On a lovely bright and sunny, albeit crisp and cold, Saturday in January our members gathered for our post-Christmas Lunch at Esseborne Manor Hotel.
Once again it was an enjoyable event, thanks to the hard work of our members Lynne Lucas & Gill Page and of course the staff of the hotel. With reminders on each table, members were prompted as to their menu choices and where to sit. Each delicious course was beautifully presented and served promptly.
Our President started by saying thank you to the committee in general and of course particularly to Lynne & Gill. At the end of the afternoon former President Kate Bennett stood up to say thank you on behalf of all the members.
Those members who belong to our various groups had met up earlier in the month including the Reading Group who discussed their latest choice, “Local Girl Missing” written by Claire Douglas, which is understood to have been a little disappointing. Both the Breakfast Club and the Walking Group met on Saturday 11th, the latter enjoying a ramble around Abbotts Ann followed by lunch at The Poplar Farm Inn.
Our speaker at this month’s meeting was Andrew Negus whose talk was entitled “Harlots, Dung and Glory”. Andrew gave us a long, very informative and entertaining commentary on the history of Portsmouth (Part 1!). He began by telling us that it is the only Island City in the whole country and has the densest population.
In 80 minutes, he took us from 1100, when it was a marshy island with a few villages and mostly agricultural, through to the late 1700s, by which time it had been attacked and defended several times, seen the birth of the Royal Navy, the growth of the dockyard and the building of various Castles and other important defences. Andrew is brilliant at bringing history to life, perhaps a little too graphic when it comes to the gory bits, but full of enthusiasm. Impossible for seven centuries to be summarised here in a few paragraphs, but when several of our members attend the HCFWI Spring Meeting in Portsmouth Guildhall in March we will be visiting the City somewhat more informed.
Our next meeting is on 27th February and as usual starts at 7.30 p.m. and is held in the Village Hall. The guest speaker is Erica Tinsley whose topic is “Frances Due Puy Fletcher”.
Diary Dates
01 February – Breakfast Club
08 February – Walking Group
13 February – Supper Club
18 February – Reading Group
27 February – Monthly Meeting – 7.30 p.m. Village Hall
29 February – Lunch Club
