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.