All posts by K Bryan

Thoughts from an Isolator

Spotlight

From an isolator, confused isolator, emerging isolator, dreaming isolator, veteran isolator. I think I have more or less covered all my feelings during the last 11 months, so what’s the next stage. It’s got to be vaccinations! Never have so many been so thrilled to get the call for an injection. Friends contacting friends to check if they’ve had theirs, where did they have to go for it, and did they feel ok afterwards. It’s a welcome ray of sunshine to us all plus It’s starting to stay lighter each day, bulbs are coming through and buds are appearing on the trees, to me these are all signs of us coming through the darkness into the light.
I smiled when I heard how Captain Tom wanted his funeral service conducted, March in, March out, carry on with life. I think his wise words are fitting to this pandemic, we marched into it, we will march out of it and we will carry on. Here’s to returning to Phoenix.

Love Sue

 

Chat from me- February 2021

From the Chair

Here we are in February nearly a year since Phoenix closed its doors but hopefully, with vaccinations taking place we will be starting up again this year. Unfortunately, not so for the tennis club (with new members waiting to join Phoenix), we have been fighting the closure of the tennis courts at Lea Hall for some time.  But this week the local council informed us that the courts will be closed and starter homes will be built on the land and in fact the digging has begun to lay the gas pipes.  Thank you for the effort of those involved in collecting names etc and petitioning  Cannock council. A disappointing outcome.

A nod to the line dancers, I’ve been playing the music to remind me of the dances but the steps are a blur!!

Spring is around the corner so stay safe, stay well.

 Elaine

 

Deja vu – Sue Breen January 2021

Spotlight, Uncategorized 
Deja vu. Is the feeling that one has lived through the
present situation before !!!
So I say welcome to all my deja vu friends.
I might start a campaign against the deja vu feeling.
You will have rules to follow to become a member.
Do not tidy your cupboards again
Do not sort out the garage.
Do not start baking banana bread
Do not paint the shed
These small steps are just the start of riding yourself of
the deja vu feeling.
The only exceptions to the rules are
Drinking wine
Eating chocolate
Laughing (you may need to follow Joe Wicks exercises on
YouTube to achieve this, not doing them just watching)
PS if you do take part in online exercise there are also
some good YouTube videos on how to become a
chiropractor)
The big plus this time is the vaccine, for which we are all
truly thankful, we didn’t have this at the beginning of the
year. So, while we are all looking for a top that has sleeves
that we can roll up to the top of our arm, let’s remember
that we can do this because we’ve done it before.
Is that deja vu?
Keep safe, take care
Love Sue xx

From The Chair – Childhood winter memories

From the Chair

Childhood winter memories 3 minutes lighter a day, daffodils poking their heads through the icy dirt and catkins on the trees all a sign spring Is on its way, although I suspect we will have a little more snow yet. Darcie and I built a snowman with a carrot nose no coal around nowadays for his buttons and eyes so we had to use stones. We didn’t have enough snow near me for sledging. I remember the sledge my dad had made when we were kids, with steel on the runners it was heavy to pull up the hill but was the fastest on the way down. Returning home after a morning sledging your toes would hurt with the cold through your wellies. You would wrap a warm towel around your hands to stop them getting hot aches! There would be hot buttered toast, no toaster, but held over the fire on a long-handled fork. I’d like to think we drank hot chocolate but in reality, it would probably have been corona pop from the pop man. Favourite winter dinner tatty ash with brown sauce not to be confused with potato hash and not something I’ve heard of anyone eating in recent times.

Take care, stay safe there is light at the end of the winter’s tunnel x

Elaine

From the Chair

From the Chair

Chat from Me— Christmas memories
December is upon us as is the wintery weather but there’s something magical about the dark afternoons with the Christmas tree lights twinkling, the glow of the scented candles, and a feel-good film on TV. I remember as a child the candles only ever came out when there was a power cut. I would have been about 10 when in 1973 we had the 3 day a week blackout. The Christmas run-up started with a pomegranate you ate with a pin (we lived dangerously then) dates in an oblong box with a wooden fork, nuts you had to crack yourself, and those sugary orange and lemon slices. The decorations would have been a small tree with coloured lights on Paper lanterns and homemade garlands hanging from the ceiling. Presents always included an annual, a compendium game, and chocolate in a netted stocking. The highlight at the age of 10 was the glass of advocaat (snowball) with a cherry on a stick, mine was probably mostly lemonade but I felt grown up. The TV was probably a Morecambe and Wise Christmas special.
Whatever your Christmas is like now have an enjoyable one, stay safe. Phoenix will be back next year.  Elaine

Jeff Wall

Events, Spotlight

Christmas from Jeff Wall—Phoenix President                                                                                  

May I wish you all a Mery Christmas and a Happy New Year. The year certainly has not been what anyone expected especially since march when COVID destroyed our usual activities. We should now be enjoying our activities Christmas parties, dinners, and our Christmas Evening at Sheepfair. Like many of us, we have had to modify our Christmas plans. Whatever you have planned I wish you a happy break but above all please take care and stay safe. As for the New Year, it just has to get happier. Roll on the vaccinations and let’s all look forward to getting Phoenix back into full swing again. – Jeff

The Isolator- Nov 2020

Events

Here go once more!

Just as we had started taking small steps forward into the land of Semi Normality, we start
slipping back into the land of Lockdown 2. We will all do everything that has been advised
even if we don’t like it because we know it’s for the good of our loved ones and our friends.
Being veterans we are more prepared. Don’t buy 50 toilet rolls, worst-case scenario cut
up squares of newspaper thread through some string and hang on loo roll holder. I could
perhaps do a YouTube video on how to do this, it would contain details of which newspapers have the softest paper and which print doesn’t come off easily. All very important features.
Pasta – unless you are running a covert Italian restaurant, a couple of bags of spaghetti lasts
for ages.
Flour – I’m sure you’ve got banana bread out of your system by now.
Tinned tomatoes- do we really need to stock up? If you think this is an essential item let me
know how many tins you would use in a month. Saying that if you’re in partnership with the covert Italian restaurant you may need lots.
I think being veterans we are confident that the shops will keep well-stocked.
The only essential items I insist you stock up on are wine and beer. These two items are vital for your well-being and sanity. I tried and tested this theory in lockdown 1 and it really does work, so I shall be following the same regime in lockdown 2. As I’ve tried and tested this theory you can be confident in my findings and I hope you follow
my advice and enjoy.

Cheers Sue x