the lives of women all over the world.
In the evening Winslow WI celebrated 90 years of continuous existence with a special cake and wine. Of course we also discussed the resolution chosen to go up to the Albert Hall at the end of the month and we were pleased to welcome our delegate to the meeting.It was a close vote on whether we wanted to urge H.M. Government to increase the spending on training midwives because of the current and predicted rise in births in UK. It was thought that as cuts in the health service were unavoidable it was perhaps better to educate mothers away from the proposed scheme of 1:1 attention by midwives throughout labour which is beyond the reach of the midwives available---especially when nowadays they expect to have a family companion present at the birth who can call for help if needed.Aftercare was more important now when the stay in hospital was so short and this type of help need not be done by a trained midwife but by someone who could call on the hospital staff if difficulties arose.Nor was it thought necessary for midwives to be university graduates.
We spent quite a bit of time coming to grips with our new booking system for events and listened to a favourable report of the Annual Council Meeting. Plans for the dinner at the Players production on the Jubilee weekend are well advanced.The WI reputation for catering is at stake so we need to pull out all the stops for the occasion.

27th April
The Leisure and Performing Arts sub-committee hosted a Tapas Evening at Winslow which was very well attended.The Spanish food was provided by the local delicatessen and there were 4 sherries to taste in the course of the meal.In the background there was live guitar music and several members had made the effort to look suitably Spanish in their dress. I liked the printed explanations of what we were eating and information on the sherries.It was also appreciated that the event had come "up North" for a change---after all we have a good hall with a reasonable kitchen.

24th April
The Book Group met today We have been reading Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson which was very amusing and a witty novel.
It was a love story where the main characters were above the usual age for a romantic novel and cross cultures too. Everyone enjoyed the book and admitted that they would never have chosen it for themselves if it hadn't been presented at the group. We often find this and I think it is an important reason for setting up a book group.Some of the ironic throwaway comments about modern life made us laugh out loud and the characters were all completely believable. I hope we can find another title by the same author.

The WI out in force

18th April
It was announced in the media today that the WI with other women's groups had won a victory in the campaign against legal aid curbs for abused women. Kenneth Clarke said that now any woman whose partner or former partner had a caution for violence against her would be entitled to aid. The Government would also adopt the Police definition of domestic violence which includes emotional and psychological harm as well as physical abuse. A note from a doctor confirming abuse would entitle women to free legal support while those admitted to a women's refuge or receiving social services support would be entitled to claim legal aid too.
As we heard at the Annual Council Meeting BFWI had joined the NFWI campaign against the legal aid cuts and had written to all the Buckinghamshire MPs. Replies had been received from them all and one MP had included a reply from Kenneth Clarke in response to his letter forwarding our concerns.So remember, that if we can be bothered to write and express reasonable arguments, we can make a difference to the law of the land.

13th April
The Annual Council Meeting at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury was very well attended and much enjoyed by the Bucks WI members and guests.We heard that BFWI was financially healthy and learned the names of the Board of Trustees for 2012-2014. Peter Lien Head of the Cookery School at Denman College spoke engagingly about the changes in cooking over the last few years and Johnnie Walkers encouraged everyone to order their flowering bulbs through the WI Bulb scheme. Did you know that the UK grows more daffodils than anywhere else in the world? Roderick Watson described the development of the Dorney Lake until it became a suitable venue for the Olympics.
In the afternoon we received a progress report on the mandate passed in 2011 on care for stroke patients and went on to re-affirm two mandates agreed in 1982: the banning of the sale of snares and the discouragement of allowing children under secondary school age to take part in public demonstrations.Cups and Certificates were presented and then it was the turn of the main speaker to entertain us all. Adam Henson, the TV farmer and presenter was one of the fastest speakers I have ever heard but yet he spoke in sentences and was as clear as a bell.Perhaps this was because of his family's experience on the stage and the training on Countryfile and on the Coast programmes. He is certainly very ambitious for the success of his Cotswold Farm Park and supportive of British agriculture as a whole. Adam answered the many questions well. Altogether a very popular and entertaining speaker.
It was a good meeting with a full programme managed well by our own Chairman, Trustee Members and committee members.We look forward to the next ACM in April 2013. If you are asked to be a delegate or think you might like to attend as an observer, watch the Buckinghamshire Newsletter for notice of the speakers booked because they are always worth hearing and, as was explained at the meeting, this event is part of what you receive for your contribution to BFWI in your annual subscription.

Small isn't always beautiful

11th April
A very small group of local WI members met this evening for the monthly discussion. This time the subject was "gadgets": what constitutes something termed a gadget? Do gadgets become items of universal usage and therefore just tools or equipment? Women's gadgets seem to be in the kitchen whereas those that appeal to males revolve around the car or they are electronic devices or executive toys.A lot of fun was had describing gadgets which actually caused more hassle than the simple method used for years.There is something derogatory in the word gadget. Of course we digressed into the causes of domestic friction when the males presumed control of the remote for the TV--inborn technical superiority---and in the car when perhaps the coming of satnav systems will reinforce the refusal to wind down the window and ask directions.

6th-9th April
The WI had been invited to have a stall at the Love Food, Hate Waste Chiltern Food Fair at Great Missenden. It was a pity we were not to enjoy the earlier good weather: it was wet and cold even under canvas but still people turned out to graze their way around the stalls. The WI was promoting the new range of WI foods and the latest recipe books published in 2012.The public still think of the WI as jam and cake makers.We were out to attract new members too.It is always pleasant to talk to others but is quite difficult to smile and appear enthusiastic when one's lost contact with one's feet and is beginning to hallucinate about cups of tea from a proper cup or a hot rum toddy.There will have to be better publicity about WI foods because no one knew anything about it and no one had seen it on sale in the few Waitrose stores which actually stock it.Such a pity! The jams are gorgeous but the labelling is so embracing that the colour cannot be seen; the flours are good but are unable to compete for price with in-store brands.If we are trading on the WI's reputation for good food, we need to hype up the product, be more aggressive in the market or we will be ignored.WI members need to buy the stuff themselves and demand it from the stores which do not offer it on their shelves.It is good stuff but we as members must buy it and promote it to create a platform for its sale outside the WI, otherwise it will fail. It's war out there on the shop floor.

22nd March
One member of the local WI Book Group pointed out this afternoon that we had never before spent so long discussing a book as we did today. The novel under scrutiny was "Room" by Sue Donaghue which is not a factual account of a real event but is vaguely based on those horrifying stories of women abducted and kept prisoner for years in the power of some perverted individual. However, this story was told through the eyes of a five year old child born under these circumstances into a world which was just one small room.One approached this novel with some apprehension thinking it was going to be too distressing but although one couldn't say one enjoyed it, it was an unforgettable book to read---so well written, so original and so thought-provoking. We requested the set through the County Library with little hope of getting it because it was so recently published but it arrived very quickly.All credit to the library for spotting a title which would be in demand. If you are part of a reading group, we all recommend it to you.

Celebrating the new and old

14th March
This evening the local WI discussion Group tackled the topic of agriculture which influences all our lives to a larger or smaller extent. One doesn't have to go back many generations before we can all recall a family member engaged on the land.The WI itself started off with a strong rural base with tie -ins with agricultural colleges.Of course the threat of drought, not just in the UK this summer, but as a worldwide problem came up and the availability of food out of season throughout the year. We also aired the attitude of the public towards farming on land use when some local issues were discussed: would we prefer pigs to new housing across the road?
Have you read about this graffiti knitter who is posting knitted landscapes in public places in Saltburn?Now they are appearing over telephone boxes in London. I do hope that it turns out to be the work of WI members but I don't think a WI member would have the time to spare to produce these works of art.

13th March
The local WI President held a new members' evening in her home tonight. Because our WI continues to grow at a healthy rate, it was felt that anyone new to WI was rather thrown in at the deep end.There is always so much going on at meetings that a first-time joiner doesn't know what she has joined nor about the place of the WI in the community and in the general fabric of society.Most of the information one needs as a member is in the WI diary but one never orders one of those until the second year of attendance. Anyway it was a very pleasant evening when we touched on the history, the resolution process and the jungle of shortcut capital letters such as ACWW, WI Adviser, Green letter, ACM etc. We also heard of new WIs being formed in the county of which we had all been unaware because there has been no notice in the newsletter or on the website.We would have liked to share in the success and perhaps invite members from a new WI to visit ours which is celebrating its 90th year.

8th March
Today was the meeting of the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee. We only just made the quorum which was a pity as there was so much to arrange.Over the Easter break the WI is being given a stall at the Chiltern Food and Drink Festival at Great Missenden. We hope to display and promote the new range of WI foods and recipe books.However it is proving very difficult to obtain samples.An exercise in hard sell, it certainly isn't.

7th March
The local WI was full to bursting today to hear a speaker on the house and gardens at Stowe.Although many of us visit Stowe quite regularly we didn't know a lot about its history and the speaker's amusing and almost diffident presentation was most enjoyable.The business side of the meeting consisted of a string of dates for the summer because of the Jubilee , the Olympic Torch and our own 90th Anniversary and the county programme of events. Some members had visited Denman College and had been very impressed.The WI Treasurer presented a budget for the year which prophesied a deficit because there wouldn't be time to organise a big fund-raiser this year. However we should be able to live on our fat for one year and accept the need for something special in 2013.

Different webs

28th February
I have been reading the latest issue of the WI Life magazine and was most interested in the article about blogging. I hope it will encourage the WI members in Bucks to blog. The examples described in the magazine were very professionally produced; several of them seemed to be promoting businesses as well as hobby interests. They also included photos and pictures which of course this one never has done. The article stresses how easy it is to blog which is what I have been saying for years but it is obvious why I don't receive comments. I have never gone into other people's blogs. It all depends on what you are aiming to achieve by your blog. If it's an advertising tool or a form of chat show, fine. This one isn't: I set it up with the blessing of BFWI to illustrate the various activities a WI member in Bucks could enjoy, a form of advertising I suppose or a promotional item.Who else in Bucks WIs has a blog? Why not make contact with this blog and advise me on whether I should change the style and direction? I don't want Facebook or to Tweet but think I could liven this up a bit if it is thought old fashioned.

27th February
Today two coach loads of Bucks WI members travelled down to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum. We enjoyed a marvellously traffic-free run there and back and spent about five hours roaming around the museum. The draw was the exhibition of photographs of Queen Elizabeth taken by Cecil Beaton. There were nearly 100 of them as well as film clips and Beaton's personal scrapbooks which were fascinating to read. The day also afforded time to view the collection of artefacts from all over the world and I came home suffering from an overload of colour, design and pattern in every sort of material there is.What was particularly breath-taking was a cloak made over 4 years from material spun and woven from the Golden Orb Weaving Spider---well, about a million of them were used to create the whole thing.Some drawings and paintings by Beatrix Potter were on display and the jewellery was absolutely beautiful.

21st February
The local WI Book Group met this afternoon and we talked about Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd.In spite of the violence contained in the novel, most members really enjoyed reading this thriller. It was very well written with a complicated plot and set along the banks of the river Thames from Chelsea down to Canvey Island. In fact, it was quite Dickensian when describing conditions in East London which in some ways haven't improved in the last 200 years. The story raised issues of the plight of the homeless, the corruption of the welfare state and the big business manipulation of medicinal drugs: also, rather worryingly, the amount of trained fighters released into society who may be useful to perform tasks for illegal concerns or security firms.

13th February
A fantastically busy gathering of members for the Craft Group today. Somerset patchwork has proved very popular and when the members had seen at the last monthly meeting what a beginner could achieve, we had some new people come along inspired to start.Several members are making a cosy for tea and coffee pots for the April Council Meeting competition and work has started on the exhibit for the County Show.A neighbouring WI has invited us along to a craft workshop next month and some of our members are involved with courses at local shops.The meetings of our craft group are great for swapping ideas and getting another answer to a problem that has arisen in some craft project---or come to think of it, in life in general!

Talk amongst ourselves

8th February
The local WI Discussion Group met this evening for the first time since December and we all enjoyed getting beyond our own four walls while the snow still lay around.We set out to discuss the short list of resolutions even though our votes had been already cast at the January WI meeting. Then, the two delegates had reported back from the Selection Meeting in Aylesbury but discussion amongst 45 people is not really easy and there was pressure for time.We were fairly evenly torn between the wish for more midwives and against the closure of environmental centres.Discussing all the topics led to talk about the system of choosing resolutions and the importance of WIs following up on those passed at the Annual General Meetings.After the "set" topics we ranged back over some of the resolutions from the past and once more thanked our lucky stars for living in the age in which we are and for having seen so much progress in science and technology, knowledge in general.

3rd February
As 2012 is a big anniversary for our local WI, not just the Jubilee and Charles Dickens, we spent this morning looking through our archives and thinking about what to display when we hold our birthday event in July. Material has been squirrelled away in variuous houses across the years so we now have a list of where everything is.We need a new scrapbook for the last couple of years of photos and press cuttings. There is a danger, now that events are recorded electronically, that things might disappear from the obvious tangible records that are needed for exhibitions.What struck me was how old fashioned material looked which had been produced in our own lifetimes.Tempus fugit.

1st February
What a good meeting we enjoyed tonight. There had had to be a straight swap between speakers booked for the annual programme. About 45 members watched a butcher prepare a lamb carcass for the shop. Not one member keeled over because it was all so clinically cold. We learned about the problems besetting butchers today, a trade where there are few apprentices and many high street shops are disappearing. We touched on the butchery methods of people working in supermarkets and the damaging effect of animals travelling long distances to slaughterhouses---a subject which the WI tried to bring to more general notice through a resolution some years ago. Then the butcher handed out a quiz for members to do. I wonder how many unsuspecting males on the verge of sleep were suddenly asked "So what is the gestation period of a pig?" It is surprising the interests one develops via the WI.
Did you see the lady on Mastermind who had chosen the WI as her specialist subject? Poor woman, in the stress of the moment she forgot the name of our National Chair: she'll probably be excommunicated! Actually she did very well but didn't win the round. I wonder whether a Mastermind might go down well in Bucks. Members enjoy the quiz evenings but those are team events and not such a challenge as an individual trial.

Back in action

21st January
This morning I popped along to a neighbouring WI which was holding a coffee morning and a swap bring and buy to raise funds for the Denman College Appeal. The idea was that if every WI member made and sold a cup of tea @£1 there would be sufficient money given to finish the re-furbishment of the residential cottages at the college. Our WI gathered together before Christmas at a member's house and was then able to send up around £80 more than was expected of us on our membership. These almost impromptu events are enjoyable and effective.

18th January
There are consultation meetings being held all over the Vale of Aylesbury to try to reach some sort of agreement on what housing is needed and where to put it. One cannot say these meetings are well attended but WI members have been urged to make their views known. Unfortunately the public is becoming a bit jaundiced about these consultations when it becomes obvious that work has already started on the original plan under consideration viz. the HS2 where firms in London had been served compulsory purchase orders the day after its approval by the Government. Did someone stay up all night working on those letters?
We had a little local meeting of WI members to plan events for 2012 and what commitments the WI could make to the Town's plans.Everyone always expects the WI to cater,so of course we will be doing that at the Jubilee celebrations. Then there is our WI's 90th birthday and the Olympic Torch coming through the town and competitions to enter for the County Show, Walk the World for ACWW, etc. etc. Emigration suddenly seems the easiest option!

17th January
A small working party met this morning to plan a literary event in a hotel in June. It was evident that we hadn't blotted our copybook with the management last year because it was keen to hold the event for a second time. We know the members approved so it was quite exciting to think about summer weather and lightweight clothes on a dark and miserable January day. It seemed to be a quick task to prepare a budget and sort out menus and seating arrangements because we were confident of providing something that members would want to attend.Gosh, supposing they don't!

16th January
The first gathering of the local WI Craft Group this afternoon and we are learning to do Somerset Patchwork under the direction of one of our members. There were tiny bits of material floating about, scissors and rotary cutters flying and irons heating and a small dog in need of constant re-assurance that we would eventually leave his mistress in peace, so it was a good job Health&Safety wasn't invited. I'm not sure what our finished items will turn out to be but they have been started with great enthusiasm.

12th January
The Education and Current Affairs Sub-Committee met today and its members are looking forward to lots of activities in 2012. These all need meticulous planning and take time to finalise. E-mails are supposed to aid fast communication but it is not necessarily so. I like to have everything written down in an official manner and copies of e-mails never seem to look anything like reliable. One of the jobs of this committee is to review the mandates passed at earlier council meetings before they sink into oblivion because of the 30 year rule. This year there was one about snares and another about the risk to children caught up in demonstrations. It is interesting to see how some of the concerns raised are still relevant. Members might find it interesting to look at these mandates from the past in the same way as the NFWI's "Speaking Out" is fascinating reading (Every WI is supposed to have a copy in the Secretary's case so ask to borrow it sometime).

11th January
The local WI had to change its speaker at short notice this month but was able to enjoy a demonstration on potting bulbs in exchange for a cookery talk. We had thrown the meeting open to guests so we had one gentleman who decided to sit it out even though he was given the chance to escape.We had 5 new members as well as the guests so the room was full. There were so many dates and events mentioned for the coming year that we were all quite exhausted by the close.

10th January
The Reading Group met this afternoon and we were all glad to see each other after the Christmas break.It was good to find that Julian Fellowes novel "Past Imperfect" had raised such different opinions amongst the group. Some thought it entertaining and amusing; others just got cross with the way he had made the book far too long and had approached it as a vehicle for his views on every aspect of the social scene between the 1960s and the year 2008. OK, it was an era in which most of us were involved but not on the level of society he was describing and all those tiring details of interior decoration and clothes were accurate but overdone.He may be good at adaptations for TV but original story lines are not his forte.

A new year so a new heading for the blog. Of course it is another gateway or door to continue my message that WI membership offers an entrance into lots of new activities and an opportunity to explore beyond the immediate horizon. Various members criticized last year's choice of photo saying it wasn't in the UK but it was: the willow archway is to be found in Northern Ireland. This one is back in England so I should be in the clear.
Nothing much happened over the holiday in WI terms. There was some good publicity about the new food range bearing the WI logo for sale in supermarkets so look out for the items when next you do a food shop. Also some of you like me will have taken an interest in the horse called Denman because of his name link to the WI residential college near Abingdon. Before Christmas he has been retired so no more pin-money from his jumping prowess!
Remember to register your vote for the resolution which you would like to go up for discussion at the WI Annual General Meeting in the Royal Albert Hall in May. The form is in the latest issue of WI Life magazine along with some background notes on the topics raised. All members now have a vote so please make use of it.