A Happy Christmas to all our friends. That time has finally arrived when I sit down and try and remember all the momentous events of the past year. I think old age is creeping in as I have to think really hard about the beginning of the year.
Anyway we are all keeping well. Nicholas has finished his degree, and he got a
2:1 which was very good. We went up to
Liverpool in July for his graduation, when he received his degree from Paul
McCartney. It was a fantastic event
despite the rain and a great finale after three years of very hard work. Since then Nick has been working for South
West Audio and also doing some freelance work.
A very proud Nick
Christopher is still at Bournemouth. He has completed his second year and is doing
his work placement for the third year. He has a job working as a programmer for
a company in Dorchester and is living back in Bournemouth as accommodation is
almost non-existent in Dorchester. I
know, I had to take him down to look at the only property around at the time;
it was dreadful, expensive and also unfurnished. Luckily one of the other programmers lives
close to Chris, so he car shares to work.
In April we had a series of events. Firstly it was the 50th birthday
of yours truly and at the end of the month we went up to Cheltenham for the
presentation of my MA by Betty Boothroyd. Again this was a spectacular event; I was
petrified as I was about the 4th person to go up on the stage. Still I survived .
A very proud Margaret
We were very lucky in having two holidays this year. It was not really intended, but I will explain
the reasons why as we go along. In March
we made a return visit to Cyprus. This
time we stayed at the Amathus Beach in Paphos, which was just within walking
distance of the harbour. We had a very
lazy week but were able to meet up with our friends Don and Liz Ingham for a
couple of meals. We were so pleased that
we could do this as Don sadly died several months later; he had been ill for
several years but it was still a dreadful shock.
Our second holiday was not intended to take place for at least one
more year, until we had saved our pennies up. For quite a few years we have
been hoping to go to China, and especially to do the Yangse Gorges and the
Terracotta Warriors. We had started looking at brochures and then were told
that the dam across the river was going to be closed off this year. So that
from next year the views would not be the same. Anyway we took the plunge and
managed to book a trip starting on 30th Sept this year. It was
meant to be for 21 days, but due to flight problems they had to give us an extra
two nights in Hong Kong (Oh, the hardship !).
So difficult to believe we really were here
The ship which took us up the Yangse.
The (incomplete) Three Gorges Dam (height 594 feet)
We then had a series of journeys leading to Shanghai. After this is was up to the Yangse for three days and then on to Xi’an for the Terracotta army - a truly amazing sight.
Truly amazing to see oneself - The Terracotta Army
Then it was down to Guilin and the Li river with its fantastic rock formations, and finally Hong Kong.
Of special meaning to Stephen who had served whie in the RAF in this building (HQ British Forces) in 1981
During the trip we had five internal flights, two train rides, three boat trips, a rickshaw ride and numerous trips by coach. We were taken to so many ‘factories’ that we totally OD’d on shopping. We saw silk fabrics, silk embroidery, jade, warriors, cloisonne and lots of other factories. Perhaps the best bits were meeting the local people. We were definitely a curiosity and in Beijing everyone wanted us in their family photos (we were there during the national holiday, so it was heaving with people).
We came back with 6 rolls of film, several reels of video tape and a diary of events. I am hoping to create an album of our visit, as it really was the experience of a lifetime. The trip was with Travelsphere and we were in a group of 38. We had a Chinese tour manager with us, called Tiger, and local guides at each of the destinations. Importantly I can now eat using chopsticks, it was that or go hungry (actually they do provide forks, but it seemed polite to learn the local way)
Stephen has also been extremely busy finishing off the patio and
creating a loggia. We had a Greek night to christen it and a great time was had
by all. He now has plans to create a study/wine store in the cellar area. It
will involve a lot of digging out, but should provide a very nice room. We will
let you know how he gets on next year.
We are getting into the Christmas spirit and Stephen has just put
some white lights in two of our trees at the front. Nice, if not up to American
standards. The rest of the decorations will go up next week. I have couple of
days off work (Yippee) and am trying to get the cards/presents etc done.
We
wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year
