Author: crowlasludgvanwi

A great turnout at the Ludgvan Horticultural Show

crowlasludgvanwi

I think everyone will agree that the Horticultural Society’s annual show on Saturday was a great success! It was areally lovely afternoon with some fantastic exhibits.

Here are photos of some of our wonderful winners from the Show with a selection of their prize-winning plants and blooms, home produce and art: such a talented lot we are at Crowlas & Ludgvan WI! Gill Gowland with her scrummy lemon drizzle cake, Anne Tilley with her delicious Victoria sandwich cake and her gorgeous cushion, Sue Knights with her great fun and clever rag rug cushion, Irene Sollis with her delightful butterflies, Val Thomas with her delicate mop head hydrangeas, Dianna Kelynack with her perfect orchid, and Rona Cowls with her luscious blueberries. Rona went on to win the Crowlas and Ludgvan WI cup for the WI member with most points overall.

Richard Sargeant presented the cups and other trophies at the end. Hilda Bolitho,Vice President of the Horticultural Society, is shown with the whole show in the background and the lovely vase of blooms are an exhibit from her garden.

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 09 10 11 12

Congratulations to all!

If you have photos of people we missed, please send them in!

(Ludgvan Horticultural Show report from Julia Havard)

Lights Out

crowlasludgvanwi

lights outTo mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, everyone in the UK is invited to take part in LIGHTS OUT by turning off their lights from 10pm to 11pm on Monday 4 August, leaving on a single light or candle for a shared moment of reflection. That single light could be the light from your television or laptop or mobile phone if you’d like to follow what’s happening around the country. Or a light placed in a window to show your participation to people passing by.

“The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime”
~ Sir Edward Grey, British Foreign Secretary, August 1914

People can take part in whatever way they choose, either individually or by attending one of the many events being organised around the country for a collective experience.

Click here for more information.

Our new noticeboard!

crowlasludgvanwi

The next time we meet at the Murley Hall, you’ll all see our new noticeboard which, we hope, will be full of information, photos and more!

Di Curnow’s husband, the ever-patient John, put the board up for us today and it looks great.

01

Here’s Secretary Alison Latham already getting to work posting information from NFWI.

02

Although the board will be primarily for WI-related bits and pieces, there will usually be space for other items. So if you have a non-WI event you’re promoting or have a small classified notice you’d like to put up (buying or selling something), just ask a member of the committee for permission and, as long as there’s room, we’ll post it for you. Priority will be given to WI materials, however.

Ludgvan Horticultural Show this Saturday!

crowlasludgvanwi

In case you might have forgotten, this Saturday is the Ludgvan Horticultural Show! There are loads of opportunities to enter – produce, flowers, photography, baking, etc.! If you’d like more details, contact Hilda Bolitho on 741025.

And, don’t forget, if you want to enter the Banoffee Cake competition, you can find the recipe here.

Last year we had a really good W.I. turnout at the Show, with Rona Cowls taking home the W.I. Cup. Let’s see if we can do just as well this year!

Ludgvan Hort Show

 

More Buzzy Bee Information!

crowlasludgvanwi

big_beeHave you heard of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust?

It was established because of serious concerns about the ‘plight of the bumblebee’. In the last 80 years our bumblebee populations have crashed. Two species have become nationally extinct and several others have declined dramatically. The Trust aims to support the conservation of all bumblebees and to raise awareness and increase understanding about bumblebees and the social, economic, environmental and cultural benefits which they and other pollinators provide.

So what can we do?

We can plant a bumblebee-friendly garden! This means planting a variety of flowers that are rich in pollen and nectar which bees can easily access from spring until late summer. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s website has a handy online tool for you to determine how bee-friendly your garden is. Give it a go!

And if you’d like to get more involved, the Trust is always happy to welcome volunteers to help spread the word.

The Trust’s website also includes some lovely recipes using bee-pollinated foods. Here’s one:

Lavender Scones

Ingredients:
375g self raising flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
80g butter
250ml milk (may also use lavender infused milk)
2 teaspoons fresh or 1 tsp dried lavender flowers

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 220 C
  • Place the lavender flowers in a blender/food processor/herb grinder for a few seconds to turn them into a course powder.
  • Combine the flour, sugar and lavender in a medium size bowl.
  • Add the butter, and with your fingertips, combine until the mixture reaches the consistency of fine breadcrumbs.
  • Add the milk, and blend the mixture together.
  • Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently until it forms a soft dough.
  • Flatten dough until it is approximately 2cm thick.
  • Using scone cutter (or glass) cut the dough into shapes.
  • Lightly dust baking sheet with self raising flour, and place the scone shapes onto the baking sheet, placing them 1 cm apart.
  • Lightly brush with milk
  • Bake in a preheated oven for 14-16 minutes or until cooked through.
  • Place on wire racks to cool.
  • Enjoy!

New Pop-Up Shop to Support West Cornwall Women’s Aid

crowlasludgvanwi

Safer Penzance and West Cornwall Women’s Aid will open a Pop up Shop at 11 Market Place in Penzance on 4th August 2014.

Domestic abuse and sexual violence has a devastating impact on the lives of victims and results in massive costs to society. Domestic abuse respects no boundaries; it targets both rich and poor; it can affect children, teenagers or the older generation – its perpetrators respect no boundaries or walk of life.

Making use of one of the many empty shops in central Penzance provides an opportunity to promote the services available locally and county-wide to support victims who have been or are currently suffering domestic abuse or sexual violence.

The shop will be open from 12 noon until 2pm Monday through Friday until the 29th of August.

West Cornwall Women's Aid shop poster

July meeting update

crowlasludgvanwi

Despite it being such a hot and steamy night, we had a great turnout for our meeting last night.

Our own Alison Latham gave the talk – a highly entertaining and informative look at her time spent working at the British Embassy in Washington, DC. We heard all about the various departments and how they work as well as anecdotes about the royals, the Rolling Stones and Richard Branson (who forgot his passport when he attempted to balloon across the Atlantic!). Alison also passed around a 1967 letter from Edward VIII to the then Ambassador, Sir Patrick Dean, informing the embassy that he and the Duchess of Windsor would be arriving in America.

Our sales table looked wonderful with rhubarb, currants and more! Remember, if you have any surplus produce you’d like to sell, please bring it along to our next meeting.

And the book stall was laden with tempting titles. I came home with the very appropriately named Instructions for a Heatwave!

It was wonderful to see such a full competition table overflowing with lovely blooms! Our Flower of the Month winner was Jane Twose. There were also lots of great recipes for American dishes, along with some samples. Sue Knights was our recipe competition winner for her scrumptious cornbread. Second prize went to Helen Kestle and third to Rona Cowls.

Don’t miss tomorrow’s blog entry for all the American recipes which were part of the competition!