Caroline welcomed all our existing members and especially our new ladies Kate Drinkwater and Mary Witts to our September meeting. It was lovely also to see visitors – including some mums from Leigh on Mendip School.
Some of our members had attended the Kilmersdon Summer Party. A superb buffet was provided with lots of choice and yummy desserts. We watched a demonstration of baskets made from weaving card strips and were able to purchase some of the lovely items. It was also a chance to talk to other Institutes and compare notes. Would certainly recommend for next year!
A small group went on an outing to Frome to visit the Guild of Weavers. They have both large and smaller table looms – a very friendly group who help each other and give advice.
It was decided to suspend our Walking group for the time being and review again in the Spring. Our other clubs are proving very popular and enjoyed by those who go. Six ladies came to the monthly lunch at The Bell.
The Sales table proved popular. Lots of lovely donations and £22 was raised to support Dorothy House.
Our speaker was Ursula Franklin with her unique story of ‘Mission Penguin’. Ursula has combined her love of nature – particularly penguins with her passion for photography. Following the death of her husband in 2012, Ursula decided she needed a healing journey and so the idea of ‘Mission Penguin’ was born.
She found out that there are 18 species of penguins in the world living in the southern hemisphere. So, she set herself a goal of seeing and photographing all 18 in their natural habitat. This meant researching and organising ways of travelling to the Antarctic and Antarctica Islands, the Galapagos Islands, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and South America. Ursula had a lot of journeys by different planes, ships and boats and even though she suffers badly from sea sickness, this did not put her off.
She achieved her goal and now has published two books about the penguins she saw, and she told us that her healing journey is now complete, a most fascinating story. She was enjoyed by all and many bought her book and cards.
At our October Meeting on Monday 9th we are organising a "Wish You Were Here" event with photos from members' holidays or local outings.
The Rec Field are holding a Quiz on Friday 3 November. Teams of 4. So far 6 members are interested. Please let one of the Committee know if you would like to take part. A lot of fun – and after the success of our team at the County Quiz maybe even a winning team!
Looking even further ahead our Christmas meal will be at The Bell on Monday 4 December in the evening. Menus will be available shortly. We would like to take part in The Christmas Tree Festival again which is being held on 9/10 December. Members were asked for suggestions for the theme. More discussion at our October meeting. This meeting will also be your last opportunity to donate small gifts for the Shoebox Appeal – otherwise please take your donations to Mary's house. She will be packaging them up to be taken to the County AGM being held this year at the Bath & West Showground (very local!) on Sunday 15 October. A lovely opportunity to meet with WI ladies from around Somerset and listen to some interesting speakers.
If you would like to know more about us contact
Caroline on 01373 812889. It would be
great to see you at one of our meetings.
Come a few times before making any decision about joining.
