International Women’s Day

This Tuesday, March 8 is International Women’s Day. It is a good time to stop and think how unconsciously we make assumptions about what women’s and men’s roles are. Write out a list of jobs, as varied as you can, and then make up a little back story for each of them. Which ones did you automatically assume would be men and which ones women… it’s hard to get away from predetermined ideas – although with more men and women starting to move into more varied roles, it is starting to get a bit easier.

Poetry in the Park

Last Sunday, an intrepid group arrived at the Old Chapel to share poetry even through the storm. It is always an enjoyable activity and everyone is welcome. The next gathering will be on Sunday March 20, again in the Old Chapel at 3 pm, as the weather is still a bit precarious in March!

Popcorn Lover’s Day

Who’d have thought popcorn would have its own day – but it has, on Thursday March 10! What more excuse is needed to have a go at making your own popcorn and trying out new flavour combinations. You can get unpopped popcorn at the Little Pantry (and other places, I’m sure!). You can pop it in a saucepan with the lid on to catch the popcorn when it pops, or in the microwave, again in a bowl with a loose-fitting lid to catch the popped corn. You can put in a bit of oil to help it not to stick. It only takes a couple of minutes to pop – you can hear the popping start, get quite hectic, and then slow right down. Then you can take the lid of and see what you have got. There is generally some corn that decides not to pop, so get rid of that, and then try adding some flavour. Black pepper is nice, so is melted chocolate, caramel sauce, curry powder, and chilli powder – but not all at once!

Tenby Community Fridge

Thanks to everyone who is helping to reduce food waste by coming along to the Old Chapel in Lower Frog Street whenever they can to pick up whatever they are able to use from the community fridge, and many thanks as well to all the volunteers who help to look after the fridge and deliver food from the local supermarkets to it. It is going so well that there is very rarely anything that has been left too long to be eaten, so there is no longer any need to weigh the food when you pick it up as it is all weighed when it comes in by the volunteers who open and close the fridge each day and everything that is given to the fridge is saved from waste! Please spread the word and encourage everyone you know to pop along when they can – and you can get a great cup of coffee or bowl of soup from the community café while you are there, for a donation. The café and fridge are open Tuesday to Saturday 10 to 4 pm.

Change your perspective

In between the storms, get out for a walk and a bit of fresh air. Try looking up and searching for birds in unusual places, or for insects, or even unusual clouds. You could see gulls or wagtails hunting on the rooftops, or even an early butterfly. Point your eyes to the skies and enjoy the sun, rain and wind on your face.

Tenby Edible Community Garden

There is already fresh spinach and kale in the garden ready to harvest – please pop along to the Gilroy Phillips Memorial Garden next to Tenby Bowling Club on Sutton St to harvest whatever you can eat – the more often it is picked, the more it will grow back! Thoughts have moved to planting for this season, so if anyone has any spare seeds or seedlings that they can’t use, please drop them off to the garden. There is a plastic tub in the big wooden storage box for seeds, and a little plastic greenhouse for the seedlings. Any help with the gardening is much appreciated – there are tools in the wooden chest, please do whatever you think needs doing. There is often someone there between 11 and 12 on a Monday if you would like to have a chat, or you can leave a note in the box or on the noticeboard.

Plate Spinning

See how good you can get at plate spinning... no really! Use plastic plates not china ones - and a stick or piece of dowelling or bamboo about a metre long. Hold the stick at a slight angle, hang the plate from the stick by the rim. Make a slow circular motion with your wrist so that the plate starts to spin. Keep the rest of your arm still, don’t move your wrist or elbow. Make sure the plate rolls around the stick and doesn’t get stuck in one spot, so it moves like a spinning top. Gradually rotate it faster until it is spinning horizontally. Then stop moving the stick and it should keep going by itself for a bit. When it starts to slow down give your wrist another flick… Good Luck!