Signpost 5 (18 May)

Welcome back to the St. Monica Trust Signpost. We have had some lovely feedback from you about our list of activities including from David who is using the chess website to improve his skills and Jeff who enjoyed the video from Bristol town centre in the 1950s. Each week we look across the internet to find activities, websites and other opportunities that can get you interested, keep you connected or just make you smile.

During this week in history Marilyn Monroe performed a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for President John F. Kennedy for his forty-fifth birthday in 1962, scores of Mods and Rockers were arrested after violent clashes at seaside resorts on the south coast of England, and in 1932 Amelia Earhart became the first women to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

REFLECT

• To commemorate the 75^th anniversary of Victory in Europe, Cote Lane’s new Chaplain Rod Cosh conducted a service from the chapel. You can watch it here: https://vimeo.com/416311801

• Another Signpost reader, Martha said that she was sad to have missed the centenary service on 4th May. You can catch up on it here which features a range of pastoral care staff new and old!

CONNECT

• Social media is one of those terms that seems to have come from nowhere in the last few years. Friends and family talk about it, supermarkets reference it on their advertising, and even GP surgeries are referring people to social media for more information. People assume that everyone knows what it means; but what is social media?

LEARN

• Due to coronavirus, the Chelsea Flower Show has moved online for 2020. The Royal Horticultural Society still want to celebrate gardening and between 18^th and 23^rd May they will be sharing videos and inspirational articles as well as interactive lunchtime question and answer sessions and behind the scenes tours. You do need to register on the RHS website by typing in your email address and choosing a password but you will then be able to enjoy the whole range of activities at the virtual flower show.

• The 18th of May is International Museums day and although we can’t physically get to them at the moment you can explore over 2,000 museums across the world virtually thanks to Google Arts and Culture. You can choose to find a museum by exploring on a world map or in an A to Z list.

DO

• Tai Chi has become very popular in recent years as a way of tightening muscles and creating physical and mental balance. You may want to find out more about Tai Chi before taking a beginners class with Dr Paul Lam.

FUN

• The National Theatre are releasing recordings of their most popular plays free online. Every Thursday they put a new play online that is available to watch for 7 days. “The Barbershop Chronicles” is available to watch until 21^st May and “A Streetcar Named Desire” featuring Gillian Anderson will be available from 7pm on 21^st May until 28^th May. You can watch the plays here https://www.youtube.com/user/ntdiscovertheatre and can find more information about the National Theatre here https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home