It's that time of year again to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and all the very best for the
year 2000!
Time also to catch up on everyone's news. It's been good to hear from those people who have already written - it's once again been a busy year.
It's hard to believe that James is now in his second year of senior school. He's growing up fast - literally he's about an inch shorter than me now, so I'll soon have to get the ladder out when I'm prompting him to do his homework! He's still keen on rugby and is in the school team, and enjoyed tennis in the summer. James still goes to scouts, although he's changed troups so is no longer an air scout. They've been on a few days out and a night hike and camp (yes, in November - they must be mad or well insulated!). He's also in the local scouts and guides joint panto again this year, so we're looking forward to the performance in February of "Henry the Tudor Dude" - he's playing The Pope, an improvement on being The Executioner last year in Alice in Wonderland! James has made some friends at school and quite often they all go off to Bromley to the pictures. He is as usual interested in music, computer games and the nintendo.
Rachel also is growing fast. She's in her last year at primary school now, and has been offered a place at James's school - a relief as a lot of her friends haven't got offers yet. Rachel is also very tall for her age, most people think she's 12 or 13, so she'll be overtaking me soon too. Rachel moved up to Guides in September, and she's at the Christmas party as I write. They've all dressed up in clothes from different decades. She got the 50's, so is in pumps, ankle socks and a wide skirt with her hair up in a high pony tail! Rachel is still keen on music and drama. She's still learning the clarinet, and we usually have a concert at Christmas and parties. She's also in the school choir. Rachel enjoys her Saturday drama lessons, and in the last couple of half terms they've had a 4 day workshop, where the children rehearse and put on a production - the last one was for Halloween, so they did bits from The Adam's Family, Thriller and The Rocky Horror Show - all great fun.
The summer holiday seems like a long time ago now, but we were again in France Eurocamping. We had a week by the sea down near the Spanish border, then for the second week we returned to the same site as last year in the Ardeche. There was lots to do for the children, and James and John went on a mega canoe trip down the river (gone all day) - leaving in the river John's glasses and a few other bits and pieces from when they capsized!
We've already booked next year's holiday - Eurocamp again but Italy this time. We're spending one week in Tuscany - so we'll be able to do some sight seeing visiting Florence and Sienna - then a week on a site with direct access to the beach in Northern Italy.
I'm also heading off to New York for a week in May. It's my friend Kate's 40th birthday (we met in 1985 when we were both working on the same ward at The Maudsley Hospital). She's always had a thing about New York, so we'll be painting the town red and shopping till we drop!
John started a new job in July in Leatherhead. The company specializes in systems for doing business over the Internet - for example when the stores do a seasonal promotion, they use the company's software to ensure they don't end up with too many or too few of the products. There isn't the overseas travel, which John is pleased about, as he didn't find it much fun. As it's the first job John's not been able to commute to we've become a 2 car family, so I'm relegated to parking in the road. The journey usually takes about 45 minutes, provided the M25 isn't too clogged up.
I'm still in the same job - I completed the Certificate in Management course in the summer, which I enjoyed as I met lots of different people who work in various council departments. It's very convenient for me working in Orpington as I can still take Rachel to school, and I'm home before 5:30. At the moment I think I'll stay put, as there seems to be enough to do once I get home without having to add travelling time in.
Well, that's about all the news for now. I'm belatedly getting to grips with the Internet. I had a lovely surprise getting an Email from a friend in Australia earlier in the year, and have enjoyed exchanging news with her via the Internet. It somehow seems to be easier to send an Email than write a letter, so I've put my Email address on the top of the letter if anyone fancies dropping me a line!
Hope you all have a great celebration over the millennium.
Anne