Camera Club took a walk down a familiar road in Penzance to remind themselves that even the most ordinary can offer an array of photo opportunities. Causewayhead is a short pedestrianised street with a mixture of shops, cafes and residential properties in a variety of styles. The photos taken ranged from little details of the architecture to interesting window displays and the people going about their day.
The purpose of the group is to share information and knowledge on a variety of health topics; in our first meeting we covered “balance” as well as an introduction to Qi Jong. This is an NHS endorsed set of exercises based on T’ai Chi. The session closed with a brief relaxation exercise.
We recognize that, to a degree, our health and mobility are in our own hands; we want to live as independent a life as possible for as long as possible. However, don’t get the idea that this group is only for the older amongst us – we can all benefit from the support, encouragement and knowledge of the group members. While we cannot roll the clock back to our teens, research indicates that we can make our bodies ten years younger! Think for a moment what you could do ten years ago which may be a bit more difficult now. I think we all know changes we could make, but finding the motivation to carve out the time for a “self-focused” activity can be difficult; so much easier to do the next immediate thing. That’s where being part of a group can be so helpful.
Next month’s meeting is “Immunity, Vitamin D and Other Supplements”. We hope to cover knees, our gut biomes, flexibility, sleep, time restricted eating, nutrition/portion control and mindfulness in the future. Of course, suggestions are welcome. If you can lead a session so much the better! Please see Kathy if you are interested in coming.
On a mild and sunny October afternoon, , 13 members spent an enjoyable and very informative afternoon at Trereife House. Tim Le Grice, who has lived in the house for most of his life, showed us around and told us the history of the house and its owners. His family is in possession due to a fortunate marriage a couple of centuries ago when a tutor (a Mr LeGrice from East Anglia) married the widow of the previous owner. Jane Austen storylines surrounded us!
The original farm house, built and owned by the Nicholls family, was “turned around” to face in the opposite direction when the new Queen Anne façade was built. The house is fronted by a parterre; this French fashion of more than two hundred years ago was echoed by a suite of French bedroom furniture, painted in eau-de-nil – it’s age-worn appeal spoke of its great age. This is placed in “The Bride’s Room” where, in the 21st century, belles prepare for the “happiest day of their lives”.
It was so refreshing to be in a “stately home” (albeit on a comparatively minor scale) where we were encouraged to sit on chairs hundreds of years old. The house has an atmosphere of warm welcome and unpretentiousness; the walls are covered in many family portraits and there is a wealth of old furniture, darkened by the passage of many years. It was easy to close one’s eyes and imagine the swish of silk gowns and bewigged gentlemen playing cards. In today’s world it was clear that the maintenance of such a property is both a privilege and a burden.
Our afternoon was rounded off by a cream tea in the Brew House – many thanks to Pippa for the scones. Thanks also are especially due to an effective and speedy clear-up team. Another wonderful WI event due to the friendliness and interest of everyone involved.
What a glorious day we chose to go to Gweek Seal Sanctuary – sunshine and the shelter of the creek made it so warm. Nineteen of us were given a guided tour of the hospital and outdoor pools. We saw baby seals, injured and poorly seals and one who is reported to be forty-seven years old, very old in seal terms. There were very amusing penguins, which some of us were trying to put voice overs to what shenanigans they were getting up to. We walked the woodland trail and met goats and a pony. The beavers were a no-show being nocturnal creatures.
To round off the trip we served a very welcome and enjoyable cream tea (jam first of course!)
The Garden of Peace, St Paul’s Amenity Garden was created when the land was given to Ludgvan Parish Council to establish a quiet and peaceful space for people to visit, to enjoy and to sit and happily reflect. A guiding star in the creation of this leisure area was the late Janet Honess who instigated the installation of the WI Bench in 2006 before the garden was officially opened, after years of careful planning, in 2008.
On what would have been Alison Latham’s birthday, a former President of Crowlas and Ludgvan WI, who died suddenly last year, Wendie Leo (current President) organised an afternoon of planting in remembrance of the work Alison had been so committed to for the WI, during her various terms of office for the organisation. The event also served as an afternoon for everyone to remember loved ones and friends who are no longer with us.
A rose tree in memory of Alison and bulbs, hundreds of them, donated by Varfell Farm during our recent visit there, plus honeysuckle and cyclamen were planted throughout the area.
Members spent a peaceful and calm afternoon in the garden, stopping work every now and again for refreshments. Lots of laughter and many shared happy memories made the work so easy and rewarding, with a delightful display expected in the spring.
Tremenheere Kitchen was the latest venue for the Meet and Eat Group. Set in a tranquil rural position with far reaching views of Mount’s Bay and St Michael’s Mount, and with a changing menu that reflects local seasonal produce, it proved a delightful spot for a lunchtime catch up.
A group of members recently visited Varfell Farm, right on our doorstep; the largest grower and packer of daffodils in the world. Everyone was totally impressed by the efforts being made by such a large commercial operation to protect the environment, while enhancing the well-being of so many people throughout the nation. The Regenerative Programme is being efficiently followed with the use of ‘sympathetic’ machinery and modern technology with particular care being taken for the welfare of the migrating workforce so necessary for the business to cope with seasonal demands. Our thanks to Manager, Simon and his dedicated team, for such an interesting and informative afternoon and to Julie for organising.
As we come to the end of the Great Big Green Week, The Eden Project is encouraging everyone to plant lots of seeds – especially wild flower seeds – and at the end of the month Homebase will be selling seeds at half price to those who want to get involved, so check their website.
Also, our Rector, Nigel, is running a short “green” course on caring for the environment: I will let you know about interesting things that come out of that.
This year there was no Royal Cornwall Show, as you know. But we did have a wee Chy Noweth Show at WI HQ in Threemilestone and it was great to see some of you there. This year was our environment committee’s turn to run the prestigious WI’s RCS Cup Competition. Because of the cancellation, there was a lot of time and effort wasted on that. We ran a little competition at our own show- with a little response from just 3 competitors. The theme was all about paths to a sustainable future and the entries were great. You will have seen pics of the show on Facebook and there will be more on the competition in County news a bit later. The prize certificates will be awarded at the annual meeting next month at the Hall for Cornwall. It will be great to see the newly revamped HfC. We will have two stands up at the meeting; one for climate ambassadors and one for the environment committee, so do come and see us.
Looking ahead we have loads of plans for all sorts of different events focusing on the environment. The planning times are so long that we need to start on a plan 9 months in advance – but I will keep you posted.
We are looking for two new members of our county environment committee. If you are interested in joining please let me know. (Julia Havard)
Our WI was invited along to a talk organised by English Heritage at the Hayle Rugby Club on Dynamite/Cordite manufacturing – this was a very interesting and technical talk by Peter Channon – with a free pasty for everyone and all finished off with the Celtic Fiddlers.
This talk was followed up by a guided walk of the Dynamite works at Upton Towans, Hayle. The landscape has been transformed by safety banks made of sand, that were built separately around the various workshops. There is little evidence of any remaining structures. Other than the foundations for the acid works/electrics etc, everything was demolished. These sand barriers are now covered in grass and weeds and stand at 2 metres high. A train platform is still very much in evidence as a train ran down from the Towans to the harbour carrying the dynamite and cordite; supplies were also taken to the site by train. The safety record of the site was quite good considering they were dealing with such dangerous substances – only a handful of people were killed. There are numerous walks in this area with views across to Carbis Bay and St. Ives. It was a lovely sunny day which made for a very pleasant afternoon.
We were very lucky with good sunny weather for this month’s walk. The route started at the 15th Century Church in the village of Sancreed. From there it was uphill and on to moorland which led up to Sancreed Beacon. The views were stunning of both the coast and countryside. Ann, Mary and Julie were very familiar with the area and pointed out the farms and interesting land marks which all added to our enjoyment.
Our destination was Carn Uny – the remains of an Iron Age Settlement with even more far reaching views. It was a good spot to explore, rest and eat our picnic. We returned to Sancreed along the easy bridle way.
Crowlas & Ludgvan WI 