Holcombe Brook and Summerseat WI

As usual our December meeting was replaced by our Christmas meal. It was a very jolly event with many members taking part in the now infamous 'elaborately wrapped present' game. For those not familair with the game, it's basically a secret santa present swap BUT the item inside the wrapping must be disguised! Normally this involves a blizzard of wrapping paper, glitter, ribbon and occasionally a brick or two to lend some false weight! Here's wishing you and yours a very Happy Christmas!

Earlier this week we had our craft evening in which we created Christmas gift bags and worked on our amazing wall hanging for the Hare and Hounds pub. (No pictures of the wall hanging as yet - all will be revealed soon!) We also knitted 'traffic light' beanie hats for premature babies. These help hospital staff denote the level of attention each baby needs. It was a relaxed and enjoyable evening; filled with chatter and laughter.

October's AGM saw us reflect on our branch's past year, elect a new joint President and Treasurer and present our financial statement. Thankfully we are in good order and fine fettle! After the business part of the meeting we held a swap shop event where each member brought a few lightly used accessories and items of costume jewellery to swap for other items on the night. It was great fun and we came away with a few new splashes of colour to perk up our wardrobes.

Kay Hopkinson from Grindleton WI is Lancashire Federation's Denman Ambassador. She spoke to the group about the history of Denman and the many courses available to WI members.

A group went to see the ' House Style' exhibition , celebrating five centuries of fashion and adornment at Chatsworth House.

We were a little surprised to receive a Young Adult book as our July book club read. 'Witch and Wizard' by James Patterson tells the story of a pair of siblings Whit and Wisty who race through a dystopian future in which magic is illegal and magical people like themselves are hunted and persecuted. It didn't get a great response from the group and scored a 5/10. Hopefully our next book, 'The Star of the Sea' by Joseph O'Connor will get a warmer response. 

When the Holcombe Moor Archaeological team came to speak to the group last year, they kindly offered to show us around the site when it reopened in summer. So a small group of hardy souls, undeterred by bad weather and equipped with decent boots, headed up the hill to see the work being done. (Others of us relaxed in the hare and Hounds and waited for them to return!) A wonderful opportunity and much appreciated by those who attended!

A book about slavery in the American South, doesn't exactly seem set up to be uplifting but this book was a wonderful celebration of the tenacity of the human spirit.  Thoroughly enjoyed by the entire group (must be a first!) it scored 9/10!

Members gathered for a delicious tea party in aid of Bury Cancer Support Centre. The cakes were delicious and the weather was kind (a rare occurrence this summer!)

We had high hopes for this novel. Firstly because many of us have read Jane Austen and secondly we're all in a book club (!) so we understand the dynamics. Sadly, many members felt that the characters were unrealistic, two-dimensional and not very likeable. Those who had read the book before struggled to remember much of it, which we felt said a lot about the shallowness and superficiality of the plot and characters. And we were not impressed by Karen Joy Fowler comparing herself to Shakespeare and Austen. (Seems that humility is in short supply in Ms Fowler's world!) We found it hard to believe that the author also wrote We are Completely Beside Ourselves  which many had enjoyed. The Jane Austen Book Club scored a five out of ten. Next month's book is The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.

Penny Elger from House of Colour joined us at our May meeting. She demonstrated what happens during a colour consultation and explained the science behind the four seasons' palettes. A few members volunteered to be colour-matched and the process was truly fascinating to watch! Watch the video below to hear just how transformative wearing the right colours was for Penny!  I'm sure plenty of the audience will be booking an appointment with Penny in the near future.

Laline Paull's debut novel tells the story of Flora, a young female, constrained by the class she was born into, surrounded by religious fervour and controlled by a ruling elite.  So far, a typical dystopian tale. However the twist here is that Flora is not human but a worker bee and the world she lives in isn't a far-flung future but the here-and-now in a beehive. The book group was divided as to this novel - some loved the parallels with modern life, while others said they 'couldn't get past the talking bee'. However we all agreed that we are now much more aware of the perils facing bees, the dangers of pesticides, and the impact of climate change. In fact most of the group committed to taking measures to create bee-friendly environments in their gardens and hanging baskets!

This blogspot is no longer being regularly updated.  However, the Holcombe Brook and Summerseat branch of the WI is still very active and if you are interested in finding out more about joining us, please contact our President at   presidenthbswi@hotmail.com

The April meeting saw us consider and then vote on the two resolutions put before WI members. Both resolutions -  Alleviating Loneliness and Plastic Soup (the impact of micro fibres on the oceans)  were strong and are sure to generate much debate and publicity. Following the business section of the meeting we gave vent to some creativity in the shape of flower arrangements and paper blossoms.

This month's title was The Girls by Lori Lansons. In which: In Lori Lansens' astonishing second novel, readers come to know and love two of the most remarkable characters in Canadian fiction. Rose and Ruby are twenty-nine-year-old conjoined twins.   Born during a tornado to a shocked teenaged mother in the hospital at Leaford, Ontario, they are raised by the nurse who helped usher them into the world.  (-synopsis taken from Goodreads) The novel was enjoyed by many of the book club who found it a heartwarming and uplifting tale. It scored 7.5 out of 10 and was enthusiastically recommended!

January's meeting saw us joined by local author, Alrene Hughes , who gave a fascinating talk about her Martha's Girls trilogy: Martha's Girls , The Golden Sisters , A Song in My Heart.   The series is set in Belfast in World War II and follows the adventures of a group of sisters who perform as a vocal group to entertain the civilians and troops. Needless to say, all three books are now on our 'To Read' lists. Alrene also read an excerpt from the book she is currently working on which received a very warm response. We can't wait to find out what will happen to the plucky Mancunian heroine in this latest tale!