Manifold May
'Manifold' as an adjective means many or varied and May certainly has plenty of variety, including weather ranging from hailstorms to balmy summer sunshine...also a multiplicity of early UK-grown produce including the first delicious locally grown strawberries - see below.
A manifold (noun!) on a car is a critical engine component that manages the flow of gases in or out of the engine cylinders; there's an intake manifold, which distributes air-fuel mixtures to the cylinders, and an exhaust manifold, which collects exhaust gases to move them out. Not sure how many of this weekend's visitors to the Spring Autojumble at Beaulieu will be looking for either of those, but they will most certainly be presented with the most enormous variety of often hard-to-find car parts, the contents of hundreds of garages, sheds, lock-ups and lofts which have been sorted for sale tomorrow and on Sunday which also includes 'Land Rover Rummage' and 'Trunk Traders'.
It's Strawberry Time
The home grown fruits of May include the last of the rhubarb and the first sweet, homegrown strawberries - yes even in these chilly temperatures, if you know where to go to find them! Goodall's Strawberry Farm where they're arguably the best you'll taste anywhere, is now open daily for pick your own. Or you can just pop in and buy from the shop, where there are also lots of homemade jams and fresh baked scones to go with the strawberries and fresh cream!
DETAILS AND OPENING TIMES AT GOODDALL'S
News and Events Update
Next week Monday to Saturday (18-23 May) is 'Dementia Action Week'. Following our feature about dementia awareness on 24 April, if you're concerned about yourself or someone else and have questions or concerns you'd like to discuss, the Oakhaven Hospice Admiral Nurse, Janet, will be in the charity shops for that purpose: on Monday in Lymington, Tuesday Hythe, Wednesday Lyndhurst and Friday New Milton.
A reminder that there will also be a special event with singer and refreshments at the regular Tuesday support & activities group at the United Reform Church in Lymington.
Meanwhile this week is 'Mental Health Awareness Week' and there is lovely news from Hammersley Homes: the Southampton Mental Health Network has given ‘Stars for Stars’ awards to the charity itself and to its founder Louise Hallett. Hammersley Homes was recognised for creating a place where people living with enduring and serious mental-ill health feel truly understood, while Louise received a personal Star for her passion, leadership and unwavering commitment. Louise has worked tirelessly to further the reach and impact of support for vulnerable adults with persistent mental illnesses and is ‘absolutely over the moon’!
Another lovely piece of news comes from Durlston School (pictured above) which has just hosted its inaugural Science Fair, inspired by British Science Week. Pupils aged 7 – 10 were tasked with creating a science project inspired by the theme ‘Curiosity’ – what’s your question?' which deliberately open-ended, gave freedom to explore the questions that interested them most. ‘How did the Grand Canyon form?’ ‘How do music speakers work?’ ‘Which fruit is the best to use as a battery?’ ‘Can I help increase the harvest mouse population numbers in my local area?’ and 'How clever are my rabbits?' were among the subjects which inspired experiments and presentations. Guest speaker former government scientist Mr Thomas explained the vast opportunities of careers within the field of science and organiser Mrs Broadwell said “it was such an incredible event - the enthusiasm, creativity, and dedication shown by our pupils truly blew us away. The variety and quality of projects on display were outstanding. It was especially lovely to see the children so engaged, sharing ideas, asking questions, and enjoying exploring each other’s work.” Durlston is looking at expanding a future event to welcome other young scientists from the local community, giving like-minded children the chance to investigate and explore together. Watch this space!
Next weekend on Bank Holiday Monday it's the first of the fetes! St Mary's Garden Fete at Pylewell Park is a wonderful occasion to kick off the season of fetes and fayres, held in the beautiful Pylewell Park gardens and including Music from Musk, Fun Dog Show, Cake Stalls, Traditional Tea's, Pimms, Raffle, Plants, Pre Loved Clothing, Children's Games and much more.
Next weekend is also the start of the school summer half term and in next week's newsletter we'll include a round-up of half term activities - so Members if you haven't added yours yet, please do over the next few days.
Right now there's another weekend to enjoy, including the final chance today or tomorrow to view Witch/Craft at St Barbe. And here's wishing fair and following winds to the Oakhaven Walkers - it looks as though you'll need your waterproofs though! If you would like to make a donation to help them on their way, click here.
Best wishes Jane
Read the rest of this week's newsletter here
And check out What's On in the Diary of Upcoming Events!
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