2010
– Is
it that time already?
As
I hear the sound of rapidly
approaching
sleigh bells I’m driven once more to record the highlights of
our year.
The
big news that managed to break too
late
for last year’s missive was Ben’s engagement.
He popped the question
on Christmas Eve amid an excess of candles
(apparently this is supposed to be very romantic, though I consider it
something of a fire hazard), and the happy couple soon settled on an
August
wedding.
Heather,
or the new Mrs Rodgers to give
her
her proper title, is in the second and final year of a post-graduate
course in
Music Therapy.
This takes her to London
one day a week,
together with placements in local schools.
Meanwhile, Ben has
decided to return to Engineering and is now doing a
one year MSc in Nuclear Engineering at Manchester.
The
wedding was lovely, though I felt we
got off lightly as far as the planning and preparation was concerned. It
was held at the church that they both
attend, which is the same one where we were married (over 30 years
earlier!).
Who would have thought?
Susie
is settled in Sheffield
where she continues in her accountancy training, and has well and truly
left
home.
She is now renting a
house with
her long term boyfriend, Liam.
No one
has mentioned wedding bells yet, but I’m steeling myself and
checking my
savings.
I think if Liam asks my
permission I’m going to set him tasks to prove his worth;
starting with a
solution to the European banking crisis and working up to a fair and
lasting
peace for the peoples of the Middle East.
Peter
is now in the second year of his
Music Technology degree at Huddersfield,
enjoying life and blissfully unaware of the harsh realities of
job-seeking that
will inevitably follow.
At least he’s
managed to get in ahead of the anticipated hike in tuition fees, thus
ensuring
that his debt will only be massive, rather than crippling.
Back
at home, we have gone a bit greener
this year by having solar panels installed on our south-facing
roof.
Despite the poor summer
we have
still generated over 3,000kWh since April, which represents a good
financial
return too.
Last
winter’s freezing weather caused a few
casualties in the garden, including a cabbage palm that we had
struggled to
move two years earlier.
It had
established well, and as a result, ironically, caused another great
struggle to
remove.
Recent weather
doesn’t bode well
for the banana we planted out this year either, despite its lagging!
Lynne
is still doing 2-3 sessions a week at
the local surgery, and Ian is still travelling to Oldham,
although the technology means he can work one day a week at home. Lynne’s
Mum celebrated her 90th
birthday in May though she is gradually retreating from the real world. The
care home arranged a little party for
her, which she seemed to enjoy.
In
October we took a break and enjoyed a
week in Tuscany
with some friends at their apartment, which was very welcome after a
summer
spent anticipating ‘The Wedding’. The
weather was pleasantly warm and we enjoyed trips to Florence
and Vinci (as in Leonardo da) as
well as the beautiful countryside.
And
so, as the collared dove of hope dives
to escape the sparrow hawk of fate, and flies straight into the patio
door of
destiny, it
only remains for me to wish you a merry Christmas and a very happy New
Year.
With much love,
Ian,
Lynne, Ben & Heather, Susie & Peter
(Web
version available
with a few more pictures at http://www.duckdown.me.uk/xmas10)
|
