15th of October Meet: Paula Principle

The Paula Principle…

Most women work below their level of competence

How and why does this happen? Tom Schuller is exploring this, as a man, because it seems to him important as a matter of fairness; and because it matters to all of us, men as well as women, that everyone gets the opportunity to put their competences to use.

Tom will be speaking to us about the Paula  Principle on Tuesday (15/10/2013). For more information about the Paula Principle visit Tom's website  www.paulaprinciple.com .

Where? We will be meeting at our usual home of St George's, Bloomsbury. Upper Vestry Room, St George's Bloomsbury, 6 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HR. Doors open at 6:00pm for a 6:30pm start.

Please bring along refreshments to share with the group, (they don’t have to be home made!)

The meeting will be free for LWEWI members and £3 for guests. If you would like to come along to the next meeting then email us at londonwestendwi@gmail.com.

See you there!
Kieren
London West End Women's Institute Secretary

January meet: quick round up

We started 2013 with a uplifting talk from Elaine Mace, a motivational speaker, author and life coach. She came to speak to us about how she changed her life for the better.

Pictures from January's meeting

Elaine has created a simple and effective structure called The MACE Pathway to underpin her work:Me – Focusing on yourself first. Attitude – Consider your attitude. Commit – Take action.Enjoyment – Have fun along the way. Which she talks about in her new book, The Time For Freedom.

To find out more about Elaine please do visit her website www.elainemace.com.

If you are interested in joining the London West End WI or finding out more about what we do send us an e-mail on londonwestendwi@gmail.com .


Kieren, London West End Secretary

15th January meet: Elaine Mace

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On Tuesday we will be having our first meeting of 2013! Elaine Mace will be coming in to talk to us about The Time For Freedom, more details can be found on the Jan Meet page.

We will be meeting at our usual home of St George's, Bloomsbury. Upper Vestry Room, St George's Bloomsbury, 6 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HR. Doors open at 6:00pm for a 6:30pm start.

Please bring along refreshments to share with the group, (they don’t have to be home made!)

Membership for 2013 is £33.00. Membership is non refundable and will expire at the end of the year. Guests are very welcome (£3 for non-WI members) If you would like to come along to the next meeting then email us at londonwestendwi@gmail.com.

Kieren, London West End Women's Institute Secretary

November meet: quick round up

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A merry time was had by all as we voted in our new committee. 

We would like to thank all of the committee members for their work and dedication over the year, to everyone who baked or helped at our cake stalls, and also to all our members for joining us, coming to the meetings, and making this such a fun, interesting and diverse group of ladies to be a part of. Here's to the next 12 months!

If you are interested in joining the London West End WI or finding out more about what we do send us an e-mail on londonwestendwi@gmail.com .

20th November meet: AGM & Cocktails

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We will be having our Annual General Meeting this November, where we will be voting for our new committee. To follow we will be tasting an array of cocktails (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic).

See you there,

Kieren
London West End Women's Institute Secretary

16th October meet: Pimp my Jewellery

The lovely Barbara will be showing us how we can give our old or broken jewellery a new lease of life. Bring along any odd earrings, broken necklaces, chains and buttons to transform into a beautiful pieces to our usual home at St George's.

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If you are interested in joining or finding out more about the LWEWI feel free to come and have a nice chat and a piece of cake with us to find out more, or send us an e-mail on londonwestendwi@gmail.com .

Kieren, London West End Secretary

September meet: quick round up

For our September meeting we were extremely lucky to have a talk from Geraldine Beskin from Atlantis Bookshop. Geraldine is an excellent speaker and I recommend that you pop into Atlantis Bookshop on Museum street.

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If you are interested in joining the London West End WI or finding out more about what we do send us an e-mail on londonwestendwi@gmail.com .

Kieren, London West End Secretary

18th September meet: Geraldine Beskin

Established in 1922 Atlantis Bookshop is the oldest independent Occult bookseller in the world

Geraldine Beskin from Atlantis Bookshop will give a talk on Women of the Golden Dawn.  The Golden Dawn was a magical order established in Bloomsbury in 1888, Geraldine Beskin is an expert on the Occult World and along with her daughter is co-owner of Atlantis Bookshop in Bloomsbury www.theatlantisbookshop.com We will be at our usual home of Upper Vestry Hall at St.George's Bloomsbury (Bloomsbury Way). Use the rear entrance to the church on Little Russell street between Museum St & Bury Place. Look for the iron railings & gate.  Guests very welcome if you would like to come try us out!  6.30-8.30pm, doors open from 6pm.  Guests pay £3. Kieren London West End WI Secretary

Recipes from our Jam Expert Claude

Hello everyone!
After June's very successful jam-making session, we've had quite a few requests for some of the recipes, which our jam-master Claude has graciously provided us with. So! Without further ado...

Microwave Lemon Curd Recipe

This is close to the curd recipe I follow but I put less egg in as I am not an egg lover.

Ingredients
4 lemons, rind and juice
4 eggs
110g/4oz butter
450g/1lb sugar

Method

1. Grate rind of lemons and squeeze out juice.
2. Put sugar, rind and juice, butter and beaten eggs into a large microeaveable bowl.
3. Microwave for about 10 minutesStir with a wooden spoon until thick and curd coats the back of the spoon.If very runny microwave again for another 5 minutes
4. Stop and stirIf very runny microwave again for another 5 minutes
5. When it coats the back of the spoon and is not excessively runny we are done!

Storage

Label jar with date and jam variety.Store somewhere dark and really cool (fridge ideally). Should be good for about 2-6 months depending on storage conditions. Once opened keep in fridge, should be good for about 4+ weeks.

TopTip

I like it less "eggy" so use 2-3 eggs instead and 2-3 large lemons. If lemons are small use at least 4 of them. If its not setting keep lemon shells and pop them in bowl while microwaving. They contain pectin which will help it set. Remember to take them out before trying to pot curd. If your eggs curdle/go start to scramble then strain them through a sieve. If you don't have a microwave you can follow recipe but go through the whole process using a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.

Strawberry Jam

Ingredients

1 KG Jam sugar with added pectin by Silver spoon (its in a red and white packet and costs about £1.30)

800+g of soft fruit (fresh or frozen fruit)

small knob of butter

This recipe takes about 20-30mins all in and can be made with raspberries or summer fruits. Also works equally well with frozen fruit.

Get about 800g of soft fruit if fresh wash the fruit and remove stalks where necessary.

NB If using frozen fruit do not wash

Instructions

1. Put in a bowl that can go in the micowave.
2. Mash it a bit with a masher/forkCook on high for about 7 mins in microwave
3. Add sugar and a small knob of butter, stir it a little so sugar and fruit begin to mingle.
4. Cook on high again for about 8 minutes
5. Stop it and stir.
6. Cook on high again for another 8 minutes
7. Check to see if it looks like its boiling vigourously. If its not give it an additional 2-4 minutes.
8. When its absolutely piping take out of microwave and set aside for a short time.

Sterilising jam jars:

Please be careful as this will be really really hot.

1. Take your clean jam jars. Pop some water in maybe halfway up the glass.
2. Microwave for about 1-2 minutes until its hot.
3. Empty out water and then dispense jam into jars.Please be careful when doing this, I use a ladle and a funnel.
4. Seal whilst still hot (if you can get the jam jar wax discs use these under the lids)
5. StorageLabel jar with date and jam variety.
6. Store somewhere dark and cool.

Should be good for about 2-6 months depending on storage conditions. Once opened keep in fridge, should be good for about 4+ weeks.

Top Tips

Have a little extra sugar to hand that you can add to the mixture if its not setting (any type will do). Do this just incase the fruit is very watery otherwise you will spend ages trying to boil off the excess liquid. This sets very well normally.If you want larger chunks of strawberry in your jam then mash the fruit less.

Persephone Press at Our May Meeting

This month we'll be meeting on Tuesday the 19th, where Genevieve and Lydia from Persephone press will be coming to tell us all about their work publishing out of print fiction and non-fiction written by women. Amongst other titles, Persephone Press has recently reprinted "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day", which is soon to be made into a film.

On Sunday May 10th, we'll be participating in the Bloomsbury Flower Festival, where we'll have a cake stall in the Upper Vestry Hall of St.George's from 2-5PM. If you'd like to either bake or vend, please contact Helena at helena.roden@o2.co.uk

Aromatherapy Meeting, April 21st!

Hello!

This month we'll be given a talk/session tited AROMATHERAPY, A - Z - safe applications of essential oils by Anna Cox, an holistic complementary therapist based in Herne Hill, SE London, who has been giving treatments for the past 13 years from her home practice. Anna has vast experience and expertise in many complementary therapies including Aromatherapy. She makes her own natural products such as creams, lotions, ointments, shampoo and conditioners using a variety of therapeutic ingredients including essential and vegetable oils, sea weed, aloe vera, clay and pure salt. She also adds flower essences where appropriate.

It will be an interactive talk , therefore be prepared to experience some of the pleasures of Aromatherapy. Notes will be provided. Questions at the end.

Anna will bring some of her products with her in case anyone wants to stock up. Prices start from £12ish. And if anyone decides they want a treatment with her the number 68 Bus from Holborn will take you close to where she practises in Herne Hill.

Just a reminder - Membership dues are due this month - £29 pounds for anyone who's not yet paid up. Next month we'll be hearing from the ladies who run Persephone Press. Looking forward to seeing you all!

March Meeting

hello ladies!

We have an exciting few months of activities planned over the next few months! This month, on Tuesday the 17th, we'll be learning about NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and we'll be learning some exercises to better our mental, emotional and physical states of well being.

Looking into the future, in April we'll be learning about the benefits of Aromatherapy, In May we'll be visited by the founders of Persephone Press, in July we'll be having our annual garden party (and hopefully we'll be graced with better weather than the last three summers!), in August we'll be talking about campaigning opportunities, and in September we'll be having a beer tasting.

As always, we meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 6:30 in the Upper Vestry Room of St. George's in Bloomsbury, entrance on Little Russell Street. We looking forward to seeing you!

June Meeting

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 17, in our usual location of the Upper Vestry Room in St.George's at half six. By popular demand, we'll be treated with an introductory lesson to Quantum Physics - it's sure to be fascinating, so make sure you're there!

We've been invited to have a stall at the Village Fete on Little Russell Street on July 5th. Please contact us if you're interested in baking, selling treats, recruiting new members, or simply helping us set up and clean up. Set up is likely to take place between 9 and 10, and we should be closing the stall between 3 and 4. Keep in mind that we can reimburse you for materials such as ingredients and stationary, just as long as you keep your receipts!

Coming up on July 15th, we'll be enjoying a guided wine tasting, accompanied by snacks, so keep your palette's fresh! We look forward to seeing you all very soon.

April Meeting

Hello! This month's meeting will be devoted to getting to know your fellow West End WI members through a variety of fun and exciting activities. As usual, we'll be meeting at half six in the Upper Vestry room of St.George's in Bloomsbury, entrance via Little Russell Street, and we look forward to seeing all of you there!

Looking ahead, the tentative schedule for the next six months of meetings is as follows:

May - Singing 'round the old Johanna

June - Introduction to Physics

July - Wine Tasting

August - Flower Arranging

September - Origami

October - Nigerian Cookery

November - AGM

In other news, the Food Hygiene course has been arranged for May 10th, so mark your calendars! If you have any questions, get do get in touch with Carrie, or email us at londonwestendwi@googlemail.com

That's all for now, but we're looking forward to seeing you all on Tuesday!

November Meeting

Hello! Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday, the 20th November, from 6.30 to 8.30pm at our new location in the Upper Vestry Hall at the back of St George's Church on Little Russell Street London WC1. The nearest tube stations are Holborn and Tottenham Court Road. Alternatively, you can take the 1,8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 98, 242 buses.

This meeting is in two parts, the Annual General Meeting followed by an Art Workshop

In order for our Women's Institute to continue we need to elect a Committee of at least 3, and a President, Secretary and Treasurer. You, the members, elect the Committee and the President directly at this meeting so you have to be there in person! There is no postal or proxy voting.

We are asking for nominations for President, Secretary, Treasurer and Committee members. Kate and Anni, the current President and Secretary are not standing for re-election due to family care issues so please step forward. You can nominate yourself or nominate someone else as long as they are willing to stand.

Nominations can be sent to Kate Matheson at londonwestendwi@googlemail.com

It could be your name on the ballot slip!

Our own member Helena Roden will be running the art workship. We will be starting to design a large window panel for the Dragon Hall, our previous meeting place. Please bring a picture or photograph about Women, having fun, being in an institute, doing anything that a modern woman does. The wilder the better!

We look forward to seeing you all on the 20th!

October Meeting

Hello! This months meeting will be taking place on Tuesday the 16th at 6:30 and the speaker will be Richard Wiseman whose talk will be "From Notepad to Screen – how TV Programmes are Made'. Remember that our meetings now take place in the Upper Vestry Room of St.George's in Bloomsbury on Bloomsbury Way. Enter via the gate on Little Russell Street. Looking forward to seeing you!

September Update

We have a new home! Now that we've had a chance to try out our proposed new venue - The Upper Vestry Room at St Georges Bloomsbury, we've taken a vote and it has been agreed upon that we will move there permanently. We also decided to make this month's meeting a Planning Session to cover the next year or so, deciding who does what jobs, what speakers we'll invite, how we recruit new members and so on. So please come along with lots of bright ideas! And lets hear it for Viv who can play the piano at the more musical events we've planned, starting with a Christmas singalong.

Unfortunately, the fair we signed up for in September has been cancelled. There's going to be a Bloomsbury Festival over the weekend of 19-21st October sponsored by Allied London and we've also been asked if we would like a stall at Queens Square Book Fair on 20th October, which would cost £40. Let's discuss the whole "Fair thing" as part of the planning session. Some questions to consider could included: do we have to make cakes or could we sell something else? Is there another way we can fund raise ? How much are we prepared to pay for a stall?

Fancy Yourself as a Brown Owl? Dragon Hall are starting a Brownie Pack for local girls aged 7-11 , and they are looking for a leader. Full training and on-going support will be given and this could lead to a formal volunteering qualification. This is a great idea, much needed in the local community so if you could find time to get involved please contact Helen at Dragon Hall helen@dragonhall.org.uk . Even if you don't fancy leading, it would be worth asking Helen if there were another way to get involved.

St George's needs volunteers too! The church has been magnificently restored recently and now has one of the most beautiful Hawksmoor interiors in the country. Consequently, lots more people want to see it and the church is now in need of volunteers to greet them and make sure they get the most from their visit. Enthusiasm and the ability to communicate with members of the general public are more important than the ability and experience and people from all religious faiths (or none) are welcome. If you have any spare time and would like to get involved, please contact Alexandra Talisadoras 020 7242 1373, or email at stgbalex@hotmail.com .

Anyone feeling artistic? Dragon Hall has asked if we would like to design a Perspex panel. We are assured it will look like a stained glass window for the entrance of their building. Any Ideas?

As always, we meet every third Tuesday of the Month from 6pm. Here's a list of our upcoming meetings.

16th October - "From Notebook to Screen" : How TV Programmes are Made

20th November - AGM & craft evening

18th December - Christmas singalong

15th January - The Blitz in the West End

hope to see you all soon!

New Location!

We're pleased to announce that our chapter of the WI will now meet regularly in the upper vestry room of St. George's Bloomsbury, located on Bloomsbury way. We hope to see you there at our next meeting in September!

August Update

We have all been looking forward to the Garden Party we planned for August, but unfortunately this can no longer take place, as the garden is totally waterlogged – it’s quite low lying and has been well and truly soaked! The gardeners who look after it (it’s part of the University) have said that it’s not in good enough condition for people to use.

However, there is a good side – St Georges Church has offered us the use of the Vestry Hall, for a party and this will enable us to try it out and make sure we like it. So, our Next Meeting will be an ‘Indoor Garden Party’, and will take place in the Upper Vestry Room of St George's, Bloomsbury, from 6.30 till 8.30pm. It’s easier to find than Dragon Hall! Entrance via Little Russell Street (at the back of the church, access via Museum St or Bury Place), Come in the iron gate, up the steps on the right, If anyone needs disabled access please contact londonwestendwi@googlemail.com. Please bring food to share, drinks alcoholic or non alcoholic, sheet music if you can play the piano and CDs for background music.

In other news, thanks to great efforts by Kate Matheson who found out all about the scheme and applied on our behalf, London West End WI have been granted £1000 from the Covent Garden Partnership Community Chest Fund. This gives money each year to local projects that contribute towards building strong communities. This will make a terrific difference to the success of our WI – it will pay our rent for the next year and take off the pressure of constant fundraising.

As you may be aware, our branch is considering moving our meetings from our present location, and at the August meeting we need to make a decision whether to stay at Dragon Hall or move to the upper Vestry Room at St Georges Bloomsbury. All members are entitled to vote and if you are unable to come to the next meeting please email /phone the president Kate Matheson at londonwestendwi@googlemail.com and tell her which way you would like her to vote on your behalf.

This significance of this move could mark a new stage in our WI's development. At our September meeting we will be discussing the goals for our local chapter and its role in relation to the Federation, so that we can develop as a group and move forward coherently. More details to follow.

We have been invited to have a WI produce stand at a West Central Community Fair on Friday 21st September, from 3.30 till 8.pm at St Giles Garden, St Giles-in-the-Fields Church, 60 St Giles High Street, LONDON, WC2H 8LG. This is a great opportunity for us to build new connections with the women (working or living) in the area. The first time we went to a fair we raised nearly £200 for the group funds and attracted some new members. Those who took part would say it was fun (even with the stormy weather). To make this happen we need volunteers to bake, make, meet, sell the produce, set up the stand & put away. If you cannot come along on the day perhaps you would be willing to bake/make for us.
Please let Carrie know if you are willing to bake/make help out on the stand help with logistics ( storing baked goodies/transport etc) clear up join us for tea/glass of wine support in spirit if not in body. To help everyone their making / baking we need to make a decision about going ahead with this by 3 September. So please email or phone Carrie if you are willing to help. She can be reached at home eves 02087614882 or 07789954972 anytime, or at carriethecoach@hotmail.com.

Finally, We’re planning to see if Neil McGregor – who’s in charge of the British Museum – will let us have a group visit to the big Chinese Warriors exhibition at the BM in the autumn. We’ll see if we can get a good rate and maybe go along to one of the evening openings. If you’re interested, please let us know at the next meeting.

July Meeting

Did you know that a public hangman once lived in Stukeley Street? That Bertrand Russell used to lean out of his window in Russell Chambers anticipating the arrival of his lover, Ottoline Morrell? Richard Knight from Camden Local Studies & Archives Centre will tell us more facts about the people who have lived in our area and contributed to its reputation as a bohemian heaven.

Ruth Harris stepped in to the breach last month when our planned speaker was unable to come along at the last minute. Ruth nipped home and returned five minutes later with her viol. She told us about the instrument, how it is played, some of its history and played us a tune or two. Now we are wondering how many more potential speakers we have amongst our own members. Sign up if you'd like to take your turn, whether it be telling us about a favourite unusual hobby or showing your slides from that trip of a lifetime to Machu Pichu.


West Central Forum's Great Plague Fair will be in the gardens of St Giles-in-the-Field on Friday 21st September from 3.30- 8pm.The plague of 1665 started in this area and there is no plaque or monument to commemorate the fact so instead we will have a community fair! If you want to run a stall contact Kate at mathesoncat@hotmail.com

Finally, There is a Brownie Pack starting at Dragon Hall on Sundays from 2.30.4.30pm for girls from 7-10 years old. If you have a family member of neighbour with a child of that age, get in touch with Helen at Dragon Hall 020 7404 7274 or Helen@dragonhall.org.uk.


We hope to see you all at this month's meeting - you can sign up for an annual fee of £26, which gives you a subscription to WI Life, or alternatively you can pay £3 at the door for each meeting!