‘Keep Connected, Stay Home & Stay Safe’

Saturday 13th June 2020 Issue 4

Hi everyone, hope you are all keeping well and looking after yourselves. Following government advice, for people that are ‘shielding’ the lockdown will continue until August 16th. Unfortunately, as the huge majority of us are shielding or classed as vulnerable we won’t be going back to our Wednesday group meetings for a little while longer. Rest assured we will be keeping in touch with our newsletters, phone calls and Zoom meetings. We hope you have taken the plunge and are phoning each other. I’m sure everyone would love to hear from you. Also, log in and join us on Zoom. Its easy!!

NPTSG Afternoon Tea on us.

What is in your Afternoon Tea box? 4 sandwich quarters (all different). Scone with jam and clotted cream

3 cakes Fresh strawberries

Crisps & salad

What’s in your bag? Newsletter

Mindfulness puzzle book Playing cards

Coffee, tea & hot chocolate Shortbread biscuits

Quiz answers from issue 3 Facemasks

Maureen & Richards lockdown experience

We arrived home in the early hours of

Saturday 14th March from a wonderful 2

week cruise around the Canaries. Little did

we know how much life would change from

when we started our holiday. Sunday 15th

March I realised that we had nothing in the

house so after sorting out Richard I set out

for Tesco’s. Wow – I couldn’t believe my

eyes. Empty shelves, people running

round like lunatics. No toilet rolls!! It then

hit me that this ‘rumour’ we heard on the

cruise about a virus had turned into reality.

We had a Doctor’s appointment for Richard on Monday 16th March and after that the

lockdown began.

Life in lockdown has been extremely hard for me. I had got a great routine going for our

week. Everyday we had something planned and I loved it. I suppose it gave me less time

to think about our situation and the fact that I was Richard’s carer and our life was

inextricably entwined around Stroke. We had gone from a busy, busy week to absolutely

‘bugger all’. I was lost. Richard was suffering with a bad chest and so once again he was

put on antibiotics and steroids. His everyday question was ‘what are we doing today’ and

my everyday answer was ‘nothing’. Richard has struggled to understand that everything is

in lockdown and that we can’t go out for a meal or round the shops.

My main focus was on food! Where would we get it from? How would we get it? Richard

had been told to shield so this meant I had to be extremely careful as I didn’t want to bring

anything back in the house that shouldn’t be there! My daughter, Gemma, who lives

around the corner was also having to shield as she has MS. This all made me extremely

anxious.

Zoom was then introduced to us. What a lifeline this was for me. I could discuss with

others about my anxieties and it is so true ‘a trouble shared is a trouble halved’. I now had

a great sounding board and gained great feedback from all our lovely members who were

going through the same anxious times as me. Life was not quite as bad as I had made it

seem.

I managed to get weekly deliveries for food – so that was a huge tick off my list of things

that were causing me problems. I also realised I was very similar to Richard in the fact that

I hadn’t got a clue what day it was either!! We soon had a little routine again. Shower, get

dressed, breakfast. Out in the garden for a couple of hours (thank goodness for the great

weather) or a chat on Zoom at 11 a.m. Lunch and then Richard went for his siesta. I

started knitting (something I hadn’t done for years) so while Richard was having his sleep I

knitted.

Every evening we go on to Zoom at 7 p.m. for whatever is on and we laugh. We laugh long

and hard every evening. This makes us all feel so much better. Laughter definitely is a

great medicine. We’ve had great quizzes (some we’d like to forget…), bingo, talks, exercises

– we’ve covered most things. We miss all our wonderful friends from NPTSG and we are so

thankful to see the few that have managed to get on to Zoom.

Monday the 1st June we went out for a walk. This was the first time for Richard to get

outside walking since 16th March – 11 weeks!! What a difference that made for Richard.

His whole demeanour has now changed. He has not wanted to do any exercise during this

time indoors. To be fair, he hasn’t been fully fit because of his chest (he’s back on

antibiotics and steroids). However, the walk has re-invigorated him. We now try and go

for a walk each day and we only go where we hope that there are very few people. So far

we have been lucky.

We can’t wait to get back to ‘normal’ whatever that will be and we can’t wait to be back

with all our friends at group. Until then take care and keep in touch!!

Keep connected with us using Zoom Daily many of us meet at 11am and 7pm on Zoom

the online video conferencing platform.

Timetable:

Daily chat 11am

Wednesday 11am – Weekly Group meeting

Monday 7pm – Game Show

Tuesday 7pm – Maureen’s 5 Question Quiz

Wednesday 7pm - Helena’s Scattegories

Thursday 7pm – Paul’s Would I lie to you/Taskmaster

Friday 7pm – Steve’s Bingo

Saturday 7pm – Emma’s Gameshow

Sunday 7pm – Varied - Steve

All you need to do is go to https://zoom.us and download the programme/app for your

device. Please phone Paul if you need assistance using this platform. We’d love to see you.

Meeting ID Number: 373 320 7870 Password: 888082

Sunflower growing competition How are everyone’s sunflowers coming along? Here are a few photos of some of ours. Its

exactly 4 weeks since we gave you the seeds.

Emma Phil G Holly

Amanda Phil Flash Huw

Adele Jason & Beth Jason

Matt & Ingrid Jon Evans Mary

Susan Paul & Clair Maureen & Richard

Some things to do in lockdown As the lockdown progresses, we maybe stagnating, doing the same old things and we may be stuck in a rut. Here are some ideas of things that you could do to cheer you up and break the boredom. Buy a loved one a gift or send a letter Staying connected with the ones you love during this tough time does not have to involve social media. Make someone's day by sending them a heartfelt letter and gift through the post. Who wouldn’t love that surprise?

Make an at home or a future Bucket List Think positive and look ahead to sunnier days by making a bucket list. Rather than wallowing in your pyjamas for the fifth day in a row (we've all been there) change your outlook and reflect on all of the things you'll be able to do once lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Organise your kitchen cupboards Not the most exciting thing to do, we know. Why not organise the entire contents of your kitchen cupboards. Check the expiration dates on those canned goods at the back, clear out that junk drawer you've been avoiding or go the whole hog and colour coordinate your spice rack! You know what they say - tidy kitchen, tidy mind.

Grow your own herbs Even if you do not have any outdoor space, that shouldn't get in the way of you trying your hand at gardening. From herbs such as cress to re-growing supermarket lettuce, there are plenty of fruit and vegetables you can pot and nurture inside your house with very minimal equipment!

Take a virtual tour of ancient Rome You may feel cut off from the rest of the world, but you can time travel. Current technology means that you can explore other cities and even other times online, such as a virtual tour of ancient Rome which takes you through the forum, capitoline hill, and famous monuments. https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/rome

Find a Penpal Did you ever have a Penpal and did you lose touch? Well, you can try again. Connect with people around the world and see how the lockdown is playing out in other countries (or ignore coronavirus entirely and chat about the weather). You can find penpals online and get started straight away to broaden your horizons and make new connections. It’s free to join www.penpalworld.com

Diamond painting by Clair

Thompson

Hi all, just thought I would share with you

my newfound lockdown hobby. It is called

diamond painting and is very affordable

to do. My kit came from Amazon and it

includes everything you need to complete

your diamond painting.it cost me £10 in

total. Diamond painting consists of the

following, as you can see from the Photo

you get a picture which is covered with

letters which indicates which coloured diamonds you should place where. The whole

picture is covered with peel back cellophane, under which is a tacky self-adhesive surface.

You then use one of the drill pens supplied to pick up a diamond then place it on the

corresponding letter. You keep repeating this action until your picture is complete.

My picture consists of about 10,000 single diamond

rhinestones which takes a lot of patience to do but it's

very enjoyable and rewarding. There are hundreds of

pictures you can choose from, even photos you have

yourself. If you are looking for something different to

do during this lockdown i would thoroughly recommend

doing one of these and once finished you can then

share it with us. It may take me some time to do mine,

but once I finish i will take a picture to share with you.

Good luck if you decide to start one, enjoy. I think I will

finish mine in about 3 years or so LOL

Games for your playing cards Also search ‘You Tube’ for videos of game tutorials Solitaire

Solitaire, Klondike or Patience (as it is

appropriately called in Europe), is a game

that requires 1 player and a standard 52

deck of playing cards. The objective of

Solitaire is to organize a shuffled deck of

cards into 4 stacks (one for each suit) in

ascending order (Ace to King).

Set Up

In Solitaire, there are 4 types of piles: The Tableau, The Stock, The Talon, and The Foundations.

The Tableau

The Tableau consist of 7 piles. The first pile has 1 card. The second pile has 2 cards. The third pile has 3 cards and so

on until there are 7 piles. Only the top card in each pile is faced up.

The Stock

The remaining cards after building the Tableau are called the Stock

The Talon

The Talon is a pile of 3 cards from the Stock. In the Talon, only the top card is faced up.

The Foundations

The Foundations consist of 4 stacks of cards (one for each suit) in ascending order (Ace to King). At the beginning of

the game, The Foundations is empty.

How to Play

Within the Tableau, faced up cards are transferred in descending order (King to Ace) and in alternating colour. The

player may transfer the top card or stack of faced up cards to any of the piles in an attempt to create the sequence

of descending value and alternating colour. An empty spot in the Tableau may be filled with a king. If the player

cannot move any cards within the Tableau, 3 cards are selected from the top of the Stock pile to form the Talon. If

the first card in the Talon cannot be played, 3 more cards are selected from the Stock. When and if the Stock runs

out, the Talon is reshuffled to form a new Stock and the process continues.

While the player is sequencing the Tableau, the player is also trying to build up the Foundations stacks. The top card

from the Talon or the Tableau stacks may be transferred to the Foundations. When all cards have been transferred

in ascending order (Ace to King) to the Foundations, the game is won. If no more moves can be made and the

Foundations is incomplete, the game is lost.

Pairs

You can play this game with as many players as you wish but it is a great

game for one person and is brilliant for developing memory skills.

The game is played by placing all cards in rows face down on a flat surface,

once this is done each player takes it in turn to turn over two cards, If the

cards are the same i.e. a pair then you take the two cards into a pile, If the

cards are not a pair then you should turn the cards face down. As the

game progresses you should start to remember where certain cards are

therefore increasing your chances of finding a pair.

If playing alone keep at track of how many turns you have taken to find all

the pairs. As you continue to play your score should get better and your

memory will improve.

Building a Triangular House

This is the "classic" house of cards that you may have seen in popular media. It is a challenging but solid design. You'll need to stack your cards into a series of triangular trusses that form a pyramid

Form the first triangle. This "truss" is the basic structure of the pyramidal design. Prop two cards together into an inverted "V" shape. The top edges of the cards should meet, and the bottom edges should be evenly spaced apart from a central axis. Spend some time practicing this process. You'll need to

repeat it over and over again in the construction of your house.

Build the foundation. Create a steady line of triangular trusses, two cards each. The point of each triangle should be no more than one card's length from the point of the next triangle. The number of triangles in the foundation determines the possible height of your house of cards: each "floor" will be built upon one less triangle than the floor below. For instance, if you build a three-triangle foundation, you'll be able to go up three "floors" before the house reaches a point; if you build a six-triangle foundation, you'll have more space to build, and you'll be able to go up six floors. Start with a three-floor house.

o Brace each new triangle against the base of the adjacent triangle. Eventually, you should have three triangles (using six cards, total) that are all touching.

Brace the triangles. Gently lay a flat card on top of the first two triangles (say, 1 and 2). Make sure that the card is perfectly balanced between the points. Now, lay another card between Triangles 2 and 3. You should have a "foundation" of three triangles with two flat cards on top. This takes eight cards, total.

Build the next layer of cards. If your foundation comprises three triangles, the next "floor" up should use two triangles. Try to stack each new triangle at the same angle as the two triangles below, for the sake of structural integrity. Place the base of each card above the point of a lower triangle. When you have formed these two triangles, lay one flat card on top between their points.

o Be extremely careful. If you built the foundation well, it should be strong enough to hold up these new cards – but you will need to keep from knocking the whole thing over with a tremble or sudden movement. Stack the new cards lightly and cautiously.

o When you've finished laying the second "floor", your tower should comprise thirteen cards: five triangles and three flat cards.

Add the point. To complete your house of cards, you just need to stack one more triangle atop the structure. Slowly and carefully prop two cards together at the same angle as all of the prior triangles. Hold them in place until they are completely even, and pull your hands away when you feel confident that the point will stand on its own. If the structure stands, you have built a house of cards!

Issue 3 Answers

Local information by Steve The 18 council owned parks in Neath Port Talbot have re-opened from thursday 4th June. Children's play areas in the

parks as well as toilets and cafes will remain closed with social distancing measures in place.

Ron Evan's pies in Port Talbot has re-opened. You can get your Ron's every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from

7am to 12 midday. Get there early, everything is going fast!

McDonalds have opened most drive thru restaurants with reduced hours and a restricted menu. Spending is also

capped at £25.

Filco have also launched a home delivery service. Download the Snappy Shopper app, find your local store and place

your order for delivery to your door!

What to eat in lockdown by Helena What to eat in lockdown has been an issue for us, as you all know Phil loves his food!!!!

We were trying to keep on track with healthy eating and we never think of anything as a diet... as that is no fun!! We

all love our food. When you are locked in every day the food, its a great way to still enjoy the simple things and make

it easier.

However, we have found some fabulous recipes which are healthy too. Our favourite is spicy meatballs and you can

use the ready made meatballs to cook instead of making your own ones and drain the fat off completely before

adding to the sauce.

We have added some recipes to here for you to try if you want to... Phil loves them all and its definitely

good healthy eating.

Iceland do home deliveries too or are less busy after 3ish.

I have attached our ice-cream recipes. Keep stirring the ice-cream or it becomes rock hard but if it does

happen then heat a spoon in hot water to scoop it out if you want to be indulgent use sugar and add some

cream.....

Chocolate orange healthy cake 1 1/2syns

This cake is super easy!!!

Add more yogurt or an extra egg if you prefer yours more

moist.

I'm happier using less extra foods personally.

Mix together the following :-

2 weetabix HEB 2 tbs of stevia

2 heaped tbs of fat free quark or yogurt (make sure it's a free

yogurt)

2 tsps of choc shot (1 syn)

1 egg &

A capful of orange essence.

Mix together and microwave for 4 minutes max.

Instructions

1. Whisk the egg until light and fluffy.

2. Add sugar in a spoonful at a time until it stands in stiff peaks.

3. Spoon onto baking tray and put in a pre heated over at 130 degrees for 20 minutes.

4. Allow to cool for 15 minutes

Slimming World Ice cream

Ingredients 2 pots of vanilla Muller Light

500g fat free fromage frais

Sweetener

Vanilla essence Method

Stir two pots of Muller light (or other free) yogurts

and one 500g pot of fat free natural fromage frais

together, sweeten to taste with sweetener and

vanilla essence, then pop in a freezer-proof tub.

Place in the freezer and lightly whip approximately

every 30 minutes to stop ice crystals forming. Your

ice cream will be ready in a few hours.

Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving

to make it easier to scoop.

Tip: Top tip: Serve Free and easy ice cream with a 9g 99 mini Flake, for 2½ Syns

Use different flavour yogurts and add fresh fruit to make different flavours. Strawberries, raspberries and

lemon all work well. Serves: 4 Cook time: Ready in about 30 minutes plus freezing

Makes 15 x 40g scoops (600g) 1½ Syns per scoop

300ml semi-skimmed milk

4 large egg yolks

3 level tbsp sweetener granules

300g fat-free natural Greek yogurt

1 tsp green food colouring a few drops of peppermint essence, or to taste 50g dark chocolate chips

Put 300ml of semi-skimmed milk on a medium heat and bring to the boil.

Whisk the egg yolks and sweetener until thick and pale.

Gradually mix in the hot milk.

Return the mixture to the pan and heat gently until thickened.

Leave to cool

Add the yogurt, food coloring and peppermint essence to the custard and mix well.

Pour into a freezer proof lidded container, cover and freeze until firm.

Remove from the freezer and blend until smooth to remove any ice crystals.

Repeat 2-3 times until really smooth.

Stir in 50g of dark chocolate chips after you blend for the last time, then freeze until firm.

If you need a chat please phone us:

Paul 01639-797979

Steve 07450-897813

Maureen 07880-257125