5 days, 4 events, 3 meals plus one snack!

On Saturday 19th May High Halstow WI invited us to join them on a visit to Upnor Castle, near Rochester.  It is a very interesting and historical place set high above the Medway River and was built in Elizabethan times. . 

We followed it with  Ploughman's Lunch in a local Pub during which a Bride and wedding party arrived at the castle. Closely followed by a second  Bride and wedding party in a stretched 'Limo'.....  Ten minutes later they realised that they were at the wrong castle and swiftly moved off to Rochester Castle the correct venue!

 On Monday we went to Audley Mote House, in Mote Park Maidstone where we were shown around the Apartments they are marketing for the 'over 55's'.  Very beautifully furnished with grand decor and leisure facilities -   set in wonderful parkland - something to aspire to perhaps.  We finished with afternoon Tea in the Bistro - we look as if we belong there,  don't we!

Tuesday was our Annual Meeting, where we passed the Resolution on the support of our Local High Streets.  A new Committee was then appointed followed by voting for a new President.  Mary Henderson had decided to stand down from the committee and being President,  and we shall really miss her as she has lots of good idea for interesting events.   The New President (and again a joint presidency)  - Rita Moon and Val Williams. - we wish them every success.

On a lighter note, it was time to complete the things we we doing to celebrate 95 years of WI in West Kent.   We had chosen to achieve 95 SKIPS - the participants were  - 

VAL WILLIAMS - who adopted a concentrated and measured approach. 

 The others made light work of it and appeared to have been skipping all their lives

 JANICE BUTLER  without a care in the world 

 SARAH CHEETHAM  serene and unflustered

 RITA MOON light of foot

 and MARY HENDERSON  very dainty - who appeared to have borrowed Rita's shoes. 

Well done to all  of them!  

Following these exertions  we had light refreshment -  Jean Talboys had made her famous shortbread and Rita Moon her Chocolate cake, Victoria Sponge and Gypsy Tart.  Very tasty. 

Finally on Wednesday,  four of us had chosen to join a 'Personality Lunch'

arranged by West Kent WI in Rolvenden Village Hall - a Three course affair, with Jennifer Papadopolus speaking about her life in the WI, including a visit to  a Buckingham Palace Garden Party  during her time as County President.  She was also a Magistrate for many years and regaled us with stories of the good and the bad she met during this time. 

WI provides all sorts of experiences for its members - we don't all attend all  of them -  just those that appeal.  (The trouble is that so many are appealing it is hard to choose)

ACCROCHEZ UN CANARD (Hook a Duck or 3)

This Year's Village Fete has an Anglo French feel being opened by the Mayor of Templeuve the Twin of Hollingbourne.  Accordingly our Stall Accrochez un Canard will display this year's emblem - Our Duck with his Beret, baguette and moustache.
To win a badge you must hook a duck with numbers ending in 3 or 8. The one with the highest total score for their three ducks will win a Fantastic Family Gateau.   See you there on 15th June! Au revoir.

Nature is wonderful!!!

This is nothing to do with the WI.

I just felt I had to share my garden with you readers.

 Last Summer and Winter were a pain, it made us feel low, not appreciating what is around us.
Mother nature however made use of all the rain and the snow and has produced an abundance of primroses- I have never seen them so prolific, there are 10 /15 times more plants blooming this year

 Individual plants have sprung up all over the place in great big clumps..

.. and not restricted themselves to yellow - there are pink and even purple ones.   Nature never gives up, even in the worst weather and continues annually to delight us.   As Spring comes (even slowly) let us show others how happy we are with the world around us.

GYPSY CULTURE

We always try to prepare an interesting and wide reaching programme for members. On 19th March our speaker was Philip Godliman who spoke with great enthusiasm about the Romany Gypsies who originated in India and Egypt.   They have their own language and Philip gave examples of this.

They lived in Wagons or Vardos and also made up Bender Tents to sleep their family.  They needed to roam freely and were very aware of the countryside and respected it. When they were leaving an area to move on they would clear any rubbish and replace a patch of turf, removed for a fire.  When they left, no-one woul have known they had been there.  Cleanliness was an important issue.  The Romany term "Mokkadi' refers to the rules of washing clothes, themselves and food preparation.  Dogs were never allowed inside the Vardos.

To earn money the women would do Fortune Telling at fairgrounds and seasides.   Also sell wooden clothes pegs, primrose baskets and wooden flowers made by the men.  The men dealt in horse trading and the most important day of the year were the annual horse fairs.  They also did knife grinding door to door.  A way for the whole family to make money was Hop Picking and Fruit Picking.  These ways of making money are no longer available, and the majority of Romany Gypsies now live in houses.   They are the largest ethnic minority in Kent and the South East.

This talk drew people of Romany origin and others  to our meeting and was  generally thought to have been one of the best talks we have had.  

 On 8th April 14 members followed this up by a visit to South East Romany Museum in Marden, to be met by Frank Brazil who is a member of a traditional Romany Gypsy family.  He told us many of the things Philip Godliman had explained and the history of his family.

 The skills leant to build and repair wagons are still being handed down and he showed us some of the wagons they are working on.

 Also the beautifully painted horse drawn carts.  We were able to go into one of the wagons and you could sense the excitement and freedom of that life.

 Frank told us that he was born in a wagon and his Mother's rule for her children was that if they were stopping in one area for more than three weeks the children would go to the local school, if it was less than three weeks they stayed at home and helped the parents.

We left feeling that we had learnt much about a past culture that once brightened up our countryside and hoped that people would continue to keep this history alive.

oo la la - French Style Quiz to celebrate Twinning

Hollingbourne WI's French Style Quiz  to celebrate the Twinning of 

Hollingbourne with Templeuve in France, was a huge success.

The scorers Madame Hilary and Madame Valerie -  and Rita - ' Miss France 1963'  the Quiz mistress, 

made sure the evening was 'Magnifique'. 

These two itinerants  suitably dressed were clutching each other before they started drinking!

 and the Winners  - Team Les Escargots - celebrated their win with a Bottle of French Plonk each.

The losers - Team Les Burgandy -  had to make do with a wooden spoon each. 

The prize for the joint winner of the  'Best Dressed French Man'  (Norman Dabbs)-  was a French Style kiss on three cheeks by Miss France 1963 - with the other BDFM  (Alan Williams) - looking on.

The Twinning agreement between the two Villages was signed in Leeds Castle on 11th March and in Templeuve Old Town Hall on 18th March this year.  The Hollingbourne Village fete will be opened by Luc Monnet the Mayor of Templeuve on 15th June - BE THERE!

KNIT-IN FOR CHYPS (HOSPICE)

West Kent Federation of WI's has 178 Institutes.

West Kent is 95 years old this year and we have been challenged to do lots of 95's.

The WI's are divided into Districts - Our District,  'Northdowns'  has 9 WI's and we decided on a

 'Knit-in' - to make 95 knitted squares and to combine them into a blanket for a charity.  

The Charity is chYps - Children and young peoples Services - A unique organisation as it is a hospice at home. Children with life limiting and life threatening conditions receive clinical care and support in their own home.   Marion Smith their fundraiser came to receive the blankets and tell us more, with the aid of slides.  Marion is in the middle (red cardigan) and our knitters around her.
 It certainly is a worthwhile cause and their contact is 01322221315 marion.smith@chyps.org

We had a lot of fun on  the day - even when a 'knitter' was given her enormous allocation of wool, she still smiled.

Here are some blankets we prepared earlier -  the magnificent one in the middle has a crochet border and should raise a lot of money when it is auctioned. 

Please contact Marion if you want to help the Charity, or Hollingbourne WI if you want to join any institute in our District.

Bearsted Green, Bearsted and Thurnham, Detling, Stockbury, 

Roseace, Madginford, Leeds, Willington,  Hollingbourne. 

SHROVE TUESDAY 2013

Pancake Day saw snow on the Downs - but so what! 

 We were out to enjoy ourselves, had made around 150 pancakes in advance and we knew the Ralph Baldock ( Headmaster)  was bringing along the whole of his school to take part. (100 plus)

 The pancakes were inspected and the pans tried out

 Owen Scorey had obviously missed out on breakfast!

 RACE 1, and the winner was SCARLETT PARK

 RACE 2, winner was  JANET DEBANZIE

 RACE 3, Winner was  FINLEY LODGE

 RACE 4 , Joint Winners were OWEN SCOEY, and MASON PAYNE

 RACE 5, Winner IMOGEN SIMS

 RACE 6,  Winner JAYDEN LODGE (eating his Pancake)

 RACE 7, Winner WILLIAM DIXON

 RACE 8, Winner GEORGIA CHATTENDEN

 RACE 9, Winner CALLUM SHERIDAN

 RACE 10, Winner CELESTINA MENESES-BANTESTA

 RACE 11, Winner LUKE MICKLEBROUGH

 RACE 12, Winner  FREDDIE WEADON

 RACE` 13, Winner OLIVIA WALSH

 RACE 14, Winner LAINEY-MAY BUTLER

THE  HOLLLINGBOURNE SCHOOL STAFF RACE  

was won for the second year running by 

VANESSA WILSON

There were some FAST WOMEN challenging in the MOTHERS' RACE

and coming from the back CLAIRE BUTLER was the Winner.

 PAUL DIXON  won the mens' race

 and finally Sadie Curtis from Leeds WI won

a) The GRANDMOTHERS' RACE

b) THE WOMENS INSTITUTE RACE and

c) Put the rest of us to shame being the most senior lady on the field.

We all had a great time, and were fed Hot Cross Buns and drinks by Joyce, Sue and Hilary

We were also very impressed that the  Winning Children were able to spell their own names  (some of them being very long) - there is obviously no literacy problem in Hollingbourne School.

(Apologies if WE have mis-spelt the names)

SEE  YOU NEXT YEAR