​It was the Chase Group Autumn meeting last night. A beautiful evening with a bright moon above and no rain, so why was it so much smaller than usual? I don’t believe the WI members were glued to the latest Brexit news but something kept them at home. More fool them because they missed a really interesting speaker, good reports from the group WIs and tasty refreshments. Deborah Brady spoke about her life as a photojournalist on Fleet Street where at the beginning she was the only female in a man’s world. Deborah had covered some harrowing events and she explained how difficult it was to try to desensitise herself to the scenes which she was photo-ing and she demonstrated the physical problems of lugging around all the equipment necessary for obtaining just the right shot at varying distances. The audience was enthralled to listen and watch a very entertaining and accomplished public speaker in action.
Thursday 10th October
I attended the BFWI’s Autumn event “Women in Uniform” in the Old Town Hall, High Wycombe. This was a well-supported event: there must have been over 200 people there. There were some uniformed ladies in the audience and the Board of Trustees were resplendent in hats to represent the uniform of WI ladies! Well I suppose it was nearer the truth these days than aprons! Three young women from the Armed Forces Diversity Engagement Team gave a very comprehensive presentation about the opportunities on offer to girls in the army, navy and air force. It was slick and fast and very interesting. The modern armed forces welcome all trades and professions with 500 different roles to play and they want to attract school and college leavers into their ranks: they have 6000 apprentices. This demonstration was followed by Mrs Julia Upton MBE describing her role as the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire. She wore a most attractive, definitely feminine uniform but revealed that this lady had set herself a mission to make a difference to our prisons and care systems. The Sheriff shared many of the concerns and aims of the WI and is obviously a woman of action. Then there was an extra speaker, the new NFWI Training Manager based at Denman College who had been a high-ranking officer in the Navy. We were allowed to look but not to touch her ceremonial sword. Tracy Santrian spoke of the similarities between the training in the forces and the shared ideals of the WI. The afternoon closed with a brief concert from the RAF Halton Voluntary All-Woman Saxophone Quartet to prove that the forces welcomed musicians as well.
9th October
After the summer break the local WI discussion group met to plan a programme of topics for the coming months. Everyone had thought of something and their ideas ranged from protest marches to language tuition, industrial espionage to space mining, tea to the use of religious buildings and frontiers to TV programmes. We then sat drinking our wine and listing what made us feel happy---besides the drinking of wine! Female company ranked high too so, WI members go forth and spread the word.

​Lyn Kidby spoke about “Patterns of my Life” which was an intriguing title for a very interesting treatment of how the mathematics of shape are all around us in the natural and industrial world. Lyn showed examples of the many crafts she has learned and her illustrative photos of her travels were really lovely. Hot off the e-mail members reported that the threatened demolition of the community library had been reconsidered so that it will not take place until new premises have been approved by the planners and can be seen to be being built. A great relief to us all but we should remain vigilant in case the issue is re-thought again.
It promises to be a busy autumn as plans got under way for our WI to host the Chase Group meeting on 16th October, the promotion stall at the Farmers’ Market on the 3rd November and another jigsaw coffee morning on the 7th November. Some of us will attend the “Women in Uniform“event at High Wycombe next week and the walking netball is in full swing. Then of course there is the Christmas Dinner looming. We listened to an explanation of the difference between BFWI being an incorporated or an unincorporated organisation in preparation for next spring when all members must cast their vote on this decision.
Beside the seaside, beside the sea.
WI members from all over Bucks set off for an autumn break on Sunday 29th September by coach to Blackpool. Everything was very well arranged except the weather and poor Jacqueline’s voice box—coach and hotel fine. We broke the journey with a visit to the National Memorial Arboretum where we paddled bravely under umbrellas around the memorials. Even in the rain it is an impressive place to visit and there are always additions being made. By a strange coincidence we bumped into a founder member of one of the Milton Keynes WIs who now lives in Bedfordshire: she was with a group of friends so we exchanged news with her about our respective WIs.
Rain made driving difficult and the fields on both sides of the motorway were flooded but we arrived safely at the hotel in Blackpool. After dinner most of us rushed out to catch an open illuminated tram to see the Lights. In spite of the rain and a stiff sea breeze we really enjoyed ourselves and the lights are impressive depicting pirates and skeletons, mermaids and Disney characters etc. Next day the majority went to Chester and enjoyed a guided tour of the city before each visiting the places that had taken her fancy and finding a good place to lunch. Six of us jumped coach and explored Blackpool. The weather stayed fine: we were able to walk along the sands, go up the Tower from where we could see Anglesey, The Isle of Man and the Lakeland hills; to visit the Tower Ballrooms to listen to the organ, to walk three piers by all the pinball machines and the fish-n-chips and read the music hall jokes that carpeted the promenade. And it was all chaotically noisy and just what Blackpool has always been famous for---even the pavement conversations were several decibels louder than in a town in Bucks!
That evening in the hotel there was a large party from the Isle of Man some of whom were WI members and had known a lady who used to chair at Denman and left a substantial legacy to the college to help defray the cost for IOM WI members attending courses. Next morning reading the news of the devastation by storms in Laxey, IOM I wondered how many had had their houses flooded in their absence. We left Blackpool in pouring rain and travelled down to Baddesley Clinton a National Trust property near Birmingham where we planned to lunch and walk in the gardens and some of us did! The house was fascinating because it had been added to through the years from the 1200s and the stewards were so informative and friendly. We were able to look in some detail and at leisure because there were so few people there. It had priest holes and wonderful woodwork---well worth a visit. I forgot to mention a very full moat too! Pity we couldn’t enjoy the gardens but everything was sodden including us.
Home then and thanks to Jacqueline King for arranging such a lovely break and if you want to go to Amsterdam with BFWI in the Spring you had better get your application in soon because it will be rightly popular.