Using an assortment of card, cloth, bespoke paper and twigs, our crafters produced an eclectic mix of lanterns last night. Switching off the lights and lighting the lanterns demonstrated just how pretty they were.
Denman College offers many courses and our members have taken advantage of the variety on offer. On Wednesday, Barbara & Cynthia set off for a day of spoon carving at Denman with the aim of coming home with a bespoke & unique wooden spoon. It was a small class of 4 that were lead by the talented Charles Ash. He led us through the cleaving of a log to get our main piece of wood followed by a morning of using the axe to gently chop away the excess - gosh it was hard work! After a Denman lunch (always good) and a little refreshing walk of the grounds, it was back to work and whittling away the remainder of the wood to produce our spoons. Gradually the spoons began to appear in shape from the wood and eventually, we hollowed the bowls to produce our spoons. Cynthia produced a lovely spoon with a well -defined bowl; Barbara produced ... well let's just say it's a unique spoon but maybe not a useable one ........
The photos show below the starting log and the spoons at the halfway stage. Funnily enough, no photos of the finished products! Yes indeed. Jenny & Barbara were at The Chateau on Tuesday to have lunch with Jules Hudson ..... as were some 300 plus other WI members. Jules was the guest speaker and enthralled us with his tales of how his interests have been encapsulated with his television career. His interests in country life, archaeology, architecture and military history combined with his natural warmth and good humour had the WI ladies & friends in admiration of his talents. After the talk, he welcomed questions from the floor and later was happy to chat to amongst the guests. Indeed, Jenny had a chat with Jules about Forest School of which both are keen advocates. We then enjoyed a lovely lunch from The Chateau before finally leaving to make our way home.
Off to The Fold at Bransford, a group of us enjoyed the Well Being Day presented by WFWI. A morning of inspirational talks followed by a very healthy lunch, we were then led through the afternoon with a gentle introduction to Tai Chi & Yoga. Coming away feeling refreshed and with a goodie bag (complete with chocolate), our sense of well-being had been truly captured!
What a wonderful evening we had at our last meeting. We welcomed Helen Plumb from Just Gems of Winchombe who gave a fascinating talk on gemstones; from the variety of gemstones, to the variety of colour, from the sourcing of the stones to their settings in jewellery. Even after her presentation finished, our ladies were eager to continue talking to her so much so, it was with great difficulty we managed to get them back to business! Good news though: we are planning to book her again for another talk in our 2020/2021 programme. Unfortunately, no photos were taken but see below for a picture of the Imperial State Crown and its famous Black Prince Ruby ...... or is it? The ruby is actually a spinel: a gemstone that occurs in a wide range of colors. Red and blue spinels have often been confused with ruby and sapphire.
Earlier in September WFWI organised a Day at The Races; quite a few of our ladies attended and here is Caroline's thoughts on the day :
"And they're off...... On a fine September day some of Eckington's finest fillies gathered for a day at Worcester races. After a shaky start (some of us managing to gatecrash a rather posh marquee and ending up with a free glass of bubbles!!) Worcester race course and Worcestershire Federation of W.I.'s did us proud and we settled into our comfortable surroundings for the afternoon. Armed with our race cards and after a mostly inaudible chat from our tipster, we were set to make it up as we went along! For most of us a great start on the first race as Phoenix Rock worked his magic which buoyed our enthusiasm and optimism for all that was to follow. The fourth race of the afternoon promised great things from Jonjo O'Neill Jnr.: some of us, well me anyway, invested "big" on Carys' Commodity and what an exciting race he ran until just at the last minute, right in front of us, the horse stumbled and the jockey hit the deck. After a few heart-stopping moments, Jonjo Jnr was able to stand, albeit a little dazed; he was fine but I had to wave goodbye to my "big" win!! The last race was hugely exciting with Mr Muldoon and Josie Abbing battling it out but we finished on a high and for most of us with a financial gain. Drama, glamour, excitement, a few risky decisions(certainly by me), good company and the obligatory fabulous afternoon tea made for a very enjoyable Monday, so thank you Worcestershire Federation of W.I.'s and can we do it again please ?!" |
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