20th November
At Lacey Green Memorial Hall today BFWI held a fund-raising lunch for ACWW (Associated Country Women of the World), the organisation to which the WI is affiliated.This is where the Pennies for Friendship collections which the WIs make, go every year. It is a shame that many members know nothing about the work that this worldwide organisation does for rural women wherever they live.Recently BFWI has been collecting for a self-help scheme in Kenya and has raised over £3000 for this group. The money raised today was the conclusion of this particular appeal so we will need to choose another one for the next year. Margaret Mackay who is the UK member of ACWW in charge of projects spoke today about the set-up of the ACWW and described the different kinds of good projects it carries out and then finished with pictures from our adopted scheme. We saw the women planting seeds for fruit and vegetables, setting up irrigation networks and harvesting their crops for home consumption and for sale.We enjoyed listening to Liz Eaton from Oxfordshire Federation of WIs talking about her sponsored cycle ride around Mount Kenya to raise funds for an orphanage for girls near Nairobi.Presently it is caring for 32 girls but wants to expand to hold another 80.This is an on-going project because girls are not valued in Kenya and therefore abandoned at the roadside when they are orphaned: their parents are often victims of HIV/Aids. The boys are more likely to be looked after by grandparents as future workers to bring money into the family.Both speakers made us feel privileged to be where we are with our families well-fed and healthy, living under a roof and able to go to school. If you want to know more about ACWW or become a member go to www.acww.org.uk and about the orphanage visit Liz Eaton's website. Liz will also speak at meetings within a reasonable distance of Oxford.
25th November
It was quite entertaining to be asked to promote the WI at the matinee performance of Calendar Girls at the new theatre in Aylesbury. Actually most of the audience were already members, some from as far afield as Hertfordshire and Cambridge so it was really a case of chatting to friends while waving a great big yellow sunflower in one's hand.I think the evening audiences would be more promising for recruitment purposes. Can you imagine that 4 women I spoke to didn't even know the connection between the calendar and the WI!
In the evening I went along to the meeting about the possible closure of 14 libraries in Bucks. Poor old Andrew Carnegie must be turning in his grave! I think the WIs ought to take this issue to heart and see what the members can do to help. It is no use saying it must not be considered as the savings have to be made. We must make the best job of it that we can and bring positive ideas to the next stage of these public consultation meetings.
Monday, 29 November 2010
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Fighting talk
15th November
There's no doubt about it. The WI is hitting the headlines these days... and all for the right reasons.Today there is a snippet about how the WI is joining once more with the National Farmers' Union to renew the fight for the dairy farmers. You remember the Great Milk Debate events a couple of years back. Perhaps we will have to organise some more meetings in areas different to those where past meetings were held.This time Sainsburys is voicing its concern that the price of milk to the farmer is so low that 3 dairy farmers go out of business every day.If the WI is continuing to promote local produce, it must support this industry.
Still on food-- what about the coverage of the Jam Festival at Denman College? We had a half page spread on that in the national Sunday papers written by William Langley which was excellent publicity for the WI as it is today. The sub-title expressed his admiration for the WI which he says has "a knack for preserving tradition while moving with the times".We can forgive the puns, if he delivers the message. I wonder how many members from Bucks entered the competition. At least they wouldn't have had the difficulties in getting their entry to Abingdon that those from the outposts would have suffered. Just how does one wrap a jar of jam to go through the post?
Earlier in the week there was a reported spat between a Shropshire WI and the Elfin Safety people working for Network Rail. Apparently WI members had been maintaining a station platform garden for years and had suddenly been stopped in case one of their number fell on the line. Naturally the members were outraged but it turns out that Network Rail does in fact encourage WIs to undertake these activities and has been known even to pay the insurance for the members, provided they follow their safety guidelines but some of these Shropshire lassies were over 90 years old! Age-ism raises its nasty head again. Gardening obviously keeps one fit.
10th November
The local WI discussion group met tonight.We discussed the WI campaign Care not Custody as well as we could with no real expertise amongst us.We are thinking of inviting a magistrate or someone familiar with the Courts to come along to talk informally with us.Obviously one must be in favour of improving the system so that the unstable criminal gets treatment rather than become lost in a prison, for everyone's sake. But how can this be done now that the psychiatric institutions have been closed and the sufferers are released into community care? And how can the WI alter this situation?
The latest issue of WI Life contains the resolutions for selection for the AGM in 2011 and the voting form for the WI members. We must think when we vote which resolution we can best promote and stand a chance of making a difference. Sometimes just writing to MPs is not enough because what we are asking for is too huge even for them; it is a lifetime's mission. I think the care for the mentally ill who have committed a criminal act, for whatever motive, falls into that category.
Something outside the resolution list which we could all get our teeth into is the proposed closure of public libraries or the idea of making them in to community-run volunteer establishments. Watch out for consultation meetings in your area and keep your eye on this local issue--as well as the high speed train, of course!
There's no doubt about it. The WI is hitting the headlines these days... and all for the right reasons.Today there is a snippet about how the WI is joining once more with the National Farmers' Union to renew the fight for the dairy farmers. You remember the Great Milk Debate events a couple of years back. Perhaps we will have to organise some more meetings in areas different to those where past meetings were held.This time Sainsburys is voicing its concern that the price of milk to the farmer is so low that 3 dairy farmers go out of business every day.If the WI is continuing to promote local produce, it must support this industry.
Still on food-- what about the coverage of the Jam Festival at Denman College? We had a half page spread on that in the national Sunday papers written by William Langley which was excellent publicity for the WI as it is today. The sub-title expressed his admiration for the WI which he says has "a knack for preserving tradition while moving with the times".We can forgive the puns, if he delivers the message. I wonder how many members from Bucks entered the competition. At least they wouldn't have had the difficulties in getting their entry to Abingdon that those from the outposts would have suffered. Just how does one wrap a jar of jam to go through the post?
Earlier in the week there was a reported spat between a Shropshire WI and the Elfin Safety people working for Network Rail. Apparently WI members had been maintaining a station platform garden for years and had suddenly been stopped in case one of their number fell on the line. Naturally the members were outraged but it turns out that Network Rail does in fact encourage WIs to undertake these activities and has been known even to pay the insurance for the members, provided they follow their safety guidelines but some of these Shropshire lassies were over 90 years old! Age-ism raises its nasty head again. Gardening obviously keeps one fit.
10th November
The local WI discussion group met tonight.We discussed the WI campaign Care not Custody as well as we could with no real expertise amongst us.We are thinking of inviting a magistrate or someone familiar with the Courts to come along to talk informally with us.Obviously one must be in favour of improving the system so that the unstable criminal gets treatment rather than become lost in a prison, for everyone's sake. But how can this be done now that the psychiatric institutions have been closed and the sufferers are released into community care? And how can the WI alter this situation?
The latest issue of WI Life contains the resolutions for selection for the AGM in 2011 and the voting form for the WI members. We must think when we vote which resolution we can best promote and stand a chance of making a difference. Sometimes just writing to MPs is not enough because what we are asking for is too huge even for them; it is a lifetime's mission. I think the care for the mentally ill who have committed a criminal act, for whatever motive, falls into that category.
Something outside the resolution list which we could all get our teeth into is the proposed closure of public libraries or the idea of making them in to community-run volunteer establishments. Watch out for consultation meetings in your area and keep your eye on this local issue--as well as the high speed train, of course!
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Plans and more plans
4th November
At the meeting of the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee today we spent most of the time completing arrangements for the coming ACWW event in Lacey Green. The trouble with the WI is that one has always to plan so far ahead so there were plans made for events in March, May and July 2011 which makes one feel halfway into the new year already. Every month the NFWI publishes its NFWI News in the same way as the county federations present theirs and it is part of this committee's remit to keep up with the campaigns on which NFWI is working.This means sifting through information so that we can encourage our WI members to become involved on such issues and mandates which have been passed at AGMs.It may be the survey on re-cycling facilities or Care not Custody or labelling of food with the real country of origin.It is all interesting stuff but it is quite a struggle to find opportunities to engage the Bucks members in these activities: we seem to be always lagging behind but usually manage to get there in the end.
2nd November
Local WI book group today when we were discussing "Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver. We had enjoyed her novel "The Poisonwood Bible" set in what used to be the Belgian Congo but this time she was writing about Mexico and the USA between the 1920s and the Cold War. No wonder it takes 10 years between novels because the author researches her stories so thoroughly.To weave the exile of Trotsky in Mexico with the works of the great muralist Diego Rivera into the stories of her fictional characters takes some doing.Not everyone enjoyed this book but I think even those who didn't finish learned a lot about the history of Russia after the revolution and Lenin's death and about the dreadful period of MacCarthyism in America which is not so long ago.The scenery in Mexico was wonderfully described.There was humour too and some memorable cameo portraits among the characters. I really enjoyed this novel although its length was a bit of a challenge which took over from all domestic duties until finished.
30th October
It was a triumph but the local WI members are absolutely exhausted after hosting a Murder Mystery evening for 147 people.We served a 3 course supper and the tickets were sold out a fortnight beforehand.Every year we have a big fund-raiser which we hope will attract people from outside the WI as well as members from other WIs in neighbouring villages. We have built up a reputation for good events and the townspeople support us. Some of this goodwill comes from the fact that we pass a proportion of the profits back into a community project: this year it will be towards the re-furbishment of the little meeting hall in the town centre, last year it was the surgery.Anyway the players were excellent, having written a play especially for us. The food was good, the kitchen members worked their socks off and the front of house waitresses were speedy. It was nice to receive messages of thanks and appreciation from the audience but not a good time to suggest that we repeat the event as soon as possible!
At the meeting of the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee today we spent most of the time completing arrangements for the coming ACWW event in Lacey Green. The trouble with the WI is that one has always to plan so far ahead so there were plans made for events in March, May and July 2011 which makes one feel halfway into the new year already. Every month the NFWI publishes its NFWI News in the same way as the county federations present theirs and it is part of this committee's remit to keep up with the campaigns on which NFWI is working.This means sifting through information so that we can encourage our WI members to become involved on such issues and mandates which have been passed at AGMs.It may be the survey on re-cycling facilities or Care not Custody or labelling of food with the real country of origin.It is all interesting stuff but it is quite a struggle to find opportunities to engage the Bucks members in these activities: we seem to be always lagging behind but usually manage to get there in the end.
2nd November
Local WI book group today when we were discussing "Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver. We had enjoyed her novel "The Poisonwood Bible" set in what used to be the Belgian Congo but this time she was writing about Mexico and the USA between the 1920s and the Cold War. No wonder it takes 10 years between novels because the author researches her stories so thoroughly.To weave the exile of Trotsky in Mexico with the works of the great muralist Diego Rivera into the stories of her fictional characters takes some doing.Not everyone enjoyed this book but I think even those who didn't finish learned a lot about the history of Russia after the revolution and Lenin's death and about the dreadful period of MacCarthyism in America which is not so long ago.The scenery in Mexico was wonderfully described.There was humour too and some memorable cameo portraits among the characters. I really enjoyed this novel although its length was a bit of a challenge which took over from all domestic duties until finished.
30th October
It was a triumph but the local WI members are absolutely exhausted after hosting a Murder Mystery evening for 147 people.We served a 3 course supper and the tickets were sold out a fortnight beforehand.Every year we have a big fund-raiser which we hope will attract people from outside the WI as well as members from other WIs in neighbouring villages. We have built up a reputation for good events and the townspeople support us. Some of this goodwill comes from the fact that we pass a proportion of the profits back into a community project: this year it will be towards the re-furbishment of the little meeting hall in the town centre, last year it was the surgery.Anyway the players were excellent, having written a play especially for us. The food was good, the kitchen members worked their socks off and the front of house waitresses were speedy. It was nice to receive messages of thanks and appreciation from the audience but not a good time to suggest that we repeat the event as soon as possible!
Sunday, 24 October 2010
Putting on a performance
22nd October
The WI is in the news again because a former member of Yarmouth WI on the Isle of Wight made a dying wish that as many people as possible might see a film in which she had appeared. Way back in the 1950s and 1960s, Pamela Green had been known as the Queen of Curves because of her roles on rather risque postcards and magazine shots, so perhaps the Calendar Girls were not as ground-breaking as we all originally thought.
20th October
It was good to hear that the Bucks WI members who had travelled to Canada had returned safely and thoroughly enjoyed their holiday. This tour was organised especially for WI members so they took in Stoney Creek where the WI movement started. They found it quite moving to think that they had been standing in the little room beside the very table on which the original constitution had been signed. The bulk of the party came from the Avon and the Worcestershire Federations but in true WI fashion our members made friends quickly and didn't feel overwhelmed by the larger party.There were some brave husbands there as well.
I should imagine I was not alone in being surprised to read in the national press that our WI Headquarters had lost the list of members who had attended the AGM in Cardiff in June. It was claimed that this was delaying the issue of the CD for the Christmas markets because the delegates' singing of Jerusalem at the meeting had been recorded and permission had to be given for our voices to be heard.How ridiculous is that! We were all told that the recording was being made so those who didn't want their voices to be heard along with 4000 others, didn't have to sing. Anyway, NFWI hadn't lost the list and if it had, the federation secretaries hadn't so a blanket permission could be given in a matter of moments. So girls, if you hear yourself issue a duff note, you cannot withdraw it now!
19th October
Our local WI group enjoyed a first class meeting tonight when a dwarf actor came to tell us about his experiences in the film world. He was very entertaining and obviously delighted in sharing his stories with us all. The refreshments were fantastic and the news of what had been happening in the various WIs was very interesting. One of the WIs in our group is forever writing up to the WI Headquarters in New Kings Road about concerns in every day life. Fine, but they always get a dig in about the rise in subscriptions for those on a fixed income. This year the rise is all of 50p. as you all know but off they all go on outings and on trips to the theatre without a thought of needing to save 50p on the costs of the weekly food shop. On the way home ---too late, as usual--- I thought of a good reply: it was the cost of replying to all those letters that probably necessitated the rise in subscriptions. No, to be fair, the reason for this year's letter was the proposed abolition of cheques. There I agreed with them. I'm going to keep a track of how often I cannot NOT use a cheque both in private life and in WI matters.I don't see why we should all have to have a credit card or internet bank accounts either. Getting back to the rise in subs I heard of a local member who took a holiday with one of the coach firms advertised in that little book of tokens we receive when we renew our membership. The firm offered a 5% discount which was more than the whole subscription she paid earlier in the year!
18th October
Those who missed the Autumn Federation Event at the Town Hall in High Wycombe missed a treat. It was unusual in being an afternoon event which precluded those members in the workplace but for the rest of us it was very convenient. Lucy Worsley, the Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces spoke about past life in Kensington Palace and she used our Bucks Federation new laptop and projector which had been purchased with a grant from AVDC. What a good speaker she was---so enthusiastic, such a vibrant little person whom most of us thought, when we first saw her, was someone's 13 year old daughter! There was so much information given in such an entertaining manner that many couldn't resist buying her book in which she writes the history of the staff and courtiers in Queen Charlotte's employ.
This talk was followed by a conversation piece about some of the experiences of three former members of our own Executive while they set up the big events of recent Bucks WI history. That was good too, and amusing---some experiences probably better in remembrance when at the time when actually struggling against deadlines and ghastly weather conditions.I wonder whether we could persuade them to repeat this at WI meetings.
Next a delightful musical interlude by Lisa Nelson and Eleanor Turner on flute and harp in which they delighted us with music by Mozart and Eric Scott the Jazz composer. It really was a super afternoon's entertainment and all credit to those who organised the programme.
The WI is in the news again because a former member of Yarmouth WI on the Isle of Wight made a dying wish that as many people as possible might see a film in which she had appeared. Way back in the 1950s and 1960s, Pamela Green had been known as the Queen of Curves because of her roles on rather risque postcards and magazine shots, so perhaps the Calendar Girls were not as ground-breaking as we all originally thought.
20th October
It was good to hear that the Bucks WI members who had travelled to Canada had returned safely and thoroughly enjoyed their holiday. This tour was organised especially for WI members so they took in Stoney Creek where the WI movement started. They found it quite moving to think that they had been standing in the little room beside the very table on which the original constitution had been signed. The bulk of the party came from the Avon and the Worcestershire Federations but in true WI fashion our members made friends quickly and didn't feel overwhelmed by the larger party.There were some brave husbands there as well.
I should imagine I was not alone in being surprised to read in the national press that our WI Headquarters had lost the list of members who had attended the AGM in Cardiff in June. It was claimed that this was delaying the issue of the CD for the Christmas markets because the delegates' singing of Jerusalem at the meeting had been recorded and permission had to be given for our voices to be heard.How ridiculous is that! We were all told that the recording was being made so those who didn't want their voices to be heard along with 4000 others, didn't have to sing. Anyway, NFWI hadn't lost the list and if it had, the federation secretaries hadn't so a blanket permission could be given in a matter of moments. So girls, if you hear yourself issue a duff note, you cannot withdraw it now!
19th October
Our local WI group enjoyed a first class meeting tonight when a dwarf actor came to tell us about his experiences in the film world. He was very entertaining and obviously delighted in sharing his stories with us all. The refreshments were fantastic and the news of what had been happening in the various WIs was very interesting. One of the WIs in our group is forever writing up to the WI Headquarters in New Kings Road about concerns in every day life. Fine, but they always get a dig in about the rise in subscriptions for those on a fixed income. This year the rise is all of 50p. as you all know but off they all go on outings and on trips to the theatre without a thought of needing to save 50p on the costs of the weekly food shop. On the way home ---too late, as usual--- I thought of a good reply: it was the cost of replying to all those letters that probably necessitated the rise in subscriptions. No, to be fair, the reason for this year's letter was the proposed abolition of cheques. There I agreed with them. I'm going to keep a track of how often I cannot NOT use a cheque both in private life and in WI matters.I don't see why we should all have to have a credit card or internet bank accounts either. Getting back to the rise in subs I heard of a local member who took a holiday with one of the coach firms advertised in that little book of tokens we receive when we renew our membership. The firm offered a 5% discount which was more than the whole subscription she paid earlier in the year!
18th October
Those who missed the Autumn Federation Event at the Town Hall in High Wycombe missed a treat. It was unusual in being an afternoon event which precluded those members in the workplace but for the rest of us it was very convenient. Lucy Worsley, the Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces spoke about past life in Kensington Palace and she used our Bucks Federation new laptop and projector which had been purchased with a grant from AVDC. What a good speaker she was---so enthusiastic, such a vibrant little person whom most of us thought, when we first saw her, was someone's 13 year old daughter! There was so much information given in such an entertaining manner that many couldn't resist buying her book in which she writes the history of the staff and courtiers in Queen Charlotte's employ.
This talk was followed by a conversation piece about some of the experiences of three former members of our own Executive while they set up the big events of recent Bucks WI history. That was good too, and amusing---some experiences probably better in remembrance when at the time when actually struggling against deadlines and ghastly weather conditions.I wonder whether we could persuade them to repeat this at WI meetings.
Next a delightful musical interlude by Lisa Nelson and Eleanor Turner on flute and harp in which they delighted us with music by Mozart and Eric Scott the Jazz composer. It really was a super afternoon's entertainment and all credit to those who organised the programme.
Friday, 15 October 2010
Talk about Talk
14th October
Well, that's a first! Someone hauling me over the coals because my blog is not up-to-date.I wish I could give the excuse that it is because I am having trouble using the computer in bi-focals but that has only happened now while my proper reading specs are being up-graded---or down-graded, whichever way you look at it.
So last night a small party of us made plans for our local WI's big fund-raiser at the end of the month. The time was mostly taken up with shopping and cooking lists as well as discussion on whether we should use some disposable crockery in order to save on work in the kitchen. Is it more environmentally friendly to use light and heat or to throw masses of plastic away? We don't want standards to drop because the clientele has become used to our events being rather special. The result is that we are going to have a bit of both but you will be pleased to hear no plastic cutlery! We are nearing capacity with the sale of tickets which is good news as knowing numbers makes planning so much easier.
13th October
Our subject for discussion at our meeting tonight was "celebration" and we had a first class cause for worldwide celebration in the freeing of the Chilean miners which was taking place even while we sat comfortably in a member's house.We had been thinking that celebration nearly always involves food but in actual fact lots of celebrations are small scale personal feelings of thanksgiving for the natural world around us; our families and gardens bring joy and a sense of achievement. Many of us bemoaned the commercial led celebrations which seem to sprout up throughout the year. The festivals of all the religions in our nation are cause for celebration to whoever follows that faith but Hallowe'en has highjacked All Saints' Day and so has Christmas been changed into a trade bonanza.The growing fashion for memorial services for ordinary people like ourselves not just the great and the good was welcomed: held after the traditional funeral or wake that we all remember. Mind not all of those were dreary affairs. Celebration and thanksgiving seem to have been interwoven since the caveman brought home his kill. It will be a sad day when no one can think of something to lift the spirit nor a single thing for which to be thankful.
11th October
A small gathering of craft people met to think about winter activities. While we are so small we cannot really afford to have separate demonstrations but there are some other members thinking of joining us on these afternoons. We will probably have a go at the competition for a handbag which the Arts and Home Crafts subcommittee is running in the Spring across Bucks and there is nothing wrong with spending a couple of hours in companionable sewing , knitting or making cards.
6th October
Unfortunately I missed my local WI meeting tonight as I had a family commitment. I know the members voted against buying a sound system for the WI which is interesting. Apparently they sorted each other out about standing up to talk from the floor and not engaging in conversation among themselves while being addressed from the top table: a bit of group therapy there obviously! I hate missing meetings because one loses out on booking for events and this year for the first time for donkey's years I didn't order a WI diary. I'll never find another which will have the information which I so often want.I was told years ago that the most valuable thing a WI member can do is to regularly attend the meetings. It certainly works the other way around.
4th October
Down to the Bucks Federation Office today for the annual Dates Meeting. This is when representatives from all the county subcommittees gather together to claim dates for the next year's activities planned by their own committees. This is very necessary to avoid similar types of events occuring in the same month or there being too many planned for the same venue etc. I always call it "the day of the long knives" but it isn't really like that! This meeting was rather special because we used the new laptop and projector which the BFWI bought with the help of an AVDC grant---paperless society here we come!. You will be seeing this equipment in use for many events in the future.
Well, that's a first! Someone hauling me over the coals because my blog is not up-to-date.I wish I could give the excuse that it is because I am having trouble using the computer in bi-focals but that has only happened now while my proper reading specs are being up-graded---or down-graded, whichever way you look at it.
So last night a small party of us made plans for our local WI's big fund-raiser at the end of the month. The time was mostly taken up with shopping and cooking lists as well as discussion on whether we should use some disposable crockery in order to save on work in the kitchen. Is it more environmentally friendly to use light and heat or to throw masses of plastic away? We don't want standards to drop because the clientele has become used to our events being rather special. The result is that we are going to have a bit of both but you will be pleased to hear no plastic cutlery! We are nearing capacity with the sale of tickets which is good news as knowing numbers makes planning so much easier.
13th October
Our subject for discussion at our meeting tonight was "celebration" and we had a first class cause for worldwide celebration in the freeing of the Chilean miners which was taking place even while we sat comfortably in a member's house.We had been thinking that celebration nearly always involves food but in actual fact lots of celebrations are small scale personal feelings of thanksgiving for the natural world around us; our families and gardens bring joy and a sense of achievement. Many of us bemoaned the commercial led celebrations which seem to sprout up throughout the year. The festivals of all the religions in our nation are cause for celebration to whoever follows that faith but Hallowe'en has highjacked All Saints' Day and so has Christmas been changed into a trade bonanza.The growing fashion for memorial services for ordinary people like ourselves not just the great and the good was welcomed: held after the traditional funeral or wake that we all remember. Mind not all of those were dreary affairs. Celebration and thanksgiving seem to have been interwoven since the caveman brought home his kill. It will be a sad day when no one can think of something to lift the spirit nor a single thing for which to be thankful.
11th October
A small gathering of craft people met to think about winter activities. While we are so small we cannot really afford to have separate demonstrations but there are some other members thinking of joining us on these afternoons. We will probably have a go at the competition for a handbag which the Arts and Home Crafts subcommittee is running in the Spring across Bucks and there is nothing wrong with spending a couple of hours in companionable sewing , knitting or making cards.
6th October
Unfortunately I missed my local WI meeting tonight as I had a family commitment. I know the members voted against buying a sound system for the WI which is interesting. Apparently they sorted each other out about standing up to talk from the floor and not engaging in conversation among themselves while being addressed from the top table: a bit of group therapy there obviously! I hate missing meetings because one loses out on booking for events and this year for the first time for donkey's years I didn't order a WI diary. I'll never find another which will have the information which I so often want.I was told years ago that the most valuable thing a WI member can do is to regularly attend the meetings. It certainly works the other way around.
4th October
Down to the Bucks Federation Office today for the annual Dates Meeting. This is when representatives from all the county subcommittees gather together to claim dates for the next year's activities planned by their own committees. This is very necessary to avoid similar types of events occuring in the same month or there being too many planned for the same venue etc. I always call it "the day of the long knives" but it isn't really like that! This meeting was rather special because we used the new laptop and projector which the BFWI bought with the help of an AVDC grant---paperless society here we come!. You will be seeing this equipment in use for many events in the future.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
For rich tapestry read webbing
28th September
We enjoyed a really amusing Book Group meeting this afternoon. It helps if the novel read is very funny which "We are all made of glue" by Marina Lewyncka certainly is.It contains all sorts of humour: that of embarrassing situations, the almost Chaplin humour of ridiculous physical situations, the wit of the choice of names of the characters, the fun of misunderstandings through broken English or garbled messages left on phones and the reactions of the characters. Even the cats have strong personalities! But beneath all this the author has serious concerns about the modern fabric of society where there are so many breaks in the material.She discusses the treatment of the elderly by the Welfare State and the threat of the worldwide web to youngsters suffering from family breakdown and looking for somewhere to belong again. We need glue of different kinds because if the bonding breaks down in ourselves, all the threads that were stuck together to make us what we are ruptured. We are stuck with the early beliefs instilled in us by our early family life.Nationalism, patriotism, class and religion hold us all in bondage.A marvellously well constructed book with a good ending and such fun! Members, a piece of borrowed advice; if you are looking for a man, try B&Q because he will come with a complete toolkit!
Not everyone liked the book which made for some good discussion and of course, we went off track on other topics.
25th September
Did you catch up on the Love Food, Hate Waste campaign report in the national press? Apparently this campaign which the National WI helped to run has resulted in a cut of food waste by more than 250,000 tons over the past year. You remember we were asked to use up leftovers in intelligent ways, not to buy too much food and to ignore some best before dates. There was also a 4% reduction in packaging waste per food item according to WRAP another scheme supported by WI. So we are not crying in the wilderness. Let's see how the swishing sessions work in this programme to act sensibly with our resources and reduce landfill too.
23rd September
A group of us from the Bucks WIs' subcommittees met this morning to be introduced to the new Bucks Website and to learn how to publish information on it.We need to be able to update items about forthcoming events organised by our committee members and keep the WIs informed on what has happened too. We also need to attract outsiders to come to some meeting and be drawn in to become a member.However it is not just the non-member we need to inspire but also the member who has not bothered to consult the website and has not felt she wants to communicate with other members electronically. Yet these same people are quite happy to join Facebook, blog or Twitter and many use Scype to keep in touch with relatives at a distance. Why not exchange views and ideas with fellow WI members? So let's hope, when this new website is launched very soon, there will be a surge of interest.
Our Web-mistress has set up an attractive home page and established many links which are easy to contact. We certainly enjoyed finding our way around the site and you cannot wreck the thing by experimenting. Actually one has to be very knowledgeable to be able to cause lasting damage to a website. Please, when this is launched, spend some time during the bad weather months looking at it and we can all learn together. It might be amusing to write up your adventures with modern technology because I think there is a rich vein of humour in some of the situations in which these clever machines throw us.
We enjoyed a really amusing Book Group meeting this afternoon. It helps if the novel read is very funny which "We are all made of glue" by Marina Lewyncka certainly is.It contains all sorts of humour: that of embarrassing situations, the almost Chaplin humour of ridiculous physical situations, the wit of the choice of names of the characters, the fun of misunderstandings through broken English or garbled messages left on phones and the reactions of the characters. Even the cats have strong personalities! But beneath all this the author has serious concerns about the modern fabric of society where there are so many breaks in the material.She discusses the treatment of the elderly by the Welfare State and the threat of the worldwide web to youngsters suffering from family breakdown and looking for somewhere to belong again. We need glue of different kinds because if the bonding breaks down in ourselves, all the threads that were stuck together to make us what we are ruptured. We are stuck with the early beliefs instilled in us by our early family life.Nationalism, patriotism, class and religion hold us all in bondage.A marvellously well constructed book with a good ending and such fun! Members, a piece of borrowed advice; if you are looking for a man, try B&Q because he will come with a complete toolkit!
Not everyone liked the book which made for some good discussion and of course, we went off track on other topics.
25th September
Did you catch up on the Love Food, Hate Waste campaign report in the national press? Apparently this campaign which the National WI helped to run has resulted in a cut of food waste by more than 250,000 tons over the past year. You remember we were asked to use up leftovers in intelligent ways, not to buy too much food and to ignore some best before dates. There was also a 4% reduction in packaging waste per food item according to WRAP another scheme supported by WI. So we are not crying in the wilderness. Let's see how the swishing sessions work in this programme to act sensibly with our resources and reduce landfill too.
23rd September
A group of us from the Bucks WIs' subcommittees met this morning to be introduced to the new Bucks Website and to learn how to publish information on it.We need to be able to update items about forthcoming events organised by our committee members and keep the WIs informed on what has happened too. We also need to attract outsiders to come to some meeting and be drawn in to become a member.However it is not just the non-member we need to inspire but also the member who has not bothered to consult the website and has not felt she wants to communicate with other members electronically. Yet these same people are quite happy to join Facebook, blog or Twitter and many use Scype to keep in touch with relatives at a distance. Why not exchange views and ideas with fellow WI members? So let's hope, when this new website is launched very soon, there will be a surge of interest.
Our Web-mistress has set up an attractive home page and established many links which are easy to contact. We certainly enjoyed finding our way around the site and you cannot wreck the thing by experimenting. Actually one has to be very knowledgeable to be able to cause lasting damage to a website. Please, when this is launched, spend some time during the bad weather months looking at it and we can all learn together. It might be amusing to write up your adventures with modern technology because I think there is a rich vein of humour in some of the situations in which these clever machines throw us.
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
September sorties
18 September
Did you pick up that article in the national press about the WI singers called The Harmonies who are releasing their first album at the end of October? They are obviously wanting to catch the Christmas market and need the support of the WI members. The singers are also featured in the M&S campaign promoting tea and cakes to play lip service to our image, while branching out into the pop music world.
16 September
It was lovely to be able to spend the evening celebrating a tenth birthday with one of our Bucks WIs. I remember when Fairford Leys WI was formed; the new members had to paddle across muddy ground to a portacabin but now they meet in a lovely hall with all mod. cons.The community has grown to about 5000 people and it is establishing a strong community identity which acknowledges the part the WI has taken in bonding the place together. It was the WI that was a prime mover in setting up the annual Fair on the Square which has become an important date in the calendar for the village.
There was a good atmosphere with music and tasty food and a chance to look back on the photographic record of the ten years the members had spent together. This WI is gaining members and keeping the founder members too. Congratulations!
15 September
After spending the morning wrestling with the technology of a new laptop, it was pleasant to come home to a gathering of the local WI play-readers. There were not many of us but we read two plays and enjoyed talking of past dramatic occasions when drama took a much greater role in our own WI and at NFWI level also. Next time when we meet we are going to read the play which our WI took to the Regional Contest in Cambridgeshire many years ago.That is if we can remember where we each put our copy. We were ever so disappointed that the NFWI pulled the plug on that competition at that stage, never holding a final. Apparently the money ran out which doesn't stop us bearing a grudge---we almost certainly would not have won but think of the glory in taking part.I shall never forget telling two rather startled policemen at 11.30pm somewhere near Baldock that we had just come first in a drama festival. Well they were the only other people in the service station at the time!
14 September
It was up early and away to Hampton Court Palace today on the outing arranged by the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee. Sixty members and friends spent a very busy day exploring the palace and gardens with two excellent guides.We learned a great deal about the Tudors which followed on nicely from the Henry VIII and All That day last June. Then the icing on the cake was for a small group of us to tour the Royal School of Needlework. We admired the conservation work going on there, as well as the exhibition of past masterpieces made by the students. I think we would all like to have been able to touch the lovely things on show and the bookshop held wonderful books which were very tempting too.The rain kept away until the journey home, the coaches were dead on time and the traffic reasonable. We returned exhausted and vowing to return to see what we hadn't had time to view in the few hours we had there today.
9 September
The Education and Current Affairs sub-committee met today and were faced by a long agenda.We spent the major part of the meeting deciding on our programme for the next year and some events for the one to follow. One always has to think so far ahead with the WI. Plans are well advanced for the Alternative Christmas lunch in aid of ACWW in November. Every year the WIs pay out a donation to ACWW in the Coins for Friendship scheme but few members really know what this organisation does. So this is a chance to hear all about it and also listen to an Oxfordshire member's efforts to raise money by cycling in Peru. We are aware of members' feelings and concerns about the planned disappearance of cheques in 2016 and also their worries about the new high speed train due to carve its way across Bucks.We are planning a BFWI response on grounds which will not set one parish council against another. A NIMBY approach is not the answer. Then where shall we go next for an educational outing next year and who can we persuade to speak at our Tree event in March? Everyone has a job to do before the next meeting in November.
8 September
At the local WI Discussion Group this evening we had set ourselves the topic of "climate".Well, the British are supposed to talk a lot about the weather so it seemed a safe choice. And so it proved:there was never a real gap in talk. We learned about the danger facing our islands if the Gulf Stream or the Atlantic Conveyor, as it is more scientifically known, becomes cooler. Then there are the problems of flooding and the effect of enforced migration which is extremely topical at the moment.There are those who have too little water and those who have too much, problems whci already cause friction in international relations. Was our weather really changing or do we just remember childhood experiences of seasonal extremes? What effect does the weather have on our mood? Don't we just talk about the weather because it is a safe common factor? It was in past times but now we have the shared topic of health and sex according to the media. Great subject, good wine, the chance to laugh together and the opportunity to get to know each other better.Why don't you encourage your WI to form a discussion group?
Did you pick up that article in the national press about the WI singers called The Harmonies who are releasing their first album at the end of October? They are obviously wanting to catch the Christmas market and need the support of the WI members. The singers are also featured in the M&S campaign promoting tea and cakes to play lip service to our image, while branching out into the pop music world.
16 September
It was lovely to be able to spend the evening celebrating a tenth birthday with one of our Bucks WIs. I remember when Fairford Leys WI was formed; the new members had to paddle across muddy ground to a portacabin but now they meet in a lovely hall with all mod. cons.The community has grown to about 5000 people and it is establishing a strong community identity which acknowledges the part the WI has taken in bonding the place together. It was the WI that was a prime mover in setting up the annual Fair on the Square which has become an important date in the calendar for the village.
There was a good atmosphere with music and tasty food and a chance to look back on the photographic record of the ten years the members had spent together. This WI is gaining members and keeping the founder members too. Congratulations!
15 September
After spending the morning wrestling with the technology of a new laptop, it was pleasant to come home to a gathering of the local WI play-readers. There were not many of us but we read two plays and enjoyed talking of past dramatic occasions when drama took a much greater role in our own WI and at NFWI level also. Next time when we meet we are going to read the play which our WI took to the Regional Contest in Cambridgeshire many years ago.That is if we can remember where we each put our copy. We were ever so disappointed that the NFWI pulled the plug on that competition at that stage, never holding a final. Apparently the money ran out which doesn't stop us bearing a grudge---we almost certainly would not have won but think of the glory in taking part.I shall never forget telling two rather startled policemen at 11.30pm somewhere near Baldock that we had just come first in a drama festival. Well they were the only other people in the service station at the time!
14 September
It was up early and away to Hampton Court Palace today on the outing arranged by the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee. Sixty members and friends spent a very busy day exploring the palace and gardens with two excellent guides.We learned a great deal about the Tudors which followed on nicely from the Henry VIII and All That day last June. Then the icing on the cake was for a small group of us to tour the Royal School of Needlework. We admired the conservation work going on there, as well as the exhibition of past masterpieces made by the students. I think we would all like to have been able to touch the lovely things on show and the bookshop held wonderful books which were very tempting too.The rain kept away until the journey home, the coaches were dead on time and the traffic reasonable. We returned exhausted and vowing to return to see what we hadn't had time to view in the few hours we had there today.
9 September
The Education and Current Affairs sub-committee met today and were faced by a long agenda.We spent the major part of the meeting deciding on our programme for the next year and some events for the one to follow. One always has to think so far ahead with the WI. Plans are well advanced for the Alternative Christmas lunch in aid of ACWW in November. Every year the WIs pay out a donation to ACWW in the Coins for Friendship scheme but few members really know what this organisation does. So this is a chance to hear all about it and also listen to an Oxfordshire member's efforts to raise money by cycling in Peru. We are aware of members' feelings and concerns about the planned disappearance of cheques in 2016 and also their worries about the new high speed train due to carve its way across Bucks.We are planning a BFWI response on grounds which will not set one parish council against another. A NIMBY approach is not the answer. Then where shall we go next for an educational outing next year and who can we persuade to speak at our Tree event in March? Everyone has a job to do before the next meeting in November.
8 September
At the local WI Discussion Group this evening we had set ourselves the topic of "climate".Well, the British are supposed to talk a lot about the weather so it seemed a safe choice. And so it proved:there was never a real gap in talk. We learned about the danger facing our islands if the Gulf Stream or the Atlantic Conveyor, as it is more scientifically known, becomes cooler. Then there are the problems of flooding and the effect of enforced migration which is extremely topical at the moment.There are those who have too little water and those who have too much, problems whci already cause friction in international relations. Was our weather really changing or do we just remember childhood experiences of seasonal extremes? What effect does the weather have on our mood? Don't we just talk about the weather because it is a safe common factor? It was in past times but now we have the shared topic of health and sex according to the media. Great subject, good wine, the chance to laugh together and the opportunity to get to know each other better.Why don't you encourage your WI to form a discussion group?
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