A Whole Year has gone past ....

It’s a little warm outside just now (I know it’s all relative but hey the UK is having a heat wave) so have popped inside & am putting ‘pen to paper’ as it were, and writing some way, way over-due letters & this blog! As usual I’m full of apologies ….

Edinburgh Residence - December 2013

  We are all in good form here in Cumbria. 

The VHS Knights defend all from the scourge of The Digital Realm

Jamie is on a short term contract with ITV in Leeds working in their archive department. 

He’s had a few opportunities with various production teams but nothing more permanent so far; but he’s happy enough, getting things on his CV & having fun.  I can’t quite believe that he was 24 in May. 

Nicky (22) has just finished her Paediatric Nursing degree. She has really loved the course, had some super experiences & found her vocation. She was in the regional ITU for one attachment and has just finished four months in the SCBU – Special Care Baby Unit. Some of the infants are only 25 weeks gestation & weigh 600g! She has a few job interviews lined up so fingers crossed. In the meantime she’s having some ‘downtime’ at home. Actually she’s slaving for us in the garden and house! 

Colin continues to enjoy his retirement. There have been quite a few changes in the local hospital & many other colleagues are bowing out; such is the conveyor belt of life1! He does some volunteer IT work with a wildlife charity locally & finding his school boy Latin helpful. We have some of his distant US & Canadian relatives visiting next month; all found from his work on the family trees. It’s really very remarkable and interesting; so hopefully there will be lots of info. for future family generations to make sense of in due course.

Brother Andy retired from his veterinary practice this year – a big wrench after 37 years in harness. He has sold the business to a nice 32 yr. old vet who has been working for him over the last couple of years; so feels content that all will be well. He’ll do a few locums for the practice meantime and see what develops. He & Lesley had a relaxing, long French holiday to celebrate. Their girls are thriving. Joanne (almost 30) is in London with Unilever and Amy (28) is in business management with a hospitality company and lives in Lancashire.

Brother Pete is settled back in Cumbria (after a short period working back in Ireland) and is working for English Heritage at a Birdoswald, a roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall. His lovely partner, Diane has bought a cottage in Croglin (Pete’s little village); so we tease them about have an east & west wing. His daughter Emma is happily settled in Waterford with John, her fiancé, and their wee son Bradley who is now three.

  

I have recently had to give up my medical student teaching, as my GMC ‘license to practice’ has expired. So I am in the process of becoming a family bereavement support volunteer with the local Hospice at Home charity. It will be nice to get back to the ‘coal face’ but I’ll just have to keep myself in check as I’ll not be there in a medical capacity. I have also become a volunteer with the National Trust, as a house guide for a Georgian house near Appleby called Acorn Bank; which has an attached herb garden & orchard. It’s really interesting making sense of the history, geography and architecture of the place.

Our livestock are all well. We have a new black Schnauzer dog called Mr David Soot, or Sooty Boots, who is the full sibling of Andy’s youngster, Inge. Our 12 US First Ladies (hens) & Roosevelt Rooster are still providing us with eggs, pleasure and controversy (a neighbour still isn’t too happy with the crowing – we’re thinking of renting a peacock for a week or so as a reality check for them!!!). I have decided to sell my lovely mare, Orla (7), as she really needs to be enjoyed, worked more and (most importantly) be ridden by a confident and more capable rider than me. It’s a sad decision to make, but the right one. It may take some time to find her a new home and owner, so in the meantime my friend, Clare, rides & competes on her for me. You can see them in action on You Tube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBupHhST1O0

Well I guess this is me up to date, so I’ll sign off & head back into the garden.

Love to you & yours from all of us...

Orchard - June 2014 - New bed planted at last.