At the end of March, Tim moved in with us for 5 weeks having given up the rental house he shared with friends. We enjoyed having him to stay. He moved out into his own 3-bedroom house in Whitley on May 1st, a splendid first house, quiet and with ample parking. He’s enjoying furnishing it the way he likes and now works for National Grid, mostly from home.
Ben continues to live in
Swindon with Louise, and works for Dell from home. We see Tim regularly when he
pops in for meals, but keep up with Ben through telephone calls and bi-monthly
visits. They hope, next year, to buy their own property.
At the end of May (covid
restrictions having lifted), and again in August, we visited Aylsham, Norfolk
for a few days to see my frรจre and his dear wife, also visiting
Sue, Janet’s aunt in Cambridge, on both return journeys.
During June, we enjoyed happy visits
from Janet’s brother Richard with Jeanette (who live on the Isle of Wight), her
sister Helen with Phil (who live in Shipston-upon-Stour), and brother Nick (who
lives in Andover).
At the close of June, our friendly
young neighbours, who we have known for many years, moved and were replaced by
a lovely young couple with 2 children. We look forward to getting to know them.
On the attached side, our 70-something-year-old
neighbours soldier on, the nicest people you could have through the party wall!
Meanwhile, our garden, though
we have hacked it about a number of times in the pursuit of Eden, is giving us
pleasure in all seasons, including Winter when we look through our windows and
rejoice that we are not outside. We have planted assorted shrubs in the shade
of the trees which tower across the bottom of the garden, and they all love it
there and are establishing themselves very happily.
At the end of August we spent
a few days in Bexhill visiting friends of long standing and sampling the sea
air and a local Italian restaurant!
In September we took leave of our senses and drove down to Cornwall for a week in a farm cottage near Wadebridge on the North coast. Mike can drive long distances, but takes days to recover since a TIA in February 2016. But we enjoyed calling on friends who live in those foreign parts, with a return visit to a sun-soaked Treyarnon Bay, which Janet sometimes revisits via a beach webcam.
The year was punctuated by the
death of five dear friends, both here and abroad, whose Thanksgivings we
attended by Z-o-o-o-o-m. How useful this has proved to be, though we all
continue to enjoy a love-hate relationship with technology in general and Zoom
in particular.
In October an over-75’s
check-up and blood test for Mike uncovered the beginnings of type-2 diabetes. He
treats this seriously, but in its early stages it can be ameliorated by
embracing a low-carb diet. So, for some weeks we have cut out all potatoes,
rice, pasta, most bread and all pastry and sugar, and stepped up vegetables.
And we are both heading towards losing a stone in weight. More must follow, as
we seek to break through the plateau that everyone who tries to lose weight
encounters.
Our church connection with
Earley Christian Fellowship continues to be a blessing, encouraging growth in
grace as well as real friendship.
During the year, Janet has
enjoyed meeting weekly for a Bible Study with ladies from different churches
and has enjoyed the stimulation and homework!
She has also kept in touch with many friends through WhatsApp, especially during lockdown. We are both triple-vaccinated, following our personal conviction that this was what we should do. However, our trust is in God. Psalm 91 – all of it!
