News

Our latest Book Club Meeting was held on a chilly but beautifully sunny afternoon at The Queen’s Hotel, Penzance. It was Miranda’s debut novel – she has a descriptive style of writing and sets the scene extremely well throughout the story – some of the members felt that the abuse aspect of the story fashioned how the characters in the story behaved but most of the members did like the book very much.  Many expressed that there was a great observation of nature and of human behaviour.  Some not able to attend the meeting wished they could have been there for the discussion.

The Paper Palace

It is a perfect July morning and Ellie (Eleanor) a fifty-year-old happily married mother of three awakens at ‘The Paper Palace’, the family’s summer place which she has visited every summer of her life.   This morning is different;  last night Ellie and her oldest friend, Jonas, crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time all while their spouses chatted away inside.

Now, over the next 24 hours Ellie will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband Peter and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn’t changed the course of their lives.

The author lays out the experiences that have led Ellie to this day, we arrive at her ultimate decision with all its complexity.   Tender yet devastating The Paper Palace considers the tensions between desire and dignity the legacies of abuse and the crimes and misdemeanors of families.

Our Meet and Eat group had a delicious fishy lunch at the historic Tolcarne Inn in Newlyn this month. Set alongside the harbour, this foodie haven was built in 1717, and prides itself on using fresh, local ingredients.

Read more about The Tolcarne here : https://tolcarneinn.co.uk/

Members of Crowlas and Ludgvan WI, were picked up by coach at various stops for their annual outing. Funded by raffles etc across the year everyone is able to attend at no charge for this fun and educational event, this year to Lanhydrock. The journey was much improved after a very smooth ride up the now completed A30.

We had refreshments in the cafe near to the car park, before walking down to Lanhydrock house, some had a ride down on the buggy, which takes people up and down. Lockers are provided free of charge to put your bags in, as large bags and backpacks are not allowed in the house. It was agreed that it was lovely to walk around without bags. The Jacobean ceiling in the long gallery, one of the few parts of the house to escape the fire at Lanhydrock in 1881, is having major restoration work done. It was a treat to be able to go onto the scaffolding and see the wonderful work up close and the beautiful wood carvings around the edge. The kitchens were particuarly interesting and it was easy to imagine what had work must on gone on in them in past times. 
There was also the church to visit, beautiful gardens and woodland,  The day ended with a cream tea served in the servants hall.

A very enjoyable day was had by all.

Thanks goes to Karen and the committee for organising. 

Kate (AKA Flotsam Flo) was one of the most inspiring speakers ever to have joined us at The Murley Hall. Her incredible tale of perseverance and overcoming adversity left members awestruck, as she pursues her mission to recycle the unrecyclable into fun, usable items. Wetsuits, paddling pools, lifejackets, flags and more, reappear as holdalls, purses, or hairbands! Nothing is beyond transformation in Kate’s workshop. You can read more about amazing Kate and see her shop here:

https://flotsamflo.co.uk/pages/about-flotsam-flo

Snappers, our photography group, spent a lovely afternoon in Tanglewood Wild Gardens, in Newbridge, just outside Penzance. This quirky and fascinating spot is ideal for photographing both nature and the unusual sculptures that the owners have introduced to the ponds and gardens.

It was fun and laughter all round at our August Meeting. The weather couldn’t dampen the high spirits as members took part in party games, including pass the parcel and pin the tale on the donkey. With sandwiches and cake to eat, our Summer Fun afternoon left smiles all round.

It was lovely to catch up with members at our August Coffee Morning. The Murley Hall was full of chat and laughter, as coffee and cake was enjoyed by all.

Our monthly meeting combined the arts of Tai Chi, Qigong and Mindfulness, with practical exercises and group chats led by Frances and Paula and a beautiful poem by Rachael Halstead

GIFT

Give yourself the gift of your attention.
Catch the whirlwind rush
and gently, calmly, set it aside.

Sit still and watch its flurries
echo inside you.
Stick with the stillness
and find calm in your breath.

And as the flurries dissipate,
find the knot inside
whose tight curling, tense clinging,
is at the centre of it all.

And sit and still sit
and know that, in time,
the knot will unfurl, release,
and there will be space again.

And space becomes your gift,
encircles everything,
slows the pace,
lets the light in.

RACHAEL HALSTEAD

On Thursday, the 20th of June members of Crowlas  and Ludgvan WI visited the lovely gardens of Trevilley near Sennen .The gardens are owned by the novelist and screenwriter Patrick Gale and his partner farmer and sculpture Aidan Hicks.The farm has been owned by the Hicks family for some generations.
   The garden we see today was once the unsheltered concrete farmyard.Patrick and Aidan began developing the site in 1999 into a series of garden rooms connected by lovely cobbled paths and arches.The plants have to be grown in raised beds,many of which were once items used on the farm,such as a tractor tyre or water trough.There are many lovely areas at Trevilley where you can sit and quietly enjoy the garden and it’s sculptures.

The Mexico Inn at Longrock is a popular choice for lunch among our Meet and Eat group members. With so much choice on the menu, it is difficult to know what to select; so much so, that some members decided on two starters!