Ramblings in Retirement
April 2001
This has been a busy month with one thing or another and time has flown.

I was impressed with our builder who installed the pool steps as he came in at a price almost half what I was quoted a couple of years ago by another company.

Penny had an appointment with the cardiologist and before attending she had to get an ECG and Blood analysis, we thought this would be simple at our local clinic so we did not organise an interpreter as yours truly thought he could manage. Well, firstly the reception would not book the test but insisted we see the doctor; the doctor decides to be unhappy about the Hospital telling him what to do and rants away while I try to understand him. The upshot is that a blood test is arranged for the following week at the clinic and he scribbles all over the document for the hospital. As usual, when Penny goes for the Blood test they are unable to find a vein and stab her several times before eventually getting some red stuff. She leaves the clinic with arms like sieves.

Our next expedition is to the hospital where Penny has to have a “stress” test (I feel like I need one too, trying to cope with the language and unfamiliar surroundings). Fortunately, this not only passes without incident, but Penny also met the cardiologist, who carried out the ECG then and there. The following day we set off again for the hospital for the formal appointment with the cardiologist (again sans interpreter as we know he speaks English). The outcome is that he is pleased with all the results, blood, stress and ECG and believes there to be an improvement on the results Penny had in the UK a couple of years ago. Not only that but he agreed that she should stop taking the beta blockers (the side effects caused swelling of the ankles and yellowing of the whites of the eyes as well as making her susceptible to bronchitis).

The primary reason for all this was to establish ourselves on the Spanish National Health system and bring our records up to date. Thankfully this has now been accomplished, all in all, a great result even if it was a little torturous getting there. It must be said however that the service we received from both the clinic and the hospital was excellent and certainly on a par with the UK, if not better.
The weather in April has been very nice with temperatures up in the mid 20s, the surrounding area of orange trees are in full blossom and give off a lovely scent. The garden has come alive and desperately needs attention so; Penny and I have been weeding, cutting back ivy, lantanas, agave cactus and tidying in general. The garden loungers were treated with teak oil, seedling tomatoes and peppers planted and the herb border cut back to promote fresh growth. (It’s amazing how a little paragraph like that, makes light of many hours of hard work)!

We decided to paint the balustrade (both the new area around the septic tank and original fronting the road) in an attempt to tie in the colour scheme. (The original was a salmon pink, the new was white and there was a stretch of cream on the garage roof). With Penny’s help, we finished the job in a record time of 14 hours, 45 litres of paint and sore knees, hands etc...

The lift tower has now been illuminated and we are looking to buy a couple of palm trees to position on the garage roof which will give the whole area a “lived in” appearance. I’ll save the photos until all is complete.
That’s all for April.

Rob & Penny’s Passage to India
March 2010
For some inexplicable reason, I have always wanted to go to India and see the sights; however, the problem was convincing Penny who felt that she did not want to cope with all the beggars. I chanced upon an advertisement in the “Independent” newspaper which offered a grand tour of the key sites and with accommodation in 4 and 5 star hotels and this looked like a good solution with which I could encourage Penny to come to India. Penny did quite a lot of research on the internet checking the hotels and then agreed that we should go.
We chose to go in early March as the temperature would be more favourable (in the mid to high 20s) and so the scene was set for us to visit Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Jaipur, Ranthambore National Park, Mandawa and then finish with a few days at Shimla near the foothills of the Himalayas.
Our flight was overnight with Virgin Atlantic and we upgraded to have extra leg room, we were not impressed with the airline in terms of service and comfort and we spent a fitful night trying to get some sleep. We arrived at Indra Ghandi Airport mid morning and, after changing some money, boarded a coach to take us to our hotel. The journey to the centre of Delhi was full of contrasts (which we later acknowledged as the norm in India) massive civil engineering works being carried out in preparation for the Commonwealth Games (being held in India in October 2010) most of which still unfinished and no signs of urgency, alongside, small encampments of people living in what seemed like canvas shelters and a considerable degree of filth. There was a distinct haze/mist over the city which apparently is common at this time of year.


Our hotel, the Lalit, was excellent, and after what was to become the customary greeting of receiving a floral necklace and a fruit drink, we retired to our sumptuous bedroom. The afternoon excursion to the “Old Delhi” did not inspire us as we were very, very tired so we opted to stay in our room and catch up on some sleep. Next morning, we had a tour of New Delhi taking in the sights of India Gate, the Parliament buildings and the Qutub Minaret which is the tallest tower in India at 72.5 metres and was completed in 1386.



After lunch we boarded our coach and set off on the 250 km journey to Agra arriving in the evening at our 5 star hotel the Jaypee Palace. Another floral necklace and fruit drink and then off to bed after a very nice meal in the restaurant. In the morning we set off for what is perhaps the most famous landmark in India, the Taj Mahal. To see photos of this magnificent building does not do the same justice as standing within its grounds and admiring the craftsmanship it its structure.



Reluctantly we left the Taj and headed for Agra Fort which was the headquarters of the Moghul Empire. First mentioned in the year 1080 it was captured by the Moghuls around 1528 and within found the famous diamond Koh-I-Noor



This “fort” is more of a walled palace and was completed by the moghul “Akbar” in 1573. It is amazing to see the quality and complexity of work carried out almost 450 years ago, before B&Q!





The following day we set off for the abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri built by Moghul Akbar in 1571 it was abandoned after only 14 years as the water supply was not sufficient to sustain the population. The city was never ravaged and lay abandoned; today it is protected as a World Heritage Site.



After a pleasant lunch at the Laxmi Niwas heritage hotel we headed for the train station to catch our train to Ranthambore National Park. We were fortunate to have reserved “chair class” tickets which meant we did not have to perch on the roof or hang out of the doors of the train!



We arrived safely at our hotel The Ranthambore Regency and again had the traditional greeting then off for dinner. It was at this stage when Penny (and several others in the group) had a serious attack of “Delhi Belly” and this truly knocked her out. I contacted the hotel doctor who prescribed some tablets and rehydration powder and suggested that Penny remain in bed for a while. Indeed, during our 2 night stay, Penny rarely saw the outside of the hotel bedroom.
Ranthambore National Park is famous for its wildlife and in particular the tigers which roam freely, unfortunately, despite two game drives of over 4 hours each we failed to spot any tigers! There were lots of deer, monkeys, kites, boar, crocodiles and birdlife, but no tigers. Here is what we missed:

I know we cannot expect nature to be at our beck and call but……………………

We eventually left Ranthambore and headed deep into the desert like state of Rajasthan to the Pink City of Jaipur (actually the city is pink because that is the colour they painted it)!


With a population of around 6 million this is a bustling city and our hotel, (Fortune Select Metropolitan) was right in the city centre opposite a MacDonalds!!! (As the majority of Indians are Hindu, they do not eat beef and 80% are vegetarian, so at MacDonalds, you get curried potato burger!!!!
With Penny still suffering a little I went to see the Royal Observatory (yawn) and the City Palace (on the way I was head-butted by one of the many cows wandering about the streets and the horn smashed my wristwatch, In view of the reverence these animals hold I was unable to get my own back)!




The next day we set off to visit the Amber Fort near Jaipur and our coach took us part way then we had to get taxis. There was an option to go by elephant but the queues were so long that time did not allow.




We continued our tour deep into rural Rajasthan to our next stop, Mandawa where our hotel was the Castle Mandawa Hotel. This was an old fort which is still being converted into a hotel whilst retaining most of the original features of the original building. It reminded us of a Spanish Parador but the quality of accommodation was far superior as was the overall interesting architecture. Mandawa was a stopping point on the “old silk road” and the town had many merchant houses which we visited. Although now no longer used as a route it was interesting to see the buildings and how they cleverly made fun of the English with paintings depicting the Merchants as passengers whilst the “snooty” English did the driving.


Next day we once again set off to return to Delhi and the Lalit Hotel travelling through the countryside it was noticeable that most of the work in the fields was carried out by women and in the main by hand. Crops were cut with hand scythes and bundles of wheat carted off to be threshed again by hand. I presume that automation in the form of combine harvesters would only add to the unemployment problem. I read in a local paper (no I don’t understand Hindi, the papers were in English) that the new minimum wage set by the government were:
Unskilled 203 rupees per day (£3)
Semi skilled 225 rupees
Skilled 248 rupees
Whereas, Clerical and Non Technical Supervisory staff earned:
Non-Graduates 225 rupees
Graduates 270 rupees
After an overnight at the Lalit, we set off early for the main train station in Delhi, to catch our train to Kalka. Again this was “chair class” and relatively comfortable but we were warned to only take a small hand luggage as our next train was the famous “Toy Train” to Shimla. After about 4 hours we arrived at Kalka and transferred to the toy train (it turned out to be a disappointment as we expected an old steam train or something similar but in fact it was a diesel locomotive)! The seating was cramped and quite hard (and after 5 hours became the proverbial “pain in the …..” We arrived very late in the evening tired and sore but the hotel The Oberoi Cecil was a delight and by far the best of all. We opted to have dinner served in our room and the room service duly arrived with a dinner trolley and a lovely meal for two.
In the morning, Penny rebelled and declared that she wanted rest and relaxation and would not be going on any more tours but rather have massage, manicure and facial treats. I had great sympathy with her decision as we had travelled some 1500kms in the past two weeks and never had a chance to unpack!
As I do not need such beauty treatment! I joined the group and went to see the Viceragal Lodge where Lord Mountbatten, Nehru (Hindu) Jinnah Azad (Muslim) and Ghandi signed the partition of India in 1947 leading to among other states, the creation of Pakistan and resulted in over 7million Hindus being forcibly removed from that area back to what is now India and a similar number if Muslims being moved to what is now Pakistan. (Worth noting that in the transition over 1million lost their lives in conflicts and squabbles).


Next we visited the Monkey Temple where we were told to remove our spectacles and were given a wooden stick (monkeys apparently like specs and the stick was needed to chase them away)! It should have been a white stick as without my spectacles it was difficult to see (well read actually).



The air in Shimla was very clean and fresh and a contrast to what we were breathing in Delhi, I suppose it was because we were near the foothills of the Himalayas and at some 2000metres above sea level. Indeed, from a vantage point we could see the snow capped Himalayas in the distance. We concluded the tour with a visit to “The Mall” where we visited the Gaiety Theatre and Town Hall both of which were very “English” in construction. One of the best things about Shimla is the total absence of litter and begging/hawking is strictly forbidden, this helped make the stay restful and very pleasant.



Unfortunately, time ran out and we had to return to Delhi however this time we were transported to Kalka by taxi and then completed the journey by the train.
Once again an overnight at the Lalit and then off to the airport to take us back from a stifling Delhi at 39 degrees to London at 8 degrees!
The individual sites which we visited were indeed wondrous and to actually stand within, was an uplifting experience, we were not aware that the travelling time between each location was so vast and time consuming/tiring and this did take the edge off the trip. We were surprised at the amount of filth which grew exponentially with the number of people, even in modern cities like Delhi. Apart from a few, most people lived in what to the western eye would be squalor and also most of the buildings (now used by the ministries) seemed to be much the same as what was left by the British in 1947. Admittedly, some new development was taking place and high rise building starting to dominate the landscape in Delhi but India remains in our minds, as a very poor and unsanitary nation.


We are glad to have visited this vast sub-continent but we shall not return in the foreseeable future.

Ramblings in Retirement
March 2010
Home at last!
We set off to the UK on the 6th March and the following day (Sunday) we had a lovely day with the family. We all met together for lunch and caught up with all the news. It was a joy to spend time with Millie and Daisy again and see just how much they have grown in such a short time.
The following day we visited our old! Neighbours to our house in Gildersome and again got all the gossip. It would appear that our tenants are OK and no trouble at all, so we hope they will renew the contract for rental in June.
Later we drove down to Heathrow to start our India Adventure.
We arranged to upgrade to “extra leg room” which was a small blessing as the normal seats looked not much better than Ryanair! Despite being an overnight flight, we slept only fitfully, Penny and I were not particularly impressed with Virgin Atlantic in terms of comfort, service and communication.
Arriving in Delhi we were transported to our hotel (The Lalit) which was first class in all departments. It would take some time to fully describe our holiday so I will make a special supplement in which I can cover all the sights and experiences, so, in this edition of the blog, I will give only a brief outline. As we were dog tired from all the travel we opted out of the organised tour of the “old” city of Delhi and crashed out instead. The following day we visited the New city including India Gate and the Red Fort.

Our next stage was the Taj Mahal
It was truly wondrous, and soon after we visited the Agra Fort. Next day we set off for Fahtepur Sikri which is an abandoned city, spooky but nice, then, boarding a train, we set off for Ranthambore National Park to see the tigers. It was at this stage Penny fell foul of “Delhi Belly” and was confined to the loo/bed. She did not miss much; despite being on two game drives I saw nothing better than I would have seen at Woburn! Our next destination was the pink city of Jaipur (it was just painted pink)! We saw the Amber Fort which was perched high on a hill but we were unable to get an elephant to take us up to it as time did not allow Mind you they were smelly!
We then set off deep into rural Rajasthan to our hotel, Castle Mandawa, this was an old fortress on the “silk road” and the current owner was converting it into a 5 star hotel. We had a delightful evening in very comfortable surroundings and a chance to see some of the old merchant houses. Next stop, back to Delhi overnight and an early morning start to the train station to board the train to Kalka, only 4 hours! Boy, British Rail despite all its faults, is fantastic in comparison; the station was filthy, people sleeping/eating everywhere. Fortunately, we were in “Chair Class” where we had reasonably comfortable seats and air conditioning.
At Kalka we got on to what is known as the “toy train” where space was at a premium and the seats hard. A five hour journey took us to Shimla near the foothills of the Himalayas where the air was very clean and the temperature in the high 20s (unlike Delhi Agra and Jaipur where mid 30s was the norm).
When we arrived at Shimla we went to the Oberoi Cecil Hotel which was truly magnificent and at this point Penny rebelled saying that she did not want any more travelling but rather would like to have some pampering. Massage, facial and manicure were on the agenda while I went off to see the sights. Shimla is the summer capital of India and the whole administration of the government move there. It is also where the partition of India was signed by Lord Mountbatten and I visited the Viceregal Lodge where all this took place. A trip to the Monkey Temple and then to the “famous” mall in Shimla was quite enough for me.
We returned to Delhi once again for an overnight before boarding the plane to return to the UK.

Our return to Spain was marred by a 3 hour delay but thankfully we arrived safe, if not completely exhausted. Our next two days were spent doing absolutely nothing.
The new steps into the pool have been done by our builder and he has made a good job including cleaning of the grout in the tiles. We now are finishing off with painting the surround and then we’ll fill the pool ready for summer.

Within the next week I’ll write a supplement blog all about our experiences in India in some detail, look out for it.

Ramblings in Retirement
February 2010
February has been a crazy month for weather seemingly worldwide. We see in the news that the UK has still beean suffering from snow, Haiti with floods, Chile with earthquakes and Madeira with mudslides. It puts into perspective the rain we have had here in Spain! The first few of weeks of the month we had intermittent rain and sun and Spring is finding it difficult to gain a foothold. It is however nice to see that the almond trees here are in full blossom and hopefully we will start to see better weather.
For much of the month we have been getting ready for our holiday to India which starts on the 8th March. We have had all our appropriate vaccinations (€180) and purchased our Malaria tablets (€190), booked, flights to the UK, car parking for the duration, car hire for a couple of days and overnight hotels whilst in the UK. It is interesting to reflect that the original price of the holiday grows exponentially with all the necessary add-ons. We are flying to the UK on the Saturday (6th March) and will spend the Sunday with the family and grandchildren before driving down to Heathrow on the Monday for our holiday flight.
Whilst we are away, we are having the builders come to put steps into the pool, Penny would prefer to walk into the pool rather than use the ladders, and we also think it would be safer for the grandchildren when they come to visit. This has necessitated draining the pool which is a lot of water to discharge, not to mention the refill.
During the month, Penny awoke to feeling extremely dizzy and slightly nauseous, we whisked off to the private hospital where they have diagnosed “Vertigo” and given her some tablets to allay the symptoms. We have to go and see the ear specialist on Thursday 4th and hopefully he will diagnose the root of the problem and prescribe accordingly. Two years ago when we went to Laos/Cambodia Penny developed Bronchitis which affected her enjoyment of part of the trip so I hope we get this problemcleared up quickly so she can enjoy India.


Our India holiday follows a recognised tourist route (as opposed to out Laos/Cambodia trek). We have a tour of Delhi (old and new) then off to Agra (Taj Mahal) on to Jaipur, then off to the Ranthambore National Park where we hope to see some Bengal Tigers in the wild. We also see the abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri. We have opted for the extension of the holiday with a few days at Shimla near the foothill of the Himalayas where the Maharajas and British colonials spent their summer breaks. Unlike Laos/Cambodia, our accommodation is 4/5 star (which will probably be more like 3/4 star UK standard but we think this is best given the countless warnings we have had regarding hygiene and food consumption.
My golf is going through a bit of a “purple period” lately and I am playing well with both my 4 ball Monday/Friday group, and the Golf Society.In February I won the Texas Scramble (with 3 others of course) and then on the next outing I came 3rd in my division. With my 4 ball colleagues I have been taking the money pot with some regularity. I do hope my run of success continues when we return from India!
.
Texas Scramble Oliva Nova 1st place Stableford 3rd place El Plantio
Well, that’s all for now, sorry to be late (again) hope to have some really interesting tales to tell on our return from India.

Ramblings in Retirement
January 2010

Well what an unpleasant month for weather, Across Europe there have been storms, snow and rain. Here on the Costa Blanca we were perhaps fortunate not to have snow (only a dusting on the mountains behind us) but high winds and rain.

The Agents we employed to let our house in Gildersome, have found suitable tenants who wanted to rent the property for 6 months so, as of January 7th they have taken occupancy. At last we have ceased paying Council Tax, Utility standing orders, Phone and TV and have a little cash coming in to supplement our pension. I hope they enjoy their stay (indeed I hope they want to stay longer than 6 months).

We have taken a gamble on our proposed holiday to India in March. When I contacted the Visa people they told me that they would not post back our passports to Spain so we have had to go about it in a somewhat roundabout way. We completed the visa application forms, put them (and the passports) in an envelope to the appropriate address, Then attached a cheque for our son Stephen so he could purchase a Postal Order and Special Delivery Envelope (addressed to me at his address) before dispatching the package. We then had to make final payment on our holiday, so we have sweaty palms while awaiting the return of the Passports, visa stamped.

I have at last managed to use my new golf trolley, it doesn't unfortunately improve my ability in playing but at least I don't have to drag it around when instead I can “pose” allowing the trolley to go on ahead of me. We had only one game with the society this month (the first was rained off) and we played at a course on the outskirts of Alicante. I came third in my division despite a bit of a blip in the middle of my game so, not too worried.

Bonalba Winners January

This year we decided to have another Burns Supper evening and I invited my regular gold buddies and their wives to join us. I had requested that each must wear something tartan however the result was not as good a show as we have seen before so I made some adjustments using a bit of digital imagery which I think is an improvement.

Penny

Rob

Ann (wife of Eric)

Eric

Gill (wife of Mike)

Mike

Angel (partner of Brian)

Brian

During the meal we had organised that each couple told a joke (which I had prepared for them) in their best Scottish accent, it did not work too well as they could not understand some of the words, henceforth the punch-line in many cases fell flat. I probably will not invite six Sassernachs at one time ever again! (Penny of course is an honorary Scot) Nevertheless, the food went down well and the haggis in particular was excellent (imported from Scotland) with yours truly giving the address and stabbing the beast before serving.

Great news arrived on Friday 29th, Stephen has received our passports and visas for our holiday to India and has sent the on to us. Now all that remains is the vaccinations and organizing flight to the UK and back.

We’ve ended the month with blue skies and sunshine albeit cold (10-16 degrees) and the forecast for the 1st week of Feb is for more of the same, let’s hope it continues.

Here are some beautiful photos of our area on the Costa Blanca


That's all for this month.

Ramblings in Retirement
December 2009

Having been bragging as to how we were enjoying a very warm November, I must have incurred the wrath of the gods, on Sunday 13th the heavens opened and it rained hard and persistently for 2 days. We frequently had our electricity cut off and the garage once again was flooded to a depth of 6”. The temperature has dropped considerably and the prospect for the next few days is “more to come”! My neighbour must be a bit of a geek, he told me that he has a device for measuring rainfall and he said we had 10”!!

Penny bought me an electric golf trolley which was dispatched from the UK, the trolley arrived quite promptly however the battery got lost en-transit! It took some chasing up and the battery arrived exactly 1 month from the date dispatched. On returning from a round of golf on the 10th of December where we had really good weather, the battery had arrived. Unfortunately every booking we have had since then has been called off due to the rain and, as a result, I have not had the opportunity to use the new trolley apart from buzzing round the garage with it!!


Amongst other things I bought Penny and exercise bike (which she did not take as an insult but rather in the spirit in which it was intended). As Penny has angina, I thought it would be useful for her to get exercise during the winter months without going out in inclement weather. To help alleviate the tedium of just peddling, I got her an Ipod Shuffle but getting tunes downloaded is not as simple. Although we have has some success, it is a bit of a drag.


Our lift has been out of action for a few months due to the rain we had in September, it appears that a piece on the micro-switch had burned out. I'm pleased to say that after a couple of trips and a good repair job we now have the lift back in working order. I have asked the technician for a solution to ensure the cabin does not descend when we have a power cut and also to raise the finish level a few inches. Whilst this will give a very slight step it ensures that the cabin will never go to the base where it can be submerged in water and thereby ruin the cut-off sensors. He also advised that when heavy rain falls we should disconnect the battery and open the door to the lift in the garage.

On Christmas Day we awoke late to a beautiful blue sky and 18 degrees of sunshine. We had a lovely breakfast (eggs Benedict) then set off to Denia for a walk along the promenade then as the sky clouded over, we returned home.

View of Golf Course from Naya Xmas Day 09

View out to sea from Naya Xmas Day 09



In the evening, we went to our favourite restaurant where we had booked for a special Christmas Menu.
Marinated Salmon with Salmon Caviar
Quail Consommé
Lobster Thermidor
Sorbet Eau de Vie
Venison Medallions
Dessert Selection
Although somewhat extravagant, and pricey, it was delicious and only the long delay between courses spoiled the occasion.

Our annual showing of video clips by my group of enthusiasts to the general audience of the computer club went very well and thoroughly enjoyed. Alas, my own submission was corrupted and did not play. At least it was mine and not one of the others. It would seem that the memory stick has been corrupted and I have lost all the video clips now. This is a good lesson not to pull the stick out of the computer without using the safety feature!!

On New Years Eve we did our usual, a nice meal together at home followed by a bottle of champagne on the naya watching the firework display along the coastline.

We wish you all a prosperous and happy new year.

Ramblings in Retirement
November 2009

It has been a quiet month since our return from the UK but the weather has been great, uncommonly mild with temperatures in the mid 20's allowing us to do some garden tidying. I removed some 20 or so branches from our feature palm tree which is no mean feat, the ends of the branches have small 6” spikes which are very painful when they puncture you skin. Also on the palm are the seed clusters, which look quite nice in large bunches of orange, but the weight of them drags the branches down so they have to be removed. Gathering all the garden rubbish, branches, grass cuttings, ivy etc, is one thing, trying to get rid of the stuff is quite another. I can load several bags into the car but when I took them to the skip it was already full so I went on to the “eco” park in Denia where I dumped the lot. I was given some funny looks by a couple of people and found out later that I should have put the car on the weighbridge and paid (a couple of euros) to dump! I'll give that place a miss for a month or so!


Our lift has been out of action since we returned and it has been difficult to get the technician from Valencia to come and repair it. We are still waiting! On a positive side, we are having to carry all the shopping up the stairs and keeping fit in the process, phew, you soon realise the benefit of having a lift (or the lack of benefit when it's not in use).

My golf has been quite good this month and I have featured among the winners within the golf society on several occasions. I'm not too sure whether I am getting better or that everyone else is getting worse! Penny has bought me an electric golf trolley which was sent from the UK, the trolley arrived but apparently the battery got “lost” in Madrid, I'm still waiting for it so I will have to keep pulling my hand cart.

We had our Annual Prizegiving and Dinner Dance for the golf society (unfortunately my consistency of playing is not good enough for me to win anything of major importance, so I was not among the prizes on this occasion).


It was a great night and rather than drive back afterwards, Penny and I booked into the Golf Hotel Oliva Nova. We had a splendid suite with a large balcony overlooking the sea.



With our fabulous holiday in 2008 well behind us, Penny and I have decided to venture out again next year, we have booked a tour of India. Our itinery is, Dehli, Agra (Taj Mahal) Jaipur, the Rathborne National Park(Bengal Tigers) and finally to Shimla at the foot of the Hymalayas. We have elected to go in March when the weather is supposed to be more pleasant. We are really looking forward to it.

Rather a short edition this month (you may be glad at that)! Just a final reminder, I will not be sending any Christmas Cards out this year as once again I shall be donating the money to the NSPCC, so in a way you have contributed also, well done.

Just to finish here is some Christmas cheer: