Our intrepid band of wild swimmers returned to Beckenham Place Park on a warm and sunny day in July. We were treated to a swim in warm water under a blue sky with dragonflies and coots to keep us company. Yet again, a lovely outing with plenty of support and encouragement for the more nervous… Continue reading
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Cows, Criminals and a Cake – London City Walks – June 2025
Our lovely guides Jenny and Elaine led us through the hidden alleys and little known backstreets of Farringdon on this year’s popular London walk. Home to London’s oldest meat market and soon to be the location of the new Museum of London, we heard about prisons, goldsmiths and… Continue reading
Manor House Gardens Festival – June 2025
Another great day at the Manor House Gardens Festival this year! On a very warm and sunny afternoon, this wonderful community event was well attended, and in spite of the heat a lot of people bought and ate cake! The day started rather challengingly when our trusted gazebo, that hadn’t been used for a couple… Continue reading
The Memory Keeper – Our June 2025 meeting
Writer Jackie Kohnstamm came to talk to us on a very hot & sticky evening in June about her book The Memory Keeper, which details her search for the truth about her grandparents’ deaths in the Holocaust. On a whim, Jackie had googled their names only to discover two commemorative stones had recently been placed… Continue reading
A trip to the House of Commons – June 2025
Despite picking one of the hottest days of the year so far, we had an excellent trip to watch events unfold in the House of Commons on 30th June. We watched the Speaker’s Procession from the Central Lobby and heard the shout “Hats off, Strangers” requesting all hats be removed. The afternoon started with questions… Continue reading
Meeting our MP – Our May 2025 meeting
We welcomed our MP Janet Daby to our May meeting. It was really interesting and moving to hear about Janet’s life and how she came to be an MP. It’s was good to know that someone with her experiences of social work and work on behalf of children, as well as of motherhood, is in… Continue reading
Behind the scenes at Coolings garden centre – April 2025
We spent a lovely, sunny and warm afternoon at Coolings hearing the inside story of one of our favourite garden centres. Ian was a friendly and informative guide introducing us to his colleagues as we toured the glass houses and learned how the business developed into the business… Continue reading
A visit to Bexley Brewery – April 2025
As a contrast to our annual vineyard pilgrimage, a group of us journeyed to Bexley Brewery to learn more about brewing and to sample some beers. Despite the inauspicious surroundings (industrial estate in Erith), we had an excellent time in the company of our fine hosts, Cliff and Jane, who run the brewery. … Continue reading
An evening of meditation – Our March 2025 meeting
We enjoyed a very calm and restful evening with Nicola Stuart, a Meditation Teacher, trained and accredited by The British School of Meditation at our meeting in March. Nicola described her route into meditation and explained how it can help us deal with the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety. Nicola then delivered a very… Continue reading
A trip down memory lane – March 2025
We had a lovely trip to the Museum of Brands and their exhibition Adwomen in March. Following an introductory talk about the museum and exhibition we were left to explore. Highlights were the exhibition which linked nicely to the the talk given at the April 2024 meeting by Lizzie Broadbent, and the Time Tunnel where… Continue reading
Baking with Ed – February 2025
We cannot thank Ed Baker enough for offering us this workshop in his bakery in Campshill Road to celebrate Real Bread Week. When we arrived, we were offered hot sausage rolls (the best pastry ever) and there were three different flavours (the favourite with us was the one with fennel) and the Portuguese custard tarts… Continue reading
It’s all Greek to me – the WI quiz returns! – January 2025
A huge thank you to our quizmaster Graham and Alison Hooper for yet another excellent quiz. Great fun was had while we scratched our heads and taxed our brains. Many congratulations to worth winners Out of Towners and to second and third place teams Taunton Road… Continue reading