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Let's Stay Connected
Welcome to our second page, the month of May. Through it we hope you will indeed feel connected to each other and that you will share some of the thoughts/ideas that other members have sent in and possibly want to send in something yourself that you are finding helpful/inspiring /funny at this difficult time.
To take part you should send to this address: ashteadwi@gmail.com and Sue the Webmaster will be waiting to receive your contributions. Looking forward to hearing from you. Any photos, please send as a jpg.
For the week commencing Thursday 28th May the National Theatre is streaming: ‘This House' by James Graham
"Even in a crisis Fiona and Irene are keeping the flower bed looking good at the APMH". Keep up the good work.
Members Memories of VE Day and WW2
Beryl and Blanche attended a street party in Grove Road on this day in 1945. Blanche recalls the tables laid out with party food, jelly and blancmange etc. She also poignantly recalls there were very few men in attendance, for obvious reasons. Beryl remembers a piano being wheeled out from a house into the road and someone, may be the owner, playing for them.
Beryl is attending a 75th anniversary street party, on the 8th while observing social distance.
Eve - lived in London and remembers being in the throng outside Buckingham Palace and being scared of all the crowds. She also remembers seeing the lights being put on again in Piccadilly Circus and the Sandeman Port advert lighting up (the one with the silhouette of a man with a big hat) but is not sure if this was VE day. Nice memory though.
Maureen - spent most of the war in the East End as she lived with her mother and grandmother in Stepney. On VE day she recalls a huge bonfire being lit on a large bombsite and across the Thames on the other side of the river they could see there were more celebrations going on and fireworks being let off-she said all the children loved it. Maureen also recalls a huge victory parade that went on for hours with all the armed forces etc marching around London--that was in June 1946 and Maureen has the programme.
Jean's memory was more about the war itself. She moved around quite a lot between varying family members/family friends. She didn't mind this and as she said she must have been a happy child as no-one seems to have minded having her to stay. She went to school at Outwood (where we did the walk and saw Judi Dench) and stayed in a very basic cottage with no electric/gas or proper sanitation belonging to friends of her uncle. She went to the village school and was the first child there to pass her 11 plus so they were thrilled with her. She has no memories of VE day except she knew there was a party on but she didn't go possibly because she had moved around so much between London (her proper home) and various other places so missed out.
Ted, Jean's husband was waiting to be demobbed from the RAF so that's his memory of VE day.
Lillian dressed her house in patriotic colours for the ocassion.
Friday the 8th of May marked the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. The Prime Minister of the day, Winston Churchill, addressed the nation and people took to the streets in their thousands to celebrate. Many celebrations were planned for this year which because of the Coronavirus have had to be cancelled, including those of Ashtead WI. However, why not raise a glass or a cup on Friday to remember all those who gave so much and lost their lives. Once again the world is facing difficult, challenging times without a clear end in sight but we are sure that as the famous song tells us “we WILL meet again one sunny day”.
Sunshine follows a rainbow and brighter days lie ahead.
An example of the laundry bags made for the NHS by our members. This particular one was made by Linda and photographed by Katie, Marilyn's daughter.
Lesley modelling her PPE. May be in the near future we will all be walking around with our own!
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Spring Scenes provided by Lillian
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Lesley's clematis has come beautifully to life.
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Provided by Marilyn. Pics of her furry friend and a sweet pic of mummy duck sheparding her babies across the road.
Patricia has been spending lockdown working on her patchwork. Beautifully done.
Janet's delightful pics from her garden. Cardinal de Richelieu, Golden Celebration and Cotton Grass
