Watch the Neighbourhood Grow

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jubileeparty 228CTRA Jubilee 1After a number of years of maintaining a functioning Neighbourhood Watch in Claremont Terrace it has now become a fully fledged Residents Association – constitution, committee, AGM – the lot.
Barrie is Chairman and Joan, Social Secretary. We put on a Jubilee Street Party in June and a Bonfire Party in November. (It would have been silly for them to have been the other way round!)
They were both a great success despite the inclement weather. A real community spirit gripped the street; lots of people pulled together to hoist bunting, make banners, put up gazebos, provide food and make sure everyone had fun. Sadly two families have moved out of the street recently and we’re still waiting for some new neighbours to move in.

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Other family news

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Aberdeen

Aberdeen

After just over a year in Aberdeen, Matthew and Laura are moving back to Cambridge before the end of the year. Laura has a lectureship at Gonville & Caius College. Matthew has been animating a pilot for a children’s cartoon programme, and now he’s waiting for the next step on the way to it being commissioned.

Alex and Emily on the beach

On the beach

Wesley has started an attachment as senior producer in BBC Radio Current Affairs. Deborah is now Assistant Editor of BBC Essex. Emily has started at nursery at Alex’s school. Both are doing well. They loved their stay with Nanny and Grandad this summer – especially the visit to Scarborough – and so did Nanny and Grandad.

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Warwick in Scarborough

Warwick on his birthday

Warwick is well despite some changes to his diet this year. There is some concern about his swallowing – sometimes he coughs whilst eating his meals. His speech therapist has given advice about the texture foods he should eat leading to some rather heavy handed application of guidelines which at one point lead to all his food being blended. Some firm negotiation on our part was needed. Things are improving, but we’re not quite there yet. Frequent staff changes also make things difficult. In himself he’s otherwise healthy and enjoying life.

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Minster Carols – honoured to have been there

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I’m still glowing after last night’s Minster Carols – what a great team – so many people working together to create an event so moving and relevant. I can honestly say it ignited the spirit of Christmas in me for the first time this year. The sheer enormity of it all – God being born on earth to be our Saviour – is truly overwhelming. The impact of the Riding Lights theatre, the simplicity of Alyson’s preaching, the music from the choir and the slick work of the technical team all played out in that magnificent building – stunning. Not to mention all the stewards, welcomers, fetchers and carriers, pray-ers and all the rest of the people behind the scenes. Thanks St Mike’s for being a great church. Honoured to be part of it all.

It Rained

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A refreshing break from the bad weather

It rained – suddenly roads were turned into streams and my inadequate clothing leaked. I was soaked to the skin in seconds. We were travelling downhill into Askrigg when water gushed up through the drain tops. The gentle rolling countryside of the Dales was transformed in moments into a threatening place where rains lashed, water courses overflowed and lightening crashed around us. All we had were two frames of metal and wheels of steel against all those forces of the natural world.
As we sheltered in the village pub we dripped and waited for the storm to pass. The damp stayed with us for the rest of the day. The short ride to Hawes felt like a long trek into town.
But when a taxi finally delivered us to our cottage, warm dry clothes never felt so comforting. The stream outside the window had turned into a torrent to live up to it’s purpose as the source of the mighty River Wharfe – feeding the waters collected from the hills above Oughtershaw into the channel that finds it’s way to the sea through the beauty of Wharfedale to Ilkley and Otley and on to join the Ouse at Drax south of York.
That was just one day of our holiday. Some days we walked, others cycled, but the rain was constant.

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Warwick – North and South

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Warwick on York Station

Leaving a chilly York Station for Aberdeen

North to Aberdeen by train. A five hour journey to the Granite City to spend a weekend with Matthew and Laura. The idea of these trips was to allow Warwick independent time with his brothers. Until now, despite his 39 years, he has only ever spent time with them in the presence of his parents. So, with some careful planning, Warwick set off with a huge suitcase and several bags, assisted by two support workers to his hotel. Matthew is never short of ideas and they had a full weekend of places to go, things to see and food to eat. When he came home to York he had clearly enjoyed his time away – and so had Matthew. That was in May.
Warwick visits WesleyCome September and he’s on his travels again, this time to London and ultimately on to Chelmsford to see Wesley, Deborah, Alex and Emily. In London he took in the sights and a visit to the West End to see Mama Mia – you should know that he absolutely loves Abba. Wes and the family came across to London for an after show meal.
The trip to Chelmsford – as short as it was – was a bit of a drama. Engineering works challenged the train company – Greater Anglia – who took a week to find a taxi company that could take Warwick on the final leg of his journey. We were confident, with the plans in place, he would be met at Shenfield station by a taxi for the short trip to Wesley’s. After all this was the company that transported thousands of competitors travelling to the Paralympic Games less than a month earlier. What could go wrong?
No taxi. No one knew about a taxi. No one could find a taxi. So Warwick was put on a later train to another Essex town and then onto an accessible bus to Chelmsford.
Two hours late he arrived to a joyous welcome from Alex and Emily. Meanwhile an incandescent Wes started to take Greater Anglia to task. They ultimately provided Warwick and his support workers a wheelchair taxi door to door from Chelmsford to his hotel in London. Later they refunded the train fares and apologised ‘for any inconvenience caused.’
Warwick again returned home full of himself. Both Wesley and Matthew felt they’d had a valuable time with their brother who in the future could need more of their love and support.

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