Of Song and Cakes and Local History

Our Women's Institute meeting in August was at the Grand Hotel.   We were sent on a sort of treasure hunt for information to answer a series of quiz questions, which was good exercise if you wore the right shoes for it, which I did not.  Vivien, Lucy and I formed a team.  The quiz focussed on the Olympics and on the history of Tynemouth.  I knew barely anything about the former and less than I thought I did about the latter.  We did not finish in the medals.

I've written about the Grand before, however I hadn't realised before that it belongs to the Duke of Northumberland.  One lives and learns. 

Awarding of the medals.

We met in a room I'd not seen before, though sadly my photos didn't turn out very well.  Grand is the right name for this room, with the huge wardrobes and elegant window dressings. 

The podium, of sorts.

I've not yet forgiven the appalling service the sewing ladies got one Christmas season, but it's still a beautiful building.

I'm going to own this in my next life.

I was away when this WI had their summer fete, but Vivien and Lucy worked the table selling books.  The last meeting I made was the day we returned from visiting Sarah in Edinburgh and so I didn't have time to enter the 'Victoria Sponge' baking contest.  (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.)

I'd never heard of this type of cake before, so I was glad to have an excuse not to bake one...or several, as Lucy did trial runs.  I thought hers was as lovely as any other.  One woman brought the wreckage of her cake, still on the cooling rack.  When asked about this, she said it was evidence of an effort made, but unfortunately she'd had to run to the store to buy jam filling and while she was out, her dog decided to sample the cake. 

The cupcakes were judged by a former home economics teacher from Ashington as being the best, based on appearance and presentation.  She didn't taste them as she was on a diet!  I thought that was hilarious. 

The winner(s).

I also missed out on the meeting where they had singing lessons and were recorded singing the traditional opening song, Jerusalem.  Fortunately we still haven't adopted that custom, as I still don't know the words...I suspect most of this lot don't. 

Our next meeting is about jam making.  Not sure if that means I should be making some, or if I'm just going to learn how...I'll let you know how that goes.