Event Highlights 2019-20
April
As any tea drinker will tell you, the only way to make a perfect cup of tea is to use a teapot, not to dunk the tea bag in a mug and hope for the best. Imagine how confused we'd be if we had as many pots to choose from as they have on Teapot Island. We went around their museum which houses over 8,000 teapots and had an enjoyable lunch.
Matthew Bourne's production of Swan Lake had mixed reviews from our ballet fans. The more traditional Swan Lake fans didn't enjoy it as much as the others but all agreed you couldn't fault the music. Wouldn't life be boring if everyone liked the same things?
May
There's something about steam trains: think 'Brief Encounter' or 'The Railway Children'. Fortunately our trip to Tenterden didn't involve a love affair or an innocent father but did feature a fish and chip lunch while travelling on a steam train through Kent countryside, and a chance to wander around Tenterden itself.
June
A theatre outing to see 'Spirit of the Dance'. Irish dancing at its best: fast, furious and exciting.
Our summer tea party to celebrate 90 years of the Townswomen's Guilds.
August
We presented a cheque for £500 to Lee Bennett,
Director of Services for the Garwood Foundation as a donation to be used by
Rutherford School. The school is a specialist independent school
for pupils with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities that provides
inclusive education to learners whose very special needs are compounded by a
high degree of dependency. The Foundation is currently fund-raising for a
building where 19-25 year olds can be supported, and the money donated will be
put towards a hydrotherapy pool as part of their Rutherford Life Skills
Centre.
We also held a
MacMillan Coffee Morning and raised over £400 thanks to their members and their cakes. The money will be used in Croydon as many of our members have personal experience of the cancer support offered in our local hospital.
September
Denbies is a large vineyard estate in the North Downs, and we had an outing there, with a ride on the so-called train that goes around, with stops along the way and information provided by the driver. We had time for coffee, lunch, a shop and a sit in the sunshine.
October
Our Drama Group displayed their talent once again at our October meeting. This time it had been written and directed by one of our members, and told the female characters' views of events from
Pride and Prejudice.
November
A first for us: a trip to a Christmas Market. We travelled by coach and arrived in rain, and left in rain, but had dry weather inbetween. Some of us went for the culture by going on a tour of the cathedral while the serious shoppers headed for the market.
December
We usually have our birthday lunch in December, but this year had it in November, so for the first time we had a Christmas party. It was a very seasonal affair, with two bell ringers entertaining us and with plates of what we expect to see at Christmas: sausage rolls, fruit cake, and, of course, chocolate.
January
A very busy month with a visit to the pantomime, followed two weeks later by a trip to DSI, a company that makes dance costumes for cruise ships, professional dancers, and television programmes such as
Strictly and
Dancing on Ice. We had the opportunity handle some of the dresses and experience how heavy they are. Well, they are covered in stones all of which are applied by hand. Then, the obvious question, how do they walk never mind dance in those shoes?
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