One man and his dog

One man and his dog
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

Happy New Year from Uncle Curmudgeon

MANY THANKS FROM HOME

After a mixup on the rail, we were met by Pete, Jan and Amy at St Pancras and were rushed home to K/S where we were soon tucked up in bed after a stressful day.
Thank you both for making our holiday such a delight. From visits to the Anglo ex-pats in the snow, a regular visit to Les Isles Sur le Sorgue market, where you bought those lovely dining chairs and fire irons, we also had a lovely meal; journeys to Avignon sud, and later to Les Halles where we enjoyed seeing all the Seasonal fare on show. Another visit to Ex-pats on Boxing day, (our enjoyable 56th wedding Anniversary) where we enjoyed champagne and caviar, and meeting your friends from Amsterdam, Mick and Asdis, with their two delightful children. Cuddly Clara and cheeky Qing. We were sorry to leave you on Monday and we hope your visitors enjoyed their visit to Bedoin market.
Thanks again for your attention to Margaret (and to me) and for experiencing Kelly's magic massage!
once more we enjoyed your lovely home and now we will have to be content to savour Julian's daily paintings from a cold England. Look forward to your book, Ruth and to Expressions from the paintings from Provence, in the bound edition.
hugs from your loving Mum and Dad.

hmmmm

just to put things in perspective when you're, for example, on that high speed train..

Returning to England

I hope all goes well with the journey. There is a gale blowing here in Wales and it's trying to snow but the wind is much to strong for it. Lots of love Cathy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KATE

Sorry to have missed blogging your birthday yesterday, Kate but we were thinking of you, entering your 15th year as we toasted your birthday with champagne.
We are getting ready to go to Avignon to catch out TGV train back to Paris and then on to London, where we hope Uncle Peter will be there to meet us and take us back to his house. Best of luck to you next year and we hope to see you soon in the new year. Love from G&G

And finaly

Happy Birthday Kate! Fourteen today, Gosh it was very cold snowy and icy fourteen years ago today, we love you best beloved

Happy anniversery for yesterday.Mum and Dad!!

56 years that is some an achievement. What lucky children we are!

Christmas greetings

Happy belated Christmas greetings to everyone.
I hope everyone had a lovely day, full of joy and contentment.

December 1953

* December 1 - Hugh Hefner publishes the first issue of Playboy Magazine
* December 2 – The United Kingdom and Iran reform diplomatic relations (again?! Do we never learn?)
* December 6 – With the NBC Symphony Orchestra, conductor Arturo Toscanini performs what he claims is his favorite Beethoven symphony, Eroica, for the last time. The live performance is broadcast nationwide on radio, and later released on records and CD.
* December 7 - A Visit to Iran by American Vice President Richard Nixon sparks several days of riots. Three students are shot dead by police in Tehran. This event would become an annual commemoration.
* December 8 – U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his Atoms for Peace address to the UN General Assembly in New York City.
* December 10 – Albert Schweitzer is given the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize.
* December 17 – The Federal Communications Commission approves color television.
* December 23 – The Soviet Union announces officially that Lavrenti Beria has been executed.
* December 24 – Tangiwai disaster: A railway bridge collapses at Tangiwai, New Zealand, sending a fully loaded passenger train into the Whangaehu River; 151 are killed.
* December 25 – Amami Islands are returned to Japan after 8 years of United States Military occupation.
* December 26 - Hugh Merrow-Smith marries Margaret Morgan in Oxford.
* December 30 – The first color television sets go on sale in the US for about $1,175 (American dollars).

Hey, what a month!

Happy anniversary

Cut the Cake

Cut the Cake
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

56 years ago today.. medals all round

christmas at les couguieux

HAPPY CHRISTMAS ALL YE MERROW SMITHS!!!!





christmas cracker making art therapy, then food.











the snow melted, it pissed with rain but nothing stopped the gourmet julian on his quest to have the most yummy christmas. so to les halles we went, hugh and margaret, our friends asdis and mick and their two adopted kids (clara, 8, from uk and qing, 4, from china). margaret joined in the making of crackers, qing cleaned the car and laid out the linen , hugh blew up balloons and julian...well,, of course julian cooked! margaret ate an oyster. we ate many. now they are all warching the oldie morecambe and wise sketched. we are sleeping in ths studio away from it all! very nice!

Mele Kalikimaka (Christmas In Hawaii)

A card from Steve

Oy Oy Merrow-Smith.Org,

to see this Jacquie Lawson electronic greeting card

please click on the picture.

Card Card!

Look look its me and Damian Lewis...

in the same photo (just about) caught by the paparazzi! See me in the grey wool coat on the left with a massive smile. That's my pen he's using!!

love Gem xx

(Panty Pants Panter)

HappyBirthday_Peter
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

look there's a cheeky monkey

Happy Birthday

Peter

Spotify

are we all using the new way to access music over the telephone t'internet?
"Imagine a music app with instant access to any song you wanted to hear. Imagine creating a playlist from those songs and quickly, easily sharing it with friends. Such an app does exist, it's called Spotify, and it could change music forever."
LifeHacker article
..a free account sponsored by ads is
available here
or £9.99 a month gives you a whole lot more or a day pass for 99p!


After the Royal Variety Show where appeared the Johann Strauss Orchestra I've gone all Viennese!



Separately in the Daily Grail an article about The Benefits of Singing on Alzheimers sufferers and others with little access to speech, with a ps "Most people with neurological conditions will remember carols, so that’s a thought for Christmas time, and a CD of favourite tunes makes a wonderful present."

all's well at les couguieux

all is well at les couguieux.

hugh and margaret arrived safely on the eurostar (after julian's haircut and our office lunch - 'julian and his secretary' - at chez l'ami jean') and we got upgraded to first class on the tgv. now we are home and, though it is minus seven, all is snuggly at home thanks to julian's cooking and his hand made log fire, and bach and rachmaninov. tomorrow we are off to friends' to sing carols. right now they are all going through steve's flickr album, and havin a laff, and i'm off to bed!

The Aged P's say "Goodbye"

Christmas and Laurel and Hardy hmm?
brilliant, so Granddad and Grandma are in Provence (I hope..) put them on the Eurostar at St Pancreas 12.30 yesterday Bon Voyagee!
love Steve

Watch A Perfect Day including"Goodbyee!"  |  View More Veoh.com

At last one in each bed!

At last one in each bed!
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

Biggles and Cinders

Biggles and Cinders
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

Biggles' breeder and trainer has offered me a deal on a 2 year old labrador, choice of two.. Jazz or Cinders.
I get the dog already partly trained as my own free of charge, with the proviso that the breeder gets her back for 2 litters of pups.

More Photos

And...

I remember seeing Mum & Dad carrying William from the front door to the car so they could go shopping for new shoes, as the only other shoes he had were his slippers!

A Geordie Tale!

All this tahk aboot the north East reminds me of the time when I was stationed in Trincomalee in the north east part of the (then) island of Ceylon. We had a couple of North Easterners in our mess. Both we called Jordies, I suppose, because of their North Eastern lingo although we had to admit that Middlesborough was not Geordie, but Yorkshire. One was from Middlesborough and one from Sooth Sheels (Is that in Yorkshire or Co. Durham - Geordie-land to us Southerners)
One of them (from Sooth Sheels, taught me the Winkle Song which I used to sing ad infinitum at all our Southern Music Nights as it was vaguely ‘Cockney’
When I was in the Sandown Amateur Musical Society, I opened my act with “Tonight my partner and I had planned to sing The Famous Duet from Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers”. Pleasant applause from the audience, Then I had to apologise as my partner was sick and had not turned up (Sad OOOOOOHs) but as my wife had just written an Opera Called The Winkle Pickers, I would sing the opening chorus, and started to sing my Winkle Song mainly to the tune of “Knees-up Mother Brown”, or thereabouts. Delighted cheers from the audience!! Oh happy days.
Reading of the town of Yarm reminded me of one of our Geordies who wrote to the local Geordie weekly press asking for pen-pals for a group of love torn sailors in the Far East who wanted news from home. We didn’t mention that we were a sex starved group of lads in the Flag Officer Far East’s staff and had never been to sea, except our journey on one aircraft carrier from Tilbury to Colombo. A number of Geordie lasses answered our plea and when these letters were dished out mine was from a pretty girl in Yarm Lane somewhere. Foreign territory to me - where the hell is Yarm ? From the picture on our blog it looks just like Thame, where I spent many years in Lloyds Bank.

Auntie Val says

Just thought I’d share something with you
Mac Steele, Dad & Grandad would have been 90 today.

Just curious to hear any stories - hopefully happy or funny ones, you may have in memory of the old B****d.
Some tales perhaps for the generation of family who never met him.

A real one-off
Val

Observe 1 minute silence at pub opening time or over your next beer!
So I said

Funny you should say but..
my lorry route on a Sunday night now goes to TNT@ Teeside Airport!!
Roadworks on A1 lead me last weekend through
Yarm High Street















and at midnight it was all lit up, complete with Christmas tree and nobody about (at all ya'kna!)
Any road.. I was reminded
Yarm circa 1984, so Will is 4 years old and we have just been to Preston Park, Eaglescliff to see the penguins and to have a go on the roundabouts.










Maybe I (Daddy aka PapaSteve) got a bit carried away with the 'faster-daddy' cries etc
Upshot was that on the way home, in Yarm High Street Will threw up in the back of the car.
..all over his shoes.
Needless to say it was all my fault from the passenger seat etc ..fair play,

but after a quick mop up we headed off back to LHR
(110 Learnhouse Rerd Thornabulary)
Grandad Mac wanted to hear all about it and while retelling the story we realised the afore-mentioned shoes were missing.
Horror of horrors YoursTruly must have placed them outside the car in Yarm and driven off..
('Clarkes they were- ', 'are you mad Steve?' plus 'What do'y think you're doin?' and 'get back there' etc)

So back I went and the shoes were still there on the cobbles and still covered in sick..
but..
somehow William, in re-telling the story and putting forward the idea that new shoes may now be required due to the soiling, inadvertently and accidentally convinced Mac that the old shoes were U/S (unservicable) and came out to the kitchen with the news that Granddad had put his shoes on the fire!!!!!!!!!

I was clearly off the hook now as far as male incompetence was concerned - Mac was fully in the frame!
Victor Meldrew style "I don't believe it" from Barbara and Dot "What d'you do that for?" hahaha lol
He had a wry smile reserved for surreal occasions.. last seen at Trevor's wedding when the bride plus mother and sisters all steamed into port (the pub) under full sail in matching size 18 full length purple frocks and "Snowman" styled white wide brimmed hats as he turned to me and muttered 'Chryste'!
This time, speech was clearly uncalled for, so out came the wry smile with token pipe pointing and a gentle chuckle... eh lad!

1984?
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

Them wert days

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DANIEL ON TUESDAY

To our dear Daniel,
We are sitting here in a very cold England, wishing we could be with you in a warm Singapore.
Daddy says you have all had bad colds and we hope you are feeling better.
It is Saturday today and we have missed the post, so that is why I am writing to you on our blogger mail. Aren't we lucky to be able to talk to you like this,.
Enjoy your Pokemon - I cannot play so you would beat me easily.

Grandma and I are looking forward to visiting Uncle Julian and Auntie Ruth in their house in France in two weeks time. We are travelling by train (Eurostar) under the sea, I hope we don't get wet!!
We hope Uncle Julian has not forgotten how to cook!! I expect we will have a glass of wine to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Love to you all in Emerald Hill Road from us in England. Cheers for England in the World Cup. Your loving Grandad and Grandma XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Congratulations Mr President

Well done Nic for arranging your conference and getting such a welcome feed-back from your members. Love from Dad and Mum

what lovely paintings JULIAN

As you know. I follow your daily paintings each morning and have been thrilled to see your latest PFP, particularly today's wine supper. Fabulous. The little roses and the orange flowers and the local views are also breathtaking . . Save us a copy of your Christmas edition.
See you soon on the Gare Du Nord!
Love to you both from Mum and Me Dad

We had a day out

We had arranged to meet Birdie and Dave Powell at the Chinnor Indian restaurant yesterday
The weather was very cold and we had to scrape off the Ice from the car.
I suddenly thought why scrape when all I needed to do was to drive the car over the road where the early morning sun was shining and presto the sun cleared away all the ice leaving all windows clean. We set off for Chinnor and duly met our friends at the Restaurant (The old CTC club). We had a lovely meal and a good chat, left their bungalow at 3-20 and we were home for tea. A good day out. Love from G&G

Comedy Playhouse Radio












HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CLARE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CLARE
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
WITH LOVE FROM G&G

For tomorrow...

Many happy birthday wishes Claire

love Gemma and Clive xx

Rocco is it?

Barbara, Will & Gem posing with 'Chuggy'

Guiseppi

Names suggestions please!

Our new addition, collecting next week. Current name favourite is ciambella.

Biggles' nephew

Here's Biggles' sister Dizzy with her litter including Ginger (white and liver male) and Puzzle at 11 weeks ahh

Thanks for your Facebook wall.

Sorry Gems, but I have forgotten my f/book p/word/ Yes it was nice to meet up with you both and thanks for your good wishes. G&G

Birthday Wishes

Happy belated birthday to cousin Katy B for earlier this week, Rob Fincher today and Martin Holt tomorrow. Happy birthdays y'all.

PICTURE THE SCENE 2

How many of you remembered that the painting in the last blog of the farmyard was done by Mum in her evening classes in Chinnor? Not bad, Eh? Dad

Picture the Scene

Picture the Scene
Originally uploaded by patrickhugh

I reckon him and Hitler have been talking about me behind my back. Harsh.

Itsa Norse

Itsa Norse
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

There are 15 horses where Biggles likes to walk near Cuckfield and the whistling brought them all over.
I got him to sit while I got the camera out but clearly they were a bit TOO inquisitive..(can you see his tail)

Sad news

This lady was a student with my Department at Oxford Uni and as she was so closely linked with Lord Will's and Aston Rowant, I wondered whether you guys knew her perhaps? Her married name was Janet Undery, and she seemed very involved with music and singing in Thame - sad news.
Article on Oxford Mail

Happy birthday Uncle Nic

Dear Nic

Happy birthday from the Merrows in Forty Green. Hopefully you are out having a nice meal or something. Beth is working at the stables today and Jess, recently turned 18, is now out shopping. Amy is at home with us as we have half term to relax and clear out some of the clutter in the bedrooms in time for Mum and Dad coming over for dinner on Thursday. Then it'll be back to the grindstone for the remaining weeks up to Christmas...how the time flies when you're having fun! Ofsted has kept us all busy these last few weeks so now is a real time of relaxation and for recharging those run down batteries! Hope you are enjoying some quality time with the family too. Have a great day.

Pete and Jan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NIC

We hope you enjoy the day, Nic and treat yourself to some good food in one of your fabulous Hotels.

We are now 8 hours different from Singapore time, but we will be thinking of you this evening as you reach your 49th year.

Have a good day and perhaps we can Skype you tomorrow. Fondest love from Mum and Dad

Cousin Ruth @ 30

Happy Birthday Ruth from all the Merrows

For the Newlands of Wight

Well said, Teresa O. It was great fun - pity about the end of the week for Chrissie and family. Love from Hugh and Margaret

Well said, Cathy

Here Here!! We have forgotten all about babies - our eldest is 55, yes 55!

Hope you enjoyed the band rehearsal, Steve.

We have heard from Eddie that Bill Chacksfield died in the Horton Hospital on 18th, aged 90+.

Love from Hugh and Margaret.

Congratulations

One step nearer!Hurrah!Can I call you expectant parents and give you lots of annoying advice now!!! Sorry I can't do this as a comment as the blog won't accept my comments. Much love and joy to you both, Cathy xxx

Sunday Morning News

So, at last, some gear wheels have fallen into place and we will get our child sometime in the next 18 months (was that the phone?). We are now one of 125 sets of expectant parents who will be alloted infants by the Malian authorities over the coming year or so. Whilst I don't imagine anything will happen for at least 6 months, we will need to be ready to drop everything and go at a moments notice, and possibly spend some time in Bamako getting everything legalised and making sure all the health checks etc. are done.
It's been a funny week but we both finally slept well last night.

Mum and Dad are coming out to spend Christmas with us; 16th Dec-28th Dec. tickets are all booked so fingers crossed that it won't be too cold or if it is we have something fitting like snow.

Sorry not to have been able to attend Tina's last journey, would have liked to have been there to pay my respects.

And belated Happy birthday Steve, we'd love to see you out here again soon bro. The second bathroom is nearly completed and the studio complex, which is about the size of our old house is finished and only awaits fresh funds for shelves and office furniture.

Lot's of love to you all.

Julian

I'm sorry to have missed the sprinkling of Tina's ashes, I seem destined not to say good bye to her. What with being snow bound the week of her funeral. I didn't realize that it was to be this Friday! I seem to have mismanaged my week off, I should have done everything the other way around.
I'm glad Steve you enjoyed your cake, and I hope you had a fun time at the Reading festival.
Sorry I was a bit quiet and useless at the weekend, I have now decided that the food poisoning I had on Saturday night/Sunday morning must have been a bug.
My friend Liz had won a week in a holiday cottage near St David's. So on Tuesday afternoon I charged down to Pembroke shire to visit Liz(we have been trying to find a mutually suitable day to get together for two years now!) we had a nice chatty evening catching up with each others lives, the next day beautiful weather a cliff top walk to see the ruins of St Nons chapel, St Nons Well and St David's Cathedral, followed by lunch of soup and some light shopping, evensong again and then out to dinner. I thought, what a nice life you can have even if its just a day every so often. Unfortunately in the middle of the night the wretched bug came and got me again and I couldn't leave the bedroom with it's on-suite until friday. Liz had had to return home on Thursday for her children and a parents evening, but thank goodness I didn't have to go on Thursday, I surpose John would have to have come with another driver and got me and the car if I had!! But I'm back home now safe and sound. And amazingly the weather is beautiful here to this morning, so all is well.

Thank you all from Grandad Hugh

Considering the solemnity of the occasion, we all had a very good happy lunch. Thanks to all for contributing to the fun of the "apres". We all hope that the sudden dash of Chrissie, Richard and Jean to the Horton Hospital in Banbury. (Well known by the Merrow fraternity as Hugh spent three weeks there in June) was not too serious.
We all hope the Islanders, and Janners got home safely. It was lovely to meet you again so soon after Ricky an 'C's 50th.
Thanks to Steve for fixing up the lunch - wish I could have had another Fullers??
Thanks for the box of goodies Ed. I'll sort it out in the morning.
Just be aware that my blogger name is Patrick, but it is really me! Love to all from Hugh

No news is good news right?

Just a quick word to those of you who have been following
the recent crazy turn in our adoption story, to keep you up to date.

and if you haven't been following, the first part of the recent drama is on my blog here....
http://meanwhilehereinfrance.blogspot.com/2009/10/commission.html#comments

.....So next, I phone Agence Française de l'Adoption and they said 'No
you are NOT on the list. Not under Phillips, Poskie, Merrow-Manon. Not
no nothing.

So then I phone the lawyer in Mali again and he says. No you ARE on
the list. Just wait. The AFA will contact you in a few days. This
turned, at the end of a few days, into 'next week'.....

Well, apparently what was 'next week' has now come and gone, it being
Friday as far as I can see. Without word. So I called our lawyer and
demanded he explain exactly what was going on.

This is what he said.

Apparently at the moment of a commission in Bamako each lawyer gives
the 'Direction de l'Enfance et de la Famille' the list of his clients
to be selected. (This first part makes no sense to me as most people
don't even have a lawyer at this early stage and the selection has
nothing to do with the lawyer). So, when he gave his list he put Ruth
Phillips on it. The Direction couldn't find a Ruth Phillips (of
course, because our dossier is under Merrow-Smith) so the Direction
ignored that poor crazy woman on the other side of the world waiting
for her little Malian poppet, and sent the list off to Paris without
her. And of course her dear patient philosophical husband. When our lawyer got my email asking what had happened and why
weren't we on the list (his words in January having been 'If there is
ONE couple selected at the next commission it will be you') he went to
the Direction and sorted out the mistake. They said that's all well
and dandy because several people who were selected have refused their
place (found a kid somewhere else, died, agreement no longer valid,
decided they couldn't be bothered, whatever) and we are now sending
out a second list (the B list we all dread being on) to which we will
add your client. So I (and of course dear patient philosophical
Julian) should have been on the A list but this is my life and I
always somehow end up being on the B list, don't I? Even when I'm on
the bloody A list.

That B list left Bamako yesterday. It has to go to the consulate first
in Paris and then to the AFA. Then apparently, some time next week?
the AFA will contact us.

So as Julian says, a painting is not sold till the money is in the
bank, and we are not on that list till we are holding the official
letter from the AFA in our hands.

Meanwhile, because I do not stay in depression long, I finished the
third draft of my book, and my Indesign course and found a wonderful
kind and sympathetic lawyer in the Cöte d'Ivoire who called us up two
days ago, even though she has only seen our documents by email, saying
'I have an adorable little four and a half year old boy for you......'
so if Mali does not work, the Côte d'Ivoire is extremely promising

So I'm afriad you have to keep everything crossed still. Sorry about
the cramps, but you should try adopting a child!

Obviously I will keep you posted.

Much love and thanks each and every one for your support. It means the world.

Ruth (and of course dear patient philosophical Julian)

Auntie Tina

Thinking of you all today and wish we could be there to honour the memory of Auntie Tina. Lots of love from us. Julian and Ruth

Thank you one and all

Went for a walk today and happened upon Big-Ears' house, but no-one in, probably out skiing!
Thank you for all the greetings and cards ..bless and the birthday cake from Cathy mmmm delish
Looking forward to Friday evening Clive Gemma and Will.

It's Tina's ashes in Oxford on Friday so will be in Oxford.

Happy Birthday Papa

We hope you go our e-card and facebook msg. Looking forward to seeing you on Friday for some laughs. Shall we three meet you in Reading? Gig is at Reading Concert Hall...

Stewart Lee - If you Prefer A Milder Comedian, Please Ask For One
Friday 16 October, 8pm

Part of Reading Comedy Festival

"This guy makes more enemies in 30 minutes than most of us do in a lifetime" - The Times

Following his acclaimed BBC TV series STEWART LEE returns to live stand-up with a brand new show. The co-writer of Jerry Springer The Opera follows his award-winning UK tour '41st Best Stand-up Ever' with a provocative performance inspired by an altercation in a High Street coffee chain.

"Riotous fun" The Independent

"Lee proves himself, once again, to be the maestro" - The Guardian

"literate, edifying and funny all at the same time ...great stuff" - Chortle

"Surreally brilliant" - The Times

"The funniest, most cliché-free comedian on the circuit" - Ricky Gervais

kiss kiss

Gemsie, Clive and Wills

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR STEVE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO STEPHEN
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.
LOVE FROM MUM AND DAD

Hello Mum & Dad

I'm glad to hear you had a nice time in the IofW

An enjoyable weekend

We left K/S at 8.29 on 1st October and arrived in Lymington just in time to catch the 11.30 ferry to Yarmouth. After a rest and a lovely meal in the Wheatsheaf pub in Yarmouth we signed on in the hotel reception and settled in to our chalet. Dinner was at 6.30 and we started our period of our weekend, with lovely food. Next day 2nd we did a little sight seeing to remind us of our other journeys to the Isle of Wight.
Next morning, 3rd of October was the anniversary of the wedding of Celia and Richard,
50 years to the day and we went over to Eddie and Theresa's house in Lake, via a much extended drive all along the south coast of the Island. We were happily welcomed by Eddie and Theresa and were pleased to see that cousins Josie and Graham were already there, staying in the house. Also present were Eddie's son Darren (a champion Fisherman who has been tipped to "fish for England" in the forthcoming International Competition) and Eddie's older sister (another Teresa) with her current boy friend Greg with whom she lives in Budleigh Salterton. A very nice young man who gets on very well with his adoptive family. Teresa's son Jason and daughter Tara were also there as were Richard's brother Charlie and wife Mary from Kidlington. A very happy group with everyone welcoming us and making us happy. Eddie then went round to his parent's house in Godshill to collect them, without letting them know what they had in store. We then all proceeded to St Patrick's R.C. Church in Sandown where a thanksgivIng Mass for the happy lives of Celia and Richard was celebrated, with proper exchange of rings and renewing vows etc. After Mass, we were all to travel to East Cowes to a special dinner which Eddie and Theresa had laid on in Albert Cottage. One of the wonderful things that Eddie had done was to arrange for a beautifully reconditioned 1950 Triumph Renown to drive them to East Cowes. Albert Cottage is more than a cottage and was the home of Princess Beatrice at the time of Victoria and Albert, forming part of the Osborne House Estate. The house is now used as a place for carrying out civil marriages and is beautifully decorated for use as a dinner room, also. We had a lovely meal and during the meal Eddie showed a photographic film of the main episodes in the lives of the family. It was a lovely happy affair and as we had to drive 20 miles back to Yarmouth we had to take care how much wine we drunk. This did not apply to the others as Eddie had arranged for a small coach to return the revellers back to his house in Lake. What a lovely family they all made and we all had such a welcome and enjoyed everyone's company, joining in with our photograph's on the DVD which was being shown.
Sunday came round and we drove the 17 miles from Yarmouth to arrive just as lunch was being ordered from a very pretty waitress. Popular choice was Cottage pie and most of us has just one helping. Hugh could not let Margaret's dinner go to waist, but he didn't mind increasing his own waist as the food was super!!
16 of us squashed into a ding room built for 8 was great.
Next morning was time for us to leave the Island and we duly caught the 0935 ferry in a thick fog and heavy drizzle, following h spray from the heavy traffic, until by the time we reached Winchester, the rain had stopped and we were able to get back to K/S on the stroke of 1pm.
Steve had spent part of his weekend erecting our new wardrobe which had been delivered on Thursday and we were so thrilled to see how beautifully it fitted in to our bedroom. Many thanks Steve for yet another way of helping us. Lots of love to you all from your loving Mum and Dad

Which puppy for Mrs H

Biggles' sister Breeze (2yrs) was gotten together with Gary and Kevin's black and white springer Hobbit (7yrs) from the same breeder and she fell with 14 pups seven weeks ago today.
Unfortunately she wasn't big enough to push them all out in time, but survived the ordeal with these 4 remaining.
They are thriving and getting quite fat.
The lads get the pick of the litter which is the more marked bitch now named Puzzle.
So we are choosing names and having to decide on a pal for Biggs.
Darkstar Deaks is our preferred Kennel Club name.
What makes it more difficult is that there are in addition 2 litters of black labradors at the kennels, and you do see Springers and Labs together quite often.
Springers run off ahead more and labradors tend to linger at heel and are better at carrying papers and tins of beans from the shops etc... hmmm

Off again

Celia and Richard celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on 3rd October and Eddie has invited us to join the celebrations so we will be driving down to IOW and crossing by ferry to Yarmouth where we have booked in to Warners at Norton Grange for 3 nights 2,3,4 October, returning home on 5th. Hope the good weather stays with us!
Love from M&D
P,S we are sending you all our last wishes by post, but don't get upset. We are in no hurry to die just yet.Dad

450/100TH Anniverary Dinner

450/100TH Anniverary Dinner
Originally uploaded by Old tamensians

Who's this lot then?

News from June

She tells me that about five weeks ago Robert and Sandy had gone out to Henley on a cycle ride and were riding along a country road when a posh chap on a big horse was coming towards them. The horse suddenly reared up and kicked Rob off his bike and trampled him cracking his ribs and cracking his pelvis, causing him no end of pain. The chap said "Sorry! my name is xxxxxand" and rode off. A few hours later after Rob had reported the ?accident? to the police it turned out that the horse rider had also reported the accident so Rob knew who to blame and who to sue.
Rob still has great pains in his chest and has been off work for four weeks. He had to have blood tests at the hospital as they were worried why he was getting so tired what with cracked ribs and a hair line fracture in his pelvis. I should think so, too. What a poor little old boy!
June tells me that she cannot get over the fact that Lenny had died so suddenly. It came as such a shock to her - not as if she had been ill at all. I could see that she was taking Lenny's death very badly at the crem. She keeps thinking of the lovely times she and Frank and Lenny had had in Italy where Lenny had been such wonderful company and was the life and soul of the party. She was so popular with all the people on her trips. As Nic was saying in his letter to me we don't know what people are like until you meet in happy circumstances. We always got on well and when we were about 16/17 we used to go dancing on Saturday nights to a Church hall in Wakefield and when she was in the WAAF (the women;s Air Force) she came over to Malvern where I was stationed in the Navy and we had a lovely day together - me in my Naval uniform and Lenny in her RAF uniform. The other lads in my group thought I had made a catch!!
We often met as parents and it is sad to think that she was a widow for 17 years, before losing her eldest daughter, not so long ago as well. Sad days for June and me. a very sad Dad

Part of Nic's letter. Tanjung Rhu Resort Langhawi

Dear Mum and Dad
I've switched off the handphone, left the technology in Singapore; ignoring the emails, the blogs and the online communities and come away to paracuse - just me and Jen. Even the children didn't get an invite. We have two days and nights to soak up the atmosphere here and relax, forget our concerns and just enjoy peace and tranquility.
It is so nice, not to be waking up on a building site for once - such is the nature of Singapore and particularly our street. The view as I write on a morning that is cool and breezy, heavy with cloud, is only one that our Creator himself could have crafted. I can just see the two ends of this horseshoe bay with small limestone islets clustered across the entrance to the lagoon. Casannas soften the 2-5 kilometre shoreline, and at low tide, such as now, a sand bar carves its way to the larger of the 3 islets.
The food has been excellent and the service exceptional - we've really enjoyed it and feel at times as if we are .in someone's house as guests. There's a reading room, where yesterday we had high tea, a Spanish restaurant where, on Friday night we dined on the beach in the moonlight, full moon too, and there's a spa where we will spend the entire afternoon today before heading home.
Thank you for ringing Ivy last week, she mentioned it.
Normality has returned after the disruption of last week when dear Grandma Peck passed away, early on Saturday afternoon at the age of 98.

(I have left out a lot of Nic's personal thoughts from here)

Nic's letter continues;- "Funerals are stressful times, so things can easily be overlooked or comments may not reflect how one has felt previously; we should all be remembering the good times and the person in their youth and not as a frail, derelict body".

I hope Nic will not be offended at sharing his thoughts on a family blog, but I was so touched by his writing.
Dad

I love this advert (1957)

Mind that cow! Booked a test drive for the Fiat Nuova 500 on Sunday - eek :)

Old Tamensians.. 450/100th Anniversary Dinner

450/100th Anniversary Dinner
Originally uploaded by Old tamensians.

Beans on Toast followed by Angel Delight and a cup of tea please

Auntie Lenny's Funeral

As the now senior member of our little family I would like to say that I was very proud of all members of our family who were able to make their way to Bewdley to pay their respects to my dear sister Lenny.

Lenny's daughter Sue and her granddaughter Katy were super in their welcome to us all and after our return from the Crematorium and the very moving church service at a well attended St. Anne's in Bewdley where Katy gave a very touching eulogy on the life of her grandma, treated us to a marvellous food spread in Barratts Close.

The weather was super with a day of warm sunshine to give us the opportunity to spend the afternoon in the garden, eating drinking and chatting. Thank you all, especially to Steve by giving up his day to transport us in record time to Bewdley and safely back home, and Alan for bringing sister June and members of her family. Many thanks again, from Hugh

September Song

11/9, 9/11. 08.09.09, 06.09.09, 10,09,09, what next ?? 09.09.09?
Heartache wishes to all those offended. I hope the gifts off-set the lapse in memory.
At least, the cards were sent even if not received, on the correct day.
Congratulations to Jan and Pete on your 21st.
love to all Septemberites from a couple of Boxing Dayites. G&G

Happy birthday Amy - just posted before UK midnight!

Hope you had a lovely day. I saw this week that a book by one our shared favourite author is coming to the cinema soon Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl. It is having its premiere at the London film Festival next month but then should be locally sometime after

o

We're building up our RD collection as bought 'Danny Champion of the Word' in Newbury Oxfam for £1! And I picked up a copy of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' for my spooky winter reading.

love Gem & Clive xx

Asturias

Photos from our wonderful Asturian holiday here.



We ate simple local food, slept in a tent, walked seven hours and swam in the sea most days. Felt marvellous. Absolutely FAB. Then we had lunch in a Michelin starred restaurant on the last day and got food poisoning. Not fun on the twelve hour drive home. Then got home to a collapsed poo system. As Julian says, Histoire de merde. Looking forward to feeling better and beginning to digest all the deliciousness!

Happy Birthday Clive and Jess!!!!

Thank you everyone!

I had a great day yesterday! And keep seeing the number 18 up all over the house :D A couple of my friends also baked a cake over the weekend and brought it into school today which was really nice (although it looked rather interesting...)! And no, I haven't bought any alcohol, smoked, been sent to prison, voted or eloped and got married!

Yet. In some cases.
Ah... the realms of adulthood hehe
xx

BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESS

We hope you enjoyed our little gift to you. Sunday is such an awkward day for a birthday, as we have to send greetings by about Friday. It is many years ago that we stood outside M. Erik's home in France! We were intrigued by a little wooden church just down the road. Happy Day
Love from G&G

Happy Birthday!

Many happy returns to you Jess. We are all thinking of you today. It doesn't seem any time ago that you and Edmund were being stood up on the dinning room table in Chinnor, Christmas '91 I surpose. Welcome to the wonderful world of aduldhood, all our love from us in Wales.
And well done on the exam results to both you and Beth, we are very proud of you both.
Thomas is very frustrated because they cannot make the timetable work for him, so he will not be able to do Geography 'A' level but will have to do Biology instead. But it seems nothing can be done about it unless he gives up Maths!!!

Happy Birthday!

Have a lovely day Jess.

love Gem & Clive xx

How old are we?

Happy birthday to Jess today!! Despite the fact that it has been eighteen years in the offing we are nonetheless stunned that she is 18 today already. There were tears of joy this morning though and Jess had a lovely start to the day. Thanks to all of you who have contributed thus far.

Just a quick mention of exams. She got biology (B), Maths (B), Geography (B) and Chemistry (C) for her AS marks, while Beth weighed in with 4 As, 7 Bs and 2 Cs for her GCSEs. We are all very chuffed and proud and happy that all are going on to or continuing with the courses they wish to. Jess is dropping maths in favour of doing AS Spanish to run with her biology, chemistry and geography A2. Meanwhile Beth is taking Spanish, Maths, Geography and Sociology. As there is only one Spanish class they are in the same class for that now that Beth is up at Lord Bills' too, which I think is great fun. Hopefully we can all practice some of the lingo at home!

We will not be able to make the funeral as it is on a weekday and we are all back at school now, but we will be thinking of you and June especially, Dad.

Amy is 8 on Wednesday (the 9th, not the 11th as Dad suggested) and we will have been married 21 years on Thursday! What a week of emotions...

Love you all.

Pete

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy birthday Clive, I sounds like a lovely day was planned, so metropolitan! I am envious.
Although Wantage has not welcomed you as one would have wished, I hope all is lovely and rosy in the new home. Much love Cath

Happy Birthday Clive

We have the day off work and the sky is blue and the sun is shining here in Wantage though little blustery. Its been quite a week what with having to call the police twice - 1) fire alarm that was going for 2 hours that wouldn't turn off, then wouldn't reset and 2) overnight car break in. Our local PCSO visited last night and said its really rare and she said sorry especially as we have just moved here, which as a victim goes a long way hearing someone say they are sorry this has happened to us. PCSO reckons its amateurs and that would they would step up the patrols and keep an eye on our car. We have had a call from Scenes of Crime team in Abingdon who want to come and see the car in the hope they may get something off it so we feel looked after. Another car got done the same night though suffered more damage we hear. They didn't succeed in breaking our ignition barrel or steering lock and we've got a steering wheel lock now.

So we're up for a bit of relaxation, and we're off to Westfield Mall, Shepherds Bush shortly, lunch at The Cow (Terence Conran's son has his own proper trendy london pub near Notting Hill with bare floorboards, oysters and guinness), followed by shopping (reckon the Apple store will be on the list) and a nice dinner somewhere. Clive says thanks for the texts and cards he has had so far and that he has ready to birthday as there is a parcel waiting at post office for him.

over and out

lv Gemsie xx

Funeral Arrangements

Sue has just telehoned to say that the funeral will be on the 11th September (sorry Amy)
The cortege will leave Beryl's old bungalow (now Sue and Keith's) in Bewdley, at 11 a.m to go to the crem.where Alan and later Linda were cremated. There is no general expectation of anyone, except June and me being brother and sister, driving all the way up there for the funeral. Thanks for all your kind words of sympathy. from your loving Dad.

Thanks Julian and Ruth.

Enjoy yout Spanish break OLE

Love from Dad and Mum

BIRTHDAYS COMING UP

4th Sep Mr. Clive (new one for our blog)
6th Sep Jessica (18th reaching womanhood!) XXXX
11th Amy Joanne. (age 8 leaving babyhood) sorry AmyXXXX
Posted by G&G

Lenny

So sorry Dad, we are in spain taking a break our thoughts are with you, June and Sue of course.
lots of love Ruth and Julian

The boys have done well.

As you know Mum Dad and Steve,
Last week Edmund got his predicted 'A' level results, to our great jubilation. Hurrah!
An A and two B's
So he will be going to Swansea University to Study Electrical Engineering, in about two weeks time!!!!

This week it was Thomas turn. A*'s in Geography, Maths and Biology.
A's in Art & design, English Literature, History, Chemistry and Physics.
B in English Language.
C 's in Welsh Language and Literature, totaling 11 'Levels.
Hurrah for Thomas!!!!!

Sad news

So sorry to hear of the death of Auntie Beryl. I was only telling the children about the time I when on the bus from Chinnor to stay in Reynoldston with Uncle Alan and Aunty Beryl, I think it must have been during my last school summer holidays, but I'm not sure it could have been after 'O'levels, no doubt you would remember Dad!
I shall be thinking of Sue and Katie.

SAD NEWS FOR ME

Just had a phone call from Sue Edwards to tell me that my sister, Auntie Lenny died this morning in the Nursing Home. Very sad but not unexpected. She never got over the death of her daughter, Linda. Will keep you all informed. Love from Dad

We've moved!

Goodbye Oxford, hello Wantage. We're now up and running with phone and internet (see comments for details), and Clive wants to go and see mighty Wantage town FC this afternoon as they are playing their FA Cup preliminary against Newport, IOW.

Green Army!

love Gem xx

Message from the IOW

I hope you are all well, we are proposing to scatter Auntie Tina's Ashes at Oxford Crematorium on Friday 16th October 2009.

Please could you confirm if you would be able to attend or if this date is inconvenient with any of you, please could you suggest another date which might suit better.

Sending our love & best wishes

Eddie & Teresa xxxxx


Dear Family
We have replied saying it is ok with us We could try to make a day of it.
Any ideas ??
Mum & Dad

WELCOME TO CHARLTON

Welcome to Northamptonshire, and to your bungalow in our little village of Charlton with Newbottle. We hope you will be very happy. Love from Mum and Dad

Also we are looking forward to hearing you play on your drums in our London HQ Play well and enjoy yourself..SIGNED the late R.Scott (Mr)

Arrived back in UK last night after a few days driving through Spain and France. Here's a view with the moon over Zaragoza...but we didn't take many photos. We tried the new tunnel through the Pyrenees which is nearly several Km long north of Huesca, and came out near Pau, but the haul up to Bordeaux was heavy going on slow roads and in the end the old way through Pamplona, San Sebastian and Bayonne was probably quicker. Serves me right for avoiding all those French toll roads. Enjoyed mussels at the coast on Wednesday evening in Royan before hotelling in Niort...all these names bring back memories of our trip to Les Sables d'Olonne but we could get there this time as we spent too much time in the mountains. Nice trip back but the weather was clear blue on the continent and stair rods in Newhaven. Great fun changing from day, hot, clear and bright, right hand side of the road, dry, good clearly defined roads back to dear old England with its crummy broken roads, unclear direction markers and signs, lost cats-eyes, raining stair-rods, dark of night, left hand side of the road, all misted up and with the heater on full blast to clear it, then fog over Stokenchurch at midnight. Great! Welcome home...

Pass the Parcel

Happy Birthday Ladies

to Janet, Cathy, and little Millie. Millie is having her 2nd birthday party this afternoon I'm off to Crouch End for bit of cake. Happy birthday wishes to all kiss kiss

Gem and Clive xx

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CATHY

Got up early to wish you MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY love from Mum and Dad XXXXX

Descent of the Mont Ventoux by bike

Happy Birthday Cathy.... not advisable on a Fiorella!!!!

TOUR DE FRANCE

Today's stage of the TdF passes Julian's house on its way to the summit of Le Mont Ventoux. Watch it on the telly

He says that 250,000 mad Frenchmen are camped on the mountain in anticipation of cheering on their favourites.

The road outside their house is like a carnival with hundreds of excited French cyclists waiting for Le Tour! Oh to be in Vaucleuse, now that July is there.(misquote) love from Dad

Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary!

Happy anniversary to Elaine and Steve Holt who today celebrate their 40 years of marriage today. They have escaped to Jersey for week's holiday in St Helier so we won't be seeing them today but they know we're thinking of them, and have best wishes from all the Merrows. Elaine and Steve were part of the jet set as in '69 they had their honeymoon in Majorca when it was a sleepy fishing port and were married one day after the moon landing.

love Gem xx

What we did yesterday

Wait for the Wagon RCT Assoc Concert Band - 18 July 2009, Princes Hall, Aldershot. Who is that good looking chap in the 'Back to the 50s' quartet?

Bop, shoo, wop,
Bop shoo wop,
Bop shoo wop,
Bop shoo wop sha bop
Ba bom bom-di-bom.

at last! some more pics!

Here, finally, are my pics ofr the wedding. Sorry for the delay!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93563935@N00/sets/72157621361682731/

Bunting and Bubbles

Bunting and Bubbles
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

We made the bunting but who was blowing bubbles?

Junefleece

Junefleece
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

WillRuthMarkOliviaGemma