10th March
A sub-committee meeting in Stuart lodge today at which we made last minute plans for our Trees for Life day next week.Most unusually I looked at my e-mails before leaving home and was shaken to find that one of our main speakers booked was changing his job so not only could he not fulfil his commitment to speak but he wouldn't even be in the country. It is moments like these that turn WI committee members grey overnight! Besides this temporary setback, I am pleased to say that everything else promises to be really interesting. We are also busy planning the summer activities with a nature walk and an outing to Blenheim Palace. Before that, we are giving a presentation for Women's International Day in Aylesbury and coming to give our news at the Spring Council Meeting where the ACWW representative will be able to announce that BFWI has reached its target for the Kenyan project.
8th March
There were several Bucks WI members among the invited audience at the Women's Aid 25th anniversary celebration in Aylesbury this afternoon.The work that this organisation does is marvellous and fulfils a vital need for women and children who have been subjected to physical and mental abuse in their homes.One had to admire the women who were able to stand up and tell everyone of their experiences and how Women's Aid had helped them. The WI has an on-going campaign against Violence against Women and works hard to support the needs of the abused here and abroad.Our WI always tries to save worthwhile items for the local centres and BFWI has a supply of leaflets if anyone wishes to learn more about them. Of course secrecy about the whereabouts of safe houses has to be maintained which must make fund-raising that much more difficult.I must say the refreshments were well up to WI standards but then some of them were made by WI members!
7th March
Some members of the local WI met this afternoon to learn how to crochet. This was quite amusing as there were a couple of absolute beginners who seemed determined to produce corkscrews but after a little while little pieces of flat crochet were appearing.We really need to meet several times to develop our skills but it is so difficult to find a regular slot which doesn't cross with other WI activities. We are all so busy and so involved with the town's activities.It is a shame if craft skills are lost and the new young members of the WI nationally want to learn them. It is also a very pleasant way to spend time with each other where there is a lot of talk and laughter and the opportunity to exchange ideas about life in general, not just the WI.
2nd March
One of the editorial team from the local newspaper came to talk at our regular monthly meeting tonight. We found what she had to say very interesting and she answered a lot of questions about the way in which the team selects items for the issues. Of course we complained that WI reports were often edited down and that sometimes our invitations to the press to attend events were disregarded.Our speaker was able to tell us why and we made her promise to cover our WI in a very positive fashion when we celebrate our 90th anniversary next year. We are planning an outing with our group WIs to the Bank of England and to repeat our Sports Day type of meeting as an extra in August. Then there are county competitions in which to participate for the Chiltern Show and the Bucks County Show and, wait for it...it will be soon time for the big fund-raising event we always hold in October or November.The initial plans sound different and exciting.Did I tell you we had 6 new members this year and our meetings are will become even more lively as none of them are exactly shrinking violets.
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
a mixed bag
1st March
I have just been reading the Buckinghamshire WI News which is full of lovely things to do right through to July. However, what a shame that 22 Bucks WIs did not return a single vote in the choice of resolution for the AGM in Liverpool in June! It seems a great pity that when every member now has the opportunity to express a preference she doesn't use the chance. Not one person out of 22 WIs! Part of me would like to see that the guilty WIs are refused the right to attend the Annual General Meeting but we"can't do that there here" as they say.
24th February
A busy day today rushing from one planning meeting to another. First of all a small working party met to arrange the summer literary lunch which promises to be great this year.We have booked a good author who is also a good speaker and we are holding the event in exceedingly comfortable surroundings. I'm not going to tell you any more at present so you will have to wait for a proper announcement in the Newsletter. Keep 28th June free though!
After that it was off to look at High Wycombe Town Hall to see how to lay out the room for the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee Trees event in March.It really is a pleasant venue and the buses stop right outside which avoids having to spend a small fortune in the carparks.The station isn't far away either.I always come away from these sorties quite convinced that something has been forgotten. It is rather like moving house when you realise that the diningroom table will not actually go through the door!
After that we repaired to the local Costa to draft the long agenda before returning home to feed the halfterm hordes.
23rd February
A lovely morning to go to the Wallace Collection on the visit organised by the Arts and Craft sub-committee.We were all punctual and enjoyed a good run in to London. It was pleasant to arrive in time for a coffee before setting out with our guides to look around the exhibition. These guides are so knowledgeable and make it sound as if they are fresh to the job when one knows they can be asked to do three tours a day. Although it was halfterm the rooms were not overcrowded and in the afternoon we were able to go back to see whatever we were most interested in with more time to really browse. The lunch was fine, a bit rushed because we had spent extra minutes on the tour, but it really was a very interesting way to spend the day. The journey home was slowed by a holdup on the motorway but one cannot make provision for that eventuality---better to happen on the way home than arrive late at our place of interest.
22nd February
It is always thrilling to suddenly see faces one knows on the national television.Sitting drinking a bedtime coffee, I was very surprised to see WI members from Bucks hobnobbing with the Duchess of Cornwall at Denman College! Apparently it was all kept secret when, as a WI member from Tetbury in Gloucestershire, the Duchess came to look around the WI college. She visited all the classes and was very interested in everything that was going on that day.
16th February
Tonight our local WI held a new members' evening in the President's house.We are rather proud of having seven new members and we agreed that they would get more out of their membership and more quickly, if we shared our experiences with them in a social setting. And it worked. It was a most enjoyable evening with lots of information given about the history and structure of the WI both nationally and at a local level. There was a lot of laughter too of course and I suspect that the committee members were spotting talent as well. I did hear someone say that the best way to get to know about the WI was to join the committee. I bet you were not the first person to be caught like that! It happens to most of us.
15th February
Over lunchtime the local WI helped one of its members run a jigsaw swap in the village hall in aid of Adoption UK. We had masses of puzzles to exchange or buy secondhand. We served coffees and soup and rolls and Lo and Behold the local press turned up --uninvited. Isn't it just the way when you ask, it fails to arrive and when you don't in walk the reporter and photographer. Anyway, there was a lot of chat and some jigsaw pieces added to the one on the table to complete and we raised £117. Something different which could be done again, preferably without a funeral going on nextdoor.
I have just been reading the Buckinghamshire WI News which is full of lovely things to do right through to July. However, what a shame that 22 Bucks WIs did not return a single vote in the choice of resolution for the AGM in Liverpool in June! It seems a great pity that when every member now has the opportunity to express a preference she doesn't use the chance. Not one person out of 22 WIs! Part of me would like to see that the guilty WIs are refused the right to attend the Annual General Meeting but we"can't do that there here" as they say.
24th February
A busy day today rushing from one planning meeting to another. First of all a small working party met to arrange the summer literary lunch which promises to be great this year.We have booked a good author who is also a good speaker and we are holding the event in exceedingly comfortable surroundings. I'm not going to tell you any more at present so you will have to wait for a proper announcement in the Newsletter. Keep 28th June free though!
After that it was off to look at High Wycombe Town Hall to see how to lay out the room for the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee Trees event in March.It really is a pleasant venue and the buses stop right outside which avoids having to spend a small fortune in the carparks.The station isn't far away either.I always come away from these sorties quite convinced that something has been forgotten. It is rather like moving house when you realise that the diningroom table will not actually go through the door!
After that we repaired to the local Costa to draft the long agenda before returning home to feed the halfterm hordes.
23rd February
A lovely morning to go to the Wallace Collection on the visit organised by the Arts and Craft sub-committee.We were all punctual and enjoyed a good run in to London. It was pleasant to arrive in time for a coffee before setting out with our guides to look around the exhibition. These guides are so knowledgeable and make it sound as if they are fresh to the job when one knows they can be asked to do three tours a day. Although it was halfterm the rooms were not overcrowded and in the afternoon we were able to go back to see whatever we were most interested in with more time to really browse. The lunch was fine, a bit rushed because we had spent extra minutes on the tour, but it really was a very interesting way to spend the day. The journey home was slowed by a holdup on the motorway but one cannot make provision for that eventuality---better to happen on the way home than arrive late at our place of interest.
22nd February
It is always thrilling to suddenly see faces one knows on the national television.Sitting drinking a bedtime coffee, I was very surprised to see WI members from Bucks hobnobbing with the Duchess of Cornwall at Denman College! Apparently it was all kept secret when, as a WI member from Tetbury in Gloucestershire, the Duchess came to look around the WI college. She visited all the classes and was very interested in everything that was going on that day.
16th February
Tonight our local WI held a new members' evening in the President's house.We are rather proud of having seven new members and we agreed that they would get more out of their membership and more quickly, if we shared our experiences with them in a social setting. And it worked. It was a most enjoyable evening with lots of information given about the history and structure of the WI both nationally and at a local level. There was a lot of laughter too of course and I suspect that the committee members were spotting talent as well. I did hear someone say that the best way to get to know about the WI was to join the committee. I bet you were not the first person to be caught like that! It happens to most of us.
15th February
Over lunchtime the local WI helped one of its members run a jigsaw swap in the village hall in aid of Adoption UK. We had masses of puzzles to exchange or buy secondhand. We served coffees and soup and rolls and Lo and Behold the local press turned up --uninvited. Isn't it just the way when you ask, it fails to arrive and when you don't in walk the reporter and photographer. Anyway, there was a lot of chat and some jigsaw pieces added to the one on the table to complete and we raised £117. Something different which could be done again, preferably without a funeral going on nextdoor.
Sunday, 13 February 2011
Meetings and more meetings
February 10th
Someone somewhere ought to invent a new word which we could use alongside "meeting": I seem to have to utilise the word all the time and it sounds too formal to describe the different kinds of gatherings which WI members find themselves attending. We all know about the meeting which the person whom we call on the phone is always engaged in, which I suspect is a nice little chat around the office coffee machine but then there are all the others; those where we do meet together when it is more like a conversational visit but has hopefully an end result.What should we term those?
Our local WI book group meets informally in a member's house. Sometimes there is debate about the books read, sometimes just conversations. This week we were discussing The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill which is the middle part of a trilogy featuring the author's detective, Simon Serrailler. It is a thriller which everyone found gripping although some members criticised the fact that the story contained pieces which obviously harked back to the first instalment or were hooks needed for the next.It was an exploration of the idea of evil being a basic element present in most people: it may remain dormant but can be activated by situations experienced in their lives.About six other books were exchanged and recommended so we will not be short of material next month.
February 9th
We had fixed the topic for the discussion evening before the mounting concern for the future of our local library branch. It was an opportunity for those who had attended the recent public meetings to put those who hadn't, in the picture.The Read-In at the library the previous Saturday had been very successful.In discussion it transpired that there were those present who could imagine a future without a library as we know it today, a time when people will be reading their books downloaded on to their electronic plastic pads but the majority of us couldn't find it in themselves to look forward to such a development. We discussed our experiences of libraries throughout our childhoods and student years and also what we could expect of a volunteer community library, if that should prove to be the only way to maintain our town library.
February 8th
The local WI Craft Group fell into abeyance before Christmas so this afternoon we had a meeting of interested parties to try to rectify the situation. It would be a great pity if craft activities went underground again, as it were. There is a lot of talent in every WI and one of the aims of the WI movement is to keep crafts alive. Many of the new WI members cite the wish to learn crafts as the reason why they have become members. The good news is that we seem to have rescued our group and in order to involve ourselves in a corporate effort, we are going to enter some of the BFWI county competitions. This will give us a purpose and a way of finding out what everyone is able to do. It is however, quite possible to run side by side with some members just getting together like an old-fashioned sewing bee and those working towards a competition or dare I say it producing a new WI tablecloth or something for a charity.But let's keep the ideas flowing and the crafts alive.
February 3rd
Two thirds of the local WI membership enjoyed an outing to the new theatre in Aylesbury. We spent the morning being guided around backstage and then in the afternoon we watched the matinee of "Annie".These tours may be booked by any group and the young managerial staff members are available to come out as speakers to WI meetings provided they may be fitted in to their heavy workload. It was a most interesting day and we were all impressed by the amount of activity backstage, the enthusiasm of the staff and the architectural features of the theatre.It really adds to Aylesbury's image as a growing town. We just wonder about the need for parking and especially somewhere to set down for the coaches. Anyway, make sure you come along to the BFWI Council Meeting on April 19th when you may see the theatre for yourself. Let's show them we can fill it too!
February 2nd
There are some who can throw a successful pot and there are those who can't. This we learned at our February meeting when we had a pottery demonstration instead of a speaker. We now have around 55 members paid up and more to come which is very rewarding. There are lots of events on the calendar, outings and meetings on various topics, workshops and the inter-WI county quiz. Badminton continues and the Wednesday morning walks are popular so there are lots of other things available beyond the monthly meeting.The names of volunteers to help with providing teas for the blood-donor service were taken and helpers came forward to assist at the Jigsaw Swap on February 15th in aid of Adoption UK. Members appreciated the work of the new committee and it is already planning the annual fund-raiser in October. It will be something completely different again I am sure.
Someone somewhere ought to invent a new word which we could use alongside "meeting": I seem to have to utilise the word all the time and it sounds too formal to describe the different kinds of gatherings which WI members find themselves attending. We all know about the meeting which the person whom we call on the phone is always engaged in, which I suspect is a nice little chat around the office coffee machine but then there are all the others; those where we do meet together when it is more like a conversational visit but has hopefully an end result.What should we term those?
Our local WI book group meets informally in a member's house. Sometimes there is debate about the books read, sometimes just conversations. This week we were discussing The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill which is the middle part of a trilogy featuring the author's detective, Simon Serrailler. It is a thriller which everyone found gripping although some members criticised the fact that the story contained pieces which obviously harked back to the first instalment or were hooks needed for the next.It was an exploration of the idea of evil being a basic element present in most people: it may remain dormant but can be activated by situations experienced in their lives.About six other books were exchanged and recommended so we will not be short of material next month.
February 9th
We had fixed the topic for the discussion evening before the mounting concern for the future of our local library branch. It was an opportunity for those who had attended the recent public meetings to put those who hadn't, in the picture.The Read-In at the library the previous Saturday had been very successful.In discussion it transpired that there were those present who could imagine a future without a library as we know it today, a time when people will be reading their books downloaded on to their electronic plastic pads but the majority of us couldn't find it in themselves to look forward to such a development. We discussed our experiences of libraries throughout our childhoods and student years and also what we could expect of a volunteer community library, if that should prove to be the only way to maintain our town library.
February 8th
The local WI Craft Group fell into abeyance before Christmas so this afternoon we had a meeting of interested parties to try to rectify the situation. It would be a great pity if craft activities went underground again, as it were. There is a lot of talent in every WI and one of the aims of the WI movement is to keep crafts alive. Many of the new WI members cite the wish to learn crafts as the reason why they have become members. The good news is that we seem to have rescued our group and in order to involve ourselves in a corporate effort, we are going to enter some of the BFWI county competitions. This will give us a purpose and a way of finding out what everyone is able to do. It is however, quite possible to run side by side with some members just getting together like an old-fashioned sewing bee and those working towards a competition or dare I say it producing a new WI tablecloth or something for a charity.But let's keep the ideas flowing and the crafts alive.
February 3rd
Two thirds of the local WI membership enjoyed an outing to the new theatre in Aylesbury. We spent the morning being guided around backstage and then in the afternoon we watched the matinee of "Annie".These tours may be booked by any group and the young managerial staff members are available to come out as speakers to WI meetings provided they may be fitted in to their heavy workload. It was a most interesting day and we were all impressed by the amount of activity backstage, the enthusiasm of the staff and the architectural features of the theatre.It really adds to Aylesbury's image as a growing town. We just wonder about the need for parking and especially somewhere to set down for the coaches. Anyway, make sure you come along to the BFWI Council Meeting on April 19th when you may see the theatre for yourself. Let's show them we can fill it too!
February 2nd
There are some who can throw a successful pot and there are those who can't. This we learned at our February meeting when we had a pottery demonstration instead of a speaker. We now have around 55 members paid up and more to come which is very rewarding. There are lots of events on the calendar, outings and meetings on various topics, workshops and the inter-WI county quiz. Badminton continues and the Wednesday morning walks are popular so there are lots of other things available beyond the monthly meeting.The names of volunteers to help with providing teas for the blood-donor service were taken and helpers came forward to assist at the Jigsaw Swap on February 15th in aid of Adoption UK. Members appreciated the work of the new committee and it is already planning the annual fund-raiser in October. It will be something completely different again I am sure.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
The World outside
31st January
Just in case you imagine that I have gone into hibernation which I would dearly love to do, I am going to add some not-exactly WI things which I have been spending time on. Those of you who were in at the beginning of this blog will know that its real function is to illustrate the various events and activities in which an average WI member in Bucks would or could be involved.The list of possible resolutions to go forward to the AGM in Liverpool in June 2011 includes one about the closure of libraries in order to meet the demands of the Government for savings in the public sector.My local town has a library which is under threat so, along with several other members of my WI, I attended the meetings to see what can be done about the situation. These were run by the Town Council and were well attended.After much discussion a Friends of the Library management Committee has been formed to explore ways of co-operating with Bucks Library Service to set up a "community library" with a lot of volunteer participation.This may or may not be the solution: we must wait and see.If you wish to read an excellent article on the subject read http://falseeconomy.org .uk/blog/save-oxfordshire-libraries-speech-philip-pullman.
The local branch of the Lions held an open meeting on another subject on which the WI has been campaigning viz. "Care not Custody".Actually this meeting was about sentencing in general in magistrates' courts but it touched briefly on the specific problem. I thought WI meetings were difficult to control but try the Lions! There were some fierce views expressed on what to do with various offenders but I think we were all made to understand the difficult decisions the courts need to make and the important role of the probation service.Some of us are going to visit a neighbouring WI whose next monthly meeting has another magistrate as its main speaker.This interest came about following the NFWI campaign and our local WI's discussion group.
One final snippet of information from the national press last week---did you read the interview with the WI National Chairman, Ruth Bond as an Eco Hero in the Telegraph? She was talking about our other campaigns on COOL labelling of foodstuffs and the use of hazardous chemicals.The public relations team at NFWI seem to manage to keep the WI in the public eye and to present a positive image. No wonder we are gaining members again.
Just in case you imagine that I have gone into hibernation which I would dearly love to do, I am going to add some not-exactly WI things which I have been spending time on. Those of you who were in at the beginning of this blog will know that its real function is to illustrate the various events and activities in which an average WI member in Bucks would or could be involved.The list of possible resolutions to go forward to the AGM in Liverpool in June 2011 includes one about the closure of libraries in order to meet the demands of the Government for savings in the public sector.My local town has a library which is under threat so, along with several other members of my WI, I attended the meetings to see what can be done about the situation. These were run by the Town Council and were well attended.After much discussion a Friends of the Library management Committee has been formed to explore ways of co-operating with Bucks Library Service to set up a "community library" with a lot of volunteer participation.This may or may not be the solution: we must wait and see.If you wish to read an excellent article on the subject read http://falseeconomy.org .uk/blog/save-oxfordshire-libraries-speech-philip-pullman.
The local branch of the Lions held an open meeting on another subject on which the WI has been campaigning viz. "Care not Custody".Actually this meeting was about sentencing in general in magistrates' courts but it touched briefly on the specific problem. I thought WI meetings were difficult to control but try the Lions! There were some fierce views expressed on what to do with various offenders but I think we were all made to understand the difficult decisions the courts need to make and the important role of the probation service.Some of us are going to visit a neighbouring WI whose next monthly meeting has another magistrate as its main speaker.This interest came about following the NFWI campaign and our local WI's discussion group.
One final snippet of information from the national press last week---did you read the interview with the WI National Chairman, Ruth Bond as an Eco Hero in the Telegraph? She was talking about our other campaigns on COOL labelling of foodstuffs and the use of hazardous chemicals.The public relations team at NFWI seem to manage to keep the WI in the public eye and to present a positive image. No wonder we are gaining members again.
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Into 2011
Happy New Year to anyone who reads my blog! What do you think of the new picture heading? It is another gateway or door meant to signify an entrance into all the activities which the WI has to offer its members. OK. I admit it's a bit loose this time and one could be forgiven for thinking the path leads into a black hole but that wasn't my intended interpretation.
What with the weather and the Christmas festivities, it seems a long break from WI events but last week things picked up again.Did you pick up that article in the national press about the appointment of a male Federation Secretary in Gloucestershire? It gave the impression that this was unheard of but Bucks had a very popular gentleman employed as book-keeper for many years and not so long ago either. Also there was a really amusing item in one of the publicity hand-outs from Waitrose about a reporter who had taken part in a Keep Fit Boot Camp at Denman College under the direction of an ex-Army instructor.One of her comments was "There was no way if you were undertaking an activity with the WI you could quit".
13th January
The meeting of the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee took place today.We spent some time reviewing the Alternative Christmas lunch which had successfully enabled BFWI to reach the target for fund-raising for the ACWW project which it had adopted for 2009-2010.The WI collects Pennies for Friendship every year for ACWW (The Associated Countrywomen of the World), an organisation to which the WI is affiliated. The project which we have just completed was for a women's self-help agricultural group in Kenya.We know that members prefer to raise money for specific ends rather than just pay over to a general fund so we will enquire into what projects are available and choose one for the next two years.If any WI wanted a speaker about ACWW there is always someone available in BFWI who can do this.
As a committee in December we had learned how to use our new laptop and projector and would be putting this knowledge to the test at our Trees for Life event in March. We have some excellent speakers booked for this so hope we will get a good take-up there. It was pleasant to be planning summer events which has to be done well in advance. It was also good news to hear that the new County website is almost ready for launching.
12th January
The local WI always delays its first meeting of the year by one week to avoid clashing with the New Year bank holiday. Our speaker was also local in order to avoid possible bad weather. His subject was The Churches of Buckinghamshire so we were able to view in comfort the architectural treasures of our county, all bathed in warm sunshine in contrast to the weather outside.There were a lot of reports of events before Christmas which had been enjoyed and the new committee swung into action for the coming year. We welcomed 5 new members and 2 visitors which augurs well for 2011. The WI has now completed one year in its new venue so the President conducted a plus and minus debate on the change. There are always some members resistant to change but the majority realised that economically and in practice it had been the right thing to do. Although the meeting place in the town centre had been refurbished, it was not big enough for our membership if we wanted to use tables for displays, the raffle and the spread of information to which we have become accustomed. We need the space for people to feel they can circulate and not just sit throughout the evening. Our next meeting is a hands-on session with pottery clay---imagine that with no elbow room! We completed arrangements for a tour followed by a matinee at the new theatre in Aylesbury. The votes for our choice of resolution for the AGM at Liverpool this year were also collected up for forwarding to NFWI.There is also going to be a WI presence at the local meeting about the possible closure of the branch library in the town.
11th January
We started the New Year locally with a meeting of our WI Book Group. Of course we had all received books for Christmas so there was a deal of exchanging them as well as talk about The Interpretaion of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld which was our set book for the past month.This novel did lead to a long discussion as it was a complicated plot and very long novel too.We felt that sometimes it was too long because the author wanted to do an awful lot within the story. He is obviously very interested in the history of the birth of psychological analysis so he ties the action in with Freud and Jung's visit to America for a lecture tour in 1909. He also wants the reader to appreciate the growth of the city of New York not just physically but also as a business centre in the world.We learned a lot about the building of the Manhattan Bridge for instance. The murders were very gruesome and we came away from the book feeling a bit depressed as the whole of society, except the detective and one young psychologist, was corruptible for money or sex. Are we being naive in thinking things have changed? Anyway, it kept us talking and was successful in blending true events and characters with the fictional.
What with the weather and the Christmas festivities, it seems a long break from WI events but last week things picked up again.Did you pick up that article in the national press about the appointment of a male Federation Secretary in Gloucestershire? It gave the impression that this was unheard of but Bucks had a very popular gentleman employed as book-keeper for many years and not so long ago either. Also there was a really amusing item in one of the publicity hand-outs from Waitrose about a reporter who had taken part in a Keep Fit Boot Camp at Denman College under the direction of an ex-Army instructor.One of her comments was "There was no way if you were undertaking an activity with the WI you could quit".
13th January
The meeting of the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee took place today.We spent some time reviewing the Alternative Christmas lunch which had successfully enabled BFWI to reach the target for fund-raising for the ACWW project which it had adopted for 2009-2010.The WI collects Pennies for Friendship every year for ACWW (The Associated Countrywomen of the World), an organisation to which the WI is affiliated. The project which we have just completed was for a women's self-help agricultural group in Kenya.We know that members prefer to raise money for specific ends rather than just pay over to a general fund so we will enquire into what projects are available and choose one for the next two years.If any WI wanted a speaker about ACWW there is always someone available in BFWI who can do this.
As a committee in December we had learned how to use our new laptop and projector and would be putting this knowledge to the test at our Trees for Life event in March. We have some excellent speakers booked for this so hope we will get a good take-up there. It was pleasant to be planning summer events which has to be done well in advance. It was also good news to hear that the new County website is almost ready for launching.
12th January
The local WI always delays its first meeting of the year by one week to avoid clashing with the New Year bank holiday. Our speaker was also local in order to avoid possible bad weather. His subject was The Churches of Buckinghamshire so we were able to view in comfort the architectural treasures of our county, all bathed in warm sunshine in contrast to the weather outside.There were a lot of reports of events before Christmas which had been enjoyed and the new committee swung into action for the coming year. We welcomed 5 new members and 2 visitors which augurs well for 2011. The WI has now completed one year in its new venue so the President conducted a plus and minus debate on the change. There are always some members resistant to change but the majority realised that economically and in practice it had been the right thing to do. Although the meeting place in the town centre had been refurbished, it was not big enough for our membership if we wanted to use tables for displays, the raffle and the spread of information to which we have become accustomed. We need the space for people to feel they can circulate and not just sit throughout the evening. Our next meeting is a hands-on session with pottery clay---imagine that with no elbow room! We completed arrangements for a tour followed by a matinee at the new theatre in Aylesbury. The votes for our choice of resolution for the AGM at Liverpool this year were also collected up for forwarding to NFWI.There is also going to be a WI presence at the local meeting about the possible closure of the branch library in the town.
11th January
We started the New Year locally with a meeting of our WI Book Group. Of course we had all received books for Christmas so there was a deal of exchanging them as well as talk about The Interpretaion of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld which was our set book for the past month.This novel did lead to a long discussion as it was a complicated plot and very long novel too.We felt that sometimes it was too long because the author wanted to do an awful lot within the story. He is obviously very interested in the history of the birth of psychological analysis so he ties the action in with Freud and Jung's visit to America for a lecture tour in 1909. He also wants the reader to appreciate the growth of the city of New York not just physically but also as a business centre in the world.We learned a lot about the building of the Manhattan Bridge for instance. The murders were very gruesome and we came away from the book feeling a bit depressed as the whole of society, except the detective and one young psychologist, was corruptible for money or sex. Are we being naive in thinking things have changed? Anyway, it kept us talking and was successful in blending true events and characters with the fictional.
Monday, 13 December 2010
2010 comes to an end
9th December
One of the Bucks Federation's sub-committees met today for an IT surgery to learn about the new technology which it has bought so that its members will be able to wire up speakers in a blase fashion and without undue nervous tension.Everyone should be able to see the advantage of this training at future events.It was a successful and enjoyable session. We went on to explore the NFWI website with its Moodle (training scheme), our own Bucks Federation website which is heralded for release soon and then on to the National Chairman's blog and Twitter site. We came away screen-blind but very confident; so watch out you non-users of computers we are coming to get you involved too !
This will probably be my last entry on the blog for 2010. May I wish my readers a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year with many enjoyable experiences shared in your WIs.How about a resolution for the new year to make a comment on this blog or to drop in on the WI websites at National, at Stuart Lodge and the numerous others across the county? I promise you wont feel a thing except a bit smug and deservedly so!
8th December
The discussion group members shook the snow from their boots and enjoyed a cosy evening talking about old wives tales and sayings.This was pretty light-hearted stuff after last month's talk of Care not Custody. Probably the most interesting part was the regional differences to the same saying. We almost strayed into a reprise of talk on superstitions and we came to realise that in the days before Health and Safety regulations the old wives were warning of the dangers around us in another way. What a lot were gloomy forecasts of disasters and evil designs in inanimate objects! We touched on the possible closure of our library and agreed to talk about that at our next meeting.
7th December
The book group met this afternoon and of course there was quite a bit of discussion about the possible closure of the local branch library. It would certainly be a great miss for our group as we depend on the Library Service for our multiple copies of books to read.We do sometimes buy in bulk when titles are on offer but on the whole we rely on the library. The book we had all read was The House at Riverton by Kate Morton which suffered slightly from its resemblance to Downton Abbey recently covered on ITV. Actually it had similarities with those kind of family sagas such as the Forsyte Saga and Upstairs, Downstairs: not surprisingly as we recognised that authors were using the same sources for the background of their stories. One of the references in Riverton was a book written by a maid from Gayhurst House near Tyrringham which is local to us. I tried to find it in the library stock but there isn't a copy available now.The book also had echoes of Rebecca and the Nancy Mitford books which are all treating the same period but it was well constructed, keeping its secret until the end and making everyone finish the book.
6th December
Some of our local WI members went out for a Christmas Dinner together tonight. We invite partners to these events as they are not a bona fide part of the membership and not every member wants to attend. It is a way of saying thank you for all the phone calls our partners answer, the chair-moving and the provision of a shoulder to weep on when everything WI seems in danger of going pear-shaped.These parties are always very noisy affairs and good fun. The food was excellent again this year and we hire the community bus so that no one need worry about being found driving under the influence of drink which would be very embarrassing and give the local press a gleeful opportunity for a really damaging headline.
One of the Bucks Federation's sub-committees met today for an IT surgery to learn about the new technology which it has bought so that its members will be able to wire up speakers in a blase fashion and without undue nervous tension.Everyone should be able to see the advantage of this training at future events.It was a successful and enjoyable session. We went on to explore the NFWI website with its Moodle (training scheme), our own Bucks Federation website which is heralded for release soon and then on to the National Chairman's blog and Twitter site. We came away screen-blind but very confident; so watch out you non-users of computers we are coming to get you involved too !
This will probably be my last entry on the blog for 2010. May I wish my readers a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year with many enjoyable experiences shared in your WIs.How about a resolution for the new year to make a comment on this blog or to drop in on the WI websites at National, at Stuart Lodge and the numerous others across the county? I promise you wont feel a thing except a bit smug and deservedly so!
8th December
The discussion group members shook the snow from their boots and enjoyed a cosy evening talking about old wives tales and sayings.This was pretty light-hearted stuff after last month's talk of Care not Custody. Probably the most interesting part was the regional differences to the same saying. We almost strayed into a reprise of talk on superstitions and we came to realise that in the days before Health and Safety regulations the old wives were warning of the dangers around us in another way. What a lot were gloomy forecasts of disasters and evil designs in inanimate objects! We touched on the possible closure of our library and agreed to talk about that at our next meeting.
7th December
The book group met this afternoon and of course there was quite a bit of discussion about the possible closure of the local branch library. It would certainly be a great miss for our group as we depend on the Library Service for our multiple copies of books to read.We do sometimes buy in bulk when titles are on offer but on the whole we rely on the library. The book we had all read was The House at Riverton by Kate Morton which suffered slightly from its resemblance to Downton Abbey recently covered on ITV. Actually it had similarities with those kind of family sagas such as the Forsyte Saga and Upstairs, Downstairs: not surprisingly as we recognised that authors were using the same sources for the background of their stories. One of the references in Riverton was a book written by a maid from Gayhurst House near Tyrringham which is local to us. I tried to find it in the library stock but there isn't a copy available now.The book also had echoes of Rebecca and the Nancy Mitford books which are all treating the same period but it was well constructed, keeping its secret until the end and making everyone finish the book.
6th December
Some of our local WI members went out for a Christmas Dinner together tonight. We invite partners to these events as they are not a bona fide part of the membership and not every member wants to attend. It is a way of saying thank you for all the phone calls our partners answer, the chair-moving and the provision of a shoulder to weep on when everything WI seems in danger of going pear-shaped.These parties are always very noisy affairs and good fun. The food was excellent again this year and we hire the community bus so that no one need worry about being found driving under the influence of drink which would be very embarrassing and give the local press a gleeful opportunity for a really damaging headline.
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Music to our ears
3rd December
The final event of the BFWI 90th anniversary took place at Haddenham this evening when a Christmas Concert was held in the local church.The BFWI certainly knows how to choose dramatic weather for its events. We will never forget the rain at Stowe and, not now, the cold at Haddenham. The walk across to the floodlit church over crunchy snow beside the frozen pond really set a Christmas feeling to the evening. The Aylesbury Concert Band played seasonal music and accompanied the singing.The playing of the Haddenham Handbell Ringers was so clear and silvery and sounded lovely in the church.How the players in the band managed to play the right notes with icy fingers I don't know: the temperature was just above freezing because the tower under scaffolding for repairs was open to the four winds and at least two were blowing cold air through the building. Luckily the music was great, especially the duets by Jacqueline and Susan, and the readings were amusing so we began to forget about the cold. It was so good to hear some WI produced music which has been missing recently in WI events.It was only as we headed into a snow storm on the way home that I realised I was warm enough to feel my toes!
It was also very heartening to hear in the concert interval that it is possible that following the promotional activities at the "Calendar Girls" we may be about to witness the birth of a new WI in Aylesbury itself. Did you realise that there have been at least two new WIs formed in Bucks last year? How come I didn't know about all these developments? Did I miss the announcement in the WI Newsletter? We should be shouting this sort of thing from the rooftops to encourage the others. After all this growth in membership is a national trend and it looks as though we are on the bandwagon.
1st December
I visited one of the smaller WIs in the County this morning for its Annual Meeting. It was feared that the members were not going to be able to find the 3 officers because most of them had already served their turn and wanted a break. Same old problem you might say but we managed to re-arrange things a bit and I am sure they will be fine for another year. Some small WIs are a lesson to those larger than themselves and here was further evidence that small is beautiful.The members had taken part in nearly every BFWI event even though transport is often a problem. They had participated in WI holidays, entered competitions, helped in the setting up of a new WI in close proximity to their own in spite of the imagined threat to themselves and done sterling work in the village community. I was told the average age could be 75 but they had been cavorting about on a float in the village fete parade---don't tell Elfin Safety! A lesson to us all.
It was the local WI Christmas meeting tonight. In spite of the snow there was a good turn-out and once indoors the warmth was there for all to feel.We voted on the split for the profit from our Murder Mystery Evening between the WI and the refurbishment of the meeting place on the Market Square. The new appointments for next year were announced and mention was made of the threat of closure for our local branch library. This tied in well with the exhortation to have our voting forms ready next meeting for the resolutions to go up to the NFWI AGM in June. Also the date was given for our extra group craft activity in June which is being funded from our money-raising events so that everyone can reap the reward for their hard work. And then.....we degenerated into a very noisy game of beetle and some pretty unfortunate carol singing! The fact we needed a little glass to keep out the cold on the way home may have had something to do with this. It was a lovely evening and now let Christmas begin.
The final event of the BFWI 90th anniversary took place at Haddenham this evening when a Christmas Concert was held in the local church.The BFWI certainly knows how to choose dramatic weather for its events. We will never forget the rain at Stowe and, not now, the cold at Haddenham. The walk across to the floodlit church over crunchy snow beside the frozen pond really set a Christmas feeling to the evening. The Aylesbury Concert Band played seasonal music and accompanied the singing.The playing of the Haddenham Handbell Ringers was so clear and silvery and sounded lovely in the church.How the players in the band managed to play the right notes with icy fingers I don't know: the temperature was just above freezing because the tower under scaffolding for repairs was open to the four winds and at least two were blowing cold air through the building. Luckily the music was great, especially the duets by Jacqueline and Susan, and the readings were amusing so we began to forget about the cold. It was so good to hear some WI produced music which has been missing recently in WI events.It was only as we headed into a snow storm on the way home that I realised I was warm enough to feel my toes!
It was also very heartening to hear in the concert interval that it is possible that following the promotional activities at the "Calendar Girls" we may be about to witness the birth of a new WI in Aylesbury itself. Did you realise that there have been at least two new WIs formed in Bucks last year? How come I didn't know about all these developments? Did I miss the announcement in the WI Newsletter? We should be shouting this sort of thing from the rooftops to encourage the others. After all this growth in membership is a national trend and it looks as though we are on the bandwagon.
1st December
I visited one of the smaller WIs in the County this morning for its Annual Meeting. It was feared that the members were not going to be able to find the 3 officers because most of them had already served their turn and wanted a break. Same old problem you might say but we managed to re-arrange things a bit and I am sure they will be fine for another year. Some small WIs are a lesson to those larger than themselves and here was further evidence that small is beautiful.The members had taken part in nearly every BFWI event even though transport is often a problem. They had participated in WI holidays, entered competitions, helped in the setting up of a new WI in close proximity to their own in spite of the imagined threat to themselves and done sterling work in the village community. I was told the average age could be 75 but they had been cavorting about on a float in the village fete parade---don't tell Elfin Safety! A lesson to us all.
It was the local WI Christmas meeting tonight. In spite of the snow there was a good turn-out and once indoors the warmth was there for all to feel.We voted on the split for the profit from our Murder Mystery Evening between the WI and the refurbishment of the meeting place on the Market Square. The new appointments for next year were announced and mention was made of the threat of closure for our local branch library. This tied in well with the exhortation to have our voting forms ready next meeting for the resolutions to go up to the NFWI AGM in June. Also the date was given for our extra group craft activity in June which is being funded from our money-raising events so that everyone can reap the reward for their hard work. And then.....we degenerated into a very noisy game of beetle and some pretty unfortunate carol singing! The fact we needed a little glass to keep out the cold on the way home may have had something to do with this. It was a lovely evening and now let Christmas begin.
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