Dream Holidays

Last week’s Zoom get together with members was under the theme of “Dream Holidays”.  This could be one they’d already enjoyed, had to cancel or planned for whenever possible in the future.

10 ladies joined us and a PowerPoint show of their photos was shown in the background of our conversations.

We heard of trains, boats and planes in Canada, South America, Australia, the Atlantic and finding distant relations in New York. We saw animals in Australia and Borneo, iconic views at Machu Picchu, snow and ice, precious memories of times spent in Cornwall, varied sea and inland scenes along the Pacific highway in California and a range of cultures and scenery in the Far East.

 

Everyone shared the background to their favourite holiday, and the stories and photos were greatly enjoyed by us all.

Here’s hoping we may have some new ones to share by this time next year!

 

ACWW

 

In County News this month there was an ACWW Update.

 

The United Nations' International Day of Rural Women celebrates the role of rural women throughout the world.

As a rural County, this day, which was celebrated on 15 October, was especially important to WI members in Somerset:- 

think of all the women who work to support our community.  Not just as farmers but in agricultural industries, veterinary, education, horticulture, farm related retail and so on.

Unusually, this year, ACWW celebrated "Women Walk the World" on 15 October.

We organised 2 local socially distanced walks in Leigh on Mendip.  One in the morning with a short walk around the village and then in the afternoon a slightly longer one around the quarry.  It was a lovely sunny afternoon and it was good for us to remember this occasion along with the opportunity to see friends and spend some time with them.

The ACWW projects support rural women in less developed countries around the world.  If you would like to support them in their work, especially as we are not meeting regularly to donate to the "Pennies for Friendship" go on-line at

www.acww.org.uk

to read more about their work and maybe make a donation.

Hopefully, next year we will be able to walk in a larger group and meet for tea and cakes afterwards.

Not just Jam and Jerusalem!

This lockdown period has seen many more of us growing our own produce at home or creating a fantastic display of vegetables, fruit and flowers in the village Allotments. We have also been blessed with some fantastic sunshine to help it all along.

We are not natural gardeners at our house, but with seed/plant swaps happening plus extras available from several stalls provided by expert gardeners in the village, we have increased our range of produce from the usual four (strawberries, courgettes, onions and runner beans) to a total of 10 with orange beetroot, red lettuces, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and french beans.

Much of this has been enjoyed as soon as picked and some put away in the freezer to enjoy over the coming months.

However this week was my annual Chutney making session. Courgettes and apples (from a family garden) had been frozen ready prepared and many many onions harvested and dried awaiting in the garage.

Many tears shed as the white onions were chopped, but eventually it bubbled away in 2 cauldrons to become 18 various sized jars named "Brookfield Harvest". 

Then onto the Caramelised Red Onion Chutney. How so much onion, sugar and vinegars can become 4 small pots is beyond me! I decided to use up all my stash and make a second batch the next day. Somehow it became just the right consistency and with a little chilli flake included, the initial taste test was just fantastic. I can just imagine it with goat's cheese! 

We now need to be patient and leave it all for a month or more, then decide how much we can bear to give away in christmas hampers.
Next spring we may be even more adventurous and try some new varieties.

So the new catchphrase for Leigh on Mendip WI is now
"Not just Jam and Jerusalem, but Chutneys too".

Several other members have also beavered away making marmalade or various preserves from garden fruits.

Now as the last of my sweet peas are picked, begonias still thriving but a few other plants battered by the heavy rain this week, it seems to be time to tidy over the vegetable plot, clear out some patio pots and plant in a little winter colour. 

Now time to relax and watch the winter garden evolve from the warmth of the patio windows.