Residents at Hill House have been celebrating the British summer fair this week. They have been getting creative, make the stands for the coconut shy. In cooking club, they baked delicious traditional sausage rolls and enjoyed eating them warm with a cup of tea. Throughout the week they have taken part in various fair games such as hook a duck, coconut shy and tin can alley and have won plenty of prizes.
We started the week with summer fair preparations, and it was all hands-on deck to get the stands painted ready for the coconut shy later in the week.
In the garden view lounge, we enjoyed a morning of gentle hand massages. Hand massages have been shown to improves circulation, joint flexibility, muscle tone and strength. Massage for elders also reduces pain and swelling, lowers blood pressure and decreases stress, fear and anxiety.
On Monday afternoon the sun was shining and while some of us spent time out in the garden with family and friend’s others enjoyed doing a group giant crossword together.
Joining in with some musical instruments to an afternoon of music and singing
Plenty of gentle exercise on Tuesday morning with a game of balloon bounce followed by a game of skittles,
Then a round of card games before lunch
It’s nice to keep busy and help out with the washing up
Making the most of the sunshine some of us had a sing a long out in the garden while others turned their hand to the classic fair ground game, tin can alley
Enjoying a bit of therapeutic colouring in the garden view lounge
A group of us got together on Wednesday morning for a “can you name 5 “challenge, we challenged each other to name 5 things, such as 5 things that fly or 5 makes of car.
Others enjoyed a skittles match, getting competitive with each other
On Wednesday afternoon the air was filled with the smell of freshly baked sausage rolls. Mixing, rolling, filling, cutting and glazing. It was a joint group effort in making a large batch of traditional sausage rolls in cooking club. Once they were made and cooked it was time to relax and enjoy eating them with a cup of tea and a chat.
Over in garden view it was a relaxing afternoon out in the sun, smelling the flowers and seeing how the grapes are doing on our grape vine.
We played backgammon, read the paper, reminisced and chatted and enjoyed a little gentle exercise with the beach ball.
We all look forward to the weekly visit from Terresa our lovely hairdresser on Thursdays, as well as our weekly flower arranging group with all the beautiful fresh flowers
The clever interactive machines were used in all lounges on Thursday morning, either on the table where we can touch the images to make them move or projected onto the floor as a target for a game of floor darts
Another fairground classic this afternoon, hook a duck, with prizes if the duck was marked on the bottom. Lots of fun and only a little cheating.
Other residents enjoyed the challenge of a game of coconut shy
Keeping fit and exercising is important and balloon bounce is a fun way to get in some stretching exercise on a Friday morning.
Followed by a game of Bruce’s play your cards right
More flowers to be arranged on garden view
along with updating our photo scrap books
It was the main lounges turn to have a go at the coconut shy on Friday afternoon. Did you know that there are references to coconut shy’s being played at fairs back in the late 1800s when coconuts would have been seen as an exotic prize?
On garden view it was time to have a go at hook a duck with lots of prizes being won
It was a men’s team vs a women’s team in a game of giant snakes and ladders. Lots of cheering and booing as we climbed ladders and slid down snakes. It was a close game with the women’s team just beating the men to the finish line
Teeing off on garden view for a game of mini golf
Saturday afternoon it’s time for a weekend movie with a pot of pick and mix sweets
Jigsaws and wordsearches always keep us entertained and get our grey matter going.
A visit from a dog got us reminiscing, as did sorting through the pile of fabrics. Many of us use to do a lot of sowing and sorting the fabrics out reminded us of the many outfits and things we have made over the years.
Sunday morning is time for a church service online with a chance to sing a long to all our favourite hymns
A group game of floor Bowles is always a popular choice for a Sunday afternoon.
