Hi Women, I was going to begin this by talking about how quickly the AGM has come around, then I read an article about the definition of getting older and one of the first things on the list was, obsessing about the speed with which time passes! So I decided not to mention it at all. Instead, I wanted to talk something Sandi Toksvig said. This was in a televised interview, I don’t want to give the impression that Sandi and I are close friends, although we did once go to The Royal Albert Hall together, (well, to be strictly accurate, she was hosting the Stonewall Equality Show, and I was in the audience) Anyway, back to the point, (wandering off at a tangent was another sign of getting older, but hey…) Sandi has written a book called Girls are Best, and during her always hilarious discussion of this, a few staggering statistics emerged. For example, it is estimated that women do 75% of the worlds work, yet they earn only 20% of the money. As if that’s not bad enough, how much of the worlds property is actually owned by women? Well it’s a miserly, disgraceful 1%. Then, since the beginning of the space programme, there have been 157 active astronauts, and how many of them have been women? Apparently it’s six, and the reason why? Space suits are not made in womens sizes AND, the handles on the outside of space ships that astronauts hold onto during space walks, are too far apart for a small woman to reach!!! These are just some of the reasons why I call myself a feminist. Feminism is largely seen as being no longer relevant as our glorious press frequently talk of us being in the post feminist age. Well the statistics above demonstrate how far from feminism we are, let alone post feminism. Would any of you be interested in meeting up to form what could be the modern equivalent of a consciousness raising group? Bras, mirrors and dungarees optional!!

I hope you have all received your AGM email. The agendas will be coming out tomorrow. If there’s anything you wanted on the agenda that you haven’t already told me about, you can raise it in Any Other Business. Here’s to a great AGM.

I’ve been struggling with a chest infection this week so apologies if emails haven’t been answered with my usual enthusiastic alacrity.

The high spot of this week was during my first venture beyond my own four walls yesterday with my bird watching buddy. We went to a windswept St Mary’s Island and there on the rocks, on the seaward side of the lighthouse, was a single, solitary short eared owl. Clearly newly arrived from Norway and resting on her first sight of land (Trust me, there is absolutely no other reason for an owl to be in such a bleak, inhospitable place) Fabulous.

Have a great November and see you at the AGM