Christmas Newsletter 2019

 It is hard to believe that 2019 is almost over and we are fast approaching 2020!
Another decade has flown by...

Here I am writing the Christmas Newsletter again!

This year Kevin was been semi-retired and not worked overseas at all - I retired when we left Abu Dhabi in 2013. However we both find plenty to occupy ourselves. We go to the cinema frequently... I have my crafting and yoga and Kevin is always busy working at home, gardening or working on the house. He also enjoys cooking, trying out and developing new recipes!

After spending last Christmas with us, Sophie set off in January to take up her new teaching  job in Melbourne, Australia, She seems to have fallen on her feet, living in North Brighton and teaching at St Kevin's. This picture is before she left - will all this fit in my suitcase?

We are looking forward to her visiting us this Christmas...

Mum and Dad have again needed a lot of support - scroll down to the next post for their newsletter - Liz has been up to stay, regularly throughout the year, to help and we often enjoy a pint in the pub...

 

 Andrew sits with Dad when I take Mum out for her weekly outing to the hair salon, the cathedral and Sainsbury's.

We find plenty of occasions to open a bottle of bubbles... Valentines Day (our 43rd Wedding Anniversary), Dad's 93rd Birthday in March, Mum's 88th Birthday in June...

In March and June I went on weekend crafty retreats, meeting up with old friends and enjoying different workshops. I led the one where we made the cards in the second picture.

In April I was 67... Kevin and I went out for dinner after we had enjoyed cake with Mum and Dad!

At Easter the weather was good enough for a barbecue in Mum and Dad's garden and Abigail, the youngest member of the family, Caroline and Tomi's daughter, attended .

 

In May, we again took part in the village Plant Pot Trail.
My creation was a fairy town; we made Mary Mary for Mum and Dad's...

 

We still regularly help Mum and Dad entertain the Golden Oldies (Mum's brothers and sisters and their other halves) to lunch.
In June it was a special one in our garden to celebrate their platinum Wedding Anniversary.

A few days later it was Caroline and Tomi's wedding...

And then Kevin and I set off for two months in Australia - it was lovely to see all our family - especially as we all went to Fiji for the week of Dan and Lizzie's wedding.

We came back to the UK however to find Mum in a very poor way - we thought it was her rheumatoid arthritis - but it turned out to be a fractured hip.
To cut a long story short - she ended up in hospital, then rehab for getting on for a month. We all looked after Dad but then he went into respite for a week...

Eventually all was back to normal - and in fact Mum is walking better than she has for a long while!! Her first day back home, we took her to the pub...

We put our house on the market just before we left for Australia - and now we are waiting for completion.

We will move back to Melbourne in February - of course I am very worried as to how Mum and Dad will fare without us...

But now we are looking forward to Christmas... and a big family dinner here...

Anyway I think that gives you an idea of our 2019 - hope yours was a good one!

Wishing you all the best for a Happy Christmas and a wonderful 2020!

Sue and Kevin


xx