Activities at South Chowdene Care Home

Fish and Chip day fell on 4th Sept this year and since we’ve missed our trips to the beach, we brought the beach to South Chowdene in order to feel the sand on our feet and to have a paddle.

Residents chose between beach Egg and tomato sandwiches and traditional Fish and chips for lunch followed by a 99 ice cream before ‘going to the beach’ to feel the sand through their toes and having a paddle in the sea.

There was much discussion about which seaside resort was the best and how exciting they all were for various reasons. In this area, Cullercoats definitely came out on top.

Residents at South Chowdene got into the Notting Hill Carnival virtual spirit this year.  All things Caribbean were celebrated – food, drink, music, dance and ‘Queen’ Competition.  Celebrations were kick-started with Residents making their own maracas in a craft session and decorating the dining room and lounges whilst wearing ‘Lei’ garlands.

Residents also enjoyed mouth-watering Mocktails (enjoying the smells and textures of citrus and soft fruits) whilst the homes hospitality team made delicious jerk chicken with rice and peas as well as curried mutton with pepper salsa and sweet potato roasties, followed by banana fritters.  Afterwards rest dances, sung-a-long and shakes those maracas along to steel band music and watching footage from previous Carnivals in many and various settings. Residents marvelled at the Queen competitions and loved both colours and sounds.

The annual Bristol Balloon Fiesta didn’t happen this year due to the pandemic.  For Residents of South Chowdene they still had fun making their own hot air balloons, finding out some amazing facts about hot air balloons, ballooning and various very daring feats. They also watched footage of balloons preparing for flight and the spectacle as they all float around the sky in a myriad of colours and marvelled at the more novel shapes and designs of some balloons.

We celebrated this event with a quick look around the county and visited some of its main attractions. This sparked many memories and much discussion and quite a debate as to whether the Yorkshire coast/ market towns or Moors were the best bit. We also had to have a Yorkshire pudding or two and sampled some Wensleydale cheese.

Keeping up with the outside world has been very important for Residents of South Chowdene and one of the best ways has been by postcard and letter. Some residents have received some lovely cards which have helped brighten the place up whilst we can’t get out and about.  Post cards were sent to friends and Penpals to mark Friendship day to let them know that their continued contact and support has been invaluable.

Residents at South Chowdene said ‘bonjour’ to 14th July with croissants and discussions about what they think of when France is mentioned, a number of French themed images were displayed throughout the home.  The morning continued with a virtual tour of Paris including a trip up the Eiffel Tower and a quick peek in La Louvre. We enjoyed French raspberry tartlets and Madeleines for mid morning snacks and the kitchen made a wonderful Boeuf Bourguingnon followed by Tricolour meringue for lunch. During the afternoon, residents enjoyed playing in teams whilst learning the French game of Petanque and the day finished with French omelette for tea.