Christmas is coming!

The Annual Fete was an amazing success! The whole town turned out to support us and visitors came from all over Zululand to share the day with us. We were so fortunate that the weather held and people were able to mingle and shop and socialize over breakfast or a scrumptious tea.
On offer was something for everybody. The white elephant stall was a runaway success as was the craft and jewellery stand.
We raised R36,666.00 and credit must go to the staff led by Manager Linda de Lange who worked so hard for so many weeks to make the fete the success it was. The event was a triumph not only for the money raised and the community spirit it fostered but also for the positive exposure it gave The Zululand Homes.

Visitors were able to view all the improvements made during 2011 and the new walkway, aviary and rosegarden were greatly admired. All these were achieved through generous donations from the families of residents and ongoing sales of crafts and jumble.





On December 1st the Homes will be hosting a special Christmas tea and all friends of the Homes are invited.

Do telephone 0354742636 if you would like to come.

Save the Date!! Annual Fete 29th October.

Isn't Spring gorgeous! Its amazing how in the first week of September everything starts to grow again. How lovely to feel truly warm again after such a cold winter.

With winter woolies and blankets no longer necessary its time to start knitting toys and novelties for the annual fete. The Fete last year was a great success and this year promises to be even better. The ladies of the sewing group a.k.a "The Recycle Company" have been turning all the piles and piles of donated fabric and notions and yarn into new and exciting items for the home and gifts for the family. These include peg bags, laundry and shoe bags, pencil cases, baby quilts, pot holders, oven gloves , shopping bags, needlecases and kiddies toys. All the things one used to find at fetes and bazaars in the good old days when women didn't go out to work and had time to bake and sew for Charity.

We have been given a huge quantity of pristine household items to sell and these will be on display as well as the usual "white elephant" stall, plants and bakes and breakfast and teas will be served.

On the Home front there are lots of new developments e.g. the new covered verandha and the walking path which the Garden Club ladies have offered to plant with sweet smelling herbs and flowers.
Furniture and pictures received been used to enhance the Homes public rooms and passages.
We have a resident Handyman now. Des arrived in a wheelchair as a result of a stroke and true to form Linda had him up and about in no time. He is one of those people who have the knack of being able to fix anything and he has proved himself invaluable in a place like the Home where there is constant maintenance to be done. The outhouses were turned into a comfortable cottage for Des made possible by a donation from BBS Eshowe and the Homes Fund.

"Age is opportunity no less than youth itself,
though in another dress.
And as the evening twilight fades away
the sky is filled with stars,

Invisible by day. " Longfellow

Easter Fair

A special Easter Tea was held last week in the gardens of the Zululand Homes which was well supported and visitors were treated to a delicious spread. Paul's carrot muffins were outstanding. (See Paul's recipe below)

The craft table was a great success and the sum of R1800.00 was raised.

These Thursday mornings mean a lot to the residents as they have the opportunity to socialize with people they would not normally see and Thursdays are eagerly anticipated at the Home.

It is all too easy to feel abandoned once someone enters an institution as families are often too busy with their own lives to manage visits to the Home especially when they live some distance away so if you are not busy on a Thursday morning around 10.00am , pop in for a cuppa and make someone's day! You are assured of a warm welcome!

The sewing project is ongoing and gaining momentum as more volunteers join in and we have a lot of fun on Monday mornings making attractive household items like aprons, shoppers,peg bags, covered coathangers and childrens toys etc.

Paul's Special Carrot Muffins

80 ml cooking oil
100g Brown sugar
2 extra large eggs
125g grated carrots
35g seedless raisins
200ml milk
2ml vanilla essence
280g cake flour
15ml baking powder
5ml bicarbonate of soda
5ml allspice
5ml cinnamon
2ml salt

Beat oil and sugar together, add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add carrots, raisins, milk and vanilla essence.
Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, allspice, cinnamon and salt together.
Add wet mixture to flour mixture and until flour is moistened, the batter should still be lumpy.
Spoon into muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius until brown.

Icing

100g soft butter
250g icing sugar
5ml vanilla essence
30ml milk

Beat all ingredients until mixed and fluffy.

Ice muffins and decorate with chopped nuts


Happy baking and enjoy the holidays.

.

Creativity and Health

I have been interested in craftwork ever since at the age of nine I watched my grandmother crocheting squares and asked her to teach me and so I was interested to read in an Ideas magazine that repetitive crafts such as crochet and knitting are good for your health.

The magic is in the rhythmic repetitiveness of the movements, which is a lot like yoga and meditation.

Scientific studies have shown that knitting has a calming effect and can even help to manage pain. The action of knitting it seems can alter brain chemistry and decrease the release of stress hormones.
This is nothing new to the residents of the Zululand Homes who belong to the generation that were taught that one's hands should never be idle. These women have always knitted not only for themselves and their families but also for the troops in World War 2 and now in their senior years they are knitting for orphaned children and to raise funds for the Home they live in.

The funds raised by the Craft Group at the Homes were used in January to purchase a pergola and new garden furniture. These have been well used already and residents now spend many happy hours outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather and garden, and of course knitting!

We have been working towards the Easter Fair and there are always cards and handwork on offer on Thursday mornings and the Knick Knack Shop still has lots of interesting old things to sell.

We are also making attractive shopping bags and aprons with an African theme which are proving very popular.

We are looking for volunteers to join our group on Monday mornings or to sew in their own time at home. Contact us at 0354742636/2402

Until next time then, Happy Knitting!!

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?"