March 2015

There was a very lively meeting of the Crantock Memory Cafe on Monday 2^nd March when we were delighted to welcome several new members, as well as meeting up with a number of old friends.

With St Piran's Day to look forward to later that week, we took ‘Saints’ as our theme, and alongside the chatter and laughter had the opportunity to puzzle over word searches based around St Patrick’s Day and St David’s Day before everyone settled down to a group quiz. We found we were quite knowledgeable on such varied subjects as the names of Cornish saints, placenames, saints associated with songs and films – we even included sport!

An added bonus of the afternoon was supplied by our good friend Brian. He is already known to us as a talented artist, but we weren't aware of another skill – the detailed construction and painting of miniature historical military figures. Brian brought several examples of his work to show us and we were all ‘wowed’ by the detail and accuracy of every model. The brushes used were so fine, they are virtually comprised of a single hair – amazing!  We were impressed, but not surprised, when he showed us a medal he had won at a national level for his work as a ‘model engineer’ – thanks Brian! We’re always pleased to share our members’ interests and hobbies.

As teatime approached we were delighted to welcome more visitors – members of ‘a cappella’ male voice group ‘Oll an Gwella’ who arrived to join us for a delicious Crantock Bakery pasty and a cup of tea before entertaining us for the remainder of the afternoon. Our ‘crib’ or ‘croust’ went down a treat, thanks to the bakery, delicious biscuits and shortbread from Brenda and Kerry, and the hard work of our ladies in the kitchen.

The boys from ‘Oll an Gwella’ did us proud with a very entertaining selection of songs old and new, interspersed with jokes and stories. The lovely mellow tone of their voices was a joy to listen to, and we were all delighted to have the opportunity to join in with a song or two!

All in all, another entertaining and enjoyable afternoon.

February 2015

Our February meeting was a lively and entertaining occasion. After our members settled in and we had a puzzle and word search, our guests and volunteers enjoyed a marvellous show put on by members of the Crantock Women’s Institute and were then treated to a fascinating talk about the Galapagos Islands by David Eyles. The WI members delivered a hilarious performance of Roald Dahl’s version of Cinderella. 

Several distinguished members of the Institute were unrecognisable in a variety of extraordinary wigs and other accoutrements. The plot concerned a search for the owner of a “smelly trainer” and for some reason involved quite a lot of sword play leading to a shower of plastic heads bouncing around the hall. It could be said that Veronica really was the Head Girl! It was a truly memorable performance, much enjoyed by all.

David Eyles then gave a slide show of a trip that he and Brenda made to the Galapagos Islands focussing particularly on the extraordinary wildlife. David’s photographs were superb and he demonstrated that he is not only a fantastic gardener but he is also a first rate photographer.   

This was a suitable preamble for a delicious tea provided by our wonderful kitchen helpers. As tea was being served we had the excitement of having a flurry of snow which, fortunately did not settle.  Hopefully the weather will be kinder when we next meet on Monday March 2^nd.

January 2015

There was a party atmosphere in Crantock Village Hall on January 5th when friends met for the first Memory Cafe of the year. In fact it was a double celebration for in addition to welcoming in 2015 we raised a glass (well, a cup of tea, actually!) to the first anniversary of the formation of the Memory Cafe.

Games and puzzles on the tables took up the theme of celebrations and the New Year, and when everyone had finally finished ‘catching up’ with the latest news we enjoyed a light-hearted team quiz based on the theme of ‘Firsts’: e.g. who was the first man to run a sub four minute mile? Who were the first two people mentioned in the Bible? Who was the first British monarch to have a televised coronation? Yes, some serious thinking was required but all teams did very well, and in the end prizes were awarded all round!

As tea-time approached we were delighted to welcome a number of visitors who popped in to join our celebrations. These were some of the people who had actively supported us in a variety of ways during 2014. The room was packed as we all enjoyed delicious homemade refreshments washed down with – yes – you've guessed it – another cup of tea!

For the second part of the afternoon we were treated to a light-hearted reading by Margaret which pricked our consciences regarding over-indulging during the festive season, and then we were joined by talented local musicians Lamorna on violin and Elaine on keyboard. Everyone enjoyed singing along to a selection of well-known songs, and just when we thought we were going to sit back and have a rest, percussion instruments were handed around to accompany some lively jigs and reels played by Lamorna on the fiddle! It was all great fun, very noisy and brought back memories of school music lessons with triangle, drums and tambourines – our visitors enjoyed it too!
A brief look back at all the different activities and events which we have enjoyed during the past year brought the celebrations to a close. We now look forward to our next cafe meeting on Monday 2nd February.

Crantock Memory Cafe is open to all those in our local communities who are concerned about memory loss and new members are always welcomed at any time. You are welcome to ring our volunteers, Joan on 01637 831347 or Di on 01637 830544 for further information. We are a non-denominational organisation and the cafe is free, although donations towards our running costs are always welcome.