Federation Council Meetings are still happening but in between I also gratefully accepted invitations to attend the reception in Guildhall to mark the centenary of Girlguiding UK, and the launch of British Food Fortnight held in the Grand Hall, Westminster Cathedral.

When it comes to the former, Girlguiding UK, I was thrilled to be there not only as NFWI Chair but also an one of the first Guiding Ambassadors, being appointed in 2000, and as a Vice President in Cambs East. It was superb evening to celebrate such a great achievement; 100 yeas and looking forward to the next 100. I absolutely love the idea that at 20:10 on 20th October in 2010, everyone involved in guiding will affirm their promise across the world; a true example of sisters across the planet. I know many WI members are also involved in the world of Guiding.

British Food Fortnight, held from 18th September to 3rd October, will once again highlight local, seasonal and sustainable food from the British Isles. Set around the time of the traditional harvest festival, many organisations and institutions and individuals, WI members among them, take up the baton for British food. This will be partcularly important during the Olympics when the torch for British produce will shine even brighter when BFF celebrates during the fortnight of the Games in 2012; what a great event to look forward to already!

A very long time since the last blog - my excuse is completely WI. The month of March is always a busy month as many Federations hold their Annual Council Meeting. This year I have been invited to speak at a number of these meetings and they have taken me from one end of the country to another. It is a great privilege to attend these meetings and for me to speak to my fellow members. I learn of all the fun and exciting things on offer in each Federation as well as their triumphs over the past year. My travels have extended to Northern Ireland, where I offered greetings from NFWI to the Federation of WIs in Northern Ireland, and to Wales, where I spoke at the Conference of the Federations of Wales. The former is a separate organisation whilst the latter is very much part of the NFWI.

During this same month of March, I have spent several nights at our own Denman College. First I was a tutor at the workshop for new Federation Chairman and then I was at a conference on The Rainforests - a day organised to help delegates understand the plight of the indigenous peoples. A further day conference on the Honey Bee was especially interesting, with lashings of honey to taste too.

So much going on! I'm off again now, to the northern most part of the WI world - another Annual Council Meeting beckons.