Activities at Pentland View Care Home

It was a glorious few weeks of sunshine in the Far North of Scotland, and we made the most of it while we could! Every chance we had we were out in the garden, enjoying the beautiful blooms, sunshine, and each other’s company. 

From singalongs, books, club, and garden games, we made sure to get out, get moving, and soak up the sun (while wearing our factor 50, of course!)

With the weather being so beautiful, we decided to head out to a local animal petting farm. From the scenic drive full of familiar sites to the lovely blue skies, it was a wonderful day out. The residents, Katherine and Jeanine, enjoyed feeding, holding, and stroking all the denizens of the farm, from alpacas and fuzzy bunnies, to Sid the Snake and a bearded dragon! 

As you can see from the smiles on everyone’s faces, it was a fantastic time out, and meaningful to our animal lovers. Catherine helped with lambing over many years and Piper worked at the Mart for 50 years!

It was off to Wonderland with Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the White Rabbit for a whimsical day of fun when Pentland View held their first Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. 

To make the day extra special, the entire day’s events and activities were themed around Alice in Wonderland and delivered by The Mad Hatter and Alice themselves. Although rain kept us from holding the event in our gorgeous gardens, the Lounge and surrounding areas were decorated with magical touches, from stones painted by the residents to all the touches you would expect to find in Wonderland. At the tea party, residents enjoyed delicious treats while listening to live music performed by Robbie MacDonald. Of course, there was dancing and party games as well. It was a fun, magical day.

We have greatly enjoyed our blocks of Play Away music sessions here in the home. 

These intergenerational music classes never fail to put a smile on everyone’s faces and to get us singing, playing and moving along. It’s our time to “grow down” and enjoy the simple pleasures of making music and remembering many of the songs that we used to sing with our own children.

Recently, we said goodbye to a face that has graced Pentland View for 20 years! Loredana worked pretty much every position in the home over the years, ending her time with us as a much-loved nurse. With her sister-in-law, Anca, (also a former employee as head chef at Pentland View) she has opened a new café in the town, 4UBistro. 

As we miss them a lot, we decided to pop down to say hello and show our support, while also sampling the delicious food and coffees. In her usual style, Loredana met us at the door and was filling our table with tasty treats before we could even order! As you can see, it was a very happy reunion.

It was time to don our fascinators and glad rags we Pentland View celebrated Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot. The day began with a pamper for the ladies, including make-up and nails being done in the beautiful setting of our blooming garden. After lunch, our well-dressed residents gathered in the Main Lounge to watch the royal procession at Ascot and coverage leading up to the race. While we waited for the action to happen, we had our own races, with the residents taking on the role of both jockey and horse and doing their best to gather up their roll of newspaper with their feet the fastest. 

It was a lot of fun and a great laugh. After the exertion of the races, we were ready to relax, watch the live event itself, and enjoy tea and coffees from our lovely china sets, along with homemade scones with jam and cream. It was a fun and fancy day at the races!

Residents, guests and staff were treated to a performance by the Wick Arion Choir. This was particularly meaningful to Wilma, who belonged to the choir, herself, for many years. 

Watching her light up and sing along to every song was so special. Everyone enjoyed the performance and many sang and even danced along. 

Willie B, Peter, and Linda enjoyed an outing to Dunnet Forest. This is one of Linda’s favourite spots, having walked the dogs there with her husband over the years. 

As we walked, we chatted, reminisced and soaked in the beautiful sunshine and nature all around us. Afterwards, we stopped for ice cream before heading home.  

Jane, Sandra, and Jeanine spent a Friday evening at the local Mill Theatre enjoying the Thurso Player’s murder mystery. While sipping on red wine (Jeanine was on water), the ladies enjoyed the comedic murder mystery caper, while trying to figure out a “whodunit”. 

It was a lot of fun, especially for Jane and Sandra, who both enjoy a good crime novel! Jane even managed to solve the crime, but then decided on a different scenario. It was a brilliant evening and the ladies are looking forward to the next production.