Chocoholics will have a table at this Wednesday’s monthly meeting. A chance to make a start on your Chirstmas shopping. See you there!
Category Archives: Monthly meeting
Stock up now for your Christmas cards
Market Harborough based Jo Fairey of Phoenix Trading will be at the November monthly meeting on Wednesday 26 November 2014. An excellent to make an early start to your Christmas shopping and get your cards written in good time.
Organ donation quiz answers
Did you do the quiz at September’s meeting? If so, click to see both questions and answers: WI Organ Donation Quiz answers
Beads and birds galore!
Ready to go – bead bonanza
Last night saw Sharon Moore of Rainbow Beads, Loughborough bring a beautiful selection of coloured beads, in all shapes and sizes, to help members make their own coil bracelet.
Sharon was supported by family
members, including her mum, and proudly displayed a whole range of jewellery they had made between them. Her mum specialises in the colourful jewellery for children. Sharon makes many of the unique decorations for necklaces herself. If you want to see more to match them to your favourite outfit, or maybe buy some presents, Rainbow Beads is in the Square, Market Harborough, LE16 7PA, this weekend, 17-18 October 2014. Check out Arts and Crafts Fairs.org
Lynn of Two Birds, Countryside Spirits
Two Birds, Countryside Spirits, a local company also brought along lots of samples for members to taste and maybe start their Christmas shopping.
October meeting tonight – 15th – see you there!
Yes, it is tonight, the 15th October. Rainbow Beads and Two Birds spirts will be there. Halloween cakes, too, for refreshments. Yummy!
Additional announcements for 15 October monthly meeting
A chance to begin your Christmas shopping early! We are delighted to announce that Lyn from Two Birds (delicious local spirits) has confirmed that she can attend our next monthly meeting to do tastings and take orders. Due to her busy schedule she will only be able to stay for an hour so will be there from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. She will leave order forms with the committee so that they can be filled in through the evening. Bring cash or credit card details with you.
Just to remind you, members will be working with Sharon Moore from Loughborough company, Rainbow Beads, and will make and take away a beautiful memory coil bracelet. This could make an unique Christmas present, too. Sharon will also have a stall with items for sale. The MHWI will bear the cost of the beads but if members wish to make a second bracelet, the charge will be £4 for the materials. There will be no charge to visitors for the evening.
Make a memory coil bracelet – October meeting
Join other MHWI members and local company Rainbow Beads for an enjoyable and relaxing evening of jewellery making. You will make and take away a beautiful memory coil bracelet. For those of you who are unsure what this is (and I was not sure), it’s a bracelet made of up of several coiling layers that wrap around your wrist.
“The Origin of Sayings – I didn’t know that!”.
Earlier this summer, Jill Collinge gave a fascinating talk entitled “The Origin of Sayings – I didn’t know that!”. Fiona Thompson, MHWI committee member attended, and has the following to say:
Jill gave a very interesting and fact-filled talk all about the origin of sayings. Here are a few of the highlights:
BY HOOK OR BY CROOK
This old saying probably comes from a Medieval law which stated that peasants could use branches of trees for fire wood if they could reach them with their shepherds crook or their billhook.
HUMBLE PIE
The expression to eat humble pie was once to eat umble pie. The umbles were the intestines or less appetizing parts of an animal and servants and other lower class people ate them. So if a deer was killed the rich ate venison and those of low status ate umble pie. In time it became corrupted to eat humble pie and came to mean to debase yourself or act with humility.
MAD AS A HATTER
This phrase comes from the fact that in the 18th and 19th centuries hat makers treated hats with mercury. Inhaling mercury vapor could cause mental illness.
WEAR YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE
In the Middle Ages knights who fought at tournaments wore a token of their lady on their sleeves. Today if you make your feelings obvious to everybody you wear your heart on your sleeve.
COCK AND BULL STORY
Originates from the village of Stony Stratford in Buckinghamshire. In the village were two inns, The Cock and The Bull, which were staging posts on the London to Birmingham stagecoach route. It is said that news and anecdotes were exchanged both by passengers and coachmen seeking to impress travellers with their knowledge of current affairs. Inevitably, stories became embellished in the telling and retelling and the two establishments vied to furnish the most outlandish tales. These became known as Cock and Bull stories.
Thank you Hazel, Welcome Clare and Carmen
We had a fun, and at times emotional, Annual Meeting on Wednesday, 24 September, during which we thanked Hazel as she stepped down from being our President after three wonderful and inspiring years. We shall definitely miss her fun and infectious style but look forward to seeing her being able to enjoy our meetings rather than being on the sidelines keeping everything going.There was nervous anticipation as Anne (our Federation Advisor) asked for a new President to be elected and, after some 
heart-stopping moments and a bit more prompting, Clare Farquhar bravely stepped up having been “cajoled” by various members of the committee. Clare asked that she was supported in the role by having a co-chairperson to help and Carmen Wilson put her hand up for that with Fiona Thompson becoming Secretary. We also thanked Jill Reeve for all her hard work on the Committee (as she is stepping down) and welcomed Annabel Smith as a new member of the Committee.
heart-stopping moments and a bit more prompting, Clare Farquhar bravely stepped up having been “cajoled” by various members of the committee. Clare asked that she was supported in the role by having a co-chairperson to help and Carmen Wilson put her hand up for that with Fiona Thompson becoming Secretary. We also thanked Jill Reeve for all her hard work on the Committee (as she is stepping down) and welcomed Annabel Smith as a new member of the Committee.
WI Book Sculptures presented to Committee Members by outgoing President, Hazel Stacey
We had a brief introduction to the campaign that the NFWI is promoting, in which Fiona encouraged members to think about organ donation and most importantly to tell their family of their decision. She emphasised that would-be donors must speak to their families as it is the families who play a vital role by giving consent to organ donation.
There was the usual spread of delicious food to tuck into while we all got busy sewing our lavender hearts.
I personally was amazed and impressed by the array of different interpretations of the craft activity. I think that is my favourite part of doing such activities as we see our members’ personalities reflected in what they produce. I love the photo of the cake, the heart and the raffle tickets as I think it is the perfect reflection of the evening!
Pam Reed, member, sewing her lavender heart
Making a heart
‘Here’s an example of the craft activity we are doing at the WI AGM tomorrow night.
It’s to tie in with the WI’s Time to Talk about organ donation,’ says committee member Fiona Thompson.
‘The WI’s campaign encourages members to have a think about donation, make a decision and then talk about it to someone close to them. Time to Talk About Organ Donation is about easing the burden on grieving families. When families have a clear idea about what their deceased loved-one wanted, it makes it so much easier for them to fulfill their wishes. – See more at the WI’s national campaign website.’
Fiona concludes, ‘Our ladies will get to practise their whip stitch and make a lavender scented heart. I look forward to seeing you all there tomorrow evening.’
Market Harborough WI 