Roseland Parc Residents Diary

We have always said our residents are our best ambassadors. That’s why we’ve dedicated these pages to the residents of Roseland Parc to fill with news, views and events, in the hope it will give you a genuine insight in village living Retirement Villages’ style.

Meet Blue the Lobster

Contribution from resident Elizabeth Sharratt 

Eight happy travellers set off in what one resident jokingly refers to as ‘the Works Bus’ and what is actually our village minibus, for Padstow. It was a sunny day but rather cold so we were delighted to find that the car park was very close to the entrance to The National Lobster Centre. This is a remarkably small outfit for an organisation doing such sterling work but it is run by a charity. The staff were so delighted to see a group of people who were really interested in their work that we had a virtually private lecture on lobsters and what the association is trying to achieve! In the wild the percentage of baby lobsters which survive is very low and in Padstow the local fishermen have permission to land a number of lobsters who are full of eggs and turn them over to the charity.

We were shown the tanks where the newly hatched lobsters were kept and fed - for a short time as they have cannibalistic tendancies - before being put in separate cells in bigger tanks where they are fed individually every day.

After just a few weeks, they are old enough to be taken back to the sea by the fishermen where they sink to the bottom and live there quietly for 18 months.

One tank, labelled Maternity Unit, contained half a dozen Mummy lobsters waiting to hatch but their pincers were firmly taped to stop them fighting!
The charity exists to improve the stock of Cornish lobsters and keep the fishermen busy now that the EU has curtailed the number of fish which can be caught in our waters.
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for the sake of our wallets, we did not have time to visit Rick Stein's Fish Restaurant but it was an interesting visit and we were all happy to make donations to help the important work.
 

Contribution from resident Elizabeth Sharratt

The 12… and more… days of Christmas!

Christmas at Roseland Parc spread over a number of days each bringing some new form of entertainment!

We started very early with a pre-Christmas dinner after which Just Ken and his guitar performed a selection of post war songs, sometimes with the right words but often with verses made up on the spot. He has a very clever knack of talking to people before the event begins and then singing about them when they least expect it. The meal was excellent and the entertainment complemented it.

Tregony Tregony Primary School and Veryan Primary School choirs both performed at the village. It was a joy to hear the children sing Christmas songs and carols and see their happy faces when they talked to us afterwards. We have noticed that the children from this particular corner of Cornwall are very confident from a young age and are never shy of talking to the old folk.

Then, joy oh joy, another visit from the Cadenza Trio, three ladies singing unusual Christmas songs. It was refreshing to hear Star Candles again and other long forgotten songs. The Trio are a great favourite with residents here - their voices no longer have the freshness of youth but, my goodness, can they put a song over!  

The next day we had an illustrated lecture by a young lady with an unusual hobby. Kazia Tooby has collected reels of old films and she focussed on classic Christmas film clips including Holiday Inn, Scrooge, White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life. We all wallowed in nostalgia seeing things again after 50 more years.

Roseland Parc Ladies Choir, with a little help from a few members of the village church choir, led a large gathering of residents in a sing-along of carols. It was fun but I wonder if tv choir master Gareth Malone would have got more sound out of 40 voices!

Christmas Day saw our numbers depleted as many of those who could joined their families but those of us left behind enjoyed a gorgeous meal prepared by the catering staff at tables beautifully decorated by the hard working restaurant staff.

And so to 2012

Our 2012 social calendar began with an intimate afternoon of storytelling. We had no idea what to expect as it was billed as The Tintagel Storyteller so many of us assumed we would hear legends and myths about King Arthur and Cornwall. Not so. Jill Lamede, a storyteller, actress and writer based in Tintagel, brought two dogs and a basket of cuddly toys with her around which she wove stories depending on which our residents chose – the picture shows her in full flight! The audience was unusually silent as we listened to tales of romance, horror, humour and magic all told with imagination in an effortless style. Jill held the attention of the audience like the true professional she is. 

We obviously heard only a minute portion of her stories so we are hoping for another instalment before long.        

Arty and crafty

(contribution from resident Elizabeth Sharratt)

Once again occupational therapy staff member Lynne organised Roseland Parc’s annual Arts and Crafts Show.

The enormous variety of items were all made by residents of Roseland Parc. The styles of the artists differed greatly but there were many wonderful examples of the different genres.

The craft section was amazing and contained some exquisite pieces of needlework and knitting.

We may have a pretty aged population in this beautiful corner of Cornwall but I think we can show the youngsters of today a thing or two when it comes to hand work.

In truth we were all quietly pleased with ourselves!

 Boys toys!

(contribution from resident Elizabeth Sharratt)

 Model railways are usually boys toys, at least here at Roseland Parc, but this week the group heading out to Tumblydown Farm outside Redruth was three-quarters women! There they found eleven enthusiasts (funnily enough all old boys who were keeping out of their wives way!) playing with trains in one of the barns. They had put together a marvellous collection of Hornby model trains - large ones, small ones, electric, clockwork and even one old push model - on three big layouts. An unusual collection of model steam rollers and huge Meccano planes and airships, including one more than a century old, amazed everyone.

Outside was a collection of old mine equipment and a train capable of carrying a dozen of us at a time round a 600 yard track in an adjacent field. It was all good fun except that they had not put any glass in the windows making it a jolly cold ride!

But then regular readers will be aware just how we like to warm up on our day trips – yes, with coffee and home make cakes in the on site café – this one situated in the engine shed!

Oliver in Cornwall – with a twist

(contribution from Elizabeth Sharratt) 

Once again Tregony's remarkable Vicar kept the village children busy during the long summer holiday by promoting 43 very varied events.   

One of them was a musical extravaganza about Oliver Twist who was turned into a Cornish waif. The cast consisted of over 30 children, aged from seven to 18, who learned their lines, music and dances one week, rehearsed for four days and then played to an audience.

What has that to do with Roseland Parc? Well…after his triumph as Grandpa George in the church’s production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the children specially requested Roseland Parc resident Roger Sharratt join the cast. A delighted Roger stepped up to the mark, accompanied by wife Elizabeth. The pair were cast as Lord and Lady St Leven (to the far right on the picture). While the couple claim not to have been as good as the children they did receive thunderous applause as the curtain came down - led by the cast.

Elizabeth said: “This is another example of the integration of both the generations and Roseland Parc with the local villagers - and it was the greatest fun. It also taught us the Cornish National Anthem!”

Penrose Water Gardens

(contribution from resident Elizabeth Sharratt)

We are gradually exploring the great gardens of south Cornwall and our latest destination was hidden away in a marshy area close to Truro.

Penrose Water Gardens have been lovingly excavated so that the six and a half acre site now contains an incredible 60 pools ranging from large to gigantic! Each one is filled with a single variety of waterlily - thousands upon thousands of them making an absolutely magnificent sight, full of colour.

The Water Gardens aren’t very well known although I suspect that will change as word gets around.

Of course, we had to make the obligatory refreshment stop and the Lily Coffee Shop also had a delicious range of home made groceries allowing us to stock up our store cupboards!

On the water

(contribution from resident Elizabeth Sharratt)

We were so lucky - the only really fine, warm day of the week arrived right on cue for our scheduled boat trip. Our faithful driver, Des, took eight of us to Falmouth Docks in Roseland Parc’s minibus. From there we boarded a boat which sailed us up the River Fal all the way to Tolverne.

We disembarked at the jetty which serves the Smuggler's Cottage. Regular readers of our diary will know just what we did next… that’s right – we had lunch and a drink!

The terrace proved the perfect place to – quite literally – watch the ships go by as the photo shows. A number are anchored in the harbour while others, including lots of leisure craft, sailed up and down the river.

While we were enjoying the view, Des drove the 26 miles from Falmouth to pick us up and ‘ship’ us home after a lovely, leisurely day.

100 reasons to celebrate

Champagne was flowing in Roseland Parc on June 3rd when our ‘Amazing Grace’ - Mrs Grace Shaw – reached the glorious age of 100. We all joined members of her extended family to celebrate this joyful occasion. In a witty speech made by her son-in-law, we learned that she has enough grandchildren to form a football team and enough potential rugby players with some to spare. Many of them were present and it was wonderful to be part of such a lovely family get together. Her Majesty The Queen also sent her congratulations - as you can see from the photo.

Her friends at Roseland Parc describe Grace as: ‘one of the loveliest people I have ever met’; ‘charming’; ‘erudite’; ‘an avid reader’; ‘a shining example to us all’.

 Return visit of singing quartet

(contribution from resident Elizabeth Sharratt)

By popular request we had another visit from Cadenza, a quartet of mature ladies with their accompanist. They often include songs from the shows and this time we were given a medley from Les Miserables, a work whose songs are not as well known as others they had performed in the past. With their near faultless diction it did not matter as we were able to understand what it was all about. The programme also included solos and duets sung with great panache, ending with their all singing, all dancing version of The Floral Dance.

It was most enjoyable and entertaining evening and we look forward to another visit.

Village meets village

Since the independent living residents started to arrive in Roseland Parc over three years ago integration into the village of Tregony has gathered pace. Many Tregony functions are attended by Roseland Parc residents and vice versa. This has been especially evident recently. On Mothering Sunday the Lord Lieutenant of the County of Cornwall planted a cherry tree in the churchyard in memory of the hundreds of Japanese who lost their lives in the earthquake and the resulting tsunami. Lady Mary Holborow was assisted by some of the village children and escorted by Roger Sharratt, one of our residents.

Easter Sunday choir

Easter Sunday was another joyful occasion when the ladies of the church choir joined the Roseland Parc Ladies Choir - plus Gracie at the organ – to lead a goodly gathering of residents in a jolly afternoon of Easter hymns, carols and readings. The younger voices were a tremendous help and added to the enjoyment of the housebound people who had come up from the Care Home. Our delightful Vicar also gave a short address and we finished up with...guess what?... a lovely cup of tea!

Royal wedding

The Royal Wedding was watched all morning, either in the TV lounge or in small groups in our own apartments but we all got together for a celebration lunch afterwards. The catering staff provided a memorable feast and then we drank the health of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in kir royale.

In the afternoon several of us accepted an invitation from the Vicar and wardens of Tregony Church to attend a Tea Party in honour of the bride and groom. The village has some marvellous cake makers and we were not disappointed by the amazing spread which included some REAL meringues made by one of our own residents. This time we toasted the happy couple in TEA.

Altogether it has been a happy couple of weeks sharing everything in the friendliest village I know.