Well, yet
another year has whizzed through our lives and I really don’t know where the
time has gone. I can’t believe that we
are only about 3 weeks away from Christmas.
The families will be joining us in
the lead up to the big day. We had very exciting news that Chris and Tina got
engaged early in the year and will get married at the end of next year. The boys
have both been brilliant and we know we can always depend on them for support
if we need it.
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| Puddings about to be steamed. CLICK TO ENLARGE |
I actually made this year’s Christmas puddings in September (4 of them) and I still have a cake from last year, so I am just about on schedule for the food.
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| Lenny Henry and Dermot O'Leary |
Usually, Stephen likes to tell everyone about the famous people that I am lucky enough to meet, and although I have not been out and about as much, I did meet a few well know faces such as Lenny Henry, Stephen Mangan and Dermot O’Leary, all of whom were at the Bath Children’s Literature festival.
I also saw the crime writer Patricia Cornwell at an event in London. Lately I have yet again been involved in the initial judging for the 500 Words competition and I thoroughly enjoy the process. Oh, and yet again I've been surrounded with books to be reviewed for the School Library Associations Information Book Award
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| The magnificent Briksdal Glacier - Click to enlarge |
Our first attempt at a Norway cruise ended when Covid intervened and then the next year Fred Olsen sold their ship! We really didn’t think that we would get away, but talking to a member of Stephen’s family, he spoke about his experience of trips on Saga cruises (we’re just old enough). We did some investigating and finally committed to going to Norway at the end of June this year. It turned into one of the best holidays we have ever been on. Everything was included, from the collection and return to our front door, fabulous food, free drinks and a wonderfully friendly and helpful crew. The cruise was from Tilbury, visiting Bergen, Alesund, Olden and Stavanger. Highlights were definitely visiting a glacier, riding in a troll car and going up on both the Loen Sky Lift and the funicular in Bergen.
We also visited the East Somerset railway, which was a Christmas gift from Nick and Louise (it was great and remarkably educational).
Our trip to Yorkshire was lovely to catch up with family. The journey north was via Chatsworth House and then back visiting the RAF Cosford Museum at Cosford.
This is Chinook "Bravo November" now retired and resting at the RAF Museum at Cosford. This a very famous aircraft which served in the Falklands and in Afganistan
Do Google "Bravo November"
In November Stephen celebrated two years since his
CAR-T cell treatment, and of his myeloma remaining undetectable. He has found the energy to undertake several
projects including replacing a garden fence and redecorating a bedroom which
even required the fitting of coving. He has just had his second cataract operation, both of which have
healed well. He has, though, lost confidence in a well-known high street optician which failed to
diagnose that he also has Fuchs'
Dystrophy.
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| Copyright Colin Rayner |
One notable measure of his health was his ability to participate, as a retired JP, in this year’s Remembrance parade in Bristol. His health and the pandemic had prevented his attendance for two years but now he was able to renew his friendship with former colleagues.
In June Stephen made the decision to return to
Samaritans as a volunteer listener.
Covid and his health had required that he stand down in 2021 and his
return meant that he be retrained and initially to work with a mentor. He is now firmly back to solo duties which he
finds so very rewarding. Having
undertaken the necessary research, Stephen completely rewrote the Wikipedia
page about RAF Locking. The station was
where he had trained in 1974, to where he returned in 1983 as an instructor,
and to where returned and then retired from in 1996.
To get me in the Christmas spirit, I have just been to a performance of “Muppet Christmas Carol” with Chris. It was with a live orchestra and was fantastic, with a very appreciative audience.
Stephen and I will be going to a performance of Messiah also at the
refurbished Coston Hall, now called the Bristol Beacon, in the near future.
This evening we had the great pleasure of attending one of the first concerts, Handel's Messiah, in the recently refitted Bristol Beacon (formerly the Colston Hall). A super concert in a wonderful place.
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| The refitted Bristol Beacon CLICK TO ENLARGE |
This photo shows us "scrubbed up" and about to go into the formal dinner on our ship the Spirit of Discovery
