Christmas

I was really surprised when I came to post to see that I last posted in July!

How quickly a year passes when we are busy and the Homes have really been busy.

The musical evening went off really well and best of all so many of our residents were able to attend. The food provided by the Homes staff was excellent and the entertainment was delightful, golden oldies but definitely goodies.

The Fete raised an amazing R30,000.00 and we were overwhelmed by the support we had from the Zululand community. The weather was perfect and the atmosphere festive,with folk mingling over breakfast and tea and they really shopped 'till they dropped. The "previously owned" stalls of clothing and knick knacks did a roaring trade and the crafts which we had been working on all year disappeared like magic.

In November the Homes hosted a " thank you" tea party for all the friends who helped and supported us during the year and what a festive occasion this turned out to be . Catering manager Paul and his team produced a stunning spread while the residents sold Christmas cards, crafts, bric a brac and mince pies raising another R3,500.00.

The Homes are full and we have received only praise and gratitude from the many folk who live there and from their families. Linda and her team continue to provide unstinting care and love to all our residents .

Zululand Homes is a happy place with an open door policy where visitors are welcomed and the elderly made to feel they are loved and cherished in their twilight years.

2011 will be a challenging year for the Committee as we need to raise the necessary funds to not only keep the Homes running smoothly but also to build the much needed Special Care ward I mentioned in a previous post so all donations welcome!

From the Homes to all our friends out there, A Very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Visit to Mbongolwane Community

In my last post I talked about the blankets and beanies the Residents were making for the children in the Mbongolwane district who have been orphaned or whose lives have been affected by the HIV pandemic.

A group of compassionate women in this community have formed a care group which aims to provide a wholesome midday meal to children like these.

Linda, Manager at the Homes and her team of volunteers organized a visit this month to Mbonglowane to distribute the blankets and were delighted to be entertained by the children themselves with singing and dancing as an expression of their gratitude for the cosy gifts.

Critical Care Centre

Our latest project is the building of two Critical Care Wards with facilities for relatives who need to spend long periods with their seriously ill parent or spouse.

The Homes are full to capacity and so it has become necessary to have a separate facility to provide intensive care for residents when the need arises.

All our fund raising efforts in future will be directed towards this project.

First up will be an evening of fun and music with delicious food and drink and towards the end of the year we will be having a Fete.

I will post dates for these events nearer the time and details about where to buy tickets etc.

In the meantime please continue to support our Craft corner and the Knick Knack Shop situated in the main lounge and remember to join us for tea on Thursdays .

Thank you for all the encouraging mail I have received about this blog, I really appreciate hearing from you!

Winter, World Cup and Working for Charity

Winter made its arrival felt two days ago when the temperatures plummeted and suddenly winter woolies had to be pulled out of mothballs!

I felt really sorry for World Cup fans who had to be at the match in Cape Town on Monday night when the temperature was down to 7deg. I am told that most came prepared for the weather and as everything was so well organized they had a great time. Brrrrrr.

With the cold weather in mind the ladies are knitting up a storm at the Homes and blankets and beanies are being churned out at a fantastic rate to distribute to the needy this winter.

Lyn Bourne has knitted an amazing 46 beanies for the children of the Mbongolwane creche and two staff members have helped her to make tiny sweaters for the Aids babies.

Goodness knits all the time and her novel creations are snapped up by visitors to the Thursday morning teas. This quaint Zulu mama doll with her baby on her back is selling like hot cakes.

Maggie, a talented lady from Richards Bay comes often to entertain the residents in the lounge by playing the piano.

The lovely large flat screen TV , donated by friends of the home has made viewing a pleasure and special video evenings are being planned. (Don't forget the popcorn!)

I snapped these pictures on Monday after the craft morning, Maggie was playing the piano and everyone was sitting knitting or reading or just listening to the music.

In the words of the poet, If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"

Easter Celebration Tea 25th March,2010

Residents and friends enjoyed such a lovely tea in the garden at

the Homes this morning.

The weather was absolutely glorious and guests mingled and shopped

and then sat down to a delicious tea .

Everything was beautifully arranged, from the pretty flowers on the tables

to the table groaning with tasty treats.

The crafters had been hard at work and were rewarded when shoppers queued up for their wares. About R2000.00 overall was raised towards the car fund.

Some of the ladies had made such an effort in creating their easter bonnets that the judge was hard pressed to find a winner. Joy Lovell Shippy won the prize with her lovely hydrangea

creation.

New website

12th March,2010

We have a new website!

Have a look at http://www.zululandhomeseshowe.co.za/ . We would like to hear any comments and suggestions.

The Homes were visited recently by Baillie and his handler Vivien from Paws for People

Dogs are very sensitive to human needs and this lovely animal has been specially trained to provide therapy for people in need. Paul says he was absolutely marvellous with the residents especially those with mental and physical impairement. He seemed to sense their need and they responded so well to him. Happily Baillie will be visiting the Homes regularly in future

If you would like to find out more about this organization go to http://www.pawsforpeople.co.za/

Easter Celebration 25th March, 2010

Tickets are available at R15.00 each and the price includes refreshments.

The pretty easter egg tickets were specially made for the occasion in a craft session at the Homes.

On offer will be all sorts of home crafted items for Easter and there will be a prize for the best Easter Bonnet!

The Knick Knack Shop will be open with plenty of bargains for all.

On a final note I do wish more people would volunteer to hold craft sessions at the Homes. The residents are so appreciative and eager to learn new things and the mornings are fun and very rewarding.

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Can you believe its 2010!

The long awaited year 2010 is here at last and I think everyone has the same wish for this year, that the Soccer World Cup will be a great success and that it will be the huge money spinner this country so desperately needs. Lets hope the profits are fairly spread and that the poor do benefit .

For the Homes the year has already started well as the Frail section is full and there is only one double flat vacant in Poynton Lodge.

Now that the bedrooms have all been redecorated we have started fundraising for a car to replace the ancient skadoink which Elliot the driver manages to keep going. The car is no longer in a fit state to carry passengers and is mainly used to collect mail, do banking and to fetch medicines and shopping for the residents. We are also in need of some new outdoor furniture as we are upgrading the verandah adjoining the craft room.

We need volunteers to help with craft mornings sometimes. It needn't be ongoing, even one morning would help.

We also need volunteers to sew or knit in their own time, easy things we can sell for a modest profit. If we have enough offers we will start a monthly sewing get together which could be fun

We are planning another open garden party before Easter on Thursday 25th March. This will be

a fun morning with competitions and prizes and lots of goodies to buy for the holiday weekend

More about this nearer the time.

In the meantime don't forget the Knick Knack Shop which is always open on Thursday mornings and by request the rest of the time. The Sister in charge is happy to open for keen shoppers.

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