This week at Hill house we have been celebrating national afternoon tea week. The afternoon tea is one of the most quintessential of English customs. Residents helped prepare for our afternoon tea party by making Victoria sponge cakes and beautiful flower table decorations.
They had an afternoon of trying different teas and learning about them. There was a morning guessing the names of different types of cakes, with our picture cake quiz, as well as lots of exercises, games, and arts and crafts throughout the week.
Monday morning saw us start the week with a large beachball to kick around, exercising and stretching our legs ready for the week ahead. While in our garden View lounge we also played ball games to music. Exercise is a great way to not only keep supple and fit but also boosts energy and improves moods.
Monday afternoons picture quiz, naming the different types of cakes, turned into a lovely afternoon of reminiscing about cakes we have made and what our favourite cakes are.
After all the talk about cakes made us hungry so we all agreed that it was then time for tea and cake.
Getting creative with the watercolour paints brought back memories of old pastimes and a sense of satisfaction.
Tuesday morning started with some reminiscing and arts and crafts. We do so many wonderful activities at Hill House that it is nice to look back at photos of what we have done and to add new photos to our personal keepsake photo books.
Dominoes is always a popular game but today we decided that we would recreate a childhood game of making a domino train instead. It took a lot of concentration and fine motor skills to carefully balance the dominos in a row, then the best part came as we pushed over the first dominos and watched them all fall down.
Tuesday afternoon saw the main lounge filled with beautiful sound of classical tunes being played on the home’s piano by our talented care partner Dorina. We all enjoyed the magical sound of live music.
Humming along to songs we knew and conducting and clapping in time to the music left us feeling content and relaxed.
Wednesday morning saw us preparing cakes for the following day’s afternoon tea party. Lot of us have spent many hours of our lives busy in the kitchen baking and making cakes. We put all those years of experience to good use this morning weighing ingredients, cracking eggs and mixing enough cake mixture to make two traditional Victoria sponges.
Once the cakes were cooked and cooled and the lounge was filled with the smell of freshly baked cake, we got busy whisking fresh cream, (which was a good workout for our arms) chopping strawberries and assembled the Victoria sponge cakes. One with jam and cream the other with fresh strawberries and cream.
Did you know that the Victoria sponge should really be The Royal Victoria Sponge, as its name harks back to Queen Victoria herself, who was said to enjoy a slice of the delicious cake with her traditional English afternoon tea.
Spending the day making the cakes from start to finish provides us with immense satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment. After all our hard work we decided to enjoy one of the cakes with a well-earned cup of tea
Thursday morning, we continued preparing for that afternoon’s tea party by arranging the flowers into beautiful displays ready to go on the tables.
The bright colours of the flower, the smell and feel of them provides a wonderful sensory experience that bring back memories of gardens and being given flowers by loved ones.
For some the creativity continued with some painting of tea time pictures
Fun and laughter fill the dining room as we all came together on Thursday afternoon. Tables were laid with the fine china and the cake stands filled ready to be served with a hot cup of freshly brewed tea.
So many cakes to choose from that some came back for seconds and even thirds
Care partners who were visiting their family helped serve tea as well as enjoying the atmosphere and time with their loved ones
Once the tea party was over there was still work to be done and some of us helped to lay the tables for supper and help chef to open a suborn jar. These activities of daily living make us feel useful and valued.
Friday morning began with a game of Trivial Pursuit, providing exercise throwing the bean bags and then answering questions on the subject circle it landed on.
The game required both accurate throwing skills as well as a good general knowledge
On garden View residents enjoyed a morning of games and jigsaws
Saturday morning saw us trying a variety of different teas, including various fruit and herb flavours as well as some cold brews. At the end most of us agreed that we all prefer a cup of standard tea.
Not so sure about some of the flavours.
We learnt lots of interesting facts about the properties of the different teas as we tried them.
Newspapers and a good book being read over in the garden view lounge
The weekend started with a group jigsaw, getting the grey matter going. This is a good chance to chat and catch up with friends too.
Old photos bring back such sweet memories
Saturday weekend movie chosen by the men this week, who opted for a Clint Eastwood movie that was enjoyed by all
Birthday Celebration time on Saturday afternoon with family and friends in the garden
Birthday cake made by our talented chef
On Saturday afternoon in the garden view lounge, we got some exercise throwing and catching a ball.
Building a tower like this takes concentration, skill and patience
Sunday morning in the main lounge we played a game of Kerplunk where you have to carefully remove the sticks without letting the marbles that are balanced on top fall.
Sorting the vegetables on a gardening puzzle
Sunday afternoon on the interactive table or enjoying some therapeutic colouring, while others chose to watch a Sunday church service on the television
