Author: crowlasludgvanwi

Big Day Out 2018

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We made an early start, by coach, on our trip to Buckfast Abbey Devon, which is a working monastery  of Benedictine monks.

When we arrived at the Abbey we were shown into the new and very well designed interactive information centre. The cafe was our next stop for a welcomed cup of coffee, and then walked through the immaculately tended grounds to the Abbey itself,  which was only completed in 1937.
In the Abbey I was particularly interested to see the amazing pipe organs which were finished being installed last year. The highlight of this visit for me was to see the stained glass panel designed by the monks which is 8 metres (26 feet across).
We then visited the shop where the monastery’s famous and most successful product was on sale, the Buckfast Tonic Wine!
The shop also had many books and items for sale relating to the famous Abbey monk, Brother Adam, known for his extensive breeding work creating the honeybee known to this day as ‘The Buckfast Bee’.
It was then time to board the coach and make a short journey to Totnes, an old fortified town at the head of the estuary of the River Dart. We set off in small groups to look at the many independent shops, cafes, galleries other places of interest. My group stopped for a lovely lunch before resuming our exploration of the town.
Some of us also enjoyed a stroll along the banks of the river Dart and sat and watched a pleasure boat arrive from Dartmouth.
All too quickly it was time to board the coach for our journey home…after a very enjoyable day out with friends, and a resolve to return to Buckfast Abbey to here the pipe organ being played. (Rosie)

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September Monthly Meeting

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Clint Hosking from Geevor Mines gave a fascinating insight into an important part of West Cornwall’s Heritage. With photographs and artefacts members were able to get a unique look at the everyday lives of the men, women and children who worked at the mine.

Trip to St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly

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The Scilly Isles are a consummate jewel in the crown of the British Isles, and the WI exchange trip provided us with not only a taste of the holiday makers view of the islands but an insight into the life of those who call Scillies their home. From the moment the WI members met us from the boat we were all looked after extremely well. Whilst we were there our trips out included, the recently added attraction of the Camera Obscurer: a chance for a birds eye view of St Mary’s and update on local gossip. A visit to St Agnes was wonderful despite the “missile” and I think Ruby, Jane Twose’s dog enjoyed this especially. The Museum gave us a flavour of the history of the islands, their people  and its fauna and flora. We were wined and dined not only at our hosts homes but at a couple of the local restaurants which gave us an opportunity to meet more of the Scilly Isles WI members who joined us for the meals out and our activities. A real  highlight was the WI meeting and the speaker Will Wagstaff, All of the WI members were welcoming and the meeting was a very social event. Will’s talk detailed his work from the Scillies to Antarctica and was accompanied by an excellent slideshow of the birds, sea creatures and landscapes of these places.
We left all agreeing that the purpose of this trip was to seal the relationship between us and our Scilly neighbours and a resolve to extend the hand of friendship to the Scilly Islands WI when every they venture to the main land. (Wendie)

Camera Club August

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Camera Club went to the National Dahlia Collection at Varfell for their August Meeting. If you haven’t been before it is a beautiful place to while away an hour or two. The dahlias are delightful and with such a variety of shapes and colours there was plenty to photograph. A trip to the Tremenheere Sculpture Garden rounded the afternoon off with tea, cake and scones.

August Coffee Morning

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Di Curnow kindly opened up her beautiful home to members and their friends and family for what has become an annual event – the summer coffee morning. Despite the showers there was a good turnout and the conversation flowed along with the tea and coffee. There was a delightful range of cakes to choose from and a raffle with lots of lovely prizes. Many thanks to Di and to all those who helped organise the event. We raised over £100!

July Walk

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Our walk started from Lands End following the beautiful coastal path down to Nanjizal where we enjoyed a picnic down in the rocky cove.  A very steep climb out of the cove took us inland and we returned to Lands End for a well deserved ice cream. (Shirley)

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Camera Club with David Chapman

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Camera Club had a fantastic afternoon with wildlife photographer at St Gothian Sands nature reserve . With David’s expert tuition and a plentiful supply of subject matter a wonderful selection of photos were taken. Many thanks to David and to Gail for organising the trip.

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