Polish military contingent in Lebanon.

I have no idea :) It's just a thing we do in Ireland. Somebody says something oblique and we just play along and come back with something related. So we really have no idea what we're talking about, but it's fun :)

Basically Jon is being facetious as the WI (Women's Institute) is a voluntary women's social group which was once summed up as 'jam and Jerusalem' because the hymn 'Jerusalem' is their anthem and they're renowned for their cooking skills especially the making of jams and preserves during World War One, ensuring that no produce was wasted and this was then distributed to the community. It has a reputation for being comprised of 'nice ladies' who knit, bake, craft, generally aim at improving themselves and raise money for charitable causes. Clitheroe is a place in the north of England. I checked and oddly enough they don't have their own WI branch. The nearest one is located in Waddington, a village about 3 miles away :))

JERUSALEM

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?..

simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_did_those_feet_in_ancient_time

It's a lovely hymn, based on the somewhat unlikely premise of an old Cornish legend, that the child Jesus accompanied his uncle Joseph of Arimathea on a voyage. Joseph of Arimathea certainly existed and was a rich man but there is no mention in the Bible of him being an uncle of Jesus, merely a disciple.

Traditionally only in the countryside though this may have changed a bit. Massive support for often isolated rural women and for many, an evening every month when they can get away from their wretched menfolk. In a Yorkshire village, the WI can be a big part of the ecosystem.

Plus they're a good source of income for public speakers who've got a nice and interesting 45 minute turn, with slides and things to pass round.

Denham College which they run is pretty important too; it's changed a lot of lives and kept many old crafts alive.

Sadly they have a lot of schisms and splits; everyone wants to be the Grand Poohbah with the gold chain. About "nice ladies", sort of. Some rough ones too. A kind of place where Councillor Mrs Wotsit with the nice house lectures the ones with print dresses, Woodbine, booze and hens in the yard.

Not as snobby as the Housewives' Register and not as hockey sticks as the B&Ps.Or is that the Soroptimists? One is posher than the other and has more single headmistresses who drive (or used to drive) MG Midgets and took holidays with lady friends 'exploring Greece'.

For annoying old blokes, there's Probus (retired business and professional men), many ex-Rotary though not all since a Rotary Club can only have one man per profession. Probus is in theory mixed now, probably because half of them have had their driving licences taken away by the doctor and their wives have to take them.


In the middle ages, they thought his sister and brother-in-law settled in Britain. I think his name was Bron. Something to do with the Fisher King legend.

Yes, it's one of those wonderful, quintessentially English institutions where Mrs My-Husband-Is-A-Rotarian rolls her sleeves up alongside Mrs My-Old-Man-Is-Down-The-Legion-Again.

In Ireland we had/have our own version of the WI called the Irish Countrywomen's Association. It has is roots in the Irish Independence movement, the United Irishwomen, similar aims of improving the lives of rural women with that mixed focus on education, skills and home making, wrapped up in a nice, sensible package.

In Poland there were also - Rural Housewives' Circles. They fulfilled a similar function. But let's get back to Lebanon. It used to be such a beautiful country, and Beirut with 2 million inhabitants was a large and beautiful metropolis, a second Paris.

There was very good wine from the Bekaa Valley. One family made it and it wasn't cheap. I wonder if it's safe