Christmas 2024

We always say that the year flies by, but this last year it has been particularly true.  Christmas did not go as we had planned unfortunately.  On Friday 22nd Chris and Tina arrived for the family lunch the next day, but then I started getting aches in my arms and jaw, so we dialled 111; soon we had an ambulance and I ended up in A&E.  I spent the next 12 days in hospital, having had a heart attack.  One day was spent in Bristol having an angiogram, which concluded with 4 stents being fitted!  As you can imagine it was good to get back home early in the new year.  The family were wonderful and so were all of the hospital staff that looked after me.

Ambulance outside our home.

(Click any image to enlarge)

The early part of the year was fairly quiet for me, although I did go to Bath to hear Lucy Worsley talk about Agatha Christie at the end of February.  By April I was back to usual and attended a book conference at the start of the month.  Later that month I heard Bettany Hughes talk at the British Library.  

The first half of the year was taken up by judging my usual book awards (75.9 kilograms !), which I decided would be my last.  I will continue writing reviews and attending school governor meetings.  

I also went to a couple of exhibitions in London as well as some book launches.  This autumn I managed to get to the Bath Children’s Literature Festival and have just been to the award ceremony for the awards that I judged.  We have been lucky to have looked after Chris’s dog Indy several times this year and she is actually with us at the moment.

The Waverley cruise from Clevedon Pier is something we have intended to do for several years and finally made it this June, it was a great evening out and reminded us of the last time we were on board the steamer.  It was over 40 years ago, at Campbelltown, Chris was about three months old and Nick was nearly three years. Such memories.

Our holiday this year was our two-week cruise to the Baltic in July.  We sailed from Dover and two days later arrived in Gothenburg, Sweden, where we spent the day.  We then sailed to the island of Visby in Gotland, but could not dock because of bad weather; however the next day we arrived in Stockholm for a two-night stop.  

The high point in Stockholm was a visit to the Vasa Museum, as I have wanted to see the ship for many years. It was built in the early 1600s but was to sink while still in the harbour  just minutes into her maiden voyage. We then travelled back to our ship, on a boat trip around the harbour and local area.  

The Little Mermaid Copenhagen

Other stops were Turku and Helsinki in Finland and Copenhagen, Aalborg and Skagen in Denmark.  A few days after we got back, we both got Covid for the first time; luckily it was not too bad, thanks to our inoculations.

6th June 2024 was the 80th anniversary of the
D Day invasion. 

Realising that the silhouettes were to be removed in September we arranged our own trip to the British Normandy Memorial in France; we were there and back in just over 24 hours. To be able to walk amongst the silhouettes with views to Gold Beach and the Mulberry Harbour was truly a privilege. We included a visit to the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in Bayeux which contains graves of 4,648 soldiers. It also has a memorial to over 1,800 servicemen who have no known grave.

In November we went to Gloucester Airport to "fly" the Boeing 737 Flight Simulator, which had been Stephen’s Christmas present last year.  It was a great experience.  

The picture shows us taxiing at Bristol airport.

In November we celebrated Chris & Tina’s wedding in Poole, Dorset. The ceremony took place in a magnificent room in the Guildhall and occasion was full of joyfulness. It was lovely to catch up with family and friends. We have all taken away so many fond memories

Tina and Chris having just been married. Congratulations.

Stephen recovered well from cataract surgery last autumn (2023), although the effects of Fuchs’ Dystrophy (deterioration of the corneas) is becoming a little more apparent.  One Tuesday in February this year he saw the GP about a small lump on his forehead.  He attended dermatology at the BRI on the Saturday and had surgery on the Sunday!  In November he celebrated three years remission from myeloma.  We are so lucky with the care that we both receive.

This picture shows us scrubbed up and about to go into the formal dinner during our cruise

We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and that next year will be full of joy.

Margaret and Stephen

Christmas 2023

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.

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.

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  

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.

 

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.

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

We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and that next year will be full of joy.

Very best wishes

Margaret and Stephen

Christmas 2022

Well, yet another year has whizzed through our lives and I really don’t know where the time has gone.

Life seems to have got back to ‘normal’ for most people, but for us that is not the same as it was prior to the pandemic.  We are still being very careful and wearing masks whenever we are out in public spaces.  However, we have been lucky enough to fulfil one of our wishes and that was to have a proper holiday.  We got back to Cyprus and had a lovely week in Pissouri, relaxing and meeting up with friends.  Because we had not been away for such a long time, we treated ourselves to a stay at the Columbia Beach Resort, something that we could only dream of in the past.  It must be said that it was a lovely experience and very relaxing.  

Stephen at our favourite beach and restaurant (Kyrenia).  Someone had to take the picture!

That was our only break this year, but we have managed to see the boys on a few occasions; this has included visits in both directions for all of us.  We have also been able to undertake some “dog sitting”, looking after Chris’s dog Indy.  This has been lovely, but means we don’t have to commit to having a permanent resident pooch!

Christmas is getting ever closer, but I still seem to be waiting for the Christmas spirit to take effect.  I did manage to make a couple of Christmas cakes in the summer and they need another feed with some brandy.  I still need to make some of the other usual foodstuffs, but I do have a pudding that was made last year.  Hopefully Nick and his family will be with us on Christmas day, and we will be having Chris and Tina to stay over the festive period.  It will be lovely to see everyone, but especially Finley (who is now 9) and Indy the dog.

Our Christmas tree, which we've had for almost 30 years, has always had the same decoration, a robin, at the very top.  It can no longer support itself and so will become a normal hanging decoration.  Looking for a replacement, Stephen found the idea of a Tomte (Swedish name) and set about giving birth to one from scratch.

To explain, a Tomte is a mythological creature often associated with Christmas.  These little spirits are treasured by all, wherever you may live.

Stephen has continued to benefit from the CAR-T cell treatment he received last year.  Blood tests and biopsies have continued to fail to identify any myeloma.  During the autumn he operated his drone over an area of the River Severn near Sharpness.  After a period of editing, he published a video on YouTube entitled “Severn Rail Bridge Tragedy”.  If you wish to view this search for Stephen as Pempilot. Completely without explanation, the video has been viewed thousands of times, over 70,000 views as I write this and received multiple comments – extraordinary.  His next project is to re-write the Wikipedia page about RAF Locking which he feels does not reflect the significance of the former training establishment that launched the careers of so many service personnel.

Perhaps our main project of the year was decorating the dining room.  It is something that Stephen has wanted to do for a couple of years, but his health had not allowed him to do.  Luckily, he felt fine in the autumn and Chris and Tina helped move the furniture out of the room and I moved all of the books from the bookshelves (a mammoth task).  He then decorated the room in a dark green/peacock colour, which looks fabulous.  We are currently taking a break from decorating and doing other things.

I have been able to get to a few conferences this year as well as a book festival in Bath and an award ceremony in London, the first time I have been there since the beginning of 2020.  I finally got to travel on the Elizabeth Line, which saved me a lot of time going to Tottenham Court Road.  Usually, Stephen likes to tell everyone about the famous people that I am lucky enough to meet, but this year, that has not really happened. The high spots were seeing Michael Morpurgo again as he never disappoints and also seeing the historian Janina Ramirez speak; the last time I met her was at a launch for one of her books about 5 years ago.

Margaret's involvement with the Carnegie and Greenaway Awards and....

....Margaret again surrounded with books being reviewed for the School Library Association's Information Book Award

I think the most important thing is that we manage to keep busy and keep in touch with our family and friends.  I feel lucky that I am part of a fantastic library and book world and can keep up with people and what is going on.  The boys have both been brilliant and we know we can always depend on them for support if we need it.

We hope that this coming year will allow us to get away for a nice holiday at some point, but at the moment we are still trying to decide what would be best. We had been booked to go on a Norwegian Fjord cruise with Fred Olsen, to replace the one that was cancelled with lockdown; however, we have had an email to say that it has been cancelled and that the ship has been put up for sale!!   We will let you all know next year about what transpires.

We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and that next year will be full of joy.

Best wishes

Margaret and Stephen

Christmas 2021

Greetings to all our family friends in this most unusual of times. Honestly this time last year we were hoping that it would be nearly over, yet we are still in the same situation.

The first thing to say is that we hope that all of you have managed to stay safe and well this year.  Whilst the situation has eased for many of us, we are still not back to normal; in fact, you will see from later comments, the two of us are back in shielding until at least the end of February !

Once again, we will be having a very quiet Christmas and because I made multiple cakes and puddings last year, I only have to make sausage rolls and mince pies this year.  I even have turkey breast in the freezer.  Despite all this, I really don’t feel organized for the festive season, mainly because I can’t get out and choose presents for the boys and family.  Still, I am sure it will all work out and we will get to have long chats with everyone on the big day.

This year has of course been very quiet in many ways.  We have had no holidays or breaks away, but the high spot has been seeing the boys as we went down to Verwood and they have both been up here to see us.  

Both Nick and family and Chris decided to get dogs this year and to which we were introduced.  This is Teddy, a cockapoo, our grandson's very energetic friend.

Instant friendship.  Stephen did rather take to Chris' spaniel Indy (named after Indiana Jones - confusing since she is female !)  

Both Stephen and myself have kept busy, but looking through the diary we seem to have had loads of medical appointments and I have been doing lots of school and book related work.

Perhaps inevitably, Stephen’s myeloma has had an increasing effect on our lives this year. Celebrating 10 years since first diagnosed it was to be expected that treatments would become less effective. In the spring, Stephen was recruited onto a clinical trial involving CAR-T cell treatment. After an extended period of tests, he provided some T cells (part of the immune system) which were sent to the USA where they were processed to recognise his myeloma cells and becoming known as CAR-T cells.

Stephen was admitted to hospital for three weeks in October during which the CAR-T cells were re-infused. Amazingly the new cells started to work immediately; even whilst still in hospital. Since then, Stephen has been shown the continued positive effect of the treatment. At the moment he is experiencing some side effects but the investment is clearly worth it. Put simply, Stephen's immune system is now fighting the myeloma.  Let’s now hope for improving weather when we can both exercise more.

Our 2020 blog showed boxes of books.

Again, this February, I received another set which needed review in preparation for the School Library Association's Information Book Awards.  

I finished my term on the School Library Association Board this summer and I have to say that it was a relief to have some more spare time.  However, I am still chair of the Information Book Awards and I have some lovely judges to work with.  I have also done a lot of review work for various journals and have been involved in what are known as “Blog Tours” online; I think I have been involved in about 10 this year, which feels quite a lot.  However, all of this keeps my brain active and gives me something to focus on.  At the moment I seem to be doing a lot of reading, whilst sitting in the coffee bar at the hospital. I just wish the chairs were more comfortable !   

My chance meeting with Dom Kingston of Hachette Publishers during my trip to Bath.  

This was to be the last "outing" before we went back into Shielding.

I also managed to go to a day at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival, to see several of my friends, but of course I was not able to volunteer this year; that is the first time since the festival began about 13 years ago.  Still, I am hoping I can get back to doing things next year.

At the moment we really can’t do anything until April at least, so after that we are hoping that we can start seeing people, going out for meals, and even have a holiday; we are really missing Cyprus and want to be able to go back to our old haunts, and see our friends out there.  I am so sorry that the letter is not as action packed as usual, but “normal service” WILL be resumed as soon as possible.

We hope that everyone will have a happy and healthy time next year and hopefully we will be able to catch up with some of you

Love to everyone

Margaret and Stephen

Christmas 2020

 

Greetings to all of our family and friends in this most unusual of times.

The first thing to say is that we hope that all of you have managed to stay safe and well this year.  I am sure that like us, you have not been doing the things that you thought that you would. I had imagined that this year my letter would have been about the two fantastic holidays that we had planned.  The first was to have been a cruise along the Norwegian Fjords with Fred Olsen lines and it is something we have wanted to do for a very long time.  The second holiday was a train tour around Switzerland; somewhere that Stephen has never been and that I have not visited since I worked in Geneva as an au-pair in 1970.  Both of these had to be cancelled, but luckily, we had chosen well with our travel companies and we got a total refund on the Cruise, whilst opting to carry forward the Swiss holiday to next September.  The company is Titan travel and they have given us the freedom to move dates or cancel if circumstances change, so we are very content.

We were lucky enough to have a family Christmas but it seems so far away, still I am very glad that we were able to have both the boys as well as Louise and Finley staying for the festive season. At the beginning of January, we had Gary and Amanda, as well as Charlie and Alisha come to lunch.  They were on their way back to Cheshire, so it was great to see them as always.

February saw the arrival of 7 very large boxes of information books for children. 

I am Chair of the award judges this year and this was the start of the process; so, sorting through the books has kept me busy.

At the beginning of March, I went to Harry Potter World with Chris.  It was amazing as always and we had a great time.  

We could see that there was more hand sanitizer about and a few people were wearing face coverings, but it was the calm before the storm.  

The following weekend we went down to Verwood to stay with Nick and see Chris and that was the last time that we have seen them this year.  We speak to everyone on a very regular basis, but we all know it is not quite the same.

My final foray out into the world before it all closed down was a trip to the Tutankhamun exhibition in London.  It was my second visit, but I am not likely to get to Egypt anytime soon, so I thought I would take the opportunity.  

I also went to an exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery that as about George IV, there were some jaw-dropping exhibits.

April turned into a very sad month as my brother Barry’s wife Carol died at end of the month, it was a long-term illness, not COVID.  She was several years younger than me, so died far too young.  Thankfully Barry has a wonderfully supportive family, although Carol was at the core of their lives.

I am still involved with being on SLA board and am a school governor.  The only change with these things is that I do not have to go out to meetings, but can sit in front of my laptop and talk to everyone. I have also been involved in writing for Blog tours, reviews, and two lots of online training, as well as attending lots of online conferences, webinars, book launches etc. It is amazing how busy things still are and of course I am now familiar with GoTo, Teams, and Zoom for these sessions.

Having retired in 2019 as a Magistrate, Stephen sought something else to occupy his time.  Following interview, he was accepted for training as a Samaritans’ volunteer listener.  This rightly required a lengthy course of training and mentoring and Stephen found the role immensely rewarding.  

The local Samaritans branch is in our local town so commuting is not an issue and he routinely volunteered for the night shifts which ended at 2am.  It was thus with considerable disappointment that when Covid-19 emerged and the need for him to shield that he had to suspend his involvement.  Then, as the restrictions were lifted, Stephen also needed further treatment for his myeloma. 

Although he couldn’t attend Samaritans, Stephen was able to volunteer for a challenge called Samarathon.  This required that during the month of July, he complete 26.2 miles (marathon distance) walking or running.  He decided to undertake this in six stages each featuring the flying of his drone.  He then published a series of videos on his YouTube channel PEMPILOT.  Through the generosity of family and friends he collected almost £650 for Samaritans.

As a postscript, his research led him to feature two more videos; one about the former MoD weapons testing site at St Thomas Head, and the other about two ships which had been intentionally sunk in Woodspring Bay during 1944.  These can also be viewed on his YouTube channel

As I write, Stephen is now requiring more treatment for his myeloma.  He attends multiple appointments in Bristol for blood tests, scans, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.  It is abundantly clear that he has to be fit to be ill!  The latest update is that he has got a blue badge, which makes things a lot easier for parking at the hospital.

At the beginning of November, we celebrated our 45^th wedding anniversary (Sapphire) but of course it was very low key because of events.  Hopefully we can treat ourselves to a nice break next year. I really can’t believe it is that long.  The next target is to reach 50 years !!

Our Christmas tree is decorated with mementos of holidays and experiences.  This year it was only fitting to add this sapphire coloured bauble.

Christmas is going to be celebrated at a distance this year, but I am sure we will spend a lot of time talking with each other and watching things such as “Muppet Christmas Carol” in our respective homes.  We haven’t put up any decorations yet, but the middle of December might see them being put up.  I have made the cake and puddings and I have all the ingredients for the sausage rolls, so we just need the fresh food for Christmas week and we will be ready.

We hope that everyone will have a happy and healthy time next year and hopefully we will be able to catch up with some of you.

Very best wishes

Margaret and Stephen

Christmas 2019

Greetings to all our family and friends as we start thinking about the coming celebrations.

As always, writing this letter is a great pleasure and reminds us of all the things that we have been up to in the past year.  Stephen has reminded me that I need to start with news from last November, as that is when I usually get around to writing to you all.  That sends me into a panic as I try and find last year’s diary; thankfully I have got both diaries on my desk.

As mentioned last year, Stephen’s myeloma had returned and he would need further treatment. Following two sessions when his stem cells were harvested, he was then prepared for a second stint of high dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant.  He was very fortunate, being otherwise healthy, to be offered this treatment.  He was admitted in early December and discharged just two weeks later and in time for Christmas.  He then needed to keep away from any sources of infection whilst his immune system recovered. Remarkably, during this time he only missed one magistrates’ sitting. Since then, he is delighted that the clinical trial he is on has randomised him to receive maintenance therapy on a very new medication.

Click to enlarge

In June Stephen reached the age of 70 and thus had to retire from the magistracy.  The role has been both challenging and rewarding.  Never able to sit still for long, he has since sought a replacement pursuit to keep himself active.  The one he has chosen requires significant training with mentoring and ongoing commitment. He certainly won’t be bored

Click to enlarge

Stephen was also able to enjoy presents that he had been given previously.  At the end of July he achieved a major ambition when he went for a flight in a Tiger Moth; it was a joint Christmas present from the two boys and was fantastic, especially as he was able to take control of the aircraft for most of the flight.  Definitely a case of ‘boys and their toys’. 

Click to enlarge

In October, as my present, we went up to the International Centre for Birds of Prey   in Gloucestershire and Stephen was able to experience flying of a different kind.  He got to fly a variety of hawks and owls; a truly memorable day, despite the heavy rain that we had at times.

The picture shows Stephen holding a Laggar Falcon








We also managed to get a couple of holidays during the year, not something that we had really believed would happen.  

The iconic Dom Luis bridge linking Porto to Villa Nova de Gaia.

The first trip was in June and was our delayed river cruise on the Douro in Portugal.  We travelled with Saga and I have to say that it was a truly memorable holiday.  Although the cabin was not huge, we did have a small balcony and this meant that we could sit and watch the world go by as we gently made our way up river.  The boat was totally silent, so did not distract from the scenery and wildlife. 

Moored for the night.   Click to enlarge

River Douro at dawn - Truly serene.   Click to enlarge

The Douro is a very heavily dammed river and we had to go through a series of 5 locks in each direction; it was a really tight fit and we definitely touched the sides on several occasions, but absolutely superb.  There were visits to vineyards, the Spanish city of Salamanca, old villages and Port houses (yes, we did sample and buy!)

In September we finally managed to visit Croatia, something that we first thought about in 1976, so it has taken rather a long time to achieve.  The tour was based on three nights near Split and then four nights in Dubrovnik.  It was a well-organized and the hotels were fine but there were a couple of things that let it down.

The bridge at Mostar. Destoyed in the Bosnian War but now rebuilt.
Click to enlarge

We really did not believe how truly crowded the cities would be, I don’t think we have ever experienced so many tourists.  The other thing was the sheer amount of travelling that was involved.  The journey between the two hotels took about four hours, but this was then made longer when we had to go through passport control between Croatia, Bosnia and then Montenegro.  Still we did see some amazing sights including Mostar, old Dubrovnik and Krka National park.  I think the important thing is to try and avoid the tourist season.

It's a tough life....

....but someone has to do it

The other major event this year has been that Chris has bought himself a house.  It is in the same village as Nick, so they are about 10 minutes’ walk from each other.  Chris got the house in June and since then has spent a huge amount of time renovating it and he is doing a fabulous job.  From a selfish perspective this will make it so much easier to spend time with both boys.  

At the end of August we had another trip up to Yorkshire to celebrate a major family birthday; it was wonderful to be able to spend time with close family and to catch up on things.  We also managed to include a trip to  the Yorkshire Air Museum, which is just outside York, so that Stephen could donate a ‘Bubble Sextant’ to their collection.  Despite the cold and rain we had a great time and saw some wonderful exhibits.

My year has been quite normal compared to Stephen; I have been to lots of conferences, book launches and exhibitions, but nothing truly outstanding until the other week when I went to the Tutankhamun exhibition in London.  The last time I saw some of the exhibits was nearly 30 years ago in Cairo but this was such a stunning display compared to the past.  They have not allowed the gold masks or sarcophagi out of Egypt, but it is still amazing and I am going again in the New Year. 

Click to enlarge

Each year, authors and illustrators visit Margaret:

In 2011 it was Henry Winkler (The Fonz),

2012 Simon Mayo,

2013 Sir Tony Robinson

2014 Michael Rosen,

2015 it was Julian Clary and illustrator David Roberts

Then in 2016  Clare Balding, Sir Christopher Hoy & Chris Packham

In 2017 it was TV presenter and novelist David Baddiel, and Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE who consulted on and wrote the forward for "Starfinder for Beginners".

This year it was the turn of Ade Adepitan with his book "Cyborg Cat and the Night Spider"

Health wise I am fine at the moment but when I went for a pacemaker check-up in the summer they found that my battery was getting to the end of its time.  I was in having the procedure in only about 7 weeks, which is amazing and I am so grateful that we both have such wonderful NHS support in Bristol.

We are looking forward to having the whole family with us for the holiday and then we will be planning what we want to achieve in the coming year.  We will be celebrating our 45^th wedding anniversary (sapphire) so there must be something special we can do.

We hope that everyone will have a happy and healthy time next year and hopefully we will be able to catch up with some of you

Very best wishes

Margaret and Stephen