Back to the WI in February

No WI meetings for me in January, it's Big WI's month off and small WI just go and watch a DVD in someones house - pretty pointless and not my idea of a WI meeting. (I was glad I didn't go because the film was long and they didn't finish until 10.30 and I want to be home and in bed by then!)

The speaker at Big WI for February was Bob Harding Jones who had come all the way from Hertfordshire (although he once lived in Suffolk) and is a retired farmer. His subject was "Funny Stories from a speaker".

He has written books of humourous tales and poems

He had a folder full of notes gleaned from his years travelling round to speak to WI's and other groups.
Two I remember were letters he received with instructions.........
One said " there is very little parking so please drive slowly passed the hall and someone will be there to show you where to park. If there is no one waiting drive round again and slow down as if you were looking for someone to pick up!"
Another " A chair will mark your parking space, but please move the chair before parking!"

He had lots of other tales like this and old country stories and also read bits from Sheila Stewart's  book "Lifting the Latch" and some of his poems.

Coffee and Cakes of course. It was a bit misty in places on my drive there so I was pleased to find that it hadn't turned foggy when I drove home....hate fog in the dark.

Small WI hadn't had a proper meeting since November because they had a Christmas meal instead of a meeting in December as well as the DVD thing mentioned already. I didn't go to the meal because it was quite expensive and I was having the free village Christmas meal the same week anyway. (This is one of the things I don't like about WI, it's expensive enough without all the extra costs.)

This week the meeting was a speaker from Suffolk Prickles Hedgehog Rescue. They are a voluntary self funded organisation. She told us all about how the rescue centre had started, taking in just a few sick, injured or underweight hedgehogs until up to date when they can have up to 200 hedgehogs being cared for in two centres.

The reason for the increase in calls for help to the charity seems to be warmer winters which has stopped hedgehogs "Hibernating" ( strictly speaking they don't hibernate) but then there isn't enough food for them. Warmer winters and wetter summers has also increased problems with internal parasites like Fluke worms.
From being one of the most common creatures their numbers have dropped to critical.
The decrease in towns and villages may be because gardens are too tidy and fenced so the hogs can't range, they like a big area to move round for food and to make daytime nests. In the countryside it has been the large fields without hedges that have seen numbers decrease.
She explained how they care for the hogs and try and release them back where they have come from once they've been treated and put on weight.

 We had a bring and buy sale to raise a little extra money for the charity as well as their fee. Coffee and cakes again. I've put my name down for the Suffolk East Federation Spring Quiz in March which will be fun.

Back Tomorrow
Sue