Happy Christmas From the Two of Us
A Happy Christmas to everyone. It’s been a pretty horrible year for all of us so let’s hope that 2021 is going to be better and COVID become no more of a nuisance than a “bit of a cold”. Mind you, then there’s Brexit – nooo, don’t go there John! 2020 wasn’t especially good for any of us but we did manage to at least remain cheerful for much of the time, optimists that we are. We got away a few times, gardened a lot, John walked even more and we saw quite a bit of Scotland, which is always a good thing. The only reason that John didn’t get elected to Bolton Council was because the elections were cancelled. Otherwise, you’d all be doffing your cloth caps by now! 🙂
Sorry, We’ve Given Up on Cards Altogether
Despite the horrors of COVID we are still the luckiest people in the world compared with the millions of refugees and asylum seekers who are in desperate straits.
That’s why, as in previous years, we’re donating our Christmas card and presents money to BRASS (Befriending Refugees and Asylum Seekers) and the Destitution Project, both here in Bolton. BRASS helps refugees and asylum seekers whilst the Destitution Project cares for failed asylum seekers who have nothing at all and are not even entitled to basic sustenance or healthcare.
Please consider doing the same and support them not only at Christmas but throughout the year.
Very Bonnie Scotland!
A Shameful Farce!
As you may have guessed we’re not impartial about the uncaring ineptitude of the Johnson government’s handling of the Coronavirus crisis.
They have been forced into U turn after U turn, often adopting ideas put forward by Labour but doing so far too late.
As the fictional Malcolm Tucker said in “In the Thick of It” it has been nothing but an “omnishambles”, though he wasn’t so polite, of course! But it’s an omnishambles in which many of the 60,000+ have died unnecessarily and we won’t forget that.
Our daughters Dawn and Claire are both frontline NHS professions and they are the ones who really are in the thick of it. We’re immensely proud of them both.
The Laddie
Like most grandparents we’re so, so sad at not being able to spend much time with Jack this year, although we did sneak off to Scotland’s beautiful Galloway coast for a week during August in a special bubble with him and Claire.
Unbelievably he’s now 10 and will be off to secondary school next September! He’s still mad keen on sciences, engineering (mostly taking things apart) but also reading, writing and art. Obviously a future Leonardo!
Was There Anywhere to Go?
Well, there were plenty of places we could have gone had we been allowed but like everyone not going to Barnard Castle for an eye test we were more or less “confined to barracks” from March onwards as Bolton was, for a few weeks, top of the UK’s COVID infection league. A pity the football team didn’t do so well!
But, in January we celebrated Gary’s special “zero” birthday with a week in Cornwall—eating, drinking, being merry, falling over in the mud and learning to pull pints at the St. Austell Brewery.
We had a short break in Wales and a couple of days of great fun with Jack in the Lake District, followed by Noelene and Dawn’s wonderful chocolate making course at Slattery’s in Bury and a lovely couple of days in Settle, including a trip on the iconic Settle to Carlisle Railway.
But then came the dreaded lockdown—no live music, theatre trips cinema, mixing with friends. So, until August we spent most of our time gardening and walking with the result that the garden is the best it has even been and John is now only 5 feet tall, having worn down his legs and walked at least 1,500 miles this year!
The garden 5 years ago (top) and now and John on a hill somewhere (again!)
But in August we snuck off with Jack and Claire to the beautiful Rockcliffe on the Solway Firth to bathe in the mud, swim in the sea (well, Noelene and Jack did—I had to look after the dog!), ride Segways and generally just have a wonderful time together. Here are some piccies:
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Then, come October, with no possibility of spending the worst of the British winter in warm and sunny South Africa, we headed north again, this time to the incredible Isle of Jura — packed with wildlife, great walks, oh and a little whisky too, though the distillery was closed for visits! Jura really is the most incredible island; one we’ll return to in “better times”.
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Our love and best wishes for as wonderful a Christmas as COVID will allow and let’s hope for a better, happy and peaceful New Year.
Here are some random images from this year!
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