January news.....

We hope that you have all had a lovely Christmas and New Year break.  It seems a long time ago since we last met in the hall, getting a bit messy with Laura Humpage from Colourful Minds.  We hope that the cards and gift tags we made were put to good use.

It is normal for a new year to inspire us all to be a bit healthier and focus on our wellbeing during the dark and cold winter months.  So for our first meeting of 2019, we are delighted to be welcoming back Shelley Jones of Shelley Jones Reflexology and Reiki. Shelley is a professional reflexologist and Reiki practitioner with almost 20 years’ experience in Complementary Medicine. She has a home practice in Knowle as well as providing treatments in several workplace settings.

Shelley will be talking about the origins of Reiki, its practice and providing a brief demonstration.  She will also be introducing us to ear Reflexology and the chance to pair up and try it on a friend. If you would like to have a go, you may want to bring along some hand cream/moisturiser and a hand towel.

If you have any unwanted Christmas presents, please bring them along and we will raffle these off to raise money for future meetings and outings.

As it is the start of the year, it is time for membership renewals.  The membership fee for 2019 is £42.  As part of this membership you get 11 meetings per year including 1 summer outing, a monthly copy of WI Life, WI member benefits and a book of handy vouchers when you join.  It’s helpful for existing and new members to arrive a bit earlier so we can start the meeting on time.  Payments can be made in cash and cheques payable to Malago WI.

We look forward to seeing friends old and new on Wednesday 30^th to celebrate the start of another year of exciting events.

November news...

Thanks to John and Annie from Glastonbury Ferments for sharing their passion and knowledge on fermentation at our October meeting and 10^th birthday celebration. 

Our November meeting will be the last of 2018.  To help get us in the festive sprit, Laura Humpage from Colourful Minds will showing us how to decorate Christmas paper, cards and gift tags by using a shaving foam marbling technique.

Colourful Minds run art and craft workshops for kids and adults in Bristol. Set up by mum of two, Laura, to teach and explore creative skills in relaxed and informal settings. Laura has a degree in Textile Design, worked as a freelance designer maker then worked at Watershed Media Centre for 8 years before setting up Colourful Minds in 2015. She now works in schools and venues all over Bristol providing affordable and accessible art and craft workshops for all ages.

All materials will be provided, but please feel free to bring along ink pads, Christmas stamps, shaped paper punches or any tags you would like to decorate.  It might get a bit messy so please wear old clothes and you may want to bring an apron.

In celebration of our 10^th birthday, all guests can attend the meeting free of charge, so we will are looking forward to seeing lots of new faces!  We have an exciting programme of meetings taking shape for 2019 and hope you are able to join us.

We hope to see many of you on 28th November, but for those who can’t make it, we wish you happiness and good health for the festive season.

October news....

Thanks to Delia, Erika and Sabina from Flo-Jo Fabrics for showing us how to make some very glamorous eye-masks at last months meeting.

We are very excited that our October meeting will be a celebration of Malago WI’s 10^th birthday and would love it if you could join us in the festivities! To avoid Halloween and half term we have moved the meeting to Wednesday 24^th October and we will not be in the hall.

We will be holding our party and meeting in the Benjamin Perry Boathouse which is on the harbourside near the Ostrich Pub (see directions below). We will be sprucing up the boathouse and there will be prosecco on arrival to help the party atmosphere.

For our meeting John and Annie from Glastonbury Ferments will share their passion and knowledge of one of the hottest trends in food – fermentation. This is a natural way to preserve food which happily also creates complex flavours and also provides health benefits such as aiding digestion, promoting a healthy gut and cleansing the blood.

They will give an insight into the background and science of fermentation, talk about haw you can have a go at fermenting at home and give a quick demo of how to make sauerkraut.  Last but not least they will be bringing along some samples of their various products to taste and there will be the chance to buy some of their lovely range.  You may have spotted them at the Tobacco factory Sunday market and other food events in the area.

Venue: Benjamin Perry Boathouse is on Phoenix Wharf, off Guinea Street, BS1 6LT. There is on street parking nearby but you can also park on the wharf alongside the Benjamin Perry Scout hut by driving from Redcliff Hill, down Guinea Street (behind the Old General Hospital) and then turning right at the bottom by the green/blue pedestrian footbridge, drive along the cobbles in front of the Ostrich Pub to the waterfront. You will see the black timber Boathouse ahead of you.

Please join us to celebrate this special occasion on 24^th October.

September news...

It was great to end the summer with a fascinating walking tour of some Bristol’s better kept secrets and curiosities courtesy of Charlie Revelle-Smith of Weird Bristol  fame.

So as the nights draw in, we are back in the hall to get creative. Delia Adey and Sabina Vestlin from Flo-Jo Fabrics will be showing us how to make some hand sown eye masks. Flo-Jo Fabrics is an independent sewing shop, set up in 2012 on the busy Gloucester Road. As well as having their own range of sewing patterns and kits, there is a dedicated workshop space where Delia, Erika and Sabina teach sewing and take in repairs and alterations.  They are delighted to be able to share their passion for dressmaking and sewing creations at this month’s meeting.

All equipment and fabric will be provided, but if you would like to bring your own fabric you will need a 25cm square of non-stretch fabric; cotton is best.  Don’t forget to bring some cash as Flo-Jo will be bringing along goodies for you to buy.

We look forward to seeing you on 26^th September!

P.S. As we will be celebrating our 10^th birthday next month, we will be holding our meeting a week early on 24^th October in the Scott Hut.  Hope you can join us!

August news....

What a lovely way to spend a summer’s evening by visiting The Spicery and getting to sample some delicious delights.  We were all inspired (and bought the appropriate spice packs) to create flavoursome meals of you own!

It may have turned a bit cooler, but we are still out and about for another outing before the evenings draw in.

Charlie Revelle-Smith, is a novelist more commonly known for his series of mystery books, Bristol Murders.  He has been documenting strange stories from our city’s history on Twitter which are very popular with Bristol residents. Coming this November is his official Weird Bristol book. Written (and fully illustrated) by Charlie, it promises to be a cornucopia of curiosities.

We will be meeting at 7:15 for a 7:30 start by the William III statue in Queen Square.  From there, Charlie will take us on a 90 minute tour incorporating lesser known and mysterious stories from Bristol history. Learn more about the history that lies beneath our feet including an extensive 40 miles of underground waterways throughout the city.  Why not check out Charlie’s Twitter feed @WeirdBristol’s to find out more!

We plan to finish near a pub if anyone would like to stay around afterwards for a drink.

We look forward to seeing you on 29^th August!