Author: crowlasludgvanwi

…..you might see our Camera Club, taking photos of the beautiful spring bluebells, wild garlic, and a myriad of textures and colours of spring. Or you might spot Sue having a quick go on the rope swing…..

Our book Murder on Mustique was recommended by a member of another WI who thoroughly enjoyed it.  Some of our members found it a pleasant read whilst others were not very keen.  Anne Glenconner is a relatively new author – her first book was her autobiography, which some of our members had read and preferred to the book we were reading.

The story is based around the island of Mustique in the Caribbean (in fact this island was bought by the author and her husband the late Colin Tennant and developed into a paradise island for the rich and famous).

Storm Cristabel is about to descend on the island so most of the villa owners have disappeared back to their homes.  There are still a handful of thrill seekers staying on the island and one of those is Amanda Fortini who went bathing one morning never to return.  Lily, the god daughter of Lord and Lady Blake (the people who developed the island) lived on the island and was very upset by the disappearance of her friend Amanda. There was only one policeman Nile Soloman on the island and he contacted Lady Blake (Vee to her friends ) who flew back straight away before the storm arrived. Vee had a friend a Philip Everard (a handsome young film actor in his day but now past the best of his looks) who had a villa on the island and had stayed despite the storm warning.   A large speed boat had arrived recently in the bay with two men on board – these men were often dashing around the bay on jet skis.  Nile tried to get a warrant to search the boat but his superior on the island of St. Vincent kept turning him down.

Vee threw herself into organising a special coming of age birthday party for Lily but when another person disappeared she decided to investigate matters for herself.     Whilst the birthday party was in full swing on the beach Vee was captured and taken out to the boat.  The sea was tumultuous but Nile and Lily worried as they could not find Vee and fearing she had been taken out to the boat, went out in their respective boats to the speed boat.  Despite the big waves Nile manages to clamber abroad the boat.   In the meantime Vee has been locked in a cabin but has the forethought to find a ‘weapon’ which she uses when someone comes back to the cabin and she locks him in.  She explores the other cabins and finds evidence which relates to Philip.   In the meantime Nile after being given specific information, dives to the bottom of the sea and finds bodies wrapped in tarpaulin anchored to the shore. Apparently, Lily’s Mum (who was a marine conservationist working in and around Mustique to restore the coral) had disappeared many years ago.  Lily had followed in her Mum’s footsteps working with the marine life on the island.  Philip apparently had a grudge against the family due to being rebuked by Lily’s Mum.  After the necessary arrests all ended well with Nile and Lily walking off into the sunset. (Pat G)

Report by our President, Wendie:

There are so many different clubs and activities for CLWI members every month that even as president I don’t always make it to them all but this month it was my great pleasure to join the coffee beans group in  Porthleven. With my mother and her guide dog, we met the members who had for a change travelled on the bus together. We started with a walk around the town to pick the cafe with the best coffee and seating for us all Harbourview then provided the opportunity for a lively chat whilst drinking our coffee and eating delicious cakes. Most members followed this with a further walk around the shops and sites before meeting up again for some lunch. For myself, a trip to Curio Gin and an essential purchase rounded off a great meet up. This was a lovely way to spend a morning and I will certainly be joining them again.

The Living Well group met at Murley Hall for their April Meeting. This month the topic was breathing. During her talk Kathy covered such topics as the difference between breathing and respiration and mouth breathing versus nose breathing. The talk was full of interesting facts. Did you know we take 25,000 breaths a day? That U.S. Navy Seals do breathing exercises before going into battle? Or the way we breathe has deteriorated through history?

Members also learnt how doing Sudarshan Kriya breathing classes had changed the life of James Nestor. He was so impressed by the the improvement in health and mental well-being that he researched the topic and wrote a book.

        Breath:The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor (Penguin Life £16.99)

 The group then did exercises for improving balance. This included the dreaded squats and heel to toe walking which had a few of the members wobbling about. The session ended with a lovely short relaxing meditation, and of course, tea and biscuits. 

‘Remember, as long as you are breathing, it’s never too late to start a new beginning.’ (anon)

Members were delighted to welcome David Hunter and Shazz Andrews to the Murley Hall to listen to the story of Penlee Park Theatre, past, present and future. This unique open air theatre is situated in Penlee Park, Penzance and has been described in the press as the ‘Little Treasure Behind the Hedge’ due to it’s secluded location, often unknown to even local folk. Originally opened in 1948 to celebrate the Festival of Britain, and showcasing only Shakespeare plays , the theatre now performs to around 12,000 people annually with a vast and varied programme that in 2022 includes Gin and Jazz, The Mikado and even (somewhat surprisingly) Ben Hur. Read more HERE

The Watermill in Lelant was the venue for the latest Meet and Eat lunch. In a lovely setting, with a varied menu, The Watermill is a popular choice with members to meet, eat and chat. See their website here: The Watermill

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes.

Jojo, who is 53 years old, married and has three children, lives on a farm in Essex. She was a busy journalist who, after having three books rejected decided her fourth try,  ‘Sheltering Rain’, would be the last! That was in 2002.

Her Publishers, Hodder and Stoughton, didn’t want

‘Me Before You’ so she sold it to Penguin, and it’s not the only one of her books which has been adapted for the film industry.   

She invested £120,000 in the Quick Reads Initiative, which aimed to encourage 20–30 year-old reluctant-readers to discover the joys of the written world, and received a number of awards for her short stories.

The Giver of Stars, published in 2019 was Jojo’s first historical fiction work.

The story is simple but unfolds delightfully, as five women, from very different backgrounds, each discover freedom and friendship and a life to call their own. In its simplicity, it is a compelling read, highlighting the domination practices prevalent at the time but which would not be tolerated by English or American women today. It challenges gender stereotypes magnificently.

Jojo Moyes wrote: –

‘It’s big, bold funny and sad. The story is fictional, but it rests on a skeleton of astonishing facts.  I wrote it in a fever, through holidays, reluctant to leave it at night, and can honestly say I have never loved writing a book more or been more inspired by my subject matter. I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have loved creating it’.

Book Club is meeting monthly at the Queen’s Hotel, Penzance, then hopes to meet up in members gardens from June. Next month’s book is Murder on Mustique by Anne Glenconner.

This month the group learnt a little more about a topic we all have a great deal of experience of: our urinary systems and what can go amiss, from the merely inconvenient to the serious.

We started by looking at the anatomy of our “waterworks” system and finding out that it played a bigger role in keeping our bodies running smoothly than simply removing waste products. It also releases hormones that control blood pressure and red cell production, as well as calcium and phosphorus, essential for bone health.

Did you know?

All the blood in our body is filtered 400 times a day!

The kidneys can clean more than one million gallons of water in an average human lifetime – enough to fill a small lake.

If one kidney has to be removed, in two months the other will have increased in size by 50% in order to take over the whole work of filtration.

“Oh what a piece of work is Man” and Woman!

We then talked about what can go wrong, focusing mainly on cystitis and incontinence and shared “hints and tips”; self help measures for coping with a common problem.

As usual our talk was followed by a gentle exercise session and the welcome wind-down of relaxation. Partly as an offshoot of Living Well, Amblers is taking to the road again. This month we walked to the top of Rosewall Hill and enjoyed the glorious (really, it is the only word) 360 degree panorama from the top. Next month we will be walking in Tehidy Woods, when the bluebells should be in full flower. Why not join us? Everyone is welcome.

Well we had such an interesting and eye opening guided tour by Jeanette Ratcliffe, an archaeologist, who set up her guided walking business last summer.  Such knowledge of the area, we could have spent longer listening and being shown different, off the beaten track, places in and around Newlyn.

She spoke of the Spanish raids, the copper work apprentices, the various bridges and a ford that use to be at the bottom of Jack Lane (Jack Ford), now a well -used bridge. She told us about the farmers routes to market in Penzance and the building of New Road. We learnt about the Rosebud and visited the garden named after the boat. Extending the land into the sea to build what we see and use today. The goings on in the Red Lion in its day. We heard about the slum clearance in the 1930s and how the war put a stop to it. Car parks in Newlyn are the result of the slum clearance.

Jeanette gave us a taster of what’s to come in Newlyn too. There is a plan to make use of the old ice works to make it into a museum with all amenities, watch this space….. (Julie) 

Camera Club made the most of the recent beautiful weather and went to Hayle for their latest meeting. Concentrating around the Millpond area the vivid blue of the Early Spring sky made for delightful reflections in the water. The industrial heritage of the area with it’s ropework ruins and a sprinkling of seasonal flowers gave each photographer plenty of subject matter. Next month’s meeting will be at Tremenheere Woods, looking for some early bluebells.