This week it was really cold during nights and mornings, sometimes not more then 10°C ! Fortunately the walls of our castle are so thick and the huge windows double glazed, so that it is very warm inside. I have to live with a thermometer !
The whole week we played against other retirement homes in Waterloo, I don't know yet what trophy the winner will get ! Only on Tuesday besides the weekly mass there was nothing, and I was not happy about that, not so for me, because I had to go to the optician to choose a frame for new glasses. When I came back it was just the end of a game. Our two animators when they saw that there were so many people not going to the mass, had started a Quiz. They all complained that they were not informed that there was an activity besides the mass. Therefore I went to the manager's assistant and told her that this is nearly blackmailing, or you go to the mass or you stay in your room. Somebody who wants to go to mass he goes activity or not, I pointed out that the former manager had hired one of the animator for weekends and Tuesdays ! My complaint was successful, from next week on it will be like before.
For our competition with the other retirement homes we had to build a tower with plastic cups and paper. It was rather difficult because of trembling hands, but we managed to build a tower with 5 goblets. Kim and Elinor tried to get it higher.
In the room besides me lives a tiny lady who looks like a faded doll. She is very helpful and sweet unfortunately for her health she drinks a lot ! She told us that she is alcoholic since her husband died and she is now so old that she only wants to feel happy. Sometime during night she wanders through the corridors looking for half emptied carafes. She is generous, she offers her personal wine to us we all refused, except our nearly 100 year old Jeannie who drank half a glass and then got dizzy, so she stopped. Her son who was there too laughed because she had gotten red cheeks. To one of the cleaning girls she offered a glass of Whisky, which was not accepted of course. Today she told me that she is 87 and I was really surprised because she looks so much younger. At that age it is useless to convince her to stop drinking, and she is good tempered and doesn't harm anybody. I hope she is happy.
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Just a day in the life of Gattina, and it was so interesting.
ReplyDeleteI can see not wanting to have activities during mass so the people attending it don't feel left out of the activity. But I wouldn't think mass lasts more than a couple of hours, does it? Surely that would leave time for other activities afterward. Unless people would be too tired to do anything after mass.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it's cozy and warm inside your castle. That last graphic is funny. :-) Humor helps.
Games are great, in all sorts of residential places, especially outside when the weather is pleasant. But I am not sure that building a tower with plastic cups and paper would be fun for people with shaky hands.
ReplyDeleteMuch more fun would be playing music from decades ago and getting people to come up with the singer and music name. Or tv shows and films from the 1950s.
I was surprised they did very well with shaky hands and were happy about the result, we don't like old music most of us are from the 60/70 a few from 50, played already, but didn't like it, some knew the name of the singers, some only the song title and everything in French of course.
DeleteThere's never a dull moment in your castle. Laughter is such a good way to relax.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that you can go to the manager with concerns and be heard. That room looks like a lovely place to hold activities.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you are happy there.
ReplyDeleteAll your stories of living in the castle make it obvious that it is a thriving and busy place. You really are blessed to live there.
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