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 :-).