By Maggie Wilkinson 

That mood, when the day is blustery and bleak, and you’re feeling cold and cheated, wondering what on earth happened to Summer!

The weather can bring about a restlessness, a boredom, antipathy… but you want to make the most of your time in your luxury retirement village, so why not challenge the elements and get out in the fresh air. This can really clear the mind and bring fresh thoughts and lift your mood. 

Pick up your camera and go outside. Fresh air really helps – breathe deep! Somehow, the simple act of carrying the camera with the thought to find some natural beauty to delight your eyes is refreshing therapy in itself, a bit of a reboot. 

Sometimes we get mired in by a crowded mind and we forget to look around, forget to drink in the gorgeousness of our world. The heft of the camera reminds us to see through its lens, it focusses our vision and teaches us to be selective, notice the details of things. You will discover that visual joy is the one that speaks loudest…visual joy is straight into the vein. 

Colours can make the heart soar, and the wind, sun or rain enhance everything with their unique and layering gloss and light. So, it’s time to step out of your comfort zone, leave your senior living community, put on your coat and brave the weather, you may well be rewarded with some simple exhilaration gleaned from the outdoors. 

Here are some snaps to inspire you… 

Rhubarb and Custard Tulip 

This tulip is full of shimmy and movement, caught in a brief lull between the wind and the rain – isn’t she just delicious, clothed in rippling pink-and-cream silk? What an uprush of joy she gives, and the memory of snuggling the papery bulb into the cold brown earth last November…what a reward! 

Colour has very strong appeal, but don’t forget to look for  interesting patterns and textures. 

Spade 

This noble old spade carries a lifetime of memories in its rough, ashen grain, the patina of years, use and weather, give it a character all its own, and you can imagine who used it, the hands that held it, rough hands, smooth wood. 

Apple Blossom 

The last image is a tender froth of apple blossom. Spring colours are so new, so promising, and in this little tree, this image, lies the future delightful anticipation of a hot apple crumble, spiked with a drift of cinnamon! 

What will you do with your photographs? 

Photography is such a fantastic record of good times shared, occasions, and it can be brilliant for the day-to-day journaling of what you see and what you love, you can show your loved ones the beautiful nature you’ve seen during your time in your senior living community – you don’t have to even print them unless you want to…  

If you want to have a go, start by using the camera on your mobile, they produce really good images these days and you can even crop and edit there. And it’s so easy to share your images with friends, family and loved ones, through social media and email. 

If you get the bug and want to take it further, you might like to consider buying a camera, such as this one: – 

Canon EOS 200D – Cameras – Canon UK 

It’s really easy to use and you can automatically send the photos to your phone which makes sharing really straightforward. 

Whatever you do, enjoy the adventure! 

By Rebecca Laithwaite

Finding the best places to enjoy the Halloween and Autumn season and go pumpkin picking with the family is sometimes difficult, especially if you’re new to the local area.

Here are some of the most enjoyable, family friendly pumpkin patches in the local Blackpool area to get you out into the beautiful countryside.

1. Roby Mill Pumpkin patch

Is lovely for a family day out with a huge field filled with pumpkins and ‘spooky’ decorations! It’s also a working farm so a good trip for children to learn about farm equipment and see the animals.

The postcode is WN8 0QY

2. Kenyon Hall Farm

An exciting day out with lots of photo opportunities, there’s also a little play park and café to make pumpkin picking a complete day out with the family!

Here’s the post code to visit! WA3 7ED

3. Bradshaws Farm Shop

Make memories to last a lifetime, the Halloween decorations around the farm will truly excite the whole family and with the large muddy field full of pumpkins you cant help but get ‘stuck’ in!

Here’s the postcode to visit PR3 0LP.

Don’t forget to take your wellies and prepare yourself for a muddy, fun day!

By Maggie Wilkinson.  

Retirement is a such a golden time, a time to reflect on not only what you want to do, but also, realising just how much you have to give. 

Grannies and Grandpas are the superheroes of this stressful world - the most wonderful asset a family can have, and now you have settled into your amazing retirement village, the grandchildren can come for days, mornings, maybe afternoons – on a regular basis, and you will be giving them the most precious gift there is. Your time.   

It’s very special for children with siblings to revel in one-to-one time with a grandparent, and now, you can offer that, and perhaps they can take turns. 

When an older person has a close relationship with a youngster, a marvellous exchange can take place; you get to see the world through their eyes, and they see it through yours! 

Both sides will love the talking, you’ll learn so much.  

Your stories and memories will make them smile, they won’t believe the way things were, back in the day, and how you got through somehow, and went on to have happy families. 

They would love to look through your photograph albums! And you will enjoy hearing them chatter about their friends and their schools, you will have a revolutionary insight into their world.  

You are an incredible gift for busy, young parents, who are probably juggling a house, jobs, pets and the children. 

You remember how that was… what a joy for them to know that they can bring the children over to you at your senior living home and know that their little one is going to be nurtured in a peaceful happy oasis with unique you.

And, the gift is returned in several ways.

They will help to keep you healthy – the germs young children come into contact with, playing, eating and touching, will actually give your immune system a boost, and help you to stay well.   

Research has also shown that spending time with grandchildren is truly rewarding, because it makes you happy, and that’s the best antidote to depression there is. 

The time you share will fill the odd gaps children experience these days, you can teach them the little life skills that schools no longer have time for, and things parents find hard to fit in.  

Little things are big things: Empower them!   

Depending on your grandchildren’s age, these can be great examples of bonding activities: 

• Teaching them how to tie their shoe-laces 

• Showing them how to lay the table (make a little posy to pretty it up) 

• Cooking, baking, preparing a salad, hulling strawberries 

• Button pictures, sew on a button, showing them how to thread buttons on string 

• Drawing and painting, colouring – always a pleasure 

• Stories, songs & poems  

• Taking photographs 

• Teaching a musical instrument 

Children naturally want to help, to be part of things, but at home there isn’t always time to indulge that, and parents often take for speed.

But you are time-rich and can enjoy showing them all sorts of things, at your leisure within your independent senior living. 

You don’t need to buy lots of expensive toys, they will be happy just to play. This is the importance of Grandparents! Lastly, don’t forget to laugh, and be daft, they really love that!

There are many breathtaking beaches on the Cleveleys seafront that are perfect to spend the day at, either exploring or on a family day.

1. Cleveleys beach

At Royles Lodge, this beach is right on your doorstep! A walk down to the beach front in Cleveleys and you will be at the beach front with many cafes in the area for you to easily spend the day there.

2. Fleetwood beach

This sandy beach is dog friendly which is good news if you’re planning a day trip with your family and pets. This beach is a go to for families, water sport enthusiast and nature lovers to enjoy.

3. Ainsdale beach

A blue flag awarded beach which also holds a quality coast award, which ensures clean water and plenty of facilities to make a beach day a happy and comfortable one.

4. Bispham beach

Known locally as ‘The Cliffs’, Bispham has extensive man-made sea defences and views along the coast and out towards the Irish sea, this beach is a place to peacefully sit and watch as the scenery will change every day.

5. Formby beach and Nature Reserve

Formby has miles of sandy beach and acres of woodland to explore and spend the day at. There is a lot to see and explore at Formby as well as a calming and peaceful beach.

A New Beginning – and different ways to think about gardening!

It takes great courage and imagination to choose a completely new lifestyle for yourself, and our luxury retirement villages are the perfect place to make a change.

Sometimes adjusting to a new lifestyle can feel quite emotionally daunting, and if you’ve enjoyed a garden previously, you might be wondering how you’ll cope without one.

An Allotment:

When you stay with us at our luxury retirement villages, why not sign up for a local allotment? The advantages are brilliant. You’ll be able to get that wonderful feeling from growing and nurturing plants and being outside in the fresh air and sunshine, on a scale you can choose and manage.

• A half plot – or share a plot with a friend. You’ll be able to share the work, your ideas, skills and resources, and when one of you is away, the other can keep it ticking over.
• Community plots – many sites offer these, where you can just have a raised bed for yourself, on a plot with like-minded people. It’s amazing how much you can grow in a small place and you will enjoy meeting others on the same plot, swapping ideas, seeds, and probably sharing a pot of tea!
• Allotment Committees love people like you! It may be that you can offer them a bit of much-needed help from time to time, that amazing gift of time which enables them to run annual events like plant sales, annual shows etc. It’s really good fun helping out, from making tea and sandwiches, sowing seeds, arranging the displays, to baking cakes and so on. There are so many jobs to do if you like helping out. And as a volunteer, you can choose what and when you can offer, making the best of your particular skills and preferences.

House plants:

You can bring your garden indoors! While you stay with us as part of our senior living communities why not make your room feel more like home with some fresh house plants. They require just a little bit of maintenance, and that splash of green is so uplifting and worthwhile! Here are some ideas: –

• Spider plants – easy and graceful.
• Mint – lush and fragrant and you can enjoy a glass of fresh mint tea!
• Aloe Vera – dramatic and easy, enjoying light and a little water.
• Succulents – love a nice warm sunny spot. They need very little water, and just a shallow container for three or four plants. The variety available is amazing, and your collection will surely grow.
• Seasonal displays – you can change with the seasons in your apartment and grow beautiful spring bulbs, little potted roses, geraniums, so many plants are readily available that are happy to grow indoors. Think of that joyful splash of colour, the wonderful scents from things growing, and the pleasure in looking after them. No heavy tools needed, just some sharp fine snips, a long spouted light little watering can, and take your pick!
• Flower arrangements – such a lovely way of introducing growing beauty and colour inside, and if you do it regularly you’ll enjoy a selection of different shaped vases and containers. Your tools will tidy away in a drawer, and you can do it when you feel like it. Bad weather no problem!

So, let’s get growing!

Author – Maggie Wilkinson

What bliss spending a morning or afternoon outdoors, leisurely planting up a beautiful little herb garden for yourself at your luxury retirement villages! It could be small and simple, or a bit larger and more elaborate, containing more varieties. Why not head for the garden centre and build in a delicious, decadent, cake and coffee to help along the choosing process?!

Container:

Whatever container you choose, it needs to be frost- proof, and have water drainage holes in the bottom so your herbs don’t get wet feet and sulk, or worse – drown! There are many stylish bargains to be rescued from second-hand shops, such as the characterful galvanised bath tub used in this project, or take a quick trip from your independent senior living to treat yourself to a terracotta or ceramic pot from the garden centre, when you go for your plants. You’ll need pot feet to lift pots off the ground to prevent waterlogging in the winter. If you’re feeling really ambitious, you could go for a purpose- built vegetable planter like this one, which is very smart and saves you bending down to tend it:

https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/garden-grow-wooden-planter-medium/g3340TM

Compost

It’s worth paying a little more for compost made especially for container growing, because it has added nutrients in it, and granules which enhance the water retaining properties, so for about six weeks the soil does the work of developing good roots and you have no work to do other than watering your plants which is a quick, relaxing job to have whilst staying in your lifestyle villages!

Plants, the exciting bit!

So many to choose from! Choose what you enjoy to enhance your cooking, or go with the shopping list for this project for simplicity. These varieties were chosen because the silvery leaf colours, the flash of acidic green, and the leaf shapes will look spectacular in the tub together, you just need to be mindful that the lavender and the rosemary won’t need as much water as the other, more leafy herbs. All of these herbs will do well in a sunny spot, or dappled shade.

• Oregano – Country cream
• Sage
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Lemon Balm/Melissa
• Marjoram
• Lavender – Munstead for scent and gorgeousness!
• White Geranium – for elegant beauty!
• Pansy – to make you smile

Crocks

You’ll need some crocks, i.e., bits of broken pot to place over the drainage holes to stop them clogging, or rocky pebbles will serve well.

How To

• The night before planting, give your plants a long drink of water, to ensure the roots and leaves are fully hydrated in preparation for their big move.
• Place your crocks over the drainage holes.
• Fill with compost, to about 4 inches from the top of the container, tamping it down quite firmly to eliminate air pockets.
• Arrange your plants in their pots on the soil until you’re happy with how they look together. Take a picture on your mobile.
• Take your plants from their pots, and use the pots to make spaces in the compost. Space your plants so that they have room to grow. They’ll look a bit sparse for a couple of weeks, but lushness will come! Firm the soil round the pots, then remove them.
• Your plants will slot perfectly into the holes you’ve made with no stress to their delicate root systems, and you can then firm more compost round their stems to stabilise them finally. You can refer to your photograph for placement.
• You’re aiming to have the compost level just a couple of inches shy of your container rim, so the compost doesn’t spill out when your water, and so the plants can proudly grow and reach for the sun.

Water them generously!

     Finally

Herbs also look fantastic grouped in individual pots, around your main pot. This is great if you like to move them around, vary the scene you’ve created, and you can enjoy playing with colour, height and variety. If there’s a day you don’t feel like leaving your lifestyle villages you can see nature right on your doorstep.

Water regularly, and enjoy your visual and culinary treat!

Author  – Maggie Wilkinson

Miss J.Hunter Dunn, Miss J.Hunter Dunn,
Furnish’d and burnish’d by Aldershot sun,
What strenuous singles we played after tea,
We in the tournament – you against me!

Love-thirty, love-forty, oh! weakness of joy,
The speed of a swallow, the grace of a boy,
With carefullest carelessness, gaily you won,
I am weak from your loveliness, Joan Hunter Dunn

You may never have made the acquaintance of Miss Joan Hunter Dunn, or even been to Aldershot … but you should be in total accord with Sir John Betjeman’s enthusiasm for the joys of tennis, and here is why.

Taking that giant step for which, some can’t wait, but which others dread – retirement – can be daunting.  What are you going to do with yourself to make positive and constructive use of the hours now available? How can you match the ideal of maintaining or maybe even boosting opportunities for social interaction and friendship, keeping the brain and body active and meeting the need to see a task through to a satisfactory conclusion – all of those things that a job may have given you? Join the local tennis club near our luxury retirement villages to make sure that you continue to enjoy these benefits of working life.

Your local borough council may from time to time offer courses aimed at getting retirees back into sport, you can even do walking tennis.  You are likely to come across a mixed bunch of people, some of whom may have played tennis decades earlier and saw an opportunity to get back into it, others may be complete beginners. There’s no reason you can’t bring along another retiree from our senior living communities who shares a mutual interest in tennis or just for moral support.

Tennis people tend to be a friendly bunch, no airs or graces with a positive and supportive atmosphere which will see you improving your tennis and enjoying being in the group very quickly.  When the course ends, you may be tempted to join a tennis club and hopefully find the reception from the club is just as open and welcoming.  Even for older beginners this is a well-trodden pathway which ensures that you find your feet and your new playing partners, with no trouble at all. If you’re looking for active retirement communities, this is a great extra or alternative.

In fact, back in 1940s Britain, Sir John found more than simply a playing partner at his tennis club:

Around us are Rovers and Austins afar,
Above us the intimate roof of the car,
And here on my right is the girl of my choice,
With the tilt of her nose and the chime of her voice.

And the scent of her wrap, and the words never said,
And the ominous, ominous dancing ahead.
We sat in the car park till twenty to one
And now I’m engaged to Miss Joan Hunter Dunn.

Tennis will help you to stay physically fit, build friendships, challenge yourself to improve and maintain a targeted, external focus.  Not to mention how you may just enjoy the visits to the clubs from your luxury retirement villages, the preferential access to Wimbledon tickets and the tennis holidays in far-flung places. Taking up tennis in retirement will give you nothing but good returns (pun intended).

(The verses above are taken from “A Subaltern’s Love Song”, written by Sir John Betjeman in 1941.)

https://www.lta.org.uk/play-compete/getting-started/adult-tennis/

Author – Lee Knapp