Just recently I have been asked to start doing some activities on other units in our care home, so as making bird feeders proved to be successful in my unit, I thought I would try it elsewhere. This involved mixing seed and nuts with lard and putting them into a paper cup, before hanging them up outside the window.
As is often the case, one lady did not want to make them but I could feel her eyes burning into the back of my neck as I moved round the lounge helping others to do so. I do not mind this, as it is obviously engaging the person and draws them into conversation; At least they are not just staring blankly at the television. Every now and again she would chip in with. 'Aren't they lovely' or 'they'll look great'
Fortunately in this unit there was already a feeding station outside the window but judging by the quality of the mouldy seed, it hadn't had any visitors for a while, so I cleaned the feeders, added some sunflower hearts and hung our collection of home made fat balls alongside.
As I came back to the unit to collect my seed etc. the lady concerned stopped me to complain that she couldn't see the feeders from where she sits, so I went back outside and moved it across; when I went back in another gentleman said that he now couldn't see it from his chair. By this time it had started raining and I'm standing outside, while each resident moves me backwards and forwards and side to side like an episode of 'The Golden Shot' with gestures to imply that I should go left a bit, right a bit, back a bit, STOP! By the time they had finished I was drenched, but at least they all now had a view of their new point of interest.
I thought nothing more of the bird station until about a week later, when the lady, who had been watching me make the feeders, appeared in my unit to tell me how the birds had come.
'and all their little yellow bottoms are poking up in the air.' She delightedly told me.
'Oh! That's great' I said
'Yes and we even have a squirrel who hangs upside down too, trying to get at the seed'
From that day on, I always made a point to make sure the feeders were topped up with seed, which would often be greeted with a wave from the lady when I finished.
All was well until the lady concerned, grabbed me on my travels to ask why their bird feeder had been taken down?
'Really? I can't think why?' I said
'Well, I saw the man do it, and I was shouting at him to put it back but he wouldn't listen!' she angrily exclaimed 'The poor birds have nothing to eat'
A quick look out of the window and I realised it had been dismantled when the gardener had mowed the lawn and he had not put it back afterwards.
'It's alright I can see the problem, I'll go and put it back now' I told her
Thank you dear; have a biscuit'
'Thank you, I don't mind if I do, I'm rather partial to the custard creams.'
'Not for you. FOR THE BIRDS!'
'Not for you. FOR THE BIRDS!'
