Open House at the Nurtury, Sunday July 18

You are invited to attend wine women and philosophy's Open House which is being held at The Nurtury, in Lakefield, Gore - between 2pm and 4pm - on Sunday July 18th, 2010. An easy drive from Montreal, the day is free and all are welcome to come along to find out more about our beautiful premises and location. This is an opportunity to see first hand whether The Nurtury would be a suitable place to go on one of our artist or writer retreats, or to host your own retreats, meetings or events. It will also give you the chance to find out if a wwp weekend or away day is for you. As with all wine women and philosophy occasions, a welcoming glass awaits you.

Please email us for directions to The Nurtury. Make sure to spread the word to your friends and colleagues. We look forward to seeing you there.

Play Social Bridge away day Sunday 13th June

Thanks to Marianne for leading the Play Social Bridge away day this past Sunday. The day was aimed at women totally new to the game, which means that the emphasis was on the basics: we learnt about 'plays', 'bids' and 'calls'...And even though we found the dealing and shuffling order challenging (sorry, Marianne!!!) we got there in the end. The progress made from start to end was amazing, and we anticipate new members joining the wwp bridge nights when the season kicks off again in September (hint, hint Roni!). Moreover - and taking inspiration from the day - Marianne and Rona are planning to run a Play Social Bridge away day/weekend in the Fall aimed at beginners, brusher-uppers, and intermediate players. Watch this space for more details.

Note to wwp members : Marianne and Rona will be structuring the bridge nights a little differently come September. Each evening session (we have one every two weeks) will begin with a 15 minute lesson - posted on the blog ahead of time - covering a particular aspect of the game e.g. bidding, leading, finessing. So... Wondering how many points you need to have between you and your partner before committing to a five-diamond contract??? Come join in on our bridge evenings and you'll be sure to find out!

wwp Summer Retreat at the Nurtury, Lakefield, July 19-23

Reasons to join us this summer at the Nurtury...

• You can get away from it all to the beautiful Laurentian countryside.
• Finish off that book proposal, dissertation, report or art work.
• Start that new project : The one you have always been meaning to do.
• Come for one or two days or for the whole 5 days.
• You can decide your own schedule.
  
• You can either choose to eat with us or take your meals off to enjoy by the lake...or even up to your room.

When is it? - It starts at 10am on Monday July 19th and finishes at 4pm on Friday July 23rd.
Who is it for ? - It is for writers, artists, photographers, walkers, readers...
What does it cost? - It costs $350 for the week which includes self-serve breakfasts, lunches, 3-course evening meals and overnight accommodation in a single room or $90 per day which includes lunch, a 3-course evening meal, overnight accommodation in a single room and self-serve breakfast the next morning.
How do I apply? - Initial notes of interest should be made to us by email. We will then email you an application form if places are still available. Please note that places are limited, and will be allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Photo credit: Thanks to Carolyn Roy for this beautiful picture of the Nurtury taken at the wwp Digital Photography and Photoshop weekend at the end of April.

wwp visits The Dinner Party in New York

Linnet and I recently visited Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, New York.

'The Dinner Party comprises a massive ceremonial banquet, arranged on a triangular table with a total of thirty-nine place settings, each commemorating an important woman from history. The settings consist of embroidered runners, gold chalices and utensils, and china-painted porcelain plates with raised central motifs that are based on vulvar and butterfly forms and rendered in styles appropriate to the individual women being honored. The names of another 999 women are inscribed in gold on the white tile floor below the triangular table. This permanent installation is enhanced by rotating Herstory Gallery exhibitions relating to the 1,038 women honored at the table.'

To find out more about this iconic 1970s art installation and take the virtual tour of The Dinner Party click on the link above. It will give you a head start on your 'homework' for the next salon evening, which is to research a women featured in the installation and bring what you have learned about her to our members' dinner party/BBQ on August 26th.