Author: gosforthcentralwi

“November is usually such a disagreeable month as if the year had suddenly found out she was growing old and could do nothing but weep and fret over it.“

Well, I’m not sure about weeping and fretting – Storm Arwen is sending November out kicking and screaming!

But, in the blink of an eye, it will be December and the countdown to Christmas well and truly begun.

I love this time of year though have to remind myself that only small mammals hibernate and I am not a small mammal :). It’s not really about sleeping – it’s more resisting the temptation to draw the curtains, snuggle up on the sofa, read a book …..when its only lunchtime!! Is it only me??

However, inertia has been partly offset by planning our Christmas meeting.

As we were lucky enough to be entertained by the Bangshees in October, we’ve decided not to have the advertised workshop in December and, instead, will entertain ourselves (we are the WI after all!). Think along the lines of Richard Osman’s “House of Games” but with added twists 🙂

And, just before I sign off, a massive thank you to Ray Hayes, our November speaker, on the subject of Jesmond Old Cemetery. So interesting! Who knew that the wall was so high to deter the body snatchers…or that it is the resting place of the first woman to do an over arm service in tennis…or so many other interesting facts and stories. We will definitely organise a guided cemetery walk with Ray in the Spring.

I’ll leave you with some stunning photos of Autumn shrubs and an early blooming Christmas cactus.

Stay well everyone and see you soon.

With thanks for the title to the marvellous BBC satirical comedy of the 1960s (can’t believe that I’m really that old!)

But the link ends there because there’ll be no satire in this blog. Simply put, we had a marvellous night.

As summed up in one of the thank yous we had……it was “great fun, great company, great entertainment, great food and the party gift at the end was a lovely touch”.

Sincere thanks to everyone involved – members, guests, the hard working Committee and the “professional” entertainers – the Bangshees and Jeff, the Magician (how many of you were convinced you knew which card was the Lady?)

Check out some of the photos below – including the one of Jean who looks like she’s set to eat all those desserts on her own! 🙂

Not every month can be party night of course but we can still look forward to a full and interesting programme. Take a look at the Events & Activities page on this website for more information. It will be great to see you all at our next meeting!

What a month – a cheque gratefully received and a face to face meeting gratefully, and successfully, held.

The cheque first….

Received from The Asda Foundation – an independent charity with more than 30 years’ history of helping people in local communities. As social distancing measures begun to ease in the UK, the Foundation launched a new grant to focus on reuniting communities, celebrating togetherness, and supporting groups as they resumed their usual activities in person.

Thanks to their generosity, Gosforth Central received a cheque and we are now able to plan a “Getting Together Again” party on October 14th where members and their guests from the local community will meet, eat, drink and be (appropriately distanced) merry!

Now for the September meeting..

We were lucky enough to have our first face to face in September (though, as a number of people were taking advantage of late summer staycations, we decided to have October as “party night”).

Even though a number of people were on holiday, it was a great turnout to hear about Recycling in Newcastle, marvel at the Upcycling efforts of people (see below), and shop for fresh produce from lovingly cultivated gardens and cosy kitchens. Photos of some of the examples follow – though not everything brought on the night is shown here :))

1 – Cath’s perfect “proggy” mat made from a friend’s shrunken jumpers and skirts. Chosen by our speaker as the winner because of all the hard work involved. Well deserving of the prize of (appropriately) a recycled wooden spoon from the Wood Yard. Check them out at https://www.welovewood.org/

2 – Alison’s amazing quilt made from her boys’ old pyjamas

3 And last, but not least, three from Andrea’s awesome collection, Lesley’s inspired re use of takeaway coffee cups and one of Jean’s lovely handbags made from old curtains. Amazing all of them!

Did you know that the UK produces more than 100 million tonnes of waste every year
(one tonne is about the weight of a small car). In less than two hours, the waste we produce would fill the Albert Hall in London and, every eight months, it would fill Lake Windermere.

Scary stuff…

To help build awareness, during September, Oxfam are running a campaign to encourage us to stop buying (brand new) clothes for a month. Check it out here –

https://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/second-hand-september/

That message is an important part of the anti fast fashion, throwaway, waste culture and, as their website says “if we all make small changes, together we can make a difference”

S0 – how appropriate is it that this month’s meeting focuses both on Recycling in Newcastle (what we can do to support our City’s efforts, reduce our own “waste” & help the environment) AND what we are already doing in that respect. Bring along examples of what you have reused, remade, refurbished, recycled, or renewed. It will be great seeing the small (and maybe not so small) changes you’ve already made.

WI women are a creative bunch – lets celebrate our achievements as well as learn what else we can be doing!

And, talking about celebrations…..September will be the first time we have met face to face in 18 months. In the words of Ian Drury & the Blockheads “Reasons to Be cheerful..”

..now, try to get that song out of your head 🙂

And I hope, like the Sundays of old, you’re having a restful and replenishing month.

Personally, the “restful” hasn’t really applied but the “replenishing” has! I seem to have been playing away more than I’ve been at home ( a wedding to attend, a holiday, friends to catch up with etc). I guess that’s what August (and the end of lockdown restrictions) is for.

One thing I was sorry to miss was the August guided walk along the Quayside. A great time was had by all and the weather was good – as you can see from the photo below. Apparently, even the Newcastle “lifers” learned a lot and saw things they hadn’t seen before (the mind boggles). If, like me , you missed this trip, watch this space as our Guide said she’d be happy to lead us on another walk at some stage.

I’m sure a lot of you have been busy in the garden and/or allotment…hard work but so good for the soul. To quote BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine “August is a great month in the garden, with many flowers, including dahlias, sunflowers and other hot-coloured blooms at their peak.” I couldn’t resist posting some of the photos you’ve sent in – a treat for the eyes.

Of course, August has also seen the Tokyo Olympics. Whether you’re a fan or not, the fact that they were able to stage them at all is impressive and GB’s 65 medals is seriously so! Did you have a favourite moment? I have to say mine was probably Tom Daley knitting in the audience – and, yes, I know its hardly an Olympic sport but it was so so good – I loved it 🙂

As the nights start to draw in, focus on the days still being lovely and the rain is still warm. I’m cherishing these days and trying to store them in my “memory jar” for winter!