As everyone knows, there is always so much to do in preparing for Christmas and this week, as well as enjoying mince pies and mulled wine, we have also made our very own gingerbread biscuits. Farnham Mill also had lots of special visitors which included children from a local nursery school and Cub Scouts. We also enjoyed two choirs perform for us on Saturday which, as well as listening, gave us a chance to sing traditional Christmas songs as well.
Monday 4 December, we started the morning with a group word game on our white board. Concentrating on Christmas food we had to see how many words we could find in ‘Mince Pies’. We were soon defeated and decided on eating them instead!
In the afternoon we had a lovely afternoon tea with a quiz, where we enjoyed sitting together and learning new things about Christmas. Our volunteer, Susie, never fails to amuse us with her quizzes and even did impressions of the birds in ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’.
Tuesday 5 December, we played balloon games with a giant white balloon. This was certainly fun and was a gentle form of exercise.
In the afternoon we enjoyed Christmas treats with cheese and biscuits, mince pies and mulled wine. Farnham Mill was certainly filled with the smell of Christmas.
Wednesday 6 December, bells were being rung, and songs sung in our music therapy group. This group always enjoy joining together and making their own music.
In the afternoon a couple of residents went to Sainsburys to look at the Christmas displays and enjoyed a coffee and cake in Starbucks.
Thursday 7 December, we enjoyed a lovely visit from Tootsies Nursery School. This is going to be a regular weekly visit and we look forward to getting to know them. The children really enjoyed it as well, one of them telling their parents later that day that they had visited a home full of grandparents.
We enjoyed our regular Thursday flower arranging in the afternoon. This is also an opportunity to sit and chat and enjoy a cup of tea afterwards. One of our volunteers, Annie, also gave us a floral demonstration.
In the evening we were joined by a local Cub Scout group who sang some Christmas songs to us.
Friday 8 December, we had a more peaceful morning playing dominoes with each other. It’s a game that we have all grown up playing and brings us all together to reminisce and share stories.
In the afternoon residents had a lovely surprise delivery of Christmas cards from the 1st Farnham Brownies. We really enjoyed reading them and admired their artwork.
Saturday 9 December, we gathered together to make ginger biscuits. We used all sorts of shapes from Christmas trees, to stars and even a steam train. They looked very good and were delicious when cooked.
In the afternoon we had a lovely visit from the Surrey Serenaders who performed a mix of songs from the musicals as well as the traditional Christmas songs which we could all sing along to. We also got the chance to chat to them afterwards.
Later that afternoon another choir from a younger age group performed for us – Christ is our Rock. It was certainly a very musical afternoon.
Sunday 10 December, with all that music on Saturday, our Sunday was a lot quieter with Church services being streamed and our book trolley touring the home so residents had the opportunity to choose a book or magazine.
One of our residents also had a big family gathering, all with their Christmas Jumpers on. Farnham Mill loves being able to share in these special moments.
Time to relax in the afternoon with a glass of wine and a selection of cheese and biscuits. What a perfect way to end a very busy week at Farnham Mill.
