The Strictly theme tune was like an ear-worm for the Ridwares WI ladies as they travelled to Birmingham for an evening of glorious dance, glitz & glamour with ‘Strictly – The Professionals’. Oh, the spray tans…. the sequins …. the passion … & the incredible expertise of the dancers! An amazing afternoon was had by all. Watch out for inspired Latin moves at the next party or dancing occasion!!! … you have been warned ….
The AGM was an enjoyable occasion – well, there was cheese, wine & nibbles! The meeting was zoomed so that post-operative members (i.e. Gaye) could also attend – although she had to provide her own refreshments! This was our first ‘back to normal’ AGM in 3 years; ‘correct proceedures’ were not fogotten. For both the Treasuerer (Anthea Smith) & Secretary (Karen Parsons), it was their first time in presenting their all important reports to the ladies – an excellent job from both of them. Karen Wakefield stood down as President – & was promptly re-elected! Particular thanks were expressed to Angela Robbins & Viv Adams who stood down as members of the Committee, as they have given invaluable & indefatigable service to our WI over many years. We are also very fortunate to welcome 4 new volunteers to the Committee for 2022/2023: Carrie-Anne, Chris Gates, Chris Seward & Kath Parson. Precise roles & responsibilities will be discussed at the next Committee meeting, which in future, will have to be held in the Village Hall Lounge. A new WI year beckons….
What do you do when your OH states that YOU need to declutter your clothes …… well, if you’re Kath P, then you apply the tips that Katherine Blackler passed on during her Zoom talk to HIS clothes! …. & then, apply them to your own …. Katherine Blackler is a professional De-Clutterer & organiser who makes ‘sorting things out’ FUN! Her mantra is: “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful” (William Morris). Katherine began by asking us if we ‘suffered from PILES?’ – not too personal a question, when it’s PILES of paperwork, toys/craft & clothes…. – & then gave us lots of ideas on how to deal with each of these.
Useful tip 1: PILES of paperwork – remove the bulk & then flip the sstack upside down. This measn that the oldest stuff is now at the top …. Divide the PILE into 2 simple ‘keep’ or ‘ditch’ stacks…..
Useful Tip 2: Organise PILES of toys/craft etc into shallow storage buckets with picture labels, so you know where everything goes back to. Keep the categories broad!
Useful Tip 3: Put all your clothes onto the bed & categorise into PILES – deal with 1 category at a time. Divide into ‘keep’, ‘donate’, or ‘ditch’…
Useful Tip 4: Roll tops up & file them, rather than piling them up one on top of the other – this is what Kath P did (see photograph). Save the ring pulls off drinks cans & use them over the hanger so you can then ‘hang’ another item/hanger onto it (see photo).
Katherine then gave us plenty of advice when it came to ‘ditching’ & ‘donating’ items – the PDF has been circulated to members. Kath P is not alone in tackling ‘PILES’ … we have been inspired to action!
