By now, you’ll probably all have seen some of the lovely photos of our Cornwall Federation WI members having a fabulous time at Denman.
Here are the stories behind the photos!
Six courses were on offer:
The Arts And Crafts Movement
Fourteen members enjoyed two days visiting Rodmarton Manor, various places in Chipping Camden, Kelmscott Manor and Snowshill Manor. Unfortunately, the weather was far from ideal but everyone managed to enjoy the visits and some brave souls sat in the rain eating their packed lunch on Tuesday! As always, the camaraderie of the WI and the Denman effect won through and all had a good time.
Baking Masterclass
We all bake at some time or another, but spending three days with Katie Johnson baking breads with various fillings, pastries, tarts and cheesecakes, taught us techniques that were a revelation and gave us plenty of ideas to try out back at home. Pastry will never be rolled in the same way again and ‘slapping bread dough’ gave us muscles we didn’t know we had! We all returned home with cool boxes full of goodies, which our friends and families thoroughly appreciated.
Bumper Craft ‘Take Away’
We were able to choose which crafts to try, with prepared handouts from our tutor Natalie Green. This included making buttons from Fimo modelling clay, which could then be made into a bracelet; two flower brooches, one with fabric and the other using needle felting; and a fabric picture in a small embroidery frame. It was amazing to see the variety of ideas. Some of us made business/credit card holders from either fabric or felt and others lovely purses. We made wreaths of flowers by cutting the petals from magazines and arranging them around a ring of fibreboard covered in Japanese Washi tape. Some decorated bags with either fabric paints or fabric flowers. We all used old tiles decorated with bits of wrapping paper and sealed with PVA to make colourful coasters, and everyone made a tassel using odd bits of wool and a couple of beads. Everyone came away with plenty of ideas to raise money for our WIs or the charities we support!
Victoria Wood
The question posed in the course title was Victoria Wood, The Jane Austen of Comedy? We looked at Victoria’s career, what comedy is and its roots in the northern music hall, but particularly Victoria’s very special contribution to comedy. We examined lots of her writing and also watched and discussed Housewife 49, That Day We Sang and Pat and Margaret. We all felt sad that she died at an age when she would surely have had so much more to contribute to this type of entertainment. What an incredibly talented woman she was.
Rambling On Quiet Country Byways – A Walking Tour of the Chilterns and Cotswolds
The tutor/guide John Harris was excellent; very informative and considerate, especially on the second day when the heavens opened. Visits included Basildon Park, Chastleton House and many churches and place of historical interest. Coffee/biscuits, packed lunches and afternoon tea were enjoyed along the way, having been prepared by the Denman kitchens.
Stained Glass for Beginners
Beautiful glass panels were proudly (and carefully!) carried home.
Our grateful thanks must go to Kathy Reed, our Denman Ambassador, who worked very hard to set up the Cornwall visit. Our next visit will take place in May 2019 and has already booked!
Click here to see lots more photos of our Denman visit.