Oakwood as usual, 14-Dec-2014

First, a merry Xmas to you all, we hope 2014 was kind to you, and if not, that Xmas provides comfort.


January

January was as usual quiet. A Burns night hosted by our good friends and then all of a sudden, nothing else happened and it was February.


February

Actually, not a bad month at all. Another birthday passed relatively unnoticed for Les but this month we went aurora spotting, notably the Borealis one not the Australis. Although we were lucky to catch the great red glow over London about 15 years ago, Gillian had never really seen the dancing green curtains and the other more exotic manifestations, so we went to Iceland. Iceland is quite simply breathtaking. It is true that its glaciers, waterfalls, active volcanoes, ice beaches, geysers, hot springs and er, fermented shark, can never really match up with the spectacular beauty of a floating shopping mall with as much as you can eat and drink 10 times a day, but somehow we managed.

Its a bit of a shock landing near Reykjavik in the drizzle. It's like landing on a giant M6 with black wet volcanic rock disappearing in all directions and nothing else in sight. The initial reaction is to hope that the pilot forgot his sandwiches and turns round but it very rapidly got much better. Oh yes, indeedy it did.



We got to ride in Arti's truck.

Up here. Yes it's you know what and WE know how to pronounce it given sufficient epiglottal gymnastics.

and yes we froze our butts off.




But you can see why ...

... we didn't miss a floating shopping mall ...

... when we could see this. Taken by Oli our wonderful Icelandic guide because your scribe was too gob-smacked to hold a camera steady.




Everyday Reykjaik runabout. Your scribe believes its parked on top of a Renault which nipped in front of him to take the parking space.

This glacier comes down to the beach.

A wonderful sight unless you happen to have an elderly bladder.

March

Our 35th wedding anniversary, some culture and a major culinary breakthrough.



Our 35th wedding anniversary at our favourite restaurant, the Petersham.

Izzy's production of Carmen. Fortunately, Les was persuaded from joining in even though he had bought a rose to put in between his teeth.

Gillian pulls out all the stops searching for new ways to supplement our diet.

April

Clever balancing tricks and the amazing Richmond Park.



Gillian perfects the art of balancing our slightly deranged pussy-cat on her head.

Three deer sneak up on your scribe with designs on his cheese sandwiches.

Your scribe clocks up about 3 miles a day on his walking poles in this wonderful park. Poles are now advisable because his right hip has never quite recovered from 24 hours on the floor of Cairo airport during the first uprising three years ago. Highly recommended and when attached can be used for pole dancing although you probably don't want to know that.




This is the Still Pond in Isabella plantation. Your scribe spent much of the summer staring at this and thinking of proteins.

More of the wonderful Isabella plantation.

This is where your scribe usually finishes up after a walk.

May

Ah, the annual Idle of Wight trip again. We ate, we drank and we took pictures of green things. Can we keep this pace up ?



2 golds and a red at 100 yards with your scribe's trusty 30kg longbow. The performance is marred only slightly by the other three arrows which are in the trees somewhere.

Isle of Wight again with our old friends.

A great feet of photography.



June

We visited the WWI battlefields as part of a tour and to take the opportunity to drop in on Gillian's grandad again who is at Tyne Cot cemetery, Passchendale. He and his four brothers were all lost so it's intensely personal for us. The week long trip was just the job, cathartic, moving and comforting all at once as we moved down from Iepers into the Somme led by our really excellent guide Dr. John Greenacre. We took hundreds of photographs of this beautiful but sombre part of the world.



The last post ceremony at the Menin Gate, Iepers.

Gillian's grandad.

This part of Europe is littered with reminders of this terrible war.



July

Your scribe on the Pilgrim's way, Izzy's birthday and just another beautiful sunset.



Your scribe on the Pilgrim's way just rambling around banjo country.

Izzy and Tom on her birthday before burying faces in the cake.

Taken from our back balcony.

August

Busy month. Leo and his business partner arrived from Singapore for a two week engineering-fest in Cybershed.



Gillian's habit of feeding every stray animal that wanders by means that there is a long queue by the time we get up. This is our friendly vixen. She comes in, plonks down and sits with us. Then again, we don't keep chickens.

Leo and Alan in from Singapore for two weeks serious engineering in Cybershed with your scribe, who was knackered at the end of it.

This is what Dotty thought of August.

September

Nice trip up to Cambridge for the Alumni weekend.



Went along to Evensong in King's chapel and on the way out of the Western door, (which your scribe had never seen open before), we were greeted by this. Shortly after, the choir were abducted by aliens however, in Cambridge, this would pass unnoticed.

Standing in the middle of the main court waiting for the Eagle to open.

Your scribe spent much of the summer thinking about evolutionary pressures on proteins, so lots of Darwin influences.

October

Quiet month in which your scribe photographed a flower at the request of Gillian. It is a pretty red one. That's about as far as your scribe's botany reaches.



The cat in one of her more extravagant poses. We are not particularly cat people - Dotty is a stray - but she is aptly named.

A red flower. Your scribe thinks it's a baby trifid.

Izzy finally gets a keyboard.

November

Felix' 30th birthday and then we went up to London for Armistice day and the poppies.



This came from Felix' 30th birthday last month. Leo is on the right and Alannah on the left. Leo, secretly in from Singapore, had such successful make-up that Felix did not recognise him for an embarrassingly long time.

There are no words.

Mum, Leo and Dad at the Tower of London.

There have been rumours of recreational drug taking by the ducks in Richmond Park who have now started perching in trees.




December

And so to the end of the year.



An elephant on a block of ice. The question is why ?

Gillian complete with Dame Edna glasses and an artificial snowstorm on her birthday.

Cheers !



Round-up

We hope you and your families are well. We wish you a very merry Christmas and health and happiness in 2014.