We had another fabulous picnic in Queen’s Park with lots of food and drink to share.  Our Summer continued in August with an outing to Eastbourne to enjoy traditional British seaside treats including a fish and chip lunch.    Craft Club resumed in person in July and August with the lovely summer evenings in Caroline’s garden.   Dining Club came south to St. John’s Wood and we had a very sociable meal at Crocker’s Folly.  Our monthly meeting at St. Anne’s was a talk by a nurse who had been on the front line during the pandemic and it was great to hear how the staff and community responded to support one another.  Next month we’ll be at Queen’s Park Day, so we’re all planning our baking, come and see us if you’re passing by!

We’ve had a great month in June, a fascinating guided walk around Kilburn taking in sights and buildings some of us had never noticed before.  Who knew that Kilburn once had the largest cinema in the country?  We all loved the mural of June Rose Barber.   We rounded off the walk by celebrating our oldest member’s 80^thbirthday at a pizza restaurant.   Doubles tennis and more importantly coffee afterwards with our non-playing friends continues to be popular.  We had a really good discussion of Helen Lewis’s  ‘Difficult Women A History of Feminism in 11 Fights’. Everybody enjoyed reading the book and the discussion ranged across many of the topics highlighted in the text, with members focusing on issues which had particularly resonated for them and sharing some personal experiences to illustrate the points that Lewis was making. 

We’ve had a busy month.  We got off to a great start with a talk on the history and personalities of the Pinnacle Club, a women’s climbing club who celebrated 100 years in 2021.  We’ve had several walks, most very ably led by Rebecca around the local parks and one spectacular outing to Kew Gardens to see the Spring flowers, much enjoyed by all.    Another longer walk  through Ruislip woods was enjoyed by all and we made the most of a fine Spring day.  Some of us went off to the V&A to see the much praised Faberge exhibition, which we agreed was fabulous.   Tennis has got going again, having been rudely interrupted by rain on several occasions, so coffee in the park on Tuesdays is back on.  Deb hosted café club through the winter and was enjoyed by all who attended.    Craft and book clubs are continuing via zoom.  Dining Club proved very popular and we went to Dhaba49  in Maida Vale.

The days are truly lengthening and brightening now.  We had a lovely outing to Waddesdon Manor to see the snowdrops in early February.  Many of us went to see the Broiderers exhibition at the end of month, where our very own Patricia was exhibiting.  Rebecca has been doing sterling work leading us around local parks on Friday mornings. Some of us felt like stretching our legs a teeny bit more and took ourselves off to Saunderton where we stomped through the mud before reaching the Lions of Bledlow pub.  We had one of the best days in February and the views over the Chilterns were fabulous.  Deb is continuing with café club on Mondays and we had a good discussion about Molly Keane’s Good Behaviour at Book Club although not many of us liked it.  Making Lavender Hearts was a very popular evening enjoyed by all.

The month started off well with a  short walk from Greenford to Boston Manor with spectacular views from Horsenden Hill and then a very pleasant stroll through Harrow School’s playing fields.  We had our Annual Meeting at the Mason’s Arms followed by a quiz as is traditional.  We were all still very happy to be meeting in person.  Later in the month we had a longer walk along the Chiltern Way, where we all enjoyed the last of the autumn colours on the trees. There was a good discussion at Book club about our book of the month, Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason.  We all enjoyed our Dining club outing to Morso on the Chamerlayne Road, where the desserts proved delicious.  Café Club, Craft Club and tennis continue to draw their regulars as we head into the winter.