Sarah thanked Patrick for a very informative talk.
Members quickly recovered from any seasickness and were able to enjoy the usual bring and share supper with a chance to catch up on news.
After our business meeting there followed an interesting talk on the history of the RNLI by Patrick Edwards. Patrick has served in an educational capacity for the organisation for many years and was very informative, taking us back to the days of Grace Darling. He showed videos of various rescues. To say these were alarming is an understatement and left some of us feeling decidedly seasick. Those that volunteer for this service deserve the respect and support of us all.
Sarah thanked Patrick for a very informative talk. Members quickly recovered from any seasickness and were able to enjoy the usual bring and share supper with a chance to catch up on news. Sarah welcomed 11 members. The Harvest Supper was discussed and a possible date was given, of October 15th. In order to avoid overcrowding, it might be limited to members and their partners/husbands. No firm decision was made; members will be informed as soon as firm arrangements are put in place.
WI Day celebrations will be held in Withington Hall on September 16th. This will be a fundraising event for the Federation. This evening's speaker was Councillor Roger Phillips. He gave a very informative talk about his work as a Magistrate. Not all members were fully aware of the level of responsibility that Roger has in this role. The evening culminated with the first bring and share supper that members had been able to enjoy in over 18 months. Barbara welcomed Luke Mammett of Wye Valley Falconry who gave an interesting and instructive talk on Falconry prior to a demonstration that was met with great enthusiasm by all members and guests. He had brought four birds with him, a Harris Hawk, a White Faced Owl, a Barn Owl and a Saker Falcon. The setting of Debbie’s garden proved to be the perfect place to show off their skills and several members were eager to try their hand at flying the birds, closely supervised by Luke. The birds were a joy to watch but it was evident that the skill lies with the trainer and handler who must expend much time and patience using the birds’ natural instincts to produce results.
Barbara gave a vote of thanks to Luke. Big thank you to Wendy for these lovely pictures of the birds. Several members spent a delightful day at Stockton Bury Gardens at the beginning of July. The weather was calm and the gardens were beautiful, with an abundance of flowers. Thanks go to Elaine for organising a great visit.
At last, a face-to-face meeting! 18 members and 1 guest gathered in Claire Burton's lovely garden. It was so wonderful to see everyone up-close instead of in a grainy image on a computer screen and it was nice to regain a little bit of normality.
During the meeting, members voted in favour to support the WI resolution of the Awareness of Early Signs of Ovarian Cancer. Future activities within WI were also discussed, including a visit to Stockton Bury Gardens in early July and confirmed guest speakers featuring later this year. Later on, Deb's flair for keeping us all entertained came to the fore once again. She provided a brain-bending quiz, followed by a game of 'Smite', which involved members throwing a lump of wood at some smaller lumps of wood, in a bid to topple them and win points. It was such fun. Also, others enjoyed a competitive game of croquet, under Claire's careful instruction. Sincere thanks go to Claire for letting us experience the peace and tranquillity of her beautiful gardens. Next month's meeting will be on Wednesday, July 14th, again at Claire Burton's. 15 members attended this month's meeting. The guest speaker this evening was Charly Perkins, Fire Prevention Technician for Hereford and Worcester Fire Service. She gave an interesting talk on the numerous fire hazards to be found in our homes and how these should be avoided. It certainly served as a wake-up call regarding those everyday hazards that we barely think about.
Afterwards, members were informed of various WI upcoming events, including a 3 - mile walk around Pembridge and a photography competition. Details can be obtained from Alison Lord. June's meeting will be in Claire Burton's garden, at the earlier time of 6.30pm. The meeting commenced with a most informative and interesting talk by Ward Councillor Roger Phillips, entitled 'Historic Houses in the Ward'. Members learnt about several large and very prominent houses, including Shobdon Court, Knill Court, Eywood, Staunton Park, Broxwood Court, The Whittern and Moorcourt. Most of the aforementioned buildings were demolished but in some cases, a few of the outbuildings remain standing, to this day.
Thereafter followed our WI business meeting. Amongst items discussed was a possible future move to meetings, out of doors, replacing the current zoom meetings. It was suggested that the meeting in June might possibly suit. The year is going by fast as we arrived at our computers for our March Zoom meeting. Alison warmly welcomed eleven members. She also welcomed Yoga instructor, Sarah Williams, our guest speaker/demonstrator for the evening.
During the business part of the evening, members were reminded that subscriptions were due on April 1st. Members' attention was also drawn to forthcoming free Zoom events, especially the talk on modern slavery on Friday 12 March. In addition, WI raffle tickets have arrived. There followed a talk and demonstration of Chair Yoga by Sarah Williams. All members followed Sarah’s instructions and were suitably impressed/exhausted, by the effort required. Joints that had not been flexed for some time were unflexed and lungs used to their full capacity. Alison thanked Sarah for a very instructive lesson. Also this evening, members had followed instructions in WI Life magazine to make bird feeders, using tin foil moulds, coconut oil and plenty of seeds, with varying amounts of success. One member confessed that she had given up after her bird feeder disintegrated for the third time. Others had had similar experiences but had persisted and there were some excellent results. Definitely a winter activity, as coconut oil melts in warmer temperatures! The evening concluded at 9.00 pm following a short quiz, questions once again thought up by Debbie. Our local ward councillor, Councillor Roger Phillips will be our speaker for the evening in April. 13 members and one guest were welcomed to the Zoom room. Alison drew members' attention to two creative arts competitions, closing dates March 13th; also the calendar competition, which closes March 2nd. Details can be obtained from Alison.
Members have been pleased to read Nancy's letter about her 90th birthday celebration, which was published in the latest edition of WI Life. The activity for this month's meeting was to find one household object that began with each letter of the word, PANCAKE. The broad spectrum of objects offered up for closer inspection was truly astonishing, particularly when a pair of antlers appeared! Also included were the contents of one member's medicine cabinet and another member had an item from her horse's grooming kit, a curry comb, complete with historical reference as to the origins of the name of the item. Members then discussed good things that they felt had been the result of the Covid pandemic. Several members have enjoyed more time to spend with family, having children at home and are perhaps more appreciative of what we have, especially the support of the local community. Some members felt that they had become better acquainted with technology, as so much had to be done online. The meeting closed at 9.00pm. 12 members met over Zoom, it was nice to see everyone and wish each other a Happy New Year. Members discussed other things that might be included in future Zoom meetings, including the possibility of chair yoga, plus a treasure hunt. It was decided that the treasure hunt would form part of the next meeting: to bring along an item that began with each letter of the word, 'PANCAKE'.
Deb, who should be congratulated for her remarkable store of endless ides, had arranged another quiz, this time based on January. Some members were very well informed! Afterwards, members discussed their earliest memories, most being from quite early childhood. The meeting closed at 8.55pm. |
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