Author: gosforthcentralwi

Did you know that the theme for April 2022 is “something new to you” (who thinks of these things??#) where we are asked to invite people to discover something new – a place, an activity, a food, an experience etc.

Well, without knowing I was being “loyal” to the theme, (without even knowing there was a theme!) my new “thing” was to walk out on a play that I’d paid good money to see. If you’re interested, ask me about it – it has to be told rather than written – and, really, you had to be there (but be grateful you weren’t :))

On a more positive note, let’s focus on the “newness” this month has brought – the beautiful Spring weather we’ve had, the lovely flowers, the glorious walks many of us have been on, the trips to the park / farm/ seaside, visits from the Easter bunny. And, if like me, you hosted 2 small children for a few days, you did all these things on the same day (day in & day out, starting at 6.30 :)) And, of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Let’s hope that the last few days of April bring more reasons to be cheerful and continue to be good for the soul.

And, if you’re going to do it properly, why not discover something new and share it with the rest of us?

# as it happens, it’s The US National Park Service –

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/partnerships/april-monthly-themes.htm

We’ve had a busy few days, what with a March marshmallow meeting and a “Bridge to Bridal” evening on the 15th!

What am I talking about……..?

After our March speaker, we set teams a “Marshmallow Challenge” of building the tallest structure capable of supporting a marshmallow using only the materials given (some spaghetti, tape and string). Much laughter and healthy competition ensued. Women were spurred on as the rumours spread that the prize was a luxury weekend away – though the actual prize of a few chocolates also went well 🙂 The results were spectacular, though some were perhaps not what was intended…..like, when a tower became a bridge (see the evidence below)!

For those of you who want to check out how a bunch of school children did this, click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7FUb6S2AFQ

Moving on…

On Tuesday 15 March, 17 of us met to go to the “Wedding Dresses through the ages” Exhibition at St Nicholas Cathedral (having first met in the nearby Bridge Hotel pub – where we could have spent at least another hour as the conversation was flowing & the drink going down nicely!) But, that’s not what we met for….so, we made our way to the Cathedral and we loved it! The Exhibition was SO interesting (and it was also great to see what they had done to the Cathedral since the refurb). Among many things, we learned that the correct term for the dress is “wedding gown” and orange blossom was popular for hair accessories as it denotes purity & innocence. Some of the dresses – and attendees – are shown below – quirky, elegant, ornate and all so small – the gowns that is :)!

You know that old saying about if March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb….well, let’s hope that’s true!

It’s stereotypically British of me to start this blog with talk of the weather when there are so many more issues out there! But is this the place to talk about War in the Ukraine, Russian Threats, Rising Prices and all the other hellish things that are happening right now? Maybe it should be? Let me know your thoughts?

I’ve been in a thoughtful mood since walking through the University this morning and being handed a leaflet by a student. The leaflet tells me that “the youth have had enough climate bulls..t” and “are rising” (and, apparently, we can “find out more at 5pm Friday 4 March at the Ouseburn Community Centre”.).

Then I flicked through the March issue of WI Life. In it there’s a “sneak peek” at last years Annual Review and mention is made of the WI Campaigns, including our work on Climate Change and the WI presence at COP26. That left me thinking…Is it enough? Do people know? Are we really leaving it to the youth to make the radical changes we need?

Answers on the back of a postcard please….

Oops, second thoughts – no postcards (unless they have been recycled / are recyclable / ethically sourced / hand drawn).

Thursday 3 February was “Optimists Day”, a day of celebration for those who, among other things, promise “to think only of the best, work only for the best and expect only the best”. Now, I don’t know about you but I had never heard of this day until last week and my first reaction was…….well, perhaps you can imagine.

But then I got to thinking and realised that maybe we needed this day. I, for one, need to be reminded to “hit the pause button” and stop focussing on things that are “wrong” or “hard” or “not normal”. Instead, I can choose to be optimistic and look for the good things in life. I can choose a positive attitude, hope for the best and expect to succeed!

So – I’m thinking prospects – “Spring” / “Summer holidays” / “Lighter nights” / “Days out” / “Nights out” (heaven forfend!!)…

There is so much to LOOK FORWARD forward to…

And, if all that fails, I can always remember that pessimists are never disappointed 🙂

Want more info? Check this out.. https://www.optimist.org/member/optimistday.cfm

*Quotation from Norman Cousins, an American political writer and world peace advocate

It’s said that, whatever we do during this first month, can set the tone for the rest of our year. So, if you’ve made a New Year resolution and are sticking to it – well done – you’re way ahead of me! Is it “dry” January (take a bow!), daily visits to the gym (kudos!), cutting back on carbs (go girl!)?

Or have you started in a more sedate way – maybe a bit of planning, organising, de cluttering, cleaning…..browsing seed catalogues? Marie Kondo would be proud of you – after all, you are “sparking joy” – and who wouldn’t want to do that? See her website if you want some inspiration :……..https://konmari.com/

If Marie Kondo is too “out there” for you, take inspiration from our own little bit of the WI – we formed in 2018 to learn, socialise, campaign and have fun (see our website front page). 2022 has been planned with that in mind and, whilst we continue to operate with Covid restrictions, we can still achieve those aims – with your support, of course.

So – stay positive, look out for snowdrops, revel in the days getting longer – but remember that the 3rd Monday of January is “Blue Monday” – supposed to be the most depressing day of the year! (Well, I had to put that reality check in, just in case you thought I’d put something in my tea :))

Liz x