Our friend Ans, who lived in Oxford for longer than Oxford Phab has been running, has returned to her native Holland.
Her daughter came with us to Holland in 1992, and was a great help, particularly as a Dutch speaker.
Ans herself would drop in to Phab from time to time, and chat with our members. As a social club we love to chat, and new – and returning – faces are always welcome. When I was on dialysis she would also take me home early as, although Phab is always enjoyable, my stamina was not always up to a late night.
When she moved to Holland there were some pieces of furniture and other items which she did not wish to take with her, and Phab has received some very welcome donations from the new owners of these pieces. We are grateful to Ans, and to them for this.
Thanks to the Internet Ans is still in touch with several of our members, and we like to think that rather than losing a friend in Oxford we have gained a friend in Holland.
Donnington Social Club
We sit and chat and have a drink in a change of scene.
We are always made very welcome and wish to thank the Donnington Social Club for their hospitality.
Phab Art and Crafts Day in Hounslow
We had an early start, boarding the minibus for the journey to Hounslow.
All aboard !
On the bus and ready for a jolly day with our friends from other Phab clubs.
On the way we played “I spy”.
Warming up with hot drinks
Once we were warmed up we started on the crafts, making mosaics,
decorating eggs,
making keyrings,
and decorating mini bags.
Glass painting
Photos –
to go into picture frames
and of course there was a raffle.
Pancakes !
Cooking pancakes in the Wesley Memorial kitchen.
Production line!
We built up to two pancake makers and someone putting them in the oven to keep warm.
Then it was time to eat !
we had a good selection of fillings –
bananas and cream,
bananas and chocolate sauce, as well as sugar and lemon juice, or Golden Syrup.
we even had a Birthday pancake !
Wheelchair Dancing
You don’t have to be in a wheelchair to take part in Wheelchair Dancing – as Patrick and Lynn from the Wheelchair Dance Sport Association showed as when they came to teach us the rudiments of Wheelchair Dancing.
We already enjoy Discos, Barn Dances and Zumba, and wheelchair dance can have similarities to all of these, but cleverly adapted to make the dances more accessible.
Here is Patrick giving us some initial instruction – he is starting off simple – it became more complicated as we went along !
Some pictures of us dancing.
Getting more active !
And this one is more like a Barn Dance.
We finished with some winding down exercises.
Farewell, Terry Wogan
We encountered Terry Wogan a few times during our various Phab activities, most notably when we were presented with our Green Minibus by the Lords Taverners, at a charity cricket match.
He signed autographs, joked with our members, and talked cricket with Roy, our chairman at the time, who was a fellow cricket enthusiast.
Sir Terry’s readily distinguishable voice on the radio, and work for many good causes will be greatly missed.
Bowling at Bowlplex
We enjoyed bowling. Bowlplex has ramps to allow anyone who finds a bowling ball to heavy to lift to participate in the sport.
Not many pictures due to bowling, and assisting, and the camera on my phone is not very good in poor light.
Church Partnership Party
Phab were invited to the church party which was held in Cowley Road Methodist Church.
Which People do we recognise ?
There were quizzes on Flags, People, and Streets of Oxford, as well as games for all ages
After the quizzes we had a plentiful supper, some singing and then a barn dance, before it was time to go home. A huge thank you to the congregation of Cowley Road Methodist Church for making us so welcome.
Lord Mayor's challenge
The Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Rae Humberestone, visited Oxford Phab to meet the members (several of whom he knew already) and take part in a quiz, with a baked potato supper and a game of Boccia.
We were joined by visitors from Wesley Memorial Church, in particular from the Open Doors project and the John Wesley Society, which made it a particularly enjoyable evening.
The arrival
Mary and Helen welcoming the Lord Mayor.
The Mayor greeting members.
The quiz
Helen had prepared a quiz, so we divided up into four teams,
The Mayor’s team – called The Chain Gang – working on the quiz
Some of the other teams, hard at work.
Helen reading out the questions.
The supper
After the quiz we ate a meal of jacket potatoes with savoury mince, tuna, cheese or baked beans, followed by tea or coffee.
Boccia in the Church
We moved through into the church, where there was more space for a game of Boccia.
Trisha enjoying Boccia in the church
The Mayor bowled well, but his team did not quite catch up with the lead the General Ignorance team had built up in the quiz.
Presenting the prizes
At the end of the evening the Lord Mayor presented The Lord Mayor’s Challenge Cup to some members of the winning team. There were also chocolates which were shared with anyone who wanted one.
We hope Rae will be able to return next year, as Deputy Mayor for another Lord Mayor’s Challenge
Normal Club and preparing for next week
As we started the year with a visit to the Pantomime last week we hsd quite a bit of catching up on what we had done over Christmas. We were also preparing for next week’s Lord Mayor’s Challenge, by testing to see if we can play Boccia on the church.