11th-13th July
How lucky we were to have reserved Denman College for our Federation Weekend when the weather was so wonderful! The house and gardens looked lovely and we never needed to think about waterproofs, just suncream for those enjoying outdoor courses. Bucks.shared the college with Cambridgeshire and together we filled all the rooms. Members from both federations took advantage of each other's courses and mixed well in whatever spare moments we had in the usual busy programme.A federation weekend is a good way to begin visiting Denman because there is sure to be someone whom one vaguely recognises so one doesn't need to worry about going solo. Next time the visitor on her own walks confidently into reception to register knowing that in no time at all she will be making a new acquaintance. It should also provide the Trustees and county sub-committee members a chance to get to know and be known to the WI members if they mix in.
There was a good choice of subjects ranging from active walking on the Ridgeway and around the gardens of Oxford to Elizabethan raised embroidery and Indian cookery.There was also on offer digital photography and the intricate task of producing a paperweight featuring an embroidered beach pebble for those who were able to sit and concentrate for many uninterrupted hours.But whatever one had chosen, the days presented an idea of what we call the "Denman experience" and it certainly encourages people to want to come back and they can see what is planned in the months to come.
There are many changes which have been made since the early days when our generation of WI members first attended: it has lost the boarding school element because nowadays everyone takes en suite single rooms for granted and would be dumbfounded if asked to make up the bed for the next visitor. There is a subtle change noticeable too in that the word "College" is being dropped and we are no longer "students" but guests. It is becoming more hotel-like which I suppose is unavoidable if the WI is encouraging more non-members and thinking about hosting weddings too.Needs must, if we want to keep the place solvent. We need to fill all the bedrooms as often as possible in order to keep the place in such fine condition and to have it still able to hold interesting educational courses which appeal to the members.
Our Denman Ambassador is already planning another federation weekend for 2015 so keep an eye out for information in the Newsletter and watch the programme for interesting courses. If the cost is a bit of a problem look at the back of the course list and apply for a bursary---someone has to win. If you don't try, you don't stand a chance!

9th July
Members of the local WI sat about in the garden for most of today. The sun shone and the wind blew; there was plenty of gorgeous homemade cake and strawberries and cream and time to do just that.However the two WI hostesses had a thinly disguised purpose to this idle life. They quite shamelessly relieved their guests of their money with tempting stalls and a raffle. It was all in aid of the Life Skills Flat at the local special school and I am happy to say the plan worked because almost £300 was raised but the really pleasing thing was that some of the students came down to thank everyone and explain what it meant to them.

Did you see in today's newspaper that the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry drew attention to the campaign against female genital mutilation in an on-line Q&A session at Buckingham Palace? They met the girl who persuaded Michael Gove to contact every school about the problem of FGM. What a pair of unlikely champions we have in them! That takes a lot of nerve for such young men.

2nd July
We listened to pearls of wisdom about pearls from the speaker this evening. It was a really interesting talk and the display of jewellery was very beautiful. Several people were tempted to buy either for themselves or for family as presents. There were visitors again and two new members received their welcome packs. We listened to a good report of the June Annual Meeting in Leeds from the delegate who belongs to a neighbouring WI. She was most impressed by the meeting and urged anyone to volunteer to be delegate in the future. We also heard all about the plans for celebrating the WI Centenary next year. With a bit of luck our new WI tablecloth will be ready for 2015.

25th June
Great rejoicing because we heard that our WI came second in the Inter-County Quiz, only 4 points behind the winners.

24th June
The Book Group thought that they had read this month's title before but we discovered that the whole story had not been included in the "Untold Tales" of Alan Bennett. So "A Life like Other People's" was enjoyed. One can hear the voice of the author speaking the words as one reads them on the page.Although the author makes fun of his family and the characters who filled his childhood, it is basically a sad autobiography .He was restricted by his upbringing and the narrowness of his parents' lives.The treatment of depression was horrific for decades and then Bennett's observations on the lack of care and sympathy for the elderly is very topical: nothing much has improved. The description of Leeds and the Yorkshire industrial scene is wonderful and the book finishes with a lyrical picture of the rural cemetary around the village church in contrast to the bleak crematorium with its soul-less funeral service.