theWI Adderbury & District Walking Group Event today – Thursday 1st October 2015
Dear ladies, We are just back from Sheila’s circular walk from Upton House car park via Sun Rising Hill, with lunch to follow at the Rose and Crown at Ratley. Just a fairly short walk with only one stile to clamber over, easy walking over stubbled fields, with a new crop just beginning to develop and there in the middle of our way, a brightly blue-flowered borage plant just demanding to be admired and applauded. Despite the warmth of the sun, a stiff breeze kept us moving as we walked over this field, then another and then after a further short wooded walk-way a wide-open vista beckoned us forwards towards the view of plains down below Sun Rising Hill. A fabulous vista of fields, hedgerows, pastures, dwellings and one busy road far below us, the sun beating down and the air crisp and sweet on our faces. It must be added that a few baby clouds were playing tag in the wide blue yonder but their presence offered no threat to the beauty of the vision we encountered. The vista was the object of much photographic activity and then we had to read the helpful map and the poster on the Battle of Edgehill, the first major confrontation of the English Civil War and take photos of course, climbing over an extra, unplanned stile but, it was well worth the effort for the greater benefit of the morning ‘s walk. Returning to Upton, we drove to Ratley and the Rose and Crown for a most delicious lunch in this stunning village location and historic pub with Civil War connections.. Warmest thanks to Sheila for an excellent WI walk and pub lunch event. Here’s a few photos of our morning’s excursion… Margaret...
Read MoretheWI Adderbury and District Centenary Social Event on Thursday, 17th September 2015 new photos…
Dear Ladies, Thanks to Debbie a new photo from our Centenary celebrations has arrived this morning which we thought everyone would like to see… Are their other hidden photos of the occasion for sharing? Margaret Halstead
Read MoretheWI Adderbury & District WI Grow Wild Seed Garden at Katharine House Hospice – Wednesday, 30th Septembeer 2015
Dear Ladies, WI @ KHH + GWS gardening in September 2015 At the beginning of September for week 18, on 3rd September, Colin Sykes generously encouraged Team WI to thin out the primrose plants from other garden beds to add into our second WI GWS seedling bed in front of the back hedge. And then we got down to serious weeding of stinging nettles, dock and chickweed all of which we had a very great number. We also still have our wild poppies and the cultivated poppies which are growing so strongly, and it is these seed heads Colin has asked us to remove as much as possible, to prevent their invading the gardens en masse. We have also been asked to remove our ox-eye plants for the same reason but, I’m very sad to say we don’t seem to have any at all. We also still have corn chamomile, corn marigold and scentless mayweed, plus one self-heal, whose seeds we will also endeavour to collect. The bonfire was going well and blowing all over Team WI as we work. Week 19 at 10th September and we are still weeding at Katharine House Hospice gardens where our weed collection of chickweed, docks, and stinging nettles are still making their presence strongly felt. Gathering in some of the cultivated poppy-seed heads also goes on and photography of our wild seed flower garden. The common poppy is still blooming brightly and the cultivated poppy-seed heads are still green, firm and without any skin splits, so no seeds are being scattered yet and the gathered seed heads are being stored in envelopes and paper carrier bags. On one photo-shoot I caught sight of a small frog making his way thru’ the undergrowth, by small hops and long leg stretchings, heading towards the hedge and he seemed to be utterly unaware of my presence as I bent lower to watch his progress…….. On Saturday 12th September at The Manor House Garden Party, where Veronica and friend Barbara are manning the plant stall, Team WI are most generously given a box of plants for our WI wild seed flower garden containing ox-eye daisy plants, two tortured willows, one pulmonaria and five grasses, all of which planted in our second garden bed that same afternoon. A pottery skep is bought for me for our garden where it looks very good amongst the remaining flowers……. Week 20 at 17th September and I’m assisting with the clearance from the ground and picking from the tree some of the wonderful crab apple harvest with volunteer garden friend with which I will make and pot up as crab apple jelly for Katharine House Hospice sales and also for our WI stall at the Christmas Market on 28th November………….. Week 21 on Thursday, 24th September where a few extra crab apples are picked and after our coffee break, Team WI get down to more weeding and seed gathering of poppy heads and annual seedling flowers. Colin advises that many of the annual plants will self-seed which is great news for next summer. The corn chamomile is still growing very well and we also have many tiny yellow flowers plus the larger yellow corn marigold. We sow Foxglove seeds given by volunteer garden friend Chris into our second bed where the group of original seedlings remain healthy and strong……. Colin Sykes has suggested we lower the fertility of the soil by not adding any compost or feed, and leave a good crop of fading plants to...
Read MoretheWI Adderbury & District WI – Agenda for October WI Meeting on Thursday, 1st October 2015
The Institute, Adderbury, 1 October 2015 7.30 pm President’s welcome and opening remarks Minutes of the meeting held on 3 September to be agreed and signed Matters arising: WI calendar, Adderbury and District banner, OFWI celebration event, our celebration evening, wildflower areas Correspondence/communication Christmas events: Christmas Market (28 November), Christmas Tree Festival (4,5 and 6 December), Christmas meal (3 December) Committee report items not covered elsewhere: birthdays, spare craft items, tea rota Treasurer’s report Programme and activities: members’ suggestions, walks , book group, needlecraft group Any other business Community items After a break for refreshments, our speaker will be Dan Allen talking about women’s organisations in the First World War. Margaret...
Read MoretheWI Adderbury & District WI Centenary Social Event – Thursday, 17th September 2015
What a smashing evening we all enjoyed together for our Centenary Social Event last Thursday at The Institute with fish and chips by Pitstop and drinks by BarKing for supper and vanilla ice-cream for dessert, with sprinkles and sauce to choice. We sang Jerusalem and then Geoff Cooper played throughout the evening and for our sing-song, a good mix of period songs from Pack Up Your Troubles to Friends and Neighbours. We finished joyfully with our combined rendition of Auld Lang Syne, with friends arms linked in great companionship. We also enjoyed getting the right answers to the 1915 themed quiz then enjoyed a great raffle which included a wide range of WI items as the WI cookbook, the mug, a tea towel, a Victoria sponge cake made to the WI original recipe, wine and a box of homemade jams and chutneys. Decorations for the event focussed on slogan-inspired WI colours of green, violet and white – green for give, violet for votes and white for women, the suffragettes’ chosen colours, many of whom were founding members of the Women’s Institute. The lnstitute was attractively decorated with these special colours for table dressings with jam jars of flowers, our new Adderbury WI Banner on its second outing this week after Tuesday’s Centennial Service at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, photos of old Adderbury, Adderbury and Milton archival prints and our raffle table. We were delighted that Stella Oakes, our Special Adviser, was able to join us for the evening and so too a large party of Banbury WI Members, all of whom came most splendidly dressed in period costume of the day. The evening began with our combined voices in a stirring account of Jerusalem which set the tone for our special social event to mark The WI Centenary – 1915 – 2015 – 100 years of the life and times of our fabulous Women’s Institute. Here’s my photo gallery of our splendid Centenary social event for 100 years of WI Life and Times…. I think we all had an excellent evening – great food, great fun and great raffle prizes – for our special Centenary celebratory evening for our fabulous Women’s Institute… Margaret Halstead ...
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