Eat your heart out Bacchus!

When I was a kid I wanted to be a journalist (bit of a preamble, but stay with me).  It’s all I ever remember wanting to be;never anything in the caring professions (missed that whole ‘I want to be a nurse’ thing) -just a journalist. Then at some point I became aware that being a journalist involved deadlines, and I realised I’m just too lazy. Have been thinking for 3 days what a great night we had on Thursday, but just couldn’t get round to writing it down. Just as well I never followed my dream. I’d have to work for something like the Kingswood Observer where they have the news 3 weeks after it happened (apologies to the Observer or they may never advertise our meetings again!)

Anyhoo – I should be telling you about Thursday night. Keynsham contingent met up in the Ship for a swift one before the taxi arrived. Note to self – occasional beer in the pub with other WINGERs should be on the agenda; very pleasant. And while I’m on a roll, do you mind being WINGers? I quite like the sound of it. Sorry – drifting off from the point again. Have one eye on the rugby, and half an eye each on my wine glass and the computer screen so you’ll have to excuse me if I drift off topic now and again.

So 12 of us turn up, reasonably on time, drinking hats on, and having had our tasting glasses filled, the first thing we are told is that we can’t drink. It’s like watching the starting block of the 100 metres at the Commonwealth Games. We’re all sitting there, staring at our glasses, hardly listening to our host and wine mentor, just waiting for the ‘ready, steady, go’. But we did wait, and it was worth it. We learned stuff. We learned that tasting isn’t about whether or not you like the wine, but whether you can appreciate it being a good example of the grape. We learned that there are only 2 tastes, acid and sweet, and that everything else is flavour. We learned that nobody who knows about wine give 2 hoots about legs! Personally I also learned that there are red wines that aren’t totally revolting, and that some wine goes particularly well with bacon sandwiches – which to me says ‘breakfast wine’!! (Chateau Val Joanis 2007, Cotes du Luberon, in case you’re wondering – go easy on the brown sauce!)

Wine of the night? (you can tell I’m watching the rugby) I think Karri Oak Cabernet Merlot 2007/ Mt Barker, Western Australia. Liked by all – around a tenner a bottle – more than your average trip to Asdal, but then, we were on a night out. More than one of us thought it worth taking one home and it’s just seen us through a lovely Sunday dinner of roast beef. Highly recommended

As was the entire evening. £15 well spent I reckon. Let’s make it an annual event.


Mandy x


p.s. anyone interested in the other wines we tasted (new world vs old world) – let me know and I will send you the list.

Farewell to Fear!

Tonight was our last night at Fear Hall and I can’t say anyone will be losing any sleep over it! I’ve come back from the meeting on a high. It wasn’t the best attendance we’ve ever had, but I finally feel like I’m getting to know people and we’re starting to form as a group (the Educators that I work with would be so proud of me!)


We had a mini crisis at 2pm when our speaker for the evening rang me (brave man – didn’t just email) to say he would be spending his evening with his head down the toilet so there was about 5 hours to find someone else. Unfortunately for her, Adele happened to be working in our building that afternoon and allowed herself to be persuaded to shift her talk up a bit from September to this evening (around about an hour and a half after she was due to finish work).

Mini crisis number 2 at 6.50pm when we realised Ros’s husband had driven off into the sunset without a mobile phone, but with the laptop still in his car! Poor Kate - the only person whose number we had who was close enough to home to turn around, go back, collect laptop, and walk back again to the hall so we could get the presentation equipment sorted. Still, it was Clare’s birthday so we were treated to proper W.I. chocolate cake (not made by her, she hastened to add) for our meeting, so you can’t complain.

Big news of the night is the move to our new premises!! More of that later, but don’t turn up at the Fear Hall in March....

Adele’s talk was really interesting. We got some top food hygiene tips – useful for when we’re doing a bit of W.I. baking for the masses and trying not to kill anyone, followed by some great stuff about her experience as a Food Safety Officer at Glastonbury, and some beautiful pics to go with it (although I have to say, my favourite slide was the loaf of bread with half a mouse baked into it!)

If you haven’t already joined up, I would say you don’t know what you’re missing – but now you do!!

Mandy x

p.s.  pics to follow