News

Nannies 4 Grannies News Letter No. 5

  • Mar 22, 2019

Nannies 4 Grannies News Letter No 5 Home Care and Companionship in St Albans and Harpenden - We hope you find it of interest.

 

A note from Kay....

Easter is fast approaching, which means the evenings are getting lighter and the temperature is rising. We didn’t have a ‘beast from the east’ but we’ve had our fair share of rough weather.

At N4G we like nothing more than getting out and about so if you are feeling like a change of scenery, maybe a trip to a stately home or the seaside we would love to hear from you, we could look at a group outing or just one to one. Mobility shouldn’t be an issue, these days nearly everywhere is adapted to service all abilities.

We would love to know what you think of our services because your views count. You can contact me directly or make a public statement on TrustPilot or Google. You can find the links at the bottom of our emails or on the web site. We are also very active on Social Media where we post about ‘older’ issues. 'Likes' are most welcome.

 

.... A guide to Spring Gardening

The end of winter is finally in sight, which means it’s time to prepare your garden ready for the start of the new season.

Spring is on its way and we’ll soon be caught up in a frenzy of seed sowing, growing, and nurturing our gardens as they comes back to life so make use of these quieter winter months to organise your thoughts and get a head start on the new gardening year.

We’ve found 10 tips that you or your gardener should try and do as the growing season picks up.

  • Order summer-flowering bulbs and seeds.
  • Tidy up flower beds and borders.
  • Clean out and wash your greenhouse.
  • Sow any seeds that need a longer season.
  • Hunt down and remove garden pests.
  • Install water butts and. start collecting rainwater.
  • Move deciduous shrubs.
  • Maintain fences, gates and trellis.
  • Clean and sharpen gardening tools.
  • Create a composting area.

Here’s hoping for a glorious summer!

Some Easter Traditions

Dyeing Easter Eggs

The tradition of decorating eggs may go all the way back to the ancient pagans. We all know that Eggs represent rebirth and life, so associating them with spring and new growth is simple step. As a celebration of the new season it is said that people coloured eggs and gave them to friends and family as gifts.

The Easter Bunny

At first glance, it’s hard to imagine what a giant rabbit has to do with any type of religious holiday. But the tradition again dates back to the pagans. They celebrated a goddess of fertility named Eostre—a trait rabbits are most famous for. It’s thought that German immigrants brought their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” to the U.S. in the 1700s.

Chocolate Easter Eggs

John Cadbury made his first ‘French eating Chocolate’ in 1842 but it was not until 1875 that the first Cadbury Easter Eggs were made. The launch in 1905 of the famous Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate made a tremendous contribution to the Easter egg market.

Hot Cross Buns

Like the bunny and the eggs, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when people started making hot cross buns. The first written record we have of them dates back to an issue of Poor Robin’s Almanac from the 1730s: “Good Friday comes this Month, the old woman runs, With one or two a Penny, hot cross Bunns”

Activities….

….We’ve been looking into various local activities that we think some of our clients would like to attend. Look down the list and if there is anything that interests you just call Kay or Brenda at the office on 01727 857988

Easter at the Barn

Easter at the Barn - The Barn by Sarah Collins is a treasure trove of wonderful gifts, decorations, jewellery, furniture and home accessories. The Barn is a friendly and relaxed place to shop and treat yourself. The Barn is located 1 mile outside the village of Wheathampstead in the Hertfordshire countryside which is 10 minutes drive from Harpenden and St Albans and has easy parking. It is open on Thursday 28th March until Saturday 20th April 2019.http://www.sarahcollinsbarn.com/

Kimpton Folk Events

Kimpton Folk Events is organising another Musical Coffee and Cake morning in the Dacre Rooms in Kimpton on May 8th at 10 am. “I do hope you and some of your group will be able to join us”. There will be a repeat of live music from our local instrumentalists and singing from HERTFORDSHIRE MUSICAL MEMORIES for participation.

Dementia Friendly Community Cafe

Dementia Friendly Community Cafe - Digswell Village Hall, 30 Harmer Green Lane, AL6 0AS, Welwyn.

Who’s it for?

Anyone in the community, including older people, people living with dementia and their families and carers

Description:

It has a welcoming and friendly atmosphere where you can engage in fun activities and companionship specifically aimed at the isolated community, their families, carers and their loved ones. In other words the cafe is dementia friendly and welcomes anyone in the community who may feel isolated or lonely who requires social engagement over a cuppa.

Chair Based exercises

Chair Based exercises - If you have difficulty standing or walking, it needn't mean exercise is out of the question. We all know that being phycally active is good for us, but not everyone can take part in activities like walking, cycling or aerobics classes. If that’s the case for you, but you want to keep active, then chair-based exercise could be just what you’re looking for. You can use these exercises if you have trouble getting up and about, or even if you just want a change of activity on days you can’t get outdoors.

We have made contact with a trainers who run sessions in Harpenden, Redbourn and St Albans at various times in teh week. The typical cost is around £6 per session or £36 if you sign up for six weeks. Call the office on 01727 857988 for more information. Kay is a qualified Extend trainer which means that she can make suggestions for exercises that you could do at home.

FEELING ISOLATED?

There are several organised coffee mornings/afternoons in Harpenden and St Albans. Why not start the New Year by asking one of your Nannies to take you along?

A small selection are detailed here:

Active Brain, Marshalswick Baptist Church: Chat, play board games or do jigsaws in friendly company. The St Albans Memory Café, St Mary’s Church, Marshalswick: To help people living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Jersey farm Community Centre: Coffee or tea on a Friday afternoon Harpenden Trust Coffee Morning: Tuesday mornings, Southdown Road. Wesleys Café, Harpenden Methodist Church: Monday, Friday and Saturday mornings

WE WISH ALL OUR CLIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES A VERY HAPPY EASTER

At Nannies 4 Grannies Ltd we offer Companion Care and Support for residents in St Albans, Harpenden and the surrounding areas.

Contact Kay on 01727 857988 to discuss the range of specifically tailored services we can provide for you or an elderly loved one. For full details go to our website Nannies 4 Grannies. Stay up to date with older issues by following us on Twitter or Facebook