I am pleased to report on our November 4th 2009 meeting. Our speaker for the morning was Mr. Roberts, Project Manager for the restoration of Westminster Abbey. He worked for 4 years prior to his retirement on the biggest restoration work ever undertaken, at the Abbey.
The original site on which the Abbey stands was called Thorney Island. The site was picked by the Romans and Edward the Confessor had the first building built there in the first century. It was known as the Minster in the West. Thorney Island was a sacred spot originally and was consecrated by Henry of Reims. Later Henry then changed the original design with a Gothic theme, which was quite different from the original concept. Much of the stone was carved by stonemasons who favoured stone excavated from mines in Beer in Devon. The stone , however, was very soft and had to weathered in the London air for about 6 months to harden, before they could start to carve it.
Stone was brought from other mines in the country and much of it transported up the River Thames. ( Why, I wonder, cannot more materials be transported in this manner, instead of by road! )
The Abbey remained largely as originally built, until Christopher Wren designed and added the great West Towers in about the 1730’s.
The present restoration was started in 1973 and 19,000 cubic feet of new stone has been used. Many of the stonemasons learnt their trade whilst working on the Abbey. One such sculptor started as an apprentice and finished as the Foreman in Charge. There were also two women sculptors involved in the restoration, one of whom always signed her work incorporating a dolphin into her carvings.
Mr Roberts suggested that when we next visit Westminster Abbey, to take a pair of binoculars, in order to properly see the range of animals etc. carved into this great building.
It was gratifying to learn that we still have craftsmen able to do this work in this 21st century.
The next meeting of Dean Rise W.I. will be at 9.45 a.m. on Wednesday the 2nd December, when it will be our Christmas Meeting. Our Hostess for the morning is Mrs. Maureen Lawrence, Springmead, Bradcutts Lane. Cookham Dean.
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
7 October 2009 - Mysteries of the Mind
After a warm welcome by our President Jean Lewis we dealt with the business in hand.
After her financial report our eco-campaigner Kath Pinto urged us to participate in the climate campaign by sending special post cards to parliament and joining the climate march in December. There was also a follow up on honey bee concerns. Kath also had a part in starting up the farmers market in Maidenhead and a tribute appeared in a recent issue of The Advertiser. It was suggested that we should arrange a talk on ovarian cancer as interest had been shown at a previous meeting . Leaflets explaining the symptoms were handed round.
Some forthcoming events in our area were highlighted. Of particular interest is a ' Culture of Japan ' day at the Soltau Centre and an Art lecture at Knowl Hill. There is also a possibility of a visit to the BM in January,
We welcomed Neil Somerville - a writer and journalist as our speaker. His field of expertise is in the mind, body and spirit area and he has made a study of telepathy, premonitions, ESP and creative visualization.
Rather than talk he subjected us to a series of experiments to show his mastery of telepathy and mind reading and with audience participation it made an entertaing morning. He had such unerring success with his telepathy that many of us wondered if some trickery was involved or did he really possess such awesome powers. We will never know ; particularly as he did not invite questions afterwards which he may not have relished from such a sophisticated audience.
The meeting closed after reports from the special interest groups and we were reminded that our next meeting on Nov 4th will feature a talk on
The History and Restoration of Westminster Abbey.
After her financial report our eco-campaigner Kath Pinto urged us to participate in the climate campaign by sending special post cards to parliament and joining the climate march in December. There was also a follow up on honey bee concerns. Kath also had a part in starting up the farmers market in Maidenhead and a tribute appeared in a recent issue of The Advertiser. It was suggested that we should arrange a talk on ovarian cancer as interest had been shown at a previous meeting . Leaflets explaining the symptoms were handed round.
Some forthcoming events in our area were highlighted. Of particular interest is a ' Culture of Japan ' day at the Soltau Centre and an Art lecture at Knowl Hill. There is also a possibility of a visit to the BM in January,
We welcomed Neil Somerville - a writer and journalist as our speaker. His field of expertise is in the mind, body and spirit area and he has made a study of telepathy, premonitions, ESP and creative visualization.
Rather than talk he subjected us to a series of experiments to show his mastery of telepathy and mind reading and with audience participation it made an entertaing morning. He had such unerring success with his telepathy that many of us wondered if some trickery was involved or did he really possess such awesome powers. We will never know ; particularly as he did not invite questions afterwards which he may not have relished from such a sophisticated audience.
The meeting closed after reports from the special interest groups and we were reminded that our next meeting on Nov 4th will feature a talk on
The History and Restoration of Westminster Abbey.
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
2nd September 2009 - "Living with Jane Austen"
It was a wet morning ( yes another ) but 52 members attended our September meeting. After the initial welcome there were reports of certain of our activities during the past month. The garden meeting in August was much enjoyed and the book, plants and bring and buy sales realized a good profit to be donated to charity. An outing to Mary Berry's garden in Penn and another to Bagpuize House and Denman College had received approval from the groups. One of our founder members Genevieve Usher had the distinction of becomimg second in the county for her monologue in the Lady Denman Cup competition. She received a round of applause and wll go on to the final. Genevieve also alerted us to the need for better diagnosis of ovarian cancer and Kath Pinto praised a solar heating hot water club recently started in Cookham Dean.
We welcomed our speaker Mr Tanner whose talk was entitled “ Living with Jane Austen “ , a subject dear to our hearts judging by the large turnout.
For his reminiscences Mr Tanner took on the persona of the Austen family gardener with a suitably bucolic accent. In his role of gardener he lived in Steventon where Jane's father was rector and where she grew up with her brothers and sisters. We can see from Jane's mode of life that it was very similar to some of her heroines: she took walks, visited the poor, danced at the local Assembly Rooms and if she was lucky was invited to one or two of the large houses in the area. She also went to Bath where she lived for a while with her father and sister Cassandra. She hated Bath and when her father died she and her sister took a cottage in the village of Chawton where she happily wrote the rest of her books. Our narrator in the guise of the gardener also went to Chawton where he gardened for Jane and also for her wealthy brother who lived in a mansion nearby.
Sadly Jane became ill at a relatively early age and spent her last days in Winchester County Hospital. She died there aged 41 and was buried inWinchester Cathedral, a productive life cut short. Who knows what other gems she might have written.
Our next meeting will be on Oct 7th and we will have a talk on “ The mysteries of the mind “
We welcomed our speaker Mr Tanner whose talk was entitled “ Living with Jane Austen “ , a subject dear to our hearts judging by the large turnout.
For his reminiscences Mr Tanner took on the persona of the Austen family gardener with a suitably bucolic accent. In his role of gardener he lived in Steventon where Jane's father was rector and where she grew up with her brothers and sisters. We can see from Jane's mode of life that it was very similar to some of her heroines: she took walks, visited the poor, danced at the local Assembly Rooms and if she was lucky was invited to one or two of the large houses in the area. She also went to Bath where she lived for a while with her father and sister Cassandra. She hated Bath and when her father died she and her sister took a cottage in the village of Chawton where she happily wrote the rest of her books. Our narrator in the guise of the gardener also went to Chawton where he gardened for Jane and also for her wealthy brother who lived in a mansion nearby.
Sadly Jane became ill at a relatively early age and spent her last days in Winchester County Hospital. She died there aged 41 and was buried inWinchester Cathedral, a productive life cut short. Who knows what other gems she might have written.
Our next meeting will be on Oct 7th and we will have a talk on “ The mysteries of the mind “
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
1st July 2009 - “Life on the Reef”
I am pleased to report on our 1st July 2009 Meeting. Our speaker for the morning was Mr. Neil Stewart. The subject of his talk was “Life on the Reef”. Mr. Stewart had been always inspired in the past with the television programmes of Cousteau and Hans Haas when he was a boy. After serving in the Royal Engineers he was lucky enough to fulfil his dream in his 40’s, when he learned the basics of diving. Mr Stewart thenprogressed to scenic, wreck, cave and archaeological dives. Over the following years he visited many far flung places around the world.
We saw many fantastic slides of marine life in both the Tropics and around the British Isles. One of the many interesting subjects covered , was when he was diving in Scotland around the coast of St. Kilda. The trip to the area he was diving inaround St. Kilda took 15 hours in very rough seas. The inhabitants of St. Kilda had been evacuated between the wars. It was found as there had been so few inhabitants on the Island, that over the many years of climbing the steep cliffs , the children that were there had far greater physical ability than their counterparts on the main land. Their fingers and toes were considerably longer also, due to the evolution over the years of climbing up the cliffs to retrieve eggs, etc.
Viewing the exotic marine life with such wonderful photography and the dangers he encountered whilst swimming with sting rays, sharks, red octopus, that are normally nocturnal and change colour to blend with the background, was truly amazing.
We will endeavour to ask Mr. Stewart to return again and give another inspiring talk, in the future as there was insufficient time to answer all the questions his talk provoked.
The next Meeting of Dean Rise W.I. will be at 9.45a.m. on August 5th and will take place at Mrs. Audrey Jacobs beautiful garden at Harwood Acres, Spring Lane., CookhamDean. There will be a raffle, book and plants stalls. Coffee and cakes will also be served.
We saw many fantastic slides of marine life in both the Tropics and around the British Isles. One of the many interesting subjects covered , was when he was diving in Scotland around the coast of St. Kilda. The trip to the area he was diving inaround St. Kilda took 15 hours in very rough seas. The inhabitants of St. Kilda had been evacuated between the wars. It was found as there had been so few inhabitants on the Island, that over the many years of climbing the steep cliffs , the children that were there had far greater physical ability than their counterparts on the main land. Their fingers and toes were considerably longer also, due to the evolution over the years of climbing up the cliffs to retrieve eggs, etc.
Viewing the exotic marine life with such wonderful photography and the dangers he encountered whilst swimming with sting rays, sharks, red octopus, that are normally nocturnal and change colour to blend with the background, was truly amazing.
We will endeavour to ask Mr. Stewart to return again and give another inspiring talk, in the future as there was insufficient time to answer all the questions his talk provoked.
The next Meeting of Dean Rise W.I. will be at 9.45a.m. on August 5th and will take place at Mrs. Audrey Jacobs beautiful garden at Harwood Acres, Spring Lane., CookhamDean. There will be a raffle, book and plants stalls. Coffee and cakes will also be served.
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
3 June 2009 - Customs & Excise 40 years of Catching Smugglers
I am pleased to report on our 3rd June 2009 Meeting, which to my mind was one of the most memorable WI Meetings I have attended. The sun was shining on this very warm morning and our speaker for the day was Mr. Tony Strafford.
He arrived resplendent in the uniform of Yeoman Warder (Beefeater at the Tower of London). Mr Strafford who must be 6 feet 5 inches tall made a very impressive figure as he walked into the W.I. Hall. His talk was on the Ladies of the Tower. He had been a Beefeater for 19 yrs.. Prior to that he served 22 years in the Army, much of it as a Sergeant Major !! During his talk he did not refer to any notes and spoke for three quarters of an hour without `hesitation or repetition`. To say he held his audience -- you could have heard a pin drop. He related happenings in our history, particularly regarding Henry the Eighth`s wives, some of which were particularly gruesome. We all felt that if history lessons had been told in this rich and amusing way, it would bring to life, what to many children can be a somewhat boring subject. He also told stories and related these to present day sayings we all use, explaining their origins. Mr Strafford answered many of our questions -- one of which was `where did the name beefeater originate` He said that no one really knew – `its lost in history`
We will endeavour to bring back Mr. Strafford next year and would definitely recommend as many people as we can fit into our hall, to hear his further numerous accounts of what has taken place in the notorious Tower of London and the humorous tales of his days as a Beefeater conversing with a multinational public.
The next Meeting of Dean Rise W.I. will be at 9.45 a.m. Wednesday 1st July. The Speaker will be Mr N Stewart - he will talk about `Life on the Reef` with slides.
He arrived resplendent in the uniform of Yeoman Warder (Beefeater at the Tower of London). Mr Strafford who must be 6 feet 5 inches tall made a very impressive figure as he walked into the W.I. Hall. His talk was on the Ladies of the Tower. He had been a Beefeater for 19 yrs.. Prior to that he served 22 years in the Army, much of it as a Sergeant Major !! During his talk he did not refer to any notes and spoke for three quarters of an hour without `hesitation or repetition`. To say he held his audience -- you could have heard a pin drop. He related happenings in our history, particularly regarding Henry the Eighth`s wives, some of which were particularly gruesome. We all felt that if history lessons had been told in this rich and amusing way, it would bring to life, what to many children can be a somewhat boring subject. He also told stories and related these to present day sayings we all use, explaining their origins. Mr Strafford answered many of our questions -- one of which was `where did the name beefeater originate` He said that no one really knew – `its lost in history`
We will endeavour to bring back Mr. Strafford next year and would definitely recommend as many people as we can fit into our hall, to hear his further numerous accounts of what has taken place in the notorious Tower of London and the humorous tales of his days as a Beefeater conversing with a multinational public.
The next Meeting of Dean Rise W.I. will be at 9.45 a.m. Wednesday 1st July. The Speaker will be Mr N Stewart - he will talk about `Life on the Reef` with slides.
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
6 May - Resolutions Meeting - Coffee, Cake and Conversation
The meeting on the 6th May was very well attended and our new President, Jean Lewis, thanked all our members for attending . The W.I. Hall looked very attractive and welcoming, with circular tables, tablecloths and flower arrangements, coffee and homemade cakes, proving to be very popular.
The Resolutions this year is : - “Honeybees play a vital role in the pollination of food crops and in the environment. In view of concerns about the accelerating decline in the U.K. honeybee population this meeting urges HM Government to increase funding for research into bee health.”
We were fortunate to have a very informative talk given by Mr. Michael Sheasby who is Vice Chairman British Beekeepers Association and Chairman of Slough Windsor and Maidenhead Beekeepers Society. Mr. Sheasby informed us that there are approx. 1 billion honey bees in this country the vast majority are kept by private bee keepers and a relatively small number of professional bee keepers. The difference between wasps, bumble bees and honey bees was fully explained . Mr. Sheasby brought along a beehive, fortunately devoid of bees, to explain the construction which has hardly changed since the early nineteenth century.
Mr. Sheasby himself has lost 60% of his own bees due to the current world problem. He explained why his Association were pressing government to urgently explore what has been termed “Colony Collapse Disorder(CCD) “ This may be caused by a new parasite or pathogen.
The best action the public could do to help the problem is not to use pesticides indiscriminately, especially at mid-day when honey bees are most likely to be out foraging for nectar and plant good nectar sources such as red clover, foxglove buddleia etc..
He thanked our members for the support being given by W.I.
Our next meeting takes place on the 6th May at 10.0 a.m. and the talk will be Customs and Excise 40 years of catching smugglers, by Mr. M. Nelson.
The Resolutions this year is : - “Honeybees play a vital role in the pollination of food crops and in the environment. In view of concerns about the accelerating decline in the U.K. honeybee population this meeting urges HM Government to increase funding for research into bee health.”
We were fortunate to have a very informative talk given by Mr. Michael Sheasby who is Vice Chairman British Beekeepers Association and Chairman of Slough Windsor and Maidenhead Beekeepers Society. Mr. Sheasby informed us that there are approx. 1 billion honey bees in this country the vast majority are kept by private bee keepers and a relatively small number of professional bee keepers. The difference between wasps, bumble bees and honey bees was fully explained . Mr. Sheasby brought along a beehive, fortunately devoid of bees, to explain the construction which has hardly changed since the early nineteenth century.
Mr. Sheasby himself has lost 60% of his own bees due to the current world problem. He explained why his Association were pressing government to urgently explore what has been termed “Colony Collapse Disorder(CCD) “ This may be caused by a new parasite or pathogen.
The best action the public could do to help the problem is not to use pesticides indiscriminately, especially at mid-day when honey bees are most likely to be out foraging for nectar and plant good nectar sources such as red clover, foxglove buddleia etc..
He thanked our members for the support being given by W.I.
Our next meeting takes place on the 6th May at 10.0 a.m. and the talk will be Customs and Excise 40 years of catching smugglers, by Mr. M. Nelson.
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
1 April 2009 - Artists in the Thames and Chilterns - Mr Brian Edwards
We once again had an excellent attendance at our April meeting – maybe due to the fine spring weather. We have enrolled 7 new members so far this year and we have a new President, Jean Lewis who gave us a warm welcome. The President's badge was duely handed over and the responsibilites of individual committee members .announced.
The new programmes were handed out and we can look forward to a varied and interesting selection of speakers over the next 12 months. Correspondence was read out including a thanks from People to Places for our donation. Two of our members had recently done courses at Denman College and praised the experience. Our president urged us to sign the National Federation's petiton deploring violence against women which is a blot on a supposedly civilised society and an outrage in many countries of the world.
Our scheduled speaker was unable to attend owing to injury but we had a splendid substitute in John Humphries , a retired architect, who spoke to us on the London Marathon. He had competed no less than eleven times so we could look forward to an informed and amusing talk. We were not disappointed. He took us through the history of Marathons from their beginnings in Ancient Greece to the large international media events they have now become.
It was a century ago in 1908 that crowds turned out to witness the 1st London Marathon but it was not until 1981 that it became an annual event due to the efforts of Chris Brasher. The race is always run from Blackheath to The Mall a distance of only a few miles but the actual running distance is 26 miles 385 yards as the course takes many twists and diversions.
Mr Humphries told us that the hardest part is not running the race itself but the arduous training involved and the entry factor. For it is true that roughly one third only of all the entries received are accepted and about 45,000 runners finally partake.The wheelchair race is the first to start followed by the womens race ( our own Paula Radcliffe being a winner on three occasions) and finally the mens race Most finish in due course greatly assisted by the water stations positioned every mile or so.Of course you can walk most of the route but you are likely to come last.
A spirit of goodwill pervades with most of the competitors running for charities even if they are Wombles or endangered Rhinoceroses.
With his fluent and amusing style going down well our speaker then answered questions.
The meeting ended with a reminder that at our next meeting on May 6th we will discuss the the decline of the honey bee which in view of its crucial importance is the sole Resolution put forward this year.
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