OCTOBER 2014 REPORT

OCTOBER 2014

At our October meeting, we were introduced to the game of Kurling, a form of the original curling game but adapted so that it can be played indoors on any smooth, flat surface, rather than ice. We familiarised ourselves with the rules of the game and its specialist terminology- the hack box, delivery line, near hog line, far hog line and, of course the target. We took possession of our stones and attempted to push, shove, slide or roll them towards the centre of the target with varying degrees of finesse and accuracies. In spite of being instructed to “play nicely” our efforts were accompanied by a lot of noise and much hilarity.

One of our newer members, Patricia, followed the physical exertions of the evening with a calming talk on her Hallowe’en collection- an amazing array of statues and art, much of it obtained from the US, her country of origin. She shared her experiences of the American Tradition of celebrating Hallowe’en, the second largest holiday in the US calendar, with lavish parties and activities.

Recent Club activities have included a visit to a vineyard in Bridport, a WI walk finishing with a sustaining lunch and our monthly dining club get-together, this month at Moreton Tea Rooms.

Events in the near future include Cinema at Athelhampton House, a visit to the Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne and Christmas Carol Services at Sherborne Abbey and Christchurch Priory.

Our next meeting is on Wednesday 5^th November at 7.30 when we will welcome Mr and Mrs Burgess whose talk is entitled “Diamonds and Pearls”. None of us need convincing that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” so perhaps the talk may give us some ideas about what to add to our Christmas list! Santa are you paying attention?

Do come and join us, we meet on the first Wednesday of every month. All welcome.

 

Halina Simpson

MARCH 2014 REPORT

WI REPORT MARCH 2014

 

Our visiting speaker at our March meeting was Jazmin Valasco, an expert in T'ai chi ch'uan.

 

T'ai chi ch'uan often shortened to t'ai chi is a Chinese martial art practised for both its defence training and its health benefits. The term T'ai chi ch'uan translates as "supreme ultimate fist". It is typified by some for its slow movements but secondary forms have a faster pace. Some traditional schools teach partner exercises known as tuishou "pushing hands" and martial applications of the taolu's "forms" postures.

 

So we presented ourselves dressed in loose clothing and comfortable footwear for an evening of, what some of us thought would be, meditative movements in a relaxed environment. We began with a salutation, pressing our fist to our palm and bowing. Jazmin introduced us to graceful, measured, fluid moves with exotic names coupled with controlled breathing as a warm-up. These slow movements seemed effortless and benign.

 

 However, this was just the beginning of a session designed to bring out the more physical instincts in our usually mild- mannered ladies. We were paired up and there was no question of playing nicely. We were introduced to martial acts of self-defence against our partners which, had we been more skilled, might have led to a trail of broken limbs and life- threatening neck wounds!  Fortunately, in spite of Jazmin's expert guidance and modelling of moves, no-one was harmed in the proceedings!!!!!! The only pain experienced was the result of helpless laughter from the sight of our ungainly intertwined, writhing limbs.

 

Club activities for March included a Craft morning on 15^th March and a WI Diners’ lunch at Isle of Purbeck Golf Club on Friday 28^th March.

 

The Group Meeting, for local WIs, will take place on Thursday 8^th April at Broadmayne with speaker, Colin Varndell, Wildlife Photographer. Other County activities in the near future include:-An Archery Course in May at Gorcombe Park, Blandford; A Science Lunch at Athelhampton House in July with Dr Zoe Laughlin;

An outing to Buckingham Palace in September.

 

Future local events include our next meeting on Wednesday 2^nd April which is our AGM. After the serious business of the evening, including electing a new committee, we will engage in Line Dancing a la Charleston! We encourage everyone to arrive with a suggestion of the 1920’s- a feather or boa will do, or, for the more adventurous, something with a flapper theme. There is no pressure for the reluctant to engage in the dancing, spectating is completely acceptable! Do come and join us for an entertaining evening!

 

Halina Simpson

 

WI REPORT MARCH 2014

 

Our visiting speaker at our March meeting was Jazmin Valasco, an expert in T'ai chi ch'uan.

T'ai chi ch'uan often shortened to t'ai chi is a Chinese martial art practised for both its defence training and its health benefits. The term T'ai chi ch'uan translates as "supreme ultimate fist". It is typified by some for its slow movements but secondary forms have a faster pace. Some traditional schools teach partner exercises known as tuishou "pushing hands" and martial applications of the taolu's "forms" postures.

So we presented ourselves dressed in loose clothing and comfortable footwear for an evening of, what some of us thought would be, meditative movements in a relaxed environment. We began with a salutation, pressing our fist to our palm and bowing. Jazmin introduced us to graceful, measured, fluid moves with exotic names coupled with controlled breathing as a warm-up. These slow movements seemed effortless and benign.

 However, this was just the beginning of a session designed to bring out the more physical instincts in our usually mild- mannered ladies. We were paired up and there was no question of playing nicely. We were introduced to martial acts of self-defence against our partners which, had we been more skilled, might have led to a trail of broken limbs and life- threatening neck wounds!  Fortunately, in spite of Jazmin's expert guidance and modelling of moves, no-one was harmed in the proceedingClub activities for March included a Craft morning on 15^th March and a WI Diners’ lunch at Isle of Purbeck Golf Club on Friday 28^th March.

 

The Group Meeting, for local WIs, will take place on Thursday 8^th April at Broadmayne with speaker, Colin Varndell, Wildlife Photographer. Other County activities in the near future include:-An Archery Course in May at Gorcombe Park, Blandford; A Science Lunch at Athelhampton House in July with Dr Zoe Laughlin;

An outing to Buckingham Palace in September.

 

Future local events include our next meeting on Wednesday 2^nd April which is our AGM. After the serious business of the evening, including electing a new committee, we will engage in Line Dancing a la Charleston! We encourage everyone to arrive with a suggestion of the 1920’s- a feather or boa will do, or, for the more adventurous, something with a flapper theme. There is no pressure for the reluctant to engage in the dancing, spectating is completely acceptable! Do come and join us for an entertaining evening!

 

Halina Simpson

 

February 2014 Meeting

WEST LULWORTH WI  MEETING FEBRUARY 2014

How many of us, at some point, have washed a garment at too high a temperature to find to our dismay that the precious item has been transformed to something crumpled, matted and completely unwearable? Using the properties of materials was the basis of our speaker, Chris Scholes’ talk on “Textiles and Pictures” at our February meeting.

Firstly Chris introduced us to the basic vocabulary of her creative work- line, shape, form, colour, texture and design. Then she shared some of her exquisite work with us and explained the process she uses to arrive at her pictures using techniques such as

v  reducing plastic, felt , man-made materials using heat

v  sandwiching silk, lawn and cotton together and washing at high heat to shrink

v  stitching together old pieces of fabric backed with lawn then heating

v  using paper- cutting into mosaic then  sticking, inking and shrinking

v  using  versatile scrim, pulling it apart, stitching and overlaying it

v  making fascinating mesh works using aquabond

Chris emphasised the importance of experimentation as different materials when shrunk give totally different and intriguing effects. She also recommended keeping a record of the outcomes and assembling a scrapbook of ideas which might be used in later projects.

We thoroughly enjoyed Chris’ fascinating talk and being able to look at and handle some of her beautiful designs.

Our collection for the Dorchester Food Bank was gratefully received. Members are being asked to bring an item of food to our monthly meetings during this year.

The other highlight of the month was our annual jumble sale. Thanks to the generosity of all who donated goods, we had a huge amount of items on display. Selling was brisk and we were delighted to raise £276. Very warm thanks to everyone who supported the event.

At our next meeting on Wednesday 5^th March, we plan to get a little physical as we will be participating in a Tai Chi Chuan demonstration (loose clothing and soft shoes to allow freedom of movement are recommended). Do come along and join us, everyone is welcome.

Halina Simpson

January Report

What a fine start to the New Year. Two new members joined our WI and three more are seriously interested !

In previous years, we have held our January meeting in the committee room, where we had a social evening of playing board games with some festive fare. This year we played Kurling, a team game similar to bowls, using “stones” with castors, with “pushers” available for those less able to bend. There was much encouragement, enthusiasm and laughter from team members, such that we completely forgot that the Parish Council were meeting in the committee room. Hopefully the plate of cakies that we gave the councillors smoothed things over!

On a more serious note, we voted for the resolution that will be selected for our National Meeting in the summer. The greatest number of members voted in favour of the resolution to promote Organ Donation.

This year, the WI is to support the local Food Bank. Members are asked to bring an item of long shelf-life food to our meetings, with one member offering to take the donations, together with that collected in the church, into the Dorchester Food Bank.

For our next meeting, on Wednesday  5th February we are pleased to welcome Chris Scholes who is to talk about  “Textiles and Pictures”

Please don’t forget the big event in the Lulworth calendar -  the WI Jumble Sale ! 

This year it is to be held on Saturday 15^th February at 2pm, with donations gladly accepted at the hall from 10am. This is a brilliant way of recycling items for which you have no further use.

Do please make 2014 the year that you consider joining the WI. Visitors will be made most welcome, and you will soon learn of all the local, County and National events that members can enjoy.

March Report

It was immediately obvious from her grace and bearing that our speaker at the March meeting was a dancer. Olga Vikhrowa was born in St. Petersburg where as a child she enjoyed ice skating  on the school field for three months each winter. She soon transferred her athletic skills to ballet and was identified as a gifted dancer joining the Kirov Mariinsky Ballet Company in the 1970’s. Olga described life in Russia as grey but her ballet offered a window into a bright, new, colourful world which she loved. It was, however, a gruelling training. In addition to the demands of the normal curriculum, there were at least two hours of classical dancing each day, constant assessments and auditions, rehearsals and performances. Very few dancers managed to complete the eight years of training. She described how different ballet schools teach different styles of dance and interpretation and explained that the Russian style is very powerful and spirited, according to prima ballerina, Natalia Makarova, because the country is so large that the dancers need to be able to jump far!

From St Petersburg , Olga moved to Vilnius where she enjoyed dancing traditional roles in ballets such as  Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet for some years. From Vilnius, she moved to the UK and became a teacher, initially at the London Ballet School, and then in Richmond. She now lives in Poole where she runs her own school.

Olga gave us a fascinating insight into the world of a ballerina, exciting, glamorous but very exacting and demanding. We continued the Russian theme by indulging in some Russian food with our coffee (perhaps it should have been vodka!)

Club activities for March included a WI Diners’ lunch at Clavells, a Group Meeting in Lulworth with a speaker, Mike Colbourne, from Monkey World and a Craft morning on 23^rd

Future events include a visit to Bristol Blue Glass and a Variety Show in aid of the Antony Nolan Trust on 20^th April.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 3^rd April which is our AGM. We will also extend our experience of campanology with a hand bell ringing session. As always, we are keen to welcome new members. Do come along and join us.

Halina Simpson

April Report

April is the month of our Annual General Meeting, and as usual, our secretary presented her annual report of the previous year’s activities. I always enjoy listening to the annual report, because it serves as a reminder of all the interesting and enjoyable events that have taken place, and thus reminds me why I am so committed to the WI.

Diane Stonham kindly agreed to remain as our President for another year, and we welcomed Janet Gibbs and Halina Richards onto the committee.

With the business side of the meeting efficiently despatched, we then enjoyed a knowledgeable and enthusiastic presentation, by Nick Higginbottom, on The Night Sky.

Nick made his presentation easy to understand – he pointed out, first on the screen, (and later in the sky), those planets that could be seen, and explained how far away they are.( For instance, Mars, in March, was the closest it has come to Earth, and it was 100 million miles away.)

We learned the difference between planets and stars, and Nick had produced an excellent slide that clearly showed the movement of the planets in our solar system, and their relationship to each other.

Europa, one of the smaller moons of Jupiter, is known to have a surface covering of ice, with warm water at it’s core, and may therefore be able to support life.

I wonder if they have a Women’s Institute there ?

Here in Lulworth, our WI continues to thrive, with 2 book clubs, monthly walks, a Mah Jong group and a monthly Craft Group. Guests are always welcome to attend our WI meetings on the first Wednesday of each month, at 7.30 in the Village Hall, and non members are also welcome to pop into the committee room, from 10 – 12md on the third Saturday to join the Craft Group.

Do please, call me if you would like further information.

Elaine Knight

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February Report

 Well, February’s speaker was definitely thought provoking. He had come, recommended by a members’ daughter, to talk to us about Tibetan bowls. Several of us, being yoga enthusiasts, knew about Tibetan singing bowls and were looking forward to the evening. Frank Perry did not disappoint with a wonderful selection of bowls some of which, he told us, were at least six hundred years old. The sound of the bowls was quite fantastic. Equally, his chanting was a very deep bass and amazingly loud, which rather took a few of us by surprise.

He was clearly at home with the spirit world, and told us that he (and his father) were  trans mediums – so spirits could come through him. He had made seventeen psychic drawings of spirits he had observed, he had ( I think in this life) seen a rose fairy and water sprites, and had, in previous incarnations actually owned some of the bowls before us.

Next month’s speaker is about  a charity making jewellery from recycled materials, the profits of which are for educating the children who live on dump sites in the Phillipines.

Elaine Knight

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