Hello…I hope you all enjoyed the lovely late sunshine in October.

Two favourite activities at the Manor are Flower Arranging and Knitting…..Joyce has been leading these activities for years!!….Thank you Joyce.

As ever lots of music has been enjoyed over the month….most of our residents have a passion for musicals….Carousel was requested as was Anything Goes.

Again I am absolutely amazed and delighted when most join in with the songs….remembering all of the lyrics…..’If I Loved You’ was a favourite along with ‘June is Busting Out All Over’ and ‘When the Children Are Asleep’  and of course the title song from ’Anything goes’…..feet were a tapping!

Our gentleman who entertains us by playing the piano was telling us about the time that he worked for the BBC as an Orchestral Librarian and provided all the music for the Studio Big Bands….we just have to mention a song and he almost always remembers who sang or wrote it!

We had a chat about the Royal Wedding which prompted a reminiscence about our own weddings…..one in Beckenham with 2 Bridesmaids in apricot and herself having a small train on her dress.

Another in Chiswick, London just after the war where a dress was borrowed from her sister….being hard to come across a veil one was made out of netting….there were 2 Maids of Honour one in peach and one in blue and roses were carried….Pareham was a memory of another bride where a pale blue suit with royal blue stars was worn and a white prayer book carried.  (this may have actually been during the war)….Camden Road in South London was another memory where red and white roses were carried.

Then all of a sudden there was a scream followed by lots of laughter!……a Carer saw a huge spider climbing up the wall…..even the two male Chefs came to see this ‘enormous’ ?? creature and possibly save us!……dear Linda just took a glass…covered the spider and took it outside without any fuss whilst we had a real giggle!…..we did not want anything squashed especially on Richard’s newly painted wall!

Another topic which was prompted by the reports about Recreational Grounds being removed or built on….remembering where we played as children…Beckenham Recreation Ground where there were slides and swings, a park in Ellington Road Ramsgate, Wivelsfield Recreation Ground, a park opposite woods in Coulsdon and Ravensbury Park in Surrey where there were lots of ducks! (I used to visit there too when I was young!)

We finished off the month after our Exercising with listening to The Polperro Fisherman’s Choir….the first song was Sailing….our lovely gentleman who I spoke about earlier remembered it was originally sung by Rod Stuart!

Most of the family spent a lovely half-term in Polperro….sun shining, a boat trip to Looe with everybody,  Zoe and Alan did lots of walking as well,  John and I walked to Talland Bay from Polperro over the cliffs with Sally-Ann, Mike and the boys….phew lovely but very steep up and down!  The boys went crabbing and even went in the sea it was so warm!  Whilst all this was going on our son made a call to let us know he had just delivered a new baby daughter!! (home birth and before the Midwife arrived!)…..needless to say we all had a celebratory drink!  A new little sister to Jasper and Willow and cousins to Reuben and Eddie….new addition is called Pixie Robin!……

Bye for now…see you soon