We had a gentle amble from the carpark at Godrevy along the path towards the island, and north up the small incline to the barriers. Kathy had suggested we visit the seals. I wasn’t really expecting to see any but what a sight to behold. 100 plus seals and pups lying on the beach below. I have never seen anything like it and would recommend it to everyone. (Gail)
Three of us met on a blustery afternoon at Jubilee pool; we got poolside passes and wandered around snapping away with the sky turning from grey to blue and the choppy water turning from green to blue. There were a few brave souls swimming -no wetsuits but we were happy to sit out of the wind on various steps and observing. Sue had to nip off to do the school run so Mary and Gail did the WI thing and had coffee and cake at the poolside cafe, it was delicious and very generous portions !
If anyone fancies joining us sometime we are not professionals we do it for fun and as regards to equipment, we had 1 slr camera, 1 iPad and 1 mobile phone between us ! (Gail)
It was a misty start for our October walk from Castle Gate which afforded a wonderful view of St Michael’s Mount and Mount’s Bay.
We arrived at Bodmin Nursery in time for coffee and cake then had a look around at th plants, pots, bulbs etc., which we could buy at 10% reduction.Mary and Val took advantage and bought several large pots. We then had lunch – soup and a roll and more coffee and cake. All home made and delicious.
After meeting up with members of other WIs, and the friendly and very knowledgeable staff, everyone enjoyed a demonstration of putting together a winter hanging basket. Then we were let loose to make our own. There was a choice of four types of baskets, or even tubs, if that was what you preferred.We had a varied selection of plants to choose from and could use whatever we wanted.
When we came to put the baskets and pots in Sue’s boot it was quite a work of art getting them all in! A great day and such tremendous value. (Report by Val P)
Congratulations to new Cornwall Federation Chair for 2017 -18 Margaret Johnson, and officers: Treasurer Alison Latham, Vice Chairs Jane Dover, Julia Havard and Helen Kestle.
Locked Up in Bodmin Jail!
This week a group of us travelled north for our annual meet-up with Camelford WI. They hosted us this time and we met first at a pub for a welcome cup of coffee and a catch-up. We’ve been twinning with Camelford WI for so long now that we’re all old friends, and there were hugs all around when we arrived.
After coffee, some walked and some drove to Bodmin Jail from the pub. Those of us who walked were treated to a gorgeous mile-long stroll along the sun-dappled Camel Trail. We were so preoccupied with chatting that we often had to hurry to move out of the way of cyclists!
When we arrived at Bodmin Jail, we sat down to lunch in a private room in what had been the old administrative building of the jail. The chatter quickly fell silent when the waitresses appeared with our food!
After lunch, we were given a tour of the jail by Chris, one of the volunteer guides. He was so informative and had so much passion for the history of the jail that we could have listened to him for hours. Our tour took us through cells and inmate punishment areas. We learned about several important cases of Bodmin inmates, notably the Lightfoot brothers who were put to death for the murder of a well-respected local man. Thousands of people came to watch their execution in 1840.
We were all struck by the tragic stories of many inmates, some of whom were executed, for whom we’d now, in 2017, have more compassion. A man put to death for stealing milk was likely only trying to feed his family. And a young woman who killed her newborn baby could very well have been suffering from what we now know as postnatal depression.
Our tour ended at the execution pit, a particularly grim spot, where we learned how the rope lengths were perfectly calibrated to do their job, depending on the weight of the person to be executed. This is the only working execution pit in the UK!
If you haven’t been to Bodmin Jail, we recommend a visit very soon. The jail was recently purchased and part of it will be turned into a hotel. The jail will still remain open to the public, but our guide Chris told us that some of the areas we saw will no longer be able to be seen in the future.
We had a nice chat with the Camelford ladies about where they’d like to go when we host them in 2018, so stay tuned for more details! (Report and photos by Helen)
Another furry new ‘member ‘ joined us at Flying Fingers Stitching Group’s October meeting; ‘Smudge’, the gorgeous Border Collie. Work on our PhD’s (Projects Half Done ) continues. If you have a ‘PhD’ which you would like to finish, you are very welcome to come along. More details from Beth Marshall on 01736 741352 or bethmarshallpz@btinternet.com
Both Shirley’s Walking Group and Amblers met this week.
Amblers went to Mousehole on Tuesday and had an interesting walk around the village accompanied by a couple of canine honorary members. They rounded off the stroll with a delicious early lunch and coffee in the Deli.
Shirley’s Walking Group were not deterred by the predicted rain on Wednesday and walked from St Keverne to Porthallow enjoying the sheltered wooded valleys . They were pleased to round off the trip, and warm up, with lunch in front of the log burner at Roskilly’s.
The Murley Hall was touched by a little magic on Monday Evening. Visiting speaker Yvonne Watson delighted members with tales of her life as a magician, from taming doves and rabbits to a coveted second place on Opportunity Knocks and working in the UK and overseas. Everyone was delighted when Yvonne performed some fantastic tricks to round off the evening,
Crowlas & Ludgvan WI 