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WELLBEING - LOOKING AFTER YOU

1/6/2021

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As we hit halfway through the year it’s a good time as any to take some time out and look after ourselves.
​

This month we have an exciting event of 30 days Wild!
​
We also are letting you know what’s on your doorstep in terms of support and wellbeing, and there is also a bit of colouring – yes us adults we can do this too. 
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All photos in this blog post - P BAILEY

Wellbeing

What does this mean? Well according to good old Google © it means “the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.”

How can we achieve this? First up it is looking after our health both mental and physical. Mentally we can do things to help ourselves, - talking is one of the greatest things that we can do and if you are on the end of a friend or family member who needs to talk then listening is the other greatest gift we can do. But sometimes we do need some extra help. So don’t forget – here in Abbotswood we have Take 5. This is a referral scheme please contact Alex for more details.

Our partners Southern Brooks has a lots of wonderful resources so take a look here
https://southernbrooks.org.uk/wellbeing/ and have some great workshops coming up so please do check them out. Don’t forget NHS has a section https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/five-steps-to-mental-wellbeing/.
​

If you are struggling in any way then please do not hesitate in seeking help.  ​

30 Days Wild

A great way of looking after ourselves is being at one with nature. In the words of Chief Scout Bear Grylls “Nature is a great healer” and its true, getting out and about can really help physically and mentally.

So this month we have 30 days of Wild coming up. On the 19th June we will be holding our very own event, so please keep checking our website for further details. Also each day on Facebook and Twitter we will be posting a Wild Nature theme every day, so don’t forget to follow us there and see what exciting Wild Adventures you can do this June.

How else to help ourselves?

Taking a few minutes a day can help us in all sorts of ways.

To do this find five or if you can ten minutes to meditate there are tons of free apps and meditation online such as this one provided by Calm.

Or even colouring can help us take a moment out of our day, as I said at the beginning its for all ages
Here at just colour https://www.justcolor.net/ you can find lots to do, but I have found a nature one to with our wild theme enjoy.
coloring-water-lilies-and-little-dragonfly.pdf
File Size: 592 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Hope you have enjoyed this months blog and please do take part in the 30 Days Wild.
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EASTER ON A BUDGET

1/4/2021

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Picture
Photo by P. Bailey
Hi everyone welcome to the new monthly blog. To start us off is Easter which is on Sunday 4th April which in the words of the Easter bunny is soon going to hop around!
​
Now Easter isn’t all about the chocolate (I know I gave up chocolate for lent too) but don’t worry this blog will cover chocolatey goodness. But deep down it’s about having a special day and for some there is the religious focus of the resurrection of Jesus.
​
Like most holidays and special days there are lots of different choices out there and to be fair it’s not easy to know what to get or what to do. Especially with this year where we can’t do absolutely everything we want or would normally do. But have no fear, I am here to take you on the Easter journey and give you some ideas for making this Easter extra special.

‘Easter on a budget’ it does not matter what budget you have. The ideas I have included in this blog you can tailor to your budget, plus I have added in some little freebie downloads and recipes which you can use for Easter or even tailor to any special day. Preparation is key, but the hardest part I find is deciding what to do, with so many choices out there it can be a little daunting. Within this blog I have come up with some examples of what you can do to make it special.

One way is to break Easter up in to manageable chunks, maybe go with the flow of the day. For example I have broken it down in to these areas breakfast, Easter treats and of course fitting in an Easter themed treasure hunt. Now to keep to your budget and in preparation write a list before you go out in to the supermarkets, decide what you are having so that you keep to your budget. Or even just use what you have already.
​
Easter is special regardless of what you spend on it and that’s what matters.   

Breakfast...

PicturePhoto by P. Bailey
Eggs – no not the chocolatey kind just yet, but ordinary eggs. Get your colouring pencils out or any pen/pencil will do for this. Simply boil the egg to your requirements (here is a recipe should you need it) and voila we have an Easter themed breakfast. Or simply download an Easter picture and pop it near everyone’s favourite breakfast and colour it in and use them as placemats. Fancy chocolate at this time? Sure why not make a cup of hot chocolate and toast some hot cross buns.
Check out the this fab set of free Easter colouring links from Crayola click here to help make breakfast Easter special.

Easter Treats...

Making Easter treats can be fun for all the family. I personally love making Easter nests, don’t tell the Easter bunny but it’s not all about rabbits, Easter is often associated with chicks. Here is a recipe for Easter nests click here, now you can use cornflakes or even Weetabix just replace the shredded wheat for your cereal of choice. Why not make this extra fun and have a little picnic by making some sandwiches and nests which will make for a great fun lunch.   

Easter Hunt...

PicturePhoto by P. Bailey
Of course this year we can’t go out to a pre-planned hunt, but there are lots of wonderful ideas out there, so I have put together an idea but just tailor it to you and your family that way you will have a lot more fun. Great hiding places can be found inside and outside even pots of daffodils can come in handy. Click here for the idea.

Happy Easter!

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Picture - Parade
The key to any special day is just to enjoy it, hopefully the sun will be shining and we can all enjoy a bit of sunshine on Easter Sunday and the bank holiday. Have fun that’s the main thing and take photos, I would love to see your colouring, egg designs, rabbit masks or whatever you do!
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That’s all for now readers, which leaves me with one last thing to say which is to wish you all a very Happy Easter and thank you for reading.
​
Until the next post – Have fun, stay safe and take care Pen x

Just like Pen said, we'd love to see what fun you've been up to! Email us your photos or visit us on Facebook. Any photos submitted will be shared in our photo gallery. Enjoy!
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Christmas Has Arrived!

16/12/2019

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Is everyone else feeling festive?

After Christmas In Abbotswood we certainly are! And what an amazing day it was too...

Some of you may have heard this little poem recently, after a special advert popped up on Facebook...
It's November in Abbotswood, and all round the green
Our elves are rushing, trying not be seen
Christmas is coming, there's lots to prepare
For Father Christmas, soon will be there...
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The donkeys are resting, all snug in the hay
Waiting for children, to come up and play
Will Mary and Joseph, find room at the inn
Or settle outside to watch the fun begin...
In front of the church, there will be such a clamour
As the police arrive, to join in the chatter
Driving their cars they'll fly like a flash
Keen to help Santa deliver his stash...
Picture
Picture
We'll welcome you please, come in from the cold
Explore our fayre, there's much to behold
Fun will be had, we'll make such a din
​With games to play and prizes to win...

And it all came true!

Hip Hip... Hooray!! Great effort everyone!!
Mary and Joseph may not have found any room at the Abbotswood Inn but they did join us for plenty of fun, along with some other special guests. What amazing performances we had from our musicians: Mangotsfield Ukulele Jam, Dodington Parish Band and the joint Wellesley and Abbotswood school choir, can we have you back next year for an encore? The donkeys were wonderfully well behaved... much better behaved than the loveable Loki the Lion! And of course what would Christmas be without a visit from Santa? Our local police made fantastic little elves, or perhaps they were just after his stash of sweets...
Our fayre was the busiest we've seen, so thank you to the stallholders who came along and braved the cold, your bits and bobs all looked incredible. Games were played and prizes were won. Congratulations to Julie for winning the luxury hamper from the draw. Perhaps more importantly, congratulations to 6 year old Ace who proudly won the poo emoji cushion off of the tombola. Your celebratory dance more than impressed the team from Agincare and deserves a huge round of applause.
There are a few special words of thanks to be said, so on behalf of all of us in Abbotswood:

Phil, Nessa, Barbara, Kerry (Abbotswood Action Group) and Alex (Southern Brooks Community Partnerships) for your hard work throughout the year organising Christmas In Abbotswood. Thanks also go to all the volunteers who helped us out on the day.

Dodington Parish Council for your help with advertising.

Yate Town Council for funding and installing the Christmas tree.

South Gloucestershire Council, Councillors Tony Davis and Louise Harris for funding the event.

And lastly...

We estimated that 500 people joined us to celebrate this year so we wanted to thank you all for helping us keep our community Christmas spirit alive. 
Picture
https://pixabay.com/
It's the time of year for indulgence, so here's a few extra festive photos just for fun...
Before we head off and take a well earned Christmas break we thought you might like a quick trip down memory lane. A few reminders of the good times we've had over the last 12 months... They've been keeping us motivated and thinking ahead to make 2020 an amazing year for Abbotswood...
From all of us here in Abbotswood we would like to wish a you a very happy Christmas and a fabulous new year.

We'll see you in 2020!
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Pumpkin Heads!

28/9/2019

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Halloween is swiftly approaching... So it's time for pumpkin carving! Hooray!!! But it also means a lot of yummy pumpkin going to waste! Boo!!!

Ask yourself this, how many pumpkins do you think you've eaten compared to how many you've carved? They're a little bit like marmite aren't they, love them or hate them... But we all love a carved pumpkin even if we don't fancy eating it.

So we've come up with a few alternatives this year! We may have gotten a little carried away so it's in two parts. Fun for the kids today and fun for the bigger kids tomorrow! 

Yummy Little Ghosties...

You will need:

Picture
  • Apple
  • White chocolate
  • Black ready roll icing
  • Lolly stick

Method:

Picture
Step one:

Stab your apple with the stick. Easy.
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Step two:

Melt the chocolate and coat the apple.
Picture
Step three:

Take little pieces of the ready roll icing and mould into shapes. Make a ghostly face! Ooooohhhh spoooooky!
Hmmm. He looks like he may have been modelled on Freddie Mercury... Dependant on the variety some apples can ripen off in the trees right up until November. If you've still got some growing near you these little Halloween treats are a great way to use them and they're easy to tweak. If you add a touch of orange food dye you can make pumpkins or swap out the icing for decorations of your own choice. Raisins or melted dark chocolate perhaps?

Wonderful Witches...

You will need:

Picture
  • Orange
  • Sharpie pen
  • Scissors
  • Sellotape
  • Sweets
  • Tissue paper
  • Black card
  • Knife
  • ​Spoon

Method:

Picture
Step one:

Chop the top off of the orange and hollow out with a spoon, as you would a normal pumpkin.
Picture
Step two:

Take a piece of tissue paper in any colour you fancy and stuff the middle into the orange. You should have plenty left hanging out.
Picture
Step three:

Trim part of the tissue paper to make a fringe. The remaining tissue will form the rest of the hair. Draw a face, the spookier the better.
Picture
Step four:

Stuff a few sweets into the orange, the tissue paper will help protect against extra stickiness.
Picture
Step five:

Cut a circle of black card. It will probably need to be bigger than you think so it will fit your orange at the end. You can always trim it back if needed.
Picture
Step six:

Fold the circle in half and then half again.
Picture
Step seven:

Open out the fold. You should have three layers of card on one side and a single layer on the other. This will create a cone.
Picture
Step eight:

Add a little sellotape to keep the cone in it's correct shape.
Picture
Step nine:

Sellotape the inside of the witches hat to the witches hair creating a hinge.
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Step ten:

Flip the hat into position and your witch is ready to go!
Again, there are many ways to personalise this crafty little lady. You can use paints instead of pens and add as many decorations as you like. If you're really feeling fancy and have a steady hand then you with a sharp knife you could carve the face as you would on a pumpkin. 

Remember we don't like to waste anything so save the juices and pulp that you scraped out. You could use it to flavour jellies and truffles as an extra treat. If you've carved your orange that's pretending to be a pumpkin that's pretending to be a witch, then you can also use the peel later on. Use the zest in cheesecakes and brownies or make some preserved and candied peel  ready for Christmas!

It might be early but happy Halloween folks!
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Playful Pets!

19/9/2019

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A note from Alex...

The greatest thing for me about Sustainable September so far has been how involved Abbotswood residents and the wider community has been. When we decided to try the blog this year, I sat down, researched sustainability and did a rough plan of a post for every day. There's quite a few that haven't been used because of hearing great things from you folks! And today is a prime example of just that... Over to Jo and Theo with their suggestion of how to reuse an old plastic bottle...

You will need:

Picture
  • Bottle
  • Marker pen
  • Knife
  • Pet treats

Plus...

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  • One curious cat...
  • Or dog if you prefer

Method:

Picture
Step one:

Mark out some holes. The more holes you have, and the bigger they are the harder your pet will have to work.
Picture
Step two:

​Cut out the holes.
Picture
Step three:

Pour in some of your pets favourite treats.
Picture
Step four:

If you want to challenge your pet some more, pop the lid back on.

Play time!

You've almost got them out Theo! Thank you Jo for sending us your how to photos and video, and thank you to Theo for your starring role. You were purrrfect!

Advisory note - Supervise your pets while playing with their treat bottles, we wouldn't want anyone chewing things they shouldn't. Have fun everyone!
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home cinema club

16/9/2019

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Enjoying your new swap shop with your friends? Great!

Let's take it to the next step shall we? You're getting the hang of things like this by now, so we'll keep this one short. How about taking it in turns to host your swap shop, followed by a film night? In the host's house of course...

Think about how expensive a night at the cinema can be. There's the cost of the tickets, the drinks and the cinema snacks. If it's friends you don't see that often you might decide to have a group meal in the restaurant next door first, or a drink in the pub after. You've all got to get there so that's the travel expenses as well. It soon mounts up...

Not if you bring the cinema home!

Browse your DVD collection and pick an old favourite, or that horror you're never quite brave enough to watch alone or maybe that  one that you keep meaning to watch but is still sealed in the packet... We all have one of those right? If you've been making the best of your swap shop everyone will have different DVD's, so you get plenty of variety.

Grab your snacks, treat yourself to some fancy drinks, turn the lights out and hit play!
Picture
https://www.flickr.com/

Enjoy!

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LitterBugs!

9/9/2019

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It's time for a hot topic, ladies and gentlemen...

Litterbugs!

​It's a hot topic for us anyway. Like many places around the world, Abbotswood is prone to invasion from that mysterious species... the litterbug! Rarely seen, rarely heard but leaves it's tracks all around our public spaces... Boo!!

However Abbotswood is a lucky part of town as we are also home to the even more mysterious... cleaning fairies! Hooray!!
All jokes aside for a minute, littering is a serious problem for our communities and the world as a whole. Here's just some of the problems related to litter...
  • Soil and water pollution
  • Fire hazards
  • Attracts pests and harmful bacteria
  • Costly to the economy
  • Spreads disease
  • Harmful to our wildlife
  • Unsightly
Picture
https://pxhere.com
It's not pleasant and we think it's time to do something about it. Here in Abbotswood we regularly hold clean up days where anyone can join us and make our community that little bit tidier. It's taken a while, but we're getting there. We're starting to receive comments about how much better the area is looking. So if we can do it, so can you! It only takes a few seconds to pick up one piece of rubbish and pop it in the bin. Even the children can get involved with our Litter Pickers Scavenger Hunt! Click HERE for your own copy. We're using a points system and offer out stickers to all our litter picking superstars but you can choose any reward you like.

Today's sustainability tip is easy...

Picture
https://www.flickr.com

Be a cleaning fairy instead!

References:
​World Atlas
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Old School Entertainment

3/9/2019

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Let's all stop and think for a minute. When was the last time you had a technology free day? No phones... No tablets... No TV... No computer games... Nothing...
Picture
https://pixabay.com

Can't remember, can you?

It's OK. Neither can we.

So today's sustainability suggestion is about saving electricity... By ditching the technology for a while! In today's techno crazy world it may seem a little daunting but you might find it refreshing. Put down Facebook, turn off Netflix and join us for some old school entertainment.

A little inspiration...

  • Take a walk
  • Read a book
  • Get crafting
  • Have a family afternoon out
  • Whip out the board games
  • Relax with your pet
  • Start volunteering
  • Go for a bike ride
  • Meditate
  • Get back to basics with a camping weekend
We're sure you can add a few more ideas of your own. But how about starting with a game of electricity free bingo with your friends? 
Picture
https://www.flickr.com/
Picture
https://www.flickr.com
Picture
https://www.flickr.com/
It's simple, pick some of your favourite technology free activities and write them out in a 3 by 3 table (or bigger if you fancy). You can choose how you want to play. 

Here's some suggestions to start you off:
  • Play for a line in any direction.
  • Play for a full house.
  • All donate a prize, whoever wins can keep the lot.
  • Last person to reach their target, treats everyone else to a coffee.
Enjoy your old school fun and games!!
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    Author

    Our current author is our AAG Committee member Pen Bailey.  If you would like to be a guest blogger please do contact us here at AAG 

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  • Home
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