Category: Activities

Things we do in the club

Christmas Dinner at Wesley Memorial

We cooked our own Christmas Dinner this year, using both kitchens at Wesley Memorial. Several kind volunteers peeled potatoes, carrots, parsnips and sprouts, kept an eye on the real Christmas pudding kindly made for us, and – supervised by Mary – made sure everything went into ovens or onto stoves at the right time.
Helen organised games to keep everyone entertained.
We were very pleased to be joined by some of the members of Wesley Memorial Church who have supported us over the years.

Setting out the feast

 

Serving

Tucking in

The Christmas pudding

Mama Mia – here we go again !

We went to see Mama Mia, the musical at the New Theatre in Oxford.
It was full of hit songs, and energetic performances – and we had a great time.

 
 

Zumbathon in aid of Children in Need

We joined a crowd of Zumba enthusiasts and instructors to raise money for Children in Need at the Christian Life Centre on Cowley Road.

Hall packed with keen Zumba enthustiasts

Getting into the spirit of the occasion



 
 
 
 

Zumba – preparing for Zumathon

George Martini came, and we had another great Zumba session, which included two routines which we will perform at the Zumathon in December.
 

Here we are, with a mixture of dance styles – having a good time.

 

Normal Club with sports

As well as chatting in the Hall, as we often do, we played hockey in the Hall.

Curiosity Carnival

We went to the University Museum of Natural History, as part of Curiosity Carnival. The museum was buzzing with interested members of the public and researchers willing to share their knowledge.
The building itself is fascinating, and the permanent displays, such as the minerals which were available to be touched, and the columns, each of a different stone.

Pillar 38 at the University Museum.
Pillar 38 at the University Museum. Each pillar is made of a different stone, and the capitals are carved with accurate representations of plants and animals. Click the image for a more information.

All these features were tempting, but we tried to press on and see the special exhibits, and come back another time to see the parts we could see at any time.
Phab members engaged in discussion with one of the researchers.

We saw how the colour of our faces as seen by an Infra Red camera matches how much blood flows to different areas.
We learnt a lot about long range weather forecasting from a climate scientist who showed us the tail end of Hurricane Maria, live on the displays at windy.com
Many displays, such as the chance to compare the weight of a cow bone and an ostrich bone of similar size, were rare opportunities, and we learnt a lot about bones. Bones are made of collagen and calcium, and we could feel how a normal bone is very strong; one from which all the minerals have been removed is quite floppy and bends too easily to support any weight, while bones which have no collagen are brittle and crumble under  pressure.
This could be seen as a metaphor for they way that people, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, can come together to be tougher and stronger than we are on our own.
 

Normal Club night with games

After a summer break we try to have a few normal club nights at Wesley Memorial to give members, potential members and visitors a chance to find us.
We also played a few games.

George and Laura playing pool on our miniature table.

Barbecue at Simon and Sarah's

Simon and Sarah kindly invited us to a barbecue at their house. Unfortunately the warmth of the weather did not match the warmth of the welcome, and we sheltered under gazebos from the showers.

We enjoyed burgers, chicken legs, hot dogs (and vegetarian options).

If you look at the right of the picture, you may recognise the keg of beer.
It came from the Captains Day at Hinksey Heights,
and this was a chance to put it to good use.

Wheelchair Dancing with George Martini

Instead of the Zumba we usually do with him, we had a session of Wheelchair Dance led by George Martini.
Unfortunately the only pictures look much more static than the actual dancing, which took us forward and back, and round in circles, with clapping and changes of direction.