Did you know that it was Elvis Presley’s birthday on January 8? This Sunday, he would have been turning 88. If you don’t know Elvis’s music, now is a good time to investigate it – and if you do, now is the time to remind yourself of it. He is often felt to be the person who began rock and roll – which most popular music is derived from. You could watch one of his many films or find out about his life. Things are very different for musicians now!

A Winter Acrostic

While the weather is cold, it is a good time to stay indoors and have a go at writing a poem. An acrostic is one where each line of the poem starts with the next letter of your chosen word. So, write WINTER down the lefthand side of your page and then think of a line to begin with each letter.

A Coastal Mural

You could also design something related to the beach or the coast that could be used in the mural that is going to go on the back wall of the space under the North Beach zig zag. Everything sent in will be used. Send things to [email protected] or drop them in to Tenby Council Office in the De Valence. The first working day on the space will be Thursday, January 26 , when a group of Duke of Edinburgh candidates will be giving it a good clean. Everyone is welcome to come and help, and there will be other days on a weekend so that lots of people can get involved.

Films4Tenby presents ‘Mrs Harris Goes to Paris’

On Tuesday, January 10 at 7pm, Films4Tenby will show ‘Mrs Harris Goes to Paris’. This is about a widowed cleaning lady in 1950s London who falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, and decides that she must have one of her own. It stars Lesley Manville and has had good reviews. Everyone is welcome, and the Fuchsia Café will be doing a pre-screening meal that you can book directly with them.

Morse Code

Do you know your name in morse code? Wednesday, January 11 is the day to learn. Morse code is a way to transmit text through a series of signals. Each character or alphabet in a language is represented by a sequence of dots and dashes. First demonstrated on January 11, 1838 by Alfred Vail and Samuel Morse, Morse code soon became commonly used by the military and the aviation industry worldwide. Until 1999 the distress signal “SOS”, or “··· – – – ···” in Morse code, was used to communicate distress by ships and naval vessels around the world. Although it does not stand for anything it has been remembered as “Save Our Souls” or “Save Our Ship”. It was replaced by the Global Maritime Distress Safety System in 1999 but is still widely recognised as a distress signal today. You can send a morse code message in the dark with a torch, on a sunny day with a mirror, with a buzzer…can you work out a way to send a message using morse code?

Tenby Arts Club presents ‘Fishguard Folk’

On Friday, January 13, Tenby Arts Club starts its spring season with a concert from Fishguard Folk. This is at the new time of 7pm in St Johns Church Hall on Warren Street and everyone is welcome. There is a small entrance, which includes tea/coffee and delicious biscuits afterwards. Everyone is welcome.

Beach Scavenging

This time of year, you can find interesting things blown on to the beach by the winter storms. When you are walking along the sand, keep a lookout for pretty shells, interesting bits of driftwood, sea glass, even interesting bits of plastic or other flotsam and jetsam. You could make a collection and try to identify what you have found, or use your finds to make a collage or a model – or a piece of art on the sand itself. Remember to take a photo of it if it is below the high tide level and will be washed away.

You could also make a recording of the sounds of the beach in winter – the wind and the tides and the clinking of the boats – it sounds quite different in the winter than in the summer. There is also a distinctive smell about the beach – what does it remind you of?

Tabletop Sale and Swap

Just a reminder that there will be a tabletop sale in Augustus Place Community Hall on Saturday, January 14 from 2 to 4pm. If you would like a table, please get in touch on [email protected] or pop into Tenby Town Council office in the De Valence on Upper Frog Street. You can just take your chances on the day! You can also come along with things to donate for the middle tables – things on these tables will be available for people to have at £1 a carrier bag, so it really can be anything that is no longer useful for you – who knows what someone else might do with it! Any profit will go to Tenby Connects for Tenby Community Fridge and the Edible Garden.