Valentia Nursing Home Autumn & Winter 2017 What the season means to us as we remember- Hay carts (floats) drawn by a horse and there perched on top would be a cock of hay. Some would know them as “hay bogeys”. Kids, especially those visiting from the town would love to chase them down the lanes and across the fields. In the kitchen a wooden tressel would be covered with an oil cloth on top a jug of fresh milk a pound of butter at each end with a bowl of potatoes in the middle commonly known as balls of flour. September is a busy on the farms, trashing and getting corn out. These were good times as all friends and neighbours would pull together to complete the work. The leaves falling and changing colour. Frockens a wild flower with purple fruit would be seen growing in the bog lands. Lovely & cosy sitting beside the open fire, using fanners to make the fire glow, your skin would tingle with the heat. Potatoes would be put in a pit and covered with straw and clay to prevent the harsh weather and rats destroying them. You would have your supply of spuds for the winter until spring arrived. Each harvest festival would see Eleanor bramble picking. many would boil a pigs head to make a jelly. Jims face changes slightly when he talks of this as he used to keep pigs. We all found it so interesting when we recalled our memories. Thank you Dolly, Kitty, John, Phyllis, Kathleen, Eleanor, Joan, Jim, Claude, May & Finn. Happy times shared. Volunteers always welcomed Nuala and Ciara answered our request for volunteers . We look forward to getting to know them better and listenining to more of Ciara’s poetry. Any one with free time on their hands and would enjoy spending their afternoons with us chatting, reading aloud, going for walks, singing, arts & crafts, music amongst other things please contact the office for further details or check out our new website valentianursinghome.ie were you will find news and events. Valentia Nursing Home Autumn & Winter 2017 May’s Slot- Autumn has always been a time to lure poets, artists and musicians to use their talents in portraying her beauty. The burst of colour amazes us when the waning sun high lights the ‘yellow and black and pale hectic red’ together with the disappearing darkness of the formerly green leaves; The countryside of hedges , trees and bushes is transformed to Eden’s garden. Autumn is the time of plenty, the reason why John Keats was inspired to compose one of our most lovable pastoral poems, in which he refers to the most wealth of nature-fruit, berries, vegetables but also unwanted weeds. We now say goodbye to summer welcoming Autumn as we quote once more from John Keats's beautiful tribute to that season. ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom friend of the maturing sun, Conspiring with him how to load and bless with fruit, the wines that around the thatch eves run’.