Record breaking July!

What a stunning month we've had so far! On the starting blocks was a very civilised lunch at two cafes in Mells.... Swiftly followed by one of the most entertaining and amusing speakers we've enjoyed at our Monday meeting, culminating in last night's Frome Group Olympic Warm-Up. What a fantastic evening! It began with a parade around the lovely field at Beckington village hall. The team of honed athletes walked in their Institutes behind their banners. (Congratulations to Nunney on having such a beautiful and expertly created banner), waving to the spectators with 'Chariots of Fire' playing in the background! Then the events began! We were treated to a Gold Medal performance of synchronised swimming by Nunney. They were pioneering the new greener way of demonstrating their skills on grass instead of requiring the high cost option of a pool. Wellie throwing, bash the rat and the egg and spoon race were all hotly contested. athletes could be seen limbering up, making their own personal preparations in order to give a peak performance. The bronze medal winner of the crochet event was a late entry, only learned the technique very recently by reading about it in a library book and borrowing a crochet hook. All very testing and challenging these athletes to the very limits of endurance. The final race was the dressing up relay where the super-star sports women were required to walk a course, putting on various items of clothing and then removing them on the return journey. Very testing indeed for the second player who had to unravel the clothes before they could don them! Here we had two heats and a fiercely contested final, with some very competitive teams! Before the athletes adjourned for a much needed meal, 5 ladies from Leigh on Mendip gave a demonstration of the new sport which will doubtless be included in the 2016 Olympics: Synchronised Tea Drinking, accompanied by the Tommy Dorsey Band playing the Tea for Two cha cha cha. Following a lovely ploughman's meal, we were treated to the awards ceremony. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded amid much applause and the sound of many camera shutters! Every participant was awarded a union flag chocolate lolly as a memento of the games! What a wonderful evening! Thank you very much to Caroline and Mary for organising the whole event, to Beckington Berkely and Standerwick for being such marvellous hosts and to the Nunney member who kindly made all of the medals - and to everyone who came up with the ideas and the enthusiasm! It was fun!

We know how to live.....

Four of us turned up in Mells today for a delicious lunch at the cafe which adjoins the post office in Mells. Once we had finished our meal we decided to wander up the road to the cafe in the garden nursery, situated next to Mells Barn. What a delightful setting, beautifully arranged and laid out along the 'up-cycling', vintage themes with lovely flowers and both indoor and outside seating for those wishing to partake of the cafe facilities. (which, of course, we did!) Next month we'll have lunch together at The Bell in our village, as the new chef has arrived! 12.30, Friday 3 August. Looking forward to it!

Antiques supper at Standerwick

Last evening Val and I went along to Standerwick for an unusual and very entertaining evening. I was expecting to eat a meal and then listen to a speaker describing his life in the antiques business. Wrong! We did indeed have a lovely meal (pork chop & veg, all locally sourced and a scrummy pavlova or chocolate torte) and we enjoyed the very good company of 6 members from Chewton Mendip WI around our table. The speaker provided antiques for us to look at and we had a series of questions to answer about each one. (work to do, indeed!) it was absolutely fascinating, and what a privilege to be able to handle so many old, interesting and valuable items! One table had the cheapest and the most expensive puzzles to solve! Their marrow spoon (not for scooping the vegetable type of marrow, it was for bone marrow!) was old but worth only £6. The brooch, very small, just a thin gold strip with 3 white stones turned out to be worth £6,000, (I observed two things at this point: one, all the doors were closed and two, he didn't divulge the value until he had that brooch back in his possession!) It was very interesting, we learnt a great deal about antiques along the way and had great fun! Well worth the ticket price indeed!

Friday 6 July lunch

We'll meet at Mells Post Office cafe for our lunch, at 12.30. The weather just doesn't look conducive to a walk around the village beforehand! We'll do the walk next time!

Breaking News.......!

I've just received information following the planting of our Jubilee Oak Tree:

 

 

Just thought you might like to know that the WI oak is in the process of giving birth!!!

I spotted some tiny acorns on it the other day.