Healthy Living, Remembrance, and Christmas
September is of course harvest time at the Allotment – we are always impressed when we reap the fruits and vegetables of our labour and see how much produce we are able to enjoy. We love spending time at the allotment – being outside in the fresh air, digging over the soil keeps us fit, pulling out weeds can be both frustrating as well as satisfying when we see an patch cleared, and especially watching the tiny seeds grow into healthy and delicious crops for us to enjoy. Of course we also have our disappointments – like when we find the badgers have taken a liking to our cucumbers or the amount or rain (or sun) impacts on the size of our pumpkins – but this is part of the appreciation we have for the cycle of life and the growing seasons. As well as the gardening tasks we also appreciate the times we can extend our time at the allotment to enjoy refreshments and share how we are feeling and news with one another.
As well as the allotment we were also able to get out and about, with thanks to our friends Rob and Trish Munday at Canal Ministries and their boat ‘Litania’, we enjoyed sailing along the Kennet and Avon Canal. Whilst many were away enjoy a visit to Lourdes, France, some of our Makers were given the opportunity to enjoy a game of ten-pin bowling.
We started learning about Healthy Eating – considering healthy snacks that we can enjoy!
In October we continued to think about healthy eating with our time at the allotment coming to an end for the year as the growing seasons drew to a close – but our produce continues to feed us even as we approach December. We have been cooking with carrots, beetroot, potatoes, and onions each week knowing that we tend to them through the year.
We also enjoyed thinking about healthy foods in our art sessions – making fruit and vegetables from different materials such as rock painting.
Jieun also helped us to think about the importance of trust in healthy relationships with some activities that meant we had to trust our friends at the Barn to guide us whilst we were blind folded.
November is a season of remembrance and we were privileged to be able to different kinds of poppies – some that we could wear and others we could take to the local war memorial to present as our act of remembrance. We were blessed to be joined by the local vicar who led a short act of remembrance with us.
November is also when we have to start thinking and preparing for Christmas, especially when our Carol Service is taking place on Sunday 1st December. We have been practicing a dance that we are looking forward too sharing with you during the carol service. We have also started to make Christmas cards using stencils and flicking paint to create colourful decorative cards. We have been working on Christmas wreaths which are looking beautiful and will adorn our front doors during the weeks ahead.
As we enter December we will be celebrating at our Carol Service and looking forward to Christmas. We are also preparing for a few changes as Fiona will be leaving the Life Project at the end of the year and Jieun is changing her hours and will not be with us on Tuesday’s (though she remains with us on Wednesday and Thursday).
We are give thanks for such a wonderful term and we hope you will join our prayers…