August 2011 - A Railway Rendezvous and a Local Lunch

We had all heard of the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, but most of us had never been on it, so off we set for a Toy train ride through the countryside from Hythe to Dungeness. We chose a carriage with no windows and certainly enjoyed the fresh air on the way, though the smuts from the steam engine boiler did get in the eyes. There were so many passengers that more coaches were added, and people jumped on and off at the various stations.At Dungeness there was the New Light House to see, and a walk out to the edge of the sea where people were fishing, and the sea was a lovely greeny blue with white heads on the waves, and the sun shone.
The Power station and Old Light house could be visited, but we had another agenda
A delicious lunch of Fish and Chips. - certain members also managed large portions of pudding of various kind. We just had time to view a local art exhibition and then we were back on the train. It is run on a 15 inch guague and there are lots of different engines that pull the trains, some steam and some diesel.

LOCAL LUNCH

Earlier the same week a member invited us to her private oasis, next to the Bourne, in Hollingbourne. We had a picnic lunch - it was idilic, and it was so good to have Sue Weightman with us after a long absence.

The cows, moorhens, cootes and fish leisurely went about their business and took no notice of us.

What more could you want on a summer's day.

Are we in Poland, Scotland or a Kentish Bog?

In June our DISTRICT WALK to us to HOTHFIELD HEATHLANDS NATURE RESERVE. It is one of the last ancient heathlands in England, and also contain's Kent's last 4 Valley bogs.

There are two herds of animals that help to keep the vegetation under control. First some beautiful Polish Konic Ponies, each with a black line down their spines, a velvety coat and a wonderful nature. Our leader was Mr Hall a warden who showed us the animals, insects and flora of the area.

Jean Talboys and Mr Hall with the Ponies

The second herd is of Highland Cattle - Jean Kelly getting in close

and the results from her camera.

The first of our flora was the bog cotton - you can see this part is rather wet but we had been warned to wear strong shoes

next was the yellow bog asphodel and the Heath Spotted Orchid

and the round-leaved sundew awaiting unsuspecting insects for it's prey

Southern Marsh Orchid
At this time of year it is the Orchids that draw people here-but it is such a different landscape - most of Kent seems to be cultivated or in private ownership -

here it is wild and open heath and bog.

Hothfield Heathand is owned by Ashford Borough Council and Kent Wildlife Trust - You will find it to the south side of the A20 between Charing and Ashford (on the right hand side after Charing) - There is a large layby, often a refreshment van, public toilets and a car park for the Reserve. There are display boards with maps and you can walk there at any time. Do try it , there are many unusual heathlands plants and flowers, birds, dragon flies, insect and small reptiles.

Fancy some Physics?

Earlier this year all WI's in the Country were invited to conduct a Physics experiment and make a cartoon of it so that others could understand physics experiments more easily and more women would be interested in taking up Science as a career.

Hollingbourne felt up to the task and two members conducted an experiment that involved a table, a newspaper, a ruler and Rita Moon. Val Williams took photos which were redrawn as a cartoon and we proved that 'THE DOWNWARDS FORCE OF THE ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE COUNTERED THE UPWARD FORCE FROM THE RULER'!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rita, plus table, newspaper and ruler

Rita giving the ruler a hefty wack.

The entry was sent off with little hope of winning - but we were wrong, back came a letter

Lo and behold we were runners up (or at least Val and Rita were.)

Val and Rita Cutching their certificate and prize.

They accepted the invitation to go to 'Stars in their Eyes' in London this June where the lectures were -

1. The Science and Beauty of Nebulae - given by Dr Carolin Crawford, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

2 Careering through Astronomy - Dame Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnett, Dept of Astrophysics, Oxford University. Her work at Cambridge involved her in the discovery of pulsars, opening up a new branch of astrophysics - work which was recognised by the award of a Nobel Prize for her supervisor.

Val and Rita said the Photos were extraordinary and introduced them to a world they had never ventured into.

Val and Rita with Dame Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnett.

A local man was recently heard to say in Hollingbourne - " WI - they just chat and drink tea"

TAKE NOTE PLEASE - we do far more that that and we have your name and number!

A Japanese lady and midsummer's night with the fairies.

Lesley Gould's talk on the life of a Japanese woman was fascinating at the June Meeting. She had brought along bells, kimonos, prayer purses, shoes, pictures and nodding animals. Her 6 years in japan were brought back vividly to us and we were sorry when it was time for her to stop.

After WI had ended we were invited to ......

.... a fairy glen that exists in Hollingbourne where we walked through gardens by torchlight, and found fairies and toadstools, and wild flower gardens. Finally we were served sandwiches (without crusts) of Prawn, Smoked salmon and Ham, and to finish off there were bowls of strawberries and cream. This kind of treat comes only once a year what a pity you missed it!

JUNE MEETING - AN INVITATION - 21st June

We have a very good speaker this month - Lesley Gould who has lived in Japan for 6 years and will explain the life of a Japanese woman, her home and customs.

Please join us for this fascinating talk in Hollingbourne Village Hall, on 21st June, at 8.15, or come for the whole meeting at 7.30pm. £2 including refreshments.

Contact number 01622880497

HOLLINGBOURNE FETE JUNE 2011

Fete day dawned bright and WINDY - the main action of the day seemed to be to stop the Gazebos from blowing away. There were stalls selling flowers, cakes, plants, bags, glass etc, stands for beer, burgers, soft drinks - games to play - Competitions for Dogs (waggiest tail etc), classic cars, Odd methods of transport, and Display tents such as the WI.
Mary & Jim Henderson provided the large Gazabo and display boards, Hilary Lucette the Scapbooks, Members provided the craft work and items for display and Margaret Weaver collated all we had and so that our visitors could see exactly what the WI has been doing for the last 85 years.
Our Unique Pennant has been newly made and will be given to an 2012 Olympic Athlete, under a scheme found on www.quilts4london.org.uk

The Painting done by Miss Fotheringham in 1963 to extol villagers to

join in the effort for the best kept village competition, which

HOLLINGBOURNE THEN WENT ON TO WIN -

Have a look on the small Green when you enter the village -

There is a plaque to commemorate the win on the refuse bin

The races organised by our President Val Williams and her husband Alan

were hotly contended by Children and

Adults

The Tug of War, won in the last two years by the Ladies, was this time won by the men -

a) Take the strain

b) Disaster

Finally a picture from the WI Tent where two young ladies used the Teaching Apron to great effect, swiftly working from 'Once upon a time' to a story containing princes, witches, ghosts, castles, mice and everything else they could get their hands - it was fantastic.

HOLLINGBOURNE VILLAGE FETE 4TH JUNE

WE ARE NOW 85 YEARS OLD AND ARE TO HAVE A STATIC DISPLAY OF OUR PAST AND PRESENT.

MAKE SURE YOU VISIT THE TENT - WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE

• OUR HISTORY WILL BE IN WORDS AND PICTURES
• OUR CRAFTS WILL BE ON DISPLAY,
• SOMETHING TO EAT WITH A RECIPE TO TAKE HOME
• STORY TELLING!
• BE THERE.

President/Resolutions/Twenty Questions

June was the time to Elect our PRESIDENT for the year, from the members who were willing to serve on the Committee. We have two new committee members, Sue Woodhouse and Rita Moon - we welcome them both and thank them in anticipation of their input.

There was a democratic Vote on paper for President - Three names were put forward, but only one agreed to stand and Val Willliams was re-elected.

National Resolutions - This year there were two subjects to discuss - for and against.

1. Support for Local Libraries - After discussion it was generally felt that one could not vote against the idea of this resolution, but that as with most things Funding was the key

2. Mega Farms -

The resolution was that HM Govenment should not grant planning for 'Mega farms'. There was animated discussion from members with farming backgrounds as well as those who saw the need to provide increased in food production to ensure there was sufficient food for the increasing world population. The vote showed a majority for this resolution

Every institute will have a vote on these two in June at the National AGM. and the result will then become a mandate for future action.

Then came our game of 20 QUESTIONS. -

Four members asked us to guess something significant from their past

The first Member has made a cup of tea for Fred Dibnah (Steeplejack) in his own home

The second while on holiday in Kenya, had woken during the night to a call of nature,

and after visiting the outside long drop latrine, had found a Hippo barring her return to the tent. She had to spend 2 hours confined to the latrine!!!

The third had a sporting memory - that of having sat next to Mick Jagger while watching a cricket match at Lords.
Finally, our fourth member had made bouquets for Princess Anne on many occasions.

A lot of fun was had, but needless to say we did not guess any of them. I wonder what else people have been hiding from their backgrounds? We may have more of these in the future.

The Palace of Westminster

It's the First Tuesday of the Month again, and we were off on our travels with our WI Badges to the fore. From Hollingbourne Railway station up to London. ( A money saving tip - go in a group of at least 4 and your ticket will only cost £9.50 return)


Once again, please note that partners and friends are welcome on many of our visits and do not have to wear a badge or profess allegiance to the WI




Our purpose - to visit the Palace of Westminster at the invitation of our MP Hugh Robertson, the Minister for Sport. We had all the paperwork, and arrived at the appointed time. Our Photos were taken - we were issued with passes - we went through the security checks and were into Westminster Hall. The oldest part of the buildings and completed in 1099 in the reign of William the Conqueror's son, William Rufus. It was built to impress. and is still one of the largest undivided mediaevel spaces in existence.
We took in everything our assigned guide told us. Including that we must not take photographs in House of Parliament - sorry. His Boss was Black Rod. He was full of information and answered all our questions.
You may have seen Westminster Hall on TV as it is used for the' Lying in state' after the deaths of monarch and some prime ministers such as Winston Churchill
With our guide we visited with the House Of Commons, saw the benches of the various parties, and the Speaker's chair. The House of Lords with its Woolsack, the Central Lobby and post office, the robing rooms and finally he took a picture of us. (all sporting our photographic passes)
It was a very interesting visit, and the architecture and woodwork and enormous oil paintings were stunning. We had a quick snack and then had a choice -

There were those who felt fit and decided to that BIG BEN had to be tackled - 334 steps up, and 334 down. - though extra security and personal identification was required. They were issued with ear plugs to guard against the noise of the bells - just as well as there were two chimes during the assent and descent. The view was amazing and worth all the huffing and puffing.
There were those who decided to join the long queues to enter Westminster Abbey for a view of the Royal Wedding flowers (only 5 days after the ceremony.) It was worth the wait, and a unique experience.
Others decided that nothing was better than a stroll along the Thames on a beautiful sunny day.


We all made it back to the train after a fantastic day out, and must thank Mary Henderson who made all the arrangements but was unfortunately unable to join us due to family illness

Morrisons Supermarket,Sutton Road, Maidstone

Northdowns District (that's the 9 Wi's to the east of Maidstone) had a visit to our Local Morrisons Supermarket in April.

What a treat! - two management trainees started by giving us the background on the staff, the ethos, the supply chain, and answered all our questions - They knew everything and were so enthusiastic. and we hope they will soon move on up the career ladder to full management.

The Fish department
The Bakery - it was in Easter Week, so Hot Cross Buns were flying out by the oven load.
The Jam doughnuts were filled two at a time.
There was so much to see including the 'back room' stores where fork lifts moved pallets around and the Manager knew where everything belonged - and how long it had been there.

The trip certainly gave confidence in the produce and encouraged us to shop there.

NOTE In Hollingbourne there is more than one bus a day to Maidstone, going via Morrisons -Catch it about 9.30 am - do your shopping and return around 1.pm. - of course if you have a bus pass your trip will be free. - DONT FORGET - USE IT OR LOSE IT!

The Bus- The WI - Renaissance Crafts

Our PresidentVal Williams is one to ' kill as many birds with one stone' as she can... So

having made sure that each member of Hollingbourne WI now has a Brooch/Badge to wear - as below

She devised a reason for us to Wear it -

By using the Free Bus Service (Pensioners) from Hollingbourne to Maidstone and back

Visit Renaissance Crafts in Starnes Court for a session of China Painting

and see the results displayed in April at the WI Meeting, including a Commemorative Plate for the Royal Wedding. (there were those who were too modest to show the finished article)

Our task for the future is to wear our Brooches with pride, especially on the First Tuesday of each month, and should someone mention the Brooch we will tell them all about Hollingbourne WI and invite them to come along to one of our interesting and friendly meetings.

A Canterbury Chorister's Tale. - WI meeting, 19th April.7.30pm

John Fryer will tell us how he was selected to be one of the two choristers from Canterbury Cathedral to sing a the Coronation in 1953. His description of life behind the scenes will be illustrated with recordings of the music played at the coronation, and he will have souvenirs of the day on show.

The members competition is to bring a piece of coronation memorabilia, and there will be a Kate and Willliam souvenir made especially on the WI trip to Renaissance Crafts in Market Buildings last week. Everybody is welcome to this trip down memory lane

WI QUIZ 9th April.

The hall was full to overflowing with nearly 100 people all attempting to win the first prize of some very good wine. There was a dead heat between the Cherries and the Lemons teams and this was settled with a tie break won by the Cherries - (the Pantomime Team) A good time was had by all with our question master - Rita Moon choosing all the questions in advance, and then giving the answers and the scores - Thank you Rita.