Meeting on 15th September 2022
Julie welcomed thirty-two members to the meeting and started by giving an eulogy about Queen Elizabeth II, whose death was a shock to the nation. We had a minute's silence and sang God Save the King. Julie then handed the evening over to Rachel our speaker for the evening.
Rachel began by telling us that she was an English & Drama teacher and after observing her Airedale terrier, who loved to look out of her window, she got the inspiration to write about Ruffles the Railway dog. Her books are self-published and the stories cover a range topics, e.g. what to do in an accident , dogs and pigeons in the the first world war. Rachel also brought her puppets and train used to illustrate her stories on school visits.
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Everyone enjoyed the lovely talk given by Rachel, helped by her husband and puppets.
Meeting on 21 July 2022
Thirty-one members were welcomed to the meeting by Julie our President who began by telling members that it is Vivienne’s last meeting with us as she is moving to Norfolk on the 1st of August. Julie said Vivienne’s cakes and needle work will be remembered by all of us and we wish her well in her new home.
Julie then introduced Maria Picken our speaker for the evening, on Ticknall Pottery. Maria started by giving a short-potted history of how she became interested in pottery when they unearthed some pottery in her garden at Ticknall ! After much research and taking a Masters in Archology she has discovered a huge amount about the potters who thrived in Ticknall from the 11th to the 19th century. Pottery is one of the oldest human inventions dating back to 29-25 BC, and it was a happy accident when someone had some clay put into the fire and it hardened in the fire, and the rest is history.
Maria handed out pottery that had been found by people doing field walks around Ticknall, there was Roman, Cistercian, and Midland Purple pottery pieces found as well as rare Ticknall pottery. Ticknall potters declined when rival potteries opened in Swadlincote, Bretby, Church Gresley and Woodville. Maria explained that Ticknall potters suffered very poor health, as the area was heavily polluted and due to lead used on some of the pots. Everyone enjoyed this fascination talk.
February 2020 Meeting
Ken Knowles, supported by his wife Marilyn, spoke about how he became a Town Crier.
Ken was born in Aston Birmingham and went to the local grammar school, after which he became a teacher for thirty-nine years. Amateur dramatics and the theatre has been his passion for over 30 years and when he retired from teaching he saw an advert in his local Lichfield Mercury for a Town Crier, he applied and got the job which he has been doing for the past eleven years. He told us the Town Crier dated back to 1066 when the Normans invaded England his cry of oyez oyez oyez means “listen to this” it is a proclamation from the crown telling people about taxes that were to be raised or if your sons were to be taken away to fight at war. Ken was dressed in his official red coat, tricorn hat and gaiters which he told us all had a symbolic meaning. A superb speaker very much enjoyed by the members.
January 2020 Meeting
The format of the meeting changed this month at the suggestion of the Speaker. Bob Neil and his wife was welcomed by our President with their box of objects that we had to guess what they were or used for. Bob gave an introduction of how he came by many of the items, some given to him others found in antique shops or car boots. We all sat round tables in teams and Bob gave us all an item once we had decided what it was or used for, we passed it on to the next table. In all Twenty items were handed round, with the answers put onto a sheet of paper, there were items such as a hook to hang your two wigs on a device to cut of the top of a boiled egg and many more obscure items that got our grey cells working. A fantastic night with a look into the past, will our iPhone and computers be the objects to scrutinise in 50-years’ time at a WI meeting.
The dates of events being organised by Smisby WI were given out with boards to sign, then the President thanked the hostesses for providing a superb supper.