connecting women
interested in everything, talking about anything
Bakewell NWR at our outdoor meeting for 6. Caroline, one our members, kindly invited us round and the lure was the new lambs she'd been fostering. As usual, anything and everything was talked about but we all agreed we were looking forward to meeting indoors and getting on with our programme.
Lincoln Diamond Day Reunion Lunch
We thought you might like to see a couple of pictures of (most of) the Lincoln Diamond Day lunch organising committee making the most of the first opportunity this year to eat together in a restaurant.
We were at a pub called The Tally Ho near Sleaford in Lincolnshire and had a table for 5 and a table for 4 but, as we were the only people in the dining room, cross table conversation was easy!! It was so lovely to sit and talk and............ most importantly, to eat a meal we hadn't had to cook ourselves!!
Faith Oxford
Deepings Member and EA02 Area Organiser
NWR Poole recently had a special treat! Beth Calverley, spoken word poet and granddaughter of one of the members ran a Zoom workshop. It started with members giving Beth thoughts about their lives which she gathered and used to create a poem – on the spot!
We thought that you might like it too, so here is the image of the poem! It was a novel and very interesting experience. We were all involved with the process and very much enjoyed Beth’s performance of our collaborated creation!
If you think your group would enjoy a Poetry Workshop, see Beth’s website details below:-
Our Lucky Lists
a collaboration between members of NWR Poole and Beth Calverley
Notes from the conversation:
My lucky list: loving family, caring friends, beautiful home, walks to the sea
"What peace there may be in silence"
Quite profound
We've had a lot of silence recently
Monday - such a beautiful day
"each little bird that sings"
They were going bonkers!
A lovely little book - sketches of St Ives
"the sound of the waves and gulls for company"
Girls of the sea
A warm feeling to another person
The loveliest season of the year - longing and togetherness
"this gives life to thee"
Cornish beaches - Loue Valley and Harbour, where I went as a child and teenager
An autograph book entry upside down
"May the task is hard and the way ahead seems rough / and yet in all the trails you meet you find you've strength enough"
"Grant me the serendipity"
Bookshelf fell down - surrounded by books to sort out
"Mum and Dad" - a beautiful thing
"You live life to the fullest / and each day brings out the best."
"Can't we shake hands"
So relevant at the moment
Looking at the harbour
A view that changes every day but doesn't change
Amazing - it's all grey - you know that bluish grey
No boats on the water - waiting for next week
Excitement of a tanker!
Reflections after reading the notes:
How grateful, conscious we are of and for the sea
Caring thread going through - really good friends
How emotional we're feeling - about life - I didn't know - bring back to the surface
How many brought your children into the conversations
Very emotional - the times we're living in
we're all missing our family - touchy feeling
Trust - we love you for sharing it
© Beth Calverley
The Poetry Machine
07810 872 602
Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise’s latest blockbuster movie scuppered the plans of Leighton Buzzard’s walking group.
The original idea was for the group to walk around a large disused quarry in the neighbouring village of Heath and Reach. But it’s where Tom Cruise was filming scenes for Mission: Impossible 7 at the same time, and the area was fenced off to the public and patrolled by security men.
Walk leader Fran Mallord has had to come up with a Plan B which is a walk along the Grand Union canal and around the Tiddenfoot country park – the site of a former sandpit.
Our wish has finally come true – more than a year late. We have planted a tree alongside a busy footpath in a park in the town to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the local group in 1970.
The ceremony was originally due to take place in March last year but has been postponed since then because of the coronavirus pandemic. Lockdown restrictions continued to play a part in limiting the number who could attend the planting of a lime tree with a commemorative plaque.
Members of the group in the picture at the ceremony are, from left: Heather de Lacey, Rita Priestley, Ruth Roy and Nicky Gaulton. Ruth was the driving force behind the project, working with the Council to ensure that, no matter how belatedly, the tree planting would finally go ahead.
The Town Council, who will receive a donation from the NWR group, requested the planting of a lime tree to replace one in an avenue of limes that had died and needed replacing.
We thought you would like to see this photo taken after planting our Diamond Jubilee Magnolia Galaxy in Buckingham Park, Shoreham-by- Sea.
It has taken us some time to get this tree planted but we managed to do it on a lovely sunny day last week. It has a commemorative plaque at the base dated 2020. It will be looked after by the Park Ranger and should eventually become a very spectacular sight in this corner of our lovely park.
The local press printed a picture and an article which can be viewed here Shoreham-by-Sea-Tree-Planting-article.
Lorraine Nightingale
Local Organiser of Shoreham by Sea.
In April on a cold but sunny day a few members of Wantage NWR, walking group, enjoyed a welcome break in the Parkinsons.Me Community Garden for the first permitted walk of the year and a photo is attached.
The garden, located in West Lockinge near Wantage, was created in aid of those with Parkinson's and was featured on Gardener's World in 2019. Further details of this lovely garden can be found on the following website: https://www.parkinsons.me/community-garden-west-lockinge
Wantage NWR (Walking Group)
Crieff, Comrie and Auchterarder Group coffee tag .
The Zoom September planning meeting was well attended and full of its’ expected enthusiasm and ideas.
We concluded that the way forward was to continue with the certainty of Zoom, at the same time looked for a way to meet without Zoom as the medium is challenging.
At that point, in Scotland only two households could meet up, which, for all our group meant two people.
So we created our own coffee tag. This involved names being randomly listed then lady one met lady two, a few days later lady two met lady three and so on until the circle was completed and lady twelve met lady one .
We were able to meet in a variety of settings until the end of the year, including coffee shops, gardens and taking a walk, sometimes with the family dog. Topics of discussion were various and our members reported the subject discussion along with a relevant picture after meeting up, in an email, which in itself prompted further super discussions!!
We all enjoyed these meetings and the different medium of a one to one chat
It was such a success that we repeated it with a secret Santa coffee tag.
(Crieff, Comrie and Auchterarder NWR)
I’ve had it!
A year ago, if you said, ’I’ve had it’ people, presuming that you had contracted COVID 19, would have commiserated with you! But thankfully now they will congratulate you on having had your second inoculation.
The first of April 2021 has become a very special day for me. Doubly so. I sang my mam’s song: ‘This is My Lovely Day’
On Maundy Thursday 1995 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Every year since the Easter Tritium brought back memories of the fear I experienced on that day. However, from now on I will be singing:
‘This is the day I shall remember the day I am dying
They can't take this away…’
They can't take this away
It will be always mine, the sun and the wine
The sea birds crying ‘
THIS IS MY LOVELY DAY From the London Musical "Bless The Bride" (1947) ( Music: Vivian Ellis / Lyrics: A. P. Herbert) Lizbeth Webb & Georges Guetary …
For our meeting last week on Zoom we were asked to think of something worthy of deposit in The Museum of Curiosity, as per the radio 4 programme. Most of us found it very difficult to choose something, but this eclectic mix is what we ended up with….
First - a big sign at the entrance saying ‘JUST GET ON WITH IT’, with the intention that it would jolt one out of all the dithering and muttering which we tend to do instead of simply getting stuff done.
Then we enthusiastically offered:
Toilet rolls ; Deckchairs ; Zips/Zippers ; Tea Bricks ; Cameras ; Gerald Lincoln, Endocrinologist ; 'On Ilkla Moor Baht’at' ; City of Liverpool
AND….
A dead cat (because, of course…. Curiosity Killed the Cat!)
Everything was graciously accepted by The Curator [thanks Jane]. Do come and visit.
Only with NWR !!
Dalgety Bay Group has been meeting every fortnight during Covid times.
We have now all got the hang of Zoom and on a cold snowy or frosty night it's quite nice to think we don't have to turn out into the cold.
We have covered topics like the RNLI, our favourite poem and a tale about someone we never had chance to say to say 'Sorry' or 'Thank you' to.
We dressed up for our online Christmas Party, with our glasses of wine and crisps and took part in a quiz.
One of the fun things we have done is to share our special soup recipes. It has been the right weather for a tasty soup.
Here is one of the recipes from our collection. I can recommend it.
Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup with Coconut Milk
25g butter
1 onion
450g of chopped sweet potato
2 peeled and chopped red peppers
400ml can of coconut milk
1tbs ground coriander
700 ml vegetable stock
Melt butter in a large pan and cook onion until soft but not brown. Stir in the ground coriander and cook for 2 mins. Add the sweet potato and red peppers and cook for 5 mins. Add the stock and bring to the boil, cover, and simmer for 20 mins. Cool a little then blitz. Add the coconut milk, season to taste, heat and serve.
The Farnham NWR New Year’s Honours List for January 1st 2021
I hope you will recognise yourself in many of these caregories:-
Our technical expert, who made us realise that NWR could go on, and on and on - 27 meetings instead of our usual 20
The Zoom link sharers – where would we be without you?
Those who struggled with tech, but conquered their tablets, phones and laptops, so that they could take part in meetings
The Co-ordinators – who went to great lengths to break topics into manageable, interesting parts, and then led us through the maze and helped us to see a whole picture
The Researchers – who shared their findings and explained things we had never previously thought about
The Volunteers – especially those who made an extra effort, when no one else had signed up as the date-line loomed
The Listeners – we all need an audience to make our research worthwhile, especially one that poses questions!
The LO team who crafted the specially modified on-line programme.
The LOs who wrote detailed reports so that friends living as far away as Abu Dhabi, Antigua and New Zealand could feel a part of the group,
Those who joined in and /or sent messages from around the world
The Gardeners -who created sanctuaries where others could chat and experience a sense of normality
Those who shared their news and their worries and made us all feel part of a caring family
Those who showed they cared, by sending messages of support and information, as well as pictures and links to cheer everyone up
Those who gave practical support throughout the local community ,checking up on friends, family and neighbours, brightening days with socially distanced chats, delivering shopping and sharing garden produce and other ‘goodies’
Those who kept their families safe, enabled the vunerable to shield, and helped grandchildren to play and learn
Those who worked from home and made sure the world carried on
Those who dressed in PPE and were there for their patients
The seamstress, who helped to dress frontline workers, and those who provided fabric and miles and miles of thread
Our new member, who was brave enough to join in the middle of the year, bringing us a new voice and different things to think about
Those who taught us to enjoy singing loudly on line (having self-muted)
Finally, to those of you, who attended most meetings and to those of you who attended only a few - leaving gallery -screen space for others – thank you for never giving up on the Farnham NWR Group
You all deserve one or more New Year’s Day Honours
With special thanks to the thoughtful person, who suggested the idea of Nominations for the Mary Stott Award
Along with a Christmas quiz, Christmas facts, a dingbats-style car-names quiz, the ridiculous singing Christmas tree, and daft cracker jokes (groan), there was plenty to keep us laughing! 
The Arnold NWR group would like to thank you in the office and the question setters and clue holders for a fantastic and fun TTT this year! As you can see from the attached screenshot, we had 18 members join by Zoom and one or two others were in touch by phone. This is a record turnout for our Zoom meetings and everyone said how much they had enjoyed it. The quiz has been a firm favourite over the years and we were so glad it could go ahead. This year has been a challenging learning curve for many of our members, but most of them have embraced the new ways of keeping connected. Long live NWR!
A socially-distanced walk around West Stow country park - an example of how we have got around all the COVID restrictions.
Where there's a will.... there's a coffee at the end!
Thank you to Sandra for your great efforts. My sunflower, despite being ravaged by slugs, appears to be the most resilient.
The Dorking Group have been busy compiling a book list, one published in each year in the last sixty years. Not only that, they have set about reading them all and putting together a table of notes about the books which you can read 60 Year Booklist
Well done Dorking!
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