Crowlas & Ludgvan W.I.

The latest book to be discussed by the Zoom Book Club is Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves. Though the novel is number 4 in the popular televised crime series, it also reads well as a standalone book. The book was recommended by an old member of Crowlas and Ludgvan WI, Maureen, who read it with her WI Book Club in Devon.
Members particularly enjoyed the author’s descriptive language that reflected the mood of the Shetlands as winter approaches. The wildness of the island and the close knit community are particularly well depicted, and it was no surprise to hear that Ann Cleeve herself spent time at the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle.
The next book will be Island of Secrets by Patricia Wilson.

Members of Crowlas and Ludgvan WI have been joined by people of all over the area during lockdown making poppies for this year’s display at Ludgvan Church. Germoe WI, facebook friends, mums. grannies and even a lady who spotted a poster when walking St Michael’s Way, have been busy with needles, hooks and wool to make the 1000+ flowers that will adorn the church next month. Sylvia has been diligently attaching them to the flights in preparation for the attachment to the tower. If you have any poppies that you have made please let Sylvia have them by 31st October.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Dave and Katie from Prickles and Paws Hedgehog Rescue gave us a virtual tour of their hedgehog rescue centre, introducing us to quite a few of their current residents. Because it was on Zoom, we were all able to get up close and personal with some of the hedgehogs! They also gave us some good tips about how to attract hedgehogs to our own gardens.  You can find more information on their website https://www.pricklesandpaws.org/getinvolved

Helen also had information about this year’s County Annual Meeting  on Wednesday 21st October, which will be a virtual version of CFWI’s normal Annual Council Meeting, usually held either at the Hall for Cornwall or the Regal in Redruth. It will start at 10am and finish at about noon, and will feature guest speaker Sarah Slater. Sarah is a guide and lecturer at Hampton Court Palace and will be delivering a talk titled, ‘Sex, Secrets, Scandal and Salacious Gossip of the Royal Court, 1660-1830.’ More details about tickets etc can be found here.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Camera Club met in the beautiful late Summer sunshine at The National Dahlia Collection at Varfell. Despite being late in the season, the colour and variety of the blooms was outstanding and there was plenty of space for everyone to wander at their leisure and admire the flowers. This venue for Camera Club has  become a favourite amongst members, we know that the Dahlias can be relied on for a pretty picture.

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn was our latest Book Club read. It provided a great Zoom meeting because everyone felt differently about the book, which ensured a good debate. A second 40 minute slot was needed as everyone had so much to say. Scores ranged from 4-9 out of 10. Members were joined by Dylan (Shirley’s dog), Janner (Sylvia’s dog) and Ruby (Jane’s Dog). Maybe they kept hearing the word ‘walk’!

Members were pleased to welcome local Wildlife enthusiast and Photographer David Chapman to their August Monthly Meeting. Unable to hold the meeting in The Murley Hall due to current restrictions, the meeting took place on Zoom, where David talked about watching wildlife in Cornwall, delighting members with his knowledge and enthusiasm.

The sun shone beautifully for our Garden Get Togethers this week. Everyone was invited in small groups for a friendly, socially distanced get together in a variety of garden locations across the area, kindly offered by members of the group. Whilst still missing the opportunity to attend a full group meeting, it was lovely to see each other and have a chat!

Our book for July was ‘Once Upon a River’ by Diane Setterfield. The title gave a clue to the fairytale aspects of the story. There was only one truly horrid character, (well, maybe two) who got their just desserts, some greyish individuals but the cast of warm, interesting, weak and strong, human and humane characters was large and outweighed the negative elements in the novel. The strands of the story were woven together at the story’s conclusion, although some of us felt this was rather rushed. However, like all good fairy stories, the ending is satisfactory: happiness tinged with the acceptance of sorrow.

The book was scored 8.4 with everyone enjoying it to some degree. Our next meeting is Friday 28th August when the book to be discussed is ‘The Salt Path’ by Robert Winn. (Many thanks to Kathy for this report)

Book Club have had to find new ways to ‘meet’ during lockdown. Members have persevered with technology and worked out how to take part in monthly Book Club Meetings on Zoom, plus weekly catch up meeting just for a chat. The format of the meetings has stayed the same with a summary of the book, a biography of the author and a good discussion of everyone’s thoughts, before setting the world to rights. The latest book was ‘The Immortalists: If you knew the date of your death, how would you live?’ a thought provoking novel by American Author Chloe Benjamin, that provided lively discussion!

Although we haven’t had our usual Monthly Meetings at The Murley Hall we have been able to get together on Zoom for a different version of our WI. This month saw a ‘live’ speaker, Trevor Wiltshire a horticulturalist from Pencarn Gardens.

Among the things Trevor spoke about was the story of Jeanne Bare, the lover of French botanist Philibert Comercon, who disguised herself as a cabin boy in order to sail on a ship circumnavigating the globe. The captain was Louis Antoine de Bougainville, for whom bougainvillea is named. But it’s possible that Jeanne Bare, a woman, was the first European to see the plants. She is also rumoured to be the first woman to circumnavigate the globe!