W.I. Newsletter October 2014

WI Logo2

Some of our members have been fantastically busy this month; several attended the Anton Danebury Group meeting where the guest speaker was Thomas Plant – of Flog It & Antiques Road Trip fame – he said he wanted to talk about his favourite subject, himself!   He was an amusing, entertaining speaker and gave an insight into the life of an auctioneer away from our t.v. screens and confided he makes a living from death, divorce and down-sizing. To every cloud this is a silver-lining, for someone at least.

Ten of us were lucky to get seats in The Anvil in Basingstoke for the Autumn Meeting of Hampshire Federation – it was over-subscribed – to hear Michael Portillo, who was a brilliant speaker. (Yes we did travel by train). Speaking without notes but with self-deprecating humour, he touched on his life in politics, his family roots – the effect the Spanish Civil War had on his father’s family, as well as his new career in the media. He answered questions put to him by the audience, most of which focused on his railway journeys, including one about his colourful jackets!

It was then time to create some family heirlooms of our own, well that might be exaggerating just a little.   Louise Simmonds was so patient with us at last year’s Craft Day, that we asked her to return, this time to give us tuition in wire work jewellery. It is truly amazing to see what a wide variety of necklaces, bracelets and earrings that can be created from the range of colourful beads that Louise brings with her. Yes, we have asked her to come back next year, this time to get knotted (or weaving).   The choice is ours.

Our own member, Sue Farr, had also kindly offered to show us how to give a second life to all those lovely greeting cards we are fortunate to receive and loathe to throw away.   Sue may have regretted this rash offer, as we were an unruly class, but some of us did manage to create some lovely boxes, in which we can now place gifts for our friends and families.   Recycling is something the W.I. is always keen to encourage.

If this wasn’t enough, at this month’s meeting, Sally Miller from Hampshire Gardens Trust spoke about their work in making sure that all the historic gardens in the County are researched and publically recorded. We are very fortunate in Hampshire to have some important sites, for instance there are several examples of Capability Brown’s landscaping, some open to the public and some in private ownership. Sally also showed us photographs of sites where the trust had been involved, either in restoration or re-creation, such as the medieval garden just outside the Great Hall in Winchester, designed by Dr Sylvia Landsberg, and named after Queen Eleanor of Provence and her daughter-in-law Queen Eleanor of Castile, who would have walked there and used it as their private retreat.

Our planned speaker for November has had to cancel unfortunately, and whilst we believe we have found a replacement, details have not yet been confirmed. However, it doesn’t matter; come to the Village Hall anyway on 27 November at 7.30 p.m. as there is always lots to talk about – as you can tell form the above!

Diary Dates

08 November    –              Walking Group

13 November    –              Supper Club

19 November    –              Coffee Morning

27 November    –              Monthly Meeting 7.30 p.m. in The Village Hall – Speaker tbc

29 November    –              Lunch Club – to be confirmed.

Sharon King