22nd March
I am adding this date to my blog only because the WI is mandated to try to preserve public libraries in these days of stringent economic cuts. Our town is unfortunately one of the 13 in Bucks which is now going to survive only if it can call on volunteer support from the community. There was a meeting tonight to see how many people could find the time and enthusiasm to serve in the library in order to keep it open for the same amount of hours that it now provides.The attendance was good so one imagines this will be possible. Volunteers are not the real answer to the problem even if one professional librarian remains but it is this or nothing so we had better get on with it. The principle down-grades the profession of librarianship back to the days when working in a library was seen as date-stamping books.

21st March
Another sew-in day at a member's house.Actually it is beginning to resemble a sweatshop from the Third World. We are kept at the sewing machines and chained to the end of balls of wool but the results are going to be amazing. I just hope that the public will want to buy some of the stuff that is being manufactured so that our WI funds will swell and our expertise may attract even more new members who are interested in crafts.

19th March
Two coach loads of WI members and friends were up early this morning to visit the Manet Exhibition at the Royal Academy. We made good time in spite of road diversions until we actually came to drive along Picadilly when it slowed down to a crawl. It is a wonderful collection of Manet's work and beautifully displayed but it was very crowded.Someone reported that there had been a nasty incident when one viewer said she had been rudely jostled and the steward had to intervene.I missed the excitement but am sure it wasn't Bucks members involved! We went to the top floor to view the very different pictures of George Bellows which were on display up there: a lot of muscle and strain in boxing rings and illustrations of the under-privileged in America in the early 1900s but well worth seeing. I really enjoy the chance to visit the London galleries without the hassle of train and underground so I hope the BFWI continues to arrange them.

14th March
I forgot to mention that last evening on returning from the Science Day I went to the local WI's Discussion Group to talk about the value of art. It was a good subject once we got over the idea that it was too philosophical about something on which we had no real expertise.However, we were soon away on the practical uses of art in therapy, in industry and in what nowadays is termed the "feel good factor".With the help of an artist member of our WI, we got beyond the "I know what I like" stance and enjoyed a pleasant exchange of ideas.
The members of Current Affairs met this morning still slightly shell-shocked from their exertions at the Invention and Discovery meeting yesterday.We felt it had been a great success and had already received messages from WI members and the speakers congratulating us on the meeting.No time to rest on our laurels though so it was down to arrangements for an outing to Royal Greenwich and future activities.The next big event will probably be the Great Food Debate which we hope will fit in with NFWI's campaign and help the wider community to understand the challenges of feeding a growing world population and try to do something positive to deal with the problem.

13th March
Today I joined the members at the Invention and Discovery event in Aylesbury.The Gatehouse was a lovely venue, warm and comfortable. The speakers were all at the top of their fields and made their presentations understandable to non-scientists. We learned such a lot and one could tell everyone was listening because the questions were so good.We now know a lot more about re-cycling to create energy and were filled with wonder to see the photos of outer space taken from the Hubble telescope. Next day in the press were photos of the Panstarrs comet which we had been told about and we are on the watch already for the comet Ison in November when we hope for less cloud than this month.In the afternoon we were fascinated by the work of medical biologists seeking repair techniques for heart damage and then we were into forensics examining the evidence afforded by bloodstains.A very varied and interesting day.

12th March
Oh dear what a thought-provoking and sometimes depressing novel the local Book Group studied this month! "The Wilderness" by Samantha Harvey featured a main character's gradual slip into Alzeimers disease written from his point of view. We experienced the frightening stages while he was still well enough to realise his deterioration right through until he could remember absolutely nothing.One couldn't say one had enjoyed the read because it was so close to home but it was gripping and prompted a long discussion.The author had mirrored Jacob's state of mind by the jumbled time-line of his memories as we learned his life story.It was very well-written with some intriguing events not explained until the end.It is a book to recommend to anyone involved in the care of a family member suffering from this affliction.

8th March
The local WI members supported a coffee morning and jigsaw swap in aid of Adoption UK this morning. The bad weather this winter has obviously confined people to their houses more than usual because there was a lot of interest in the puzzles and it is a pleasant way to raise money for a good cause.

6th March
The WI met this evening when the members were entertained by one of their own speakers who had prepared a dramatised selection of poems and songs about "Women": some amusing, some sad and some factual. Plans were made for the next Group Meeting and several outings. Reports were presented on events attended and the activities of the various sections. We are very active between monthly meetings so there is plenty of opportunity to meet socially and build up friendships.Like most of Bucks' WIs we have a growing membership and are pleased to say we are keeping our members too. We must be doing something right.

2nd March

Today Winslow WI hosted a Cookery Event with Carrie O'Regan from Denman College demonstrating Easter recipes.This event started off as the WI's Bursary meeting but members from other WIs and the general public were invited to come along as well. Every year Winslow offers a Bursary either to one member chosen by ballot to attend a course at Denman College or to finance a group activity with an educational theme or a link to Denman. This year the link was the demonstrator Carrie who produced 6 dishes with a vaguely Easter relevance.The ploughman's lunch and gorgeous traybakes were made and served by Winslow WI members.The finished items which Carrie produced were raffled to the audience so six people went home with a lovely contribution towards a celebratory meal. A very enjoyable and informative day.

26th February

It has been a week of stay at home local WI events. Tonight 16 of our members met in one of the local pubs to re-discover card games. This was the third get-together of the Games Group. We played Newmarket and a game new to me called May I? a version of rummy.It was a most enjoyable evening and another opportunity to get to know people a little better outside the monthly meeting. Some of those attending were also escaping from TV football.

21st February

There was a good turn-out from the Craft Group members today at a member's house. We met for coffee and brought lunch so that we could get down to producing items for our summer commitments at shows and garden parties.One room housed the machinists and another the knitters and sewers and a great deal of progress was made on the various projects in hand.It is pleasant to work together like this and there is always someone available to offer advice or help with problems.

19th February

Two of us from the local WI have started to plan the programme for 2014. We have received some suggestions from the members and we consulted recent Bucks Newsletters for ideas outside the Speakers List produced by the Speakers and Publications Federation Sub-committee.We will also be attending the Presentation Evening which this committee hosts early in every year.Like all WIs we try to obtain speakers near to home for the winter months but beyond those we are looking for a broad range of topics. Ours is a large membership so we can afford quite expensive speakers so should be able to avoid too many charitable organisations or commercial ones.Smaller WIs with fewer funds at their disposal benefit from free demonstrations. The programme can make or break a WI so it is very important to attract not only new members but to retain the faithful.We are thinking about one home-spun group effort and also an open meeting with a title attractive to family and friends.It does seem very early to be thinking about 2014 but speakers get booked up well in advance and the committee likes to have it ready to add the competitions and then go to print by October at the latest. If we start now we have time to shuffle dates to suit the speakers.