Happy Birthday to our WIs celebrating in February
Iver Evening 8 February 1962
Hillingdon 19 February 1919
London West End 21 February 2006
MFWI News
The Alexandra update
The Alexandra WI had a stall at the Hornsey Vale Community Centre Green Christmas Fair in November. The stall sold numerous items – cakes, hand knitted items etc and raffle tickets for a gigantic bear. Some of the takings from the raffle will be donated to the local Food Bank.
The Hornsey Library Charity Knitting Group, a charitable sub-group of our WI, was set up by me on 13 June 2017. We make items such as twiddlemuffs, shawls, lap blankets and cannula sleeves for dementia patients.
This is the second year we will be donating hats to the homeless. One of our members, a prolific knitter who lives in West Sussex, made 98 hats this year with thick or odd yarns which the members find hard to knit with. Lynne Storrar blends these yarn and made these lovely hats. We selected 25 of her hats and sewed on ‘The Alexandra WI’ labels, and I am pleased to say 20 unique hats were sold at our stall.
My new neighbour, Kim Wolf bought two; she loved it so much that decided to get another two for her friends; so warm and cosy. Tilly Williams, Trustee of Hornsey Vale Community Association bought three, two of them very quirky, to match the recipients. Don’t you agree that the hats are gorgeous and well made?
Four hours on the feet was not easy but it was fulfilling making so many sales!
Stroud Green update
We marked our 10th birthday with a wonderful evening of Cake and Cocktails–delicious homemade cake from Norma and Ruth H and a cocktail showcase courtesy of Ben, our favourite cocktail maestro and well known to the Cake Club!
We reminisced with a selection of photos of what we got up to over the last 10 years and noted how grateful we are that we’ve been able to continue meeting over Zoom all through the lockdowns and are now able to resume gathering in person.
We want to acknowledge our gratitude to Gill and Yvette, our two remaining SGWI founder members, for their part in establishing SGWI and for still being with us!
We had two collections – many thanks to all who brought warm coats for WrapUp London, as organised by Gill, and pictured are our donations together with those from local St Aidan’s Primary School and out of sight a third sack which was filling up fast. And there was a generous collection of toiletries and children’s toys for Solace Women’s Aid (organised by Michele) as our contribution to mark Action For No More Violence: 16 Days of Action: Against Gender-Based Violence.
Fancy a cocktail?
A big thanks to Ben for sharing the details of what he made for us:
I served Long Manhattans: Whisky (Bourbon is good for sweeter or classic rye for dryer), 50ml (or 25ml for a school night), Sweet Vermouth, 25ml and a few dashes of Angostura bitters. Mix all over ice and add soda or tonic as preferred and a slice of orange or grapefruit.
You can add Campari to that and take out the soda, bitters and just keep all the ingredients the same measurement ie 25ml x 3 and that will be a Negroni. Just mix all over ice in a glass and add orange zest or drink long by topping up with soda.
Over Christmas, take Campari and sweet vermouth in equal measures and top with champagne or prosecco making a Spagliato. Swapping out the vermouth for port or sherry makes interesting drinks too.
I also served dry/Bianco vermouth with gin and tonic or soda. This is like a long martini. You can start out with 50ml gin, 15ml dry vermouth, and mix over ice and strain into a martini glass or you can just pour it over ice and top up to enjoy for longer.
There are now also plenty of no alcohol alternatives in the supermarkets to swap out for. Garnish with olives, lemon or even herbs such as rosemary or thyme. You can replace vermouth with white wine or use dry sherry.
Halliford update
A merry time was had by all at our December meeting. Our ‘chief crafter’ Chris Burningham guided us through with precise instructions to make our delightful Christmas trees. We had a jolly meeting with Christmas music, mince pies and savoury treats.
Wishing all WI members a happy 2022.
Stone Rangers update
On 6 November SR sisters joined in action on the march in central London.
Closer to home, our Read and Recycle stall at the Climate Action Fair in St John’s Churchyard Leytonstone raised £88 for Solace Women’s Aid, our charity in 2021. We met and shared ideas with other stall holders representing a range of environmental charities. The stall provided a great opportunity to recycle books as well as provoking a lot of interest in SRWI and the action the WI supports on Climate Change.
At our benefit on 13 November, Fliss of the Cajun band Joli Blon played and offered up a special hat she had got there, designed by satirical artist and climate activist Darren Cullen. The auction for it was fiercely competitive and raised another £35 for Solace!
So after all this action, what’s next in 2022 for SR climate activists? Waltham Forest Council has developed a Retrofit Home with Aston Group; we are planning a visit for February 2022. And of course we continue our ‘Climate Corner’ hints and tips in our own monthly Stone Rangers newsletter.
The Alexandra update
The Alexandra WI finally celebrated its 10th anniversary, albeit a year late, in October. We held a slimmed down event due to uncertainty with Covid restrictions, though we wouldn’t have guessed that we would also have to contend with a fuel crisis!
Our theme was ‘Celebrating Wonderful Women’ and members were asked to dress up as well-known women or to just come as themselves, as indeed we are all wonderful women! Members and guests had a welcome glass of prosecco. Our first game ‘Who Stays in the Balloon’ involved Beatrice Shilling, Emmeline Pankhurst, Sarah Gilbert and the Fairy Godmother. Each passenger stated their case to remain in a hot air balloon, with one evicted to save the other three!
We had food and more prosecco and of course no meeting is complete without cake, which was beautifully made and decorated by June Lewis. Our previous president, Emma Watson, did the honours in the cutting of the cake for us.
Cantamus choir, of which one of our members is part of, provided great entertainment. Also on display was our anniversary quilt made by members and sewn together by Maggie.
West Ealing update
Our meeting in November was very exciting as it was the very first time that we had held the main meeting away from the community centre. We were delighted to have the opportunity to visit the newly refurbished Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing Broadway for a private view and a talk from the director about the history and refurbishment. Pitzhanger Manor was the country house of the architect John Soane and a lot of work has gone into returning it to its former glory. The house was beautiful and the talk was fascinating—we were delighted that 41 members were able to join us for this, our biggest meeting since before the pandemic.
Our walking group braved the miserable weather of the coldest weekend of the winter so far and headed into the city of London to see the sculptures currently on display. They had a lovely time despite the weather and headed to a pub afterwards to thaw out.
Sunbury On Thames update
At long last we had a face to face WI meeting this month in our usual meeting place. During the pandemic we have been limited, like every other WI, to Zoom meetings. However, for the last couple of months we were able to meet in a local church or in the local park where we took our own seating and drinks.
This month we met in The Orangery. All masked, suitably distanced, drinking our tea out of plastic cups and all windows and doors were open which meant we were all well wrapped up!
The speaker, Steve Packwood, was most informative. He gave us a talk on three of the names on the Sunbury on Thames War Memorial. Of particular interest to us was Marjorie Croysdale, the only woman whose name is on the Memorial. Marjorie served as a nurse overseas in very difficult conditions. She survived the war but sadly succumbed to Spanish Flu. Not only is she commemorated on the Memorial but there is also an avenue in Sunbury named after her.
Norwood Green update
Preceded by a rousing rendition of the WI anthem Jerusalem, our annual meeting took place with some members joining via Zoom. The usual business was conducted at a brisk pace; accounts brought to us courtesy of our Treasurer, Sarah, in Spain; Annual report on the year’s activities courtesy of Secretary Angeline; Michele gave a few words as outgoing President; committee/president elected with our WI adviser Yvette conducting the official business efficiently… all so we could move on to…our speaker.
We had been warned. Fun but rude… not for the prude! Sarah Slater, a Guide Lecturer at Historic Royal Palaces and a costumed tour guide at Hampton Court Palace, dressed in a beautiful period costume, Zoom-visited us to talk about the naughty bits of history we definitely didn’t learn at school. Sex, Secrets, Scandal and Salacious Gossip of the Royal Court, 1660 to 1830 covered royal mistresses, prostitution, sexual diseases of the time and the methods used to prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancies…. all in the space of one hour.
Sarah also took us on a whistle-stop tour of sex toys, contraceptives and aids to abortion that prevailed during the period. We were enthralled! Smelling salts all round as the talk and the meeting came to an end.
Stroud Green update
Preceded by a rousing rendition of the WI anthem Jerusalem, our annual meeting took place with some members joining via Zoom. The usual business was conducted at a brisk pace; accounts brought to us courtesy of our Treasurer, Sarah, in Spain; Annual report on the year’s activities courtesy of Secretary Angeline; Michele gave a few words as outgoing President; committee/president elected with our WI adviser Yvette conducting the official business efficiently… all so we could move on to…our speaker.
We had been warned. Fun but rude… not for the prude! Sarah Slater, a Guide Lecturer at Historic Royal Palaces and a costumed tour guide at Hampton Court Palace, dressed in a beautiful period costume, Zoom-visited us to talk about the naughty bits of history we definitely didn’t learn at school. Sex, Secrets, Scandal and Salacious Gossip of the Royal Court, 1660 to 1830 covered royal mistresses, prostitution, sexual diseases of the time and the methods used to prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancies…. all in the space of one hour.
Sarah also took us on a whistle-stop tour of sex toys, contraceptives and aids to abortion that prevailed during the period. We were enthralled! Smelling salts all round as the talk and the meeting came to an end.