A Wonderful Day

Thank you so much for making yesterday's meeting so special. I loved every minute!

Great Night Out

We had a great evening last night at the Bacon Theatre in the company of Alison Neil and the Shakespeare Ladies Club. Didn't really know what to expect but anyone who comes with such a wonderful reputation and so highly recommended wasn't going to disappoint and sure enough, the whole evening was a delight.

Quite how Alison managed to squeeze in so many historical details whilst keeping it all so interesting is testament to her talent as historian and actress. If you haven't had a chance to see her show, seize the next opportunity. You will not be disappointed!

Too successful?

It's great when events are successful but from time to time we are faced with the problem of over-success!

Such is the case with our Annual Council Meeting which is so popular that almost 200 members will be disappointed because we have had to do a ballot for the tickets. As it is, almost 1000 members will fill the Cheltenham Town Hall in a couple of weeks, to hear Anne Widdecombe, Baroness Fritchie and our own Chief Constable amongst other entertaining agenda items.

There will be copies of Anne's books for sale and she will be pleased to sign as many copies as time allows. Of course, we'll also have copies of our own Gloucestershire Floods Book on sale for those of you who still haven't got a copy or who need further books for friends and family.

I'm really sad to think that not everyone who would like to be at this, the highlight of our year - and yet I'm glad that something has "hit the spot" this time. Liz will do her best to try to book Anne Widdecombe for another date later in the year but being the busy lady she is, her diary is rather full. Still, Liz is a persistent soul...as we know!!

I'm looking forward to seeing many of you there. don't forget to bring your chequebooks and credit cards - there's going to be some interesting things on our sales table and Minimal Designs are bringing their "classic accessories for stylish women" for sale in the Conference Room this year. That sounds as though it will suit us nicely, don't you think?

In the news

So exciting to have the launch of our book today and to see ourselves in the media. A quick google turned up a page on the BBC news site and then, an online recording of Points West, recorded live at the launch party in Tewkesbury tonight (sorry don't seem to be able to fix up a link to that one)

We were told by publisher Matilda that we are into the THIRD print run - that's more than 2500 copies and really quite something, considering the Booker Prizewinner this year had sold just 3500 copies on the eve of the competition final.

Not that I'm going to draw comparisons, you understand ;-)

(Oh, and it's three months to the day since I made the initial phone call to Suttons, enquiring if they'd be interested in working on a Flood book with us)

Superb speaker!

The last of the 2007 Autumn meetings went as well as the previous three and we were thrilled to hear Marion Canning, professional Toastmaster, whose immaculate presentation and excellent delivery delighted her audience. Not only did Marion mix and mingle with the members present, she made the most professional raffle draw imaginable! We have a lot to learn...

I am thrilled to hear that so many members have enjoyed these meetings and how well all four speakers have been received by their audiences. Thank you for supporting them all. If you would like details for consideration for your group meetings, Liz would be pleased to share them with you. Ring the office or drop her an email.

Going well!

Another two Autumn Meetings over and just the one to go, and I think this year's evenings have been the best yet. On Monday, we enjoyed hearing about The Secret Life of Auntie May from Jen Green in Highnam. What an amazing lady! Last night, we were in Bredon, to hear Polly Vacher speak about her solo flying expeditions and were inspired by not only her personal achievements but the difference the flying scholarships make to the lives of disabled people she works with.

On both occasions, we were treated to delicious home made cakes with our tea and had plenty of time to catch up with our friends. In total, these four meetings have attracted more than 500 members, making them a real highlight of our year, and the atmosphere at each has been happy and relaxed.

In Chedworth this evening, we'll finish off the series in the company of a Lady Toastmaster and 127 members from 24 WIs. Hope to see you there!

Kings Stanley Autumn Meeting

Friday night was the first of our Autumn meetings, in Kings Stanley with the honour of hearing Lady Atherton, aka Nadine Carr, who encouraged us to "Make Do and Mend". It was fun to hear her suggestions for getting through a tough time when resources were scarce and there were smiles on the faces of those who had experienced it all first hand - for most of us, of course, it was simply something our Mothers had told us about!!

The "Niggle Book" proved useful, the tea and cakes were delicious ~(Thank You Kings Stanley WI!) and there was a great atmosphere as more than 130 members got together to chat, to share ideas and enjoy a good evening out.

On Monday night, we'll be in Highnam, Tuesday in Bredon, and finally on Wednesday, we'll be at Chedworth. Hope to see you somewhere there!

Our opinions valued

A group of members from Stonehouse WI and three from Brimscombe and Thrupp WI came into the house on Friday morning to offer their opinions about some of Marks and Spencer food packaging. I joined them, with Eco-team leader Lisa from Tutshill WI
and Vice Chairman Margaret as well as Noelle from NFWI in London.

To begin with, the answers were none too difficult - of course, we prefer packaging to be minimal, recycled and reused where possible. But Helene and Lucy, M & S marketing and packaging specialists, had tougher questions for us when they threw freshness and labelling requirements into the equation. We hope our answers were useful to their team and look forward to seeing changes - maybe as a result of our contributions!

We finished the morning with a delicious lunch courtesy of Marks and Spencer and said our goodbyes in the torrential rain which had fallen throughout the morning.

We hope that Lucy and Helene arrived home safely, in spite of rail cancellations from Gloucester, and that Noelle's journey did not come to an abrupt end at Swindon. Severe weather conditions meant that getting home proved more of a challenge than we expected but hopefully we were all ahead of the worst.

Regretfully...

We have had to take the decision to cancel the Garden Party next Thursday. Our hosts, Kit and Keith Turner inform us that the field, which was to be used as a car park, is under water as a result of the torrential rain today and, even if it drains, it is unlikely to be dry enough to withstand the pressure of cars. In view of the weather forecast for next week - not good - and the preparations which would have been needed during the next few days, we think it is best to make the decision now.

I'm really sorry about this and thank Glenda and the Home Economics Committee for all the hard work and careful preparation which they put into the event. I also send my thanks to Ashleworth WI who were to have prepared and served tea this year - I hope that the team will keep all their plans together so that we can enjoy the benefit of their talents at another occasion shortly.

Phone calls will be made on Monday to WIs who had booked tickets to the event, and of course, a full refund will be given.

As I drove home from Gloucester this morning, taking several detours to avoid floodwater, I thought of our members in Longlevens, in Tewkesbury and other areas of the county likely to be under water and realise that many of you may be facing more serious problems than a cancelled garden party. I hope that the weekend will bring some relief from this terrible rain and that no further damage will be done. We are thinking of you all.

The Great Milk Debate begins

Tonight is the first of four milk debates in Gloucestershire and we are looking forward to some interesting discussion and an opportunity to find out one or two facts.

We're delighted that our campaign has spurred BBC Radio Gloucestershire on to featuring the debate during its morning show this week. Read more on their website here

Hope to see you at one of our debates:

• Sandhurst Village Hall, Tuesday 24th April
• Prestbury WI Hall, Wednesday 25th April
• Chedworth Village Hall, Tuesday 1st May
• Newent Memorial Hall, Friday 4th May

The Farmers Weekly have reported the launch of the NFWI campaign today and we're thrilled to see Sandhurst WI member, Deb Warren, there speaking up on behalf of her fellow dairy farmers. Congratulations Deb!!

Women of Importance

We have always recognised the importance of our Presidents in Gloucestershire Federation, and thought it was time to invite them to a day at our college. The programme for the day included an inspiring workshop with Joy Greasley and some fun in the form of a belly dancing taster session with Denman tutor Bev Sabatini. Lots of chatter, plenty of time to network and to get to know one another - even those who were new to the role left feeling inspired and full of confidence!

About a third of our Presidents were able to join us on this occasion and we are committed to at least two further days to accommodate those who were unable to make it this time round. Thanks, Rosemary and Barbara for organising the event!

Resolutions meeting

I thought the resolutions meeting this morning was excellent and really enjoyed meeting so many friends at such a purposeful event. Quite thought provoking - I went away with all kinds of things whirling around in my head and wonder if those of you who shared a car journey found yourselves talking over the issues discussed.

Pam and the Public Affairs committee did a great job of presenting this annual event in a different format, don't you think? Good to see so many members there, too!

(Though I had my camera in my bag, guess who forgot to take any photographs?!)

The Red Shoes!

We held two magnificent Christmas Concerts yesterday to universal acclaim from the audience who claimed it was "the best ever"! All down to the skills of our choir, led by Jill and formed from members of more than a dozen WIs, who, together with the band from Newent School, organist James Brown and soprano Jane Gilchrist, our guest artistes, put together a super programme. Ian, conductor, was on form and used the skills of the audience (playing car keys!) to make Jingle Bells go with a very special swing!


I think it was Maureen, a member of Eastcombe WI, who told me that in China, red shoes are a sign of authority. I wore mine to the concerts yesterday, but found I had quite a bit of competition!!

 

Hanten & Kimono

On monday November 20th another 8 people learned the secrets of measuring up and making some simple traditional Japanese garments. So how's it going girls? Finished yet? There were some really elegant garments being put together and I hope we are going to see them around being worn at some of those Christmas events coming up. To the last batch who did the course in April - are they all finished yet? All those elegant evening jackets and silky overshirts ae going to look great at the theatre and Christmas parties. Here are a couple in the making to be going on with.

An evening with Joanne Harris

Wasn't she great? To speak so eloquently without notes or props of any kind (ok, we'll allow her a copy of Gentleman and Players) takes some doing, but Joanne's easy, relaxed manner made the evening a real treat. From my place alongside her, I could see how captivated the audience were as she answered the questions posed so thoughtfully - there was barely a movement for those 50 minutes!

Meeting the person behind a favourite book is such a privilege and adds to the reading experience greatly, I think. I shall re-read her books now, with a different insight.

What do you think? Why not leave a comment and share your thoughts?

 

Super Speaker!

We had a great evening with Nicky Smedley, aka Teletubby LaLa, last week. Such a delight to listen to, her infectious giggle had us all smiling. We really appreciated Nicky's patience too, as she tirelessly signed Teletubby cards for members, grandchildren and at least one 21 year old!

Cooking the Goose!

Well, what a night we had in Coaley - Judy Goodman was on excellent form, entertaining us with her stories as she prepared a roast goose and ideas for accompaniments. Favourite of Delia Smith and one of Rick Stein's Food Heroes, she clearly knew what she was talking about and in spite of one or two hiccups along the way (we didn't mind seeds in the gooseberry sauce!) the end result was excellent.

185 members from 29 WIs packed into Coaley Village hall to hear Judy, which was a terrific response. Coaley WI ladies were in the kitchen, not only serving teas but also providing Judy's back up service.

Sadly, I forgot to take a photograph at Huntley, where 90 members heard Steve Brookes share some of his many gardening tips. We had a great evening, laughed at the method of collecting sheep droppings in a pair of tights and will all be grating soap before long. The friendly atmosphere and delicious tea and cakes served by Huntley WI ladies made the evening one to remember.  

Interesting meetings

I went to Ebrington WI's open meeting last night as "me" (ie not as CC), where they had a speaker from the RSC Stratford. Fascinating! Who knew that actors worked to such a punishing schedule for months on end? They must be devoted to their art.

What made the evening particularly enjoyable was meeting so many friends - there were members from several WIs there, all chatting and catching up with news and sharing ideas over a cup of tea and a bite to eat. This really was WI at its best...