A sad start to the month with Don’s funeral. Tricia and some helpers had put a small marquee in the garden, and plenty of people from the village called during the week offering to help, and provide food for after the funeral. Tricia pulled it all together and it went seamlessly. Robbie took the day off work, I picked up early at lunchtime from school. so as we could all attend. It was a nice service, nice tributes to Don.

Saturday the 4th was the Cold Ash Ball. Tricia and I were off down to Cold Ash near Thatcham, where we would go with Wendy and Rob, and Deb and Carlos to the ball. Tricia had her hair done at lunchtime, and then we drove down. It was a good evening, nice to catch up with Wendy and Rob, and Deb and Carlos. It was Rob’s birthday, so Tricia took a cake. Apparently the man who normally called the raffle wasn’t at the ball this year, so I got asked to do the honours, I also raffled off a couple of prizes. The band were good, the food was good, and about 1am, we had a taxi back to Wendy and Rob’s. In the morning it was a slow start and a cooked breakfast before heading back. It was the sort of Sunday afternoon where you would want to snooze… but not for me, I had a rehearsal.

Meanwhile, Robbie hadn’t bought himself a new hat, helmet or bit of armour for a few minutes… and then this turned up! Which Robbie then took into the office… on the train… as you do.

Meanwhile Nikki was back in Lörrach before starting the bobsleigh season. Relaxing with Freddy the dog, and practice pushing in the dark.

One for the collection… here is Trotsky the cat sleeping on Robbie’s bed… almost a perfect circle.

We were now into a manic week… well, for me anyway. It was production week with ‘Oh What a Lovely War’… rehearsal on Sunday, then Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night, then performances Thu, Fri and Saturday nights. I was playing a drill sergeant and had to ‘bellow’ for about ten minutes on stage. The question was, would my voice last… by Thursday it was almost shot to pieces, and I hadn’t done a live performance yet! But I managed to nurse it through. I had to mime some of the on stage songs to save my voice… which was probably a good thing :-). I really enjoyed doing the production, but was relieved to get the time back after all the rehearsing. Tricia and Ellie came and watched on Thursday night. Deb, Carlos, Yvonne and Elizabeth from next door came along Saturday night, as well as my colleague Peter from work. The show was originally done in the 60’s, and was quite severe on Haig, to the point where it seemed fashionable to vilify him. SO, I have purchased myself a biography I can read on him, to see if I can get a better view.

Tricia had another crown fitted in the week. I reckon all the kids sapped the calcium from her body with the pregnancies… there can’t be many of her teeth left to be crowned now! On the Saturday afternoon before the final show, we went to Karen and Aneka’s for birthday drinks, then in the evening, whilst I was on stage she went to Pat & Clive’s for a dinner party… I joined at the end of the evening, and managed to squeeze in a quick couple of Guinness and a pudding :-). We did have a strange occurrence during the day though… Tricia was tidying up in the kitchen and had some music on… her teenage daughter complained that it was too loud ?!… Some sort of role reversal ?

Robbie, as always was producing some art… here is a piece he called ‘The Fog of War’, and also a picture he took of the shard in the morning… The shard being a prominent feature of the landscape where Robbie works, he had been posting up a number of pictures… So Nikki joined in with her version, taken from the plane when she landed at Heathrow on the 17th 🙂

On Tuesday the 14th, I dropped Tricia’s Dad off at High Wycombe hospital around 7:30am. He was having another stent put in. Amazing how they do it, no major surgery, he was ready to come home by 3pm. At the end of the week, on the Friday evening we had a curry night here, with Alan and Rachel, Pete and Sara coming along. Nikki had come home, she was now at home till she went out on season. On the Saturday, Robbie took Ellie into London, so she could do some birthday shopping. Tricia and Nikki also went in on the train, and they met up with Deb and Wendy and Claire. A quiet day at home for me. Which meant I was able to watch West Ham v Man City in peace… West Ham had had a good start to the season. Now here was the acid test, a game against last season champions… and we were magnificent. At 2-0 up we were a little jittery when they got back to 2-1, but we held on… West Ham in the top 4… strewth! Here is a rare picture of Alan actually helping on a curry night… not been seen before.

Sunday was Ellie’s birthday …. 15. We all think of Ellie as they youngest, so it is a surprise to think she is 15 already! On the Sunday morning we did family prayers at the church, Nikki joined us.

The following week, Nikki went into Ellie’s school, which is also her old school and did the assembly, talking about her life as an athlete. She enjoyed being welcomed back. Tricia got herself a new phone… and moved to an iPhone. Nikki helped her select her phone, and as it is similar to the ipad, which Tricia is familiar with she was able to get on with it straight away. Nikki and Tricia also paid a visit to see Manda and baby Isobel. Nikki very pleased to see the littl’un.

On the Wednesday evening Tricia had some friends around for a ‘girly evening’. For Ellie, the highlight of the week was her birthday present… tickets to go and see the musical Billy Elliot. Tricia took her into London directly after school, and they went to see the poppies at the tower before the show. Ellie absolutely loved it. On the Saturday Ellie had a couple of friends over for her birthday, and in the evening Nikki and Robbie took them all to the street fair in Buckingham. It would be fair to say she enjoyed her birthday treats! On the Sunday Nikki helped Tricia remove a dead cherry tree from the garden, and replaced it with an led lit artificial one… we thought the lights would be good in the summer evenings.

It was now half term, and in the final week of October, on the Tuesday Tricia and me, Ellie and her friend Lucy went to Norfolk for a few days. It was a good relaxing break. In the evenings I tried to read my Haig book, but ended up snoozing in the armchair! On the first day there we went for a long walk down and along the beach at Holkham. It was amazing seeing the migrating geese. On the Wednesday we went into Holt for some shopping, a lovely old style market town, in the evening we enjoyed a meal out at a pub. On Thursday we went to Holkham Hall.. they were putting on some Halloween events which the girls enjoyed… particularly the gruesome make up! We followed up with a fish and chip supper.

On the Friday we started on our way back. For lunch we stopped in Kings Lynn. The town itself is nothing special, but the Minster was nice, and we ended up on the quay having lunch. The weather was lovely, sunny and warm, certainly not want you would expect this time of year. We got home around 4’ish… unpacked, and when Robbie got home from work we all sat for a meal, and had a little birthday cake for Nikki. Early, but we wouldn’t see her for her birthday. Of course this was Halloween, we had a pumpkin in the porch, and Ellie felt she should be ready to receive visitors (trick and treaters)… so Nikki did some make up for her. Here is the before and after! Ellie enjoyed herself answering the door :-).

Around 8pm, Nikki and I left for a Travelodge just off the M4 near Bath. Then in the morning I dropped her at the Uni where the Bobsleigh team were meeting  before their departure to Europe.

After hugs and photo’s I left Nikki with her crew, and then drove to Bracknell. I picked my Dad up from Sainsbury’s and dropped some flowers and a present in for my Mum for her birthday. After a catch up and a cup of tea I was on my way back to North Marston. In the evening Tricia and I went to Karen’s farewell party, she was moving to Chichester. I wasn’t at my best, tired after a busy few days, I was grateful for getting home and going to bed 🙂

Of course Robbie is well known within family circles, and across the village, as a man of flags. He has a considerable collection, and likes to fly a flag most days, often for the remotest, smallest places. Robbie has taken this a step further now, by putting up flags in his office for the different nationalities working there…. they love it 🙂

The first week in September started with Nikki taking Freddie, her godson to Legoland. This was a late present.. Ellie went along for the fun as well. On the Wednesday, Kevin arrived from Germany to visit for the week, and went down to Bath with her on the Thursday… Nikki was filming with C4. Guy Martin, an ex Motor Bike rider, Isle of Man TT etc, is doing a series on speed, and is doing a bobsleigh challenge. Nikki and another bobsleigher got asked to do the work and filming with him. The prog goes out in the New Year. The same day, Tricia went with Ellie to Oxford to see a Tutankhamun exhibition… which was somewhat disappointing. I was at the school. First governors meeting of the new academic year. I had to do two training sessions, and then at the governing body meeting was voted in as chair for the year. Gulp… Robbie got his latest armour delivery! And his provisional licence.

Friday evening, the 5th, we all went out go out for a meal with Gran and Gramps to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary at the Thatched Inn. It was quite nice for us to all go out together.

Saturday 6th, was a busy one… there was the Church fete, where I was on duty at the ‘throw a wet sponge at somebody’ stall. The somebody included the vicar, and one of the church wardens…me for a while :-(… and Nikki… ‘throw a wet sponge at a GB athlete’ Highlight of the day was the ‘welly wanging’ competition. Kevin stepped up and launched the welly so far the man running the stall said, ‘oh, I might as well close for the afternoon now, nobody is going to beat that’… and they didn’t. Kevin got a certificate for being the village welly wanging champion :-). Whilst this was going on Tricia was busily preparing food for John and Juliet’s 25th. Early evening Tricia and I went across to the party and set the food up, then stayed for the fun. A live band were booked, it was a pretty good evening. Nikki and Kevin had gone off to Purton, where they were staying overnight at Johnny’s before going down to Bath on Sunday morning for bob testing. On the Sunday Rob went off to do airsoft, Tricia and Ellie went across to the Bicester Hockey Club open day… me, I was knackered and did very little!

On Monday, the 8th, it was back to school for Ellie… pleased to get back and see some of her friends. It was also the day the new, and long awaited bed arrived. Tricia and I had been looking at beds a few years back, and the one we liked was a little expensive, and we couldn’t afford at the time… since then the price has come down, and so we ordered a new bed :-). The other one was on it’s last legs, I was sleeping well and Tricia was often waking up with a sore back. But the new bed is in… and it’s bliss! We also have a headboard. After 28 years of marriage, and no headboard, we finally decided on getting one.

Tuesday morning I dropped Tricia’s Dad off at Wycombe hospital where he was having a couple of stents put in. Amazing what they can do… this was just day surgery. He was home late afternoon, and all went well. On the Wednesday Kevin flew back to Germany, Nikki taking him across to Gatwick in the morning. On the Friday evening, Tricia and I went round to Pat and Clive’s for a drink and some nibbles, and of course lots of laughs! Tricia and I went steady on the drink though as we were doing the ‘Historic Church Cycle Ride’ on the Saturday. This involved cycling to as many churches as possible between 10am and 5pm. Well we managed 27 churches, at each of them we had to stop and enter our names on a sheet. I reckon we cycled about 45 miles. The weather was good, warm without being hot, and a little cloud cover so we didn’t get burnt. Saturday evening we were tired :-).

Ninja has also returned… after going walkabout when we were on holiday, he is back with us. He even came and sat on my lap. Most unusual.

Week beginning the 15th was a fairly quiet one, but didn’t end so well. My car was serviced on the Tuesday, I also had a meeting with the head at the school. Tricia went to visit Yvonne in Market Harborough on the Thursday… they had lunch and did some shopping. I must have a word with Yvonne because every time Tricia meets up with Yvonne it seems to cost me a dress. Tricia met up with Deb and Carlos in the evening, had a meal with them and then stayed over. On the Friday Tricia and I went down to Bracknell and saw my Mum and Da, before going up to the Horse and Groom and meeting Deb and Carlos, Wendy and Rob, and Tina and Ransford. It was a trip down memory lane. Lots of old stories of the times we would drink their in our late teens. Carlos and I even pretended to play ‘asteroids’ where the old asteroids machine was :-). Tricia drove back. On the Saturday Rob had his first driving lesson, and then Ellie went for an audition for a part in Grease… she didn’t get it, but it is all good experience, and anyway she had landed a part in the school prod of Guys’n’Dolls, and there is only so much time in a girls life… what with the GCSE dance course she has started after school, and being in the netball and hockey team! We got a coffee from Costa and went back to the car… switched on the radio and found West Ham were beating Liverpool 2-1… woohoo! We got back and saw the last part of the match. When West Ham got a third and sealed the game I danced around the living room ! A short while later Peter and Jane Docwra came round for the evening. All very pleasant.

Then it was Sunday morning… and the phone rang. Don, our next door neighbour was 85 and had been in declining health for a while. His wife Elizabeth had told us that his time was likely to be near. On Sunday morning he had more or less collapsed and I had to go in and help lift him into bed. He passed away shortly after. A distressing time for Elizabeth and the family. The following week opened up with three open sessions at the school, and then a very difficult appeal hearing for sixth form places… which we won, but hard work and contentious. That evening, Wednesday 24th, Tricia, Ellie and myself went to Dawn French at the Waterside theatre. It was a good evening, entertaining and some laughs. It helped after a difficult few days. Thursday was a busy day, Tricia was catering for Meadowcroft surgery, and I dropped Nikki off at Heathrow, as she went off on a Bobsleigh training camp. All summer Nikki had been looking to get onto a ‘drivcer development programme’, and she had just learned she had been selected, so was excited about the coming season. On the Friday I was back into the school for departmental visits, then in the evening we all went to the Williams for a curry evening. Saturday evening should have been the September Safari Supper… however, as Don had been part of the group none of us felt in the mood for it so we cancelled it, and will wait till January.

The good news from Switzerland on Sunday was that Nikki and Vicky had won the Swiss ‘push championships’… 🙂

Robbie had some changes as well. His company had merged with another gaming company, and he moved to a new office near London Bridge, near the Shard.  On the final day before they moved, with everything packed, Robbie doodled on the white board, in the only way Robbie could :-).