We hope this message finds you safe and well and you have had an enjoyable 2025 with some relaxing family time and hopefully managed a vacation or two.  

We wish you all a happy Xmas spent with your family and friends.  With our best wishes for a prosperous 2026.

Following on from the momentous year that was 2024 we celebrate another great year with both our 50th Golden Wedding anniversary and Fiona's 70th birthday.  It was slightly more difficult to arrange any surprises for Fiona as she hates them and was determined not to have a big party.  More of what we did for her later.

The most distressing event occurred early in the year.  Rosie, our Irish Terrier, eventually succumbed to an injury incurred when she was hit by a van 4 years ago.  She lost the use of her back legs and with little prospect of recovery we said goodbye to her.  The photo is from her last big walk where she ran and ran with her pals.

January brings the first birthday of the year - Graham's 71st.  Thea did a DJ set especially for her grandpa and still he managed to escape to our wonderful wood to do a shift and celebrate with the gang of wood wardens. 

  

We are both well and engrossed in family, life and friends.  Fiona continues supporting Riding for the Disabled, the Barn Theatre productions and anything relating to dogs.  Tonks, a Frenchie, joined Olivia and Lindsey; and Finn, an Irish terrier pup, became our newest family member as soon as Fiona found a breeder with a litter due.  So the training schedule kicked in.  Graham has stopped playing squash and is waiting for the new paddle courts to be built at Brocket.  He still volunteers in the wood and runs the bar occasionally at the Barn Theatre.  He plays golf when he can and managed a week's skiing this year.  And when not occupied he spends time in the shed turning wood into various products.

 

Sometimes 2 worlds collide.  A local nature reserve had a requirement for new steps and we had a fallen oak in our wood.  The wood wardens were able to plank the tree into timbers and cut the frame and steps to form 2 new sets of steps in the reserve.  Another product from Graham's shed!

  

Easter was spent on our favourite Island, La Gomera in the Canaries.  We love the simplicity of the island.  A total polar opposite to Tenerife, where we catch the ferry for the 50min transfer to another world.

The newest addition to the garden is Devon's football net.  We spend hours practicing with him and Robert.  The gardener who maintains the lawn despairs at the destruction a goalkeeper can impart with his feet on a goal line!  The grandchildren remain a central part of our lives Devon, who is now 10, spends half the week here with his dad.  Thea is here twice a week to torment him, or at least that is how he sometimes sees it.

The time is coming when the annual break with them will be resisted.  But not this year.  We took the pair of them to St Ives for a beach and activity week.  This included an afternoon trip to the Minack Theatre to see a performance of Shakespeare in Love performed by friends of ours from Welwyn.  This was also Fiona's birthday week and we did spring one surprise upon her.  As we parked the car we were met by Tony and Gwen who had journeyed down to be with her and a bottle of champagne on the terraces.

 

The surprise that wasn't allowed to be a surprise.  Before our departure to St Ives the children  briefed their mum on the detailed plan for her birthday celebration.  Rather than return home from St Ives we all met on route in Windsor for a few days with the family and Lesley in a holiday rental.  Here mum was treated royally, being waited on hand and foot and showered with presents.

Music, always a big part of Graham's year, disappointed again with no ticket for Glastonbury.  Backup as ever was the Isle of Wight, which didn't fail to deliver with outstanding performances from Faithless, Blue Water Giants (Procal Harem amongst others), Midge Ure, Lightning Seeds, Sting and James.  On September 29th the wait ended when Graham and Robert were front of stage at Wembley for Oasis.  And, for contrast, Roy Harper at the London Palladium the very next night.  Earlier in the year Graham & Natalie caught the anniversary ABBA Voyage concert with the band in the audience this time.  

And, lets not forget being a driver at Goodwood on the pit wall, London Grammar, The Beatles by candlelight, trips into London and Edinburgh.  When we look back on the year so much has happened.  

As we near the end of 2025 it is all change for our family.  We are all on the move.  Robert has an offer accepted on a new home in WGC; Natalie has accepted an offer on her flat; we are getting ready to downsize as the subsidence work is now complete; Olivia & Lyndsey may move to WGC and Natalie and Thea will look for a property in London near to her work.  

All is well as Xmas approaches and we look forward to an enjoyable 2026 and completing the moves to pastures new.

Best wishes.

Merry Xmas everyone

Graham, Fiona, Natalie, Olivia, Robert, Lyndsey, Devon & Thea

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