EDITORIAL FOR NOVEMBER/DECEMBER NEWSLETTER
Welcome to the November/December edition of the Folkestone Clubhouse
Newsletter. We would like to be the
first to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Clubhouse would like to welcome Kate and Trish, our two new part time
Support Workers, to the team. They have
fitted in very well and their help is much appreciated. Indeed we would like to thank all the staff
for their support and hard work throughout the year, which has been a very busy
one.
As most people already know, we were closed for a few weeks for
refurbishment and it was well worth the wait.
The new kitchen is marvellous.
We will be holding our first ever cooked
Christmas lunch on December 20. The
cost is £3 and all members are welcome.
While Clubhouse was shut, the staff worked very hard to keep a
programme of events going. We had
outings to various place, trips to the cinema and a lot of sessions at the
Ganmac!
We have had a lot of members going to college, doing computer training
and doing voluntary work. We are on the
verge of setting up supported work placements for several of our members. If you are interested in doing a work
placement through therapeutic earnings, let Debbie or Denis know. We need to increase our work placements to
meet the demands of our two main funders as was made plain at the Contract
Meeting on November 6.
Although other issues were discussed, the emphasis was on work
placement and Paul Absolon made it clear that unless we meet this criteria by
March 2001, our funding will not be renewed in October. We have subsequently developed a broad
spectrum Action Plan to try and meet these targets. We need the help and support of every member of Clubhouse. If you value your Clubhouse, come in and be
part of the effort involved which will be necessary to keep it open.
We would like to congratulate Dave who has, at last, taken his driving
test and passed! (As a member of the Newsletter team, he made us put this in!)
Finally, don’t forget we will be open between Christmas and New Year on
December 27, 28 and 29 and we re-open for 2001 on January 3.
ME, MYSELF AND I
Q.
What is your name?
A.
Adam McGhie.
Q.
How old are you?
A.
I am 26 years old.
Q.
Where were you born?
A.
Hythe.
Q.
What are you studying?
A.
In September I am going to begin N.V.Q. Level Two Food Preparation at
S.K.C.
Q.
What are your interests?
A.
Cooking, music, T.V., computers/internet, collecting autographs, folk
rock music, pets, interior design.
Q.
What are your ambitions?
A.
To be famous and to run my own café bistro.
Q.
If you won the lottery, what would you spend your winnings on?
A.
A family holiday to New Zealand to see relations and start up my own
chain of bistro’s.
Q.
If you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you
want most with you?
A. 1. A female
companion
2.
A wind up radio
2.
Two chickens.
JOKES …..JOKES
…..JOKES …..JOKES …..JOKES …..JOKES …..
“Where
do you live?”
The
second biscuit replies –
“I’m
not telling you, you’ll go round and nick my washing!”
* *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
REPORT FROM COLLEAGUE
TRAINING, TORONTO
Debbie, Maria and Adam set off from Gatwick Airport on May 31, 2000 for 3 week colleague training in Toronto.
The
training was great fun but hard work.
There was time to take in the sights of Toronto including CN Tower,
Niagara Falls, Toronto Islands and, of course, the shopping centres. All of us soon familiarised ourselves with
what shops did the best bargains.
That’s what you get for sending three shopaholics!
The
first day’s training was quite overwhelming as Progress Place has over 600
members and it’s big compared to us.
We
each worked in a different unit. Adam
was a great hit in the Café Unit with his banoffee pie and spotted dick with
custard. I was asked to make some
muffins to take on an outreach visit. I
was rooted to the spot with fear at this request and tried to talk my way out
of it, to no avail. (As most of you
know, I can’t cook!) Luckily I was able
to use a packet mix and the muffins turned out OK.
The
three of us spent many of the evenings reading the Clubhouse articles ready for
the next day’s discussion group. Our
aim was to formulate an Action Plan for Folkestone Clubhouse. After much discussion, we managed to do this
and the whole Clubhouse have since helped implement it quite successfully.
LIAISON WITH OTHER AGENCIES
Debbie
and Denis have had successful meetings with both the Disablement Employment
Advisor at the Job Centre and a contact at the Benefits Agency.
These
contacts mean that we are in a much better position to get help and advice on
both jobs and the best way to retain benefits if you are thinking of doing some
work placements. This would be by
therapeutic earnings and, again thanks to our liaison with the Benefits Agency,
we have drafted out a letter to be signed by your doctor which the Benefits
Agency will accept as authorisation from your doctor for you to start
therapeutic earnings.
Don’t
forget, to meet our funding criteria by March 2001, we have to have 7 work
placements so any of you who feel you might be able to do some part time work,
contact Denis or Debbie or come along to the Thursday Job Shop.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF CLUBHOUSE
Paul rang the bell and a warm, friendly voice answered. A buzz, and the door was opened ….. the door to Clubhouse.
As
he went in, Paul felt nervous but the same friendly voice said “Welcome to
Clubhouse.” Then Paul was offered a cup
of tea or coffee and gradually he began to relax.
Paul
felt at home fairly soon. He felt he
could relax and just be himself without trying to impress anyone as he had to
in the outside world.
His
final thought on the day that he would be back ….. and, Paul, we’ll be pleased
to see you.
When I was a boy, I lived in a hamlet of Guildford in Surrey near the famous downs called The Hogs Back. Every year in December, I would go with my brother Barry into the town and we would take all the pocket money we had saved up during the autumn and we would go into shops like Harvey’s and W.H. Smiths and we would buy Christmas presents for our Mother and Father and our two sisters, Rosemary and Jane, and also for our Uncle Frank and Aunt Gladys and their daughter, our cousin, and other relatives etc. As a boy, I seriously believed in Father Christmas and I would write to him each year telling him what I wanted for Christmas and I would write on the envelope – “Father Christmas, Greenland”.
THAT ARE NOW JUST DREAMS
When
I was a boy, I went on holiday to Cornwall with my close relatives where we
stayed on farms. I loved waking in the
mornings, listening to the cows and sheep in the meadows and getting up and
going exploring the farm. Before
breakfast I would go and watch the cows being milked and generally look
around. At breakfast, I would have
porridge first - which was something I never had at
home. After we had eaten, we would get
our things together and go out for the day in the car. We would go to St. Ives, Penzance, Lands End
and places like that. I would love
going over old castles, cathedrals, going on to Bodmin Moor, seeing the rocks
at the foot of the cliffs. I loved
having cream teas in old tea places.
And now other places I loved, like Devonshire. I loved Dartmoor in the mist and going through Dartmoor villages
in the car. Even at that young age, I
loved going into old bookshops.
That must be why Martin
borrows so many large books from the library!
By
the way, Clubhouse library has a small selection of mental health self-help
books - titles include: Not All in The Mind: The Tranquiliser Trap & How to Get Out
of It: How to Stop Worrying & Start
Living; and Happiness Now!.
If
you’re interested in these - or any other titles -
please see Denis or Jenny.
JOKES …..JOKES
…..JOKES.
A
man driving down the motorway with the car all over the road from one side to
another is stopped by the police and asked to get out of the car.
Policeman: You’re drunk.
Man: Thank goodness for that.
For a moment I thought my steering had gone!
* *
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DRAMA WORKSHOPS WITH BERNIE
SPAVIK
Bernie
came to see us at Clubhouse before we closed to discuss the drama
workshops. It was agreed that she would
hold two drama workshops during the period of closure at the Salisbury Hotel.
Both
workshops started with some gentle movement to music. Then, in the first workshop, we formed the tableau of a boat with
a mast, prow and crew. We took it in
turns to leave the tableau to see the effect.
Next Bernie told us an Icelandic fairy tale about a treasure, which we
acted out in the second half of the workshop.
Following
the opening exercises in the second workshop we went on to play the unusual
musical instruments Bernie had brought along with her. Then we acted out both a poem about the sea
at sunset and a New Zealand creation myth.
Everyone
who took part enjoyed the workshops and we hope to see Bernie again at
Clubhouse.
Cally
& Jenny
FOOD HYGIENE, HEALTH &
SAFETY AND FIRST AID
Courses were run on these topics at the Salisbury Hotel while Clubhouse was closed.
Food
Hygiene was the basic level prior to food preparation and people were reminded
of the necessity of being thoroughly hygienic when working around food.
Health
& Safety dealt with the detailed items involved in health & safety
issues for a building open to the public with suggestions as to how the rules
and regulations should be implemented.
First
Aid again was the basic course in dealing with general first aid for the
general public.
Congratulations
to everyone who took part in these courses
- all of whom passed with flying
colours!
P.S. There are more courses of
this type available to Clubhouse members
- information on the notice
board. If you’re interested in moving
on to the next level, add your name to the poster.
Thanks to SRB for giving us £20,500 for the April to June quarter to spend on the refurbishment of the building. This has enabled us to help refurbish the building, plus employ one other member of staff. We have just put in our monitoring returns for July to September and hopefully we shall receive an additional £4,500. We’ll keep you posted.
DON’T FORGET …..
Breakfast is still available on a Monday morning from 8.15 am for only £1 - vegetarian option available.
Also, lunches are available daily for only another £1 - and, again, vegetarian options are available.
Book up with Kate or Vinnie – either on a Friday for Monday breakfast or pre-book lunch the day before if you think you can’t make it by the booking cut off time of 11 am.
SAMPLE
MENUS
Baked
potato & cheese
(Monday lunch is always a light meal as an enormous breakfast has already been enjoyed that morning!)
Sausage
casserole & apple pie
Tuna
pasts bake
Chilli
con carne & fruit cocktail
Shepherds
pie & rice pudding
Lasagne
& fruit cocktail
Bangers,
mash, beans, onion gravy & angel
delight
Beefsteak
stew & ice cream
Chicken
curry & rice pudding
Mouthwatering huh? Don’t forget, main courses are yours for just £1, with the dessert costing a mere 25p.
Come along and join the fun.
REPORT FROM NCA CONFERENCE,
SCARBOROUGH
Debbie, Denis and Jenny set out on a wet, blustery Monday morning for Scarborough. After several hours on the motorway, and an unplanned tour round the one-way streets of Scarborough, we arrived at the Hotel St. Nicholas.
The
hotel - which was also the site of the conference -
was very warm and comfortable, but the service was patchy and the décor
dreadful. We suggest you stay somewhere
else if you want to visit Scarborough!
We
were welcomed by the Lady Mayoress at an evening reception on Monday, which
gave Debbie the chance to renew old acquaintances and also to introduce Denis
and Jenny to some other Clubhouse members.
The
opening plenary session was taken by Ben Collins and dealt with the Clubhouse
model, its past and its future development.
The three of us then separated to cover as many workshops as
possible. (There were 4 each morning
and afternoon, not all of them of interest to us at Folkestone Clubhouse.)
The
notes from the individual workshops have been typed up and there is a copy
available on reception for you all to read, together with a copy of the
programme. The items marked ** are
suggestions that we might adopt and have been discussed at house meetings. The notes are also forming part of the basis
for the forward Action Plan for the future development of Folkestone Clubhouse.
One
of the themes of the plenary sessions was that the individual Clubhouses need
to co-ordinate, through the NCA, sharing information and solutions to problems
so each individual Clubhouse doesn’t have to start from scratch where others
have already shown the way. Also, a
more co-ordinated Clubhouse movement would give us an effective voice in the
national mental health debate. Now that
we are on the internet, we will be able to participate in this.
On
Wednesday evening there was a gala dinner and disco. The dinner was well presented and the food quite adequate. The disco was great fun -
Debbie and Jenny boogied away for a couple of hours. Even Denis took to the dance floor for a
slow number!
The
conference finished at lunchtime on Thursday and, as we were booked in for
another night, we had time for a walk round Scarborough. Fortunately the weather was reasonable. We walked along the sea shore -
lovely sandy beach - and into the town, where we stopped for a
brief snack as we were also booked in for a 5 course dinner that night! Debbie and Denis sensibly had sandwiches,
but Jenny gorged on an enormous ice cream sundae!
Debbie
and Denis went for a walk after their 5 course dinner - to settle their food! -
along the seashore where we’d been that afternoon, and saw a family of
seals basking on the rocks. They stayed
and watched them for about 15 minutes before making their way back to the
hotel.
Debbie
kept in touch with Folkestone Clubhouse throughout the week, and even managed
to get the SRB return sorted out and faxed through from the hotel to meet the
deadline.
We
set off in good time on Friday morning and had a reasonable run through on the
return journey, arriving back in the Folkestone area about 5 p.m.
We
all felt we had had a busy and productive week, with enough time to have a
little fun along the way.
You too can contribute to the Christmas Raffle on December 20.
Not
only can you buy your raffle number/s for a mere 50p per square but you are
also free to donate a prize to add to the spoils!
Look
out those old unwanted items that might be just the thing someone else would
like or break into the budget and buy a small prize for your fellow members to
win.
JOKES …..JOKES
…..JOKES
A
man goes to the doctor’s.
Doctor: Get on the couch please.
Man: Why? Are you going to examine me?
Doctor: No.
I want to sweep up!
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A
man goes to the doctor’s.
Man: I
want you to give me something for my liver.
So
the doctor gave him a pound of onions!
* *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
VOLUNTARY WORK
Several of our members are involved with voluntary work which they all say is rewarding and enjoyable. Elliott, for example, is in his element working at Music Bay in Cheriton. He’s the man to go to for advice on all aspects of music.
Simon
works in the office of the Volunteer Bureau itself. He says he enjoys the company of the people he works with and
feels that the work itself helps brush up both his social and computer
skills. Jenny works in the sonar
department of the RVH. She says she
finds the work is helping to develop her social and people skills as well as
introducing her to some new technology, albeit in a very limited way. Steve P. works with Operation Sunshine, a
charity established to send food, clothes, furniture and other items -
particularly bicycles - to Africa.
He helps with the packing, the moving of packed goods from one area to
another and with the repair of the bicycles.
Claire has just started working as a volunteer with the new Mind shop
for 3 days a week.
If
you would like to be involved in some voluntary work yourself, have a word with
one of the members of staff who will be able to put you in touch with an
organisation who can best use your
particular skills.
DON’T FORGET ……..
Our
fortnightly Wednesday social evenings have already started - on
October 25th from 4.30 pm
to 7.30 pm. We have games -
Denis is a devil at backgammon!
- general conversation and a
small snack. Come along and be part of
the fun. Forthcoming dates:-
November
22
December
6
December
20
January
3
January
17
January
31
See
you then. Don’t forget to bring along
any games that you’re especially good at and beat all the rest of
us!
W O R D S E A R C H
Dick
Francis writes racetrack thrillers
- see if finding some of his
titles in this Wordsearch gives you a thrill!
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For Kicks Banker Nerve Odds Against
Proof Reflex Flying
Finish Forfeit
The Edge Blood
Sport Enquiry Rat
Race
Straight Dead
Cert In
The Frame Bonecrack
Risk Longshot Smokescreen Slayride
Twice Shy Trial
Run High
Stakes Whip Hand
The Danger Knock
Down
UNIT ONE
REPORT - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2000
Things have been going well down here in Unit One. We have been producing a hot meal every day for some time now and we are having regular Menu Planning meetings, every Wednesday, after the House Meeting.
I’d like to thank everybody who has helped out either in the kitchen or by running round Sainsburys hunting bargains.
I’d also like to remind everyone that they can pre-pay for meals if they are unable to get here for 11 am.
The Tea Bar is still as successful as ever with everybody doing their fair share of the work involved.
The garden has seen some improvement, thanks mainly to the persistence and hard work of Steven Chivers - thank you, Steve.
The Christmas Dinner is set for December 20th - don’t forget to let us know by December 18th if you want to come along, and that a vegetarian meal can be provided as an alternative.
Thanks again to anyone who has helped this year. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Vinnie
UNIT TWO
REPORT - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2000
Our biggest task - or rather, the one that took the longest to complete! - was the Progress Report ready for the Contract Meeting on November 6.
This took the combined efforts of most of the staff and several of the members but was finally neatly bound up to go - with as much back up information as we could provide - just before the deadline.
We have also been keeping the attendance statistics up-to-date on the computer.
Some effort has been made to promote TEPs to local companies - with not very much success, I’m afraid, at least, so far. Angela is also supervising the Christmas Raffle donations for us in the hope that this year it will be bigger and better than ever.
The two page Newsletter has been produced monthly, as agreed, just to keep everyone in touch with what’s going on. We have tried to make sure there is enough notice of upcoming birthdays for everyone to get in their good wishes in time!
Jenny
VISIT BY BEN COLLINS
Ben Collins, NCA National Development Officer, paid us a visit on October 19th. It was a semi-informal visit, mainly to see what had been done during the refurbishment of Folkestone Clubhouse. He was very impressed with what he saw, had a good time talking to the members and staff and enjoyed a thoroughly good lunch!
PS So can you, don’t forget! A really tasty meal for just £1.
CHRISTMAS
LUNCH AND RAFFLE
This year’s Christmas lunch will be on Wednesday December 20th at 1.30 pm.
The menu is typical Christmas fare - turkey and all the trimmings - and there will, of course, be a vegetarian option available for anyone who requires it.
The cost of the meal is £3 and you need to have booked, and paid, by Monday December 18th.
We are also having a Christmas Raffle after the meal. Angela is working busily on trying to get local businesses to cough up some prizes. If you have anything you feel you could donate as a raffle prize, it would be much appreciated. We are going to use the same plan as last year - a chart from which you can pick your number/s.
DON’T FORGET …….
Christmas Lunch & Raffle - Wednesday December 20th.
Cut off date for booking & payment -
Monday December 18th.
MENTAL HEALTH
SERVICE USER INVOLVEMENT
Shepway Open Forum (SWOF) is the local forum for Mental Health Service Users in Shepway. It is run by service users for service users. It meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at Radnor Park Day Services, starting at 4.l5 pm and finishing at 5.45 pm. It only lasts 1 l/2 hours, so is not too long.
This forum has been running for quite a few years now but has recently changed its name (originally being Shepway Work Orientation Forum). It offers the service user mutual support and a chance to have their say about services or lack of them.
This group links up with other user forums across East Kent for quarterly meetings and also stays in touch with Kent User Forum which covers the whole of Kent. Via these links, we have sent representatives to various meetings concerning issues that relate to the services that Mental Health clients receive and use. We have permanent representation on all of the following: Joint Commissioning and Planning Board; Locality Monitoring and Planning Group and the Horizon Group.
The Joint Commissioning and Planning Board has various subgroups at different times, e.g. Sainsbury Review; Care Programme/Care Management; Mentally Disordered Offenders; Policy and Resources; Equalities, Crisis Services and Implementation Planning to name just a few. These groups need as much user input as they can get. After all, we have had the experience of using most of the services that are provided, both by Health and Social Services, and we all have our own ideas about how they can be improved. Why not come to a meetings and share those ideas. We are hoping to get some funding soon so that we can have our own office and be open for at least two afternoons a week.
Joint Commissioning and Planning Board
The JCPB is a recommending body for Health and Social Services in East Kent. It is made up of Health and Social Services employees along with users; carers, primary care groups, locality planning and monitoring groups, non-statutory and voluntary groups. This group meets once every two months but a lot of work is done in the subgroups of this board in between meetings.
LOCALITY PLANNING AND MONITORING GROUP
The LPMG are groups that were set up in each locality to share information and also to feed back to the JCPB. These groups have been running for between 18 months and 2 years. They have the same type of representation as the JCPB has and are only concerned about local services and issues.
USERS BRIEFING MEETINGS
User Briefing Meetings are held about a week before each JCPB and the purpose of them is to help users understand what is to be discussed at the board meetings and how to bring user issues to the attention of the board.
The Horizon Group is made up of people who have an interest in mental health issues: the members do not work for Health or Social Services and anyone is welcome to join. Their priority at the moment is a Crisis House for Shepway and to this end there was a programme on Radio Kent (the Barbara Sturgeon Show) in July all about the need for a crisis house in Shepway. This programme generated a lot of interest from local people about mental health and was nominated for an award. Unfortunately it did not win, but it did have a lot of stiff competition. The campaign for the crisis house is ongoing and they hope it will become a reality soon.
The Sainsbury Review was a subgroup of the JCPB looking at modernising secondary mental health services and has now ended. It has been to consultation and, although there are still some things that need more discussion, the JCPB will be recommending it to the Health Authority this month. The next step is to start planning the implementation of the the recommendations. A full report is available from the East Kent Health Authority.
This information has
been prepared by Jackie who, as you know, is the Clubhouse representative to
most of these outside bodies. This
gives you some idea of the work each group is involved in.
If you would like to
become a member of any of the groups, just let Jackie know. Users’ input is always welcome.
THE BOTTOMLESS PIT
Falling, falling down the well
never appearing to reach the bottom,
Falling, falling under an archaic spell
through life’s detritus and flotsam.
Where are the handholds to grab on to
as I tumble ever downward?
Where are the footholds to step on to
as I somersault ever onward?
They say I have depression
this feeling of walking through treacle,
They say I have to show my aggression
in order to step out of the treacle.
The bottomless pit is a frightening place
full of dampness and gloom,
How I long for a bright sunny space
like a flower filled sunny room.
Some days I can’t see an end to the pain
that haunts every waking moment,
Some days I see there is little to gain
from remaining in this disillusionment.
Family and friends beg me to keep going
but what is there to life for?
Heartache and pain and endless crying
is all I seem really good for.
It seems so long since I really laughed
and felt joy and fun and laughter,
It seems so long since being really lifted
by the antics, frolics and happy ever afters.
I want to be able to get out of the pit
I don’t want to be there forever after,
I want to be able to climb out of the pit
and have my very own happy ever after.
SUMMARY OF HOUSE MEETING MINUTES
Action has been taken to prepare the Christmas Raffle and to try to collect prizes from various local companies.
It has been agreed that members attending the House Meeting on Wednesday afternoons are entitled to one free cup of tea or coffee as part of the meeting.
It has also been agreed that the term “work-ordered day” should be changed to “structured day” as this is more representative of all the facets of the day at Clubhouse.
Visitors to the Christmas Lunch: as we are short of space, visitors are limited to member’s partners only.
Kate, Dave and the team have been working on preparing charts showing the various routes to employment and education. This is ongoing.
There was some discussion about the behaviour and attitude
of one member of the Advisory Board and a petition was circulated for members
to sign to have him removed. (See Advisory Board summary.)
Denis explained the reasons for the new referral form and the necessity for a risk assessment for each member: that it is MCCH policy and thus Clubhouse has no choice but to comply.
It was agreed to spend some money on bulbs and seeds for the garden.
Debbie said she would like to arrange a meeting once a month, or every 6 weeks, outside Clubhouse regular opening times - but counting as part of the working hours - for a staff development meeting. This meeting would not cover any items raised at House Meetings but be purely for staff development. This was agreed.
Bob has volunteered to follow up on items that come up at House Meetings to make sure they are carried out.
Members need to decide what they want to do for the social evenings say a week in advance.
Angela attended the Safe and Sound Supportive Meeting and has some paperwork from it which is in TEP if anyone would like to look at it.
There was of course a good deal of discussion about the
Contract Meeting, which was well attended by members - see Editorial. There has since been a brain storming
session to come up with as many ideas as possible on increasing membership and
obtaining work placements and these have been developed into an Action Plan on
which work is ongoing by all members and staff.
ADVISORY BOARD
The meeting in October dealt with the usual topics of building refurbishment - Listed Building Application still not concluded and Transo still pending - staff recruitment and membership criteria.
However, before the next meeting, Denis had done a fair amount of research and discovered that our Advisory Board was not properly constituted. Therefore at the meeting on November 16, the current Advisory Board was disbanded. A constitution has been drawn up and the Advisory Board will be reconvened under its terms in the near future.
There’s going to be
a lot of celebrations over the next two months
- a very happy way to get
through the winter blues!
NEWSLETTER
The next Newsletter meeting is on Tuesday January 9 at 2.00 pm.
Any articles for the January/February Newsletter would be appreciatively received.
Also, if you have any ideas that you would like to raise in the Newsletter or if you would like to help produce it, we would be glad to hear from you. Contact Jackie or Jenny.
The views, opinions and beliefs published in this document are not necessarily the views of Folkestone Clubhouse.
DON’T FORGET …..
to join us for breakfast on Mondays or lunch on any day of the week;
to come along to the social evenings and join in the fun - let us have your ideas about what you would like to do on the social evenings too;
to select your number/s for the grand Christmas Raffle on December 20, and to donate a small prize if you can;
to join in the turkey and all the trimmings lunch on December 20 - last order & payment date: December 18. There will be a vegetarian option also remember.
A PARADOX
drowning in a sea of
liquid humanity
risen on the crest, but dashed
against the shore
wheeling high above,
swooping, returning
to a mystic time.
All is sense, then sense lets go
falling, draining away.
smoothing in a world of
bumpy lumps
icecream and candyfloss clouds
drifting in the breeze,
soaring, exploring
our reality.
Fingers creating,
minds hesitating
Waiting, anticipating.
Fine rain misting
Seagulls lifting
Eyelids heavy, reverie
Blinking, awakening.
A SCREAMING MIND
I feel like I’m clawing through
fog and mist
to find the answers to questions,
I feel like I’m drowning in a
never ending tryst
being haunted by ghostly
apparitions.
My mind is unquiet and
screaming
always asking which way and
that,
But the questions still keep on
teeming
filling the expanding cerebral vat.
This illness is an excruciating
horror
with no physical sign of pain,
But it will last deep into
tomorrow
and rear its ugly head again.
The tablets, there are so many
with many pretty colours
Their deadening effect is
uncanny
but the apparitions don’t become
any duller.
When you have an unquiet mind
some people think you are crazy,
When you have an unquiet mind
they read your inability as lazy.
I hope one day to be over this
or at least be able to cope,
I hope one day to feel peaceful
bliss
but until then I shan’t give up
hope.
CLUBHOUSE QUIZ
??
?? ??
1. What is the stage name of Marion Morrison, alias the Duke?
2. Which Irish member of the Boomtown Rats instigated the charity Band Aid?
3. Which cockney actor is famous for his part in the film Alfie?
4. Which doctor scored the first triple century in cricket in 1876?
5. In which month is the English Derby horse race run?
6. Which English director of suspense films is noted for his fleeting appearances in them?
7. In which field game will you encounter the term a “push-in”?
8. Which film star, who played Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind, starred in over 90 films in 30 years.
9. “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” was one of his best-known songs. What was his name?
10. Which Argentinian footballer moved to Barcelona for a transfer fee of approximately £5 million?
11. Which game is played on a variety of surfaces, including shale, clay, grass and concrete?
12. Which English athlete was the first person to run a mile in under four minutes?
Answers in the next edition of the Newsletter - or - if you can’t wait that long, Bob might just find you a copy of the answers on reception!