I hope that in this poor economic climate, this card and letter finds you safe, secure and content. This time last year, Geraldine’s job was under threat, and so, as a form of insurance, she decided to branch out in a new direction and became trained as a marriage celebrant. This is something that she has long wanted to do, so when the opportunity arose, she jumped at the chance. As things turned out, Geraldine is still in work, but now, in addition to her ‘day job’ she spends several hours per week marrying people. She is now proud to boast that she has married over 50 men. OK, technically, the couples married each other, but they couldn’t have done it without her. Most of the men marry women, but some got hitched to other men. Same-sex partnerships were in the minority, but still accounted for quite a few over the year, but if you want to hear all the salacious details, you’ll have to call round! The arrangement works well; at the weekends Gee gets to wear her best threads (alas, no clothing allowance) and swan around at posh venues and I don’t feel so guilty spending so much time at Hoghton Tower.
Another person currently happy in her work is Emily, who appears to have found her ideal job working in Rampton High Security hospital as a trainee Occupational Therapist. It is only a 10-week work placement, but from the tales she tells, it’s clear that she would love to make it her permanent job. Maybe when she finishes her degree in 19 months there’ll be an opening. She is working in the DSPD (Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder) ward and she regularly entertains us with the fascinating (if appalling) tales of the patients she works with. The stories are certainly not Christmas Letter material, though.
She works at Rampton during the week and returns to Sheffield at the weekend to her regular night shifts behind the bar at Wetherpoons. I don’t know how she does this, since the work starts in the evening and goes on until 3am or later with the occasional afternoon shift thrown in for good measure. She enjoys the work and needs the cash, so things are quite settled. I’m not sure how she will adapt to the more boring life back at university full time in January, especially when she has to return her car to Brindle. I’ve not broken this to her yet, but Laurence will want the car in 2012, since he passed his driving test in October. Laurence will only be driving if we can find an insurer willing to take him on without charging the price of a small terraced house, though.
Laurence also keeps busy holding down three jobs as well as his college work. He works in the Cavendish (starting his first shift as a barman as I write), in the tea room at Hoghton Tower and has a voluntary job at the British Heart Foundation shop in Blackburn each Saturday. I think that these jobs (along with good applications, perhaps), have been significant in securing two job interviews in early December. One is for a Foundation Scheme at BAE Systems and the second is an interview at Waitrose which is for a part time role but could become full time if other options don’t work out. The other options include university and apprenticeships, both of which are being pursued at present.
Loz and I had a wonderful holiday in July when we toured North West Scotland. Loz practiced his driving all week (and became very skilled at judging which passing place to nip into on single-track roads) and we both did a bit of cycling and walking. Well, I say a bit of walking, but Ben Nevis was quite a challenge. The weather was good overall, with just one really wet day when we visited Iona in the South West of Mull. I’ve long wanted to see this place, but it is so remote, I didn’t think I’d ever manage to get there, but since we were staying in Tobermory, the journey round the coast was only 2 hours. The scenery was spectacular even in the rain and there was barely any traffic.
Loz took his hybrid bike, but, when we swapped machines during the week, he realised that my touring bike was so much easier to ride that I hardly got chance to ride it for the rest of the holiday. He since has received a lightweight bike for his birthday. My bike feels very ponderous now, after riding his.
After much thought, I decided to sell my trusty old Dawes Galaxy which I bought when I was 19. We’ve been many miles together (nearly 14,000), but since I bought a new machine last year, I’ve never once ridden the old one. However, I was delighted to learn that at some point, the bike had become a classic and I sold it last month for almost double what I paid for it. The buyer planned to restore it to its former glory, which was good to hear. (He’ll have some fun, since there was not a single item of original equipment left on the bike after over 30 years with me.)
In September, we had a very successful week on eBay and sold Laurence’s hybrid bike and several other bits & pieces. The selling spree started because of a bedroom carpet. Bear with me and things will become clear. Our five-year-old bedroom carpet began shedding its pile soon after we bought it, so the shop offered to let us have a replacement for half price. We decided to take advantage of the offer this autumn, which led to us redecorating the bedroom. This in turn prompted a decision to empty the loft and put down proper floorboards before the new carpet came, so instead of putting all the stuff back in the loft, we sold some of it. Well, a lot of it. And threw a lot away. The bedroom is still in disarray since the carpet only arrived yesterday and we’ve yet to put all the furniture back. The loft’s great now though, with plenty of space. After putting the floorboards down, I was tidying up when the phone rang, and I heard Gee say, “No, I’m sorry, Bernie can’t come to the phone, he’s vacuuming the loft”. What the caller thought, I can’t imagine, because I haven’t got OCD that badly.
We didn’t take a proper summer holiday this year for various reasons, but instead we enjoyed several short breaks, including a trip in September to visit Mary and her family in Ireland. The drive to Connemara was effortless and although the weather was typical of the west of Ireland (wind and lots of rainbows) we had a lovely relaxing break in a part of the world new to us. We spent a few days in Dublin on the way home and the whole trip would have been very smooth if the afternoon fast ferry hadn’t been cancelled due to high winds. We eventually arrived in Holyhead well after midnight after taking a slow ferry that could cope with the breeze. Getting up for work the next morning was difficult.
In October, we took a wonderful trip to a luxury hotel in Bath. We had a leisurely three days doing very little other than taking the waters, and wandering round the beautiful city.
We didn’t tell Loz that we were going until the last minute to give him less opportunity to arrange any wild parties. During the summer, he’d tweeted to an American band that he was planning to see in the autumn to say that if the Manchester Academy was damaged by the riots and they couldn’t perform there, that our house was available! They replied saying that they’d bear this in mind, but thankfully the concert went ahead at the original venue.
Gee and I also enjoyed a trip to the Edinburgh festival where we met up with friends to take in some of the fringe performances. The restaurants were very full, so one night we decided to eat outside. This was a mistake. Between the starter and the main, the rain started, and so we were trying to eat beautiful Iranian food one-handed whilst holding an umbrella with the other hand. We received several pitying looks, but despite the circumstances, we thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
We saw some great performers at the Fringe, with our favourites being a four-piece band called Jen & the Gents. They played such happy, upbeat music we just had to buy their CD when we returned home. I’m hoping that they might be able to attend one of our neighbours’ House Gigs next year. Fitting them all onto the tiny stage might be fun, especially since they have a drum kit, violin, guitar, and a string bass.
Graham’s not arranged many gigs recently since he’s re-built the venue. Well, he replaced his conservatory with a garden room. Thankfully, he’s not seen the need to raise the door prices but he still attracts some great local (and some not-so-local) bands. The last event boasted four performers, with one coming from New York.
Next year we might be trekking further afield if Emily’s plans come to fruition and her application for Camp America is successful. If this does happen, we hope to meet up in New York at the end of her trip. Laurence’s plans are not quite so ambitious since he is planning to tour some Scottish Youth Hostels once more, this time with his mates.
I completed another Prestwick Cycle Challenge again, this time covering 240 miles in three days in the Cairngorms including the highest pass in the UK. The weather wasn’t quite so kind this year (rain!), and I also suffered from mechanical difficulties when the bike’s main bearings began to break up on day two. There were no bike shops nearby (well, there was nothing nearby to be honest) so the last 140 miles were very noisy for my fellow cyclists and me. The sheep were also a bit stressed with the racket.
Our social life in the village continues with what is becoming a tradition. Five couples in Smithy Close are still meeting every few months to enjoy a meal at each other’s houses. It’s just like Come Dine with Me, but without Dave Lamb’s hilarious commentary and the crackpot guests. Oh, and we don’t score one another, either.
Laurence still plays with two bands, and I am still occasionally asked to play bass drum at the Brindle Band. The last such request was at the Kirkby Lonsdale Brass Band contest when the band won the deportment prize. This means that we are very smart and can march in time. Playing didn’t come into it. The video is probably still on You Tube if you fancy a giggle. The Band gave me a special award for my performance at the recent prize night, and Laurence won most improved player, so we were very lucky.
And as the year draws to a close once more, I found myself looking back 25 years since I received a Long Service Award from BAE Systems in November. Geraldine and I were treated to a wonderful all expenses paid party at the Barton Grange Hotel. The DJ was so good that he managed to get almost all the 150 people dancing all night, despite their advancing years. We stayed over which was lovely, and then enjoyed a very welcome lie in and huge breakfast. You’ll be pleased to learn that the hangover has now fully gone.
So that’s it for another year. I hope that your year has been enjoyable, and that you have a lovely Christmas and New Year. As always, please call, email, or pop round at any time. We love to have company.