January 2025

Although January seemed to fly by, we still managed to pack in quite a bit.

Our meeting this month was an opportunity to discuss the Resolutions shortlist sociably in small groups over various board games, with our votes collected at the end of the evening. 

Culture Club took a trip down memory lane and saw the current production of ‘Starlight Express’ at the Troubadour Theatre, and Craft Club got going on making leaves for the Centenary Banner. 

Doubles Tennis continued every week with only one session rained off, and Walking Club had a really good (although muddy) walk doing one of the segments of the London Loop from Moor Park to Hatch End.

A group of us visited ‘The Great Mughals’ exhibition at the V&A which was spectacular and bears seeing more than once. And in the last days of the month Dining Club spiced things up with a boisterous meal at ‘Mestizo’ Mexican restaurant.

November / December 2024

We’ve been as busy as ever as the year draws to an end. Our November meeting was our Annual meeting where we elected the Committee and officers for another year, followed by a sociable (yet competitive) Quiz Night. In December our meeting took the form of a members-only Christmas party (kindly hosted by Frances) which once again proved the point that a WI party will never be short of delicious food. Also adding to the merriment was a competition for festive necklaces and a few party games. Instead of Secret Santa gifts this year we took up a collection for a local food bank.

Craft Club launched an initiative for members who would like to learn simple mending skills to come along and join the other more die-hard knitters, embroiderers, crocheters, and stitchers.

Culture Club enjoyed two very enjoyable and thought-provoking trips to the theatre; ‘Mozart Her Story’ (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), and ‘Expendable’ (Royal Court). There was also an outing to The Lightroom to be bedazzled by their current show ‘VOGUE: Inventing the Runway’

A large and very merry group enjoyed flavoursome South Indian cuisine at ‘Anjanaas’ and our last Book Group meeting of the year discussed Dorothy L. Sayers’ Gaudy Night.

Walking Club was put on hold when the stormy weather and unreliable trains meant our proposed walk near Ware had to be postponed to the new year, but the tennis players played on as we were very lucky that no games had to be cancelled due to rain. 

The year finished in festive fashion when a few of our WI members were spotted ‘in the wild’ wrapping presents in a shopping mall in aid of St. Luke’s Hospice, a local charity.

September / October 2024

Our stall at Queen’s Park Day was a huge success this year – we had an abundance of cakes and jams to sell which prompted a buying frenzy! It was a lovely sunny day and in addition to replenishing our coffers it was a great chance to meet lots of local women who may be interested in joining us. It was the busiest any of us can remember but so satisfying to know that all the work that everyone put in produced such good results.

Our October meeting was a lively one. We had a delightful instructor take us through an evening of ‘BollyFit’ – a bit like Zumba but with bhangra beats and Bollywood moves. We had so much fun we almost didn’t notice the workout we were getting. 

And staying with the international theme, our Dining Group enjoyed a delicious and substantial meal at ‘Tsehay’, a local Ethiopian restaurant – all provided by two lovely ladies who did all the cooking. The aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans tempted even the most caffeine-wary of us to an after-dinner coffee.

Doubles tennis every week continues provide as much laughter as exercise, and we’re looking forward to resuming our country walks now that autumn is here. Also on the horizon; a visit to the V&A to see the photography exhibition ‘Fragile Beauty’, and Book Group at the end of the month where we will be discussing The Candy House by Jennifer Egan.  

June / July / August 2024

As ever, the summer has flown by. Our June and July meetings took us out of our normal venue of St. Anne’s with a timely women-focused guided walk around Westminster in June – only weeks before the General Election. This was followed by a lovely evening picnic in July kindly hosted by Jan in her garden. We were back indoors for our August meeting when we were guided through the basics of DIY by Tom Fleming & his colleague Jason.

Walking Club took us from Leigh to Hever in Kent with highlights including wonderful views of Penshurst Place, fabulous cakes at a National Trust café, and visiting the tomb of Anne Boleyn’s father in St. Peter’s church Hever.

Culture Club had a rousing evening at Sadlers Wells in June seeing ‘Ballet España’ – part of the annual Flamenco Festival, and over the summer Book Club enjoyed Loved & Missed by Susie Boyt, and Ruskin Park by Rory Cellan-Jones. Dining Group had an excellent meal in July at ‘Brasserie Blanc’ on the Southbank which appears to have included a visit from the great chef himself…

As well as weekly Doubles Tennis and monthly Craft Club evenings, two of us attended the NFWI Annual Meeting at the Royal Albert Hall in June, a few of us tried a Lawn Bowling taster afternoon (on a ferociously hot day), and a larger group were given a private talk at Kelmscott House by a guide at the William Morris Society in August.

So even though a few of our activities have been paused over the summer, we still managed to pack quite a bit in!

May 2024

The month got off to a great start with a visit to National Trust’s Hampstead gem Fenton House. After exploring the gardens in the light rain, NT Volunteer Frances (our very own secretary) gave us an introduction and a bit of background to the house before we explored at our own pace. Having various musicians playing some of the instruments in the extensive keyboard collection was certainly a highlight.

As our May meeting coincided with Deaf Awareness Week we had a really informative & entertaining introduction to British Sign Language led by the fantastic Sian Cooley (thank you Teddington WI for lending us your president for the evening).

A visit to Wakehurst followed about a week later, exploring the gardens and having a picnic lunch. Climbing up to the top of the scaffolding surrounding the Mansion gave us great views both of the gardens and the restoration work to the Mansion roof.

In a reprise of last year’s circular walk from Tonbridge via Tudeley we had a perfect day walking through meadows and orchards (there was even a distant cuckoo), with stops for a pub lunch and a visit to see the fantastic Chagall windows in Tudeley church.

A lovely sunny evening for Dining Club at ‘Waterway’ finished off the month and eating at an outdoor table made it feel as though summer was finally on its way. Perhaps it needs a bit more coaxing….

April 2024

After four months away from London it was wonderful to be back catching up with friends and enjoying all the things we do as a WI. The month got off to a great start as we shimmied, hip-rolled, and laughed our way through our April meeting whilst the fabulous Sandrine took us through the basics of Belly Dancing. Who knows when we will next put those skills to use but we had a great time learning!

Dining Club took us to the top of the ‘Walkie Talkie’ building for breakfast at the Sky Garden as a change from our more usual evening outings. The far-reaching views both from the terrace and the restaurant looked particularly spectacular in the spring sunshine.

A short train journey took us out to the Chilterns for our April walk near Tring and the Ashridge estate. We were lucky with the weather which meant we could really enjoy the magnificent views and the carpets of early bluebells.

Our Culture Club outing this month was to see the NT Live screening of ‘Nye’, and rounding off the month Birnam Wood divided opinion at Book Club. Some members found it tiresome whilst others would recommend to a friend. We all agreed that one of the joys of Book Club is reading books one might not necessarily have read otherwise.

Weekly games of doubles tennis continued through the month despite the best efforts of weather forecasters to deter us. We know we’ll never make it on any pro circuit but we have such a laugh and we think we are improving…..?

March 2024

A fascinating visit to the UK Supreme Court, arranged by Rebecca, kicked off our activities for the month. A very informative guide explained the workings of the court and led us on a private tour of the beautiful Grade II* listed building, a haven from the noise and bustle of Parliament Square outside. Some of us even got to sit in the justices’ (very comfortable) chairs!

Monika the mudlark was the brilliant speaker at our March meeting. One of a limited number of licensed mudlarks permitted to operate on the north shore of the Thames, she spoke of her passion for sifting through the mud to find fragments of London’s past. A highlight of the evening was the chance to look at some of the amazing artefacts she has found on the Thames foreshore.

Our March walk was a beautiful, though muddy, route from Dorking to Reigate along part of the Greensand Way, led skilfully as always by Angela. We stopped off at St Michael’s, Betchworth, one of the churches from Four Weddings and a Funeral and enjoyed a well-deserved pub lunch at the Skimmington Castle.

To round of the month, dining club members enjoyed a great evening at Côte brasserie in Hampstead, hosted by Dési.
Lindsay

FEBRUARY 2024

The chance to dress up in a sari certainly banished any February blues. Nidhi Uppal, who demonstrates sari wearing at the Design Museum, brought a beautiful array of saris to our monthly meeting. She talked about where in India some of the exquisite fabrics came from and showed us how to tie and drape them to fashion different outfits. Then she let us loose on the dressing-up box!

A trip to the Kiln cinema to watch NT Live: Vanya was another highlight of the month, organised by Ena. Members were treated to a brilliant one-man performance by Andrew Scott in a reworking of Chekov’s Uncle Vanya.

A more active outing for 10 of us – and Ronnie the dog – was a beautiful walk in the Chess Valley from Chorleywood to Chalfont & Latimer, led by Angela. Lots of spring flowers (and mud!), and an excellent pub lunch at the Red Lion at Chenies.

Book group members who met to discuss The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah, decided autobiography wasn’t his forte – perhaps we should have opted for his poems!
Lindsay

JANUARY 2024

It’s cheering to see drifts of snowdrops appearing amid the January chill, signalling that spring is on its way. Members too braved the freezing weather for our first meeting of the year. We spent a convivial evening playing board games while discussing the WI’s four proposed resolutions for 2024. The champions of Cluedo and Bananagrams etc were not recorded, but a call for the government to improve poor housing conditions won the most votes from members.

Culture club saw Ena leading a fascinating visit to Neasden’s stunning Shri Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir, followed by a buffet lunch in the temple’s restaurant. Indian food was flavour of the month for dining club too, superbly organised by Desi. Instead of haggis, members enjoyed a south Indian Burns Night supper at Vijay, a long-established local favourite. 

A delicious lunch and visit to the beautiful Arts and Crafts chapel at the Watts Gallery near Guildford were highlights of the walk that Penny led on a chilly Saturday along the River Wey and North Downs Way.
Lindsay

December 2023

Highlight of the month was undoubtedly our Christmas party, generously hosted by Frances. Twenty-eight of us enjoyed a fabulous bring-and-share supper and a hotly contested game of true or false. A competition for the best decorated festive scarf produced some true creativity and was won by Rebecca’s holly number.

Frances was in hostess mode again for our book group meeting, where we had a great discussion about Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods over wine and cake.

December brought some chilly weather but that didn’t stop us from venturing out. Rebecca led a couple of interesting walks around Kensal Green and Hampstead cemeteries and five of us took the train out to Princes Risborough for a fantastic walk in the Chilterns led by Angela. Muddy and challenging in places, but worth it for the views and pub lunch!

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and lots more interesting activities in 2024.
Lindsay