To celebrate a special birthday in February Joan was treated to The ABBA Voyage event in London. We were joined by Matthew, Wesley and Emily to join the avatars of the Swedish foursome. There was some singing and dancing too. It was an amazing experience, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Unfortunately Joan was unwell at the concert which turned out to be a second bout of Covid, a virus she promptly passed on to Barrie (and possibly a few thousand others at the venue). Annoyingly the aftermath of covid, coughing and congestion, carried on for several months afterwards.
After his exams Alex came to York with his Dad and we took them walking in the Yorkshire Dales
Alex performed really well in his GCSE exams. Outstanding results gave him a pass into 6th form where he’s studying science subjects at A level. Alex also won an award for his cricket, being the youngest player to be awarded the “Great Baddow Top Bowler Award”
Emily performed in her first ballet with the Chelmsford Ballet Company and is now in rehearsal for the next one scheduled for 2024. She also did well with her Citizenship GCSE, taken early in Year 9. Now she’s into Year 10 the proper start of her GCSE studies,
Anna has just celebrated her 6th birthday. She has also started a new school in Cambridge which she seems to really love. Rowan absolutely loves trains, from Thomas the Tank Engine right up to The Flying Scotsman and Mallard. They are delightful children; creative, attentive; who love stories, reading, writing, drawing, fun and games.
Matthew has his first feature film credit. He was one of the animators on Chicken Run 2 which premieres this month on Netflix (and a few cinemas). Laura is on a sabbatical from face to face lecturing and tutoring so she can write. Wesley is managing to ride the BBCs staffing reorganisation as it tries to put more staff outside of London. He works as a Senior Data Journalist at New Broadcasting House in the West End. This year will be busy with elections on both sides of the Atlantic. Deborah continues to work (mainly remotely) as a director of a boys school in Manchester.
Our brother in law, Derek, has moved into a care home because he has vascular dementia. Joan’s sister, Ann, was no longer able cope with him at home and reluctantly found a care home nearby in Royal Wootton Bassett. It’s been a sad year for the family. Sadly, their daughter, Jo, died in June.
There were two weddings this year. Barrie’s nephew, Joel married Rachael in Northern Ireland. They met and live in London. Joan’s nephew, Adam married Helen in Wotton under Edge in Gloucestershire, they are living in Birmingham. Two happy events that brought our respective families together.
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Claremont News 2023