We hope you’re all staying safe and safely social as we look at another month of online meetups.

At the beginning of the month, we did a special Zoom session for anyone who has never done it before and didn’t know how to get started. It’s never too late to ask for help if you need it, though – if you want to join any of our subgroups or come to the main meeting but don’t know what to do, we’ll be more than happy to help you out.

And, for those of you who have been wiling away the lock-down by baking, we have a real treat for you this month… in fact, we have a baker’s dozen of them. Read on!

May Meeting

“Meet Your Baker”

This month we are happy to be joined by Vanessa Sabin from the wonderful Two for Tea tearoom in Stapleford. We asked members in our Facebook group what you would like to learn to bake in a poll, and Bakewell tarts came out the clear winner!

Vanessa told us in an email that this is “an easy recipe to adapt to make gluten free, dairy free or vegan.”

A few of you asked us to provide the ingredients so you can join in at home. We’re happy to oblige!

Tools:

• Food processor
• Rolling pin (if making own pastry)
• Pie dish
• Mixing bowl
• Hand electric whisk
• Spatula
• Baking beans
• Scales
• Spoon

Short crust pastry (shop-bought will work fine):

• 8oz/225g plain flour (if you can’t get plain flour you can use self-raising)
• 4oz/100g margarine
• Cold water

Bakewell Filling/Topping

• ½ jar of Jam or curd or marmalade
• 6oz/150g margarine
• 6oz/150g caster sugar
• 12oz/300g ground almonds
• 2 eggs
• Few drops almond essence (optional)
• Flaked almonds (optional)
• Additional flour for rolling pastry

See you on Wednesday – it’s gonna be sweet!

On the Tables

Media swap, Just for Fun, and prizes

If you are on Facebook, head over to our member’s only Facebook group for a virtual version of this month’s “On the Tables”. Threads about these topics on the day of the meeting…

• Media swap: We’re swapping media recommendations rather than physical items this month. Have you read or watched anything good lately? Are you hoping to get your hands on a particular box set? Have you discovered any good new music? Let us know!
• Just For Fun: Our original Just For Fun theme was All About Bees. Head over to our Facebook group on Wednesday the 13th to post videos, pictures, ideas, comments, stories, and more

Don’t Forget!

What to bring to the next meeting

What you need to join us online:

• The link to our meeting (please check the newsletter email or our Facebook group for this);
• The ingredients above if you want to join in from home;
• A nice drink;
• Wear your best pair of pyjamas;
• That’s it!

Other News

Our Subgroups are Open…

…to ideas!

Thanks to the internet – and to you – Hive subgroups have remained open and active all month. These groups are not just open to members, but to member suggestions as well.

We’d like to know: do you have any ideas for subgroups that can be run through Zoom? And, if so, would you be willing to lead such a group?

Ideas that have been suggested so far are a baking and cookery group, a mindfulness group, a film club, and an “indoor exercise” group.

We’d like to hear from anybody who has an idea, but particularly from those who don’t usually come to subgroups. You can email thehivewi@gmail.com or leave a comment in our Facebook group.

Our Publess Quiz

What, when, why, how

“In the before times” (as one of our members called it) we met on the evening of the first Thursday of the month at The Crown to do their quiz. Since we have been meeting on Zoom, we have hosted our own quiz online – this time, every two weeks instead of just once a month.

Community spirit is important to us so for our last two quizzes we invited members from other Nottinghamshire WIs to join us, including Beeston WI and City WI.

At the end of each quiz, attendees are asked for ideas for categories for the next game or if they’d like to submit any questions themselves and take part in hosting.

Come and join us if you’d like to get involved or give your brain a bit of a workout!

The Hive’s May Calendar

What’s on when

• Wednesday 6, 13:00 – Crafternoon
• Wednesday 13, 19:30 – Main Meeting: Meet Your Baker
• Thursday 14, 20:15 – Publess Quiz
• Saturday 16, 14:00 – Crafternoon
• Tuesday 19, 20:00 – Book Club: Educated by Tara Westover
• Wednesday 20, 19:30 – Supper Club
• Wednesday 27, 14:00 – Cafe Society
• Thursday 28, 20:15 – Publess Quiz
• Wednesday 27, 18:30 – Committee Meeting
• Thursday 29, 18:45 – Book Club: The Power by Naomi Alderman
• Cancelled due to corona – Walk ‘n’ Talk

Recurring Events

Your shortcut to the subgroups

• Craft ‘n’ Chat: Every first Wednesday, 13:00-15:00
• Pub Quiz: Every two weeks during lock-down, 20:15
• Walk ‘n’ Talk: Every first weekend of the month on alternating Saturdays and Sundays – times vary
• Main Meeting: Every second Wednesday, 19:30-21:30
• Tuesday Book Club: Every third Tuesday, 20:00
• Crafternoon: Every third Saturday, 14:00-16:00
• Supper Club: Every third Wednesday, 19:30
• Committee Meeting: Every fourth Wednesday, 18:30
• Cafe Society: Every last Wednesday, 14:00
• Thursday Book Club: Every last Thursday, 18:45

Please get in touch if you would like to lead a subgroup.

For a list of the reading lists for our book groups, please go to our website or check the reminders on our Facebook group.

Walks for the Walk ‘n’ Talk will be listed on our website as soon as they have been planned.

Find Us Online

• Email: thehivewi@gmail.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/thehivewi
• Facebook group (members only): facebook.com/groups/thehivewi
• Twitter: twitter.com/thehivewi
• Website: thehivewi.com
• You can also search for us on Google Calendar using our email address.