2014

Happy Christmas everyone and all good wishes for 2015. I hope it brings you what you hope for.

2014 has been a busy year for me, dominated by settling my sister, Susan, into a care home and arranging her affairs. With growing physical disability Susan decided in January that she could no longer cope on her own at home. I was down in London twice in the New Year to visit potential residential homes and in February we moved her in to a home in Enfield. Then I had to clear her flat, hire builders and begin 4 months of renovations and improvements. It was let to tenants in August, the rent being essential to help fund her care.

I managed a few days in Amsterdam with Abigail in April and a week north of Edinburgh in May. When the flat was finished Abigail, Joseph and I hired a cottage in Pembrokeshire for a week by the sea, followed in October by 4 days in Berlin – an amazing city that I had never visited before.

At home I stay busy. The two choirs I belong to gave 8 performances over the year and the weekly art class is fun, with opportunities to try out different media – pastels being the preferred one at the moment. I was thinking of standing down as a governor at a local primary school when my 4 year term expired in September. Somehow I ended up as Vice Chair of the governing body instead! Ofsted came in July and the school did well. I spend increasing amounts of time on church affairs. I still organise the tourism for Escomb Saxon Church and this year have begun taking an informal all age service once a month with a colleague.  I also co-ordinate our pastoral visiting team.

Nick’s twin brothers and some of their families came for a long weekend in early May and Nick’s cousin Dominic and his son Patrick visited for the first time in October. I shall be down in London again this Christmas with Abigail’s family.

It’s been another hectic year for Matthew, Karen and their three girls.  With all three now attending pre-school for at least some of the week, Karen has resumed her career as a solicitor at a firm in Liverpool.  Matthew continues to work as a chartered surveyor and his new company celebrates its 2nd anniversary in January.

Matthew continues to be involved in the Friends of Rwandan Rugby charity for which he raised £5,000 last year and visited Rwanda this February to help deliver rugby coaching to junior and secondary school children in west Rwanda.

He has been invited to be a Trustee and is intending to go back to Rwanda in 2015.  In her ‘spare’ time this year Karen launched a website reviewing kids holidays and days out http://minitravellers.co.uk and is now attracting attention from holiday companies and sponsors.

Lily is now 4 and the twins, Isobel and Eve are 3.  Time flies.  Life in the Beddow household in West Kirby is as hectic as ever, with all three girls proving to be fiercely determined and competitive individuals.  Who would have thought it!

In February Katy and Jo went for 10 days without the children to Las Vegas where they rock climbed at the fantastic red rocks and even managed to get to Joshua Tree. The Banner family house in Arran has been renovated recently and a summer holiday there in August was a good opportunity to try out the new Canadian kayak that fits the whole family.

Katy went to Iceland in June as part of her role working with VAR on European Heritage skills training. She found Iceland magical and made lots of friends. Her contract with the Georgian Theatre in Richmond finished in the spring but she is still working on the project occasionally and volunteering with the theatre’s archive. Katy is spending more time working for the family business, which is thriving and keeping Jo too busy to do as much rock climbing as he would like.

Samuel (8) is loving his new school at Barnard Castle; he loves playing the piano and composing his own music. He recently started rugby and has been chosen for the first team so the Beddow gene is kicking in. Luke (6) loves swimming, rock climbing and being an explorer. In October the family went rock climbing to Luxemburg with the new VW campervan. This turned out to be eventful when Luke fractured his wrist after sliding down the rail on a walk and forgetting to stop at the end.

Abigail is still at Waterstones, now working as support for a cluster of stores in the city centre, for health and safety and security processes. She helped organise a street party this summer to get to know her neighbours. Aissa is still at The Priory, working hard as head sous chef. Aissa and Abigail are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary next April. Zara has had a busy year graduating from Hertford University with a 2:1 in midwifery.

She has secured a job with the NHS trust of Barnet and the Royal Free hospital and started work this November. She also passed her driving test and bought her first car. Joseph is fast becoming a computer geek and still loves Doctor Who and all things scientific.

He has joined the school chess club this year, learnt to swim and desperately wants to become a climber, like his cousins! Well that’s the family news for another year. Do please keep in touch; here are my contact.