September 2008

The speaker at this month's meeting was the ever popular Andrew Sankey, well known in Rippingale for his lectures at the Gardening Club, held 2nd Wednesday in the Month. Andrew's talk was very interesting and this time about the origins of the Harvest Festival, starting as a pagan celebration in Saxon times by the villages.

It was not until The Rev Stephen Harker, a Cornish cleric, decided to take one aspect of the Saxon celebrations, the blessing of the bread, and start using this to form the present day form of the Harvest Festival.

August is the month for Harvesting the crops, so in rural England at that time the whole village was involved so the schools closed, as it made sense - because no one would attend as they were busy in the fields. When the harvest was finally brought in there would be a great feast in a barn or some such and the food and ale were provided by the landowner and great merriment was had by all the village.

Corn dollies were apparently originally introduced by the Egyptians who actually sacrificed a person to the Corn Spirit and wrapped them in the last pieces of grain and killed them and the blood ran into the earth, hence the most popular ribbon on today's Corn Dollies is red.

These Corn Dollies were made all over Europe but Great Britain has the most variety, more or less each county using their own symbol, eg the Staffordshire Knot. Sadly by the 1960s through mechanisation and selection of lower growing crops the tradition died out, but it is still possible to buy suitable corn to weave from a specialist supplier.

Some 33 members greatly enjoyed the evening and were informed that the next meeting was to be on the 2nd October, when the Bourne Borderers Morris Dancing Group would be there, and members were asked to come suitable dressed as we would surely be asked to join in.

August 2008

Did you know that our present day drinking culture can be traced back to the Anglo Saxons; that is according to the speaker at our August meeting Tina Lee. Tina gave us a very informative and interesting talk and slide show.

During the lecture we saw many photographs of pub signs and heard about how they used to put out a green branch out when the wine was ready which continued in the Ale Houses. Perhaps that is where the Old Bull (meaning tall stories) and Bush came from, who knows?

Apparently a lot of pubs were connected in some way with the Church and Monasteries, therefore a lot of the signs had religious connections, such as the Angel etc. Some signs were to do with the Lords of the Manor and their heraldry. One very common sign, 'The Marquis of Granby', depicted Soldiers gratitude to the man who gave them enough money to buy a license to sell ale at the end of their military career when normally they were just pushed off the ship and sent home with no money at all.

The most common signs are to do with Royalty, eg the Red Lion, the White Lion, and the French one the Golden Lion.

A great talk giving us an insight into the Social History of our Country.

The nest meeting is on the 4th September in the Village Hall and is a talk about the history of the Harvest Festival by Andrew Sankey. So why not come along and see what we are all about.

July 2008

For our July meeting some 22 members went to The Horseshoes at Silk Willoughby for dinner. Diets and Healthy Eating were again put aside and we all had a very good meal and jolly evening.

The next meeting will be on the 7th August at 7-30 in the Village Hall and will be a talk by Tina Lee on The History of Pub Signs, and the stories they have to tell.

June 2008

At the June meeting our speaker was Jane Barnes, a farmer's wife from near Melton Mowbray, who told us that, at the time of the 'Foot and Mouth' outbreak, although the farm was unaffected, she started using her hobby of drying and arranging flowers and selling them. She now no longer dries the flowers, but uses silk ones, which are very realistic.

In order to supplement her income, she also demonstrates her craft and gives talk to WI's and the like. She was great fun to listen to, telling us very amusing tales of the family, and the time she was Lady Mayoress of Melton Mowbray. Jane was an extremely talented and amusing speaker, and has already been invited to return next year with her talk about Stilton cheese. Her farm supplies the milk to the cheese makers.

On Sunday 8 June we celebrated our 70th Anniversary with 'Afternoon Tea' in the village hall. Sylvia, our President, welcomed everyone, including Pat Read, the Lincolnshire South Federation President. Some 36 ladies attended including Dorothy and Norah, who were founder members, and they cut the beautiful iced cake. Diets and careful eating went by the board as the lovely cakes, scones etc were enjoyed, all provided by the committee.

Our next meeting is an outing for dinner at 'The Horseshoes' pub in Silk Willoughby. The August meeting in the village hall is to be 'A History of Pub Signs' given by Tina Lee. All visitors welcome.

May 2008

May 1st was the Resolutions Meeting.

The first Resolution was "Ban on Bottom Trawling". This was read and explained by Hilary Magill. The second was "Inappropriate imprisonment of the severely mentally ill" read by Pat Read. Voting on the two resolutions were then voted for.

Pat then judged the entries in the craft and flower competitions. There was a very good entry into all sections of the competitions.

After tea the business etc was read out and discussed.

Next Meeting "Tales from the Flower Barn" by Jane Barnes. Competition "A Posey of Garden Flowers".

Celebration Afternoon Tea Party in Village Hall Sunday 8th June 3 pm to 5 pm.

April 2008

The General Meeting of the WI was held in the Village Hall on Thursday 3rd April.

We started off with the election of four members to the Committee as Lesley Fuller, Annette Harris, Margaret Ayres and Linda Gosden had stepped down. Margaret and Linda received special thanks for their work as Treasurer and Secretary along with appreciation given to Lesley and Annette.

It was decided at the committee meeting as the Secretary was stepping down that Hillary Magill would be appointed Secretary unopposed and the post of Treasurer would be sorted out at the meeting after the new committee had been appointed.

Four new members were appointed unopposed, being Anne Gleding, Dorothy Gearing, Beryl Chinneck and Rachel Price who will be welcomed at the next committee meeting on 24th April 2008.

Next on the agenda was the election of the President and Sylvia Stewart agreed to stand for a third and final year and was unanimously re-elected.

After various reports from the President and Secretary were given we had a fish and chip supper, and the meeting closed at approximately 9.30 pm.

We would like to remind everybody about the Celebration Afternoon Tea Party in the Village Hall on Sunday 8th June from 3 pm to 5 pm and we would like to see as many past and present members at this 70th Anniversary Celebration.

The next meeting will be at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall on 1st May and we will discuss the Resolutions and have a Craft Flower Show for members, we hope all members will enter at least one class.

March 2008

At the March meeting of the WI held in the Village Hall we welcomed Mr Colin Hornsey, an armature lapidarian, who gave us an informative and often hilarious talk about crystals and rocks. He started the talk with his version of the Big Bang when all the stones were formed. He told us about the 'hardness table', the softest being talc, the hardest diamond. Mr Hornsey had lots of samples to show us which were fascinating to look at, particularly the polished stones. A very interesting part was the Victorian Birthday Gem Chart, quite different to the modern list of birthday stones.

Mr Hornsey also brought along some very pretty jewellery he made from various gemstones which he sold to several members of the WI.

The next meeting is on 3rd April at 7.30 pm in Rippingale Village Hall, and will be our Annual General Meeting to choose new officers for next year.

We will also be having a Fish and Chip supper.

February 2008

(No report this month)

January 2008

The first meeting of the year on 3rd January 2008 was 'Members Night'. Four members, Anne, Pamela, Rachael and Beryl arranged the night.

A few games of Beetle were played, followed by a talk by Anne on running a Bed and Breakfast. Then a lovely array of food and fruit punch was served. A game of Pictionary then followed, then the competitions. All members that attended had a very good night.

The next meeting will be on February 7th at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. This will be a talk and demonstration on Tai Chi by Lesley King. New members welcome.

December 2007

The Christmas Party for the WI was held in the Village Hall on the 6th December. The committee provided a cooked meal, various lasagne and vegetarian dishes and a variety of wonderful desserts again made by the committee.

Nearly all the members were able to attend a very good party which included a visit by Santa.

Messages were sent by Betty McMillan and Sylvia Stewart our President who is in the states visiting her daughter who recently had a daughter, and other members.

The next meeting will be on Thursday 3rd January and will run by the members, prior to our prior to our Annual Dinner to be held on the 17th January.

The WI wishes all the villagers a prosperous and healthy new year.

November 2007

The November meeting was held on 1st November in the Village Hall. The meeting was very different in that in order to give the Queen and Prince Philip our congratulations for their 60th Wedding Anniversary later in the month.

In order to celebrate this magnificent event the theme of the meeting was hats. The speaker was Dorothy Wood who showed us why hats were so expensive at the bespoke end of the market, telling us about the materials needed and the equipment and the time it took her to make a hat - one week, so we could see why the cost was so high.

As it was a celebration members were asked to put on their best clothes and hats and to 'strut their stuff' as though guests at a wedding, all the members looked wonderful. The outfits were amazing.

The evening was enhanced with a lovely cake iced by Beryl and a glass of bubbly to drink a toast to the lovely couple, after all the Queen is a member of the WI !

October 2007

We had a really good fun evening at the Village Hall on Thursday 4th September.

The speaker was Malcolm Darby who brought along his keyboard and he set us a musical quiz which was good fun and got us all relaxed and in a good mood.

Also at the meeting we had a visit from the village Postmaster Simon Deane, with Phil Rippingale and Jim Latham of "Friends of Rippingale Post Office", to talk about the possible closure of the Rippingale Post Office. We were all quite upset about the closure as we are all worried for the elderly and disabled who will all need the PO regularly and it will be pretty near impossible for them to walk to Morton and back - some 6 miles round trip. We all agreed to sign petitions etc.

The next meeting is on 1st November when we will have a talk by a Hat Maker and to celebrate the 60th Wedding Anniversary of the Queen and Prince Phillip, when the competition is for the best hat.

September 2007

Our meeting on 6th September was very well attended. The speaker was Kim Woodridge who talked to us about ‘The History of Aromatherapy’, which we found most interesting. Kim past round the meeting various samples of the oils and told us that if we were only to buy one Lavender was the most versatile, used for relaxation and the prevention of scars. Like all the essential oils it had to be diluted with a vegetable oil.

After refreshments we had the business part of the meeting and left the Village Hall at about 9.30.

August 2007

The August meeting took the form of a 'Pudding Tasting Evening'. After the usual business we all tucked into some ten different puddings provided by the committee. Diets were put to one side whilst we scoffed the lot! After a welcome cup of tea we had a short quiz provided by Beryl Fitchett.

The meeting closed at about 9.45 pm and we went home feeling very sweet and sugary!

July 2007

The July meeting was a coach trip to 'Whitemoors Gardens and Craft Centre'. Along with several guests we had a very pleasant visit to the place, but unfortunately it rained quite a lot so it was a quick tour of the lovely gardens.

We had a very nice lunch in the tearooms at Whitemoors and then off to Fosse Park for a spot of retail therapy which we all enjoyed.

June 2007

(No Report this month)

May 2007

The May meeting of Rippingale and District WI was held in the Village Hall.

As it was WI Resolutions evening Hillary gave very succinct précis of the Resolution Paper and we discussed:- “This resolution urges HM Government to stop the closure of Community Hospitals, which provide essential services to local people”.

After much and lively discussion the resolution was passed unopposed. During the evening Pat Read examined the entries for the Handicraft Show which was very well supported and included some lovely photographs of the village, and many articles of needlework, flower arranging and cake making and of course painting showing us what a multi talented lot we are!!

April 2007

March 2007

The March meeting took place in the Village Hall and the Speaker was Anne Barnes who gave a very interesting and amusing talk about 'Setting a Victorian Table'. She told us various anecdotes about Victorian life, showed us what the ladies would wear to go out to Dinner, and the importance of the Pineapple in that era.

The next meeting will be held on 5th April at 7.30pm which will be the AGM plus a demonstration of how to make a hanging basket by Sylvia Stewart - the President of Rippingale WI. There will be a Fish and Chip supper, and visitors are welcome.

February 2007

The February meeting of the W.I. hosted a visit from Claire Marshall, an Environmental Health Officer from SKDC who explained how the section is run by a very small staff of 8.

The next meeting on 1st March, will be a visit from Anne Barnes, who will tell us about a "Victorian Table" - which sounds very interesting. The meeting will start at 7.30 and new members and visitors will be made very welcome.

January 2007

The January meeting was 'Member's Night'. This was organised by Dorothy, Barbara, Beryl and Lesley.

They introduced Donna who teaches Line Dancing, six members gave a demonstration then everyone was invited to join in and do two dances.

This was followed by refreshments then a quiz to round off the night.

December 2006

The Rippingale WI meeting for December was entitled "Beryl's Baubles" and we were shown how to make Christmas tree ornaments with fabric and beads by Beryl and Janice. It was a really good evening with plenty of chat and laughter. The lovely supper was provided by the committee and after the Bran Tub draw, Sylvia - the President - thanked the demonstrators and wished everyone a Happy Christmas.

An extra meeting for flower arranging is to take place on Thursday 14th December.

The next regular meeting will take place on Thursday 4th January and will be run by the members.

November 2006

We had a great meeting on 2nd November, 2006 with several new members attending. The speaker was Margaret Rushworth who gave us a great talk about Middle Eastern Dancing, generally known as Belly Dancing. Margaret discussed the various costumes from Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Turkey and demonstrated the dances from each area. The members were taught a little about the dancing and we nearly all had a go.

Supper was served to 35 after the business part of the W.I., with the Federation Notices being read out. The supper was loosely based on Moroccan dishes and was cooked and prepared by Anne, Michelle and Gill, with tea, coffee and Turkish Delight served by Brenda and Rosette.

Next meeting to be held at 7.30 on Thursday 7th December in the Village Hall and is titled "Beryl's Baubles" and we are to make Christmas baubles.

October 2006

Nigel Adams visited us and gave a very interesting talk about L.I.V.E.S. and First Responders. This charitable organisation is completely run on fund raising and donations, which includes the volunteers funding their own petrol. The work they do is very valuable, particularly in the rural community. Directed by the Ambulance Service they go out to any emergency where time is of the essence, particularly heart attacks and can do invaluable work on the patient until an ambulance arrives. Recently Nigel and his wife helped at a childbirth and became Godparents, a nice outcome for their efforts. The service needs more volunteers and of course fund raising.

After the talk we had a delicious Harvest Supper and the business. The next meeting is on 2nd November when we will have a demonstration of Belly Dancing and a Moroccan supper. Guests will be made very welcome.

September 2006

The September meeting of Rippingale W.I. started the season off with quite a bang! The Speaker, Maggie Rampley, gave a talk entitled "Candles, Quotes and Girl Talk", which was very funny and informative at the same time. We all enjoyed the evening which was rounded off my Maggie - the Speaker - giving us all a bookmark she had made, for us and the guests.

Our next meeting is on 5th October with a talk on L.I.V.E.S. by Nigel Adams, followed by the Harvest Supper.

July 2006

June 2006

The Guest Speaker at the June meeting of the Rippingale W.I. was Mrs. M. DuFeu. Her talk was about her time as a young woman during the German Occupation of Jersey, where she was living on a farm with her family of 12. Mrs DuFeu gave us a really interesting and at times moving talk about that time in our history and the fact that Jersey and the Channel Islands were the only part of the United Kingdom to be invaded and occupied during World War II. She recalled both very sad and funny events - making the talk very entertaining.

The next meeting will be held at the Rippingale Village Hall on Thursday 6th July and the speaker is to be Judy Theobald, who is a very amusing journalist.

May 2006

The May meeting of the Rippingale W.I. was held as usual on the first Thursday evening of the month.

The speaker was Mrs Yvonne Dennis of Bourne, who gave us a very interesting and fascinating talk on glass painting, and showed us some simple and effective techniques. We all enjoyed it very much and there was talk of a workshop for later in the year.

The annual discussion took place re: the Resolutions of the National W.I. Federation. Rippingale W.I. voted for the resolution on sport in schools, but left the decision on renewable energy up to the delegate at the Annual Conference to decide after hearing all the arguments.