Once again I am going to regale you with our adventures and activities over the last year. Every year I think it has been fairly quiet and then I start to list what has gone on and realize that we are both very busy.
For Stephen this has been a very busy year and you can catch up with much of the action on his blog. He has had another very good year. His myeloma has continued to recede and in one test it is now undetectable. Most importantly he feels very good, in fact better than when he retired 3 years ago. Recognising this, he decided to return to private flying and started to hunt for a suitable aircraft. Having viewed and declined two, he finally decided on a third. It was two months for the deal to be completed but sadly, when Stephen prepared to take off from Goodwood, to relocate the aircraft to an airfield nearer to home, he had an accident. Fortunately nobody was injured but the aircraft was badly damaged. Separately, he has joined a local aviation group and has already been appointed as their treasurer.
Some of you will know of Stephen’s ambition to become a Magistrate. It transpired that he would have to wait at least two years after his retirement from working with the police. He was interviewed last year but it looked as though an appointment would not occur. Much to our surprise he was invited to sit in the Bristol court. He has now completed training and has formally sworn his oaths. Whilst waiting for his first, mentored, sitting he discovered that the role also has a civic aspect and he was only too happy to be invited to take part in the annual Remembrance Day parade in Bristol.
 |
| Where once I might have paraded in the RAF, I now attend as a JP |
 |
| Bristol Magistrates Courthouse |
For me, the major event of the year was taking redundancy from my role in Bristol Libraries. The council decided to close the School Library Service and as they were making cuts across the council it seemed to be the sensible option at the time. How right I was, as during the spring I had some increased problems with my health and it looks as if I have now got Angina as well as the other heart issue. The downside to all this was having to cancel our holiday tour to northern Italy and not seeing our friends in Rome.
 |
| Our Cyprus veranda - ideal for sundowners |
However we have managed to get out to Cyprus a couple of times and have had a great time with all of our friends there. I have decided to do some consultancy work, but at the moment I am not doing too much until the problems are resolved. Still, I have got my blog and I am still reviewing children’s books for several journals/websites. On top of this I am also mentoring several people towards professional qualifications in librarianship.
I have decided not to let all of this stand in my way and have continued to do as much as possible. I have been accepted as a community governor at the local primary school and have been undergoing loads of training as well as attending my first meeting in September, with another one next week. I have also still attended conferences linked to libraries and children’s books as well as going to book launches and helping at the Bath Kids Lit Festival. My latest thing is to do some free online courses (MOOCs) and they have varied from digital literacy to World War I and Richard III.
 |
Each year celebrity authors visit Margaret,
In 2011 the Fonz, in 2012 Simon Mayo, in 2013 Sir Tony Robinson
This year it was the turn of Michael Rosen
|
 |
| Margaret's 2nd visit to the Harry Potter Studio |
 |
| The Wellington Bomber recovered from Loch Ness in 1985 and now at Brooklands |
In September we went over to Basingstoke for Finley’s first birthday, he is absolutely gorgeous and looks just like Nick and also Stephen at the same age. He also came over to see us at half term and we took him up to see the birds at Slimbridge. I am looking forward to next summer as we should have a “Shaun the Sheep” trail in Bristol and we can take him to see all the different sheep.
Both Nick and Chris are doing really well and are very happy with their other halves. We will see them all over the Christmas period, but not at the same time. Of course that means that we get an extended Christmas, but I think we can cope with that.
In the last few weeks we have been to a couple of concerts at the Colston Hall, the first was a celebration of the Red Arrows 50 years by the Central Band of the RAF, we then went to see a performance of Elgar’s “Dream of Gerontius” and just before Christmas we are going to “Messiah”; this really gets us in the Christmas mood (along with Muppet Christmas Carol !) Earlier in the year we went to some reading and songs from “War Horse” in Bristol and Michael Morpurgo did the readings it was really great but just a lead up to the main event. Towards the end of January they are bringing the production to Bristol, so I have already got the tickets for us. I am lucky enough to have seen it before, but it will be a first for Stephen, and it really is amazing.
Well that is all from us for now. We look forward to hearing from, and hopefully seeing, many of you in the coming year. Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.
