A Literary Lunch

What better way to spend a chunk of a day’s holiday from work than as the only man in a room full of 240 women? My companions were members of the Cheshire Federation of Women’s Institutes, and the occasion was their annual literary lunch.

The image of the WI seems to have transformed in recent years. The movie ‘Calendar Girls’ and their famous slow-handclapping of Tony Blair must have had a lot to do with it. But I’d guess that there’s always been a lot more to the WI than many outsiders appreciate. Certainly, the people I met today were great fun to be with. I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to such a large group before – certainly not as sole speaker – but the hour’s talk seemed to fly by. And there was no slow-handclapping.