A Night of Transcendence

A big thank you to Janice Poltrick Donato for her transcendent offering last night at the member's salon evening. Janice enlightened us to what is meant by transcendence - a state of being or existence above and beyond the limits of material experience or the state of excelling or surpassing or going beyond usual limits. Collectively we touched on the differences between transcendence (to go beyond) and immanence (to remain within). Starting with a look at our left and right brain tendencies, Janice drew on the work of Jill Bolte Taylor - a neuroscientist who had to learn how to walk and talk again after suffering a massive stroke. Members then had a chance to experience first hand what it was like to draw from the right side of the brain and how to calm the chattering monkey - ie. our inner voice - during meditation. Once again thanks to all who attended and we look forward to seeing you at our next member's salon evening on Thursday 10th December. As part of this salon evening, Kathy McKnight has offered to lead us in a few seasonal carols...so tune up your pipes and we hope to see you all there!

Fragments of The Writerly Life

Our collective writing weekend was a wonderful mixture of wit, wine, warmth and wonder.
Together we explored how those everyday scraps of life can be turned into pieces of writing of which we can feel proud. Pat, our able guide and source of so much inspiration, helped us to craft our thoughts and experiences into the written word, and to present the results to the rest of the group. We came away feeling like we had worked in a very playful way. Pat is going to pull our writings together into a blog...details to follow! One of our writing exercises was to compose collective Haikus (3 lines of 5 syllables /7 syllables / 5 syllables). We began with...

an object = Typewriter
an emotion = Anger
an action = Writing

... broke into groups, and started composing. Here are a few of our offerings...

Typewriter
Grade 8 Miss Pion
Holding court in typing class
Syncopated bliss

Black and silver box
Worked 2 weeks factory job
Right to left, no fault

Anger
Bubbling rage within
Dark energy eating me
Spring up to seize throat

Steaming in my bath
Raging through my tortured limbs
Simmering, I plot...

Writing
I put down my guts
Spirals, circles and feelings
Will you still love me

Pen poised waiting here
Words, fragments, moments create
The writerly life

...And finally, Typewriter, Anger and Writing all rolled into one:

Clack clack space return
Pound out fury on your keys
Pen resolves head noise

Thanks to all for making this another great wwp weekend!

Slow Food a Triumph

Thanks to everyone who made the slow food cooking weekend so special. The company was delightful, the food superb and the instruction illuminating. We will never underestimate the value of a good stock again! Kate, you led us through the Parten Bree, Trou Normand, Roast Leg of Lamb, Fondant Potatoes, Beetroot and Onion Chutney, Scottish Oatcakes, Apple and Ginger Crumble...(the list goes on!)...with flair and confidence - thank you. Thank goodness, too, for a beautiful autumn weekend that permitted walks through the woods between the courses!

wwp bridge salon

Open to all members interested in playing bridge once a fortnight in Montreal West on a Wednesday evening from 7-10pm - all levels welcome. Look out for the date of our next bridge night in 'forthcoming events' on this blog.

Please get in touch with Rona - by email - for more details.

2010 Early Bird Special

Wow! Save $75 on the cost of the following weekends if you book and pay for your weekend before December 31st 2009.
Digital Photography and Photoshop
Discover Your Inner Designer
Yoga at the Nurtury
Nurtury Bridge Club

Visit the wwp website for more details

Open House at The Nurtury on Sunday November 15th, 2009

Why not drop in on us at our next Open House, being held at The Nurtury in Lakefield, Gore between 2pm and 5pm.

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, as well as about our exciting wwp weekend and Away Day line-up for 2009-2010. 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 a retreat of your own. As with all wine women and philosophy occasions, a welcoming glass awaits you.

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

Fancy a delicious weekend away?

Why not try our...

Slow Food Experience
Cookery Weekend

16-18 October 2009

Where: Our Laurentian Lodge in Lakefield, just 1 hr from Montreal
What: A tasty mix of cooking, dining and table talk, designed with women over 35 in mind
Focus: Local seasonal fare prepared in a ‘slow food’ way
Led by: Kate Duffield, British cook with a Scottish flair
Cost: From $395 for 2 nights accommodation, all food and instruction included.

For more details on this weekend and other
wine women and philosophy getaways please visit us our website
or phone Linnet or Rona on 514 998 1417

Looking for a creative, activity-based getaway in a beautiful country setting?

Why not try our...

Collective Writing Weekend
23-25 October 2009

Where: Our Laurentian Lodge in Lakefield, just 1 hr from Montreal
What: A tasty mix of writing, reflection and table talk, designed with women over 35 in mind
Focus: Transforming those everyday scraps of life into writing that pleases and pleasures
Led by: Pat Machin, a lifelong teacher and editor
Cost: From $395 for 2 nights accommodation, all food and instruction included.

For more details on this weekend and other
wine women and philosophy getaways please visit our website
or phone Linnet or Rona on 514 998 1417

Real Deals at wwp

Are you 4 friends, colleagues or family members who want to get away together on one of our weekends? If you are, have we got a deal for you! Take over our bunkroom which boasts 3 single beds and a sofa bed and one of you gets your weekend free.
The bunkroom has its own bathroom and leads off from the Parisian salon. Check out our website for more details.