Illston-on-the-Hill WI – Oct ’25
Illston-on-the-Hill WI had that excited ‘back to school’ feeling at their September meeting. Almost all members were able to be present. After the usual short business meeting, we were entertained by our speaker for the evening, Chris Knight. His presentation was titled ‘Auntie, the war is over’.
He was clearly a dutiful and kind nephew. He and his wife helped the Auntie in question move from the cottage that had been her home for over 30 years, from the 1950s onwards. The time had come she decided, to move somewhere with radiators rather than having to light a fire in the mornings! The challenge was that Auntie never threw anything away, being of the ‘make do and mend’ generation.
Everything was carefully stored away, and Chris illustrated his presentation with just a few of the items he retained. Auntie had kept paper bags from decades ago, ironing and folding them for storage – and she had thousands! So many of the items reminded our members of times gone by, such as the Be-Ro cookery books, vintage plastic rain hoods, aprons, (separate ones for everyday and when the Vicar was expected!), and tins and implements no longer used today.
Only one person was able to correctly identify a pipe stand. But most of us remembered the ashtrays that had a plunger in the middle to whisk away the debris. All-in-all it was a fascinating evening. The members reminisced about long-forgotten household items, before ending with tea and a delectable selection of cakes.
Caroline Beardsmore
Exceptional Hearing Care
