Our residents saw in the New Year at Abberton Manor with an afternoon party – lots of fun and games and laughter playing Bruce’s Play Your Cards Right. We popped the prosecco and toasted in the New Year, reflecting on our 2024 highlights and plans for 2025.
Highlights included everything from our Summer Fete, BBQ's and afternoon teas in the garden - a lot of us are wishing for sunshine - or at least the rain to stop! Trying different teas on National Tea Day. Minibeast visits and holding a corn snake. Our Operation Christmas Child shoe box appeal. 100th birthday celebrations and all the fun of the run up to Christmas and the BIG day itself.
Our New Year's resolutions
So far, we have stuck to our New Year’s resolutions! Firstly, to keep fit. We are continuing our seated exercise sessions with Gunni of Kiddleydivey. Over the festive period we had a Yoga taster session with Jack which everyone enjoyed, so we have scheduled more sessions this year. And we have also just tried a RISE seated exercise taster session.
All of this exercise is rather necessary now we have weekly cookery sessions with the children of Langenhoe Primary School! All those cakes and treats we shall be making – although we do have healthy recipes too. We have some very good bakers here, who are delighted to be able to share their cookery skills with the children.
Another resolution is to be outside more and in spite of the gloomy days this January, we try to be outside as much as possible. With our garden and grounds such a haven for nature, we like to make the most of it. Two of our residents are keen birdwatchers and everyone is keeping our bird feeders stocked for the RSPB Big Birdwatch Weekend from 24th to 26thJanuary.
And we want to do something new and learn new things. We stand by the saying that “you are never too old to learn new things”. The first thing we learnt was that 6th January is Bean Day, coinciding with the death of famous geneticist, Gregor Mendel in 1884. Mendel used bean pea plants to develop theories of genetics in plants. Interesting to learn about him and we had a delicious sausage and bean casserole for tea!
We are broadening our minds with armchair travel adventures across the world. Passports at the ready, our first stop was Australia. We found out who had ventured Down Under and seen a kangaroo! Through January and February, we are off to Egypt, Italy, Spain and Wales. Also, China to celebrate the Chinese New Year, the year of the snake. These travel days include craft, quizzes, fact sheets, games, bingo and the food and drink of each country.
And threading through all these resolutions is to have more fun! That often involves music and we have Carly coming back to sing for residents and Musical Moments with Libby.
