Today Hook Home Help helped to make someone's birthday a bit more special than usual. Someone who is housebound and isolated. I organised a visit from an old friend and we had tea and homemade cake with candles. When someone phoned she told them she couldn't chat because she was having a birthday party

In today's visit I changed a bed, did some cleaning and heard about how my client had left school at 14 in 1941 and gone to build planes somewhere near Reading. I heard about how he cycled 12 miles to get there and the spotlights shining around as he frantically pedalled home. He told me about the places that he knew which were bombed and how he remembers the local pillboxes being built. He told me how he went on to be an electrician, installing the wires in some homes that had never had electrcity before. I love hearing the stories of people's lives, the things that they have seen and sharing their experiences. We lost track of time as he shared his special memories, then as I left he gave me an Easter egg! What a special afternoon with a very special gentleman

Hook Home Help is excited to now have a real gardener on the team! Up till now we've been happy to do basic weeding and tidying but now we have someone who knows more about plants than I ever imagined there was to know.

He understands how to keep plants happy and healthy, what should go where and why, and is also a lovely gentle person who I've known for years.

He is happy to help in any way and ended up fixing a sink as well as a garden on Monday! He repairs garden furniture, has installed a gate to keep my crazy cats under control and has the patience of a saint.

Contact me if your garden needs a helping hand

Hook Home Help has come a long way in a year. This time last year I was launching the business and looking for new clients. Over the past 12 months I have met so many wonderful people whose stories have become part of my story. Now it is time to expand the team.

Over the past year I have heard about long lives well lived. I have shed tears with people as they shared their losses, and have laughed until I cried on other occasions

Hook Home Help often helps with basic cleaning or specific things that are hard to reach or hard to get to. To be honest changing a double duvet is a bit of a task for even the fittest of us but as we get older these things get harder and I am happy to “help with the tricky things” as one client says.

In this case the tricky things are usually changing the beds, and cleaning floors for someone who finds it hard to kneel down but is fiercely independent and proud to be coping on their own in every other way. I love being able to support this independence while ensuring that the house stays clean and safe.

What does Hook Home Help do? Last week, I popped in to see an older gentleman and cleaned two bathrooms and the kitchen floor, had a cup of tea and discussed the conflict in Gaza, the cabinet reshuffle, the last few prime ministers and the ethical issues around sending refugees to Rwanda. The conversation ended in the war in Yemen. "Yemen" was the only word that he couldn't remember, aged 94! Luckily he had an ancient globe to hand which helped us to find it.

Every client is different and you never know where the conversation might lead, but it rarely lands in Yemen! I am looking forward to the next instalment already

This day was all about raking. Raking is not usually a life changing activity but I have one client who lives in a bungalow surrounded by grass that gets quite long before it gets cut by the housing association. The cut grass is left to dry and drift about in the wind. This probably wouldn’t usually be a problem but she finds that if she leaves either front or back door open, the grass drifts in and for someone with mobility issues, this can be hard to sort out and makes the difference between being able to open the doors for some fresh air and interaction with the neighbours, or not.

So one sunny day I set to work to clear up all the grass so that it wouldn’t happen again. It was harder work than I thought but during the time I was out there I met several neighbours who all stopped for a chat, and it was rewarding to see the difference it made.

My lady who lives here has been very hesitant to leave the house since the onset of Covid and rarely ventures out but she came out to talk to me while I raked. She stood in the sunshine for the first time in ages and was delighted with what I had done and what it would mean to her.

Today was decluttering and cleaning in preparation for some home improvements. It can be hard to know where to start. Sometimes we don't see the things that are in front of us and think that because they have been there for some time, they always have to be there. A new person can be helpful just to ask, "Do you often use that?", and one by one things become more manageable.

Then the space becomes more manageable and more easy to clean. A clean and tidy environment can be beneficial to our mental and physical health. Today was an important step towards that.

"Thank you for listening to me yesterday and for the work you did. So motivating and what a joy to come down to a clean and tidy kitchen this morning."

I am finding that these are the two things that many people need. Firstly someone to genuinely listen to their troubles. Secondly, some emotional and practical support and a plan to make things manageable.

They need someone who will listen non judgementally to what has happened without trying to minimise the issues or offer advice. It can be an important part of moving on to be able to acknowledge the stress that has happened or the pain that they are in.

It is very hard to ask for help for anyone of any age. I try to handle this as delicately as possible in every situation. I try to assess the most pressing needs, the support they have already and how I can help.

Then I ask, "What can I do for you today that would help most?".

Before and after. Simple tasks like weeding can be challenging mentally or physically. For some it's hard to bend down and for others it's an overwhelming task that is impossible to start.

Today we started.

One hour of support can make a big difference, both practically and emotionally

The best thing that happened to me this week is that one of my clients grew a parsley plant from a seed! What a wonderful surprise. I popped in, as I do every other week, to see how he was and to help him with a few things and when it was time to go he told me that he had grown this plant for me. Honestly, that warms my heart so much.

Hook Home Help is helping people in Hook to live more happily and independently. Different people need different things and this week one lady just wanted someone to play a board game with her so that's what we did. The lady I was helping chose the game so she was in charge of setting it up and explaining it to me. As we went along, she was helping me to understand the rules almost by playing for me as well as her. It was a lovely change in our usual dynamic that this time she was helping me to learn the ropes, rather than me helping her with things that she can no longer do for herself.

Recently Hook Home Help has helped someone to have their first haircut in a year. This was partly due to a long stay in hospital and then all the appointments and busyness that follow that sort of thing. It was also partly due to the stress and anxiety that can come with going somewhere new and finding a new hairdresser when the person who you have gone to for many years has retired or moved away. Many of us have been here at some point but it is more difficult to manage when you are living with increased levels of anxiety to start with.

“In a very short time Penny has become a friend rather than a 'helper/carer to my Mum. She's upbeat and friendly, willing to help, listen, and offer support and assistance in any way she can and extremely flexible with her time and planning.

Communication with the family is also brilliant, so much more than the regular 'agencies'. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone.”

For the past few months I have been honoured to be part of this family’s lives. The mum lived in Hook and the son a long drive away. He found my website and called to explain the situation. His mum was struggling with the death of her husband and the responsibility of living alone. He was visiting regularly but looking for some backup for the weeks that he couldn’t get up here. We all met together the next time he was in Hook to have a chat about what they needed and how I could help. Read more here…

Walking through graveyards it is normal to feel a range of emotions, from sorrow for those we have lost and for those who have recently lost people close to them, and we might wonder about all the lives from hundreds of years ago and all the stories that have been lost along the way, or may some that are still remembered. Sometimes we might feel a sense of peace or gratitiude and, maybe a renewed sense of perspective, as we are reminded that life is short and our time here is precious. This can be a valuable reminder to us at any age. We often live in denial of death but each time we are brought closer to it, it can help us to remember how valuable time is and how important those close to us are. This can help us to live slightly happier and maybe more meaningful lives…