THE ROSEPARK GARDENS

The gardens at Rosepark are over thirty years old and provide a private sheltered area for our residents to enjoy the delights of nature. Over this period, we have had many residents who loved gardening and planted bulbs and shrubs that continue today to bring joy into the lives of new residents. The addition of a summer house two years ago which is heated and wired for music allows residents to enjoy the gardens throughout the year.

The gardens are now about to come to life. The snowdrops and crocuses are beginning to show soon to be followed by the daffodils. The deep yellow of the forsythia shrub will be next to arrive followed by the apple blossom and lilac bringing colour from spring into summer. The roses soon come into their own backed up by the calla lilies, fuchsia and not forgetting the abundance of bluebells. We also have some beautiful specimens of Peony trees and Iris which are a joy to behold. However, the stand out feature of the gardens is the Rose Garden which features roses commemorating former residents now deceased which have been planted by their families in their honour.

In 2021 we have formed a Gardening Club for our residents. The residents have had their first meeting to plan a series of activities over the coming months. The residents are going to sow and plant a range of flowers with the aim of attracting birds and bees into the garden. Bird boxes and feeders will be erected in various areas of the garden. We have acquired two bird boxes with cameras which we hope will attract Tits to nest. If successful we will have a live link on our website. The residents are also going to plant and look after the herb containers. We are also running an internal competition to see who can create the best window box for their individual apartments and bungalows.

John Burke - An Appreciation

We lost the “Big Fella” on August 22nd after a long illness which in typical John fashion was borne with dignity. John Burke was a character who resided in Bungalow 1, Rosepark for the past six years. He was known far and wide in the local community especially amongst the bars and restaurants which he frequented. In Rosepark he was family.

John always had a remarkable outlook on life. As a young man he suffered a brain haemorrhage which left him with a speech impediment and loss of power on one side. He still remained positive and got on with life. He had worked in the rag trade and as a result was a dapper dresser. It was only logical that to display his clobber he frequented the bars and restaurants in the locality. Blackrock counted for The Breffni, Kellys and Cooper, Kings and La Pastis. Monkstown merited visits to FXB’s, Goggins, Victoria and the jewel in his crown That’s Amore. His offside venues included The Leapordstown Inn and Crowes in Ballsbridge. As you can see John was not someone who sat in on the sofa. Life was meant to be lived. Better still, everyone knew John in these venues where he would engage in conversation mostly about sport and food. He was a fanatical rugby follower and was proud of the fact that he held the title of President for Life of Crowbars, the social club (dubious) of Wanderers Rugby Club.

The turnout for John’s funeral reflected the love with which John was held in the community. The theme of his oration was “Everyone loved John Burke” ably given by his old pal from Wanderers James “Jazz” Murphy. Never was a theme more appropriate. As is usual nuggets of information emerge at Irish funerals. In this instance we found out that John was the apple of his mother’s eye….could do no wrong , a real Mammy’s boy. God if we only knew this when he was alive, he would have got a right ribbing.

Even with his disability John had no inhibitions in introducing himself to complete strangers and developing lasting friendships. As a result, it is not surprising that people stop me in the street to talk about him. John had limited vocabulary due to his stroke and he used some words very frequently. One of his favourite words was “fantastic”. It is a word which perfectly describes our lovable rogue. You are sadly missed by all your pals in Rosepark.

A Trip to the Park

It was a bright sunny Friday; better than hoped but not as bad as expected.

As the residents of Rosepark, waited with bated breath for the second of two buses to arrive the historic nature of the building came sharply to mind. A trip to the Presidents house, indeed, that is what was in store.

Under the cool, air-conditioned, splendour of their 18 degrees centigrade presidential-sanctioned throne, the crowd, across flower suburbia, through rugged inner-city streets, and plunging deep into the park, arrived at the Áras with a but few minutes to spare. In good time too; Met Éireann had predicted rain.

The Áras is a mighty building, older than the republic it now serves. Though not as impressive as the Élysée Palace it is archetypally Irish; measured to size.

The Residents were brought into the white walled palace, treated with levels of courtesy afford to the likes of Her Majesty the Queen, with tea, coffee and cakes and refills galore. From there, down a corridor trodden by powerful men and women, they were brought to the dungeon to explore the Áras’ past. There were many gifts and presents here, given to Presidents gone before. Alas, they were not for sale so pictures had to suffice.

Presents that have been gifted to the President over his years in office.

After a quick whirlwind tour of the Presidents study, and a hasty gander around the garden the excitable occasion came to an end with some furry friends coming to say adieu.

Nuala Feric (Resident) and the President’s Bernese Mountain Dog.

On mature recollection, it was a day to be remembered. As the portrait of the great statesman Eamon de Valera stared down to all that past, the residents of Rosepark recalled with great fondness the times gone past; except the youngest of the staff who, sadly, wasn’t old enough to vote when the incumbent came to fame.

Dan and May overshadowed by the elder statesman.

EXERCISE THE GENTLE WAY WITH CHAIR YOGA FOR SENIORS

If you have never experienced the benefits of chair yoga for seniors, you’re in for a treat. Did you know that by the time you reach your 60th birthday, you have probably taken 2 million steps. You have also probably dealt with your share of injuries or illnesses. As we reach our 60’s, we know instinctively that keeping fit and flexible is essential. You may have mobility problems or just feeling a bit fragile. But most of us have little tolerance for gyms and aerobics classes.

So what’s the alternative? Maybe it’s time to consider chair yoga. We know what you are thinking. “How could sitting on a chair possibly be good exercise?” Well research shows that it is surprisingly effective. Best of all, because it is so accessible, it is the kind of exercise option that you could do every single day.

The Chair Yoga class in Rosepark takes place every Thursday at 2.30pm. The class is made up of Rosepark residents and neighbours and lasts for approx. forty minutes. The classes are run by Theresa McEvoy who recently completed a Diploma in Yoga and Pilates instruction with a particular interest in Chair Yoga suited to the older client. Theresa is also a trained nurse and midwife and has worked for over thirty years in the Dublin Academic Teaching Hospitals as well as being a board director of Rosepark. So you are in good hands. If you wish to join the class ring Aidan @ 01-2801314 or email roseparkmonkstown@gmail.com

Rosepark Computer Class

The computer class in Rosepark has been running for over twelve years. We have been lucky in that the class has been expertly run by a local volunteer, Noreen O’Sullivan over this period. She expertly teaches basic computer skills and then gets the residents to use these skills to research and enjoy subjects that they have a particular interest in.

Picture shows Noreen O’Sullivan with Doris Garrett working on the desktop. Doris started the computer classes over ten years ago with absolutely zero knowledge. Since then she has become proficient on both the desktop and Ipad and has her own Facebook page. Her favourite site is www.lumosity.com which has a series of over fifty games available which helps keep her brain challenged.

Rosepark Gardens

The gardens at Rosepark are over thirty years old and provide a private sheltered area for our residents to enjoy the delights of nature. Over this period, we have had many residents who loved gardening and planted bulbs and shrubs that continue today to bring joy into the lives of new residents. The addition of a summer house two years ago which is heated and wired for music allows residents to enjoy the gardens throughout the year. From early January we see the arrival of the snowdrops, followed by the crocuses, snowdrops and daffodils. The deep yellow of the forsynthia shrubs, apple blossom and lilac bring colour from spring into summer. The roses soon come into their own backed up by the calla lilies fushia and not forgetting the abundance of bluebells. We gave some beautiful specimens of Peony trees and Iris which are a joy to behold. However, the stand out feature of the gardens is the Rose Garden which features roses commemorating former residents now deceased which have been planted by their families in their honour.

Bird baths and feeders attract an abundance of song birds to the gardens and with the recent acquisition of the Mews at the back of Rosepark we will be adding more features and space with added benefits for our residents. The previous owner of the Mews which goes under the name Tinker’s Dell was a keen gardener so we are looking forward to new surprises in the coming year.
One of the stand out features of Tinker’s Dell is a sun trap terrace which will be much sought after for an afternoon doze. We have plans to add outdoor exercise equipment in due course which will encourage more active use of the facility

AT THE TABLE NO ONE GROWS OLD

The Italians have a great saying which goes “At the table no one grows old”. Judging by the state of returning residents Dan Harte and Vincent Fahy from a recent visit to Tuscany, not only did they visit many an Italian table but they relived their youth in an action packed six day visit.

A sunny day in the Main Square[1786].JPG

With a combined age of one hundred and seventy three years old one would have expected the boys to take it easy in the warm Italian sunshine, sipping Cappuccinos and having the odd Gelato. This sedentary lifestyle went out the window and instead an action packed schedule was undertaken from the moment they landed in Bologne Airport until they returned to Rosepark House six days later.

Site seeing included visits to Montecatini, Florence where highlights were their visits to the Duomo Cathedral, Piazza dela Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, followed by visits to Lucca, Pisa and the beautiful towns of Sienna and San Gimignano. Travelling with a small group of Irish holiday makers the boys soon established that they were the elder statesmen of the group and decided to show that they could keep pace with the rest of the group.

Chianti replaced cappuccinos and sing songs replaced sleep but a most enjoyable time was had by all. More importantly friendships were established with fellow revellers. The one problem was that they both required a holiday to recover when they made it home….. To quote Dan Harte “there’s life in the old dogs yet.” Long may it last.

Enjoying the sunshine in Florence (L to R) Dan Harte and Vincent Fahy