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What a fantastic summer we’ve had this year. According to the weather reports, the best summer for 6 years. Some days it was just too hot to sit outside in the garden, so many of our residents sat on the benches under the front porch and enjoyed the feel of being outside, whilst being protected from the direct sunlight.

The ice-cream trolley made its usual round and vanilla and strawberry cones were enjoyed by all – a quick “cool me down” on a hot day. Our home-made ice-cream-making session was a great success, the results being a delicious, soft vanilla ice-cream served with fresh raspberries on the side – yummy!

The Weir Family Newsletter Autumn

2013

Welcome to our Autumn

Family Newsletter 2013

We were able to enjoy the “Al Fresco” experience and had an evening BBQ, with delicious sausages, bacon and onions, all served up in soft white bread rolls. The smell of the food cooking on the BBQ increased everyone’s appetite and I won’t mention any names, but some people ate 2 or even 3 hot-dogs. We had plenty of ketchup and relishes

and all sat around the table at the front and enjoyed fruit cocktails.

The only problem was the wasps, who all seemed to think it was great fun to come and make a nuisance of themselves!

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We have enjoyed some wonderful

summer birthday parties, where family

and friends were able to set up camp in

the garden for the afternoon. The parties

were held on Sunday afternoons and the

weather was fine and sunny. We were

able to open the double doors leading off

the Small Library and into the garden.

Our hairdresser of 18 years, Eileen Baron,

retired at the end of August – she didn’t

want a big fuss made and so we were

sworn to secrecy. However, she has

promised to come in and see us for a cup

of tea and slice of cake soon, so we can all

say a big thank-you to her for all her hard

work and dedicated service to The Weir.

We have a

new

hairdresser,

Sheila

Stratton, who

is settling in

very well.

Sheila will

continue to

visit every

Wednesday,

so please let

staff know if

you need an

appointment.

The Small Library is a multifunction room used by the hairdresser (Sheila) on Wednesdays, and by the massage and beauty therapist (Wendy) and the chiropodist (Bob) whenever needed. Many residents use this room when family and friends visit and enjoy reading or playing dominoes or

Scrabble. We will be working with Hereford College of Arts and some of their students during the coming months to turn the Small Library into a more welcoming environment. We feel there is a need for a “Reminiscence / Reflection / Nostalgia” room. We would love to create a calm, relaxed atmosphere, where residents can go and feel instantly at home. The furnishings, armchairs, etc. would need to be suitable for nursing home residents, but the room could be filled with items that bring back stimulating memories – eg. old Singer sewing machine, old knitting and sewing patterns from the 1940s and 50s. Sight, smell and touch are all very important and a great deal of thought would need to go into what would be used material-wise – eg. lavender bags would give a lovely aroma and can be very relaxing and calming.

Music too would be included – maybe an old gramophone and vintage radio that is in good working order. We want this room to be a happy, light room with a “feel good factor”, where residents look forward to spending time. We’re hoping to source vintage material and items of memorabilia from antique/charity shops, etc. This will take a lot of time, energy and enthusiasm if it’s going to be done properly, so it will be an ongoing project.

Wendy Morgan, massage and

beauty therapist, continues to visit

once a month, so if you need a

little pampering with a beauty

treatment or a relaxing massage,

let either myself or Teresa know

and we can arrange it for you.

As many of you will have already heard, Hereford Council are making a lot of cutbacks. At the moment we’re very fortunate to have the mobile library deliver books, CDs and audio tapes to us every 6 weeks. We hope this will continue. If there is a particular book you want to read, we can request this from the library for you.

ENTERTAINMENT John Hughes, a farmer from

Welshpool, came in and played his

guitar and sang country and

western songs one afternoon.

Two ladies got up and had a waltz,

which was lovely to watch. We

were so impressed with John that

we’ve booked him again for

November.

Trevor Santini always proves to be

very popular with everyone. He

sings a wide variety of songs that

everyone can join in with and sing

along to. We’re looking forward to

seeing his Christmas Show this

December.

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The Wye Singers, a group of 12 ladies who sing for charity,

came in one sunny afternoon. They donated their fee to

St. Michael’s Hospice. They sang songs from various

shows and performed a few poems that made us all smile.

We do try and offer a wide variety of musical

entertainment here at The Weir. Everyone’s tastes differ,

so if there’s any music that you particularly like to listen to,

please let us know and we’ll do our best for you.

Our summer plants were simply splendid this year—a big

thank-you to Michael and Zoltan for keeping them all

watered. They’re just starting to go over now, so will be

replaced with some winter violas and pansies. This month

is a very important month for forward planning to the

spring – spring bulbs provide the vital colour we all need in

the garden to get over the winter blues, so with this in

mind, tulip and daffodil bulbs will be planted up in the

window-boxes shortly.

Talking of

gardening – our

Gardening Club

with Alex Yorke

from Growing

Point has

started up

again and will

be held once a

month.

Nora and Ci (Pets As Therapy – PAT) visit us every week,

either on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning. It

all depends on Nora’s work commitments as to which day

she is able to visit, but we’re always very pleased to see

them both.

Mulberry Bush

The mulberry bush in the garden is extremely old and

could be dated as far back as 1760. During the

Great Storm in 1987, the middle trunk was taken out by

the storm and so what remains today are the side

branches. We’re welcome to pick the fruit, although this

year it’s been covered with horrid little black flies. The fruit

itself is very tasty and rarely found in shops. It’s usually

ripe during 3 weeks in August and September.

Traditionally the fruit should be gathered by shaking the

branches over a sheet spread on the ground, but our

residents here at The Weir enjoy picking them and eating

them straight away.

As we wave goodbye to summer and say a golden hello to

Autumn, we look forward to cosy slippers, snuggling under

blankets, eating lots of warm comforting foods and

settling down to watch Strictly Come Dancing and

Downton Abbey (well that’s what I have planned).

The leaves on the trees in the garden at The Weir are just beginning to turn colour and very soon I’m sure we’ll be treated to some spectacular autumn shades of red, gold and brown.

I went out and collected some acorns the other day and noticed the smoke bush has changed from a glorious pink to a light brown.

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CQC Inspection

The Weir had its annual unannounced CQC inspection on

2nd September and again we’re pleased to announce that

we’re fully compliant. Some of the lovely comments made

to the Inspector by our residents were “I can’t fault them

for the care they take with everything” and “I’ve only got

to ring and they come straight away”. One relative

informed the Inspector that they could not fault the staff

and that they really do care about the people who live

here. The Inspector commented positively on the

knowledge of the activity staff regarding their

understanding of

the importance of

the therapeutic

value of keeping

people mentally

and physically fit

and she saw lots of

evidence

throughout the day

of this.

Other comments she

made were that the

home smelled clean

and fresh, staff had

the skills and

knowledge they

needed for their work

and that evidence

showed that the

service we provide

was effective and

well led.

A copy of the

full inspection

report will be

available in

reception

should you

wish to see it.

Rita Mills

Meal out to Portway – Tuesday 15th October

Some of our residents will be having a trip out to the local

Portway Inn on the above date for lunch. We’ve booked a

minibus for an 11.45am pick-up. This will be our first trip

out for some time, so we’re very much looking forward to

it. As you can appreciate, we’re not able to take everyone

due to numbers involved, etc., but if all goes well on the

day, we’ll repeat it again in the future.

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Our Poetry Workshop, which involves working with a poet

from the Hereford Courtyard Theatre, will start up again in

October and run each week for 10 weeks. We’re hoping

that some of the poems we produce will be published in a

book which will go on sale – we do hope that as many of

you as possible will attend these sessions and look forward

to working with Jean, who will be our tutor for these

Workshops.

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The local Forget-Me-Not Club from Staunton-on-Wye will

be coming to see us for a game of bingo and a raffle in

October. It’s been a while since their last visit due to

summer holidays.

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We have lots of entertainment planned for the Autumn.

The children from the local Primary School at Staunton-on

-Wye are coming in to sing harvest songs for us and we will

be holding a Harvest Festival Service with Holy

Communion at the end of October. We have so much to

be thankful for – living in such beautiful surroundings and

having plenty of lovely food to eat. Driving to work each

day along these narrow country roads, I often get stuck

this time of year behind a tractor and trailer carrying

potatoes and on the way home in the evening, the farmers

are still working, often late into the night, busy gathering

in the harvest.

********************************************

Tom Fitch will be showing his slides on Norway. He had to

cancel his session with us last week due to feeling unwell.

********************************************

Mr Bamboozle, a magician, will be visiting us in November

for a fun-filled magic show. This will be the first time we’ve

booked a magician – I thought it would make a nice

change.

********************************************

Jeanette McCulloch is coming in again to work on a new

project for the Autumn/Winter. I thought maybe we could

look at doing something creative that could be completed

by Christmas. My idea was a Christmas landscape scene

which we could build up to completing in time for the

festive season and displaying it in one of the main rooms

downstairs.

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Big Tea Cake-Off Competition – Saturday 26th October

We’re holding this fun competition for the first time this

year. Anyone of any age can enter. We have 3 categories

– 4 Individual Cupcakes (decorated), the Tastiest Cake and

the Most Original

Creation. It’s 50p for

each entry and you

can enter as many as

you wish. Please

write your name on a

piece of paper and

stick it under the

plate, so we know

whose is whose

(hidden from the judges’ view). We’re very fortunate to

have Julia Thomas from Cake Angels and her husband as

judges. Cakes can be brought in beforehand, but must be

at The Weir no later than 11.30am on Saturday 26th

October. We will be selling the cakes off afterwards in

individual slices, so you can buy a selection to take home.

Prize money will be awarded for the 1st prize in each

category. Tea, coffee and cakes will be served from

3.00pm, plus a raffle will be held. So come on – what are

you waiting for? Get

baking! We hope you will

support us on this day, as

all money raised will go to

St. Michael’s Hospice in

Hereford. If anyone

would like to enter a cake

or help in any way on the day, please speak to me. We’re

always grateful for an extra pair of hands.

Talking of extra help – a big THANK-YOU to Judy, Ron and

Trixie, our wonderful volunteers, who come in on a regular

basis to help out. Your help doesn’t go unnoticed.

Food Safety Points Advice to visitors

1. If you wish to bring in food gifts it’s best to bring in low risk foods such as washed fruit, biscuits and chocolate.

2. Avoid bringing in hot foods.

3. Do not use raw egg in foods that will not be cooked thoroughly, such as mousse, icing and desserts.

4. Store and transport home-made or unpacked foods in a clean, sealable container.

5. Make sure that any foods with a ‘use by’ date, cooked food, or cakes and desserts containing cream are kept in the fridge—it’s a good idea to transport these types of food in a cool bag or box, especially in hot weather.

Wedding

Congratulations

to Irene and

Mark Evans

from everyone

at The Weir.

Women’s Land

Army

Olive Knight, one of our residents, was awarded 2

Women’s Land Army (WLA) Proficiency badges and

certificates during her 4 years in the service – one for

general farming and hops and the second for dairy work.

Olive says “I don’t recall complaining about poor wages –

job satisfaction and the respect of old and experienced

farmhands being more important. But I did have a grouse

about the totally inadequate working clothes we’d been

issued, especially for winter wear, and we scrounged

clothing coupons in order to purchase more suitable

clothes. My best ‘find’ was a pair of second-hand ex-army

boots which, when regularly ‘Dubbinned’, kept out icy

slush, etc., while ‘capes’ of thick hessian sacks kept our

shoulders dry, or nearly dry.

From my home and office job in war-torn north-west

London, I’d been given the option of going into the factory

or the Services. I joined the WLA in October 1941 and by

the end of the

second year

had learned to

milk, to feed

stock and to

drive most

vehicles and

farm

machinery.

For a year I

drove 20 miles

each morning,

delivering milk from a small van to local and outlying

cottages up stony tracks, muddy lanes, even across fields

sometimes. Winter conditions often becoming impossible

for my little van, so I would continue on foot, carrying my

heavy crate, but always rewarded with a cup of steaming

cocoa!

At hop-picking time, we would take milk to the ‘pickers’ in

the evening, offering a ‘cheap rate’ to mothers with babies

(the same babies in different wraps being presented at

least 3 times!). All this in the beautiful, unspoilt county of

Herefordshire – a life-changing experience for me.”

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Remembrance Day Service

This will be held on Monday 11th November with Canon

Maureen Palmer in the Sitting Room at 2.00pm.

Holy Communion will be given for those of you who wish

and a British Legion poppy box will be available in the front

reception area if anyone wants a poppy to wear.

Christmas Fayre – Saturday 23rd November

Our Annual Christmas Fayre will be held on the above date

at 2.00pm. Once again, we’ll have a selection of stalls

available – Sue and Irene (our cooks) will be busy preparing

a selection of tasty Christmas goodies, including mince

pies and Christmas cakes, cranberry & port sauce, mango

chutney, blackberry & apple jam and piccalilli & plum

chutney (my mouth is watering already!). There will also

be a selection of hand-crafted gifts for sale. We’ll be

having a residents’ stall, which will include bric-a-brac and

books. Teas, coffees and refreshments will be served and

we’ll have a raffle. All proceeds will go to our Residents’

Fund, so if anyone would like to donate anything, please

see either myself or Teresa. Once again, any help on the

day would be appreciated.

Well, I think that just about covers all the news here at

The Weir for now. The nights are drawing in and it will

soon be time to start feeding the birds again. I must admit

I love the autumn season, but don’t look forward to

de-icing the car in the mornings.

Chrissy

PS: I’ve booked the pantomime Aladdin for Wednesday

15th January at 2.00pm in the Sitting Room – guaranteed to

bring a smile to your face – “Oh no it won’t”, “Oh yes it

will”!

Thank-You’s

To Barbara Spanjers, Pauline Jones’ daughter for the CDs

and DVDs she donated to the home.

Also to Carol Powell, Barbara Powell’s daughter, for the

very tasty strawberries she donated for everyone.

And to Bob Masters for the lovely vegetables.

We’ve had the following news from Michelle Creed of

Musical Movement:

“First shock was the baby is a girl! We were convinced it

would be a boy – however, your “Crystal Chrissy” predicted

a girl! So what a wonderful surprise she was. Little Ruby

Seren Creed was

born 2 weeks late

on 11th August.

Weighing a very

healthy 9lb 1oz,

she was 54cm in

length – long

baby! She’s very

healthy and I’m

feeding her

myself, so she’s

growing fast! I

love being a mum

and I’m lucky to

have a very

supportive

husband and

family. Ruby is a lovely baby – very content and only cries

when windy – luckily not too often, thanks to the magical

gripe water! We’ve been truly blessed and love her very

much. Please give my love to all residents, visitors and

staff.”

Purchases

Many purchases have been made over the past few

months. We’ve purchased new bed linen, eiderdowns and

pillows – lovely new soft pillows, just right for snuggling

down on these colder nights, and crisp white bed linen,

hand towels, bedside lamps and new kitchen equipment

have all been purchased recently.

Cards for Sale

There is always a good variety and selection of good

quality cards at very reasonable prices in the front

reception area. The larger cards are £1 each and the

smaller ones £1.50 for 2.

The Weir Nursing Home Swainshill Hereford HR4 7QF Tel: 01981 590229

Fax: 01981 590445

E-mail: admin@weirnursinghome.plus.com

Web: www.weirnursinghome.co.uk