WI News Jul/Aug 2014

STOKE PRIOR

This year Stoke Prior and District WI have enjoyed a variety of speakers.  They vary from Rag Rug Making with Jenni Stuart-Anderson, Silvester the Jester and Collete Gray bringing dolls from Victorian times to the present day.

The members have also been shown how to pamper themselves with Anna Firth demonstrating massages and facials.  Rowena Gale and Penny Usher gave a wonderful talk about NGS gardens,telling members how they are chosen and accompanied by some beautiful slides of  Herefordshire Gardens.  Their last meeting Rev. Mark Townsend talked about his continuing faith and mesmerised members with his skill at Magic.  
 
SALTMARSHE AND DISTRICT

After a hearty singing of Jerusalem, we took time to bring into our minds a long- time member of the group, who had sadly suffered a recent family tragedy.
In a break from "normal" procedures we then switched straight to our speaker for the evening : Jean Spelman talking about Crystals and their energies. Moving quickly through an explanation of their formations thousands of years ago and use historically for grinding to powder for colours, Jean touched briefly on superstitions and legends surrounding crystals. For example, bloodstone, a very dark green stone, is considered by legend to have been formed from the blood of Jesus on the cross, because when broken open the interior is red. This was due to scarcity of knowledge at the time about how combinations of elements could come together in one solid mass.
Citrine is a stone never needing cleansing as it never absorbs unhealthy energies. If you have a piece of citrine you'll never run out of money ---------- supposedly ! Jean was able to show us some natural citrine alongside some " made " citrine when amethyst has heat flashed over it to change the colour. Crystals occur in various different shapes and colours: wands, lasers, eggs, double terminators alongside the more usually seen tumble stones.
When buying a crystal in a shop allow your intuition to guide you to the one which seems to "speak" to you. Take it home and wash in clear water and dry thoroughly. Lay the crystal in a small dish and cover with sea salt for about two weeks. After that, to fully charge it, place it in the moonlight during a period when the moon is growing from a new moon to a full moon. If you'd like help with some specific part of your body, mind or emotion, then sit quietly with the crystal in the palm of your left hand( same for left and right handed persons !!) and bring into your mind what help you would like. It may take a while before you notice changes, but then you'll probably find situations have changed for the better.

Jean stressed that if you have anything wrong with you, please do not hesitate to get medical help immediately. Crystals are NOT alternatives; they are complementary with orthodox traditional medicine.

There then was time for anyone who wanted to  handle the crystals, experiment with a pendulum or "test" the sensation inside a huge amethyst "cave". Lastly a volunteer was asked for to taste the water which had been left for 45 minutes with a hematite crystal sitting in it as opposed to a second glass of just water. "It's softer; and there's a distinct after-taste " was the response.

Tea, coffee and biscuits was then enjoyed , while members socialised; bought books, DVDs, voted in the competition  which this month was " A Novelty Item ", before settling down to the business section of the evening. We covered a lot of items,  including the arrival in the County of the W.I. Centenary Baton which has been travelling the whole country ahead of its arrival the Royal Albert Hall next year to celebrate one hundred years of the W.I. More about this next month.
 Plans were firmed up for our August outing to Bourton on the Water. We were then reminded that in August our meeting will be a talk by the Chilli Lady, Pam Davenport.
Do come along if you'd like to know more. Wednesday August 13th at 7.30pm in Saltmarshe Village Hall.

PETERSTOW

The guest at our July meeting, entitled "The Jewel Box " was Brian Hudd, from the retail jewellery business. He brought with him a selection of earrings, necklaces and watches. Members were asked to recognise gems and differentiate between real and cultured pearls. Brian also advised on the different methods of cleaning items and invited members to inspect his jewellery collection.

HOLMER

Holmer learnt about the history of ice cream from Rachel of Just Rachel Quality Desserts.  This was very entertaining and informative but most of all tasty,  as we were given the chance to sample various wonderful flavours,   "delicious".

BISHOPSWOOD

The weather was absolutely beautiful for our July meeting on Friday the 11th.  Twenty-six members attended, a smaller number than usual as many were on holiday.  We started as usual with a rendition of 'Jerusalem', and there followed the business meeting.  Mrs Ann Jones welcomed everyone and outlined many events that were to take place both locally and at county level.  Several members had birthdays during July and cards and plants were disbursed as gifts to the lucky ones.  The competition title this month was 'Six canapés on a plate', first place was Mrs Jenny Winchester, second was Mrs Cynthia Hale, and third Mrs Julie Eglinton.  Traditionally we have no speaker in July, and instead have a social evening with food provided by the committee and Pimms to drink, so the canapés for the competition were added to  the table.  We then proceeded to mingle and enjoy conversations which normally we do not have the opportunity for.  All in all a very convivial evening enjoyed by everyone.  The meeting closed at 8.30pm.  

The next meeting is on Friday August the 8th  at 6.30pm when 39 members of our twin W.I. Bishops Cleeve will join us for the evening.  The speaker is Penny Platts with a talk entitled ' The History of Cider'.  All visitors are most welcome.

PARKWAY

The President Val Graham welcomed the members and our speaker
Lesley Evans to a wet June meeting.   Jerusalem was sung and then our Secretary Eileen Hunt read the minutes of the previous meeting, which were agreed and signed.  The correspondence was read, invites were received from Cradley WI to join them for a walk around Cradley and lunch on
9th September and Bosbury WI to dress up and attend their
Vintage Tea Party on 27th September.  Items from the County Newsletter were mentioned.
Our Speaker for the afternoon was a retired Teacher who now likes to visit India most years to help for several months at a school in the far north of the country.  The school originally was for the children from leprosy parentage who were all sent to live in one area of India.  The school was provided by Sue Ryder & Leonard Cheshire.  Although Leprosy is now under control thanks to vaccination the children now attending are mainly disabled who are taught to make items to sell via a Charity.  Lesley had kindly bought many items and photographs to show us how they start with simple tie-dying then learn more & more complicated patterns.  They also make picture frames, padded material covers for books, metal work pictures to name a few.  Lesley also showed us items from her home, a beautiful quilted bedspread and a large embroidered & material picture.  A vote of thanks was given to Lesley before we took a closer look at the items & photo's.  
We all enjoyed a welcome cup of tea then members who had written poem's about Ledbury for this months Competition were invited to read their poem's which we all agreed were very good.  The meeting closed at 16.30
The next meeting will be held on12th August at the
Baptist Church Rooms,  Homend,  Ledbury.  Comp. Fancy Apron.
The speaker is Althea Mackenzie from the Textile Museum in Hereford   
Visitors & New Members always welcome to join us at 2pm

LEDBURY

Margaret Coulson the President welcomed members on a hot evening to  taste some summer cookery prepared by our member Liz Whattler.  But first some business, the Secretary Jenny Treasure placed the minutes of the last meeting on the table for members to read later.  Jenny read the correspondence, we had received invites from Cradley WI to join them for a walk around Cradley and lunch on 9th September and Bosbury WI to dress up and attend their Vintage Tea Party on 27th September.  Some items were read from the County Newsletter & boards placed on the table for member to add their names to if they wished to attend.  We were informed the writers group would meet at Doreen's on the 12th, Luncheon Club would be eating at Pascal's in Church Lane on 30th & Craft/Sewing would be at Mary's 3rd July.
The President then invited Liz to tickle our taste buds.  Liz informed us she was a Domestic Science Teacher and to ask questions anytime whilst she was finishing the dishes she had cooked & chilled earlier, also Liz had produced a copy of the ingredients & method for everyone to follow.  Our starters were Crostini with Roasted Veg & Mozzarella or Sun-Dried Tomato and Butter Bean Hummus.  The main courses were 5 Spice & Mango Chicken or Salmon in fresh Herb & Yogurt Sauce.  Liz continued demonstrating with an Uncooked Lemon Cheesecake & a Ricotta & Vanilla Tiramisu.  We were surprised how much food Liz had prepared for all of us and we could not wait to taste everything. It was all delicious, what a pity we only had Tea or Coffee to follow.  A vote of thanks was given to Liz for all her hard work buying & preparing so much food for us and for a refreshingly different evening.
PLEASE NOTE: 13th August meeting is in the afternoon at 2pm.  
Parish Rooms,  Catholic Church,  New St;  Ledbury.
This year we are holding a Summer Craft/Produce Show,
We would like all members to enter as many catorgories as possible.  More details can be obtained by contacting any member of the Committee.    Visitors are always welcome.

THE SPARKLING WYE

Cameron Addicott, a retired undercover officer with HM Customs and the Serious Organised Crime Agency, proved to be a very entertaining speaker, telling of his experiences in surveillance work. As the criminal becomes more greedy and consequently less careful, it becomes easier to obtain evidence leading to arrest, but it is extremely expensive, involving a huge team and many hours of work. Some of the tales he told seemed unbelievable! His book "The Interceptor" is to be broadcast on BBC next year.

UPTON BISHOP

In July, Ray Sturdy gave his talk "Remember the Swinging Sixties". This was a real trip down memory lane enjoyed by everyone. So many things happened in the 60s, including the Beatles, the Pill, disposable nappies, the first motorway, children still played on the streets, corner shops sold everything, in any quantity, in brown paper bags and the currency was pounds, shillings and pence. Happy days?

LEOMINSTER

In April  members and guests enjoyed a game of skittles followed by lunch at the Hickory Stick to mark their 60 years as an Institute, photographs and press cuttings were displayed and past Presidents  were recalled. In May there was a good attendance at our May meeting chaired by President Jean Jones and supported by Marion Curtis secretary.  We had a new speaker on the block; Ann Cummings came along to our meeting and told us 'What your handwriting reveals about you'.  Members were kind and liked to help others and know what is happening in the world.  Members at their July meeting had a very amusing speaker, Janet Wall, who kept them laughing over her account of her time spent housekeeping and cooking and her husband gardener at a country house.

BISHOPSWOOD

It was another very warm evening for the August meeting of Bishopswood W.I.held on the 8th.  We started as usual with 'Jerusalem', followed by a shortbusiness meeting when the upcoming centenary of the Women's Institute was discussed along with the various plans to celebrate throughout the county. Birthdays for August were announced, and reminders for several local events,and then our President, Mrs Ann Jones welcomed thirty-nine members from our twinned institute at Bishops Cleeve.  All our members had brought a plate of food, so a lovely buffet was set out and we then proceeded to enjoy a veryconvivial meal as we renewed old acquaintances and made some new friends.  We were then entertained by Penny Platts who was our speaker for the evening, accompanied by her husband.  The subject was 'The History ofCider'.  She opened with a poem entitled 'The Preservation of Man', which is very amusing and about man's relationship with cider!  We had no idea that cider making and the use of apples generally to produce alcohol was such an
ancient art.  Homer's Odyssey talks about orchards in 600 b.c., and there are carvings in Egypt with people depicted standing on small barrels.  In the 5th century it is well documented that cider and perry were commonplace.She spoke in depth about cider making in Herefordshire specifically, and of
course there are many well-known producers both large and small.  The talk was preceded with a tasting of 3 different ciders and perrys.  One was called 'The Headless Man', and it was remarked upon, that if we weren't careful about how much we imbibed there might be several legless women!!  A lovely friendly evening, the history was fascinating.  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  The competition was judged, this was a recipe containing cider.  1st was Ann Jones, 2nd Julie Eglinton, 3rd Su Jackson. All the recipes sounded delicious.  The vote of thanks was then given by Julie Eglinton.  The next meeting is on September 12th at 6.30p.m. when the speaker will be Carole Dowding with a talk entitled 'Christian Dior - a brief history of perfume'.  All visitors are welcome.  The meeting closed at 9.40 p.m.

PETERSTOW

July 16th was our annual Group Quiz which was enjoyed by all eleven teams with Bishopswood WI coming 1st and 2nd.

The guest for our August meeting was David Tovey, the owner of "Monteas" in Monmouth. He talked about the different types and requirements for a good leaf tea. Members were asked to guess the  added ingredients to samples he had brought with him, finishing with tips for making a perfect brew. We left with a greater knowledge of tea and its origin.

Our meeting ended with a 90th birthday celebration for Margaret Collinson, a long time WI member. A bouquet of flowers was presented to her and a toast was given by our president.

ASHPERTON & CANON  FROME 

Ashperton and Canon Frome spent an evening embroidering in the finer details of roads rivers and place names on a  small map of Herefordshire under the watchful eye of Wendy Steadman from Marden  We plan to compare the finished articles when we  meet at our  monthly craft evenings and where and how to burn holes to give them a real Treasure map look!!

TUPSLEY

Tupsley's August meeting involved lunching at Staunton Garden Centre and then visiting Corse Church to learn about the Chartists Movement at Snig's End.

SALTMARSHE

A lot of the Business section of the meeting was taken up with a report from National W.I. AGM, which was held this year in Leeds, and was attended by our very own Linda. She reported that the Organ Donation Campaign had been passed overwhelmingly, with 5,981 votes for and 1,330 against. There was a reminder that with 213,000 members in 6,600 W.I.s countrywide, the W.I. and their ideas and opinions were big enough to be noticed. Their first official campaign was back in 1955, when they were urging everyone to "Keep Britain Tidy".

Next year is the W.I. Centenary and a special Baton is travelling round the country before reaching the Albert Hall next Spring. If each W.I. had the Baton for a day it would take 19 years, which is quite a sobering thought. Herefordshire's turn comes early next month. On Monday September 8th, it will leave the Hereford Bull in High Town by Bentley and travel to Wye Valley Brewery at Stoke Lacy. From there a horse and carriage will take it to Conquest Theatre to be greeted by the Mayor and Mayoress and the Town Crier and Escort, with an approximate arrival time of 3pm. So, do watch out for that.

Pam Davenport was our Speaker for the evening on the subject of Growing and Using Chillis. Pam's enthusiasm and passion was infectious from the start. Born in Aberdeen, growing up with her grandparents in Glasgow, she can remember being introduced to gardening by her grandfather who used to grow tomatoes on the window sills. Every space was used. This was translated into doing the same at university and then the realisation " If I can grow a tomato, I can grow a chilli ". Pam spent six years in France, during which time she developed a range of chilli oils.

Pam grows her chillis from seed, which takes up most of Jamuary and February. Seeds trays are covered in cling film, placed in stacks and rotated frequently, all the time warmed with hot water bottles. Chillis are "pernickety" things and even using the same procedures year by year can give a different success rate. There are so many different types of chilli: from the very mild to the blow your socks off sort, and the amount of heat generated is measured by the Scoville rating. For example, Hungarian yellow wax is 5,000 on the Scoville scale whereas a Naga chilli is one million. One of the hottest chillis is Carolina Reaper which comes in at 2.2million on the Scoville Scale.

Chillis can add flavour to stews, salads and have sweet and savoury uses - chocolate brownies for instance. A favourite product is a Breakfast Marmalade with pineapple, lime and a small amount of chilli; great at breakfast to kick start the day, useful too for glazing gammon and ham. Chillis have a medicinal effect in that they encourage the release of endorphins in the brain.Pam had brought along lots of dips for tasting and everyone keenly  took the opportunity to taste all the lovely samples.

Next month, on 10th September, we welcome Andrew and Ruth Goodman who will be letting us know how to raise and cook a goose. Do come along and find out more. 7.30pm in Saltmarshe Village Hall.

LEOMINSTER

Ben Cooper an Antique Dealer in Leominster came to our August meeting and spoke on his experience in the antique world!  The competition for a treasured "nick nack" was exciting, some very interesting items some were quite valuable which he valued for members.

LEDBURY

The August meeting of Ledbury WI was held on a showery afternoon which did not deter our enthusiastic members from bringing their entries for our Craft/Produce event.
The members were greeted by the President & committee who had laid out tables in readiness for the exhibits.  Every member received a point for each category entered then extra points were given if you came first, second or third.  We had invited three members from Bosbury WI to come for tea and be the Judges.
There was little business to discus as there is no newsletter in August.  The members who had participated in the Federation trip to Packwood House & Baddersley Clinton in July informed us what an enjoyable day it was, but a little too hot for some ladies.  The President Margaret Coulson reminded us of the forth coming events in Cradley, Bosbury and the Baton afternoon Tea in Lower Hope Gardens where everyone is welcome. Also the writers, craft/sewing & luncheon clubs will not be meeting in August.
Refreshments where then served by the committee with scrumptious tray bakes courtesy of Jo our Treasurer who we were all delighted to see again after a long absence recovering from her last knee op.
The long awaited results were then announced. The member with the most points was Mary Stuart, closely followed by Marilyn Dewe and Jenny Treasure was 3rd.
The next meeting is 7.30pm 10th September 2014 at the Parish Room, Catholic Church, New St; Ledbury.  We will be welcoming a member from the Ledbury Food Group to speak to us.  
Visitors are always most welcome.

BRAMPTON BRYAN

On Scarecrow Sunday once a year the village of Brampton Bryan is transformed with an influx of themed Scarecrows.  This year it was 'The Literary Festival', so we had free rein to change 'Miss Purity' (the name we have given to our scarecrow)to a character from a book.  The W.I. decided we would go with the theme of The Mad Hatters Tea Party for our stall, so Miss Purity had a makeover to become the 'The Queen of Hearts'.  Our stall sold everything you might expect to find at a tea party.  The sun shone and a wonderful day was had by all.

BARTESTREE AND LUGWARDINE

In August, Bartestree & Lugwardine WI members, their friends and members of neighbouring WIs visited Highclere Castle in Berkshire, owned by the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon - the home of TVs Downton Abbey.  We explored the Castle and its grounds, which included the Monk's Garden that had been there since the 12th century and a beautiful Secret Garden.  There is an exhibition of Egyptian artefacts in the basement of the Castle which tells the story of the 5th Earl of Carnarvons life and work; along with Howard Carter he discovered the Tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922 but he had also excavated in Egypt for many years before this.  On the tour of the Castle we saw the rooms used in the filming of Downton Abbey including the sweeping oak staircase and galleried bedrooms.  The coach journey was broken each way by a stop at Dobbies Garden Centre at Cirencester and it was a very enjoyable day.

MUCH BIRCH

Our speaker for August was Rosemary Prosser with her talk entitled "One Lump or Two", referring to the part of her life where she did B&B and Self Catering accommodation as part diversification of being a farmers wife. She was excellent, entertaining,funny & everyone could hear every word. Highly Recommended.