"W.I. Lite" - come on, who belongs to the Women's Institute? I want to join!

[morningpaper]

I saw this story and was v jealous

I'd LOVE to start a young person's branch of the WI around here - the local branch is staffed by very posh ancient ladies and frnakly, I hang around enough of those at church

Where is the gap between the NCT years and the 'old' W.I. ? I think the WI should expand the idea of a 'WI Lite' across the country.

So - who belongs to the WI? And do you just hang out with oldies or do you belong to one of the younger branches?

(Have we had this thread already? I tried to search but just got lots about Nintendos...)

[Saturn74]

I think I'd prefer "Strawberry Tea" and a talk on the Royal Ballet to a burlesque dancing tutorial to discover the finer art of the striptease, and bra fittings, dubbed "Boob Nights".



That 'WI Lite' gang are trying just a leetle bit too hard to fly in the face of tradition, methinks.

The photo makes them all look a little ridiculous - what's with the hat and the salutes?

[FluffyMummy123]

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[zippitippitoes]

i wish there was an obvious way to meet people

but i look at these things and think too doddery

tho i wouldnt really like to go and have sex thrust down my throat either

[FluffyMummy123]

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[Saturn74]

And what is that hat and the saluting about?

[zippitippitoes]

you have to know people in the first place to organise meals out

which are in fact a bit dull really

its nice to have something new to focus on

[hatwoman]

re why are they saluting - whenever I see someone doing stupid stuff in a photo I assume it's down to the photographer and them being not used to posing for the photos for the press. and I put myself in their shoes.
photographer: why don;t you line up and salute?
me: mumble cos it would look stupid mumble
photographer: no it wouldn;t. it would look great. it would be like that photo of xxx by xxx (insert random name that I would assume to be a brilliant photographer I should have heard of)
me: erm
photographer: right, line up.....

it would happen. I'd probably even agree to be the idiot in a hat

[zippitippitoes]

they do remind me of people who like to do crazee things and have little flip books with 10 minutes till the next mood change and you dont have to be mad to work here but it helps

[zippitippitoes]

i did bobbin lacemaking in the fens before dd1 was born

so that was er 1982

and i was 25

that was a nice mixed group

i would have been horrified if anyone had mentioned sex

[Marina]

You are a charitable soul hatwoman and I am sure you are right

Are these the same women who have had the stunningly novel idea of doing a nudie calendar?

[PoorOldEnid]

god the whole thing is awful

they are resoundingly tory wherever you go and whatever their age

just get a group of mates round and have a few bottles of wine

[zippitippitoes]

a calendar of photos seeing the local area from unique points of view would be good

not nudie stuff

that photo is a horrible cliche

[Marina]

Enid, why are you old and poor? Are you crocked?

[Marina]

Bobbin lace, zippi, now you're talking!

and I wish I could make jam because my mother certainly can't so no-one has ever shown me.

Most cooking I have taught myself but jam...remains shrouded in mystery

[zippitippitoes]

i dont have my stuff any more

it is one of the millions of hobbies i have taken up and then not pursued for one reason or other

the bobbins are so lovely

tho i made all mine

and you had to make your own cushion too

[PoorOldEnid]

i broke my foot

then the first day I drove again my clutch went on the fast lane of the M5

I feel cursed to be honest with you

[Slubberdegullion]

Me. I'm in the WI (well almost, have been lurking but will become member when new term starts).

WI lite, what a load of old shite. The word Lite is utter bollocks and the jammin thing makes me want to set fire to them.

Wi is meant to be for women in a community of all ages, that is the point. How the national WI granted them leave to set up the lite group is beyond me.

Only saw the photos in the telegraph where they were sat round table, plus frot page of sultry one. ffs I thought.

anyway am cross about it.

and yes MP I hang out with the oldies. I like them. They make me laugh, a lot.

[FluffyMummy123]

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[Slubberdegullion]

no. but during 6 puddings in 1 hour evening presenter lady made joke about banana that was one of the filthiest things I have ever heard.

[Slubberdegullion]

well I thought it was filthy. Other ladies chortled so maybe I had a different slant on it.

[Snaf]

Come on then, spill it

[Slubberdegullion]

oh god can't remember it now. featured young men in a changing room.

[morningpaper]

I'm sure there is middle ground between pole-dancing and flower arranging

The fact is, yes I love 'hang out' with older ladies (I go to the parish church and am on various committees) and that is really useful in teaching me a lot about life as an older woman - but sometimes I would like to socialise and do stuff (not CRAFT but local campaigning) with people who don't faint if I say 'shit'

[Slubberdegullion]

I sort of know what you mean MP, although I think I said shit once before and no one fell backwards off their chair in a monty python mrs pepperpot style. I go because I know quite a lot of the women from other things in the village (church, book club...yes I know I am a cliche) and I like them a lot. I am absolutely the youngest.

however because I go then I'm hoping some of the other younger women in the village might come too.

[morningpaper]

and a group that has a fecking website so you don't have to phone people to find out anything or sign up to a badly-printed newsletter about flower arranging that someone has produced on a TYPEWRITER

aibu?