2008 review
Pleased to report the 2008 year has been a good one for us. A bumper year in fact, which is always worrying, because – what’s next, you wonder? Let’s hope more of the same. All the family have come through unscathed. A bit older and wiser no doubt, but we’re good.
The year started with my first Panto acting part which was fun and a good experience although I’ve a long way to go before getting an Oscar.
Rosie spent the first few months of the year in Budapest on a student exchange which she seemed to enjoy. Sam put a group together called Bounce Back – a breast cancer support group which she’s still trying to keep on the rails.
You’ll see in our blog we went to California for a couple of weeks in April and it was just brilliant. We’ve never been on a holiday abroad together before and so this trip of a lifetime, planned on a whim on New Years Eve, was special. And everything went like clockwork – brilliant places, people and a great time. Can’t wait to go back!
In the Spring we got a new dog, Ozzy who, despite being a fun and loveable lad has eventually proved too much for us (see the blog), so he had to go. We’ll be getting a reputation for abandoning dogs soon, but you’d understand if you’d seen him.
In the summer we had a few nice events. Jon, who I work with, got married to Louisa and I took their wedding photo’s for them which was good fun for me and worrying for them.
We had a motorcycling weekend going across to Norwich with Sams’s brother and nephew, and a few weeks later we had all Sam’s brothers and sisters, plus families to stay with us over one weekend – all camping in the garden – about 20 of us in total.
Our family summer holiday was a bit of a wash out. We took a boat on the canals and it wasn’t a good experience. Partly because of the weather, partly because the boat was a floating shed and partly because people who sail canal boats are, by and large, arseholes. We’ll put that one down to experience.
Sam did a couple of ‘races for life’. One in Leyland with her sister and sister-in-law the other with a group of Cubbington Players in Coombe. She also took up a sewing class.
My singing has continued to the end of the year albeit I’m giving it a rest at the moment due to a bit of a personality clash with our musical director.
We had a late holiday in Croatia which was just peach so that rounded things off for the year quite nicely.
Lost a few friends this year, which is a sign of getting old I guess. Couple of chaps from Barbershop who I had a lot of time for and my old mate from Leeds, Charlie Hawkins who was my life mentor for a few years in my youth. More funerals than weddings now I’m afraid.
We’ve been blessed at work with enough to do and sufficient cash to pay for it so, at the moment no worries there.
No big issues with our children as they progress on. Ro in her last year at Norwich, So making a new start at Warwick and liking it, Ol continuing his fitness course, Flo doing well in her GCSE’s and moving on the do A’s at Rugby High and Jack, footballing mad, not far behind Flo.
To cap it all we’ve been healthy strong and well, and boy, it doesn’t get better than that.
Lets keep it just like that for another one, hey.
Andrew x x x
