Journal Day - 29th Jan

Well most of the report was put in BUT no picture!!! They will put in lots of paragraphs which does alter the original passage - whether it improves or detracts is debatable!!

January Meeting - Community Project Donation

1.Anne, our Treasurer explains how we collected money for our Community Project for the year (looks a bit serious).




There is a light right over Sue our President's head - we knew she was special!!!

2. Laughter all around and the cheque has been accepted by Heather and Jenny, committee members of the Playing Field Committee, who have benefitted to the sum of £410.00 for their next project which is improving the safety of the slide 'mound' for children, in the playing field, right next to the village hall. Our speaker for the evening enthusiastically spoke on paddle-steamers in the Bristol Channel - they were all 'lovely' ships. He was very keen that we should go on a trip later on in the year - good for sailors!!!

We had one visitor (my husband) who was horrified to find none of the other hubbies had turned up. He disappeared after the talk, preferring the safety of home rather than lots of ladies during the tea break! However, he won a prize in the raffle despite his hasty exit!!

Names were collected for the bursary which will be offered this year (£100) to go towards either a local educational course or a Denman course. Liz who won one of the bursaries last year (which she shared with Margaret B) will bring in some of their art so we can see what they learnt. Mary Williams was pleased to receive a belated raffle prize - after a mix-up with tickets at the Wincanton event.

The evening ended with a few internet jokes from Eileen and several of Ruth's amazing poems - both of which brought forth much laughter!! We were pleased that Heather and Jenny stayed to the end of the evening and continue to try to persuade them to start a WI of their own with friends meeting on a night more suitable for them - perhaps in the pub!! Over to Heather and Jenny!!!

WI Meeting (open)

20th January - 1st meeting of the year - crunch time - how many members will rejoin? More later!!!

Committee tonight

Well - first meeting of the year - should be interesting!! Afterwards - dates sorted - jobs allocated. Ruth read us her poem about the White Christmas flower show at Bruton - it was very funny!!!
Wednesday - Ruth has the poster up in the shop already - what a champ!!! Our January meeting is an Open one - about the steamers on the Bristol Channel.

Eve 6/7th Jan 09

Temperatures of -10 recorded in Gurney Slade (was that John N) - anyway it was on the TV!!! Checked with Kath yesterday - no it wasn't John - so who is the mystery weather recorder in our village?

NFWI - Violence against Women Survey

Take time to answer either or both of these surveys - the more results they have the more accurate it will be. I frankly found it quite difficult to answer many of the questions - it is still a fairly taboo area in the local community.

www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=%2boN6N%2fdbHbhJ0gVoWqN4vA%3d%3d

Also if you are interested in the NFWI/Bristol University survey on the impact of violence in rural areas http://tiny.cc/8lxlF is another survey for you.

NB: The Map of Gaps II report is due out on 30th January jointly published by EVAW (End Violence against Women) and EHRC (Equality & Human Rights Commission). NFWI as a member of EVAW compaigning coalition is supporting this report.

Happy New Year

Welcome to a frosty 2009. I took this from the garden gate - didn't venture down the field!!! A day by the fire today - misty and frosty - not an ideal combination!!!

Forecast: more of the same cold (healthy!!) weather but sunshine for the weekend.

02.01.09 - Put names on the County News for a good excuse to stay by the fire!!!