Pumphouse WI (From Worcester News)

Pumphouse WI

2:09pm Tuesday 22nd May 2012 in News

WE enjoyed a ‘home-grown’ meeting with two members taking the floor.

Jennifer Lockwood described attending the resolutions meeting where a proposal to increase the number of midwives was put forward.

A representative from Oak Apple WI will take our vote to the AGM in London this month.

Jennifer was also our speaker on beekeeping.

Her love of bees started in her childhood, with a book about Mia, a young bee, being guided by an older aunt.

Mia learnt about a contract between bees and humans, with food and shelter given in return for honey.

Three years ago, Jennifer decided to manage bees and attended a 10-week course at Pershore College, allowing her to keep bees on her allotment.

We saw slides of the hive, inside a shed, with a wall aperture for them to come and go.

We heard that bee life is very orderly, with helpful bee dances and cone tapping to impart information about good pollen.

They love rare flowers, but the resultant honey is poor.

Jennifer gave out packets of flower seeds and suggested we scatter them to increase larders for bees.

Finally, Doreen Laurier read us very funny poems, written by her daughter, about her adventures in several different jobs.

A lovely happy meeting with lots of smiles and chuckles.

JANET HASTINGS