Down The Alley...

... or jitty, ginnel, twitter, snicket,gunnel, loke... We have some fabulous dialect words for those little paths here in the UK. Sadly in some parts of the country they have become very neglected. In areas of dense housing, the paths running behind the rows of terraced houses are real eyesore. Too narrow for modern bin lorries, residents keep their wheelie bins in front of their properties. And the alleys are unused, unloved and ugly

So well done to the people who try to make a difference. Some of the residents in these Manchester houses have been collaborating to turn a eyesore into an eye-catching display. Rotting rubbish turned in a place of beauty. All the residents are asked to make a small contribution to the cost, and those with gardening skills put it all together. And because it is so lovely, it discourages littering and people take delight,in maintaining it.  And George and Jacob can enjoy going home safely walking among the flowers to their back garden gate.

What is your local word for alley? Are there any "Community Garden Projects" near you? 

I Got U Babe!

 Did you see Cher in this slightly odd ad? 

TV channels Drama, Yesterday, Dave have all combined under the umbrella of "U". Last week when I was recuperating for a couple of days after my dental work, I watched some programmes I'd almost forgotten about. Like Howard's Way.  That was meant to be the BBC's answer to Dallas [with boats instead of oil] Those dreadful 1980s Fashions! The women must have got through so many cans of Elnett Hairspray. Do you remember that one?

There are newer shows, including quite a few crime dramas. I may finally get round to watching the Whitstable Pearl. And I'm looking forward to Annika with Nicola Walker. I enjoyed the original radio programmes set in Scandinavia, and will be interested to see how well her relocation to the UK works. I shan't bother with Sister Boniface, she irritates me! 

It is a free channel, but the price you pay is seemingly interminable advert breaks,which often inexplicably happen mid-sentence. 

At least the rebranding means they will stop those irritating adverts saying "There's only one channel called Drama" 

Have you caught up with U yet? 

There's A Mouse In The House

[Plus Six More Besides]

 Katie posted this on the BBCM Facebook Page over the weekend...

I cannot wait to take Jess on the Mouse Trail...

Young Scientists!

UCL - University College London is consistently ranked among the top ten universities in the world, and rated 2nd in the UK for research power. It was the first British University to award degrees to women - and 150 years ago was a pioneer in Engineering Education. This year, to celebrate a century and a half of that Engineering, UCL held a festival, showcasing all the brilliant stuff they do.

Jon was heavily involved in planning and delivering this event - and got tickets for Rosie, Jess,Bob and myself to visit on Saturday. It was great fun, and we learned lots [and I was too busy to take more pictures]

The girls learned about blood, brains and bones. And lasers, and undersea exploration, and scanners...and so much more

I was impressed by the patient way students explained things to all the children [and adults] The atmosphere was lovely. Jess loved her wristband [which she insisted on calling her bandage] Then a rather splashy handwashing session after lunch in Leon caused it to completely disintegrate. The girl on the entrance desk cheerfully gave her a new one. As the afternoon wore on, we had a quick trip to the Playground next door. 

Jess and I got the bus home, and Rosie and Bob stayed on for a lecture in Bloomsbury Theatre with Andrew Smyth, aerospace engineer, creator and judge of Netflix Baking Impossible. When she got home later, Ro told me all about materials and floating and sinking - how they each had a rice krispie cake and a chocolate button to assist with the experiments. She was positively bubbling with excitement. And did you know, Grandma, that Cadbury's Mini Rolls are the favourite snack of cross channel swimmers? Because if you are attempting this feat, you are not allowed to touch the people accompanying you in the support boat. But CMRs float - so they can throw you a snack and you can gobble it up without breaking the rules! [Its chocolate coat helps it float]

The girls both consider themselves part of the UCL family - their parents work there, and both have loved belonging to the staff nursery. Rosie met up with a buddy from her nursery days and they had a great chat together.

So much work goes into an event like this, and I was so glad we could go with the children. It was all free, too. If it encourages more young people to think about a career in engineering or research, it will be worth al the hard work.

Thank you Jon, and the rest of your team, for making this festival happen!

Thank You Catriona

Catriona is one of my wonderful blog friends I have yet to meet In Real Life, although we've progressed beyond comments to emails and phone calls, which is lovely. Her OH is a Shedman too, we have lots in common.

Bob and I got back last night from 3 fantastic days in London looking after the girls whilst their Mum and Dad were away. I will post pictures later of the places we went. But I'm too drained after lots of eating, walking, laughing, and being hugged. So I'm borrowing the picture C put on her Facebook page recently. Currently scoring 3 out of 4 on this list...

Away In A Manger

I was recently given a "manger" hay basket to hang on the wall and fill with plants. But I needed a liner for it. I visited various local home and garden stores with no success. I ended up buying two circular hanging basket liners for £2.25 each. They are made of coconut fibre.

I used some jute string and two strong needles and stitched them together with saddle stitch. 

[Susie from the Repair Shop would have been proud of me] Mind you it did look like a rather large hairy bra when I took it outside.

Bob mounted the basket on the wall opposite the raised bed. It is just outside the side door, from the Futility Room.
I had compost already, so planted it up with 5 lettuces

My theory is that [a] I can easily pop outside at lunchtime for a few salad leaves, without walking across the muddy grass

[b] I don't think slugs will climb the wall and eat the Lollo Rosso

These plants came in a tray from Swaffham Market and cost less than £1. This was last Saturday when I put them in - they are already flourishing and will be ready to pick tomorrow once we're back from our London weekend. 

When the lettuce season is over, I am considering putting hardy herbs in here over the winter

Mum's Centenary

One hundred years ago today, my Mum was born. She died in 1991, but I still miss her. I went into the loft and found a few old photographs [and spent ages looking through boxes of pictures going back over 60 years and remembering all sorts of past events]

This was part of a collage made for their Ruby Wedding in 1988

This was taken in 1965, when we moved to Norfolk and Dad became Minister at Dereham Baptist Church. I  have the same haircut today

Clacton 1987 - how Mum and Dad loved their granddaughters

How Mum loved to relax with her copy of  The People's Friend!

She was an amazing woman. Born in Romford into an ordinary working class family, the 6th of 7 children [Auntie Peggy was her younger sister] 

She met Dad when they were 15, as WW2 broke out. They started "going out" at 16 and were engaged when they were 18. By this time, Mum had left school and was commuting into London each day to work as a clerk in the Foreign Office. She was whisked off to Bletchley Park and spent the rest of the war as a Codebreaker [no, she never told me a thing about what she did, other than that she had to learn Morse Code] 

After the War, she and Dad believed God wanted them to go to China. So they went off to Scotland to do a theology course and missionary training at a college in Glasgow. Halfway through their course, they married in 1948. But the world situation changed, China would no longer accept Christian Missionaries, so Dad became a Baptist Minister instead. in 1951 Mum became very ill, and would definitely not have survived if she'd been in the Far East. They were back in Romford. In 1955 I came along, and in 1962 my brother Adrian arrived. Dad worked in churches in Kent, Romford, Bishops Stortford, West Hartlepool and Dereham. She had a few part time jobs - but wasn't really fit enough for long hours. But she was an incredible support to Dad's work, running Ladies Groups, doing Pastoral Visiting, and being a great friend to many people. She died in 1991, just two years after Dad retired.

One final picture- Mum's 54th birthday in 1978. My best friend Dorothy was over from Belfast and staying with me for a few days. My new boyfriend offered to drive us up to Norfolk to surprise Mum. 

Here's Mum, Dad, Dorothy, Adrian - and Bob

This was the day my Mum met Bob for the first time. Her comment - "He's a really nice boy, but his hair is a bit long"

He had it cut very short soon after and never grew it quite that long again!

Look at my Dad's awful flares, and my brother's chunky boots [1970's fashions]

I learned so much from Mum, about life, and faith, and caring for others. I was privileged to grow up in a loving home, my parents had a strong marriage, and family life was very important. She would have been so proud of my girls, and their families. 

How the world has changed in the hundred years since Hilda Margaret Spooner entered the world. But her values of love, faith, honesty and service are still the best. 

Graduation Day

In my youth, most people didn't graduate till their twenties. Here's a sunny day in London back in 2006 when Steph graduated.  But now it seems you can graduate at the ripe old age of four when you leave Nursery and go to Big School. 

In 2020, during Lockdown, Rosie's Nursery had to postpone their Graduation Ceremony. Parents were asked to send in a photograph of their child in a mortar board. Rosie was with me at "Grandma's Nursery" and we made this together from black card

Now it's George's turn. His Nursery produced the outfits, and commemorative keyrings for the parents! George also received an award certificate for "creating the best Lego Models"
Time flies so fast! Steph also received a poem about two special days in a child's life - birth, and the first day of school.

God bless these little ones, and their parents as they face the huge changes ahead...

The Beginning...

When we were in Paris, we visited Musée Carnavalet, dedicated to the history of the City. We went there back in 2006 and loved it, and wanted to spend some more time there. It is set in two adjoining mansions, on three floors - with a courtyard and gardens in the middle. I realised that on every floor there were leaded windows looking out onto the gardens. And they were all different geometric designs. I took some pictures

When I got home I decided to reproduce one of these patterns on a rectangle of fabric for our latest project. I found a scrap of Sanderson Honeysuckle print in my stash - a favourite print of my MIL [she made sofa covers in it] Once stitched it was reminiscent of looking through the Museum windows at the flowers.

I was happy with it and wrote notes in the travelling logbook and posted it off to Kirsten on Monday. 

Today I received her parcel.

She had used a piece of vintage Laura Ashley Curtaining and made a cover for her travelling book with the same fabric. 

Look at the superb way she has picked out the design by outlining it in a variegated thread, and adding French Knots to the flower centres. So charming. I am sure this latest collaboration is going to be as enjoyable as the last two. We are no longer constrained by the regularity of evenweave cloth - and we can enjoy Slow Stitching to our heart's content.

An Unexpected Goody Bag!

Thank you everyone who sent such kind words yesterday. My journey went very smoothly, no traffic issues. I arrived with 10 minutes to spare. Roshan the dentist was brilliant, and the who procedure went smoothly. I had to be covered with a large blue paper 'blanket' and wear a green paper mob cap to keep things clean and tidy. I very nearly asked to take a selfie,but decided against it! Everything was carefully explained, and before each stage I was asked if I was happy. Because they needed to take x-rays, we were in the room with the camera - and that doesn't have Wally on the ceiling. But praying, breathing, and mentally reciting Psalm 23 kept me calm.

When I left I was unexpectedly given a goody bag

A paper carrier

Mouthwash

2 tubes toothpaste

soft toothbrush

2 gauze pads

a record of the implant

a cool pack

"You Rock!" sticker

The little tubes of paste will be useful [we are going away this weekend] I've stuck the sticker on my phone case. The record book is useful - "In case you change dentists" said Roshan. I told himI am never going to another dentist. He says it is so hard when people turn up with dodgy procedures they have had done cheaply abroad, and there are no details anywhere.

The Cool Pack was ...cool. Once the centre is squeezed the chemicals inside mix, and it cools vey rapidly. By the time I'd got home, the local anaesthesic was wearing off and my face really ached. I was able to take 2 paracetamol and lie on the bed, with the pack on my cheek. It really helped. I've rested all day.

I had a glass of Huel for lunch. But - oh bliss- when I said I would miss my cups of tea,  he said the important thing is to avoid hot drinks. So if I drink my tea lukewarm, that will be fine. As I make my tea in a pot, and often get distracted and forget about it, lukewarm tea is my default. So that's OK.

And yes, he was right, today was not as painful as the extraction of the dodgy tooth which the implant is replacing. Grateful for a good dentist, an efficient procedure, and such kind words from friends and famly. I'm still smiling...

Where's Wally?

 Answer; On the dentist's ceiling!

This morning I have a very early start because I have a dental appointment at 9. and I need to allow an hour for the journey. Although Roshan is the best dentist I have ever had, and I am much more chilled at his surgery than in any previous practice, I still get a little anxious [especially when injections and drilling are involved]

I have three 'coping mechanisms' for managing my stress. 

1. I mentally sing my way through favourite hymns. Usually good until |get stuck at verse three and forget the words
2. I practice 'box breathing' - where you inhale for a count of 5, hold your breath for 5, exhale for 5 and then wait for 5. 
3. I stare at the ceiling and try and spot Wally on the huge poster up there. 

Roshan does change the poster sometimes, it is about the third I have seen since we joined the practice in 2021. But last year when I had a series of appointments over a few weeks, could remember where Wally was every time I sat down. 

I am trying to be chilled about this encounter today. It will be the most expensive visit I have ever had, and the day after a large garage bill. But I am grateful for having a reliable car to get me to the dentist. For having a dentist at all - rare as hen's teeth in Norfolk [Norfolk hens lost all their teeth years ago due to lack of dentists] And for having a dentist who is so good.

I have to sign a consent form before the implant procedure. I read the 'post op advice' last night. 

I can manage the salt water mouthwash for a week. 

I am not bothered about 'no alcohol' for a week.

I can avoid solid foods and drink Huel protein drinks for a day or two.

But I am ridiculously stressed about not having tea or coffee for twenty four hours!

How do you cope with dental treatment?

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

 ...then I'll Begin

Older readers may recognise those words as the beginning of the day's story on the Radio Programme "Listen With Mother". It ran from 1950 - 1982 [ending when Liz was just a few months old] I think this was the first Radio programme which I considered 'mine'. Mum and Dad listened to other stuff - Woman's Hour, The Chapel in the Valley, Desert Island Discs and The Archers etc - but LWM was for children.

Even after my great aunt gave us her elderly B&W TV  - a tiny screen inside a heavy wooden box - we were still more of a radio family.

As I grew older, I discovered other programmes I liked, and by Grammar School I had other favourites- I'm sorry I'll Read That Again, Hancock's Half Hour and various quiz shows. But there was just the one family radio, so any programme had to be ok with everybody. Unlike my friends, I didn't have a transistor radio hidden under the bedclothes, for late night listening to Radio Caroline.

Many programmes came and went - and I love the fact that BBC I-player enables me now to catch up with all those dramas, and classic serials from years ago. Paul Temple, Dick Barton, and more recently Cadfael, Raffles, After Henry. 

I listened to the Archers from childhood right up until covid. At Uni, my landlady and I sat in the kitchen after washing up. My children were always in bed by 7 when they were in primary school, so I could listen in peace with a cuppa. I was an Archers Addict. But i went Cold Turkey in covid, and haven't listened since!

But one programme which began just a few weeks after my wedding in summer 1979  is still around. It has recently moved from its original Sunday/Monday slots to Friday/Saturday. I try and catch it at some point in the week [I previously used to listen on my way home from Sunday Morning preaching engagements]

And 45 years on, I still think the Food Programme is excellent. In the beginning it was presented by Derek Cooper, who had a lovely voice for radio - Now Sheila Dillon and Dan Saladino are the main presenters. I have learned about the development of farming methods, food preparation. changes in the nation's eating habits, the cost of food [to our pocket, and to our planet] artisanal producers and high tech solutions, older food traditions and the newest trends. It is different every week and always interesting. 

There are well over 900 programmes available to catch up with on iplayer.

Last Friday's episode was part of Just One Thing Day - and looked at the many aspects of diet which had been highlighted by Dr Michael Mosley. Presenters had picked out their favourite highlights of his JOT show. It was excellent. 

I am definitely a Radio Girl. I can sew or knit whilst listening, and I'm not distracted by the pictures! But just recently my Radio Pleasure has been greatly enhanced. My tablet gave up the ghost [I'm losing track of Household Items which are packing up and irreparable this year] and the replacement came with an unexpected bonus - bluetooth earbuds. 

Now I can listen clearly whilst using the sewing machine, or sit in the lounge doing embroidery, listening to my radio programme, without disturbing Bob who is watching TV.

It's mostly OK - unless I am listening to the Daily Service,[15 minutes of reflection, 9.45am  Radio 4Extra] as I sometimes forget and start singing along to the hymns!

I am sure Guiglielmo Marconi  never realised in 1896 just how his invention would transform our lives.

Do you listen to the radio - national or local?

And do you have a favourite programme?

Never Mind The Quality, Feel The Width

Older readers may recognise this as the name of a sitcom from the late 1960s. It involved two men [one Jewish, the other an Irish Catholic] who ran a tailor's shop. It was definitely not politically correct, and we did not watch it in our home. But the saying - allegedly deriving from East End businesses who were seeking to sell their customers shoddy merchandise, came to mind recently when I bought some fabric.

In Dorset, I used to go to Fabricland  - this was a good source of inexpensive cloth for play costumes, curtains and dressmaking. 

They have an online store, but I have not used them since moving to Norfolk. Recently I discovered Pound Fabrics. They're in Birmingham. I ordered a couple of lengths of fabric, and was very pleased with the efficiency of delivery, quality of cloth, and value for money. 

My latest purchase was a grey safari print in organic cotton poplin. It was the work of an afternoon to make another little dress with pockets for Jess. 

The fabric cost just £3 and was lovely to sew. The binding came from my stash - an unopened pack of Aero tape - originally costing 9p! I bound the neckline, armholes and pocket tops. I used a fancy stitch for hem and pockets, and an 'overcast' foot to help neaten seams and raw edges.[more new skills learned on my new machine]
It is so sweet. Let's hope Jess loves this as much as her pink dress.
If you do dressmaking, where do you buy your fabrics?

For The Healing Of The Nations

I have always liked Holst's music "The Planet Suite" - especially Jupiter - and the part which is well known as the hymn tune Thaxted. But I have never been comfortable with the words of "I vow to thee my country". Somehow I feel that unquestioning sacrifice on behalf of the nation is not a good thing. And the last verse [There's another country...] is misquoting the Bible in implying it is about heaven - in fact the gentleness and peace verse in  Proverbs is all about wisdom. So I was really pleased to hear the hymn below on Sunday Worship [BBC Radio 4] last week. It was written by an American, in response to the events of  Tiananmen Square Massacre  35 years ago

Let streams of living justice flow down upon the earth;
give freedom’s light to captives, let all the poor have worth.
The hungry’s hands are pleading, the workers claim their rights,
the mourners long for laughter, the blinded seek for sight.
Make liberty a beacon, strike down the iron power;
abolish ancient vengeance: proclaim your people’s hour.

For healing of the nations, for peace that will not end,
for love that makes us lovers, God grant us grace to mend.
Weave our varied gifts together; knit our lives as they are spun;
on your loom of time enrol us till our thread of life is run.
O great weaver of our fabric, bind church and world in one;
dye our texture with your radiance, light our colours with your sun.

Your city’s built to music; we are the stones you seek;
your harmony is language; we are the words you speak.
Our faith we find in service, our hope in others’ dreams,
our love in hand of neighbour; our homeland brightly gleams.
Inscribe our hearts with justice; your way—the path untried;
your truth—the heart of stranger; your life—the Crucified.

Words: William Whitla (b. 1934) – Music: Thaxted (Gustav Holst, 1874-1934)

I think the words are great [not surprisingly, verse 2 resonates especially with me, all the fabric references!] On the subject of justice, I was thrilled to read the good news about Nelson Shardey this week. A real answer to prayer

I hope you enjoy this hymn too!

UPDATE just picked up the news from the USA. Praying for peace and justice there especially this morning. 

And So To Bed

Ebenezer Mouse likes to go to bed early with a good book. His current favourite is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens [because at the end of it, Ebenezer Scrooge realises the error of his miserly ways and becomes a good and happy man] But it is pretty cold sleeping in the Museum. so the little mouse has a long sleeved nightshirt - and a nightcap with a fluffy pompom to keep his head warm. The mice were delivered yesterday morning, and will be put in place in a fortnight's time, just as the children break up for the Summer holidays...

EWOKs and NEPOs

If you are a Star Wars fan, you will know that ewoks are "sentient furry creatures, 1 metre tall, native to the Planet Endor. Skilled in primitive technology, they created gliders and catapults and helped the

 Alliance beat the Stormtroopers"  
In my back garden, however EWOK stands for Egyptian Walking Onion [from Kirsten]  The two plants she sent me last August split into four quite separate shoots, producing bulbils which made divided into more, and then leaned over...I've planted some of the small bulbils in a pot, and taken some of the red onions [size of large marbles] and planted them in the earth behind the oil tank. We wait to see what happens. Other red onions have been sliced into salad, or halved and fried off and dropped into casseroles and ragu sauces. And the green shoots chopped finely and sprinkled like chives. All very satisfactory [thanks K] 

Then there's NEPO. Bob was checking our shared calendar, and there was a mysterious entry saying "Breakfast with W @ NEPO" He knew who W was, but NEPO? I had to explain this is North Elmham Post Office.

An excellent spot to meet with friends for breakfast, elevenses, light lunch or tea and cake...

But the rest of the world has a different understanding of NEPO - it is shorthand for Nepotism Baby or Nepo Baby. That is, someone who follows a famous parent into the same line of work - leaving many to question if they would have got the same breaks if they'd 'come up the hard way' without all the right connections.
The term has nepo has become popular in the last 4 or five years, but the concept has been around much longer, particularly in the film & TV industry.

Take this list

Jamie Lee Curtis-Tony Curtis 

Michael Douglas-Kirk Douglas

Paris Hilton-Richard Hilton

Angelina Jolie-Jon Voight

Jane Fonda-Henry Fonda

Lily Allen-Keith Allen

Charlie Sheen-Martin Sheen

Nancy Sinatra-Frank Sinatra

Hilary Benn-Tony Benn

Kate Hudson-Goldie Hawn

Miley Cyrus -Billy Ray Cyrus

Stella McC-Paul McCartney

Kiefer Sutherland-Donald Sutherland

Not to mention the acting dynasties - check out Samuel West's relations, the Redgraves, the Cusacks, the Foxes...and all those Katdashians

Well, as of this week, there's a new NEPO  out there on the BBC. Son-of-celebrity-chef, Jamie, Buddy Oliver is hosting his own show on CBBC. I watched on i-player whilst working through the ironing mountain. And I really did enjoy it. 

Buddy is approaching 14, and has been making short YouTube cookery clips for about 4 years. This new show, Cooking Buddies has this lad teaching another young teen to prepare a simple dish - and then his guest teaches him a skill [boxing, football, karate] I thought it was fun. These young people were patient with one another, complimentary when things went well, and encouraging when they didn't - with plenty of good humour thrown in. 

I know some people think there's altogether too much Jamie O on TV - but personally I thought this personable young chap came across really well. And he has clearly learned much more from his dad than just knife skills! I shall definitely be talking to Rosie about this show next time I see her.

Today the BBC is designating "Just One Thing" day, in tribute to the late Michael Mosley. I hope there is not too much unctuous hagiography,[I suspect MM would have hated that] but I shall try and catch a few of the highlights on TV and radio.

The Cover Version

In musician's terms, a 'cover version' is a reworking of a song, maybe by the original singer, or perhaps by someone else. Occasionally the cover version becomes better known and more popular than the original. If I mention the theme song from the 1982 animated film "The Snowman" "Walking In The Air" you will probably think of Aled Jones - but his was a cover version, whilst the original, used in the film, was sung by a choirboy from St Paul's Cathedral, Peter Auty. [Aled's version led him to instant fame. I'm pleased that Peter also has a great career as an international operatic tenor]

Then there's that song "Unchained Melody". First written in 1955, The Righteous Brothers achieved a hit with their cover version in 1965. At the time I was baffled- there are no chains mentioned anywhere in the lyrics. I found out later that the name came from the fact it was the theme song for a prison film called "Unchained". This has had over 1500 cover versions recorded in the last 70 years, by loads of people; BBC DJ Jimmy Young 1955 , Elvis Presley 1977, Robson and Jerome 1995, Gareth Gates 2002, Barry Manilow, Bono...

Kirsten and I decided our next project ought to be something other than just a stitched piece of fabric, and as we are both collectors of notebooks, a pair of notebook covers [A5 size] seemed a good idea. "You could call it The Cover Version" said Bob.

We have both been making notebook covers in recent months. First Kirsten did a lovely handstitched patchwork cover.

And then I created a machined cover for a sewing journal, to record all my projects, as try out the fancy stitches on my new machine.

These had regular square pieces - for variety we are going to attempt different sized rectangles. A bit like Victorian Crazy Patchwork.  Each piece will be sewn down with neat almost invisible stitches and decorated as it is affixed.

We will work in a hoop to keep things flat and not the decoration over the seams till the very end. There will be flaps folding inside to hold the covers in place, and one will have a blank panel where we can add names, dates and details.

This our third collaboration. Watch this space!

Because I Can...

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations says that volunteering is: “Volunteering is someone spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or someone who they're not closely related to. Volunteering must be a choice freely made by each individual.”

Or there’s this shorter definition; “Volunteering is doing more than you have to, because you want to, in a cause you consider good.”

Back before Christmas, I saw that Voluntary Norfolk were advertising for somebody to do crafts with patients on the Rehab Ward at Dereham Hospital. So I made enquiries about what this entailed. The wheels were set in motion - but boy did they turn slowly! This is quite normal in the world of volunteering - references, DBS checks, training, induction, "shadowing" etc etc. I finally began the job a month ago, and this week actually did something approaching a 'craft activity' with just one patient.

There were 4 volunteers in the team, and we are having a "Sport" theme for the next four Tuesdays. I helped one lady make herself a medal, and then she coloured in a poster. Another gentleman painted a picture of a banana [he was not interested in the theme!]

It is a small unit, and this crafting is a new initiative, but we are hoping interest will grow among the other patients - we work in the day room/dining area. Patients who can walk, or go into wheelchairs, come into this room for their meals, so maybe the Olympic Display my colleague put up will stimulate more craftiness next week. 

When I applied, the first question was 'have you done voluntary work before?' and I said I had been volunteering since about 1970. 'What was the first thing you did?' I said I was doing my Queen's Award in the Girls' Brigade. One requirement was doing 2 hours voluntary service each week for 6 months. So I used to cycle up the hill to Dereham Hospital each Saturday morning. I had to sort out the flowers, help patients with their elevenses, and chat to them. 

Obviously the patients are quite limited in their abilities.They are all OAPs, some in their 90s, and many have few fine motor skills, others have arms/hands strapped up, due to falls. Finding appropriate activities is a challenge. But just chatting with them is a positive exercise. The nursing staff are really appreciative, as they do not have time to sit and talk with these folk.

If giving up 90 minutes on a Tuesday morning can help brighten someone's day, give them more confidence in their abilities, or just relieve the pressure on nursing staff, then I will be a volunteer. The important thing is to pick up the correct lanyard from the hook on the back of the study door. It would confuse everybody if I arrived with a badge saying Bob, Chaplaincy Team! Finding an appropriate photo was a challenge. The picture is four years old - after that haircut, I stopped dyeing the grey hairs! 

Do you volunteer? And do you find it rewarding?