Addie's Adventurers - Clue #2

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WI Goes to Mars

We have been happily living on this planet and helping each other as a community for more than 15 years. This year, star-date 2047, marks our 150th anniversary of the Women’s Institute movement. For those visiting from the Stoney Creek WI Branch and other branches on Earth, we say Welcome! To mark the occasion we have erected a large banner, “WI establishes 1st Branch on Mars,” that will fly high for years to come. We shall impart a small excerpt from our Tweedsmuir Community History archives, recalling our first meeting with our new hosts and establishing the first WI branch on Mars.

“Upon our arrival, after a rather rough and harrowing flight, we were kindly welcomed by the local “Meet and Greet” committee. Consisting of one, no 4, uh maybe 7 …the whole committee was present - we think. The indigenous peoples have strange outfits and means of travelling but they are basically friendly. Their garb protects them from the elements and the helmets double as communication devices. Handy when you need to rinse the spinach as well. Both functional and fashionable at the same time!

We approached on our land yacht. We shared our food and prep ideas; they really were enthralled with the various oils we brought. They enjoy avocado oil - on the rocks - in a glass. So much for salads! Ah well, a learning curve.”

Interestingly, the same Meet and Greet Committee from 2030 is here with us today (left hand side of the photo) and the same land yacht from our original arrival has been brought out of storage for today’s celebration (on the right in the foreground in the photo).

Since the formation of the Mars Mawrth WI Branch in 2030, there are now 26 branches on Mars. Membership is a combination of peoples from a variety of planets, making very interesting get-togethers, as we strive to understand each other’s cultures without prejudice. We have now started new branches further afield, such as one on Pluto and one at the newest outpost on Planet B2451.

Innovation here is far ahead of what was known on Earth but, in the beginning, there was also much chaos. Who better to bring order to chaos than the Women’s Institute, as we have done so often in the past? It is the little things that create order; the stop signs and traffic lights that keep traffic flowing smoothly at one corner, then ten corners, are now in each settlement on Mars (in the middle of the foreground in the photo). Just as order has been brought about by the vision and dedicated lobbying of the Women’s Institute in small towns, larger cities and then countries on Earth, we have continued and provided our wisdom for the universe. However, to some, the stop signs indicate “Let’s go have an avocado beverage and a doughnut,” rather than STOP.”

We have come so far in the last 150 years. I wonder where we will be in 2097.

[Creating our masterpiece was so much fun and made us appreciate our children’s, grandchildren’s, great-grandchildren’s, nieces’ and nephews’ technical prowess as we struggled our way through the process of conquering LEGO.

Sadly, we have to admit to some squabbles as to how to get the pieces to go together and to stay together but after a few minor hisses and some extra scotch tape for signage, success! Where are the five-year-olds when you need them?

The four team members are shown as part of the multi-headed "meet and greet" creature (some more than once). This is an original photo, with no software editing.]

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