Another London outing

13th August
Another Bucks Federation outing arranged this time by the Education and Current Affairs sub-committee took two coach loads of members and friends to visit Kensington Palace. This had been planned following Lucy Worsley's talk in High Wycombe almost 2 years ago.There were lots of different exhibitions inside the Palace which is a real rabbit warren of stairs and corridors.The actual building is not very impressive although the entrance is light and pretty. It was very difficult to see the exhibits in the Victoria Revealed exhibition because it was heavily draped to shut out the light and preserve the fabrics but it did give an excellent picture of the family life of the queen.One couldn't help but admire the model of the Great Exhibiton---imagine building that huge span of roof in heavy iron and glasswork! The royal dresses in Fashion Rules were lovely to see close-up and stirred many memories of having seen them worn either on film or on television. Perhaps the best part was the coverage of court life in Georgian times when Queen Caroline, wife of George II patronised the arts and sciences. The gardens looked wonderful and the park was full of people enjoying the sunshine beside the lake.

All the members arrived and left on time and the journeys were troublefree. Thank Goodness we were warned about the stairs because that is something we will all remember --- not just the King's Staircase!

6th August
The local WI held another summer event in aid of the town school project. This took the form of a treasure trail of about 2 miles around the town. It was a pleasant evening so about 24 people turned out and were separated into 4 teams to go hunting for clues. We were not able to just follow the group in front because we had to answer a question at each stop. Luckily the final clue led us to a local pub where we could sit outside and enjoy the company. Non-walkers also arrived so it was quite a party. I think we have raised a further £80 for the Life Skills flat so it was a case of useful pleasure.