Hemyock WI - Apr & May Update

Lynn Taylor, the president welcomed members to the February Meeting in the Forbes Lounge. Arrangements were made for the visit to the show Cats in April at Torquay and names were taken for those able to go to the Observatory at Sidmouth. It was agreed by all who attended, that the birthday meal at the Half Moon was very enjoyable. Daphne and Brenda reported on the resolutions meeting they had attended at Sidmouth in January where the resolution concerning the threatened closure of local hospitals was voted the most important. The speaker for the evening was Roger Evans from Bridgwater. He is the author of 18 books and his talk was based on his latest book 'blame it on the cider'. His talk contained both fact and fiction. He told members that we have to thank the French for introducing cider apples to our area 2000 years ago. 100 years ago, cider would be offered to visitors where as today, tea or coffee is more usual. As the water supply was not too healthy at that time, it was probably safer. The meeting ended with coffee and biscuits.

The March meeting was much enjoyed by all who attended. After the business which included taking names for the forthcoming group meeting on March 29 at Uffculme and the Spring Council meeting in Exeter, the president, Lynn Taylor introduced Carol Talbot who kept members enthralled as she talked about her 'passion for beads'. With lots of sample to handle and an informative talk, members learned about Whitby Jet, the difference between real and imitation pearls. They also heard that amber has a great colour range and comes from the sap of pine trees, which is millions of years old. Many beads are based on natural products such as nuts, beans, seeds, wood and bone. There was a necklace of snake vertebrae and another from a shell of an ostrich egg. Carols favorite seemed to be the millifiori beads made by the Venetians. The meeting closed after refreshments and the usual raffle. Both the flower of the month and the competition of something made from beads were well supported. The next meeting on Tuesday April 3 will be a talk on legal matters by Mr Bennett. Visitors will be very welcome. The meeting is held at 7:30pm in the Forbes Lounge.

Brenda Calcraft
01823 681592