October 2023

October was one of those months where everything ticked along nicely in an autumnal sort of a way. We are noticing the trees changing colour in Queen’s Park each week when we play tennis, our Chislehurst country walk was filled with mushroom-spotting and chestnut foraging, and on our resumed Friday park walks any accompanying dogs were frequently losing their tennis balls amongst all the fallen leaves.

The highlight of the month was definitely Line Dancing at our meeting – it was surprisingly energetic and took a lot of concentration so as not to get the steps muddled up. The month was rounded out by a Culture Club visit to the Kiln Theatre to see ‘Mlima’s Tale, and a good discussion of Trespasses (Louise Kennedy) at Book Club.

Line Dancing – 11 October 2023

Another great turnout for our monthly meeting – this time we all had a go at line dancing. Angie and Maureen did a wonderful job of teaching us some basic moves and by the end of the evening we were all tapping our heels and toes and thoroughly enjoying ourselves! Whether we were all in time and in step is another matter!

September 2023

The highlight of this month was taking part once again in Queen’s Park Day – the closest thing we have to a village fête in our part of urban London. We were given a good location for our stall, and although it rained on us briefly (for the first time in 10 years!) the discovery that our gazebo canopy was not entirely waterproof didn’t seem to matter at all. We had a great day meeting local women, and selling our homemade cakes, cordials, and jams. Yes – we embraced the old-school WI this year and actually sold jams!

 Our meeting this month making colourful ‘seed bombs’ attracted a record attendance, there was a lovely walk – with pub lunch – in the Port Meadow area outside Oxford, Dining Club enjoyed tapas at the local Spanish restaurant ‘Canaletes’, and Culture Club had a fantastic evening at Sadlers Wells for a performance by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.

 September also saw the launch of the newest WI campaign – ‘Clean Rivers for People and Wildlife’. To kick things off in Middlesex, Sunbury Village WI hosted a ‘Riverside Dip & Dabble’ and threw the invitation open. A few of our members went along with their families and had a wonderful time. Find out more about the national campaign at: https://www.thewi.org.uk/campaigns/key-and-current-campaigns/clean-rivers-for-people-and-wildlife

Making Seed Bombs – 13 September 2023

We had a record turnout for our September meeting when Caroline showed us how to make seed bombs out of her surplus tissue paper. Everyone got stuck in and the volume of chat around the hall steadily grew! With some having more success than others, a large variety of seed bombs were made. Look out around the verges of North West London to spot where the seeds eventually end up! Many thanks to Caroline for a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

August 2023

Although there were no walks in August we still had a busy month; a resident of New Ground cohousing gave us a very interesting talk at our meeting, our Book Club book (Trust by Hernan Diaz) divided opinion which led to a good discussion, there was a full table at Craft Group, and weekly doubles tennis continued next to busy courts full of children’s lessons.

Other highlights included a fascinating (if damp) guided tour of the Willesden Jewish Cemetery, and a fantastic day at the seaside with wonderful hospitality from Louise.

New Ground Housing – 9 August 2023

We were delighted to welcome Hilary to St Anne’s to hear all about New Ground Housing – an inspirational housing project in Barnet for women over 50. Hilary told us all about the many hurdles that she and other members of OWCH (Older Women’s Co-Housing) had to overcome to fulfil their dream of creating a community for women where they could live independently, but at the same time reap the benefits of living alongside each other and enjoying the company of friendly, supportive neighbours. After many years of setbacks, OWCH managed to secure a site in Barnet for their new purpose built block of 25 flats, finally moving in in 2016. After describing all the many benefits of co-housing and talking through photos of the site, Hilary answered a wide range of questions. Members were encouraged to look at the short film about New Ground on their website https://newgroundcohousing.uk/ (unfortunately we were defeated by the technology on the night!).

June / July 2023

Being outdoors seems to have been the theme of the last few months – regardless of what the weather decided to throw at us. In addition to all the walks, tennis, and outings, both of our meetings were al fresco as well.  Our June meeting was a very informative and entertaining guided walk in the Farringdon area focusing on ‘Women, Witches, & Harlots’, and in July we gathered in Queen’s Park and enjoyed an abundant ‘bring & share’ picnic – with a special gold star going to Pat who brought homemade ice cream!

There was a return visit to Wisley (in sunshine) to see the peonies we had spotted in bud form on the previous visit, a guided tour of Chelsea Physic Garden (in rain), a beautiful forest walk from Liphook to Fenhurst, and a riverside walk from Tonbridge to Tudeley (in gale force winds). The Tudeley walk had been rearranged three times due to train strikes but it was worth the perseverance to see the complete set of Chagall windows at All Saint’s Church.

Friday Park walks continued in June culminating with a visit to Brompton Cemetery, but have now been paused until September as many members are away over the summer. Tennis is as fun as ever although we are periodically put to shame by all the tiny children having lessons over the summer holidays on the courts surrounding us.

Culture Club saw us at the Kiln Cinema for the NT Live screening of ‘Fleabag’, Book Club discussed On Chapel Sands by Laura Cumming, and Dining Club took us to ‘The Ivy’ in St. John’s Wood.

QUEEN’S PARK PICNIC – 12 JULY 2023

After keeping us guessing all day, the weather ended up being fine for our picnic in Queen’s Park, with not even one drop of rain (though plenty of wind!). We had a great turnout with many bringing delicious food for sharing – the highlight of which was Pat’s homemade strawberry ice cream! Thank you to all those who contributed to such a lovely evening!

Women & Witches Guided Tour – 14 June 2023

A beautiful sunny evening for our guided tour with the wonderful Maria from Herstorical Tours. We met at Farringdon and wended our way to the Old Bailey, stopping at various points along the way to hear fascinating tales about the many awful fates that befell women in the area – from wives being sold at Smithfield to the gruesome story of Amelia Dyer, a baby farmer, who was tried at the Old Bailey. There were also tales of witches and apparitions and the tour ended in the cells underneath the Viaduct Tavern where we were truly spooked by the thought of being incarcerated there!