January 2009

A meeting of Winteringham W.I. Was held on Thursday 22nd January 2009 at 7.30pm in Winteringham Village Hall.  The president Mrs Chris Wood welcomed 30 members.  Two apologies were recorded.

It was agreed that the minutes of the last meeting were a true record and the matters arising were discussed. The speaker at the December Meeting - Mr Alan Palmer was an entertaining and amusing speaker and the ladies had enjoyed the Annual Dinner - delicious food and we were made very welcome by the landlords of the Bay Horse.

The correspondence received was dealt with and the Federation Newsletter for Jan 09 was perused and items of interest noted.

The President then welcomed our speaker Dianne Grimshaw. Dianne opened by giving a brief history of the life of Joyce Grenfell. Joyce had been a very unique lady who will always be with us.

The members were amused by the very first sketch that Joyce had performed and written which was an impersonation of a W.I. Speaker giving a talk on “Useful and Acceptable Gifts”.

Joyce had joined ENSA during the war and had gone around “entertaining men in bed”.  After the war she did a one woman show in the West End before touring America.  Dianne’s impersonation of Joyce was excellent.  She became Joyce as she performed “Mulgrave Street”, "The Cocktail Party” and “Mrs Moss” before launching into everyone’s favourite “As Stately as Two Galleons”. 

Everyone roared with laughter when Dianne performed one of Joyce’s sketches about nursery school children entitled a “Free Period”.  The entertainment ended with “Time” one of the last things Joyce wrote before her death.

Pam Wells gave the vote of thanks on behalf of the members.  She said that everyone had enjoyed Diane’s brilliant impersonation of Joyce and that it was wonderful to be able to have a laugh and forget the gloomy weather and the country’s economic problems.

Hostesses were Sandra Wilkinson and Pam Wells. Sandra & Pam also gave the Mystery Parcels.

The competition for the Funniest Christmas Cracker Joke  was judged by the members.
1st  Mary Christoffersen  
2nd Josie Ogg 
3rd= Fay McNeil, Val Hayton and Marianne Ogg.

At the meeting on Thursday 19th February 2009 the speaker will be a Lady Blacksmith and the competition is a “Piece of Brass”