3rd February
The local WI met for the first time at its new venue, welcomed a new President and two new members joined.I think everyone was glad to be back together after the cancellation of the January meeting because of snow.The new premises met with general approval but we have agreed to re-orientate ourselves in the room when we have a normal meeting because we got a little cold spread out in a huge circle so that all were on the outer colder areas of the space.This arrangement was requested by our speaker who demonstrated "Singing for All" and she got us all singing almost immediately.It was a fantastic evening and as one new member said "If someone this afternoon had told me I would be singing Oompah rounds that evening with a bunch of strangers I would not have believed them---in fact I would not have gone along at all!" BUT she joined, phoned to say what fun it had been and could she help at the next event.I think a lot of us suffered the same misgivings but ended up feeling really enthusiastic and cast away the winter blues.
The downside of the meeting was that it was reported that only a small percentage of our members had voted on the resolution selection which is very disappointing and I should imagine has been mirrored across the federations. Partly this has happened because of cancelled WI meetings and the selection meetings during the snowfalls but some of it is because of the apathy which some feel about the WI outside their own village hall.
At Christmastime the local paper ran a feature on the WI after one of the editorial team had visited a WI in Towcester. She wrote of failing numbers and the fact that the movement needed younger members (the usual cry but quite sympathetically written) and she headed the article with a picture of Winslow WI's Big Tidy Up.As a result of this Winslow WI President has written to invite the reporter to the Fashion Show which it is holding at the end of March. The President has also invited her to be a model! This week in the Advertiser there has appeared a letter of mild protest from Towcester saying that it had gained members just as the WI nationally was gaining members and telling everyone about the new "young" WIs springing up around the country.Then at the weekend one of the colour supplements featured the group formed at Shoreditch in London and there was an article about the possible collaboration of the NFWI with Mumsnet over shared concerns and interests such as the non-violence against women campaign.I am sure the readers (Does one call them readers?) of Mumsnet will be tempted to investigate our WI website and the WI could well gain younger members through this idea.
There was also in the local paper a very full report done by three WI members on a new bus route in the Stony Stratford area. They had experimented by using the service at different times of day to see whether it was a successful solution to the transport problems in that region. The inauguration was a response to the WI's action in reporting on rural isolation issues. Positive thinking and a practical approach which gets results so the WI can make a difference and act outside the village hall!
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Technology and food
28 January
This morning I e-mailed the WI Life to thank the editorial team for including the gluten-free recipes in the January issue.They will be really useful to individual members and to those of us who cater for events within our own WIs or at County occasions. I also criticised the faintness of the print and those pages printed with black backgrounds because people with failing eyesight find problems with this style of presentation.The reason I am telling you all this is because I received a prompt and polite reply from the editor so it is worth sending up your comments: they are read and one obtains a report on what is being done about one's concerns.
27 January
Today there were two training sessions held at Stuart Lodge High Wycombe for those wanting to know how to set up a powerpoint presentation. The Federation now has a lovely new projector for use at events. A tutor from Denman College came along to instruct and it was absolutely fascinating.The actual linking up of the machines is pretty straightforward but to be able to experiment with preparing a presentation of one's own and be assured that one wasn't going to destroy the whole set-up or wipe out all Mr Gates' information system with one press of a button was very exciting.I think that there may be a new set of speakers for WI meetings just waiting to be asked to entertain the members.
26 January
Several WIs have sent members on the Basic Food Hygiene courses which have been set up in Bucks during January.Twelve of us spent the day being instructed by Jill Brand from Denman College and then sat the test paper which we all hope will result in the issue of a certificate.No WI event where food is on sale or even just provided should be without someone holding this certificate especially in this day and age when people are sue -happy.Having studied the various things that can invade our food and premises, there were some students not so keen on taking lunch! Of course several of the students were preparing food at work and for other charity causes so to run a course like this benefits the community in general as well.
21 January
The Education and Current Affairs subcommittee held its postponed meeting today. The main item under discussion was planning for the June Henry VIII and All That event at Cheddington which is taking shape. We have some excellent speakers booked and some good ideas for sideshows etc.We are also enquiring about a Tudor theme outing for the autumn.Other WIs in Bucks and other federations are taking advantage of schemes such as Awards for All so we are going to encourage our WIs to explore these because we feel opportunities are being missed.We welcomed two members who came as observers to today's meeting. If you would like to come and see what goes on at any of the subcommittees please contact Sara our Federation Secretary and she will tell you when the next meeting is going to be held.All would be pleased to see you.
19 January
The local WI reading group met this afternoon. We finished discussing Ivanhoe from last month.I think it was obvious that these days people haven't the length of attention span that former generations possessed or perhaps learned. Our book this time was The Rose of Sebastopol by Katherine MacMahon whom we had heard speak at the Chesham Book Event in November. Generally this novel was well received.As you can guess from the title it was a historical novel about the Crimea War. Strange how the battles were treated then rather like spectator sports, in spite of the horrific injuries sustained.Also there was a different slant on Florence Nightingale in this book. It was a romance, I suppose and it had an uncertain ending which we have left to sort out next time as some readers hadn't quite finished.There was a lot of detail about needlework in the novel too which fit in well with yesterday's visit made by the Craft Group to buy materials to start ribboncraft. We were so exhausted after that that we had to go out to lunch to celebrate being able to get out of our houses after imprisonment by snow!
This morning I e-mailed the WI Life to thank the editorial team for including the gluten-free recipes in the January issue.They will be really useful to individual members and to those of us who cater for events within our own WIs or at County occasions. I also criticised the faintness of the print and those pages printed with black backgrounds because people with failing eyesight find problems with this style of presentation.The reason I am telling you all this is because I received a prompt and polite reply from the editor so it is worth sending up your comments: they are read and one obtains a report on what is being done about one's concerns.
27 January
Today there were two training sessions held at Stuart Lodge High Wycombe for those wanting to know how to set up a powerpoint presentation. The Federation now has a lovely new projector for use at events. A tutor from Denman College came along to instruct and it was absolutely fascinating.The actual linking up of the machines is pretty straightforward but to be able to experiment with preparing a presentation of one's own and be assured that one wasn't going to destroy the whole set-up or wipe out all Mr Gates' information system with one press of a button was very exciting.I think that there may be a new set of speakers for WI meetings just waiting to be asked to entertain the members.
26 January
Several WIs have sent members on the Basic Food Hygiene courses which have been set up in Bucks during January.Twelve of us spent the day being instructed by Jill Brand from Denman College and then sat the test paper which we all hope will result in the issue of a certificate.No WI event where food is on sale or even just provided should be without someone holding this certificate especially in this day and age when people are sue -happy.Having studied the various things that can invade our food and premises, there were some students not so keen on taking lunch! Of course several of the students were preparing food at work and for other charity causes so to run a course like this benefits the community in general as well.
21 January
The Education and Current Affairs subcommittee held its postponed meeting today. The main item under discussion was planning for the June Henry VIII and All That event at Cheddington which is taking shape. We have some excellent speakers booked and some good ideas for sideshows etc.We are also enquiring about a Tudor theme outing for the autumn.Other WIs in Bucks and other federations are taking advantage of schemes such as Awards for All so we are going to encourage our WIs to explore these because we feel opportunities are being missed.We welcomed two members who came as observers to today's meeting. If you would like to come and see what goes on at any of the subcommittees please contact Sara our Federation Secretary and she will tell you when the next meeting is going to be held.All would be pleased to see you.
19 January
The local WI reading group met this afternoon. We finished discussing Ivanhoe from last month.I think it was obvious that these days people haven't the length of attention span that former generations possessed or perhaps learned. Our book this time was The Rose of Sebastopol by Katherine MacMahon whom we had heard speak at the Chesham Book Event in November. Generally this novel was well received.As you can guess from the title it was a historical novel about the Crimea War. Strange how the battles were treated then rather like spectator sports, in spite of the horrific injuries sustained.Also there was a different slant on Florence Nightingale in this book. It was a romance, I suppose and it had an uncertain ending which we have left to sort out next time as some readers hadn't quite finished.There was a lot of detail about needlework in the novel too which fit in well with yesterday's visit made by the Craft Group to buy materials to start ribboncraft. We were so exhausted after that that we had to go out to lunch to celebrate being able to get out of our houses after imprisonment by snow!
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Entrance 2010
13th January 2010
It is already 13 days into 2010 before I have wished you a Happy New Year but everything WI related which I planned to attend has so far been cancelled because of snow.It was lovely to enjoy a white Christmas but now it is above a joke! If any of you logged on yesterday and was amazed to find an unexplained photo of a gate on my blog, here is the reason for its appearance.The intention of this blog was to report on WI events and the life of a WI member so I thought while I was cooped in and not really doing anything related to WI, I would edit or reorganise my blog. Instead of a portrait of myself which is usual on blogs, I would insert a logo of some sort. Easier said than done.When I finally saw my photo had made it on to the blog (albeit in the wrong place), the euphoria was so intense I had to go and lie down in a darkened room.
What I wanted to intimate was that the WI opened doors and gates to all sorts of different activities and interests. If the NFWI can do away with the WI Tree, I could have something symbolic for my logo. Anyway, I like doors and gates. In another life when I was teaching information skills to schoolchildren, I once set Doors and Gates as a topic. You should have seen what they came up with! Wrought iron gates, doors on cabin cruisers and the mechanics behind rising hinges---it was great fun for all concerned.Lights are a good topic too but I'm way off course now...
For the moment or perhaps the year, the photo will stay where it is but I hope you get the idea.
What did you think of the new Bucks Green Letter? I think the editorial team probably went a bit over the top on the use of colour but it is a great temptation when one finds one can do something to try to do everything to show one can! The photos didn't print up all that well but it is up to us to provide good clear material to be included. It is still a tool to help the WI committees to be efficient and this is successfully achieved plus a bit of information on what has happened recently within the Federation which is interesting.I always like telling members about the good events which they have missed in order to encourage them to make sure they sign up for the next opportunity.Please remember to vote for the resolution on the form in the WI Life and get it to your WI Secretary even if your meeting has been cancelled. It is the first time every member has had a vote at this stage of the proceedings and I fear the weather will have a detrimental effect on the number of votes used.
The new national logo was mentioned on New Years Day in the media which was good publicity but of course it was reported that this was to get away from the Jam and Jerusalem image of the WI.Was our tree representative of Jam and Jerusalem? I failed to make that connection all these years. They could have been using a gate like me with the addition of a bramble branch perhaps.
How about a New Year's Resolution to comment on this blog to stop me running off at a tangent.
It is already 13 days into 2010 before I have wished you a Happy New Year but everything WI related which I planned to attend has so far been cancelled because of snow.It was lovely to enjoy a white Christmas but now it is above a joke! If any of you logged on yesterday and was amazed to find an unexplained photo of a gate on my blog, here is the reason for its appearance.The intention of this blog was to report on WI events and the life of a WI member so I thought while I was cooped in and not really doing anything related to WI, I would edit or reorganise my blog. Instead of a portrait of myself which is usual on blogs, I would insert a logo of some sort. Easier said than done.When I finally saw my photo had made it on to the blog (albeit in the wrong place), the euphoria was so intense I had to go and lie down in a darkened room.
What I wanted to intimate was that the WI opened doors and gates to all sorts of different activities and interests. If the NFWI can do away with the WI Tree, I could have something symbolic for my logo. Anyway, I like doors and gates. In another life when I was teaching information skills to schoolchildren, I once set Doors and Gates as a topic. You should have seen what they came up with! Wrought iron gates, doors on cabin cruisers and the mechanics behind rising hinges---it was great fun for all concerned.Lights are a good topic too but I'm way off course now...
For the moment or perhaps the year, the photo will stay where it is but I hope you get the idea.
What did you think of the new Bucks Green Letter? I think the editorial team probably went a bit over the top on the use of colour but it is a great temptation when one finds one can do something to try to do everything to show one can! The photos didn't print up all that well but it is up to us to provide good clear material to be included. It is still a tool to help the WI committees to be efficient and this is successfully achieved plus a bit of information on what has happened recently within the Federation which is interesting.I always like telling members about the good events which they have missed in order to encourage them to make sure they sign up for the next opportunity.Please remember to vote for the resolution on the form in the WI Life and get it to your WI Secretary even if your meeting has been cancelled. It is the first time every member has had a vote at this stage of the proceedings and I fear the weather will have a detrimental effect on the number of votes used.
The new national logo was mentioned on New Years Day in the media which was good publicity but of course it was reported that this was to get away from the Jam and Jerusalem image of the WI.Was our tree representative of Jam and Jerusalem? I failed to make that connection all these years. They could have been using a gate like me with the addition of a bramble branch perhaps.
How about a New Year's Resolution to comment on this blog to stop me running off at a tangent.
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Beginnings and endings
7th December
A very small meeting of the local craft members at which we thought about what we would offer in the new year.It seems most likely that we shall do some more decoupage and have a go at ribboncraft.We will need to do a bit of research on projects using these skills and see what appeals to the majority.
6th December
I hope some of you watched the programme on Alan Bennett when he was speaking at a local WI in North Yorkshire. He watched the members perform a little play which he had written for them. Wow! Imagine having a playwright of that standing writing for your WI Group meeting! The documentary revealed how Alan Bennett learned his craft. He is obviously a great watcher of people but possibly more of a listener to conversations around him.No wonder he came up with such marvellous parts for Thora Hurd.
4th December
A sad day for BFWI because Jean Baldock, our Federation Chairman of the last few years, died this morning. Jean had been fighting cancer for 5 years but all the while working for the WI as a member of Executive and as a WI Adviser. This was doubly noble when you think of the mileage she had to cover getting between Lavendon and High Wycombe for meetings.She must have felt so tired so often. Jean was never a great talker but whatever she said was sensible and well thought out and she was absolutely dedicated to the WI. We all owe a lot to Jean and she will be missed by everyone as a caring, pleasant individual and a strong family person.
Then of course life must go on and in the evening we went off to Mursley to listen to the annual concert from the Bletchley Belles. This was as enjoyable as ever. It is good to hear people singing for the joy of it.The group donates its fee equally to the Mursley WI and to Willen Hospice which is where poor Jean ended her life.
3rd December
It was the town's Christmas Fayre this evening when the lights are switched on and there are all sorts of activities in the Market Square.The WI had a stall undercover in the Church Hall for which we were thankful as it was freezing cold outside.This was good for business as people came in to warm up and we did quite well.It is a family affair with dressing up and jugglers and hot chestnuts etc. Everyone seemed in a good mood and spending freely.It is a strange thing that people have two interpretations of the term "home made".It is used as a mark of approval, old values, something to be preserved but at the same time people think because it is home made it should be cheap. What about the hours taken to make items, whether it be cooking time or craft ? You can't have it both ways: so often to my mind, the WI sells itself short. I hate to hear members say "OK I'd rather sell it now than wait to try to obtain the asking price".
2nd December
The local WI meeting tonight was in party mood. We had a new president and we were celebrating a successful result from our fundraising barn dance. We had a session on giftwrapping, voted on whom we would like to put up for the award given by the Town Council to someone who had been especially community-minded in 2009 and planned various added ventures outside the printed programme.We also heard from a member how she and her husband had been evacuated from their hotel in the Cumbrian floodsThe only sore point as far as I am concerned was to hear several members when the new voting system for resolutions was discussed say they never read WI Life magazine and therefore had thrown away their voting form unseen. I ask you !!! That magazine has really improved over the year and has provided much more direct information to the members so that they can learn what the WI is doing about the issues of the day, all our campaigns. It leaves me speechless!
1st December
The members of the Book Group are struggling with Ivanhoe.The idea was to read a classic for a change and we knew the story and some could remember Errol Flynn in the film but the reading is hard work. Yet we read it as schoolchildren so perhaps we have been dumbed down as well. Anyway we went back to talking about Beyond Black and what we had thought of the Readers' Day in Chesham which we had enjoyed very much. We shall try to obtain one of the titles mentioned there for the January meeting.
A very small meeting of the local craft members at which we thought about what we would offer in the new year.It seems most likely that we shall do some more decoupage and have a go at ribboncraft.We will need to do a bit of research on projects using these skills and see what appeals to the majority.
6th December
I hope some of you watched the programme on Alan Bennett when he was speaking at a local WI in North Yorkshire. He watched the members perform a little play which he had written for them. Wow! Imagine having a playwright of that standing writing for your WI Group meeting! The documentary revealed how Alan Bennett learned his craft. He is obviously a great watcher of people but possibly more of a listener to conversations around him.No wonder he came up with such marvellous parts for Thora Hurd.
4th December
A sad day for BFWI because Jean Baldock, our Federation Chairman of the last few years, died this morning. Jean had been fighting cancer for 5 years but all the while working for the WI as a member of Executive and as a WI Adviser. This was doubly noble when you think of the mileage she had to cover getting between Lavendon and High Wycombe for meetings.She must have felt so tired so often. Jean was never a great talker but whatever she said was sensible and well thought out and she was absolutely dedicated to the WI. We all owe a lot to Jean and she will be missed by everyone as a caring, pleasant individual and a strong family person.
Then of course life must go on and in the evening we went off to Mursley to listen to the annual concert from the Bletchley Belles. This was as enjoyable as ever. It is good to hear people singing for the joy of it.The group donates its fee equally to the Mursley WI and to Willen Hospice which is where poor Jean ended her life.
3rd December
It was the town's Christmas Fayre this evening when the lights are switched on and there are all sorts of activities in the Market Square.The WI had a stall undercover in the Church Hall for which we were thankful as it was freezing cold outside.This was good for business as people came in to warm up and we did quite well.It is a family affair with dressing up and jugglers and hot chestnuts etc. Everyone seemed in a good mood and spending freely.It is a strange thing that people have two interpretations of the term "home made".It is used as a mark of approval, old values, something to be preserved but at the same time people think because it is home made it should be cheap. What about the hours taken to make items, whether it be cooking time or craft ? You can't have it both ways: so often to my mind, the WI sells itself short. I hate to hear members say "OK I'd rather sell it now than wait to try to obtain the asking price".
2nd December
The local WI meeting tonight was in party mood. We had a new president and we were celebrating a successful result from our fundraising barn dance. We had a session on giftwrapping, voted on whom we would like to put up for the award given by the Town Council to someone who had been especially community-minded in 2009 and planned various added ventures outside the printed programme.We also heard from a member how she and her husband had been evacuated from their hotel in the Cumbrian floodsThe only sore point as far as I am concerned was to hear several members when the new voting system for resolutions was discussed say they never read WI Life magazine and therefore had thrown away their voting form unseen. I ask you !!! That magazine has really improved over the year and has provided much more direct information to the members so that they can learn what the WI is doing about the issues of the day, all our campaigns. It leaves me speechless!
1st December
The members of the Book Group are struggling with Ivanhoe.The idea was to read a classic for a change and we knew the story and some could remember Errol Flynn in the film but the reading is hard work. Yet we read it as schoolchildren so perhaps we have been dumbed down as well. Anyway we went back to talking about Beyond Black and what we had thought of the Readers' Day in Chesham which we had enjoyed very much. We shall try to obtain one of the titles mentioned there for the January meeting.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
In full flow
21st November
This evening the local WI hosted its Barn Dance and I think we can safely say it was a success.It was a new experience for the WI to hold this type of event so we were uncertain right up to last week about the outcome as the tickets seemed to be selling very slowly but we ended up with over 80 people of all ages and they all danced. The caller was excellent, the food was good and plentiful and the whole evening was enjoyable. We even had teenage gate-crashers which is probably a first for a WI event! Maybe barn dances are the way to attract younger members.It was our annual fund-raiser but the final sums have not been done.The important point is that it was a team effort when several members who could not attend the dance provided items for the supper.
20th November
An aside really here. When one sees pictures of people gathered in village halls and schools in Cumbria as their houses fill up with flood waters, one realises the importance of the system of emergency planning in which our WIs play such a welcome part. I bet the Cumbrian WI members are handing out tea and sympathy from those kitchens and being generally helpful.It could be us who have to report suddenly for duty in a crisis, to swing into action as rehearsed.
19th November
This morning saw the launch of the new part-time Post Office in Twyford village. There was a small opening ceremony in the United Reform Church at which the local people who had campaigned for the return of postal services to the village gathered and were duly photographed by the local press.The WI has been instrumental in raising people's awareness to the loss of services to rural communities so several of us went along to show how much this development was appreciated. It is now up to the local residents to take advantage of the new service. There are to be four other part-time Post Offices in North Bucks all run under the one peripatetic sub-postmistress so let us hope that the venture will prove a success.
In the afternoon some of us went to Stony Stratford where Bucks WI goods were on sale in a member's house. Items from the WI Shop down at High Wycombe are transported to some town in the north of the County in November every year so that WI members who cannot reach the shop may see what is available. It is also a social occasion with probably the first mincepies of the season for all to share. There was a lot of chat about the new WI logo which had been released in the November issue of WI Life magazine.We agreed it was smart and would be useful in printed paperwork but it isn't as strikingly visible as the old WI tree.It will not do the same job as our trees on boards at road ends to help identify halls used for events.Anyway we will still be able to use our wooden trees until they fall to pieces which probably wont be all that long either as they are becoming tatty round the edges.
This evening the local WI hosted its Barn Dance and I think we can safely say it was a success.It was a new experience for the WI to hold this type of event so we were uncertain right up to last week about the outcome as the tickets seemed to be selling very slowly but we ended up with over 80 people of all ages and they all danced. The caller was excellent, the food was good and plentiful and the whole evening was enjoyable. We even had teenage gate-crashers which is probably a first for a WI event! Maybe barn dances are the way to attract younger members.It was our annual fund-raiser but the final sums have not been done.The important point is that it was a team effort when several members who could not attend the dance provided items for the supper.
20th November
An aside really here. When one sees pictures of people gathered in village halls and schools in Cumbria as their houses fill up with flood waters, one realises the importance of the system of emergency planning in which our WIs play such a welcome part. I bet the Cumbrian WI members are handing out tea and sympathy from those kitchens and being generally helpful.It could be us who have to report suddenly for duty in a crisis, to swing into action as rehearsed.
19th November
This morning saw the launch of the new part-time Post Office in Twyford village. There was a small opening ceremony in the United Reform Church at which the local people who had campaigned for the return of postal services to the village gathered and were duly photographed by the local press.The WI has been instrumental in raising people's awareness to the loss of services to rural communities so several of us went along to show how much this development was appreciated. It is now up to the local residents to take advantage of the new service. There are to be four other part-time Post Offices in North Bucks all run under the one peripatetic sub-postmistress so let us hope that the venture will prove a success.
In the afternoon some of us went to Stony Stratford where Bucks WI goods were on sale in a member's house. Items from the WI Shop down at High Wycombe are transported to some town in the north of the County in November every year so that WI members who cannot reach the shop may see what is available. It is also a social occasion with probably the first mincepies of the season for all to share. There was a lot of chat about the new WI logo which had been released in the November issue of WI Life magazine.We agreed it was smart and would be useful in printed paperwork but it isn't as strikingly visible as the old WI tree.It will not do the same job as our trees on boards at road ends to help identify halls used for events.Anyway we will still be able to use our wooden trees until they fall to pieces which probably wont be all that long either as they are becoming tatty round the edges.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
A mixed bag
17th November
Good news today that the Post Office at Twyford is going to be re-instated albeit just twice a week. There is to be a mini grand opening tomorrow. The WI over the last three years has done a lot of campaigning to keep post offices open but it has been an uphill battle so even two days a week is a success. Let's hope that the local people prove it valuable to them.
16th November
There was a large audience at Longueville Hall, Newton Longueville today for the Gourmet Christmas demonstration organised by the new Home and Gardens Sub-committee. The morning passed well as we watched the team produce preserves for Christmas and the lunch of soup and rolls was lovely. It was also quite an achievement logistically as there were about 140 people to serve.However the afternoon was disappointing because the demonstrators had not included enough on their programme to keep us occupied.It was the first time that they had demonstrated to a WI audience but were experienced in running courses at their own base for students and corporate events.They were such pleasant people that the audience was half way to forgiving them and certainly the WI subcommittee was in no way responsible for the shortened afternoon session.It was a very social meeting which was enjoyable in itself.
14th November
Five members of the local WI Book Group drove down to Chesham for a Writers' Day organised by the Bucks County Library.It was held in the Town Hall which we could see but not actually reach by car before two abortive attempts! There must have been almost 100 people there. During the day there were 2 sessions when we were all together and then we had the choice of two sessions from six.Three female crime writers held a conversation about writing crime novels, there was a travel author and another discussing his progress from poetry appreciation to scientific writing and finally a biography of Charles Darwin.Our members kept meeting up as we went our different ways but we also met other WI members who were attending and even former school friends. The Bucks County Library hold these events every year and publish a newsletter for book groups which is useful when picking new titles to read. We tend to go our own way but every now and then follow up a suggestion. It was a very good day and well worth a visit.
12th November
Today was the Education and Current Affairs subcommittee meeting and lots of other things happening down at Stuart Lodge. We had a long agenda but managed to get through it before lunch. A lot of time was taken up with reviewing the events held in September and October, the second Brain Games and the International Day on Holland. Fortunately both had been successful and we had received favourable comments. I just wish we had taken some photos to put in either the newsletter or on the website.The correspondence included a letter from an organisation wanting WIs to discuss these new electronic patient records. I don't think we can avoid them, however much we doubt their security, but I wonder how many members would attend a small discussion party on this subject. We held one on stem cell biology and another on climate change so perhaps...The other topic was the NFWI's campaign to approach tea firms to ask them to use only Fairtrade produce. Taylors of Harrogate use some Fairtrade tea but have other sources too. The firm will obviously resent the WI interference on this as they have been environmentally active for years and are members of the Rain Forest Alliance. They have also been extremely generous towards WIs so it will be interesting to see what the individual WIs do about this campaign.
11th November
An exceedingly small group from the BFWI met to review progress on our website. And there is progress! For Heaven's sake all of you take the time to have a look. Our website manager is working wonders and what we need now is for the WI members and the WI committees to submit material whether it be written accounts or photos so that there is always a change of items on the screen. If members and the outside world can see what we are doing and what fun we have, we will never have to cancel events and will attract new members.We must come out from under our collective bushel.
4th November
Local WI Annual meeting tonight and a very good turn out.Actually it was a very lively meeting and we were able to catch up on quite a few things that have been hanging over us for a while.We heard from our members who took part in the Emergency Planning day, about all the BFWI events that had been attended and we learned the result of the vote on where we are to meet next year. We are on the move, girls! The finances are OK although we lost a little money last year. We have a new President, a new Treasurer and the same Secretary. The Barn Dance will go ahead, although the sale of tickets has been a trifle slow so far. This is our major fundraiser this year so we wouldn't like to cancel it.I am sure it will be very enjoyable and the food volunteered will be first class as usual.
Good news today that the Post Office at Twyford is going to be re-instated albeit just twice a week. There is to be a mini grand opening tomorrow. The WI over the last three years has done a lot of campaigning to keep post offices open but it has been an uphill battle so even two days a week is a success. Let's hope that the local people prove it valuable to them.
16th November
There was a large audience at Longueville Hall, Newton Longueville today for the Gourmet Christmas demonstration organised by the new Home and Gardens Sub-committee. The morning passed well as we watched the team produce preserves for Christmas and the lunch of soup and rolls was lovely. It was also quite an achievement logistically as there were about 140 people to serve.However the afternoon was disappointing because the demonstrators had not included enough on their programme to keep us occupied.It was the first time that they had demonstrated to a WI audience but were experienced in running courses at their own base for students and corporate events.They were such pleasant people that the audience was half way to forgiving them and certainly the WI subcommittee was in no way responsible for the shortened afternoon session.It was a very social meeting which was enjoyable in itself.
14th November
Five members of the local WI Book Group drove down to Chesham for a Writers' Day organised by the Bucks County Library.It was held in the Town Hall which we could see but not actually reach by car before two abortive attempts! There must have been almost 100 people there. During the day there were 2 sessions when we were all together and then we had the choice of two sessions from six.Three female crime writers held a conversation about writing crime novels, there was a travel author and another discussing his progress from poetry appreciation to scientific writing and finally a biography of Charles Darwin.Our members kept meeting up as we went our different ways but we also met other WI members who were attending and even former school friends. The Bucks County Library hold these events every year and publish a newsletter for book groups which is useful when picking new titles to read. We tend to go our own way but every now and then follow up a suggestion. It was a very good day and well worth a visit.
12th November
Today was the Education and Current Affairs subcommittee meeting and lots of other things happening down at Stuart Lodge. We had a long agenda but managed to get through it before lunch. A lot of time was taken up with reviewing the events held in September and October, the second Brain Games and the International Day on Holland. Fortunately both had been successful and we had received favourable comments. I just wish we had taken some photos to put in either the newsletter or on the website.The correspondence included a letter from an organisation wanting WIs to discuss these new electronic patient records. I don't think we can avoid them, however much we doubt their security, but I wonder how many members would attend a small discussion party on this subject. We held one on stem cell biology and another on climate change so perhaps...The other topic was the NFWI's campaign to approach tea firms to ask them to use only Fairtrade produce. Taylors of Harrogate use some Fairtrade tea but have other sources too. The firm will obviously resent the WI interference on this as they have been environmentally active for years and are members of the Rain Forest Alliance. They have also been extremely generous towards WIs so it will be interesting to see what the individual WIs do about this campaign.
11th November
An exceedingly small group from the BFWI met to review progress on our website. And there is progress! For Heaven's sake all of you take the time to have a look. Our website manager is working wonders and what we need now is for the WI members and the WI committees to submit material whether it be written accounts or photos so that there is always a change of items on the screen. If members and the outside world can see what we are doing and what fun we have, we will never have to cancel events and will attract new members.We must come out from under our collective bushel.
4th November
Local WI Annual meeting tonight and a very good turn out.Actually it was a very lively meeting and we were able to catch up on quite a few things that have been hanging over us for a while.We heard from our members who took part in the Emergency Planning day, about all the BFWI events that had been attended and we learned the result of the vote on where we are to meet next year. We are on the move, girls! The finances are OK although we lost a little money last year. We have a new President, a new Treasurer and the same Secretary. The Barn Dance will go ahead, although the sale of tickets has been a trifle slow so far. This is our major fundraiser this year so we wouldn't like to cancel it.I am sure it will be very enjoyable and the food volunteered will be first class as usual.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
action plans
26th October
On my way to the Daily Telegraph crossword, my eye was caught by the Nature Note headed WI hopes to create buzz around bees.It is a nice little article about our SOS Honeybees campaign in Bee Aware Action Week. I hope you all ate something which the bees had helped to pollinate. I baked that honey cake which was the competition entry at the Bucks WI event at the Chiltern Open Air Museum many years ago. It is a lovely cake, absolutely fool-proof invented by one of the tutors at Denman College--the same one who is going to lead the next session of Basic Hygiene Certificates in High Wycombe early next year.Will I be sure to pass if I mention this recipe?!
28th October
Local WI committee this evening when we returned to the vexed topic of a change in venue for our meetings. All must be decided next month. Plans were made for the Barn Dance and we were also thinking some more about next year's fundraising event. Everything is in place for the Annual Meeting which promises to be a very busy evening because it will give us the chance to catch up on items and reports that had to be missed last meeting when we ran out of time.
31st October
This afternoon we were invited to a member's house for "tea and chat". The questionnaire which we circulated last year to find out what everyone would like to find on offer at the WI showed that social get-togethers of this type would be popular. The committee has responded with barbeques and soup and sandwich events and now this tea.We don't expect to make money at them but we usually do, so it helps with the annual finance sheet. Unfortunately some of the people who asked for them haven't turned up but that's their look-out! I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to meet people beyond the monthly meeting and it is surprising how helpful it can be to sort out minor details of the up and coming programme.
On my way to the Daily Telegraph crossword, my eye was caught by the Nature Note headed WI hopes to create buzz around bees.It is a nice little article about our SOS Honeybees campaign in Bee Aware Action Week. I hope you all ate something which the bees had helped to pollinate. I baked that honey cake which was the competition entry at the Bucks WI event at the Chiltern Open Air Museum many years ago. It is a lovely cake, absolutely fool-proof invented by one of the tutors at Denman College--the same one who is going to lead the next session of Basic Hygiene Certificates in High Wycombe early next year.Will I be sure to pass if I mention this recipe?!
28th October
Local WI committee this evening when we returned to the vexed topic of a change in venue for our meetings. All must be decided next month. Plans were made for the Barn Dance and we were also thinking some more about next year's fundraising event. Everything is in place for the Annual Meeting which promises to be a very busy evening because it will give us the chance to catch up on items and reports that had to be missed last meeting when we ran out of time.
31st October
This afternoon we were invited to a member's house for "tea and chat". The questionnaire which we circulated last year to find out what everyone would like to find on offer at the WI showed that social get-togethers of this type would be popular. The committee has responded with barbeques and soup and sandwich events and now this tea.We don't expect to make money at them but we usually do, so it helps with the annual finance sheet. Unfortunately some of the people who asked for them haven't turned up but that's their look-out! I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to meet people beyond the monthly meeting and it is surprising how helpful it can be to sort out minor details of the up and coming programme.
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