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.

  August 4th 2014
This is a first for your WI blogger. Having listened to Hilary's enthusiastic account of the ceremony I suggested that she became a visiting writer to the blog to share the experience with you all. Hope you enjoy reading this.

Report on our visit to Westminster Abbey by Hilary Haworth

It is fair to say that there are generally very few perks to be had when one takes on a role on a WI Federation Sub-Committee, nor even on the Board of Trustees. And that is quite as it should be; these bodies are there to serve the membership, not the other way about. Just occasionally, however, an opportunity comes along that is a real privilege to be part of.
The commemorative service for the centenary of the outbreak of World War One, late in the evening of August 4thwas just such an occasion, Lynn Foster and I were there representing the Buckinghamshire Federation of Women’s Institutes. We did feel slightly outclassed, joining the queue that snaked around the outside of Westminster Abbey just in front of two leaders of the British Sikh community and just behind Harriet Harman, MP. But of course we were there because of the well- recognized importance of the WI as a key part of the social fabric of Britain, then and now, not on our own merits!.

Once past security, there was a real sense of vigil from the very beginning. We were spared the voice- overs and interviews which the BBC feels obliged to conduct over the organ music at such occasions as we filed in through the Great West Door, past the stunning floral border to the grave of the Unknown Soldier, and on to our seats.

After we had all lit our candles and once all the great and the good had processed in, there was a true silence inside the Abbey; only the hum of a helicopter outside served to remind us not only of the intensity of the security operation in progress, but also how changed is our world from that of 1914 when planes were called upon to defend us which appear impossibly flimsy today. The organist played an improvisation on the harmonies of the hymn tune Aberystwyth very softly as the Duchess of Cornwall, arrived which led wondrously well into the only congregational hymn of the evening Jesu, Lover of my soul.

The music throughout the service was particularly well chosen. I shall never forget the sense I had of ‘inhabiting’ the sound of Vaughan Williams’ Kyrie, as its tendrils were sent coiling around the Abbey by a choir utterly in command of its repertoire, its ensemble and its acoustic space. Another sound that will stay with me is the very human ‘last breath’ sigh of a hundred or so candles being blown out at once around me.

Unafraid of choosing European composers as well as British, the designers of this commemoration were also courageous to choose not only the more ‘obvious’ readings and reflections. It acknowledged that not all perspectives on the war accord with those we are used to hearing in the voices of the major poets of the time; we are befuddled, now, by the foolhardiness in the Rose Macauley poem read by Dame Penelope Keith, or the buoyancy in a letter home from a soldier just off to the front - but both of these would have been genuinely felt and made perfect sense at the time.

The final silence, in as much gloom as TV cameras can tolerate, was also perfectly solemnly observed. We were treated to a final and magisterial bit of Bach (the C minor prelude and fugue BWV 546) from the organist before spilling out into a darkened Parliament Square with our now strangely misshapen candles.

Rushing for the last train, Lynn and I only had a few seconds to chat to Diana Birch and our other friends from National who we met on the way out, and we probably paid the light tower Spectra less attention than it deserved.

It was an honour to attend this ceremony on behalf of the WI, and an occasion I shall have cause to remember for many years to come. I am really grateful for yet another wonderful experience that would never have come my way if I had not become so involved with the WI.

29th July
Today the local WI book Group met together. We had read "I Choose to Live" by Sabine Dardenne.The immediate response when presented with this autobiography was the doubt that one would be able to read it at all, let alone finish it.It told the story of a 12 year old girl's kidnap and imprisonment for 80 days at the hands of a Belgian paedophile. Although one learns of some of the ordeals the poor girl suffered, the horrific detail is not described---a lot is left to the reader's imagination or memory from the final court case. It was this relief that led to the book being read through. Half of the book covered the rehabilitation of the victim and the inordinate time (more than 7 years) before the court case was closed. It was interesting that both Sabine and the other girl snatched declined psychological counselling afterwards, although their respective families used it.Nowadays when someone has their car broken into the Police offer counselling but these youngsters were able to re-root themselves and live a normal life. Sabine had admirable strength of character and it was probably this unusual force in one so young which enabled her to come through the ordeal itself and the pressure of the media afterwards.

30th July
The Art& Craft sub-committee organised an outing to the Ranger's House at Greenwich to view the Wernher Collection. We had the benefit of a very good guided tour of the treasures but I would have liked to have been able to dodge back and see more and take time to examine tiny items which needed very close scrutiny. But time was pressing and we were off to Eltham Palace to tour the Art Deco house built by the Courtauld family on the side of the medieval Great Hall.This was definitely a house that one could have enjoyed living in. Just the marquetry was worth seeing, let alone the furnishings. It was a beautiful day so the gardens were much appreciated and provided a pleasant spot to eat a picnic lunch.From the coach we also enjoyed fine views of London in the sunshine on the journey there and back, travelling close by the Olympic Village and the Millennium Dome.Both coaches were full and seats had to be allocated to WI members only. The WI outings are always popular because they afford a way to visit interesting places without all the hassle of driving or making individual arrangements.There are photos already on the website so you can see what you missed or even prove you were there!