wot a clever grill

well done, gem

Stills from Wild Provence

Wild Julian

We havent seen it yet but the beeb are sending us a DVD.. Ruth is trying to get hold of out takes, obviously I was a bit wild even for'wild' provence!!

Wild Provence 2

Yes, we were all ready at 5.40 last night with the dvd record button poised. We're really proud of you both. I know you are keen to know the verdict from the office! Well they love your lifestyle and surroundings (who wouldn't) and and it has defintely nudged people towards your websites 'How wonderful to a have talent like that'. Several people commented how beautifully shot the programme was. Nice long shot of you two sipping white wine in your white linen. One lady fancies chucking it all in and be a lavender farmer. How lovely to come home smelling better than when you left in the morning!

We particlarly liked the goat herders 'tache.

More please as they say on 'Points of View'.

G x

Wild Provence

I suppose we should be thankful that 'our bit' of Provence featured so much, although I have not seen that variety of animals and birds in Vaucluse. We saw white horses and black bulls when we visited Camargue twenty years ago - they haven't changed!
We thought Ruth played and spoke very well, and in fact a friend of ours phoned this morning to say the same. They had no difficulty in spotting Julian, especially as we saw the same shot(of coffee on the lawn) twice and one of Julian painting. We thought BBC dwelt too long on lavender and not long enough on you both. We appreciate that it was called Wild Provence, but at least we saw Bedoin market (or did we) and lovely views from the summit of Mont Ventoux. We have taped it so we can look ad infinitum. Pete will be very interested in the bee-eaters as they are in profusion in Botswana, are they not beautiful birds. Pete used to live where the next road is called Flamingo Rd. As the O and the R were too close it becomes Flamingord, which is what Pete called it.
I told Steve that I had invited June to our big bash in July. She would love to join us and is looking into the possibility of TGV to Avignon, where I can meet her as Flybe now fly to Avingnon also. Can't wait!! What did you all think of the BBC programme? At least you did not lose everything to the cutting room floor, Julian

Kung Heng Fat Choi!

bbc.co.uk

Small world...

I let everyone in the office know about Wild Provence so am sure I will be fielding questions come Monday. I've already been told I have a bohemian family and should be schmoozing the London party circuit. Well fingers crossed for the euromillions lottery eh? Clive is in a syndicate at work so £110 million divided by 5 =resignation. Plugged your websites too. My advert triggered a colleague of mine Cathy to tell me about her family as it turns out that her Mother is from Provence. In fact she was born in Cavaillon. Cathy remembers that when she was a child they used to take the sleeper train to visit her Grandmother in the summer and often visited Mt Ventoux. She remembers L'Isle-sur-la Sorgue, Orange and Carpentras too. So Cathy now has two new websites to visit and I let her know where to find those fantastic photos that Ruth took back in October of the changing colours of the mountain & the vineyardsso she cam reminisce. She has told her Mother to watch too!

Yes Pete I'm afraid we agree Kenny has turned grey, but we don't talk about it in front of him...sensitive point you know.

Sorry you missed 'The Constant Gardener'. It is worth pursuing to see though. It looks like it may win some Oscars in March(lovely Mr Fiennes and beautiful Rachel Weisz) so am sure it'll be around a little longer. We've joined a dvd online rental club. It's called lovefilm.com and its great. You choose a 'queue' of films you'd like to rent and you can choose how many you would like at once. It's cheaper than the cinema and in these freezing weather it means you stay comfy warm and the dvds come to you. You can keep the dvds as long as you like and when you post them back you get another one. We have 3 films at a time for the same price as 2 full price odeon cinema tickets. This week we have been mostly watching 'Marathon Man', Merchant of Venice (Jeremy Irons Al Pacino) & Henry V (Olivier). Spot the Fast Show reference Grandad?

OX4 temperature has just hit -3 already. This afternoon in the space of two hours we had snow rain and then hail.

Put the Fiat Uno up for sale this week. Had 3 interested callers so far- all sounded dodgy as they wanted the car v quickly like in 10 mins, with a way low offer " i bring you cash now'. We think they hear female voice and can think they can take the...stood up for myself though didn't I Dad. Some bloke said he'd ring again tomorrow morning. See what happens, oh and someone has snapped my aerial off typical...

Have got Will's new address if anyone needs it for birthday cards for next week.

lv Gem x

Never could work that Gaggia!

4000 visitors sounds lovely, but how do you cope with such adulation. I manage it OK but the I am older!!

Today is Snow Free

Sunshine through our breakfast room window, but outside temperature is about 10. Brrr!!
I too started to wonder if we will see your curly head, Julian. I do feel a fool, as I told June to look in. Who knows?
I have been listening to the local BBC Solent community programme on the DAB this morning where they were talking about that new GPS system, Steve. They ask for people to phone in their post code and can then watch the world globe turn round to UK - then England - then (PO) Portsmouth (or wherever), then right down to 4RG and into my back garden. Think of the possibilities. We can see Nic's house in Singapore 229423, Julian's in Bedoin 84410, Pete's in Alicante 0530 and Steve's in OX4 3AJ, also we will be able to see Cathy's Nythfa on SW25 6RY. If the car is on the drive we will be in and no car will mean we are out.
We went to see Breakneck Mountain (or whatever) on Wednesday. We had really wanted to the that Gardener film which you were going to seee Julian, but the times were wrong when we arrived at the Cinema, so we saw the gay cowboy film by Ang Lee? Strange film, but quite feasible. Too much kissing for me! Lovely Wyoming scenery but I don't dig that Cowboy music!Very sad at the end, where one of them gets beaten to death by anti-gays. (They said he had been hurt changing a tyre when it unravelled and cut his head orf, but we know better)
This weekend promises to be very quiet, so after our constituional walk we will probably stay in to watch The Mission, which I bought for £4.99 in Ventnor. We are fine, though Mum has her Pain in the Neck trouble this morning - looks like I'll be cooking lunch. Good food but none of Mum's STYLE. One day I will try one of Google's fish casseroles.
Birthdays next week - on the 3rd we have William and also Jen-Hui. We will be dining at the Royal Hotel in Ventnor - tres posh, but we can raise a glass to you both. Bye now!!

An interesting start...

.. to 2006. The latest casualty is the shiny chrome Gaggia lever expresso machine, (replacement Pavoni winging it's way from Italy as we speak). Web site visitors seem to be going through the roof with 4000 page views a week just on shifting light! What's it gonna be like in May. For all those of you on Tiger these RSS live bookmarks are great for checking for new posts on here or latest news on bbc. Sounds like my painting has ended on the cutting room floor on "Wild Provence" while Ruth has a sequence all to herself. Feel like James Mason in 'A Star is Born' :-((

News here is.... IT's Snowing!!! and I'm drinking tea...

Silver?

Let´s be honest Gem, your fish is going grey. Hey, no worries, it happens to us all!

Gold to Silver?

Kenny, our small but perfectly formed goldfish has recently changed colour. Worried that he was ill we consulted the www and its turns out it's old age! Notice how he is silver at the front and gold/orange towards his fin! We're thinking Ziggy Stardust.

G x

Meanwhile here on the IW

Loved your blogs Ruth. You are my bloggie champignon, Love Hugh

More frustrations...

The mac is fine with Tiger running smoothly but now my server says they cut me off for not paying quick enough (would you, with no computer to use?) so I have to wait until Feb before I am back on the net at home. Never the mind. I look forward to reading the past few weeks of blogging at my leisure and to watching Wild Provence next Sunday if I can find a friend with BBC2 on their satellite reception.

Love to all

Pete

Found this for J & R's TV show next Sunday

"Wild Provence 5:40pm - 6:10pm BBC2 VIDEO Plus+: 140436

An escapist portrait of the unexpectedly wild side of Provence, seen through the eyes of the people who live there. From French cowboys to an English cellist, we meet the people who live among some of the most exotic wildlife and rugged scenery in Europe. Among the fauna are chamois, griffon vultures, wild black bulls and tens of thousands of pink flamingos." radiotimes.com"
Recognise the bar in the photo? It's in Bedoin. No sign of the hunter with his big dog who regularly sat at the next table licking his lips as he (the dog) watched us eat our pastries.

Couldn't find it listed on BBC World or BBC America, UK only for now.

Tonight though we're looking forward to new drama 'Elizabeth R' on BBC1. The actress who plays her Mandy & John saw her shopping in North London last weekend!

g x

Like a Spring Day.

What a beautiful day, so after 40 winks we decided to go out for a ride and a walk. 20 minutes later and we were parked outside the Woodvale Hotel in Gurnard, where the Arnell sisters (Birdie, Pat, Dorry, Chris and Peg )and their offspring used to spend idyllic summer days 70 years ago. It hasn't changed all that much except that the tree trunks are just that bit thicker, the sky is just as blue, and a new generation of children are playing on the beach. Not much on the water, except the odd speedboat so we walked for about a mile, as far as Egypt point and back. Half of the Cowes population were similarly enjoying the sun. We drove back throgh Porchfield and along Forest Road and were soon home. 2 hours of nostalgia!!

Happy Birthday Ruth!

Happy Birthday. There is a parcel to look out for! love Gem Clive Will & Steve x

Daddy's Day Out

We had a lovely day out yesterday. Caught the 11am car ferry (although only foot passengers) and went straight into Gunwharfe Quays, which is now accessible from behind the ferry shop. The site is gradually becoming more developed and the first place we passed was the Loch Fyne Seafood Restaurant, which we marked down for our meal later in the day. We looked round all the posh outlet shops and the new Spinnaker Tower. Mum did not fancy a ride to the top where we could see many punters experiencing the wonderful views on the clearest of days. We had a pasty at the Presto Pasty and then we walked round to the Hard and caught a bus to Southsea and spent some money in Debenhams and John Lewis. Sad as they have stopped selling computers here - I suppose because the shop is only small. There were many beautiful plasma tv's for sale though. My favourite shop was Robert Dyass where they were at the end of their sale so we spent a few quid. Caught the bus back to Gunwharfe Quays and "did" the rest of the outlet shops (including Cadbury's and Viners, where we bought a 44 piece cutlery set) then off the Loch Fyne where we had a super fish soup, followed by sea-bass for me and rainbow trout for Mum. Yummy. Caught the 6pm ferry and were home by 7, having had a lovely day. (anyone want some 50 year old knives, forks spoons etc??) Love from Dad

Date and Time Differences

Nic Far be it for me to change dates and times but my diary says that Nic and Jen were married on 17th January 1998. In that case add 8 years to arrive at 2006. - We haven't got to 2007 yet. Claire was born in 1999 just before the new century started. Ipso facto you have been married 8 years - 42 to go!!

For sale - last remaining pixel £1.

Ooh Nic You've started my taste buds humming. Sorry about the wrong information. 17th January 1997 - correction!! Save me a place at the Ritz Carlton.
We are off to Portsmouth for the day today. Gunwharf Quays, then Pompey Centre for lunch - bus to Southsea to look round the big shops like Knight and Lee (John Lewis Partnership) and then Debenhams - back to Gunwharf and the Wightlink Ferry.
Mum is halfway through the Gloria Hunniford book about her daughter Sharon Keating. Thank you Steve, she says amid tears!! Happy Birthday to Ruth for tomorrow.

Why didn't I...

why didn't I think of Selling a Million Pixels for a $1 a time?

Dear All, Jen and I did indeed celebrate our wedding, but 9 years, not 8 as I originally thought. I took us both out to the Ritz Carlton, where we lunched on a handsome fair. I ate Home Made Meslun Salad seved with Tomato Tartar and Advacado Vinaigrette, followed by Bouillabaisse seved with Toast and Aioli, then Quetsche Plum Tatin with Mascarpone Sherbet for dessert. Jen had Mushroom Tofu with Soft Boiled Egg, Braised Black Cod with Sauteed Silver Sprouts and Sesame Seed Oil, swept down with Poached Pear with Chocolate Sauce.

Peter, the Honda is cool, kids love it, pretty much maintenance free, but then again it's quite new.

We are now beginning to plan our UK trip in detail, so let me know whether you have any requests, we should be in the UK for the first three weeks of June or there abouts.

Take care.

Nic

Welcome Back

Good to have you with us again, Pete. We are back in circulation after our visit to Wales and now you can catch up on all our blogs. Did you like the copy CD's I sent you at the end of last year and what did you think to Dinnerladies??. Thanks for sending the Alphaz market goods to Wales.
Sorry to hear of your troubles, Julian. I had trouble with my car after you left IW but as it happened it was only a leaky rocker-box gasket, which only cost £103 to have fixed. I thought we were in for a bagful!!.
We had a lovely time in Wales with the weather pretty good, enabling us to do a little walking; the children are getting very interesting. I hope you are all saving up for our Mezebash in July. Nic has opted out due to school holidays, but will be over in June to visit us and Cathy and some of Jen's friends. I expect he will also call in to Oxford. 8 years wed as at 17th January - keep it up - only 42 to go.
Birthdays on the horizon - on Saturday for Ruth, then William and Jen-hui on 3rd and Julian on 24th Feb. Who is going to buy him a new car? Luv from Dad

Been there, done that...

Ah now, I see the kind of experience you are having. It´s a bit like thinking that your computer has crashed and trying time and time again to restart it when in fact, unbeknown to you it is a hard disc failure and you restarting it all the time is making it worse and your lovely brothers are all trying their hardest to send completely irrelevant fix it solutions over the internet which require yet another restart and your mum runs to your aid and buys you a disc to repair the fault but all to no good because your machine doesn't possess the drivers and you can't download them from the internet because you can't get on line when your hard disc is stuffed and you end up running to a Mac hardware specialist who takes your computer away for two weeks and returns it to you as good as new, with twice the memory but at a quarter of the cost of a new machine anyway....

The end of this story is that I've upgraded to an 80 gig hard disc and the Powerbook is back in my hands with my own spanking new copy of Tiger loaded onto it (but being Spain it is probably an older version than I loaded before from Julian's discs!!) Now, to try and reestablish an internet connection (that took a month before!).

If it makes you feel any better my Fiat Uno bit the dust and stands illegally on the roadside in Alfaz (honest guv, I'm getting it scrapped) and we are driving around in a petrol guzzling 20 year old Citroen BX that cost 350 Euros for a few more weeks until I can convince the bank that my axccount is stable and I am not a serious credit risk after which I shall invest in a tow truck and a newer car.

I had been considering a Renault Megane Scenic but perhaps I'll rethink! How is that Honda going, Nic?

DOH!!

Personally..

.. looks more like Celia in the Flack Jacket.

So guess what happens if the thing you think is a fan belt and is actually the rubber timing belt starts making a noise 'cos it's started to shred and this is only 500m from home and only 6 months after your service and only 18 months since the timing belt was replaced inline with the service recommendations (80,000 miles or 5 years), so you think welllllll think i better turn around and get this replaced we'll go and see 'The Constant Gardener' another time but you don't know that Renault/Peugeot diesels are what's called low clearance engines which means the thing that you thought was a fan belt is the only thing stopping the valves from hitting the pistons and so course it breaks on the way home and your stranded there calling your insurance with their 24 assistance thinking ... "How inconvenient" only to find that you need a new engine and you wont have a car for two weeks and when you do you won't have any money left... AAAAARGHHHHHH


Pisser

Clearing out my cameraphone pictures and...

found this picture we took in a pub on Walton Street in Jericho. Maybe hard to make out what with the reflections of the interior lights but that is John Thaw as Inspector Morse on the left of the photo (wearing a bulletproof vest leaning on his red Jaguar). We (Dad Clive & I) worked out that the picture wa taken in Jericho in the next street, and Dad noticed the man on the right leaning on his arm beared a resemblance to his Uncle Richard?

And thank you Grandma & Grandad - its lovely.

Latest news on the dvd recorder Dad I've bought some blank dvd's but they are still the wrong sort. Apparently we need DVD-RAM or DVD-R not DVD+R...apparently it matters! Doh - will try again tomorrow. Great photo of you & Gloria. Couple of bright showbiz smiles there.

Gem x

View of Portsmouth

Cameraphone view of the Spinnaker structure ..like a big blue man with red eyes and tall pointy hat

Santa's Pocket drums

Everthing these days is TINY!
too tiny to get behind but they keep good time on their own and fit in the pocket!
Good one Dad what a laugh!

Happy new year from Spain

Hello all

I'm a little behind on the news as I don't get to see the web pages often enough at the minute. I'm hoping to go to collect the laptop in a day or two and then hopefully we will be back on line shortly after that.

Hope everyone has had a good start to the year. We are enjoying burning wood at the weekends but compared to gas heaters its expensive. The weather is a little changeable but the sun shines from time to time and some days are simply glorious. It's pretty cold today mind.

On December 19th a friend of ours from Africa, Bob Daniel, died after a long struggle with cancer. This was a sad moment and our thoughts and prayers are with Margaret up in County Durham. Bob was like a surrogate grandfather to our girls in Orapa and they will miss him as much as we will. He was a great Christain witness in his last months, weeks and even days, convinced of his place in heaven and keen to ensure he took as many after him as possible. He was a great cricketer too, a fast bowler of renoun and not one to mince his words if you missed a catch in the outfield. On the tennis court he was equally talented and played with and against me many times in tournaments at Orapa tennis club. He was a good lad and a dear friend.

As for everything else, we all seem fine save for the odd cold. School is back into the swing and the gilrs have their exam results back - excellent stuff. A real couple of chips off the old block, eh Jan?

Talk to you all on Skype soon I hope!

Thanks folks

Thanks for having me at the weekend folks.. here's GH signing Mum's pressie in Bluewater Waterstones.

For a Virtual Fix of Parisian Life

visit Paris Daily Photo

I've come across a blog by a chap who lives in Paris who takes a photo everyday.

Check out his charming (but sometimes admittedly touristy) photos.

I like the entries for New Years Day & 23rd December 05. This picture is from when Dad Will & I visited in 2004 for Will's birthday. (That's Will's back on the left!). I'd forgotten what blue skies looked like...roll on spring.

gem x

Hurrah! The postman has been.

My bluetooth usb dongle arrived this morning and now I have my mobile phone talking to my mac.

So have managed to get this photo of Ruby from phone to iphoto to blogger...am so proud only took me an hour to work it all out....

WILD

Wild and Natural World
WILD transmits on BBC TWO on Sunday evening at 1730 for 20 weeks during Autumn/Winter and offers a mixed portfolio of brands and mini series including:
Bill Oddie with Wild Autumn
Big Cat Diary – Family Histories
Gorillas and Lemurs …with Charlotte Uhlenbroek
Diving with Whales, Dive Galapagos with Tanya Streeter, world freediving champion
Elephants of Samburu, animal/people with Saba Douglas-Hamilton
Wild Days – Wild Provence, Wild Mallorca and A Wild Cornish Summer
Britains Wildest Places
I am sure you will both be great !!

Shop

I think it is a little coffee shop down the opposite end to the ducks. Perhaps we sat outside and had a cuppa

Isle sur le sorgue.. or not

Rings no bells here, though we are planning a trip on Sunday and if it is in Isle sur le Sorgue, and it looks very enticing we may visit... what exactly does it sell? Looks nice!

Impressive photo of Will on drums I must put up that photo of him running down from the windmill (chitty chitty bang bang) circa 1987...

Quiz time

Any one remember where this is?

Dad and Steve are playing with iPhoto!
Dad's thinking Isles de la Sorgue
..ooo what year?

I found it...

Its a bit blurred as taken on my camera phone but that is definitely Will.

gem x

Don't talk quackers the pub is this way...

This is a shot I took of my lads on the beach at Rock, Cornwall on Christmas Eve. What a good looking trio. It looks like it should be on an album cover...





This is another recent favourite picture. It's a charity shop window in St Clements in Oxford. There must be at least 100 yellow rubber ducks in the window, none of which are for sale. We reckon they may appear on eBay soon...



I love your pic Daniel, you've adopted the 'power or thunder-stick' pose!. We have a photo somewhere of Will when he was very young in a very similar pose on a set of drums. I'll dig it out... Latest from Will is that he & a friend have started a live music night on Monday nights in bar in Oxford. The next Harvey Goldsmith, kerching.

gem x

Uncle Steve.....look at me!!

Julian that floor picture is well trippy..

we reckon thats the funkiest lino we 've ever seen...(hep hem)

g x

Talking of the BBC

Your humble servant is appearing on 'Wild Provence', BBC2, Sunday January 29th at about 5-5.30ish. Those of you who have visited know all about 'Wild Provence', its that place where birds nest in his hair! Ruth stole the show playing Bach amongst the hatted women.. lets hope I don't look to much of a prat - Kirk Douglas in 'lost for life'

J.,

Finished the bathroom ... arghhhhh!!

Home is where the heart is?

Beautiful, Julian Val will be very pleased.

spot the heart!

Glad someone is keeping you amused Hugh!

Home for a short week! J has finished Val's painting. Spot the heart!!!

Where is everybody?

No blogs since 3rd January, but for Ruth's Meanwhile... where would we be? Oh for an endpin - perhaps you should reduce the height of the pin - Sacristy.
I hope Pete can soon resolve his disappointment over his crashed Mac. Come on Pete, we miss you. Well, 2006 hasn't actually set the bloggers world alight, but hopefully, we can all rally round and start blogging. Did you get that Rostrapovitch email I sent, Julian?
Mum has a head cold that she has been unable to get rid of. Thankfully, mine, which develops into sinus has disappeared, although I still have my faithful cough!
We are taking some friends out to lunch at the Seaview Hotel tomorow, so I hope she gets some relief from her menthol inhalations. Reg's wife, Kay will be 83 so we thought we would help her to celebrate.
I don't know if Steve is going to manage a visit this weekend - we hope so as we haven't seen him since finishing his painting. We hope his troubles, health-wise, are over and that he can sit down again. Looking forward to seeing his new Beamer!.
Cathy did mention that she may also join us, so we can retrieve the mince pies, champagne and the many tinnies of amber liquid, plus the tin of chocolate biscuits we bought for Christmas.
We have been doing a bit of changing round upstairs as we have chopped up the bed in the front bedroom - I took it up to the dump yesterday, perched on the roof of the Rover. We have bought an occasional fold down bed (4ft) and now use the room as a warm breakfast room. We now have a self contained upstairs flat!!
I am searching for things to say, as you may all be able to tell from the weak copy, but as it will be Ruth's Birthday on 21st and Jen-Hwei's on 3rd February, perhaps we can all regenerate. Love to you all Dad

Did you read about mingers with mullets pulling moonies before 1990?

Clive's department is on TV at the moment because of the BBC's Balderdash & Piffle programme. The OED have been asking for help to solve 50 of the most intriguing word mysteries in the English language.

BBC/OED LINK

Wordhunters have helped to rewrite the dictionary by providing earlier examples of the words pass-the-parcel, nip and tuck, smart-casual and many more.... Luckily people have to contact the BBC and not Clive's office directly!

So if you have had a balti before 1984, had Ploughmans lunch before 1970 or if any cricketers out there can tell the OED why an unplayable delivery is now known as a 'jaffa' better get emailing!

Worth reading for education. I won't be saying 'naff' again. Not one for the non-polari/non- Julian & Sandy fans...oops. And Fletch from 'Porridge' used to say it too...

Clive not in the shots around the offce though as the beeb filmed while we were in Provence having a lovely holiday at the time never mind!

gem x

Glamour shots alacking..

Dear all and a very happy belated new year from all of us here in a very wet Singapore. It's been raining non-stop for 72 hours, not the light kind of namby pampy drizzle but the big buckets of ala 'shower on full, widescreen wipers on top speed' type of rain!! It's quite refreshing but everything is water-logged.

Hope that you all had a good New Year. We had a quiet sort of sit-in after being away in the Cameron Highlands, which was also water-logged. I've actually some really cute shots of the kids but I can't seem to upload them onto the blog or any post for that matter. I've downloaded them onto my account on bebo.com so if you want to see them, please send me your email and I'll send you an invite. I don't happen to have anyone's email address on my computer so I can't pre-empt and send you an invite first.

We've had quite a full-on January so far. Claire has started 'big' school and she looks ever so cute. She's gone from being one of the largest and oldest girl in kindergarten to being one of the smallest and youngest girls in a school of 2000 girls! She sets off on the school bus at 6:30 am in the morning ..... I think Nic's appalled at her start time! Daniel's in his element as well and he's starting to converse and behave like a little boy.... quite scary.

Nic and I are back at work and we look forward to seeing you in June. We'll probably have to start planning for that soon so we'll keep you informed.

message for John

HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY TO YOU JOHN ON WEDNESDAY.
LOVE FROM THE MERROWS

Happy New Year to all

Thanks for your message, Julian, which I am sure we all reciprocate.

We were so sorry that Steve and family had such a poor time at Christmas as we were all looking forward to seeing you at Nythfa on Kate's birthday. We were thinking of you having a lovely time in Rock, then we got your phone call. Too bad. We hope you are all getting over your upsets.

Now we are back and unpacked and read the mountain of cards and letters, we can get back to normal.
No reflections on Cathy and John as we had a marvellous time and were treated right royally.

Sorry we rushed off on Sunday, but we were in a hurry to get home before it got dark and we didn't want to wake the whole household. Thanks to Edmund, Thomas and Kate for making our holiday with you such fun. Now you can start the year as 10, 12 and 14. At least until May! We will have to get better at Scrabble. What was that game where we did not get even one sector?

I expect you are getting into practice for your 50th Birthday, John, so we send you our best wishes and look forward to seeing you all again.

Happy New Year to all..

Walking gracefully into 2006

From a cold and snowy Provence we wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year and look forward to the big meet in Montpellier - when I can guarantee it will be warmer. Lots of love Julian and Ruth xxxx