2024 in Pictures
2023 can be viewed here
This year will be remembered for two major family events.  The first was the birth of our great nephew to our nephew, Danny and his wife Shelaine in Canada in March.  The second was the wedding of our other Canadian nephew, Ricky, to his fiance, Candice, in May.  Unsurprisingly, this necessitated an extended holiday on Vancouver Island where Irene's sister and the rest of the family now live.  Back at home, the high levels of rainfall at various times during the year seem to have dominated conversations as well as ensuring that everywhere seems to have been damp a lot of the time!
Following Christmas at home, we travelled to our neice and family in Cambourne, just west of Cambridge. We spent several lovely days with Ali, Pedro and young Sophie including being treated to the incredible light display at the National Trust Wimpole Estate nearby. We're always fascinated by the futuristic Starship Delivery Robots in the town.
Back at home, the beach gradually recovered from storm Ciaron that did so much damage last year but we still had several other storms of lesser degree.		  
Escaping the winter in February/March has become part of our normal routine and 2024 was no exception.  We enjoyed another fortnight with our friends, Jeff and Judith Bailey, at the HPB site in La Gomera (Canaries) - one of our favourites.  Flying this year from Exeter for the first time made the journey significantly easier.
This year's holiday coincided with the carnival in the village and we were treated to a vibrant, noisy procession with teams from other towns and villages on the island in eye-catching costumes each accompanied by bands of drummers, determined to out-do each other!  Another new treat was a fascinating day around the island with Valentin, otherwise known as the DJ (with his wife) for the weekly barbeques and organiser of the weekly music quiz.  He now has an 8-seater minibus and provides tours to lesser-known parts of the island and those which would be inaccessible to larger vehicles.  The treats included a disused hotel built by Cesar Manrique (with no parking and overhaning the cliff!) and a museum of the unique pottery and ceramics of the island.		  
  

 
And so to May and a three-week adventure to Vancouver Island to spend time with Irene's sister, Chris,  (now living a short distance north of Victoria en route to the airport and ferry port) and our two nephews who live within a half-hour drive. 

Then at 10-weeks, our new great-nephew, Luca, was the centre of attention for much of the stay and his parents, Danny and Shelaine are rightly proud of him!  However, he was temporarily upstaged by his uncle's wedding at a lovely resort further north on the Island at Parkesville.  We enjoyed meeting friends and relatives and Ricky and Candice had planned the ceremony with great care and attention to detail.

We were grateful to all the family for making so much time to spend time with us and show us around during our time there. 

Highlights included seemingly endless beautiful bays and inlets, the famous Butchart Gardens, the huge Empress Hotel (where Ricky works at the conference centre), and the unique Malahat Skywalk with incredible views of the gulf.
We also enjoyed spending time with the other grandma, Wynne, and uncle Darren.

Needless to say, photos of Luca are often being sent over to keep us up-to-date with his growth and development!

Danny was keen for Julian to try out his favourite tipple - Dark Matter.  Quite a lot of glasses of which were consumed during our stay.

Having spent time around the area where all the family now live makes us feel much more in touch with their daily lives and we can relate so much better to the stories we hear or see on social media or when chatting on Whatsapp.

     
 
     
 
 
The summer was filled with many of the usual activities:  spending time with visitors, the church fete, and the Village Music and Art Festival (this year back to a full week).  We also enjoyed a short visit from Anthony (a former Pathfinder from our previous church in Leicester), Jemima and Rory in July.  Irene's birthday coincided with the local Malplash Agricultural Show and we always enjoy seeing the many different animals and other displays.  
     
 
In September, we returned to HPB St Brides - on the Pembrokeshire Coast near Marloes - for a fortnight.  We were joined for a week by Julian's second cousin, Judith, who escaped her home in south London to spend time with us in the country.  The weather was mixed but we were able to enjoy some lovely walks along the Pembrokeshire Coast. 

Highlights included a memorable guided tour round Pembroke Castle (rather 'Horrible Histories' in style), visiting St David's (including the cathedral), climbing down to the isolated St Govan's chapel and watching the choughs on the headland, a guided walk with a local wildlife photographer on the Deer Park and seeing several baby seals on the isolated beaches. 

We didn't avoid the storm on the middle weekend which brought down branches on the local road.  However, this was remedied by the church warden with his tractor whilst we sang in praise of the 'rushing wind that art so strong' at the Harvest Songs of Praise in the nearby church.		  
  
 
 
 

Domestically, we decided that the house was in need of redecoration - much of it dating from our extension in 2011.  After some discussion, we agreed that our decorator could have the run of most of the bungalow whilst we were away in Canada.  Although this meant a good deal of advanced clearance, it proved well worth the effort.  The two areas that we were unable to clear were then completed a couple of weeks after we returned.  We hope that we won't have to do it again for another 12 years!  The garden is a continual battle against the rabbits but we're gradually learning which plants they don't like to eat rather than stressing over trying to keep them away from things they think are food!  We've moved a step closer to the EV revolution by swapping our smaller run-around car for a small hybrid which we're really enjoying on our many short local journeys but also some longer ones.  Life in the Village continues to keep us busy and we are fortunate to live in such a beautiful place.

As in previous years, Irene continues to be one of the longer-standing volunteers in the village library and is still the church treasurer.   Julian has continued as a volunteer with the National Trust, helping out at the nearby Hive Beach car park and also  with the monthly NT conservation group and the Village working group. Bell ringing has continued for both of us on a regular basis.  The local MOC (Men Only Club - antedote to the WI!) have continued their adventures on segways and go carts as well as a day at the cricket and another at the rugby.  Accompanied by their wives they enjoyed a recent coach trip to see Jules Holland at the Bournemouth Pavillion.

In the new year, we're booked to return to HPB Alfaix (near Almeria in south Spain) in March with our friends once again for our regular fortnight of sun and warmth (hopefully - in the light of the recent flooding in Spain).
In June, responding to Irene's sister's bucket-list wish to enjoy a river cruise in Europe, we hope to travel along the Danube and through Austria and Germany by boat and train and will then enjoy time with Chris here in Dorset before she returns to Victoria. 
 
We wish everyone a peaceful Christmas however you are celebrating, and a happy and healthy New Year...