2019 in Pictures

2018 can be viewed here

In January, we enjoyed a few days with Julian's cousin, Marilyn and husband, Rob (not to mention Teddy the dog) who came to stay just after New Year.  We then spent a few days with Irene's brother in Petersfield where we were able to share time with our niece, Ali, husband Pedro and 7-month-old Sophie.  Later in the year, we were able to spend time with them in their new home in Cambourne (Cambridge).  At the end of the month, with our friends Jeff and Judith, we returned to La Gomera (Canaries) for a fortnight at the wonderful HPB site just outside Playa Santiago.  


March and April were spent at home taking part in all the usual activities (Village Walking Group, Church, National Trust etc.) and with preparations for events later in the year.

 

In May, we celebrated Julian's 70th birthday in Yorkshire at the HPB site in Askrigg (location for All Creatures Great and Small), calling in at Betty's in Harrogate and Fountain Abbey on the way. We enjoyed many walks in the area as well as a tour of the local brewery and, of course, the Wensleydale Cheese Factory in nearby Hawes.  We celebrated the birthday with a trip on the Settle to Carlisle Railway from Garsdale Head to Settle with some of the best views imaginable.  On our way back to Dorset, we spent a weekend with Ali, Pedro and Sophie in Cambourne and helped with the big task of reclaiming the garden in their new home.

 

The earlier preparations came into their own in early June when we had an afternoon and evening of birthday celebrations at home for many neighbours and friends.  However, the major event, on midsummer evening, was a combined celebration of the 7 villagers, all of whom were turning 70 this year.  This took place at Hive Beach Cafe, involved over 90 guests and included a barbecue and disco by the beach on a glorious summer evening.  Almost the entire company danced the night away to 70s music and it was a memorable and most enjoyable event for the Village as well as a great celebration for the 49-ers and our many friends in common.


In July, we enjoyed a very warm day in Sidmouth with Jeff and Judith before heading off to spend a lovely weekend with Marilyn, Rob, and Teddy the dog in Dartmouth. We had great fun watching the exciting cricket final and the tennis final simultaneously! We were then visited by our great friends Revd. Fred Olney and Angela (Fred was a curate in Glenfield and he and Julian cycled from Lands End to John O'Groats in 2009) and we shared the delights of Abbotsbury Sub-Tropical Gardens and other local attractions with them.

In August we celebrated Irene's 60th birthday.  For this we were joined by her sister, Chris, from Canada and we stayed, initially, at a lovely country hotel near Godalming to give her time to recover from the journey after arriving at nearby Gatwick.  We celebrated Irene's birthday with her brother and sister-in-law in Petersfield before heading off to Cambourne again for another bank holiday with Ali, Pedro and Sophie visiting National Trust sites (Wimpole and Anglesey Abbey) on a very hot weekend.  The memorable and thoroughly enjoyable visit ended with a week at home in Dorset enjoying a slower pace and the countryside nearby, including visits to West Bay and Abbotsbury Swannery.

Needless to say, we needed September to recover!  Then, using our HPB membership once again, we took a fortnight away in October in warmer climes - to Madeira.  The site is about 1800 feet up near the edge of one of the tallest cliffs on the island (just below the Cabo Girao glass floored viewpoint) and our apartment had superb views over nearby Camara de Lobos (where Churchill used to go to paint) and Funchal - perfect for watching the sun come up over the Desertas Islands each morning.  We enjoyed the usual excellent facilities on site as well as organised lavada walks and will return again in February, this time with our good friends Jeff and Judith.

 

On returning from Madeira we enjoyed a few days here with Julian's cousin, Derek, visiting from Dartmouth, and explored Hardy country with him - a long-awaited experience.  We then entertained our friend, Vladimir with his wife Julia and 12-year-old son from Kiev who, although only in Dorset for just over 24 hours experienced the amazing sight of a 70 mph gale and some of the wildest sea conditions we have seen.  This was immediately followed by the removal of our kitchen (something we've been discussing for some time) and its replacement with something more modern and functional - the whole process taking most of November.

Sadly, December has brought the news that Julian's cousin's husband, Rob, had died following a short decline.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Marilyn at this very sad time.

It's been another busy year and we consider ourselves fortunate to enjoy relatively good health, to live in a beautiful part of the country with some wonderful friends and to be able to remain active members of the community.  Who knows what 2020 will bring???!!!