As you would expect we have spent some time in Cyprus, but not as much as we would have liked. We go to open the house in the spring and close it in the later autumn. This spring we also had the task of building a tiled roof on the first floor veranda.
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| 136 tiles raised by bucket to the veranda, then again up to the roof |
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| Veranda almost complete and now reducing the solar gain on the house |
In early June we had a holiday in Malta, the first time we have ever been to the island.
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| Wonderful view from our Sliema hotel across the harbour to Valetta |
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| The picturesque town of Mdina |
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| The Mary Rose Spitfire which served in Malta and North Africa during WW2 |
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| The well-deserved George Cross presented to the people of Malta in 1942 |
It has got some wonderful sights and we had a great time. However it is very small and built up, so we managed to see most of the main places. We particularly enjoyed the old part of Valletta and its museums and also the old walled town of Mdina, which is quite breathtaking. We had a trip over to Gozo and also had a great trip around the series of harbours around Valletta. Most sightseeing is done by open-topped bus, so we really got to top up our tans.
The boys are both doing fine. Nick and Louise celebrated their first anniversary in June and are settled into the house in Basingstoke. It has been a busy year both at work and doing things to the house, such as changing some of the flooring. Chris is still in Bournemouth and very happy with his job. Unfortunately he and Alex broke up a couple of months ago, but he is coping well and moved into a flat which is just right for him. We hope to see both of them over Christmas and I think we are all going to hibernate for a few days.
Stephen’s year has been something of a roller coaster. Having looked at all the implications he decided to take early retirement (age 62) in early June. The occasion was marked by a very enjoyable evening with his colleagues at a restaurant overlooking the cliffs at Portishead. That was the high. The decision meant giving up his hobby of private flying – the first low. The second low came in late October when, after a series of tests, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow). This at last explained his back ache. He is now receiving treatments which could last for up to 12 months. Despite this, we still managed three trips to Cyprus and in November both Chris and Nick joined us to help with the gardening.
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| Chris is driving, but are we afraid ? |
My year has been very busy at work despite the fact that they changed the service and we stopped lending books to schools in April. However I am still kept busy (part-time) doing training and doing advisory visits. I have also helped arrange a lot of author visits including the one when I had the great pleasure to meet the Fonz, otherwise known as Henry Winkler. Definitely one of the perks to the job.
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| Actor/author Henry Winkler aka The Fonz meets Margaret |
I also acted as exhibition manager at our conference this year as my replacement had gone on maternity leave.
During the year we have managed to get away on a couple of weekends and have been up to Bletchley Park twice to look at the ‘Enigma’ machines and all the other artefacts. Stephen is fascinated and it really is a lovely place to visit with a beautiful lake and grounds.
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| Enigma cipher machines displayed at Bletchley Parl |
We also went to an airshow in that area. During the summer we got up to Yorkshire for a family ‘naming ceremony’. It was lovely and we met members of the extended family that we have not seen before. The baby Lara is beautiful and so well behaved on the day. We also managed to catch up with old friends whilst up there, so a really nice break for us both.
At the moment we are planning all sorts of trips, but we will have to make a list, otherwise it just won’t happen, the mundane aspects of life seem to fill the time slots we have. Obviously all of our plans will depend on Stephen’s treatment but we fully intend to keep things as normal as possible. Luckily he is mainly on tablets, so does not have to go to hospital too often for treatment.
Just this once I am hoping to be prepared for Christmas, but I am sure my plans will go awry. Somehow things always conspire to cause last minute panic. However this year we have resorted to the internet for many of the gifts as the shops are just too noisy and crowded (I think I will audition for ‘Grumpy Old Women’).
I am now to be found on both Facebook and Twitter, although I have only done a few tweets, not helped by the site being ‘overloaded’ last time I tried to access it. Still we are making moves towards new technology. I even have a Kindle and a Netbook, both of which are vital pieces of equipment – where will I go next I wonder??
We wish all of our friends and relatives a very happy Christmas.
