Who would have thought, in centuries past, that the production of one of the most luxurious and expensive fabrics in the world owes its very existence to a tiny caterpillar of the Bombyx Mori Silk Moth, which feeds on the leaves of White Mulberry trees in far-off China! The story of silk was revealed to us by Mrs Frances Harper, our April Speaker, and herself a retired employee from one of the silk manufacturers in East Anglia, at Braintree.

The process of silk production is known as sericulture. It was established by the Chinese 5,000 years ago, when, according to legend, the princess Xi Lingshi discovered that a cocoon could be unravelled to produce a thread when one dropped into her tea while she sat under a mulberry tree! For centuries the secret of silk manufacture was known only to the Chinese, until in the middle of the sixth century two Persian monks managed to smuggle silkworm eggs to the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. The secrets of silk gradually spread into Europe, and an Italian merchant, explorer and writer named Marco Polo established what we now call the Silk Road, a trade route from China to Europe.

All the moths and caterpillars are still bred in China, where the silk is extracted and spun into skeins to be exported to the west, where it is woven into luxury fabrics in silk mills.

What is silk used for? Besides fine clothing, silk has been and is used for tablecloths, pillowcases, bedding, curtains, wall hangings, table runners, surgical sutures, parachutes, upholstery and bike tyres, as well as bridal and formal wear, brocades and velvet. Hampton Court, The Houses of Parliament, Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace have all got furnishings, upholstery and wall coverings made from silk, much of it manufactured in East Anglia! Most of these factories are now closed, but at one time silk was woven at mills in Sudbury, Castle Hedingham, Braintree and Norwich, to name but a few of them. Nowadays the main silk weaving industry is based at Lyons, in France, known as the silk capital of the world.

Now for something completely different! Our May Speaker, Jane Hoggar, came to recount some of her experiences as a former Bluebell Girl, whose dancing career began in the 1980s. At the age of twelve, Jane had to abandon her dreams of becoming a ballerina. Measuring six-feet tall with size nine feet, she reluctantly gave her tutu away, instead, sewing herself a sequinned ‘boob tube’ and turning her ambitions to Top of the Pops, Pans People and the exciting world of cabaret! Jane described her exciting travels around the globe during the 80’s that eventually led her to the remarkable Margaret Kelly, better known as Miss Bluebell of Le Lido de Paris.

She has worked in places as far away as Cairo, Tokyo, Paris and parts of Italy, coping with the most challenging of situations on a variety of exotic work engagements. In recent years, she has also suffered from breast cancer, and kept a diary of her “chemo summer”, an uplifting book that could help other sufferers get through their treatments for this disease.

During her talk she had us all in fits of laughter, and she even demonstrated some of her dance moves and sang snatches of songs from pre-recorded sound bites, finishing with Edith Piaf’s “No Regrets”! It was a joyous and uplifting evening for all of us!

For more of the same, with a great variety of speakers and entertainment, why not come along to one of our meetings on the first Thursday of the month, at 7.30pm in Capel Library? You will be most welcome! Bring a friend, too!

Coming up we have a visit to the Orchard Players’ Summer show and a Summer Social with a Country and Western theme.  In July we are taking part in this year’s Scarecrow Trail again, and one of our members, Rose Chiverton, will be opening her garden, complete with model railways, in aid of the Blossom Appeal.

Lots of events to enjoy!

Who needs Britain’s Got Talent when there’s plenty locally – as shown by The Orchard Players in their most recent show, “Musical of Dreams.” It was a cleverly written piece which tells how a young teenage boy finds the courage to stand up to school bullies and then the confidence to audition in a musical show at his school. The plot leads conveniently from musical to musical, picking out the appropriate songs on the way. Many of the cast were youngsters from around the Capel area, and they showed just what talented performers they are, singing, dancing and acting out the storyline.  It was a really heart-warming tale full of well-known songs, and presented with skill and poise, and our group of Capel Ladies who saw it went home singing some of the tunes in their heads! A real tonic for a dark, January evening!

Our AGM this year was held online and the accounts, Chairlady’s report and voting in of the new committee were emailed out to members who had the chance to reply or comment in the same way. Mary Butters asked at our ‘In’ Meeting whether there were any queries about any aspect to do with these items, and there were none.

Our first regular meeting of the year was a social get-together with a chance to catch up with other members and then join in the Backwards Raffle. Thanks to Di Barker who organised the prizes for this, although unfortunately she could not be there herself. This was a fun activity which caused much laughter and regular swapping of prizes!

We finished the evening with cake and coffee, and now look forward to an afternoon tea meet-up at the Bluebell Café on Thursday 17^th February.  “Staying Fit and Healthy” is the subject of our next meeting on Thursday 3^rd March. Local Physio Tom Leith and Pilates instructor Jill Sharp will be there, and we hope to launch our charity fund-raiser for this year – The Blossom Appeal – with a speaker who will update us on the progress of the new cancer treatment centre at Ipswich Hospital. We will also be having a stall selling Pink Items to raise money for this during the evening. Promises to be a busy night! On 17th March we are off to The Outlook Restaurant, at Fox’s Marina, for lunch or possibly afternoon tea, to be confirmed! Our first April meeting (on 7th April) will be a theatre trip to the Wolsey to see “The Birds and the Bees!” Plenty of variety in the new programme then! Hopefully, some of you non-members reading this will maybe think about joining our ranks! You’re all very welcome!

Our Christmas Social was very enjoyable, and had all the right ingredients to make it a success. I’d like to pay tribute to those ladies who made significant contributions. The festive table decorations were created by Pat and Shirley. The seasonal and colourful raffle was assembled by Audrey and Irene, with 22 chances to win something!  Sue Woolgar had devised a “musicals” quiz, featuring familiar songs from well-known shows, which we had to identify. We ALL knew the tunes, as was evident from the general humming, but naming their origins wasn’t always easy. The winners, with a fantastic 22 correct answers out of 25, were Irene and Audrey!

After Brenda Eyers’ impressive demonstration showing us how to create a special floral centrepiece for the table, the draw for the Members’ Christmas Hamper was made: this was another masterpiece assembled by Wendy, of which I was the incredibly lucky winner!  I should also mention that Margaret, whose ticket was the first drawn in the Christmas raffle, chose Brenda’s exquisite table decoration as her prize.

Wendy provided Christmassy tablecloths for the buffet table, and we nibbled, drank and chatted away… and before we knew it, it was past 10 pm! As they say, ‘Time flies when you’re having fun’!!

If all goes well, the Orchard Players’ production ‘Musical of Dreams’ will go ahead after Christmas, and we’ll take our seats for the evening performance on Thursday 13^th January at 7.30pm.

We now look forward to a more normal year of Capel Ladies Club activities, if at all possible. We start with our first meeting on Thursday 3^rd February, when we will have some fun with a Backwards Raffle, and welcome our new committee for 2022, which we hope will be a happy and healthy year for us all!

Report by Mary Butters (Chairlady)

In order to keep the momentum going, as it were, Capel Ladies members had the chance to visit Alder Carr Farm, Needham Market, in mid-October for delicious tea and cakes in The Barn Café. There were also a few outlets such as a farm shop with a wide range of fruits and vegetables, frozen foods, delicatessen, bakery items and Christmas goodies for sale, plus craft and antique shops and a small nursery, so plenty to look at and lots of tempting things to buy! A pleasant drive in the autumn sunshine, too!

Our November In-meeting was one of a spooky nature! Robert Halliday gave us an illustrated talk entitled “Suffolk Ghosts and Hauntings”, which included several first-hand accounts of his own experiences! There were no headless horsemen or grey ladies involved, but also a number of sightings and unexplained occurrences which had happened to quite ordinary people, and which had been verified by others who had witnessed similar things. Altogether very credible narratives which left many of us with open minds as to whether or not we believe in the supernatural! After the talk there was time for questions and shared experiences, and a chance to buy one of Robert’s several books about Suffolk and its intriguing past.

In addition to our Speaker we welcomed back Lynne McConnachie selling her home-made greetings cards for the Brain Tumour charity, and Mel Smith who brought along some of her creative art including coasters, jewellery and decorative Christmas items for sale too.

We are now looking forward to our Christmas Lunch at The Brook at Washbrook in early December, and our Christmas Social on December 16^th in the Vine Lounge at Capel Community Centre, and in the New Year we hope to be in the audience at the Orchard Players’ production entitled “Musical of Dreams”. Lots to look forward to, and – in spite of everything – lots to look back on, too, in this strange year! Wishing all members and readers of this article a very Happy and Healthy Christmas, and all the very best for the New Year!

Our delayed Summer Social in September was jazzed up a bit this year by a lively band of musicians in the shape of Jazz Galore, when they entertained Capel Ladies in the Vine Lounge.

The turnout from members was rather disappointing, but then some were still away on holiday, (including myself), or unable to be there on the night. However, there were also a few guests and prospective new members, and those who were there enjoyed the evening as it was also a chance to see people and catch up over the cold buffet with everyone bringing a plate of food to share.

Jazz Galore played a number of well-known tunes and there was plenty of foot-tapping in accompaniment around the room. Their members come from all over Suffolk and are quite used to travelling across the county to different gigs. Look out for a chance to see them again as they may have other local bookings too! I, personally, was sorry to miss them!

At the time of writing, our Open Evening on the 16^th September is all set to go ahead. Fingers crossed it is a successful evening and we will have attracted some new potential members!

Brian Faulkner, the charismatic vet, will be our speaker for October, definitely not one to miss!

Meanwhile, check out our website, or pop along on the first Thursday of the month at 7.45pm to Capel Library. Everyone welcome!