Updates from Rosie, Margaret, Kevin and Eleanor

By Andrew -
A few more contributions from Green Gym members on what would usually be our work day:

How's everyone doing? Saturday morning does not seem right without you and for some ridiculous reason I set my alarm this morning, never do that on a Saturday but most of this week I haven't had a clue which day it is!

Anyway I've learnt new skills this week, had to download and connect for a meeting on Zoom, are you impressed?  Quite a challenge for me but it was great to see friends and have a good natter. I'm sure lots of you have been doing things like that.

Now my kids are wanting to use the Houseparty App!... how easily we can all be connected these day, it's wonderful particularly for those of us living alone.

These are photos of the care home where I work and have been this week. So far we have managed to keep our 'family' there safe but a number of staff are off, including my jobshare, so I will be at Framland extra hours over the next two weeks at least. It's useful to us that the uni & schools are closed because we have several young people on  bank staff who are coming in to help with housekeeping and kitchen work.

I only have one tree in my garden and have enjoyed watching the blossom breaking out over the last few days sunny days, every year I wait with bated breath to see if I may be going to have a plum harvest in August!

Finally a picture from my front garden of the flower I have taught my granddaughters to call Please Don't Forget Me!

Take care of yourselves, speak soon.
-Rosie
Framland


The plum tree with blossom.



The 'please don't forget me' flowers!






























Inspired by an afternoon zoom chat appointment with Sally, I decided to see if I had the ingredients available to bake a cake.

Turning out self raising flour, some sugar from eons ago (I rarely buy sugar), baking powder, and eggs,  I thought - yep I could make a cake with that, now what flavour- well I have lemons, and an orange, let’s have a go.

So this morning I set about it and while I was already in the kitchen with the oven on thought I would make some cheese scones to boot.

Roll on a couple of hours and they’re baked and I’ve had a slice with a cup of tea whilst chatting to Sally on zoom. All is well 😊
-Margaret














The frogs have been busy over the last couple of weeks in our pond, I will pass on any progress in the hatchery as they develop.
-Kevin


















And finally an update from Eleanor, including a joke (presumably devised before Prince Charles developed Covid-19 and when hospital visits were still possible!):

 Sorry I haven’t contributed anything to the blog so far. I’m not being creative/reading “War and Peace” (actually, I’ve read it.)/painting water colours/learning Mandarin. I’ve been looking after my 3 year old grandson while my son and daughter-in-law work from home i.e.here in Abingdon. I end the day totally exhausted, but with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the exploits of Peppa Pig.

Anyway, here is a joke:

Prince Charles goes to visit a hospital in Glasgow. He approaches a bed and speaks to a patient, “What do you do?”
The patient replies, “Fair fa’ yer honest, sonsie face, great chieftain of the pudden race”
Unable to understand a word, the prince smiles stiffly and moves on to the next bed.
“How long have you been here?”
The patient replies,” Some hae meat and cannae eat and some wad eat that want it.”
Again, the prince is totally flummoxed and moves on to the next bed.
“How is your recovery progressing?”
The patient replies, “Wee sleekit, cowering, timorous beastie, Oh what a panic in thy breastie.”
Utterly bemused, the prince turns to the doctor and asks, “Is this a psychiatric ward?”
“No sir”, replies the doctor. It’s a Serious Burns Unit”. 
-Eleanor

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pinkhill Meadow Nature Reserve, Farmoor Reservoir, 16th March 2019

By Andrew -
Image
Another week, another new site for the Abingdon Green Gym! We met at the car park at Farmoor Reservoir, a healthy turn out of 17 of us, including French father Sebastien, and his eleven-year old son, Maelo, who was joining us for a school project. The session was led by James under the instruction of Hanna Jenkins, the warden of Pinkhill Meadow Nature Reserve, so called because it is right on the banks of the River Thames, just near Pinkhill Lock. It was another blustery day. Will this crazy wind ever let up? We followed Hanna in convoy round the edge of the reservoir, which was choppy to say the least, and parked up on the other side where it was thankfully a little calmer, the high banks of the reservoir providing some shelter. Equipped with our tools, gloves and goggles, we made our way onto the spot on the nature reserve where we were to do our work. Hanna told us that the reserve had been formed in 1991, but some aspects had been neglected over the last ten years. The aim...
Read more

Kennington Memorial Field, 29th October 2016

By Andrew -
We have been working at Kennington Memorial Field for a number of years now, clearing scrub from the slopes so that the valley remains an area of grassland and wild flowers. This time Rachel from Oxford Preservation Trust was in charge and led us down to the lower end of the field, where we were to cut back the trees and bushes by several metres and burn the scrub on a bonfire. We were joined by some families with children of varying ages, the youngest only three, who had answered a local appeal for volunteers. We set to work and soon we had a bonfire going. Even the children who were too young to use loppers and saws joined in, carrying branches to the bonfire pile. Despite the drizzly weather they all worked cheerfully. At tea break time we enjoyed some delicious snacks that Rachel had brought and a tin of chocolates supplied by Michele. We found two old birds' nests in the course of the morning and cutting back the scrub revealed a log pile with a rabbit hole under...
Read more

Jarn Mound and Wild Garden, Boars Hill, 12th November 2016

By Andrew -
Image
Four weeks after our last session with the Oxford Preservation Trust at Boars Hill, we returned, albeit at Jarn Mound this time rather than the Elizabeth Daryush Garden; which had been our venue in October. We again met with  Rachel Sanderson of the trust, who along with our leader of the day, James, outlined the tasks for the morning.  Primarily, we were to clear the mound itself of scrub and tree saplings that had taken root there, with the intention of restoring it to its original state.  There were also some flatter areas of the garden that required clearing, for the less intrepid among us. Unfortunately, the day had begun a little on the inclement side.  Indeed as we arrived, the rain fell persisently, making many of us wonder if the session would go ahead at all!  But of course, the Green Gymmers are renowned for working whatever the weather, and the damp conditions did not deter us. A couple of problems were immediately evident due to the rain...
Read more