Eat your heart out, Hugh Grant, we managed five weddings and no funerals! Otherwise, a year of hats, holidays and hedonism, including increasing consumption of Danish pastries by one member of the family.
1998 went a bit like this:
January
Graeme’s Danish pastry consumption: low. Parties given/attended: 5 Theatre: 1, Concert: 1
Started the New Year with the appropriately named Jan and Ian Yule’s annual long walk and even longer lunch. Held our usual Alternative Burns’ Nite Supper, but for some reason can’t remember much about either. Work started on phase 1 of patio reconstruction.
February
Graeme’s Danish pastry consumption: low. Parties given/attended: 3. Meetings attended/minutes taken: 2. Exhibition: 1
A relatively quiet month, apart from the thud of bills hitting the bank accounts. Original oil tank finally gave up and new plastic tank installed. Fleur had MRI scan. Celebrated her 17th birthday fairly quietly, (don’t know what Rory did for his 20th) but we’re planning the big 18/21 bash for next year.
March
Graeme’s Danish pastry consumption: lowish. Parties given/attended: 2
Fleur starts driving lessons.
Air Miles made us an offer we could not refuse for a few days in Hong Kong. What an amazing place! So much to see, so little time! Ate in a wide range of establishments – one of the great breakfasts of all time at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a supper in a chicken and noodle bar, and an excellent meal with Michael and Tina, a vegetarian lunch in a Buddhist monastery on Lantau, Henri’s Galley in Macao and the Mövenpick at the top of the Peak, managed by a friend of Michael’s. Very low cloud most of the time in Hong Kong so could see nothing at all from the Peak, and had to wait for ages for cloud to clear to see largest outdoor seated Buddha on top of man-made hill at the monastery. Rode the Star Ferry several times, travelled by ancient Glasgow trams (incredibly cheap), the Metro (spotlessly clean and cheap) and lots of buses and taxis. Managed to fit in a little retail therapy as well as sightseeing – but still more to do!
April
Graeme’s Danish pastry consumption: still lowish. Parties given/attended: 3 Theatre 1. Committee meetings/minutes taken: 2 . Weddings: 2, big hats: 1.
Rory home for Easter holidays. Fleur having acupuncture treatment for headaches. Michael and Tina (young friends) who live in Hong Kong, married in Las Vegas, honeymooned in New York and celebrated with a major party at Danbury Palace. The sensational cabaret was provided by a 6 ft black drag queen, Ms Teddi Bear, aka Danny, Michael’s former flat mate, and also best man at the wedding in Las Vegas. Did not have to wear big hat on this occasion, but needed new posh frock.
Managed to fit in day trip to France, but this does not really count as a holiday!
Fleur started placement at Danbury Park School for two days each week.
Original pool boiler died of old age, and new heating equipment installed.
Second wedding of the month – Mike and Sheila married at Danbury, in the sunshine, followed by reception at Danbury Palace. [Time I had a new hat.] Michael’s house now full of teenage boys and small cats and dogs.
May
Graeme’s Danish pastry consumption: lowish but rising. Meetings attended/minutes taken: 1. Parties given/attended: 3. Weddings: 1.
Swimming weather at last – at least one weekend!
Judith and Fleur had a lightning trip to Edinburgh to see Rory, Graeme’s mother, newest cousin baby Hannah, and to buy very big hat in Jenners. Back home next day joined by friends from Weymouth for wedding, at country house not far from here, of two old friends. Big hats and posh frocks! Three days later, persuaded by Twinning Association to have German family to stay – quite hard going as language problems, but very good weather made things much easier. Called Dorothy in as interpreter.
June
Graeme’s Danish pastry consumption: moderate (boredom setting in). Meetings attended/minutes taken: 2. Parties given/attended: 4. Weddings 1 Opera: 1. Exhibitions: 1
Phase 2 of patio completed this month. All that money spent, and hardly any swimming due to dismal summer weather.
Young friends Brad and Catherine married at Danbury. Poured with rain all day, and big hat suffered. However, great party afterwards.
Met school friend from Australia at Royal Academy summer exhibition. Recognised each other instantly after 30+ years! At last, a lunch party in the garden. Must start the pre-holiday diet – soon.
A twenty-first party on a Friday night – and the flight from Copenhagen was late for the first time! But we got there for the last half!
Fleur passes driving theory test. Rory went to jitsu grading in Huddersfield, and horrific tales emerged of fights with real knives and sticks, bruises, black eyes, sprains, cut heads and bloodstained gi’s (those white pyjamas). However, Rory now light blue belt, and healing well.
July
Pina coladas/seabreezes/strawberry daiquiris/s*x on the beach: not counting!
We are now getting the hang of holidays, and set off for Mexico (before the crowds) for hot sunshine, air conditioning, white sands, wonderful pools, non-stop cocktails, great shopping and the “seven shades of turquoise” Caribbean – not remotely like Ullapool on a wet early closing day!
The principal cultural interest was Chichen Itza, vast Mayan ruins in the jungle. We all climbed El Castillo. It was bad enough going up, but coming down was worse.
Indiana Johnston and his son went riding in the jungle and fought the mozzies, while F and J worked hard on their tans, and cooled off in the air-conditioned shopping malls. The World Cup finals were on at this time, but some of us managed to avoid them completely.
Graeme had to be restrained from buying very large, very silly big hat. Judith bought only one, very restrained, sun hat.
Arrived home from holiday to find water dripping through ceiling of dining room from minor catastrophe in bathroom above. Fortunately the insurance company was happy to pay for carpet cleaning, ceiling and room redecoration, and the large wooden rhino from Zimbabwe has now been french polished (a world first?)and restored to original condition.
Rory eventually managed to get a holiday job in Brentwood, but had to buy a suit, a couple of shirts and ties, as not all dad’s ties were acceptable! He took over mother’s car and thrashed it up and down the A12 for nearly three months – car aged at least five years.
August
Parties given/attended: 3. Danish pastry consumption: moderate (post holiday blues). Exhibitions: 2.
Graeme and Fleur went up to Edinburgh and Fleur had to cope on the return with vagaries of Air YUK for her first solo flight. But she is now a seasoned traveller and went up to Edinburgh again to stay with Samantha and her brood.
September
Danish pastry consumption: moderate. (Graeme’s office in Copenhagen, “Banking ‘R Us”, now offers day long running buffet.) Weddings: 1. Meetings attended/minutes taken: 1. Big, big, big party.
At the beginning of the month Judith became an academic landlady for a short time, and looked after a young Finnish couple, the female half working at Anglia Business School, until they found somewhere to live in Chelmsford.
Fleur back to college and placement at Danbury Park School on alternate weeks. Was heard to remark that she could not miss any college, it was so much better than school!!!!!!!
Young friends Rosie and Phil married at Little Baddow on another very wet day. Big hat, posh frock and large umbrella needed again. But a very happy family occasion, lots of kilts and dancing into wee small hours. (Am I getting too old for all this? Nah!) Rory seen on dance floor for first time in life. (Veil best drawn over his eightsome reel.)
Mid September saw our Silver Wedding party which we shared with lots of old and some newer friends. Samantha (one of our bridesmaids), her husband Neil and two little ones made the long trek south to join in the fun. A memorable occasion for us. Went right over the top with balloons and streamers and narrowly avoided ending up with two silver wedding cakes. Appreciated the mountain of cards, best wishes and presents. The magician (an old friend from Coutts) was quite a hit.
The opportunity arose for a short break in Spain at a friend’s timeshare apartment, so Judith took off for another little holiday. Managed to break a tooth one morning, but no difficulty finding an English speaking dentist on the Costa del Sol as there are so many geriatrics there.
October
Danish pastry consumption: high. Meetings attended/minutes taken: 3. Parties given/attended: 3.
Rory returned to Edinburgh for third year of four (so far). He has moved into the Jitsu Flat in Marchmont with two girls. Allegedly going to work hard this year.
Judith managed to find time for another little (but exhausting!) holiday, and joined the oldies from the art class on a trip to Merseyside to visit the galleries of the North West. Took in the Lady Lever Gallery, the Walker, the Whitworth, the Tate, Salford, and quite a lot more – a pre-Raphaelite heaven.
Graeme’s Business Analysis team in Copenhagen woke up to the fact that they were into their third winter in Denmark, and arranged a great party to lighten the Scandinavian gloom. It was billed as a tuxedos, ball gowns and tarts’ trotters event (and that was just the fellas!). Graeme found his dinner jacket had mysteriously shrunk whilst hanging in the wardrobe. IBM kindly flew Judith out to Copenhagen for a long weekend. Those young people (and some of their older colleagues) certainly know how to party! Inordinate amounts of champagne were consumed.
November
Danish pastry and Swiss chocolate consumption: high (despite October’s dinner jacket fiasco). Concert: 1, Theatre 1. Meetings attended/minutes taken: 2. Exhibition: 1. Dinner parties given/attended: 3.
Must go on diet to get into new LBD for 30 year reunion party of organisation where we met. We were younger and slimmer in those days! It was good to see old friends again.
Graeme had a short visit to gnomes of Zurich, and enjoyed a scenic train trip from Zurich to Lugano.
December
Danish pastry consumption: high, supplemented by Danish chocolate, Jule beer, etc. Concert: 1 Parties – several (losing count).
The party season gets under way. Anyone who thought life in a small village was quiet and sleepy has never lived in Danbury/Little Baddow. The Christmas tree goes up very soon, and rent-a-mob will be round for drinks shortly.
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Graeme’s mother has sampled a variety of hospitals in the Edinburgh/Linlithgow area this year, but is currently very well, and now has eleven grandchildren.
The acupuncture and drug therapy for Fleur’s headaches has been moderately successful. Driving lessons have now resumed after long break in the summer, and the little red car now wears L plates again.
Haven’t seen much of Rory over the year, and the e-mails have gone a bit quiet, but we have learned how to access the Jitsu Club chat page to find out if he is still alive.
Plans will be laid over the holiday – not only for the millennium party, but for a combined 18th and 21st celebration in February.
Graeme now moving to IBM’s Böblingen (near Stuttgart) development laboratory in January. Serious Danish pastry withdrawal symptoms expected.
With all best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.
Graeme & Judith ([email protected], [email protected])