Coleshill WI March meeting

At our March meeting our speaker Steve Allen took us on an entertaining “Musical Trip through the 1800s”. He described the major industries and different methods of transport that developed during that era, from weaving, mining and slate quarrying to canals and steam engines and illustrated his talk with atmospheric photographs. Members enjoyed an impromptu sing-song of numbers like ‘Fairlie’s Little Wonder’, ‘Dirty Old Town’, ‘Over the Hills and Far Away’ and sea shanties such as ‘What shall we do with the drunken sailor.’, accompanied by Steve on his guitar. After refreshments, we played a hilarious game trying to translate phrases in Brummie and Black Country dialect into ‘proper’ English. Examples included:

‘Wim tekkin the whammel up tha cut’ (I’m taking the dog for a walk by the canal.)

‘He cud ate two taerters mower than a tunky pig.’ (He could eat two potatoes more than a greedy pig.)

‘We cor goo up tha bonk’ (We can’t go up the bank/ hill.)

Brenda Whyler won the competition for something your mother used to say with  ‘Put wood in t’hole – you weren’t born in a barn!’ (Translated as ‘Shut the door to stop the draught’.)

Second was Margot Hawkins with her mother’s sage advice ‘Make sure you have clean knickers on when you go out in case you’re run over by a bus’. Our President Elaine Partridge was third with her mum’s quirky injunction: ‘Don’t come running to me, if you fall over and break your leg!’.

Our former President Christine Jones, the only remaining founder member of  Coleshill Country Market reminded us about the 50^th anniversary party for the Market which was founded by our WI in April 1969. Everyone is invited to tea, coffee and cake during the celebrations at 10.30am on Friday 26^th April at the Market in the Parish Room, 132, High Street, Coleshill..

The competition for our next meeting on Tuesday April 9^th is for a home-made Easter bunny and our speaker from Coleshill Civic Society will be telling ‘The Story of a Restoration’.

Our meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month in the Town Hall at 7.30pm. Visitors welcome as always.