As the clocks go back and the dark nights of late autumn herald a change in the weather, some would be tempted to hunker down indoors. But not the women of Llantilio Crossenny Women’s Institute! November was another busy month for us. Apart from a variety of impromptu social gatherings and the Llanvapley Quiz Night, the Choir has been practicing for the Gwent Federation of WIs (GFWI) Carol Service on 6th December. It is to be held at St Peter’s church in Goytre at 2.00pm and everyone is welcome. We will also be singing at the St Teilo’s Carol Service on Sunday 14th December at 5.00pm.

A group of us plus a welcome guest visited the Newport Wetlands to witness the amazing murmuration of starlings. Our visit began with an informative talk about starlings and what we don’t know about that seemingly plain bird can now be written on a postage stamp. We then stepped outside and walked through a beautiful late afternoon to see the dusk display. There was a marsh harrier and a sparrow hawk lurking for their supper so the hundreds of starlings whooshed in and settled quickly in the reed beds. We all agreed that it was a wonderful afternoon’s entertainment and vowed to visit again soon.

Our monthly meeting explored the topic of ‘Aromatherapy, Stress and Relaxation’ with Jan Baker. We certainly learned a lot in a short space of time including: Aromatherapy aims to maintain the body in rest and digest mode; Essential oils work by balancing the body; Lavender and mandarin are good for reducing stress; Oregano is the strongest oil; Lavender is a native plant and therefore a good all-round oil; Bergamot and clary sage are good for mood boosting; Eucalyptus and Tea Tree shift mucus.

We also learned that oils should be used carefully and are usually mixed with a carrier oil like jojoba or sweet almond (although a few drops can be inhaled through a diffuser). We were grateful for Jan’s donation to our raffle of aromatherapy products. On November 26th, some of our members joined other women from around Gwent at the annual ‘Light a Candle’ service at the Priory Church of St Mary, Usk. The service is held to highlight the national WI campaign against violence towards women (Not in my Name). Along with other WIs in Gwent, Sue and Verity Vater had made a banner on our behalf which Sue then processed through Usk before the church service. Several of our members had also made toiletry bags which were filled with toiletries that we had collected. These bags are made available to women who have to flee from their home quickly to escape domestic abuse. We were all grateful to Jan Eastment for taking the toiletries to Usk - the boxes were almost too heavy to lift!

Other members are using the dark nights to get out their crochet hooks and yarn needles to crochet ‘Srebrenica Remembrance Flowers’. Welsh WIs have been asked to crochet 8372 in remembrance of the genocide in 1995 and as an act of solidarity to the women who lost all or some of the male members of their family. Our next meeting is on 10th December, ‘A Floristry Surprise!’ with the very talented Jan Morgan. Christmas food and drinks will be provided by the Committee. Everyone would be very welcome to join us at 7.00pm. Our annual dinner has been changed to an annual Sunday lunch and will be held at The King’s Arms in Abergavenny in January.

If anyone would like to join us, please contact Sue at [email protected] for more information.