November is a busy fundraising month for Hong Kong Ladies’ Circle. Following shortly on the heels of our annual fundraising Hawkers Night Bazaar, a team of Ladies Circle members helped Royal Doulton run their factory sale at the Li Hall, St. John’s Cathedral, Hong Kong on Saturday 15th November.

Belgium was full of that ‘Golden Touch’ of circling, in November – not to mention a dash of colour and musical flair. We all gathered to wish Ladies Circle Belgium many congratulations on achieving their 40 years of friendship and service.

In November the LCI board had its second board. Full of expectations I got on the plane from Bergen to Copenhagen, ready to meet the other board members at Christina's place in Odense. As last year, Susanne Nørager hosted some of the board members in her house, and we had the board meeting there as well! Here`s our agenda; Thursday evening: Circle meeting. Friday and sunday morning: Board meeting and Saturday - attending the charter of LC 111 Horsens!

Despite the financial crisis in Iceland these days, 30 passionate ladies met for MTM October 11th. 2008 in Reykjavík, Iceland. At the beginning of the meeting the atmosphere was rather strenuous. But as soon as we started to relax and think of the friendship it became comfortable.

The trip to LCI meeting started for me already on Wednesday, when I travelled to Kerava together with area 4 chairman. Area 1 chairman was kindly accommodating us in her home for the night.

My journey started on Wednesday evening by car to Helsinki. On Thursday early morning we, Finnish national board members(presidents went earlier)met on airport. Atmosphere was tense and expecting; we are going to Aberdeen – the land of men with kilts! After cheerful journey(maybe after some wine glasses as well…)we landed to sunny Aberdeen. Where is the rain and darkness? Luckily all ladies got their suitcases. We Finns dressed something blue-something white-something Marimekko Unikko. Read more reports from: Marita_Kovanen, Hillevi Lappi, Katri Ruuskanen, Paivi Norhio linked together with this report

After arriving safely in Aberdeen we were taken to our hotels. There I met the lady I was to share my room with – Myriam from Marokko. We liked each other instantly. We made our way to the Conciller Dinner together. On the bus towards Turiff I at last met my Austrian delegation Doris and Gaby.

Dearest Circlers across the Universe Thank you for allowing me to share such a wonderful Colourful year with you all and for entrusting me as your President 2007/2008. Thank you for your support and encouragement every step of the way. To all those who attended Conference thanks for being there, for your well wishes, cards and gifts. All were very much appreciated and I will treasure the fantastic memories of Aberdeen forever.

This was my 1st International Conference and it was a great experience for me to be a part of more than 600 participants of the Conference and to feel the friendly atmosphere, to meet and to chat with Ladies from so many different countries.

Ladies Circle Hong Kong celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year. To mark the event, we organized an afternoon tea party for members, their guests and also representatives from the various local charities we have supported over the years. This took place at the Helena May, a club which was set up in 1916 by Lady May, the then Governor of Hong Kong’s wife, who was concerned for the needs of unaccompanied women and girls arriving in the very different Hong Kong of that time.

Thank you for all your faith, understanding and friendship, bestow upon me and especially for the gifts, cards and messages received during the Conference in Aberdeen, when I officially stepped down, not only from the Ladies Circle International Board but also from being a member of Ladies Circle due to my age.

Another great experience to remember. A great conference organised by our scottish friends!!!!!

Very well done conference in Aberdeen. Thanks a lot to Judith Scotts conference team from LC Turiff for doing a great job for all 650 ladies and partners from about 25 countries all over the world. Lots of photos are to be found in the Photogallery http://picasaweb.google.com/lciphotos/ More report will be published from all happenings during this conference next week. So until then enjoy all Colourful photos

We in LC-52 Tromsø invites you to our sidebyside event, HAKAPIKKEN. It happens 20-22.March 2009 in Tromsø/Norway. For more info about this event please contakt me, Maria on: mknudtsen@spray.no og log in to: www.hakapikken.no

Wednesday 18th June 2008 until Wednesday 25th June 2008. As the forth board meeting of the 2008/2009 Circling year approached, the house was cleaned and shopping done with all plans made for receiving the LCI Board to my home.

Calcutta Park Street Ladies Circle No.46 Wishes Cr.Seetha Venkatesh a very wonderful journey as President,Ladies Circle International

"The tumult and the shouting dies, The LCI President departs, And we are left with large supplies Of fond memories in our Happy Hearts." Calcutta park Street ladies circle 46 had the proud privilege to host the National President Cr. Uma for a day during her Presidential visit to Area IV.

On the 24th of may 2008 Ladies' Circle the Netherlands donated € 343.000,- to Pink Ribbon. Pink Ribbon stands for awareness for breast cancer and was the National Charity Project from 2006-2008

Our Varshik Ananya Sharirik Milan or AGM was held on Sunday 6th July, 2008 at Princeton club.

LCI board set a challenge to build a toilet block in aid of SARIS. Each board member was challenged to raise 125 Euro before 4th board meeting. This time LCI Weblady with members of the board in LC-Trondheim arranged the LC-summerparty were we served different international food during this evening, and collected money from the others attending.

Carinthian hospitality at its best!! The trip to Villach for the AGM of RT and LC Austria was meant to be sort of holidays for me; hence I was very much looking forward to meeting Gaby, VP of LC A and many other circlers again.

AGM in Lille, France the weekend 30 May till 1th of June. They say in Lille "We have in our heart the sun that is missing in our sky ! That we be Lille AGM's: sunny heart" It started with a huge Hippie Party and 2.400 were attending this party. Really big party with "Moules and Frites" in Lille Grand Palais.

The LC1 Vevey in a drive to recruit new members held an "Open Doors" event in which they invited and advertised the benefits of LC membership to Ladies in the region.

I started on Friday noon after office, heading 750 km towards North until I reached Walsrode, which lies in between Hamburg, Bremen and Hanover. The Ladies form LC 31 Walsrode decided the venue for the welcome to be the famous birdpark, and what kind of birds did we see!! Not only were there squeakers, visiting an AGM for the first time, but all kind of colourful parrots -- including odd ducks and looney birds– and their inevitable noises. ;-D

“Ladies’ Circle Italy Golf Cup” remains forever our immense pride. It has been so far the unique initiative on the national level; it’s the testimony that we enjoy life in the right spirit of being Ladies. “Ladies’ Circle Italy Golf Cup”, last year, brought 8ooo€ to our Service.

The LCH AGM took place in Romanel-sur-Lausanne Saturday 26th of April. LC Members from LC Vevey, LC Lausanne and Agora participated...not too many participants, but they are positive in their belive to recruit more members so LC Switzerland can continue and not close. They are also arranging an "Open Door" meeting in end of May where they invite a lot of ladies who they encourage to join.

Most of you are currently busy having your AGM next and the National LC-life hits its peak! Your National Board will change in the coming days, or recently has changed, and that is where LCI comes into play ;-)

Time fly’s with LCI, all so soon BM3 approached, and with tickets booked, by plane and train, we descended upon Denmark. The third Board Meeting was to be hosted by our LCI Treasurer Christina, with her assistant for the duration, Past LCI President Susanne and her husband Kelk

Well it was that time of year again – Area 9 Round Table Rally in Southport, GB & I, where members of Round Table and Ladies Circle together with families descend on a pre-chosen hotel, for a weekend of family fun.

After enjoying Kathleen’s artistically colourful messages and articles, I think it’s a “must” to write something about a special initiative of LC Milan, an explosion of colours: the sixth edition of the exhibition of children’s paintings at my art gallery.

As you maybe aware the LCI Board have set themselves a challenge to build a toilet block in aid of SARIS. Each board member had been challenged with raising 115 Euros before Board Meeting No 4 in GB & I. The block will be named ‘Miss Sophie’ and will be painted very colourfully to signify President Kathleen’s theme – Circle the world with Colour. Read more in these following documents

Support of the ISP and really ways to raise funds. What we did in Area 3 GB & I. Download pdf-files from this article. TB

LC-1 Vevey in Switzerland meeting took place last week. We were fortunate to be able to welcome Fiona Stephen, ChairLady of LC GB&I Turiff in Scotland. (Their circle is the one organizing the LCI conference in Aberdeen).

A year has passed since the beginning of our adventure. LC14Taranto has made progress, I’d say, great progress. The winning cards in all this are the team spirit and the happiness to be together every moment.

Read and listen to music of Half Year Report from C Team and all reports in a compressed file from member and assosiated countries Click on the links below in this report. These reports can also be found under Reports and gallery in the left menu.

The next official visit on my Agenda for the year was visiting Conference Venues so Aberdeen was next on the list.

During the International Contact Ladies Meeting – which marks the start of the 2007/2008 Colourful year – we had a brainstorming session among Councillors. One of the topics discussed was LCI Day and the noun drawn from the bag for this topic was Queen. The group feedback on this subject was that we should all feel like Queens on this day as this is a Special Day for Circlers. LC Belgium and LC Luxembourg must have taken this literally

The African & Southern European Region’s Mid Term Meeting in Jerusalem, Israel held between 24 - 27 January 2008

Pre-Tour organised by LC Israel on the occasion of the Mid Term Meeting 2008

The Nordic & Central European Region’s Mid Term Meeting in Bremen, Germany held between 17 – 20 January 2008

Listen to the ground: there is movement all around. There is something goin' down and I can feel it.

LCI President’s Hands On Work for ISP 2007/2009. The LCI Board 2007/2008 – The Colourful Team - have taken it upon themselves to donate a Toilet towards this project and call it the Ms Sophie Toilet.

Side by Side is important, Just stop and Think for a Moment. The LCI President works ‘Side by Side’ with Tablers and 41ers in her country all in the name of ‘Friendship & Service’. These are part of the lyrics of this year’s LCI Song. Moreover as it is also one of my targets for the year, I thought to myself what better place to start acting upon this than in my own country.

More than 400 guest attended the Ladies' Circle Presidental Ball held at East Midlands Conference Center - EMCC, in aid of ChildLine. See photos and read more from this event in the attachement to this report.

On the spare of the moment I decided to join LC GB&I at their Presidential Ball which took place over the weekend 27 – 30 September 2007 in Nottingham combined with a Councillors Meeting. But attending in the normal manner would have been too boring I wanted to ‘Spice Up’ my trip therefore I decided to attend as a surprise to Michelle and most of the other participants.

To see the program for these two events, and also other upcoming events, navigate at the events in the right column, and the links to program, registration form will appear in the presentation of this event.

The 2008 AGM will be held in Akureyri 3rd May 2008. Where the first Ladies Circle charter in Iceland were founded 20 years ago. Please note that there has been change of date for the AGM. If you need further information please do not hesitate to contact. The e-mail is vefstjori@ladies-circle.is or see our web www.ladies-circle.is

What a great success this MTM meeting in Israel was. We started a small group for 12 Monday evening with dinner in Tel Aviv- Jaffa and had a pretour to Ceserea, Haifa,Acre, Nazareth, Kanaan, Sea of Galilea up in the north. Israel has a lot of history to show us. Thursday the real MTM began with all delagates, with meeting, tour to Masada, Dead Sea and lunch as an beduin. and more... Enjoy all the photos taken from LCI Weblady on Picasaweb

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, in many places all over the world we remember soldiers and war hero’s who put their lives on hold to represent their Country.

LC Belgium : Charter LC 42 Marche en Famenne, the 10th of November 2008. LC Belgium was very proud to charter this new club !

The Moroccan Ladies Circle has organized the chartering of its third circle in Rabat, after those held in Casablanca in 2004 (LCC1) and later in Rabat in 2005 (LCR2). The chartering of this third circle, named LCR3, was held between December 6th and 9th, 2007.

The 2nd board meeting at Malta--Kathleen here we come to add a touch of our colours to LCI , your home & country!! With this cheerful and colourful wish Tracey, Linda, Christina and myself left our shores to the beautiful Malta.

The last evening of Seetha's visit to Italy arrived: I felt very sorry to part with my Indian friend. We took Seetha out for pizza, then back to the Gallery for the presentation of the book "Naked Soul" by Cesare Santi and Lorenza Caravelli (a Lady's sister).

Believe me, I’ve found it hard to write something about Seetha’s visit to Italy: the memories of those five days are too beautiful for me to find appropriate words. An Indian Lady in company of a Vietnamese Lady around Italy in five days!

“They could not have had a more perfect day for a (…) party if they had ordered it.” (Katherine Mansfield „The Garden Party“): Too early snow and the dazzling sun of this year`s first cold snap had turned Innsbruck into the perfect scenery for the 20th anniversary of Ladies Circle 2 Tirol.