Keeping in touch each year...
2019 - The year of India
Well, here we are, already into 2020 and we’re disgracefully late in publishing our 2019 update to keep in touch. As they say though, better late than never.
It’s been an even busier year than usual - a weak excuse, we know, for people in retirement mode. But, not being heavily into social media, we do like to maintain the technological equivalent of the old Christmas card tradition particularly now that we live on the other side of the world from many of our friends.
The big news for 2019 was the arrival on the Ides of March of India Elizabeth Gilpin, our second grandchild and a baby sister for Oscar. The little blue-eyed beauty has quickly learnt to establish her space in Tim and Olivia’s family.
Coincidentally, India’s arrival came only several weeks after our tour of southern India - expertly organised by Marina whom we first met on our Rajasthan tour four years ago. This trip, with great companions, focused on Kerala and the former colonial outposts of Pondicherry and Goa.
Tim, having discovered that running and fatherhood go together (wonder where he got that from), signed up Amy, Louisa and me for the iconic Hackney Half Marathon in May. The girls and I let Tim shoot ahead so we could finish together. The girls did well on minimal training and I was gratified that my barefoot gait continues to keep me enjoying injury-free running into my ‘70s. Not to be outdone, Liv completed a 5km fun run on the same day - only a couple of months after giving birth.
Rosemarie’s sister Hazel and husband Keith spent some weeks with us touring southern England in the van, capped off with a big family reunion in Wales organised by Rosemarie.
Then, after celebrating Oscar’s third birthday it was back to mainland Europe - initially France - for summer touring and cycling including another international tandem rally near the Pyrenees and an awe inspiring (electrically assisted) ascent of the famous Col du Tourmalet.
After spending another very pleasant few days with former Sydney neighbours Anne and Greg at the farmhouse in south western France we headed east through Italy and Slovenia to Hungary.
We thoroughly enjoyed our three weeks in Budapest (while we had all our dental problems sorted at one of the excellent clinics) and trips into the countryside. Overall we managed to get a good feel for the country, its history and its place in Europe.
We remain spoiled by the proximity of Europe in the motorhome and the easy Eurotunnel crossing, but it’s always good to get back to London to catch up with the family all of whom still live close to the centre. We had an early Christmas get together with Tim, Liv and the children, Amy & Bjon, & Louisa and Joe in a New Forest cottage in mid December.
And 2019 was also a great year for cousin reunions, nine of Rosemarie’s in Wales, four of John’s in London and two in Reims, Northern France. Unfortunately though, our wandering itinerary meant that we missed meeting up with half a dozen Sydney-based friends visiting Europe.
Australia’s unprecedented heat wave, bushfires and denial of man-made climate change have occupied top billing on all the UK news bulletins for weeks now and our thoughts are with all our friends and relatives there, hoping for improvement on all fronts.
Here’s wishing for a better decade for our offspring; hoping that the national self-harm of Brexit can be mitigated or reversed and that Australia’s political class can take responsibility in the fight for the planet’s climate.
J&R, January 25, 2020
PS Still hoping to resuscitate this blog on a modified platform. Hope springs eternal...
PPS Don’t forget to give us plenty of warning of your European travel plans so we can catch up with you if at all possible.
