Tuesday, 22 May
Last week was hard work, so I was pleased to spend the weekend
at home. All the family are with me in Manchester at the moment.
Over the weekend, I visited the FutureEverything festival, which
celebrates the latest developments in art, music and
technology.
The festival took place at many venues across
Manchester, including the Victoria Baths, an Edwardian
swimming pool and Turkish Baths complex which has been lovingly
restored through grants and dedication from the local
community.
I sat in the grandeur of the Turkish baths
knitting with the Crossacres group. This group is a practical
example of how elder isolation can be avoided, and also how older
people can transfer their skills, memories and wisdom to younger
generations. Members of the public had been able to make
suggestions for items to be knitted via Twitter, and the group
diligently met their requests. The pictures I took say it all – the
art of craft, and the tangible links between art, resilience and
well-being. Not the political mantra, but the community really
functioning as a big society.
This week I’m planning lots of one-to-one
catch-ups with colleagues who carry out vital roles within the
College, including Dr Michele Hampson about public health, and Dr
Helen Miller and Professor Richard Williams about the International
Congress. I’m also very much looking forward to Professor Edgar
Jones giving the next evening lecture on Wednesday night, entitled
Military Psychiatry: a significant contribution or a worthless
distraction?
Finally, I’m pleased to see the return of
sunshine at long last. At least it has put a temporary end to the
constant drip drip in the corner of my room.
Sue
If you would like to post a response to Sue's blog, please
email your message to the Website
Manager, who will be pleased to upload it to the website.
Subscribe to this post's comments using
RSS
Comments
The Power of
Knitting: Improving mental and physical
health: On being discharged from hospital after
suffering a stroke I found the control in my hand somewhat
unreliable, so I picked up some knitting and soon had a new
sweater. Better still - I have not knocked a cup flying
since!!
Morag Anderson
moragjay@btinternet.com