Himalayan Village Life
John warned us that the knife was sharp enough to slice the head off a yak with one blow and he had seen it happen! This was just one of the many items he had brought along to illustrate his talk on Himalayan village life. He gave a fascinating insight into life in the more remote areas of this beautiful region, from when he had been an expedition guide and more recent private visits.
Slides showed local people carrying 40 Kg of expedition equipment up massively steep inclines, in traditional baskets on their backs with the weight taken on a strap around the forehead. He explained that this was a precaution in case they stumbled, so that with a flick of the head they could release themselves from the package and not fall with it down the steep drop at the side of many of the mountain paths.
Day to day, while the men mainly looked after the animals, the
women produced beautiful carpet and also fine items knitted from nettle fibres. We examined examples of this wonderful work that John had brought along.
Inspired by these fantastic crafts, during the business part of our meeting thoughts turned to planning our Village Show to be held on 15 September this year. The show will be open to everyone so please look out for the Schedule which will be out soon.
Although hopefully not as steep as the Himalayas, we have planned
a local walk followed by afternoon tea, to which we extend an open invitation to
anyone interested. It will be a couple of hours long starting and finishing in
Whitegate and is planned for the afternoon of Saturday 19 May.
Our W.I. is a vibrant group of women with ages ranging from 22 to 92, who enjoy the campaigning element of the W.I. alongside the more traditional craft activities and talks.We have a varied programme of events arranged for the year; from a talk next month on the experiences of a private detective to craft demonstrations and a speaker on the Eden Project. Come along and join us in Whitegate Recreation Room, at 7.30pm on the first Wednesday of every month!
Slides showed local people carrying 40 Kg of expedition equipment up massively steep inclines, in traditional baskets on their backs with the weight taken on a strap around the forehead. He explained that this was a precaution in case they stumbled, so that with a flick of the head they could release themselves from the package and not fall with it down the steep drop at the side of many of the mountain paths.
Day to day, while the men mainly looked after the animals, the
women produced beautiful carpet and also fine items knitted from nettle fibres. We examined examples of this wonderful work that John had brought along.
Inspired by these fantastic crafts, during the business part of our meeting thoughts turned to planning our Village Show to be held on 15 September this year. The show will be open to everyone so please look out for the Schedule which will be out soon.
Although hopefully not as steep as the Himalayas, we have planned
a local walk followed by afternoon tea, to which we extend an open invitation to
anyone interested. It will be a couple of hours long starting and finishing in
Whitegate and is planned for the afternoon of Saturday 19 May.
Our W.I. is a vibrant group of women with ages ranging from 22 to 92, who enjoy the campaigning element of the W.I. alongside the more traditional craft activities and talks.We have a varied programme of events arranged for the year; from a talk next month on the experiences of a private detective to craft demonstrations and a speaker on the Eden Project. Come along and join us in Whitegate Recreation Room, at 7.30pm on the first Wednesday of every month!