Activities at Ashcombe House Care Home

Kate and her husband, Alan, asked if they could go on an outing to the Hawk Conservancy. They used to take their girls there when they were children.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather for a day at the Hawk Conservancy. It wasn’t too hot or too windy, just right to watch the spectacular flying displays.  The first show we watched was ‘The Wings of Africa’. It was incredible. The highlights for Kate and Alan included the Secretary Bird taking down a snake and the impressive vultures flying over their heads.

After a lovely picnic lunch, prepared by our amazing chef, Jules, we strolled up to the Wildflower Meadow where black kites and flacons soared right above us. We all agreed it was a breathtaking sight.

We finished our visit with a browse around the gift shop. Kate said it was the perfect end to a perfect day.

One of the Baking For Fun club's chief tasters, Joan, suggested we try to make some shortbread next time we bake. We found a Mary Berry recipe for shortbread biscuits, got together in the café and started to bake!

Baking together promotes social, physical and mental stimulation. Everyone enjoys getting involved in measuring ingredients, mixing, rolling out and getting creative with decorations. It also sparks conversations about baking that our residents used to do at home and what we could try next time we bake together.

Peggy enjoys the Baking For Fun sessions. She said that baking is fun, but she really likes sharing the bakes with all the other residents in the afternoon tea trolley.

Our shortbread turned out beautifully, crisp, buttery and delicious! 

It was a beautiful sunny day when we all boarded ‘Dawn’ for a trip along the Basingstoke Canal.  Dawn is a specially adapted narrow boat run by Accessible Boating, a charity run by volunteers, who enable anyone to enjoy trips on the canal.  We arrived at Odiham where Dawn was waiting for us. Once on board, we started cruising down the Basingstoke canal at 2mph.  Along the way we enjoyed the beautiful wildflowers that grew along the lush green banks. We were lucky to enjoy seeing a heron flying along in front of us.  We stopped by the Waterwitch pub where we tucked into a splendid picnic sitting on ‘our boat’ before we headed back to Odiham.

We all enjoyed the trip immensely. Joan said that the day couldn’t have been better. Ann said it was so wonderful, we all loved it.  Gerry, a keen boater, was so pleased to be back on the water.

We all hope to take another trip along the Basingstoke Canal again very soon.

Peggy and Joan, two of our residents, first met at Basingstoke High School for Girls 85 years ago at the age of 13 years and have been dear friends ever since.

We took Peggy and Joan on a trip down memory lane to Alresford, a village local to Basingstoke.  As we drove to Alresford along Garlic Lane Joan and Peggy shared how they used to cycle along Garlic lane together as young girls on their way to Alresford.  Peggy said that the roads were very different back then.

When we arrived at Alresford we visited Long Barn where Peggy and Joan enjoyed a coffee and shared a watercress scone while they reminisced about their school days, remember friends they shared and adventures they went on together.

Joan remarked how incredible it is that they're still friends as they approach 100 years old. She said it's truly wonderful that they can continue to share such special moments together.

We went on an outing in our minibus to visit Bombay Sapphire Distillery in Whitchurch. While we were there, one of the distillery hosts took us around the old mill, sharing the fascinating history of the buildings and explaining how Bombay Sapphire Gin is made on the site.  Bombay Sapphire has ten exotic botanicals infused into every drop of their Gin, and we were lucky enough to see each of the plants in their beautiful greenhouses.

We visited the Botanical Dry room where we saw and smelt the botanical ingredients before learning about the rare vapour infusion distillation process which makes Bombay Sapphire gin so unique.

Our garden is looking beautiful, with all the flowers in full bloom. The colours of the flowers are really vibrant in the sunshine.

The residents gathered together in the garden to relax, soak up the sunshine and enjoy each other’s company. Our chef came round with a selection of ice lollies and ice creams for everyone to enjoy. Staying hydrated is so important in this weather.

Sally said there is nothing quite like good company and a sweet treat on a sunny day!

We had a fantastic afternoon as we welcomed Ben Bamboozle, a traditional Punch and Judy show, to entertain us — with some very special young guests from Kings Furlong school. 

Our residents especially loved watching the children’s reactions. Their joy and laughter were so infectious. Joan said it was lovely to hear the children’s laughter. Sally said she immensely enjoyed the whole afternoon, and it made all the difference to have the children enjoy the show with us.

Punch and Judy shows have been enjoyed by generations. Today we were reminded of the joy that comes from connecting generations through sharing special moments. At the grand old age of 363, Mr Punch still makes everyone laugh, young and old.  

We spent the week celebrating VE Day 80. On Monday, we gathered together in the lounge to watch the moving VE Day celebrations in London on the television.  Gerry was really pleased to see the Portsmouth Royal Marine Band taking part in the parade. The Red Arrows fly past was the highlight for Sally.  

We enjoyed a good old singalong, singing VE Day songs including Pack Up Your Troubles, We’ll Meet Again and Somewhere Over the Rainbow along with other songs. Vera Lynn songs were definitely our favourites.
The children from Kings Furlong school came to visit and made crowns for everyone. It was a joy for the residents to talk to the children as they were busy colouring and sticking jewels on crowns which they proudly presented to each resident.

Finally, we celebrated with a delicious buffet lunch made for us by our fantastic chefs Tracey and Jules. Everyone got together in the lounge to enjoy the amazing food, followed by a performance by the band China Wolf, which finished with us all singing ‘God Save The King’. It was a week that reminded us of who we are, and of all we still mean to one another. 

At Ashcombe House we like to take advantage of the sunny weather to go out and about in our minibus. The residents thought a trip to the seaside for fish and chips would be a lovely way to enjoy the gorgeous sunny April weather.

We decided to visit Southsea as Georgie used to live in Southsea and fondly remembers her time bowling at her bowling club and Gerry grew up and lived in Portsmouth before moving to Ashcombe House. Walking along the seafront enjoying the sunshine and the sea view, we bumped into Gerry’s old neighbours!  Gerry was delighted to see them. They chatted and caught up with their news.

After a delicious lunch of fish and chips on the pier, Ron walked down to the seaside to collect some seashells. Gerry remembered the barbed wire on the beach during the war to protect against invasion. He was pleased to see Ron able to enjoy walking on the beach.