theWI Adderbury & District WI – Grow Wild Seed Garden at Katharine House Hospice – Thursday 2 July 2015
We have a mole in our wild flower garden where for a few weeks now he’s just been active in the lower far end, with just one eruption of soil to spoil the seedling view. However, he’s now moved up to the top end, creating four fresh mounds of earth right in the heart of seedling territory. Apparently, this soil is very good to use for other plantings and sowings: moles are a very mixed bane for the garden and gardener! Our 9th week of gardening begins today, 2nd July and 2nd week of high growth with our tallest seedlings now measuring 12 1/2″. Kew’s country cousin, Wakehurst Place, have provided their seedling development photographs for identification of growing seedlings, Stage 3 of which are now viewable on GWS website showing true leaf growth which I’m finding very helpful. We have our first tiny seedling flower today at the back border, which is very exciting and recently I spotted a first flower head on another tall-growing plant at the front of the border. Here’s our first flowering seedling… I have also transplanted one seedbox of seedlings preparatory to they’re going into our phase 2 bed which needs still more digging to make it ready… Phase 2 patch soil is mostly stones, lumps of cold bonfire detritus, twigs and general rubbish including roots. This has been raked and cleared of the larger stones and lumps and today I’ve added a good deal of the garden’s well-rotted compost, spreading it across the patch and mixing it in together with the original soil; this is stage 2 of preparation for growing. I think phase 2 garden still needs more added compost or top soil which I’ll add next week; then l think the garden will be ready to take some of our growing seedlings… And here’s a photo of our wild flower seedlings, looking very healthy and vigorous… Margaret Halstead ...
Read MoretheWI Adderbury & District WI – Farm Walk & Supper – Photographs by Roger Dickinson – 28 June 2015
Thanks to Roger Dickinson for his splendid photos of our super farm walk and supper generously and kindly hosted by June and Robert Stilgoe… Margaret...
Read MoretheWI Adderbury & District WI – Agenda for WI Meeting at The Institute – Thursday, 2nd July 2015 at 7.30pm
AGENDA; President’s welcome and opening remarks. Minutes of the meeting held on 4 June 2015 to be approved and signed. Matters arising: WI calendar, wild flower seeds, Christopher Rawlins school fete, Party in the Park, farm supper. Committee report: Proposed social evening for WI Centenary, Christmas tree decorations, tea rota. WI centenary: Buckingham Palace Garden Party. NFWI Annual general meeting at the Albert Hall. Correspondence/communications: North Cherwell Group committee meeting. Programme and activities: walks , book group, needlecraft group, Mikron theatre (13 August), Adderbury’s WI Centenary celebration evening. Any other business Community items: History Association History Day. After a break for refreshments Brian Little, who has written extensively about the history of Banbury, will talk to us. He has called his presentation ‘Carriers to...
Read MoretheWI Adderbury & District WI – Adderbury WI Grow Wild Seed Garden – Katharine House Hospice – 4 June 2015
Wild flowers at Katherine House: Margaret reported that the seeds were up and the ones in the greenhouse particularly well advanced. They should flower in August. She has made a poster and a slate sign and will have these, a folder of photos and various props ready for the KHH Open Garden on 7 June. She has sent an article to the Banbury Guardian and The Cake, and hopes a piece will be included in News and Views and perhaps WI Life. There is also, information on the website and Facebook page and it has been sent to the Grow Wild organisation. Margaret thanked Gill and Diane for all their help. Dear Ladies, the above is the minuted Wild flowers at Katharine House report from our June WI meeting….I thought you might like to view a few of the photos from the beginning of June when our garden was part of KHH’s Open Garden Day… Some of the seed box seedlings were transplanted last week into the front of the main bed and they seem to be doing well. I’m collecting photos of developing seedlings from other sources to id our seedlings and one of our seedlings is already displaying a tiny coloured seed head, which is very exciting! Margaret Halstead ...
Read MoretheWI Adderbury & District WI – Farm Walk and Supper – Thursday 25th June 2015
On a hot summer’s day a perfect evening followed for our farm walk and supper, kindly organised by June and Robert Stilgoe at their family farm, Grounds Farm, off the Oxford Road to Deddington. A glorious view of rolling farm fields and green countryside presented as we gathered together before setting off with Robert to view the crops and scenery, tramping over the pathways and tramlines from one field to another. We inspected the developing linseed plant with its blue flowers just emerging, the stately broad beans with their very distinctive black spot marking and the field of rape seed oil plants with their long narrow pods waving on the warm summer breeze. Our walk wound over the gurgling river, through that magnificent crop of beans, through a leafy green tunnel to cottages and the ancient paper mill building with a discussion pause by a wheat field to explore the question of wheat production, Canadian wheat, wheat gluten, Spelt flour and the organic question. As we circled up to the farmhouse, a helicopter buzzed overhead like an enormous wasp and a car slowly traced our journey and, from deep within the crop fields, modernity had seemed a distant entity. We arrived at the farm’s ancient Banbury brick bullock barn turned-cowshed now present-day agricultural barn to a vision of dressed white-clothed tables, bunting and wheat-swagged walls and June’s delicious supper laid out before our appreciative gaze. Robert’s enjoyable farm-themed quiz got us all thinking and much laughter ensued. Here’s some views of our lovely evening…. Warm thanks to June and Robert Stilgoe for their generous hospitality for a wonderful charitable fund-raising evening for the Frank Wise School from all WI members and family guests who attended their brilliant mid-summer event. Margaret...
Read More