There were happy scenes at Ashby House as Jenny, our Hairdresser, was able to return after 15 months. Residents have waited patiently to get their hair trimmed and styled and were delighted to book a long overdue cut and blow dry. Jenny said: “It is lovely to be back and to see the Hair Salon decorated for my return - it brought a tear to my eye”. Mary, one of our residents, said: “I can’t remember another time in my life when I have had to go so long between haircuts - it feels good to be back to my normal style”. The Ashby House team is delighted everyone looks and feels their best again. Welcome back, Jenny!

Ola! Yesterday we enjoyed Spanish Day at Ashby House. In the morning we decorated biscuits with red and yellow icing, the colours of the flag of Spain, and topped them with sprinkles and chocolate drops. Then we enjoyed a delicious lunch menu, created by our Chef, Jay, starting with smoky tomato and bean soup. For our main course we had a choice of seafood and chorizo paella, or Spanish tortilla. For pudding we ate lovely sweet churros with a chocolate dip. All the residents of Ashby House loved the food and the atmosphere, with Spanish music and decorations. Later in the afternoon we travelled to Spain in our armchairs, watched flamenco dancers, listened to Latin music and learned about Spanish culture. Everyone enjoyed a different day – another one of our very popular international dining experiences, as well as dressing up in a Spanish outfit for fun.

Yesterday we fell down a rabbit hole into the world of Alice in Wonderland for a Mad Hatter's Tea Party. We watched the original Disney film while eating jam tarts and drinking tea from vintage crockery. Jean, Rose and all our residents enjoyed the afternoon and some residents recalled seeing the film at the cinema as a child when it was released in 1951.

Residents at Ashby House enjoyed an Easter Tea Party to round off our seasonal celebrations. We listened to some vintage Easter music, we all wore bunny ears and we played Easter party games. Chef Roselyn prepared a tasty Easter spread for our party and we enjoyed two birthday cakes as Jean and Mary both celebrated their special days on the same day. We all sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed the rest of the day together.

Every birthday is a special occasion at Ashby House and today we sang 'Happy Birthday' to Angie and enjoyed some of her lovely cake, made by our kitchen team.

Ashby House was delighted to receive a cherry tree from Frosts Garden Centre in Woburn, which they donated to celebrate their 75th Anniversary. Frosts had invited members of the public to nominate companies to receive a tree and we were one of 75 lucky organisations to get one. Ashby House Manager, Wojciech, planted the tree with one of our residents, David, while other staff and residents watched. The tree is a lovely addition to our garden and we look forward to watching it grow for many years to come.