About 25 members of Crowlas & Ludgvan W.I. met at Trengwainton Tea Rooms to celebrate the very special birthdays of Pat Gloyn and Pam Smith.
Fortunately we moved inside to eat just before the heavens opened and it poured with rain – but we didn’t let that dampen our spirits! Once inside, we were served our meals quickly and the food was varied and delicious.
Before we knew it, two huge cakes were delivered to our tables and a rousing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ was duly sung with the rest of the customers joining in ! A good time was had by all.
A few weeks ago we were treated to a fantastic afternoon at lovely little St Hilary Church.
Husband and wife team Owen and Carrie Baker, who volunteer at the church, spoke to us about its history.
Lis Davies and tour guide Carrie Baker
We heard about the colourful Rev Bernard Walke who was parish priest at St Hilary from 1913 to 1936, and who was responsible for bringing the glorious Newlyn School art to the church. Walke’s wife, Annie, was an artist and counted among her friends many of the Newlyn artists we all know and love. In the church are works by Ernest and Dod Procter, Norman Garstin, Harold Knight and, of course, Annie Walke herself.
After our tour of the church, we moved next door to the tearoom above the new St Hilary Heritage Centre where we had a sumptuous cream tea. After our tea, we explored the wonderful collection of documents in the Heritage Centre.
All of us enjoying our cream tea (Alison Latham, Lis Davies, Sue Badcock, Kathy Merrett, Helen Kestle and Gail Allen)
For anyone who hasn’t been, the Heritage Centre is open on weekdays during the summer and the tearoom is open on Wednesdays. Both are well worth a visit!
Before heading back home, we all had a wander around the lovely old churchyard, examining some of the fascinating stones. Norman Garstin and the Procters are all buried here.
Mary Venn, Sue Badcock and Alison Latham in the church yard
A big thank you goes to Kathy Merrett for organising such a fantastic day for us!
(See a few more photos of the day by clicking here.)
Coffee Beans will be at Birdie’s Bistro in Hayle this Friday at 10:30am. Last time we were at Birdie’s, we had a very full house! Let’s hope this week’s visit is just as successful!
If you’re not able to get to the either of the quilting exhibitions you read about here yesterday, you might be interested in the PenTEG (Penwith Textile and Embroidery Group) exhibition, which is a little closer to home.
The exhibition, held in Ludgvan Church, runs from Monday the 7th through Monday the 14th of July. Opening hours are subject to church opening, services, etc., but should be from around 10am until 4pm daily. This is a colourful exhibition of diverse work, with the church pillars, walls and windowsills adorned.
The exhibition coincides with the Ludgvan Arts and Crafts weekend on Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th of July in the Murley Hall.
Last month, a group of us headed north to spend a day with beekeeper Lynda Evans as part of a CFWI event.
In the morning, we sat in the sunshine in Lynda’s beautiful garden as she explained the process to us – and we all came away with new-found respect for beekeepers and the hard work they do. Lynda has 35 colonies but at one point had 60! And this is in addition to her full-time office job.
After that came the moment we’d all been waiting for – the donning of the bee suits! Amid giggles, we all managed to get ourselves dressed in our suits, wellies and Marigolds, and were ready to meet the bees.
Beekeepers for a day: (left to right) Charlotte Robinson, Gail Allen, Alison Latham, Mary Venn and Helen Kestle
The walk to Lynda’s hives too us through fields where we met a turkey, a cockatoo and a pony – all friendly and eager to join us.
Once we reached the hives, Lynda opened one up for us to see the bees. We were amazed at how clearly we could see them returning to the hive with their bright pink or yellow pollen-laden legs! It was truly an eye-opener.
Alison Latham gets up close and personal with the bees
Back in the garden, we divested ourselves of our very warm bee suits and settled in to eat our sandwich lunches and talk about bees.
After lunch, it was time for some candle-making, using the beeswax Lynda collects from her hives to melt down. We took turns patiently dipping our wicks into a big pot of wax and eventually were rewarded with beautiful amber-coloured tapers!
The beautiful honey-scented beeswax candles we made
Before going home, Lynda gave us all cake slathered with clotted cream and her own delicious honey. We all came home with jars of honey, beeswax furniture polish, candles and a huge amount of new knowledge about the importance of bees.
There are a couple of quilting events coming up (before our next monthly meeting) that you might like to know about.
The first is the Saints of Cornish Churches exhibition, for which quilting groups throughout Cornwall have made wall hangings depicting Cornish saints. This wonderful free exhibition is on at Truro Cathedral from 30th June to 14th July from 10am – 5pm.
And, while you’re in the area, why not stop in at Coast & Country Crafts & Quilts in Perranarworthal. If you quote ‘SAINTS’ at the till, you’ll receive 10% off your purchase! Coast & Country is open Monday through Friday from 10:30am to 2:30pm, and on Saturdays from 10am until 4pm.
The second upcoming quilting event is the Gate Quilters Exhibition to be held at Leekseed Chapel (near the Church Rooms in St Blazey, opposite the Four Lords Pub) from the 10th to the 12th of July.
Preheat oven to 180c (fan oven 160c). Grease and line a 1kg loaf tin. Beat butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then add the egg followed by the caramel. Mix flour and baking powder together and gradually fold into caramel mixture. Fold in the banana and ¾ of the chocolate chunks. Bake for 1 hour, covering loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes if it gets too dark. The cake is cooked if a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool slighty before removing from the tin.
If you haven’t yet put your name down for next month’s sushi day, there’s still time!
We’ll meet at the Murley Hall at 10am for some instruction and will then start making our sushi! Once we’ve finished, we’ll all sit down and have a sushi feast.
Don’t worry if you don’t fancy raw fish. Although we will have fish available, there will also be a load of other vegetable fillings on hand for you to use. “Sushi” is really just rolled rice with other fillings, so it needn’t be fish at all.
The cost of the workshop is £10 which includes all equipment and ingredients. It’s a workshop plus a free lunch!
To book your place, contact Lis Davies on (01736) 754146 or by email on busylissie32@yahoo.co.uk.
Despite Nick Pascoe’s alpaca-transport problems and the resulting lack of furry visitors, we had a wonderful meeting last night.
Lis Davies and Mary Venn before last night’s meeting, making sure our banner cabinet is sparkly and clean.
We welcomed back old friends Sue Eames and Susan Lockhart, both who have been absent for far too long. It was lovely to see them both again. And we welcomed guests Rosemary Western (friend of Beth Marshall) and Liz Hosking (cousin of Sue Eames). It was great to have a full house!
We also had a third guest, Sheena Thomasson of Germoe & District WI, who came along to report on her trip to the NFWI Annual General Meeting in Leeds. She gave us a full run-down about the resolutions speakers and the debate that followed, as well as an entertaining insiders’ view of the rest of the meeting and the guest speakers. We thank Sheena for taking the time to come and talk to us as well as chatting with some of our members.
We then drew a name for this year’s bursary and I’m pleased to announce that Laraine Turner was the winner! We look forward to hearing how Laraine puts her £10o to use!
Nick Pascoe, of Treslothan Alpacas, then spoke. Although we were all disappointed that he hadn’t been able to bring any alpacas with him, he was thoroughly amusing and gave us so much information about his life as an alpaca-breeder, that in the end it didn’t really matter. We could have kept him there all night asking him questions about the lovely creatures. Of particular interest was the prevalence of TB among alpacas and the tragedy that can result from it, especially for Nick’s family which is understandably very attached to their herd.
Head-to-toe alpaca!
Nick passed around some items made from alpaca wool which Alison Latham was kind enough to model for us.
Because no alpacas were able to come to Crowlas & Ludgvan WI, Crowlas & Ludgvan WI will be going to the alpacas! Nick has invited us to come and visit them in Camborne. Details to come. Watch this space!
Our June Flower of the Month winner was Shirley Battle with a spectacular rose, and Pam Smith won our alpaca limerick competition. You can read her hilarious entry (and all the others) here.
Next month’s meeting will be held on July 21st. Our guest speaker will be our own Alison Latham! Don’t miss it! July’s competitions are Flower of the Month and an American recipe.
Our June competition brought out some real poetry talent! Here are the entries from last night, beginning with Pam Smith’s first-prize-winning limerick:
An alpaca called Lucy was shy
But she caught Lothario’s eye.
They now share a bed
In their warm winter shed,
And Lucy is no longer shy.
Second prize went to Helen Kestle:
An alpaca who lived in Peru
Said, “For a holiday, I think I am due.”
He settled on Beacon
And packed for the weekend
Before bidding his friends all adieu.
Sue Knights won third prize:
Is it a camel
4 legs
Not sure about a tail
Is it a goat
big eyes
big rabbit mouth
Is it a llama
big fluffy fringe
a huaccyp or a suris
It is a camelid
also known as alpaca
we all want one
we aren’t all able
But we can all cuddle up to fluffy
alpaca jumpers or bedding
Other entries came from Alison Latham and Kathy Merrett:
Some alpacas they came just a visitin’
The ladies of Crowlas and Ludgvan.
As they gave them a pat
They chewed and they spat
To show them just what they were eatin’.
An alpaca named Joe from Peru
Said, “I’m a camelid, not a gnu.
With my three-chamber’d tum
And a very neat bum,
Be gentle, so I don’t spit at you!”
Crowlas & Ludgvan WI 