From Joan Steel
Margaret made the announcements this month and introduced Valerie Statterfield, our speaker who gave a very interesting talk entitled “Being a Headmistres – a way of life”. Valerie’s lifetime career in teaching started in 1966 and ended six years ago. After thirty years of teaching in a wide selection of schools in Britain and the USA while her own children were little, then eventually became Headmistress of Pipers Corner School. Valerie found this very fulfilling, as well as challenging and complex. A head has to be authoritative, democratic, supportive, have a good leadership style, and able to create a positive, all round learning environment where academic achievement is paramount but there must be development of the whole character. Every child is gifted and talented so schools must be inclusive, everyone should feel valued as individuals, and be given high expectations. A school should not be complacent Valerie found that being head if a boarding community as well as living in a bungalow on the premises, was very strenuous as she was never off duty. She was always responsible even for nursing, and had to have legal medicine training. Dealing with many childrens issues, was like having a large family! Administrative issues and paper work could be all consuming eg Governors meetings, parents associations, staff appointments (Valerie outlined the atributes that she looked for in a good teacher), child protection issues that needed agency co-operation, meetings with architects ,dealing with government and political intrusion etc. However Valerie always kept “grounded” by doing some teaching and getting to know the girls and for them to know her. She paid tribute to her outstanding staff. School assemblies were thought provoking and strengthened the co-operative life of the school promoting the enduring power of love. Valerie was warmly thanked for her very interesting and informative talk.

Our next meeting is on April 5th when Mary Gamester’s fabrics talk is on “How India Has Influenced my Work”. The interesting objects competition is for something beginning with the letter R.

From Joan Steel

Jill welcomed us to the meeting then read some amusing quotes about children. After making the announcements Jill introduced Krissie Streatfield.a member of the Wycombe Beekeepers Association who’s slide talk was entitled “Buzz about Bees”. Krissie has kept bees for six years and at the moment has thirty-two hives, some locally in the Cryers Hill area and a small number at Waddesden Manor. The exact location of the hives is kept secret because the bees are very valuable. In a brief history of bees we learned that they are known to have been around for at least twenty thousand years. Egyptians used honey to embalm their dead. In Medieval times they discovered that the wax made good candles and in the First World War honey was used for healing wounds because it has antibacterial properties. Examples of different types of hives were shown to us and different types of actual dead bees. Krissie explained how the bees live and how the honey is harvested. About twenty thousand bees live in each hive, there is only one queen bee who is the mother of all the bees. She has a long body and after mating with the fluffy looking drones, who then die, she lays two thousand eggs every day. The worker bees feed her on royal jelly, which is a protein from the head of the worker bees the only bee to be fed on it, and she lives for about five years. Worker bees are the smallest, they feed the drones, of which there are about two hundred and fifty per hive, their only function is to mate with the queen. The workers, nearly two thousand, clean the hive, throw out the dead bees, do the foraging in an area of about one and a half mile radius, care for the brood, and decide when to make new bees. Krissie explained how and why bees swarm, and some of the diseases and pests that effect bees. They live an incredibly fascinating and organised existence,a nd although extensively studied they still have some behaviours that are a mystery. The speaker was warmly thanked for her most interesting and infomative talk. Honey from Krissie’s bees is on sale at Hughenden Village shop.

Please feel free to join us for our next meeting at 8pm in Hughenden Village Hall on March 1st when Valerie Statersfield is speaking to us on”Being a Head Teacher–a way of life”. The interesting object competition is for something beginning with the letter G.

From Joan Steel

Jenny Rayment, “The Calico Queen”, named her talk on patchwork and quilting as All Tucked Up and Twiddled”. Jenny travelled throughout America and round the world doing lectures on fabrics, judging quilting shows and taking teachers workshops. We were shown the wonderful collection of quilts that Jenny had made using every quilting and patchwork techniques with amazing skill. She had so many good and original ideas that she wrote a book entitled “Tucks Textures and Pleats”. Jenny used calico to start with, because it is relatively inexpensive and plain fabric with tucks and pleats show off the texture well. Panels of pleats folded in different ways were very effective. Dozens of other fabrics in colours and black and white used in different ways eg sculptured spheres, hexagons, circles, flowers, fans and some showing the art of sewing on three layers of fabric to give a very textured effect were all included in Jenny’s quilt collection. In her workshops Jenny shows nine different designs and also does creative crafts making toys felt hats bags etc.

Amazingly, this talk was the most entertaining and humorous we have ever had at Valley Wives because during showing us examples of her wonderful skills and techniques in quilting, Jenny told us many hilarious accounts of her life experiences and tales of very amusing situations she encountered on her travels. The talk ended with everyone overcome with laughter when after a story about a Royal waitresses, Jenny “morphed” into a Bunny Girl waitress (complete with her outfit including tray crockery etc all skilfully made of fabric). Susan gave the vote of thanks for a most entertaining, humorous and interesting talk.

Our January meeting was a most enjoyable games evening arranged by Jill and Doreen, ending with refreshments and a chance to chat and exchange news of Christmas and New Year festivities.

From Joan Steel
Bucks County Crafts was the subject of an interesting talk by Mrs Janet Dineen who outlined the history of local crafts including chair seating made with caning and reeding, straw work for millinary and the traditional lacemaking. We were shown samples of each craft, with reeding and canning shown on miniture chairs. Mrs Dineen had wonderful hats showing every type of straw plaiting, and told us of the Strawplaiting and Lacemaking schools. Children from 3 years upwards were crowded into small cottage rooms with no heating. They were only allowed to go home when they had finished their work. The conditions were deplorable. Also in Mrs Dineen’s collection were a huge range of lace designs and samples from coarse thread work to very fine highest quality Buckinghamshire Lace. Lace Making was brought to Britain by the Huguenots (about late 17th century) and it spread rapidly in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Pay was very poor and the lacemakers were tied to a dealer who sold them thread, then they had to sell the lace back to him. Conditions changed in 1850 when machine lace came in. Unemployed lacemakers then started making Maltese lace which could not be copied on machine. Many bobbins are needed for lacemaking and they are a craft in themselves, the South Bucks “thumpers” being made in different coloured woods, whereas bobbins made in other areas have beads of different colours. Bone is also used to make bobbins. They are arranged on a large cushion and small pins hold the lace during making. Victorian ladies did tambour beading and in 1910 frogging became popular. We were shown samples of these crafts too which were also very skillful and beautiful. Janet (Clarke) proposed the vote of thanks saying that we would now look more carefully at all the craftwork we see.
On October we have our A.G.M and 46th Anniversary Party. Please bring plates, cutlery and a glass, also a £4 wrapped present.

From Joan Steel. Margaret chaired the July meeting and introduced Sarah Mordount, our speaker on the “One Can Trust” a project that started in May 20011 at Saint Andrews Church in Hatters Lane,with the aim of facilitating charities by setting up food banks for people in need in the High Wycombe area. A food bag is provided containing non perishable items as a short term emergency food supply in a crisis, for a family or individual. Each bag contains a menu card and a variety of nutritious food that forms a complete meal .This is all done through the generosity of donors who give eg. dried foods eg pasta, rice or, canned foods eg meats fish, soups ,stews milk puddings fruit,also coffee ,tea etc. “Changing Lives for the Better ” is the Logo. Support is given by indiviuals,churches,schools brownies, scouts,etc and every person attending one of Sarah’s talks is asked to bring a can of food. Donations can be made directly to the food bank at the Big Yellow Storage in London road where a store cupboard is provided free by the company. Sarah was thanked warmly for coming to talk to us about this charity that is so easy to contribute to, and needs much support in these times of austerity.

In August we enjoyed a Pot Luck Supper and a time to chat!

On September 7th Janet Duneen is our speaker on “Bucks County Crafts”. All welcome..

From Joan Steel
Kate Miller was our guest speaker on Himalayan Singing Bowls. She told us of their history in Nepal, Tibet and other Buddhist countries, and of how they have been used for hundreds of years in monasteries as both artifacts and in rituals.

Kate spoke of her many visits to Nepal and how she came to love and understand the properties of the bowls. When the bowls are gonged or stirred, they give out a beautifully haunting sound which is first of all strange, but then very relaxing. We not only heard the sound of the bowls, but felt the very strong vibrations given off when they are stirred. It is this vibrational energy that is so effective in meditation, relaxation and energy balancing. Kate explained how each bowl resonates with different energy centres in the body, chakras, and how the bowls can balanced this energy for wellbeing.

We were all able to experience how to play the bowls by gonging or stirring round the rim with a velvet covered wooden mallet, and we finished the session by participating in making our own harmonies.

From Joan Steel
Due to holidays, this is a belated report for April and an interesting account from Janet(Clarke) about the May Meeting.

Alan Copeland was our speaker for the April meeting and among over thirty subjects he speaks on, we had the talk with slides on “Tales of the Unexpected”. Generally, people tend to miss many interesting and unusual things during their ordinary travels, if they are not observent. Alan has photographed many curios and odd items connected with e.g. early days of motoring, war heroes, churches and other buildings, countryside items, royalty etc. and has researched their histories, stories and legends. He entertained us with many amazing tales of things locally that we could go to see for ourselves as well many further afield that he had described. Alan was warmly thanked for a most facinating evening.

The speaker at the May meeting was P.C. Lee Turnham, our local policeman who told us that he began his career at Southall where he was allocated itchy woolen trousers, a blue shirt a balsa wood trunchon and a pocket book. He had to supply his own boots. After only one week and no training, he was sent to High Wycombe. Later he was sent for ten weeks training, then returned to High Wycombe and became a qualified P.C. after he had gained two years experience. Four years later he took a post at the Vehicle Traffic Department where he inspected vehicles that had been in accidents, one being the lorry that ran out of control on Amersham Hill. Eventually P.C. Lee became Area Beat Officer for Hazelmere and finally Neighbourhood Police Officer for eight villages. During his talk he showed us items that had been used in offences or had just been confiscated e.g. a knife that had been used in a house burglery, a kitchen knife which had been used on him, two knives carried by young girls, two air guns and an air rifle that had been used to shoot a cat. His uniform has changed over the years to combat trousers, polo shirt, bullet proof jacket with belt to carry handcuffs and a cup for liquid. The helmet has changed to a flat cap and riot helmet with visor, also a high visibility jacket. P.C. Lee said community police are efficient at dealing with petty crime, so always telephone him and if he is out on duty, leave a message for him to listen to on his mobile phone. He answered many questions at the end of the meeting and stayed to talk to people. P.C Lee donated his fee to the hospice fund. Sylvia (Kinch )gave the vote of thanks for a very interesting evening.

Our next meeting is on 1st June when Kate Miller’s talk is “Himalayan Singing Bowls”. For our competition please bring an interesting item begining with W.

From Joan Steel

Margaret chaired our meeting and made the annoucements followed by welcoming Mr Gorden Massey our speaker who gave a slide talk entitled “Portsmouth to Bacelona Cruise” which was on the Saga ship “Spirit of Adventure ” in 2009. It carried 350 passengers and so had the advantage of being small enough to sail up rivers. The slides showed a map of the journey so that we could follow the route and later showed fine pictures of all the major features of interest seen in the towns and countryside on the way to Barcelona eg. monuments, bridges, gardens.museums ,canals and many examples of architecture both ancient and modern. The final berth was at the huge cruise liner terminal at Barcelona which can accept twelve liners per day bringing as many as fifty thousand visitors to the city. The amazing Cathedral is a focal point with its stunning architecture. It was founded in 1856 as a modest chapel and has become something that has to be seen to be believed, with its many facades and towers. Members who haven’t been to this wonderful place felt a desire to visit it especially, to also travel there in the same luxurious way! Norma proposed the vote of thanks for a most interesting talk and for the small bursts of appropriate music that accompanied the slides.

Next meeting is on the 13th of April,the title of which is ” Tales of the Unexpected” by Alan Copeland. The competition is for an item beginning with N. Josie was our winner last month with letter J.

From Joan Steel
We have a D.I Y evening in January to save speakers having to travel in the event of bad weather. This year we had a Butterfly Drive, which is played like Beetle but by drawing butterflies, so is quite difficult to play at speed, because of more detail in the shape. In recognition of this, Jill gave a prize for the best looking butterfly! Later we had a picture of 12 butterflies to which we had to match the correct names. The whole evening caused much fun and chatter Many thanks to Jill for arranging this.which must have taken some effort to do and as always she makes her every task look easy.

Our next meeting is on February 3rd when Amanda Rayner’s subject is “The Language of the Fan”.

A small competition is to take place each meeting, so this time you are invited to bring an item of interest beginning with the letter S, which is to be judged by the speaker.

On 23rd March a Dinner and Concert by the “Greatest Hits Choir” has been arranged for our fund raising effort. Please come and bring husbands and friends. Tickets £22 from Doreen Bellamy, telephone 01494 564877. Doors open at 7 pm for 7.30pm start.